Chapter Twenty: Sharing a Night Together

Summoning all my strength, I lifted Gu Ruoyan and slung her over my shoulder, struggling to carry her to the door of her home before gently setting her down. Not seeing her carrying a purse, I grew anxious that her keys might still be in her Toyota—if so, that would be disastrous.

I searched her coat pocket, and by some mercy, found a set of keys. I picked out the one that looked most like a security door key, slid it into the lock, and twisted. Sure enough, it opened.

By now, Gu Ruoyan had stopped crying, though she was still sniffling. Her eyes were vacant, staring straight ahead—whether awake or lost in a daze, I could not tell. I crouched down before her, gazing at her tear-stained face, and asked softly, “Manager Gu, are you feeling any better? Can you hear me?”

Her eyes flicked toward me, and I thought she had come to her senses. I opened my mouth to speak, but she suddenly seized my collar and demanded, “Why? Why? I gave you so much, yet you still want to leave me. What about all those vows you made before? Do they mean nothing now?”

Her grip was desperate, her expression full of pain and hysteria. I could only sigh—clearly, she was still lost in her drunken hallucinations. I pried her hand from my shirt, then slid my arms beneath her to lift her and drag her inside.

Her husband was gone for good; the house was empty.

I hauled her all the way to the bedroom, dropping her onto the bed. I switched on the bedside lamp and saw her clothes were filthy beyond description. Reluctantly, I removed her coat and trousers and tossed them aside, then pulled off her boots.

Yet she was still a mess. Her face needed no comment, but beneath her collar and down her neck, traces of vomit lingered—she would not be clean unless I wiped her off.

Gu Ruoyan let me move her as I pleased, making no effort to cooperate. She simply mumbled, “Why? Why…” I fetched a towel, soaked it in water, wrung it out, and prepared to clean her face. Just then, my phone rang.

I glanced at the screen: Qiu Jieqin.

“Hello, what is it?”

“Nothing, just missed you. What are you doing?”

“I’m dealing with something right now. If it’s nothing urgent, I’ll call you back.”

“What’s wrong? You sound busy. If you don’t want to talk to me, you don’t have to act like this.” Her tone was thick with grievance.

“I really am busy. How about I call you tomorrow?”

“Promise?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“All right, I’ll be waiting tomorrow.”

“Goodbye, then!” I hung up, towel in hand, and returned to the bedside. Gu Ruoyan had closed her eyes and was softly snoring—she had fallen asleep.

Well, at least she would be spared some pain for now. I sat beside her, gently wiped her face clean, and removed the filth from inside her collar. I noticed her sweater was soaked through, stained with vomit—sleeping in wet clothes during winter could lead to illness. After a moment’s hesitation, I pulled the sweater over her head.

Now, she wore only a set of pink thermal underwear—tight-fitting and close to her body. For the first time, I realized how alluring a married woman’s mature figure could be.

She lay on her side, back to me—the curve of her hips was captivating, her thighs full and round, her waist slender, her shoulders smooth…

My mouth went dry, and I nearly let my thoughts stray. Hastily, I pulled the quilt over her. Lighting a cigarette, I realized I was just as filthy as she was.

Chuckling wryly, I returned to the bathroom, wiped myself down with the towel, washed it, and hung it back up. I gathered her dirty clothes from the floor and carried them to the bathroom. Satisfied that all was in order, I switched off the lights and prepared to leave.

Just as I reached the door, a shriek sounded from the bedroom. I rushed back to find Gu Ruoyan sitting up on the bed, clutching her head, crying out in pain.

I hurried to comfort her, “What’s wrong? Don’t be scared—was it a nightmare?” She suddenly threw herself into my arms, trembling, and pleaded, “Hold me tight. Don’t leave me.”

Speechless, I looked at her—helpless as a child. How could I bear to push her away?

Peaceful and without desire, I wrapped my arms around her, letting her find solace in my embrace. She clung to my waist, refusing to let go, muttering softly as her trembling subsided.

I had no idea what had frightened her so, but I knew my presence brought her safety. I decided to stay until she fell asleep again. To keep her warm, I drew the quilt over us both.

Her words earlier—she must have mistaken me for her husband. I sighed; how deeply she must love him, even after he had betrayed her. What a pitiable, devoted woman.

Time passed. I had drunk quite a bit myself and soon grew drowsy, my eyelids heavy. The woman in my arms grew calm, no longer muttering—she must have fallen asleep. I yawned, thinking, “Just five more minutes, until she sleeps deeply, then I’ll leave.”

