"Give me three minutes!"
Huo Mei Shu immediately perked up, holding up three fingers to answer Rong Dai, before scurrying off in her slippers to wash up, going "tap tap tap".
Rong Dai laughed helplessly, turning around to go back to the apartment to cook.
Just as she said, after three minutes Huo Mei Shu came over. Seeing Qiao Wanzhou curled up gloomily on the sofa, she went to the kitchen to ask Rong Dai softly,
"Sister-in-law, what's going on with Sister Qiao? She looks very down."
As an outsider, Rong Dai was not in a position to say much about Qiao Wanzhou's matters.
"She's probably tired from filming."
If Qiao Wanzhou was willing to talk to her younger sister-in-law, she wouldn't need to say anything.
"Sister-in-law, let me wash the vegetables."
Huo Mei Shu nodded and went over there, rolling up her sleeves.
Rong Dai did not stop her either. The sisters-in-law busied themselves in the kitchen for almost an hour before a steaming hotpot was ready.
The rich aroma of the soup made one hungry. Even Qiao Wanzhou perked up a little.
Knowing Rong Dai liked champagne, Zhou Shao Ting had bought a lot and kept it in the wine cabinet when purchasing the apartment.
Qiao Wanzhou chose red wine, while Huo Mei Shu preferred champagne as well.
It's said three women makes for great drama, and this was certainly true.
With the alcohol taking effect, Qiao Wanzhou and her younger sister-in-law became chatty.
Watching these two women commiserating in misery, Rong Dai realized her earlier joke about them having something in common was spot on.
After the hotpot, Rong Dai had eaten half the dishes herself.
Qiao Wanzhou drank one and a half bottles of red wine alone, while her younger sister-in-law had half a bottle of red wine and half a bottle of champagne.
Afraid they would get rowdy if they drank any more, Rong Dai hid away the remaining wine.
But neither Qiao Wanzhou nor her sister-in-law could hold their liquor well, and were already dead drunk.
Yet they kept jolting up occasionally to startle her.
"Zhou Jing, you...you bastard...what's wrong with me?"
"I've liked you for so many years...are you made of wood? How could you not have any feelings at all?"
Qiao Wanzhou was truly drunk.
Working together on set this time, she could no longer contain feelings she had kept hidden in her heart.
Hugging a pillow as if it was Zhou Jing, one moment she would cry, the next she would laugh, mangling the poor pillow.
Meanwhile, Huo Mei Shu obediently curled up on the sofa, fast asleep after getting drunk.
Watching Qiao Wanzhou's drunken antics, Rong Dai was shocked and tried to tidy up the hotpot and everything else into the kitchen.
"It's Zhou Jing, who's this?"
Just as Rong Dai came out from the kitchen, she saw Qiao Wanzhou calling Zhou Jing himself on her phone.
She couldn't help but gasp, watching the crying and laughing Qiao Wanzhou. All she could do was take the phone from her.
"It's me, Senior Zhou."
Hearing it was Rong Dai, Zhou Jing was still a little surprised.
But upon hearing the crying and shouting of a drunk Qiao Wanzhou in the background, his expression changed and he quickly put down the script in his hand.
"Wanzhou is still at your place?"
Seeing Qiao Wanzhou clinging to her like an octopus, Rong Dai gave a helpless laugh. She shouldn't have brought this up.
"Yes, Miss Qiao is drunk and keeps calling out your name, Senior."
"I really have no way to deal with this, so I called you, Senior Zhou. Would it be convenient for you to come over?"
Given Qiao Wanzhou's state, Zhou Jing was probably the only one who could handle her.
At least her sister-in-law was simple. She had obediently fallen asleep after getting drunk.
"I'll be right there. Please keep an eye on her, when she's drunk...she likes to wander around. Don't let her leave the house no matter what."
Zhou Jing quickly instructed her.
Rong Dai acknowledged him and hung up the call, before proceeding to chase Qiao Wanzhou all over the house.
