Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 142 In that rainy little town (Bonus Chapter 23)

Two days later, on December 12.22nd, it was Fatty's birthday.

"Hey~~ three handsome guys~~~"

Just as it was time to leave work, Shen Yue appeared right on time at the entrance of our maintenance department, carrying a bouquet of flowers in her arms and a heavy cake in her right hand.

I hurriedly stepped forward to take the cake, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, let me take it."

Shen Yue chuckled and glanced at the fat man: "Old Yang, aren't you done yet? Hurry up and clock out."

"okay!"

As the birthday boy today, Fatty was beaming. After checking in, he led us to the parking lot and drove Shen Yue's white CC directly to our destination.

Soon after, the car entered the ancient city area of ​​Huaining.

Like Xicheng, Huaining City is a tourist city with a history of thousands of years. The ancient city area has few modern buildings and has always maintained its appearance from a hundred years ago.

Soon after, we arrived at a place called "Lakeside Paradise Music Restaurant," where Shen Yue had already made a reservation.

Perhaps because it was still early, there weren't many people in the restaurant yet, but several musicians were already tuning their instruments, and a woman in a long dress was humming softly into a microphone; she was probably the resident singer here.

"Shen Yue, you're here..."

The resident singer greeted them.

"Mira, you go ahead with your work." Shen Yue replied with a smile, then took the menu from the waiter and handed it to me and Xu Hao, saying with a smile, "Ding Han, Haozi, you two order whatever you want to eat. Don't be shy, Lao Yang is treating today, so order whatever you like."

"okay!"

Xu Hao took the menu and studied it carefully.

I observed everything about the music restaurant. The space and decor were quite nice, but the name was rather generic and lacked any unique features. However, if managed well and the resident band was talented, it could certainly secure a place among the music restaurants in the old town.

"Ding Han, what would you like to drink?" Xu Hao asked.

"I can't tolerate alcohol well, I can only drink a little beer. Let me make this clear, don't try to persuade me to drink more, otherwise I won't be able to handle it if I drink too much."

"Okay, I'll order you a few bottles of Heineken?"

"it is good."

Soon after, the dishes began to be served.

The fat guy was really extravagant today, ordering an expensive tomahawk steak, along with a variety of snacks and dishes, quickly filling the table.

"Come!"

I stood up first, holding a glass of beer: "Happy birthday to my good brother Fatty, and I also wish him and his wife a long and happy life together. I'll drink this one!"

"Dry!"

Several people stood up, clinked their glasses, and then drank it all in one gulp.

After downing a glass of wine, my stomach felt warm and cozy, but I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine. Could this wine be real?

……

After several drinks, my face started to feel numb, and that familiar feeling returned.

Meanwhile, some customers started arriving at the store, and the band's performance officially began. They first sang a local folk song called "Xingyuan," which was more lyrical and similar to the song "Chengdu." The lyrics were something like "In that rainy little town, I have never forgotten you," a style that sounds cheesy at first but is heartbreaking for those who have experienced it.

As a result, the patrons in the restaurant kept drinking and gradually became intoxicated, becoming sentimental as the songs played.

"Ding Han, let me toast you."

Mouse raised his glass: "I really have to thank you for what happened last time. Without you and Fatty standing up for me, I probably would never have been able to hold my head up high again."

"You're welcome, it's easy."

I picked up my glass, swaying slightly. "I think I've had a bit too much to drink, Fatty. Have I had more than three bottles?"

"Exactly three bottles."

"Okay, I'll finish this glass and then I won't drink any more."

After drinking a glass of wine, my consciousness became a little blurry, so I asked for a glass of lemon water to try to dilute the alcohol in my system.

"What are your plans for later?" I asked.

"arrange?"

The fat man said, "After we finish eating the cake, Shen Yue and I are planning to go see a movie. The Star Maple Federation's 'Space Marines 8' movie is about to be released. It's said to be incredibly exciting, with Space Marines fighting demons in the Warp... I'm planning to go with Shen Yue to see it."

"Okay, then I won't bother you two anymore."

I wisely said, "I'll take a taxi home myself later."

Are you sure you can do it?

"Why not? The mouse is still here, isn't it?"

"Too."

The fat man laughed and said, "Rat, Ding Han can't hold his liquor, so he'll be in your hands for a bit!"

"Don't worry, I've got your problems covered!"

……

Around 8 o'clock.

The singer in the restaurant sang a tender song, which brought the atmosphere to a climax. We started singing "Happy Birthday," cutting the cake, and smearing some cake on our faces to complete the ritual.

Afterwards, the fat man paid the bill and walked away hand in hand with Shen Yue.

I lay on the sofa, intending to let the alcohol sober up a bit more.

"Ding Han, are you alright?"

Xu Hao said, "Three bottles of wine and you're done? Your alcohol tolerance is really amazing..."

I glared at him: "Every man has his weaknesses, don't you understand?"

"Hahaha, that's true..."

