BXBX NOVEL Chapter 61 - Sixty-One: Testing Limits
Lin Yu could tell that Gu Man was interested in Shi Nian, so she smiled and said, “Shi Nian has high standards. Now that you mention it, I’m also curious. Come on, Shi Nian, tell us! We all want to know: who is this outstanding lady?”
Shi Nian smiled and kept quiet. Xi Cheng carefully studied Shi Nian before stating, “Keep her safe. Don’t let her get hurt unnecessarily.”
Shi Nian nodded. “I’ll let you guys know as soon as I have good news.”
Gu Man glanced at Xi Cheng and tartly remarked, “Xi Cheng, you talk like you’re a protective lover, but I haven’t seen you protect our dear Lin Yu in all these years! You should be grateful for her; Lin Yu is a sweet girl. She suffered a lot for your sake.”
Xi Cheng mockingly commented with a slight smile, “I’m indeed a blessed man. I had my mother in charge of me when I was young, and now I have Lin Yu.”
“At least you know your place,” Gu Man snorted, and Xi Cheng knocked back another swig of alcohol.
Seeing Xi Cheng’s doleful expression, Ye Kun sedately said, “Xi Cheng, you’ve always put the bigger picture ahead of your own feelings and sacrificed yourself for others. You’re willing to march into hell for your friends and family, and we salute you for that. Here’s a toast to our buddy, Xi Cheng! I just wanna say that I wish for your happiness!”
Ye Kun raised his glass as he finished speaking. Xi Cheng was about to take another gulp from the bottle when he heard Ye Kun’s words and froze. Shi Nian and Liang Han also raised their glasses, and clinked them against Xi Cheng’s bottle.
“Come, drink up. Let’s drink the night away!” Liang Han exclaimed. The four men knocked back their drinks as the three women stared—entranced—at their bobbing Adam’s apple.
Shi Nian finished his drink and snatched Xi Cheng’s bottle away. He poured it out into a glass before handing the glass to Xi Cheng and uttered, “Don’t try to bluff us with the bottle!” Gu Man thought Shi Nian’s unique wav of advising people not to drink was cute and became even more interested in him.
She decided to start a conversation with the man and said, “Mr. Shi, you should dissuade Xi Cheng from drinking so much. He won’t listen to Lin Yu no matter what she says, and she’s even helping him hide his drinking habits from his family. It’s really infuriating,” So saying, she raised her glass to Shi Nian.
Shi Nian ignored her, and stared straight into Lin Yu’s eyes. “Why hide it? Just go to his parents and tell them. They’ll teach him a lesson, and there’s your problem solved.”
Lin Yu’s eyes narrowed, and she snapped, “I can’t do that!”
“Why not?” Shi Nian said nonchalantly. “It’s the best way to restrain his drinking. He might not listen to anyone else, but he would definitely obey his parents.”
Lin Yu didn’t say anything, and Gu Man quickly retorted. “They’re engaged; it would be unseemly for her to tattle on her fiancé to his parents. You guys should do your brotherly duties and talk to him.”
Shi Nian lowered his eyes and chuckled. “You won’t take this up to his parents because you don’t want them to think you can’t keep him in line. You’re afraid they’ll think you’re not suitable to be their daughter-in-law!”
Lin Yu’s face turned red, then white, and then red again. When Shi Gao saw this, she hastily commented, “Lin Yu and Xi Cheng grew up together; Xi Cheng’s parents naturally wouldn’t blame her for such a small matter. Lin Yu is too nice—she’s always indulging Xi Cheng.”
She then turned to Xi Cheng and admonished, “Xi Cheng, you’re not a child anymore; you’re an adult. You shouldn’t behave so wilfully. You two are already engaged, so you should prepare to live your lives together. Although we’re your friends, we have no right to criticize or butt in on your personal matters. Isn’t that right, Mr. Shi?”
Shi Nian and Ye Kun shared a look. ‘Ooh, looks like we have a tough opponent here.’
Ye Kun smiled and replied, “You may not know this, but we’ve been friends with Xi Cheng since we were kids. We would give our lives for each other. You’ll have to go through us if you want to criticize him. We’re best buds—we’ll be there to applaud and learn from him when he’s done something right, and if he’s done something wrong, we’ll stubbornly support and stand by him to the
end. ”
“Lin Yu knows us well since she was a child, don’t you, Lin Yu?” Ye Kun remarked. “Even we can’t stand Xi Cheng’s attitude sometimes. That man’s a mess, and I don’t know why you insist on marrying him. Girls, instead of trying to get this drunkard to shape up, I think it’s best to just give up on him and leave him to his fate. He’s really not marriage material! I wouldn’t pick him if I were a girl. Isn’t that right, Shi Nian, Liang Han?”
Liang Han’s spirit lifted, and he grinned. “That’s right. Who would want to put up with someone like him? Lin Yu, you’ve tolerated him for all these years, so you know what you’re getting yourself into.. It’s nothing you can’t handle, am I
right?”