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墨書 Inktalez
There were many of them, and the attendant led them to a small private room separated by a curtain.
It was a semicircular booth, and they naturally divided themselves into two groups. Feng Ning walked in first from the left side, taking a seat in the middle.
Xi Gaoyuan intended to enter from the right but was pulled back by someone. He turned around to find Zhao Binlin looking at him with an expression that clearly said, "Can you be a little more aware?" He even rolled his eyes.
Jiang Wen glanced at them dismissively, said nothing, and took a seat.
The Hunan Cuisine restaurant was bustling, and the staff were busy, so they brought out some snacks to keep them occupied for the time being.
Feng Ning picked at some fries as they sat in an awkward silence. Shuang Yao cleared his throat and tried to lighten the mood, "This is so boring. Should we play some games?"
Zhao Binlin eagerly responded, "Sure! What should we play?"
"Um..." Shuang Yao pondered for a moment and nudged Feng Ning with his elbow. "You think of something; you're the expert in this area."
Feng Ning, wearing a light purple low-neck sweater that accentuated her fair, slender neck, folded the napkin in her hands and casually replied, "Without drinks or cards, how can we play?"
"Then let's order some drinks."
Xi Gaoyuan, sitting at the edge of the booth, lifted the curtain and called for the waiter.
The drinks arrived quickly, and Feng Ning skillfully began shuffling a deck of cards while explaining the rules. "Here we have Aces, Jacks, Kings, Queens, and numbers from 2 to 10. Each of us will draw a card and then play the game corresponding to that card."
After shuffling the cards, she took out her phone and sent them a screenshot of her notes filled with game rules. "That's it."
At first, everyone was a bit confused, but after playing a couple of rounds, they gradually understood what was going on, and their excitement grew.
In the third round, Feng Ning drew a punishment card—she had to show everyone the first photo in her album.
If she refused to comply with the punishment, she would have to drink.
Seeing how trivial it was to look at a photo, Feng Ning nonchalantly chose the latter option.
Under their watchful eyes, Feng Ning unlocked her phone and opened the first photo in her album. As soon as she saw what it was, her pupils instantly constricted.
Just as she was about to swipe away the screen, Xi Gaoyuan noticed her movement and immediately shouted, "Hey, hey, Feng Ning, you can't back out!"
Feng Ning flipped her phone face down on the table, her expression slightly unnatural. She suggested to them, "How about I just drink instead?"
They firmly opposed her suggestion: "No way, you've already chosen the punishment."
"Alright then." Feng Ning stood up slightly and handed her phone to Xi Gaoyuan. "You start looking at it."
Xi Gaoyuan took a minute to finish looking at it, his expression becoming quite complicated. He glanced at Feng Ning, then at Jiang Wen, before passing the phone to Zhao Binlin.
Feng Ning had already steeled herself and calmly took a small sip of her drink.
Next in line was supposed to be Jiang Wen, but Zhao Binlin skipped over him with a suppressed laugh. "You can look at it last."
When the phone made its way around and landed in Jiang Wen's hands, all eyes turned to him in unison.
Jiang Wen felt a bit lost, unsure of what was happening. He picked up his phone, and a WeChat chat log caught his eye.
-s: "I want to see Jiang Wen in formal wear kneeling!!!!!!!"
-f: "What is formal wear kneeling? Is it BDSM?"
-s: "It's when he's wearing a restrained white shirt and black trousers, kneeling in front of you with his hands tied!!!!!!!" -f: "I have to say, you're quite perverted."
-f: "But I like it."
Jiang Wen was completely stunned.
A few seconds later, two patches of red suddenly appeared on his pale face.
His long fingers gripped the phone tightly, the knuckles standing out sharply.
Jiang Wen glanced at Feng Ning, as if he was about to explode.
She looked a bit embarrassed, pretending to be distracted, her eyes wandering elsewhere.
The others finally couldn't hold back their laughter. At this age, just a glance could lead to wild imaginations. Xi Gaoyuan laughed so hard his cheeks hurt, and after he had enough, he said, "Feng Ning, you like? Like what? Like Jiang Wen kneeling?"
The straight-laced Zhao Binlin didn't understand what formal wear kneeling or BDSM meant and specifically went to Baidu for an explanation. After reading a long list, he still didn't grasp the nuances of it all. Confused, he asked, "Why would anyone want him to kneel? Did Jiang Wen offend you or something? Why are you thinking about humiliating your classmate?"
