1045: 734 Offering Wine in Accompanint (Seeking Monthly Votes!)_2 1045: 734 Offering Wine in Accompanint (Seeking Monthly Votes!)_2 Jiang Chen nonchalantly placed a piece of vegetable in his mouth, chewing as he said, “I’ve already told you, you go back to Sha City, and I’ll handle the rest.
I won’t get you involved.”
“If you keep talking like that, do you believe I’ll call the police right now?”
Fang Qing scowled.
“Call the police for what?
To award a banner for a heroic deed?”
Jiang Chen laughed.
Fang Qing made a move as if to grab the cell phone on the sofa.
“You don’t really intend to be so ruthlessly just, do you?”
Jiang Chen conceded and grabbed her.
“Can we be mature about this?
What would you even say if the police really showed up?
Reporting a false alarm bears legal responsibilities.”
“What false alarm?
You should be locked up to clear your head.
Why do adults always say not to play with fire when we’re kids?
Because those who play with fire will eventually get burned!”
That’s what being outwardly stern but inwardly timid is all about.
As a lawyer, knowing that he was related to a major murder case, she spoke harshly but took no substantial action.
Jiang Chen understood her tough exterior but gentle heart, coaxing her, “Co on, cool down.
Think about it—I may not be able to champion justice in court like you, but as a man, how can I ignore Fang Ai’s unethical behavior?
The decency of society needs to be upheld by each one of us, right?”
Fang Qing finally smiled.
“You should have been a lawyer, truly a waste of talent.”
“I can’t be competing with you for food.”
As Fang Qing was about to speak, Jiang Chen raised his hand in a pleading gesture, “Enough, no more arguing.
This case is causing enough uproar.
If soone overhears and decides to inform the police, you’ll have to go through the trouble of defending , which would be such a hassle.”
“Don’t worry, by that point, I’ll definitely be sitting across from you.”
“Won’s scorn is the most venomous!”
Fang Qing picked up her cup and took a big gulp.
Drinking is about mood and setting; sotis you can’t even take a sip, and other tis you can drink it like water.
Jiang Chen watched in amazent.
“Heroine’s tolerance to liquor!”
Fang Qing ignored him, picked up her chopsticks, and resud eating.
“You should head back soon.”
Jiang Chen dialed down the humor, continuing to eat while he spoke calmly.
“I won’t interfere with you, so don’t interfere with .
I’ll leave when I want to.”
“Lawyer Fang, now’s not the ti for squabbles.
What’s the use of you staying here?
To spectate?
Even if you’re just here for the spectacle, you don’t need to stay.
You can follow the gossip from Sha City just as well.”
Fang Qing stopped her chopsticks, “A life—no, two lives—how can you speak of them so lightly?”
“Birth, age, sickness, and death are natural laws.
During the ti we’ve been eating, many people have lost their lives.”
Fang Qing wasn’t swayed by such a superficial argunt, “How is that the sa?”
“You don’t still have feelings for that Mr.
Ding, do you?”
Jiang Chen changed the subject, then quickly added, “I an gratitude.”
“What do you think?”
Jiang Chen shook his head, “You shouldn’t be so overflowingly compassionate.
No matter what, Ding He committed murder; a brute fact that involves brutal ans.
Really, it’s said that like attracts like for a reason; both mbers of that couple are ruthless.”
“Are they ruthless?”
Fang Qing looked at him, “Why do I feel you are more ruthless?”
Nowadays, everyone knew, the ones who outright flaunted their fierceness were not to be feared.
The truly fearso ones were those who wore suits and ties.
“Have you had too much to drink?
Look at properly.”
Jiang Chen smiled wryly with an innocent look.
Fang Qing seriously stared at his face.
One second.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Until Jiang Chen began to look visibly uncomfortable, she slowly said, “You’ve changed.”
Jiang Chen laughed in surprise.
“Definitely have changed, got handsor.”
“I barely recognize you now.”
Fang Qing resud drinking.
Sohow, hearing this, Jiang Chen felt a sudden, inexplicable sadness wash over him, his smile fading.