By the time Zhou Jing arrived, Rong Dai was out of breath and her forehead dripping with sweat.
She really could not handle Qiao Wanzhou.
Drunk women were frightening.
"Jingjing..."
Still unclear if she was really drunk or just pretending, Qiao Wanzhou ran over barefoot upon seeing Zhou Jing enter. Clinging onto him like a koala.
"I have a spare bedroom here. Please take her there to rest, I really can't handle her."
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Rong Dai panted and told him.
Wrangling drunk people was way harder than embroidery or reading.
"Thank you. She recognizes beds, she has a place here, so I'll bring her back."
"You've just recovered too, you should rest."
Zhou Jing held Qiao Wanzhou, his brows and eyes much softer than his usual coolness.
Hearing him say this, Rong Dai did not think too much of it.
She trusted her judgement of Zhou Jing's character. He would not do anything to Qiao Wanzhou. If anything, it was more likely Qiao Wanzhou would do something to him.
"I'll ask my bodyguards to assist you. This neighborhood is safe, but please still be careful."
Rong Dai instructed him, before calling the bodyguard Huo Shao Ting had sent to protect her.
Zhou Jing nodded, thanking her before bundling Qiao Wanzhou snugly in her down jacket, completely covering her face, then carried her downstairs.
"Phew-"
With them gone, Rong Dai's ears were finally met with silence. She heaved a sigh of relief.
"Mei Shu, let's go to bed."
She went to the sofa and pulled up her sister-in-law. Thankfully Huo Mei Shu held her liquor decently well, groggily allowing herself to be supported by Rong Dai into the spare bedroom to rest.
Only then did Rong Dai start tidying up the house. After finishing cleaning and sitting down on the sofa to rub her sore arms, her phone lit up.
It was a WeChat video call from Huo Shao Ting.
She picked up without hesitation. Seeing him still busy at work, she felt sorry for him.
"You've been drinking?"
Noticing Rong Dai's flushed complexion and the light sweat on her forehead, Huo Shao Ting frowned as he asked.
Rong Dai nodded, not hiding the fact she had dinner and drinks that night with Qiao Wanzhou and her sister-in-law.
"Qiao Wanzhou, she's fine as an ordinary friend. Whether to get close with her further depends on how you feel."
Huo Shao Ting did not fault her for drinking, but was very serious in advising her about Qiao Wanzhou.
"Miss Qiao is quite nice."
Rong Dai leaned back against the sofa, hands holding her phone on her lap. Her gaze was gentle and greedy as she looked at him on the video.
It seemed the more intimate they grew, the more she relied on Huo Shao Ting.
"I only want you by my side, that's enough."
Huo Shao Ting explained solemnly.
Rong Dai was stunned for a moment, only just recalling she had jokingly told him Qiao Wanzhou's words before.
She was a little exasperated. "At most Miss Qiao admires you. She already has someone she likes."
Huo Shao Ting did not ask who Qiao Wanzhou liked. As long as she did not like him, that was fine.
Hearing this, he nodded seriously. "That's good then."
The couple had barely spoken a few sentences when Zhang, his assistant, came to call him for a meeting.
"Shao Ting...I want to look at you."
Seeing him about to hang up the video, Rong Dai blurted out pleadingly.
The words were out before she could stop them, and her cheeks grew even redder. She wanted to see more of him. Though they had only been apart for a few hours, she already missed him dearly.
Huo Shao Ting looked at her indulgently. "Alright."
Rong Dai was immediately satisfied, pulling up a thin blanket to cover herself as she stared at the phone.
She would never have made such a request in her past life.
Yet just now, she simply couldn't bear to part from him, speaking on a whim.
Seeing his boss taking his phone to the conference room, Zhang the assistant sighed inwardly.
As expected, when in love, the boss's tolerance was infinite - though of course, only for his wife.
Holding a video call with his wife while chairing a meeting, this was truly unprecedented!