Just then, Xu Hao's phone rang. He quickly answered it, his face serious: "Brother-in-law, what's wrong?"

It was a call from Lu Zifeng.

Xu Hao's face grew increasingly grim. He finally hung up the phone and said, "Ding Han, there's a problem with a batch of appliances returned by the repair department yesterday. A customer reported that I secretly replaced valuable parts in the appliances I repaired, and said they're going to file a complaint with the city's 315 consumer rights hotline. It's a serious problem. My brother-in-law wants me to go back and check it out now. What should we do?"

"What else can we do but go?"

"What about you?"

"I'm fine. I'll sit for a while longer, and once I sober up a bit, I'll take a taxi home myself. Don't worry about me, just go and see what happened." "Okay."

Xu Hao got up and left with a worried look on his face.

I sat on the sofa for a while longer.

Soon, new guests came in from outside, some dusting off their clothes as snowflakes fell.

It's snowing again?

So I staggered out of the restaurant, and sure enough, it was snowing heavily outside, even more so than last time. I took a few steps in the snow, but the cold wind made me even more dizzy, and I plopped down on a bench next to the garden outside the restaurant.

Snowflakes drifted down, making a soft rustling sound as they landed on me.

At that moment, I felt dizzy and even nauseous.

It would be embarrassing to throw up after just three bottles of beer, right?
In a daze, I suddenly felt a sense of loneliness and helplessness. Fatty had Shen Yue with him, Xu Hao had gone to deal with work, and Cai Cai, Ruo Lin, Kou Mei and others were also in their own places. It was as if I was the only one left behind in the wind and snow.

So, he took out his phone and, almost without thinking, sent Lin Qingying his location, then sent her the message: "I'm drunk."

A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.

But I was too dizzy to look, so I leaned against the bench and drifted off to sleep in the wind and snow.

……

I don’t know how long it took.

When I slowly awoke from my drunken dream, I felt a touch of warmth. Although the wind and snow were still heavy, it felt as if I were leaning against someone, and there was a faint, pleasant fragrance in my nose.

Lin Qingying has really arrived!

She was wearing a black trench coat over her work clothes, and sat quietly to the side, while I leaned on her shoulder, not knowing how long I slept.

Snowflakes drifted down and landed on her arms and legs, already covering them with a light layer.

She seemed afraid of waking me, so she didn't move at all.

"woke up?"

She sensed my movement and turned to look at me.

"Ah."

I moved away from her shoulder, rubbed my face, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry... I drank too much, I didn't expect you to actually come."

"..."

She gave me a questioning look.

"It's snowing again..."

I sat up straight and watched the snow falling all around me.

"Ah."

Lin Qingying also looked up at the sky and said, "The snow is so heavy this year..."

"It's too cold outside, don't sit down."

I got up, stretched my arms and legs, and reached out my hand to her.

Lin Qingying hesitated for a moment, then reached out and pulled me up. The two of us left a few shallow footprints in front of the bench.

"Now, go home?" Lin Qingying asked.

"Ah."

I looked at her and asked, "How long have you been here? Have you eaten yet?"

"It hasn't been long, and we haven't eaten yet."

"Eat something here, or I'll cook you noodles when we get back."

"go home."

"it is good!"

She took out her car keys and turned on the white Bentley parked in the restaurant's parking lot.

……

On the way back, the two of them were somewhat silent.

"drop!"

Just then, the phone vibrated. Xu Hao sent a picture message in the work group and then said, "Hey Fatty, can you tell me who this beautiful woman is?"

I was slightly startled and hurriedly opened the group chat. I found that the photo Xu Hao sent was actually a picture of me sleeping with my arms around Lin Qingying. The snow was very heavy in the photo, and Lin Qingying was sitting upright with her hands on her knees. Her beautiful face was stunningly beautiful in the snow.

"Wow, it's so beautiful, even though I can't see it very clearly..."

The fat man asked, "What's going on?"

"I just went back to the company, and when I came back I saw Ding Han leaving with this beautiful woman..."

"what?"

The fat guy quickly tagged me: "Ding Han, who is this woman?"

A chill ran down my spine: "My roommate... no, to be precise, my landlady, I live with her."

Lin Qingying's name was not mentioned because it was to avoid shocking the fat man too much.

"Wow, she's so beautiful..."

The fat man was a little confused: "We must be on good terms, otherwise I definitely wouldn't let you lean on me."

"Actually, it's not so bad..."

I don't know how to explain it.

"Ding Han!"

Xu Hao, however, said with great distress, "It's not good for you to be so fickle. You already have Lu Xiaobei, how can you be so close to another woman? Although this woman is indeed very beautiful, no less so than Lu Xiaobei, but..."

"Alright, stop talking."

I said with a hint of helplessness, "She, Lu Xiaobei, and I are just friends, not the kind of friends you're thinking of."

"is it?"

The fat guy sent a panda head emoji with a meaningful smile.

(End of this chapter)