“Fang Qing, those words…
they kind of hurt the brotherly bond between us.”
“Who’s your brother?”
Fang Qing swallowed her drink, the act seeming sowhat difficult, “The old you was naughty but knew fear, was scared of getting beaten in a fight, and was scared of being punished by parents.
But the you now, I don’t sense any fear at all.”
Fearlessness.
Is not necessarily a good thing.
Fearlessness can easily evolve into recklessness.
And those who are reckless typically don’t end well.
For example, criminals sentenced to severe punishnt beco so because they have no warnings, no regard for anyone or anything, no rules.
Without warnings, there are no constraints, and so they wade step by step into dangerous swamps, until one day there’s no coming back.
“Who said I wasn’t afraid of anything?”
Jiang Chen laughed.
“What are you afraid of?”
“I’m afraid you’ll get hurt.”
Jiang Chen blurted out.
Fang Qing paused.
Jiang Chen cleared his throat and explained further, “Not just you, but also Uncle Fang, Aunt Pan, and everyone else.
I don’t want any of my family or friends to get hurt.”
That sounded much more normal and natural.
Fang Qing seed unfazed.
“You’re afraid of your family and friends getting hurt, so you choose to hurt others.”
“Do you still not know ?”
Jiang Chen chuckled.
“We joined the Young Pioneers in the sa batch.”
“Don’t brag, I was in the first batch.”
Fang Qing said coldly.
“Wow, rember so clearly, Fang Qing, I’ve realized you’re quite vain, rembering such trivial things so well.”
“It seems like the day I got my red scarf, you went out and bought one right after school, then begged to lie and say we joined the Young Pioneers together.
Who’s the vain one?”
Jiang Chen felt awkward.
Such an old mory, he really couldn’t rember it well.
“Really?
Are you making this up?
A red scarf wasn’t cheap back then, it could’ve bought several packs of spicy strips, would I have really spent so much?”
Fang Qing barely held back her laughter.
This guy really doesn’t hold grudges.
Of course, she wasn’t making it up, she just told half the story.
The complete story was that after she promised to cover for him, but when he, thrilled, spent the money on a red scarf from the stationery store near the school and they walked ho together, she ended up betraying him when he proudly told his parents about joining the Young Pioneers.
Naturally, he couldn’t escape a beating for that.
“What are you laughing at?”
Jiang Chen stared at her with mories he’d rather forget.
“Did I laugh?”
“You did.”
Jiang Chen was quite certain.
Fang Qing pretended not to hear and picked up her cup.
“Are you drinking or not?”
“I can’t, I’m almost drunk.”
Jiang Chen, never one to act tough, straightforwardly admitted defeat.
Fang Qing didn’t insist.
“If you’re not drinking, I will.”
She reached for Jiang Chen’s cup.
After all, growing up together, they knew each other very well.
Sure enough, Jiang Chen stopped her, incredulous.
“Your tolerance is that good now?”
“What does having good tolerance have to do with being able to drink?”
Jiang Chen found himself at a loss for words.
Questions with a philosophical twist were hard to answer.
“Fine, I’ll just get drunk; if I end up throwing up in your house later, don’t bla .”
Jiang Chen made his excuses in advance.
Without a word, Fang Qing raised her plastic cup.
How many tis can one get drunk in life?
Jiang Chen steeled his mindset and joined her in drinking.
Outside, the night deepened on the balcony.
The dishes and bowls on the dining table remained untouched.
Two tumblers were empty.
The bottle of Maotai they’d started with was almost finished.
“Ugh…
ugh…”
From the bathroom ca uncertain vomiting sounds, sloshy, mixed with schadenfreude laughter.
But the laughter sounded far from sober.
A few minutes later, stumbling footsteps, two silhouettes totteringly entered the bedroom and then ca sounds of heavy objects falling onto the bed, in succession, as if things were being dumped onto it.
The bedroom door was left open.
But no one ca out again.
In the tranquil night, only a dim yellow light remained on inside the house.
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