Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 136 The Reason for Staying

Dilraba didn't react to his somewhat inappropriate actions, letting Gu Jingyi take advantage of her.

Just before Zhu Xudan was about to lose his composure, Gu Jingyi smiled and tried to maintain the atmosphere.

"Come on, let me show you some games you've never played before."

It's like they're trying to accommodate Dilraba, or maybe they're deliberately avoiding coming? You're really giving Zhu Xu a hard time. Gu Jingyi took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility and began announcing the rules.

"However, this game tests your reaction speed a bit, like a riddle. If you guess wrong, you have to drink a cup."

"Stop keeping me in suspense, come on over."

Dilraba seemed even more excited than Zhu Xudan at this moment, and she grabbed his arm and started asking him questions.

"Two little bees flew into the flower bushes. Watch my movements and count how many I caught."

Gu Jingyi made a slight gesture. He was quite confident that anyone who hadn't played this game before would be completely bewildered upon first encountering it.

"Pfft, what's so fun about that?"

Zhu Xudan pursed her lips. Although she had never played this kind of game before, she could tell from Gu Jingyi's wicked grin that the game was definitely not that simple.

"Try it and you'll see."

Gu Jingyi looked at her and said with a smile.

"I didn't see it clearly just now, let's try again."

Zhu Xudan started to cheat, so Gu Jingyi did it again.

Two little bees flew into the flowers. Let's count them, how many are there?

Three?

"wrong."

Five?

"Correct."

Dilraba answered incorrectly at the first try, but after thinking about it again, she finally got it right.

After receiving Gu Jingyi's affirmation, she picked up her wine glass, frowned, and took a few sips of the amber-colored red wine. Her face flushed, as if in celebration. She involuntarily leaned her head on his shoulder, "Hehe, Gu Jingyi, am I smart or not?"

Gu Jingyi had originally intended for Zhu Xu to drink, but he hadn't expected Dilraba to be having so much fun. She was acting like a little kid, Gu Jingyi chuckled.

These little games are like riddles; not knowing the answer makes you feel restless and anxious, like being scratched by a cat. You keep trying to figure out what it is.

But once I knew the answer, I realized it was completely illogical and absurd.

Before Zhu Xudan could understand, Gu Jingyi made the gesture again.

Dilraba didn't rush to answer this time; people were waiting curiously for her answer.

Five?

"No, take another look."

Gu Jingyi demonstrated again, "Three?"

"Yes."

"Ah. I understand. You just imagine the up, down, left, and right directions as a clock. After you finish saying the command, the place where your hand lands corresponds to the number of clocks."

Zhu Xudan slapped his thigh, realizing he had guessed it.

“Yeah, it’s no fun now that you’ve figured it out. Let’s try something else.”

Zhu Xudan had already drunk two cups before answering, and now he looks a bit drunk.

Gu Jingyi pressed his advantage, continuing to switch to similar mini-games.

"Do you have any other types of mini-games?" Zhu Xudan asked curiously. These mini-games were full of contrasts yet incredibly addictive.

"Yes, there are many more, but I'm afraid you guys don't know how to play and will get too drunk after just a few rounds."

Gu Jingyi glanced at the several empty wine glasses on the table, then at Dilraba, who was leaning on his shoulder, somewhat drunk. He gestured to Zhu Xu with his eyes that this was her fate, then spread his hands innocently.

"Don't underestimate my drinking capacity. Reba can't drink as much as I can."

Gu Jingyi's gaze was so hurtful that Zhu Xudan instantly fell for his provocation.

However, the atmosphere was indeed much more lively than when he was drinking alone before. Gu Jingyi had performed at hotels when he was still a struggling trainee. He was very good at controlling the atmosphere.

Use tone or intonation to create suspense, making even a simple game quite exciting.

He was quick-witted and played one game after another. After a few rounds, Zhu Xudan's eyes began to wander.

"Look at my hand gestures, this is turning the light on, this is turning the light off, so is it turning the light on or off now?"

There are two options, and you have a 50% chance of guessing correctly no matter how you look at it.

"Turn off the lights?"

"wrong."

Zhu Xu stared intently at Gu Jingyi's hand gestures, unable to discern anything amiss.

Gu Jingyi redid it several times before Zhu Xudan gradually realized that these kinds of things couldn't be done according to common sense.

Watching his gestures, she was tricked instead. After paying an immeasurable price, Zhu Xudan finally guessed the answer.

"On or off the lights?"

"close"

Gu Jingyi assumed she was just lucky, so he deliberately made his hand gestures even more complicated. He asked again, "Turn the light on or off?"

"close"

"Not bad, do you know how to play now?"