"What humiliation?" Xi Gaoyuan cackled with laughter. "You country bumpkin, can you be any more clueless?"
Shuang Yao's expression turned a bit awkward as she lowered her head and took a sip of water, casting a pleading glance at Feng Ning: "Don't expose me!!!"
Zhao Weichen asked the waiter who was serving the dishes, "Do you have yellow soup?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have that here."
Once the waiter finished and left, Shuang Yao asked, "What do you want yellow soup for?"
"I thought I'd give you and Sister Ning a bowl each."
After a slight pause, Shuang Yao inquired, "What do you mean by that?"
Zhao Weichen sighed, "Yellow soup fills your mouth; it's the best way to wake up a dog."
Xi Gaoyuan suddenly realized, "So this chat record is about you two?"
"We..." Shuang Yao blushed deeply and vaguely explained to Jiang Wen, "Jiang, please don't misunderstand. We were just chatting casually; it doesn't mean anything else. Don't take it to heart."
"Who’s the dog?" Feng Ning smacked the back of Zhao Weichen's head. "How can you talk to your idol like that?!"
He shrank his neck in pain.
"And you," Feng Ning pointed at Shuang Yao, criticizing her from afar. "You’re not allowed to say such ridiculous things anymore."
Shuang Yao could only respond with silence.
She casually took her phone back from Jiang Wen and indignantly said, "Why do you spend all day not studying and fantasizing about your classmates? Seriously, it's ridiculous."
When a person reaches a low point, they become invincible.
Feng Ning practiced what she preached—if I am not embarrassed, then the one who is embarrassed is you.
"Do you even have any limits?" Shuang Yao couldn't hold back any longer, slamming her teacup onto the table and raising her voice in retort, "I'm always the one taking the blame. Why don't you think about yourself? Haven't you ever fantasized about others?!"
"Why are you being so fierce?" Feng Ning replied confidently. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's in the past. Are we still playing?"
"I'm not playing anymore; the food is served. Let's eat."
This Hunan Cuisine restaurant is a reputable Internet Celebrity Store, at least living up to its hype. Feng Ning was starving and enjoying her meal when suddenly Jiang Wen threw a piece of paper at her. With half a chicken leg in her mouth and chopsticks in hand, she asked, "What?"
Jiang Wen stared at her greasy mouth in disbelief and complained, "Can you wipe your mouth?"
She grumbled, "Why are you so picky even when eating?"
"You looking like that really affects my appetite."
Feng Ning grabbed the paper and wiped her mouth haphazardly. "Then just don't look at me!"
The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive. Jiang Wen immediately felt displeased, lowering his voice and pretending to be fierce, "Who’s looking at you?"
Feng Ning glanced at him lightly and said, "Okay, okay, if you're not looking at me, then I'm looking at you. Is that alright?"
Zhao Binlin noticed the two of them whispering and tapped his bowl with his chopsticks, laughing mischievously, "Everyone, let's chat together. You two shouldn't be off on your own, secretly talking."
Then there was another round of teasing.
Zhao Weichen, not understanding the situation, quietly asked Shuang Yao, "Does Sister Ning have an affair with the handsome guy next to her?"
"How would I know?"
Zhao Weichen had some insight and felt that this person was a bit close to Feng Ning. He speculated, "Is Sister Ning secretly in love with someone?"
Shuang Yao smiled but said nothing.
To others, it was obvious that Feng Ning was the one pursuing Jiang Wen—this was the most reasonable assumption based on looks and family background.
Who would have thought that the adored Jiang Wen had been directly and indirectly rejected by Feng Ning several times? If they knew, it would surely shock them.
At first, Jiang Wen felt embarrassed, but after being tormented by Feng Ning and feeling heartbroken multiple times, he began to adopt a somewhat reckless attitude.
He wasn't incapable of lowering himself before her; he just had been proud for so long that he wasn't used to it yet and didn't know how to please others. In the long run, Jiang Wen would gradually realize that in matters of love, the scales could never be perfectly balanced—one side would always be elevated while the other remained lowly prostrated.
As he humbled himself more and more, he eventually became accustomed to his own humility.
*
As dinner progressed, Zhao Weichen was flushed from drinking with them. When he got drunk, he became exuberant and talkative. "Is Sister Ning particularly domineering at school too?"
