Shen Hanyue's birthday party was held at her rented house.
Feng Qingyi arrived with a gift and entered to find the place already full of people. Apart from Qu Jingqiu and Lou Xi, she didn't know anyone else.
The coffee table in the living room was laden with various snacks, beers, and soft drinks.
"Qingyi, you're here! Come sit down quickly. Help yourself to whatever you'd like to eat. I'm going to help out in the kitchen," Shen Hanyue said, ushering Feng Qingyi to a seat before hurrying off to the kitchen.
Feng Qingyi watched her retreating figure and asked, "Is Yue Yue cooking today?"
"Her little boyfriend is at the helm. She's just helping out," Qu Jingqiu chimed in.
Feng Qingyi laughed, "I remember she once said she wanted to find a chef for a boyfriend. Looks like her wish came true!"
"We even made fun of her back then! Who would have thought she'd end up with a food blogger boyfriend who's also a top student," Qu Jingqiu remarked.
Lou Xi's gaze fell on Feng Qingyi's hand holding her phone, noticing a dazzling diamond ring.
"Is that a diamond ring on your finger?"
Feng Qingyi nodded, "Mm-hmm."
Qu Jingqiu scooted closer to Feng Qingyi, "A diamond ring? Did your boyfriend propose?"
"What proposal? Who proposed?" Shen Hanyue came running out of the kitchen upon hearing the commotion.
Qu Jingqiu pointed at Feng Qingyi, "Look at that big diamond. Isn't it eye-catching?"
"What did I tell you? You're already engaged, and we still haven't met this mystery man of yours. That's not fair at all. You absolutely must treat us to dinner tomorrow," Shen Hanyue declared decisively.
Feng Qingyi nodded repeatedly, "Alright, I'll book a place for tomorrow evening and let you know."
"You're not busy anymore?" Qu Jingqiu asked.
Feng Qingyi clutched her phone, "He's finished with his busy period. He's on vacation for a while now."
"Finally on vacation, huh? I really want to see what kind of man has you so head over heels," Shen Hanyue said before dashing back into the kitchen.
Shen Hanyue's birthday celebration was lively. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to play games and sing. The snacks on the table had been thoroughly depleted.
Feng Qingyi lost a game and was forced to drink two cans of beer.
Although the alcohol content in beer isn't high, two cans were enough to render Feng Qingyi unconscious.
Shen Hanyue looked at Feng Qingyi, who had fallen asleep on the sofa, "Let's call her boyfriend to come pick her up."
"You have her boyfriend's number?" Qu Jingqiu asked.
Shen Hanyue fished out Feng Qingyi's phone from her bag, "I don't, but she must have it herself!"
After unlocking Feng Qingyi's phone, Shen Hanyue scanned through the contact list, unable to figure out which one might be her boyfriend.
"Qiu Qiu, Xi Xi, which one of these could be her boyfriend? None of them look right!"
Qu Jingqiu and Lou Xi came over to look. Finally, they pointed to a contact saved as "The World's Greatest General."
Qu Jingqiu said, "This is the only unique nickname. It must be him!"
"They sure know how to play around. 'The World's Greatest General,' huh? I wonder if he has her saved as 'The Most Beautiful Princess' or something," Shen Hanyue teased.
Lou Xi said, "Just call him."
Shen Hanyue dialed the number. It was answered after just one ring.
"Qing Qing, are you done?"
Shen Hanyue and Qu Jingqiu exchanged glances. Shen Hanyue spoke first, "Wow, what a nice voice!"
"Come on, get to the point!" Qu Jingqiu whispered.
Shen Hanyue nodded, "Great General, right? Are you Qingyi's boyfriend?"
"Yes, and you are?" Qin Yuchuan asked.
Shen Hanyue replied, "I'm Qingyi's friend. She had a bit to drink today and seems to be drunk now. Are you free to come pick her up?"
"Alright, I'll be there right away. Thank you for taking care of her," Qin Yuchuan said.
Shen Hanyue: "It's no trouble at all. Please come as soon as you can. See you soon!"
After hanging up, Qu Jingqiu spoke, "I really didn't expect Qingyi to give her boyfriend such a nickname."
"Maybe he really is a general!" Lou Xi suddenly said.
Shen Hanyue: "That can't be right! Nowadays, anyone who can become a general is a seasoned warrior in their fifties or sixties."
"It's probably just a pet name between them. Let's not read too much into it. Everyone, let's continue playing," Qu Jingqiu said.
Lou Xi covered Feng Qingyi with a small blanket and sat nearby, playing with his phone.
The room remained lively, but Feng Qingyi slept undisturbed. It wasn't long before Qin Yuchuan arrived.
Hearing a knock at the door, Shen Hanyue quickly stood up, "I'll get it."
Qu Jingqiu followed, eager to see who it was.
Opening the door, they saw Qin Yuchuan standing there, dressed in a long, dark purple robe.
Upon seeing Qin Yuchuan, Shen Hanyue said, "You must be Qingyi's boyfriend! She's inside. Please, come in."
Qin Yuchuan entered the living room and saw Feng Qingyi sleeping soundly on the sofa.
"Thank you all for today. I'll take her home now."