Gu Jingyi looked at Zhu Xudan and asked with a smile.

"Of course, judging from your mouth shape, closed means 'closed,' and open means 'open'!"

Since it's a brain teaser game, the most fun part is guessing the answer. The most interesting part is racking your brains but still not getting it right, even feeling like, "Oh, you can't believe it?"

Dilraba leaned on Gu Jingyi's shoulder the whole time, watching the two of them play.

"Gu Jingyi, are you done yet?"

Although she didn't drink much, her alcohol tolerance was still low. Dilraba leaned on his shoulder, her voice drawn out.

Gu Jingyi turned his head and saw that Dilraba's eyes were glazed over, and she was obviously drunk and had forgotten where she was.

"Then let's stop playing. It's getting late, everyone should go home and go to sleep."

Gu Jingyi got up and prepared to go upstairs.

"Oh no, Reba, you're going too far! You promised Gu Jingyi would drink with me today."

Zhu Xudan was feeling dizzy from drinking, but she clearly heard Dilraba tell Gu Jingyi to stop drinking. Already heartbroken and upset, seeing the two of them being so sweet made her feel even more suffocated.

She stood up unsteadily and stopped her sister who had forgotten her friend for the sake of a pretty face.

Her drunken body was unsteady, and Zhu Xu looked like she was about to fall. Gu Jingyi was caught off guard and reached out to help her sit up again.

He could tell that Zhu Xu was worried about something and wanted to relieve some of the pressure by drinking.

He didn't say anything in the second half, just kept Zhu Xudan company, drinking cup after cup.

"call"

There were already five or six bottles of red wine in front of Zhu Xudan, but he didn't stop drinking. He downed another glass in one gulp, his face flushed red.

She drank the glass, staring somewhat dazedly at the table in front of her. Zhu Xudan scratched her hair, looking dejected.

"It's really annoying. We were so sweet together back then. How did things end up like this?" Gu Jingyi didn't say anything, just listened quietly as she recounted her story with her ex-boyfriend.

Zhu Xudan is relatively low-key, and his fame within the industry is roughly at the third tier. He has some recognition, but he's not exactly a household name.

Her relationship began a little over a year ago, and it was the envy of many at the time.

I've even met my parents, so how did things come to this?

Gu Jingyi listened patiently to her complaints, remaining silent like a bystander. He only responded with a single syllable when Zhu Xudan occasionally glanced at him.

He didn't have any particular thoughts; breakups and makeups are commonplace in relationships.

This story, at most, involves a female celebrity and isn't anything particularly special.

In other words, after a long-distance relationship, the feelings between the two parties entered a period of stagnation. After several arguments, the man considered leaving.

So she started looking for suitable candidates around her, searching for a replacement. Then, during another breakup attempt, the other person was silent for a few seconds before nodding in agreement.

This made Zhu Xu panic, so she quickly finished work and went to the other person's company to beg for reconciliation. However, she met the other person's new girlfriend, and while she was feeling insecure, she was directly eliminated and became the "ex-girlfriend".

"Men are all the same. He was the one who pursued me first. He said I was different from other girls and that he would cherish me. Is that even fair? Is that how he cherished me? He could have just dumped me and stopped loving me. Why did he have to do something so disgusting and cheat on me?"

Zhu Xudan's tone became irritable, and she directly extended her focus to men. Clearly, the alcohol was taking effect, and she had completely lost her composure. She had forgotten that Gu Jingyi, who was listening to her vent, was also a man.

"To clarify, you went to see him after he had already agreed to break up. So even if he had a girlfriend, it was a matter of first come, first served. There's no question of being 'cheated on.'"

Before Gu Jingyi could finish speaking, large tears welled up in Zhu Xudan's eyes and fell to the ground.

"Wah!" Zhu Xu sniffled and asked tearfully, "Gu Jingyi, do you... also think... I was wrong??"

Dilraba had sobered up considerably by some point, and she reached under the table to subtly pinch him, signaling Gu Jingyi to be more considerate.

"There's no right or wrong here, it's all in the past. You're so young and so beautiful. You'll have new relationships in the future, and someone will fall in love with you simply because you are you."

Gu Jingyi comforted her in a very gentle and considerate manner.

“But…” Zhu Xudan turned to look at him.

"Those people...they're not him anymore..."

Zhu Xudan pouted, her emotions spiraling out of control once again. Tears welled up uncontrollably, and she lost control of her bladder.

Gu Jingyi was completely baffled. He genuinely didn't understand why there were so many differences in how men and women think.

Dude, you've already broken up. Your boyfriend is your ex-boyfriend, and he's already dating someone else. What are you still hung up on? Cut your losses and move on!
What's the point of crying in front of me? Go cry in front of your ex-boyfriend!