"Of course," Xi Gaoyuan recounted all of Feng Ning's various feats since the start of school. "Sometimes I wonder if she's cross-dressing; she's just too fierce."
Someone shared a video of Li Qifei being kicked into the Fountain Pool by Feng Ning, and he was utterly amazed. Thinking of this, Xi Gaoyuan asked, "Feng Ning, have you studied Taekwondo? Your combat skills are incredible."
"Nope," Feng Ning replied, looking up. "But I have learned martial arts."
"Wow," Zhao Binlin said, glancing worriedly at Jiang Wen. "You won't end up domestic abusing your husband in the future, will you?"
Jiang Wen remained silent.
"Hey, you never know. Sister Ning has had a tendency for violence since she was little."
Zhao Weichen, the one with the most authority in the room, chimed in, "She and Shuang Yao were both little tyrants. They could eat a lot, and not only were they strong-looking, but they also liked to team up and bully others."
Meng Taoyu picked up where he left off. "How did they bully you?"
Every time Zhao Weichen brought this up, he would turn red with embarrassment. "Well, back in elementary school, there was this famous fried snack stall near our school gate. When they found out about it, they made me help bring some back. That day after school, I specifically bought two big bags of fried skewers and chicken strips."
"I was still young and couldn't resist the temptation; I accidentally finished the chicken strips on my way home. When I got back, Shuang Yao and Sister Ning were jumping rope at the alley entrance. When they came over and saw that I was carrying an empty bag, they didn't say a word before pinning me down and giving me a good beating. Even Shuang Yao's mom got involved."
Shuang Yao teased him, "And you still dare to bring that up? You were the one who sat on the ground crying like it was the end of the world; who would care about you?"
"You really can't imagine how hard they hit," Zhao Weichen said, still feeling traumatized. "For a long time afterward, whenever I saw someone eating chicken strips, I would get scared; it left me with a psychological scar."
Hearing this, everyone began to laugh, except for Jiang Wen, who remained an outsider to the conversation.
Zhao Binlin nudged him, "Are you feeling envious?"
"What would I be envious of?" Jiang Wen shifted his gaze, glancing over.
Zhao Binlin laughed at him, "Envious that others grew up together since childhood."
Jiang Wen's expression was cold; after a moment, he replied, "You're ridiculous."
Xi Gaoyuan was drinking while trying to find someone to play rock-paper-scissors with. They had been enjoying a makeshift meal for nearly two hours, lively and cheerful. Jiang Wen wasn't much of a drinker; his tolerance was quite average, but he had been pressured into drinking quite a bit.
Meng Taoyu received a phone call urging her to go home and left first.
Zhao Weichen and Zhao Binlin agreed to head to the restroom for a smoke, while Xi Gaoyuan answered a call and stood up as well. "Hey, my girlfriend just arrived; I need to go meet her."
With the alcohol hitting him, Jiang Wen sat in his seat, unwilling to move.
The table was left in disarray as Shuang Yao and Feng Ning chatted quietly. She gestured vaguely towards Jiang Wen, "Is he okay?"
Feng Ning turned to look at him as well. "He seems fine, right?"
Jiang Wen's clear face wore an expression of emptiness; the corners of his eyes were slightly red as he stared at the cup in front of him, not saying a word.
After a day of playing around, he did feel a bit tired. Suddenly remembering something, Shuang Yao said, "I need to go to Watsons to buy some things. Do you want to come with me?"
Feng Ning rested her chin on one hand. "You go ahead; I'm too full and lazy to move."
"Alright, then you help me keep an eye on the bag."
Once Shuang Yao left, it was just the two of them. A curtain separated them from the bustling crowd outside.
Feng Ning looked down calmly and asked, "How long are you going to hold my hand?"
Under the bright light, Jiang Wen let his right hand hang by his side, pulling her wrist from an angle where others couldn't see. He remained still upon hearing her words.
After a moment of silence, seeing that Jiang Wen still didn't move, Feng Ning chuckled, "Why do you like to act silly when you've had too much to drink? Do you want me to help you sober up?"
Jiang Wen's lips moved slightly as she replied, "Sober up? You slapped me last time."
"Do you remember?"
He repeated softly, "You slapped me."
She teased, "Yes, I slapped you."
He added, "You hit hard."
Feng Ning nearly laughed out loud, "If you didn't hit hard, how would you sober up?"
"I want to hit back."
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