As Xu Guimin approached the swimming pool, he kept trying to muster up his courage.
Finally, he could hear some voices more clearly.
"Zhengyang, slow down."
Xu Guimin turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it over. Hearing Zhengyang's name made him feel a little less afraid.
"Who's there?"
There was a splash from the pool.
Xu Guimin moved closer, shining his light on the part of the pool where he had heard the voices. The water's surface rippled with waves.
Xu Guimin continued forward, determined to see for himself whether there were people or ghosts in the water.
"Come out!"
Xu Guimin shone the light directly at that spot. Bubbles were still coming up from the water, but no one was responding to him.
"If you don't come out, I'm going to call people to drag the pool," Xu Guimin said sternly.
"I'll count to three. One, two..."
Before Xu Guimin could reach three, someone emerged from underwater.
"Dad. It's me."
Xu Guimin was startled. "What are you doing here?"
The man clearly hadn't expected to find his own son in the swimming pool, much less his son embracing a woman.
"Dad, it's me. Don't be angry."
"What's going on here?"
The woman in Xu Zhengyang's arms clung to him, showing only her back to Xu Guimin. She was wearing a swimsuit, so Xu Guimin couldn't make out her face.
"Dad."
Xu Zhengyang just called out once. As a man himself, Xu Guimin of course knew what his son was up to.
"Who is she?" Xu Guimin asked.
The woman buried her head even lower. Whoever she was, being caught like this was truly embarrassing.
"I'll turn around. You two get out and put some clothes on first, then we'll talk."
After saying this, Xu Guimin turned his back to them.
Two minutes later, Xu Guimin heard movement behind him.
"Dad, we're ready."
Xu Guimin turned around. The two had wrapped themselves in towels. Xu Guimin focused his gaze on the woman, feeling she looked familiar but unable to place where he had seen her before.
"Who are you?"
Xu Guimin kept his eyes fixed on the woman.
"I..."
Before she could finish, Xu Guimin realized who she was - the family's housekeeper.
"What were you thinking? Isn't the house big enough for you? Of all places to go in the middle of the night, you choose the swimming pool. Is it for the thrill, or some other experience?"
Xu Guimin was furious. He knew Xu Zhengyang always had girlfriends and didn't usually interfere in his son's personal affairs. But he never imagined his son would act so inappropriately in the family pool.
"Go back and reflect on your actions. Your girlfriend is pregnant, and this is how you behave? How inconsiderate can you be?"
"And you," he turned to the woman, "as a housekeeper, don't you know what you should and shouldn't do? Tomorrow morning, pack your things and leave."
Meanwhile, at Ziyue Manor.
Shu Yi was lying awake again. After much thought, she realized it was her own fault. Her soft-heartedness had led her to agree to Chang Zhiyuan's request to bring her back. She had brought this upon herself, making the same mistake over and over. But she couldn't help it - seeing him in such pain made her suffer too. It wasn't just Chang Zhiyuan who had been drinking; she had been drinking as well.
Usually, when she was working on set, she didn't dare drink. Filming from dawn to dusk left her exhausted and with no energy to think about relationship matters. But once she had some downtime, she couldn't help but think of him.
She had always known she was a hopeless romantic, trying her best to control it, constantly torn between reason and emotion. On her days off, she would have a little drink to help her sleep, but in the middle of the night...
She would still dream of him.
As usual, Shu Yi went downstairs to the kitchen cabinet where she kept her hidden stash of alcohol.
As soon as she reached the first floor, she was startled. The lights were off, and Chang Zhiyuan was sitting on the sofa, just a dark silhouette.
"Why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing here?"
Shu Yi put a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself.
"Thinking about you."
Shu Yi was momentarily speechless, then said, "You've been drinking. Go to bed quickly."
Chang Zhiyuan seemed not to have heard Shu Yi's words and continued staring blankly at the TV.
Shu Yi didn't linger downstairs. After finding a bottle of alcohol in the kitchen cabinet, she went straight back upstairs.
Chang Zhiyuan followed her up.
"Why are you following me?"
"To look at you."
"What's there to look at?"
Shu Yi, holding the bottle, turned her head and continued climbing.
"I want to drink too."
Chang Zhiyuan's voice was small, like a child whining.
"..."
"You've already had a lot to drink tonight. Go to sleep."
"Can't sleep."
Shu Yi sighed. There was a bar next to the balcony on the second floor. She gave up trying to persuade Chang Zhiyuan to go to bed.
So, the two of them sat down on the chairs by the bar, facing each other, on the balcony at one in the morning.
Shu Yi and Chang Zhiyuan started drinking, one glass after another.
"I still like you, woman. I order you to unblock me immediately."
Chang Zhiyuan used the meekest tone to say the toughest words.
"What? Blocked? When did I ever block you?"
Shu Yi looked at her phone, shaking her head.
"Hehe, you're drunk," Chang Zhiyuan said, looking at Shu Yi with a silly grin.
"I'm not drunk. I'm perfectly sober. How am I drunk? Don't say I'm drunk. Hmph!"
After saying this, Shu Yi passed out, her face on the bar.
"You say you're not drunk, but look at you now. Stubborn girl."
Using his last bit of consciousness, Chang Zhiyuan took Shu Yi's hand and used her fingerprint to unlock her phone. He opened her contacts and scrolled through but couldn't find his name.
"I don't even have a name in her phone." After saying this, Chang Zhiyuan had a sudden idea. He input his own phone number and, surprisingly, there was an entry with a note.
"Dog Man."
Seeing these words, Chang Zhiyuan's first reaction was anger. Why had she labeled him as "Dog Man"? How was he like a dog? But then he smiled happily. Having a label was better than having none at all. And "Dog Man" was special, wasn't it? Dogs were great, after all.
"Dog Man, ah, Dog Man~~"
Chang Zhiyuan started singing to himself, then picked up his glass and took a couple of big gulps before passing out as well.
The two of them remained slumped at the bar all night until 9 am the next morning when Shu Yi finally woke up.
She stretched her neck and yawned, opening her eyes to see Chang Zhiyuan's face.
Her mind quickly recapped the events of the previous night: she couldn't sleep, went downstairs for a drink, Chang Zhiyuan shamelessly followed her up, then they drank a lot, and after that... she couldn't remember.
Shu Yi felt sore all over. Who in their right mind would sleep sitting up all night? She must have some serious issues.
Chang Zhiyuan suddenly opened his eyes, immediately seeing Shu Yi's face. He instantly felt like he was dreaming or hallucinating.
"Can I kiss you, woman?"
Chang Zhiyuan wanted to take advantage of what he thought was a dream to do things he couldn't normally do.
As he said this, he leaned in, moving his lips towards Shu Yi's face.
Shu Yi was dumbfounded. What was wrong with him so early in the morning? She quickly raised her left hand and pressed it against Chang Zhiyuan's face, pushing him away.
