Chapter Twelve: Yi Yunxue’s Troubles

The next morning.

When Yi Yunxue groggily opened her eyes, she felt her head buzzing.

Sitting up, she rubbed her temples.

“What’s wrong with me?” She tried hard to recall what had happened the night before.

“I remember we finished dinner, then Sister Li and Tang Xiaxia left first… and then…”

“Huh?”

Yi Yunxue’s beautiful eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed instantly.

She recalled the memory from last night.

“Little Ju… Mommy hug… Little Ju, why have you gotten chubbier again?”

That wasn’t Little Ju at all—it was Chen Jiang!

“Oh no, oh no! How am I supposed to face him from now on?”

Biting her red lips, Yi Yunxue thought, “I’ll just pretend I blacked out and know nothing. Yes! That way, it won’t be awkward.”

She touched the pajamas she had changed into.

Suddenly, she fell into deep thought.

She couldn’t remember anything after holding “Little Ju” last night.

Who helped her change clothes?

Her heart immediately sank into panic.

Instinctively, she picked up her phone and saw a message from Tang Xiaxia.

[Tang Xiaxia]: Sister Yunxue, you got drunk last night. Just as we got into the car, Chen Jiang called us back to help.

[Tang Xiaxia]: Didn’t expect your alcohol tolerance to be so low. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have asked you to drink with us.

[Tang Xiaxia]: Sister Yunxue, you can’t drink alone outside from now on. Luckily, it was at home last night, and Chen Jiang is an upright man. Otherwise, who knows how dangerous it could have been!

Reading the messages, Yi Yunxue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed her clothes had been changed by them.

Recalling how Chen Jiang had called two girls back to take care of her after she got drunk, Yi Yunxue felt a warm glow in her heart.

He was not only handsome and talented but also a gentleman.

Her cheeks flushed once more.

If it had been any other guy, they probably would have taken advantage of the situation last night.

But he had neither done that nor gotten close to her.

Yi Yunxue remembered the last time she had drunk alcohol—it was on her eighteenth birthday.

On the night she came of age, her father had seen a foreign story somewhere.

It said he should test his daughter’s alcohol tolerance so she’d know how much she could drink without passing out when out in the future.

Her father’s original intention was good—he only wanted to protect his little girl.

But unexpectedly, Yi Yunxue got drunk and lost consciousness after just one beer.

That day, her mother said her father stayed awake all night, almost turning his hair white from worry.

Because of that, her dream of debuting as a singer nearly got crushed by her father.

He had heard the entertainment industry was chaotic and worried his inexperienced daughter would get hurt.

The next day, Yi Yunxue promised her father over and over that she wouldn’t drink outside anymore and even signed a pledge. After much talking, he finally relented and allowed her to continue applying to music schools.

In fact, the music world wasn’t as chaotic as rumors suggested. It was the entertainment industry that was truly murky, and its reputation was tarnished by those people.

This had all happened years ago, and Yi Yunxue barely remembered it.

She was also clear that she couldn’t handle alcohol and never drank in the past few years, which was good for protecting her voice as a singer.

Last night, she had thought a little drink at home wouldn’t hurt.

She never expected such a big mess would result.

Her parents had said she just quietly fell asleep resting her head on the table that night.

So why did she behave like that this time?

“I can’t drink anymore,” Yi Yunxue vowed silently.

After washing up, she changed her clothes.

She glanced at the clock—it was only seven o’clock.

She hadn’t gotten up this early in a long time.

Since her company had been giving her fewer opportunities and she hardly received endorsements, she’d been bored lately.

So she had been sleeping in every day until naturally waking.

After washing her face, Yi Yunxue felt much more refreshed.

Heading out to buy breakfast, the elevator doors opened slowly on the ground floor.

The weather was nice today, with sunshine and a few degrees warmer—a lot more pleasant.

At this hour, many elderly people were exercising in the community, and some were out jogging early in the morning.

Yi Yunxue noticed someone running laps inside the community, heading in her direction.

“Huh?” She suddenly felt the person looked familiar.

“Yi Yunxue.”

At that moment, Chen Jiang noticed her and stopped running in front of her.

“Chen Jiang?” Seeing his face clearly, her heart inexplicably fluttered.

“Don’t be nervous. Just pretend nothing happened.”

Repeating this in her mind, Yi Yunxue smiled as usual and greeted Chen Jiang.

“What a coincidence, you’re out exercising so early?”

“Yeah, the weather’s nice today. But I usually work out on the treadmill at home too,” Chen Jiang said, feeling a little guilty when he saw her like this.

Fortunately, it seemed she had forgotten about last night’s incident.

He instinctively glanced at Yi Yunxue’s upper body, then quickly looked away.

Usually, she looked normal… but unexpectedly, she was hiding something beneath the surface.

“I’m going to buy breakfast. Want me to get you something?”

Yi Yunxue asked.

“No need. I just finished running. Shall we go together?” Chen Jiang suggested.

“Okay.”

Neither mentioned what had happened the night before.

They walked together toward the breakfast stalls inside the community.

When they reached the row of shops, Chen Jiang suddenly noticed a new shop next door.

It was a rice roll shop.

Judging from the name, it seemed to be a specialty from Chen Jiang’s hometown.

“When did a rice roll shop open here?” Yi Yunxue looked curiously at the sign.

“Want to try how it tastes?” Chen Jiang asked.

“Sure.” Yi Yunxue nodded, as she quite liked rice rolls.

They entered the shop and sat down, each ordering an egg rice roll.

The shop owner was a middle-aged man who looked honest and simple.

Chen Jiang even tried speaking to the owner in their native dialect, confirming he was from the same place.

“This owner is a local from our hometown. It should be quite authentic,” Chen Jiang told Yi Yunxue.

There were many Chaozhou-style rice roll shops in Shen City, but only some were run by genuine locals.

While waiting for the rice rolls, the two chatted face to face.

“Thank you for helping me last night. I didn’t expect I’d get drunk so easily,” Yi Yunxue said apologetically.

“No trouble at all. Sister Li and the others took care of you afterward. I didn’t do much,” Chen Jiang waved off her thanks.

When the rice rolls arrived, Yi Yunxue quickly ate her breakfast with her head down.

“I’m full.”

She glanced at Chen Jiang’s plate, which was also empty.

“Then let’s go,” Chen Jiang called to the owner.

“Boss, check please.”

The rice rolls were inexpensive. Chen Jiang paid the bill.

“Okay.”

The owner looked at them curiously and asked Chen Jiang, “Young man, is this your girlfriend? She looks like a celebrity.”

“No, no, just a friend,” Chen Jiang hurriedly denied.

Hearing this, Yi Yunxue blushed and silently followed behind Chen Jiang.

Together, they left the rice roll shop.