Qin Yuchuan neatly folded the blanket covering Feng Qingyi and set it aside. He then picked her up and left.
"Yue Yue, what's the deal with your friend's boyfriend? Is he an actor or maybe a hanfu enthusiast?" Qu Jingqiu asked.
"He can't be an actor. Someone that handsome couldn't possibly be unknown right now," Shen Hanyue replied.
"..."
Shen Hanyue felt that he looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.
Qu Jingqiu suddenly said, "Yue Yue, do you remember that painting Qingyi did a long time ago? I think it was of him. She said it was her imaginary male protagonist back then."
"Now that you mention it, I suddenly remember! No wonder he looked familiar," Shen Hanyue exclaimed.
Qu Jingqiu noticed Lou Xi's calm expression, "Xi Xi, have you met him before?"
"Yes, we've had dinner together a few times," Lou Xi said slowly.
Feng Qingyi, being carried away by Qin Yuchuan, suddenly woke up as she felt the wind outside, "Where am I?"
"Where do you think?" Qin Yuchuan asked in return.
Hearing his voice, Feng Qingyi asked, "...Who are you?"
"Didn't I tell you not to drink before? How did you forget?" Qin Yuchuan inquired.
Feng Qingyi lowered her head, "But I lost the game."
"Alright, I won't reason with a little drunk. Let's go home," Qin Yuchuan said as he carried Feng Qingyi into the car he had called earlier. "Driver, we can go now."
After the car started moving, Feng Qingyi blinked her big eyes, "I'm not drunk. I only had two bottles. They all had five!"
"...Is drinking two bottles something to be proud of?" Qin Yuchuan held her securely.
"Because I'm awesome. I only lost twice, that's why I drank less."
"Okay, you're the best. But no drinking next time."
Feng Qingyi clung to Qin Yuchuan's arm, "But what if they make me drink and you're not there? It's all your fault!"
"...Wasn't it you who said you didn't want to bring me today?" He found her blame-shifting quite amusing.
"I think it was me, but, but if you had insisted a few more times, I would have brought you. You weren't persistent enough."
"So, it's all my fault?" Qin Yuchuan found it rather funny.
Feng Qingyi nodded solemnly, "It is your fault. Next time, you need to ask more times. If you do, I'll soften up and bring you along."
"Alright, next time I'll definitely ask more times. Now, are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Qin Yuchuan asked gently.
Feng Qingyi rubbed her head, "I'm very dizzy and sleepy."
"Then be a good girl, close your eyes, and get some sleep."
...
The next morning, when Feng Qingyi woke up and saw the pajamas she was wearing, she felt a bit panicked.
She remembered going to Shen Hanyue's birthday party yesterday, drinking two cans of beer, and then Qin Yuchuan coming to take her home. After that, things were a bit hazy.
These pajamas must have been changed by him, since there was no one else in the villa. So, she must have been seen naked while she was unconscious.
"You're awake. Hurry up and get ready for breakfast. Don't you have to go to work later?" Qin Yuchuan said as he pushed open the door and entered.
Feng Qingyi nodded blankly, "Oh, right away."
At the dining table, Feng Qingyi felt inexplicably awkward.
Qin Yuchuan noticed her unusual behavior, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing," she replied. After all, they had been together for so long, changing clothes wasn't a big deal.
Qin Yuchuan suddenly said, "I'm going to take the driver's license test."
"Huh? Today? Don't you need to book in advance for the test? Wait, shouldn't you enroll in a driving school first?" Feng Qingyi exclaimed.
Qin Yuchuan nodded, "Yes, I did. The instructor told me to take the written test today."
"When did you sign up? Why didn't you tell me?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Qin Yuchuan took out his phone and checked, "A few days ago, after dropping you off at work, I saw a driving school and signed up. The instructor told me to study at home, and yesterday he messaged me to go to this exam center today."
"Well, good luck with the test today. I'm sure you'll pass."
As long as he had practiced the questions, the written test shouldn't be too difficult. He seemed quite intelligent, so he should be able to pass.
"Mm, once I pass, I'll be able to drive you to and from work."
Feng Qingyi had initially thought he was getting a driver's license just on a whim, but she hadn't expected this to be the reason.
"Alright, I'll wait for you to get your license."
After finishing breakfast, Feng Qingyi drove Qin Yuchuan to the exam center before going to work. She made sure to give him some words of encouragement before leaving.
Qin Yuchuan, taking a modern exam for the first time, felt quite out of place. After entering the exam room with his ID card and finding the corresponding computer, he looked at the desk that seemed like shackles for interrogating criminals, and began to doubt his life choices.
He glanced at the people next to him before slowly sitting down on the small stool and starting to answer the questions.
However, these questions proved to be quite challenging for Qin Yuchuan. He hadn't seen any of the first ten questions before and didn't get a single one right by guessing.
He remembered the instructor saying that a score of ninety was required to pass, which meant that if he got one more question wrong, he might as well give up.
Qin Yuchuan suddenly felt that taking this test was even harder than going to war.
Having already gotten ten questions wrong, Qin Yuchuan had no choice but to press on. Fortunately, he had seen the questions that came after, and he managed to answer smoothly up to the ninety-ninth question. Just one more question to go.