"Waaaaah, I know you look down on me too. But I just feel so awful!"

Zhu Xudan got thirsty halfway through his speech, picked up his wine glass, and downed it in one gulp. He let out a long, hearty sigh and slammed the glass down on the table.

Gu Jingyi was very considerate. Seeing that her glass was empty, he opened another bottle and poured her a full glass.

"Jingyi, as a man, you must understand this very well. Why do you think this is? How can his passion just vanish so easily, leading to such a precipitous breakup?"

Zhu Xudan's face was flushed, and he seemed somewhat drunk. However, he was still conscious and stared straight at Gu Jingyi.

Dilraba quietly pricked up her ears and stared intently at him.

I understand, but no one wants to hear the truth...

Gu Jingyi glanced at Dilraba sitting beside him out of the corner of his eye, and with a quick thought, he came up with a flimsy excuse.

"Sigh... what should I say? He really is... oh well..."

"Sigh, if only it were that simple. I wouldn't be so conflicted now."

Zhu Xudan sighed again upon hearing this, gazing wistfully into the distance. She didn't understand what she meant and was prepared to let Gu Jingyi go.

Dilraba couldn't contain herself any longer. "Gu Jingyi, speak properly. Be normal, don't try to evade the issue."

"what did I say?"

"Tell me your opinion on this matter, is that right?!"

Dilraba persisted, demanding an answer from him.

Gu Jingyi turned his head and looked over, seeing her sharp gaze that hadn't lessened at all. He then paused, wondering what he had said wrong again.

Sure enough, girls sometimes have really unusual things on their minds. Even if he's already noticed and tried to avoid it, he can still make mistakes sometimes.

"I think if couples communicate well, many of these problems can be avoided, so there's no need to overthink it."

That sounded quite reasonable, but Dilraba recalled what happened today when Gu Jingyi was filming "Ashes of Love." Xu Feng pushed Jin Mi away, protecting Sui He. He even personally destroyed the tokens of their love, erasing everything.

"Gu Jingyi, people's hearts are fickle. Will you, like Xu Feng, abandon Jin Mi because of a misunderstanding?"

"Why would you ask that? A character is a character, and life is life. Does that mean the actor who plays a villain is a villain in real life?"

Gu Jingyi smiled, realizing what was going on after noticing Dilraba's flickering expression.

"Don't overthink it. TV dramas are all fictional. They don't reflect any real-life relationships, understand?"

Dilraba breathed a sigh of relief, but was still somewhat shaken.

"Promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you won't abandon me."

"That's hard to say. Maybe you're the one who wants to leave me behind."

Gu Jingyi spoke with such seriousness that he actually managed to fool Dilraba.

"No, I'm not that kind of person."

Dilraba looked at Gu Jingyi, pondered for a few seconds, and said very seriously, "If that day really comes, it will all be just words spoken in anger. People who truly leave will not make a sound. If I really said I was going to leave you, it would only be because I couldn't save face and would only do so to appease myself and maintain my self-esteem."

"So you can't take it seriously. You have to keep me here, by any means necessary. Even if it's not a gentle method, I just want to rebuild this relationship. Gu Jingyi, you have to give me a way to stay by your side again."

Her eyes, which looked at Gu Jingyi, were clear and bright, and she seemed to have more faith in him.

"it is good"

After staring at each other for an unknown amount of time, Gu Jingyi heard his own voice.

Zhu Xudan looked at the two of them, his mind filled with mixed thoughts.

She gripped the wine glass tightly, drinking one glass after another.

Dilraba felt extremely sorry for her when she saw her like this, so she simply expressed her opinion.

"If we've broken up, we've broken up. There will be better men in the future."

Zhu Xudan could only manage a forced smile, which made Dilraba feel even more uncomfortable.

Even though she wasn't a big drinker, she still had a few drinks with her best friend.

Gu Jingyi didn't say anything, leaving the two of them alone. He simply touched Dilraba's leg quietly, savoring the sensation.

After a few rounds of drinks, the table was almost a complete mess.

Of everyone, only Gu Jingyi remained conscious.

Dilraba leaned against him, her eyes half-closed. Her face was burning hot; she looked quite drunk.

Zhu Xudan sat slumped over, her arm resting on the table. Her eyes were closed, and Gu Jingyi couldn't tell if she was asleep or not.

He glanced at the clock; it was already late. It was past eleven, almost midnight.

"Wake up, don't sleep here. If you want to sleep, go to the guest room."

Gu Jingyi shook Zhu Xudan awake; she was still somewhat dazed.

"You mean, where to..."

"Go to the bed in the guest room and get a good night's sleep."

(End of this chapter)