CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 93: NIGHT TALK

By the time Andy finished washing his hands, Ruan Xingwen had already tidied up the food and filled the coffee table with it.

"Ah Wen, where’s the remote? Let’s find something to watch," Andy suggested.

"It should be under the TV. Have some warm water first to warm up a bit."

Ruan Xingwen said as he brought out two cups of warm water from the kitchen.

"Ah Wen, are you all about healthy living now?"

At the mention of healthy living, Ruan Xingwen couldn’t help but start nagging. He showed an unknown side in front of his childhood friend.

"Did you forget my profession? But you should also pay attention. Look at you, running out with me in such cold weather without even wearing a coat."

Andy looked at the disapproving look in Ruan Xingwen’s eyes and felt a bit of a headache. Ah Wen hasn’t changed at all; still as nagging as when he was a child.

But Ah Wen’s profession...

"Are you a celebrity now? How come I haven’t seen you act in anything?"

Ruan Xingwen’s aura instantly deflated.

"Gah... no need to point out people’s shortcomings, alright! Okay, I’ll leave you alone!"

"Hehe, I won’t tease you anymore, let’s eat, I’m starving."

Ruan Xingwen wasn’t hungry yet; he and Little Yuan had just eaten before heading to the hotel.

He watched as Andy happily devoured oden with his left hand and duck neck with his right, and handed him a tissue,

"Slow down, I’m not competing with you."

Andy leaned his face directly towards Ruan Xingwen, "I can’t see, help me wipe it."

He waited for Ruan Xingwen to help him.

"You’re something else, lift your chin up."

Ruan Xingwen criticized with his mouth but still reached out to help Andy clean up.

"Ah Wen is so nice!" Andy said with a cheeky smile.

"Home is still the best. After so many years abroad, I never got used to the food there. Luckily, my dad is good at cooking and made Chinese dishes for me every now and then."

Andy opened a can of beer, took a big gulp, and said as he pointed to the beer:

"Even An Qi, that little foreigner, fell for my dad’s cooking."

Ruan Xingwen watched Andy’s gluttonous look, thought for a moment, and asked, "How long have you been back? Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I’ve been back for less than a week, dealing with the hotel matters all this time. The relatives I entrusted didn’t want to return it because the hotel’s business was good, so it was a bit of a hassle. But it’s all sorted now. Coming back to the country was a sudden decision; I originally wanted to surprise you, never thought you’d come to the hotel today."

Thinking of what Andy said about the person he was chasing marrying a woman, it was clear the reason for his sudden return.

"Since it didn’t work out in the end, it proves he wasn’t the right one. Anan, don’t be sad."

Andy had been holding up, and hearing Ruan Xingwen’s words, his shoulders slumped instantly, and his eyes turned red.

"Ah Wen, I’ve been chasing him for ten years, from middle school to college graduation, from China to abroad. But in the end, I found out he likes women!"

Andy took a sip of beer angrily,

"How did I not know he liked women? What were these ten years then? Leading me on here while getting close with another woman there; thinking about it now makes me sick."

"He told me that I can’t blame him because I didn’t even allow the basic kiss, and he didn’t want to be in a platonic relationship with me. I was about to curse him out, luckily I didn’t let him take advantage, ten years with no status, and he still has the nerve to blame me?"

After Andy’s furious outburst, his tone gradually weakened.

He wasn’t looking for an answer from Ruan Xingwen, just needed an outlet to vent his emotions.

"Ah Wen, you think it’s really my fault? Just because I didn’t let him touch me, he went to find a woman?"

"I thought it would be me walking into the church with him, my name in the spouse column."

Andy’s already red eyes were now full of tears.

Tears welled up in his eyes and finally rolled down as he finished his sentence.

"Ugh, how could he, do this, to me."

Andy crawled over from across the coffee table and collapsed into Ruan Xingwen’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Facing the concerns of his father and friends, Andy always responded with a smile, suppressing his emotions for a long time. Today he finally let it all out in front of Ruan Xingwen.

Ruan Xingwen held Andy like a lost child in his arms, gently patting his back,

"Cry, it’s okay to cry. Anan, if you want to talk about something, I’m here to listen. If you don’t, I won’t ask."

"Sob, I’m so sad, why, he said, sob, he said he liked me."

"But, um, every time he introduced me to his friends, I was always just, his, sob, his friend."

"Anan, what did you like about him?"

Andy clutched his chest, lightly thumping a few times,

"I don’t even know, why I liked him, and for so many years, now my heart, also hurts."

"Don’t like him anymore, and don’t like anyone, I’m so tired now, I’m really tired."

With that, Andy sobbed himself to sleep in Ruan Xingwen’s arms, his face still stained with tears.

The wine wasn’t intoxicating, but he was.

Just one can of beer, and he got himself drunk.

Ruan Xingwen looked at the weeping Andy in his arms and sighed softly.

"Ah, no matter what, Anan, welcome home."

The Andy in his embrace seemed to have heard, gently snuggling against Ruan Xingwen’s clothes.

The TV program continued playing, but Ruan Xingwen didn’t pay attention to what it showed, feeling a bit troubled at this moment.

Ruan Xingwen looked at the Andy in his arms, then at the coffee table covered in food, and sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

He resignedly held Andy, half-dragging and half-carrying him to the bedroom, put him on the bed, and returned to the living room to handle the remaining food.

At this moment, Ruan Xingwen regretted it deeply; he shouldn’t have believed Andy when he said he could drink more, ending up buying a whole box of beer.

He thought that after all these years, Andy had increased his tolerance. But the truth was! Just the same, one drink and he was out!

He took a photo of the food-covered coffee table and posted it on his Moments:

[Anan, welcome home! /photo]

After posting, Ruan Xingwen sat back down beside the coffee table. Having depleted some energy, he now felt a bit hungry.

He had just opened a can of beer when his phone started ringing.

When he checked it, it was a message from Yu Xiaozhe.

[Yu: Are you drinking?]

Ruan Xingwen took a sip of beer and replied:

[Wen Xingcui: Yeah!]

Soon, Yu Xiaozhe replied back with a message:

[Yu: Have you had dinner? Don’t drink on an empty stomach; it’s bad for your stomach.]

Ruan Xingwen had anticipated Yu Xiaozhe saying this, so he quickly replied:

[Wen Xingcui: I’ve eaten, has Brother Ze eaten?]

[Yu: Not yet. There’s still a bit of work to handle.]

[Wen Xingcui: Not eating on time is bad for your health. /bear frowning]

One is at home drinking and eating, while the other is in the office handling work.

They ended up chatting on the phone, unaware of the time passing.

The food on this side of the table gradually decreased, and the stack of documents on the other side slowly thinned, unexpectedly harmonious.