But five minutes never came—I fell asleep too…

I did not know how long I slept. Sunlight streaming through the window woke me, and I found myself in a most awkward position: Gu Ruoyan and I were entwined on the bed, her head resting on my shoulder, her hair spread across my face. Worse yet, my left arm was around her waist, and my right hand… was inside her underwear, cupping her bare hip.

Startled, I jerked my hand away as if burned, and the sudden movement woke her.

She murmured, pushing herself up and blinking sleepily at me. For three seconds she stared, then squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, only to open them again and find me still there.

She did not scream, but instead looked at me in bewilderment. “Tang Qian? What are you doing here?”

I forced a smile. “It’s a long story, but you’d better get dressed first.”

She looked down and realized she wore only her thermal underwear and was half sprawled across my legs. Worse, she discovered she and I had apparently spent the night together, yet had no memory of what had happened.

Instinctively, she grabbed the quilt and pulled it over herself, then glanced around for her clothes.

I remembered then—I had put her dirty clothes in the bathroom.

Unable to find her clothes, Gu Ruoyan turned to me, her expression strange, half amused, half annoyed. “Well, what happened?”

I tried to explain in a few sentences, but it all came out as, “You drank too much last night. I brought you home…”

She snapped, “Then why did you take advantage of me? I always thought you were a good person!”

Alarmed, I waved my hands. “Manager, you’re mistaken! That’s not what happened!”

She noticed I was fully dressed, even still wearing my overcoat—though it was now rumpled from a night’s sleep. I hardly looked like a man who had taken advantage of her.

Besides, she knew me well enough to trust my character. Her panic subsided, and she said, “All right, I’ll listen to your explanation. But I’m thirsty—could you get me a glass of hot water from the kitchen?”

I agreed, quickly got up, found a cup and kettle in the kitchen, and poured her some hot water. When I returned, Gu Ruoyan had already found a fresh sweater and coat to put on and was pulling on her boots.

As I entered, she accepted the water with a more gentle expression. “I can smell how terrible I am, and I see the stains on your clothes too—did I throw up?”

I smiled—she was a clever woman; she had already deduced most of the truth. So I recounted everything from meeting her outside the bar to falling asleep with her in my arms, omitting only the embarrassing detail about where my hand had ended up.

When I finished, her cheeks flushed slightly and she said nothing. She went to the kitchen, took out milk and bread, and began heating them on the stove. Suddenly, she turned to me, who was standing awkwardly to the side, and asked, “So you slept holding me all night?”

I laughed awkwardly. “I didn’t intend to, but I’d had quite a bit to drink myself. Getting you home took all my energy. My eyelids were so heavy I just meant to rest them for a moment—and then I fell asleep. You… aren’t angry with me, are you?”

She snorted and turned back to check the milk. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder and said lightly, “This was my own fault, not yours. But if you ever breathe a word of this at work, I’ll break your bones!” She tried to look stern, but couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

I said solemnly, “You can trust me. I, Tang Qian, would never tell a soul.”

She nodded. “I believe you. Come, let’s have some breakfast together.”

My stomach was growling, so I joined her at the table. She brought out a jar of jam and two cups, and we sat down to eat. I poured the milk into the cups; she sliced the bread and spread the jam, handing me a piece.

She asked, “Did I say anything strange while I was drunk last night?”

I hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth.

But Gu Ruoyan was too perceptive—she saw my hesitation and understood most of it. Her expression dimmed, and she said quietly, “Since you heard, I won’t hide it. Today, my husband and I are going to sign the divorce papers. That’s why I was like that last night. You… won’t laugh at me, will you?”

I shook my head. “Manager, your husband doesn’t know what he’s lost. You’re a wonderful woman, both at work and in life. He’s the one who’s come out poorer for it.”

Gu Ruoyan sighed deeply and said nothing more, eating her bread in silence. Seeing her so downcast, I dared not speak further; I simply drank my milk. For a moment, the atmosphere at the table was heavy.

Just then, I heard the lock turning at the door. I looked back to see the security door open and a well-dressed man of about thirty-six or thirty-seven enter, his hair slick and neat, his features handsome.

The moment he saw me, he seemed shocked, then his face darkened and he gave a cold snort. Gu Ruoyan, upon seeing him, trembled so badly that she spilled her glass of milk on the table.