Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 25

As soon as the words were spoken, Han Ning looked up at her, a glimmer flashing in her eyes. She stammered, “You… you want me to go with you?”

After drinking three cans of beer in a row, Shen Xi felt a little dizzy, but she still caught the light in Han Ning’s eyes. She nodded gently and smiled, “Yes, I want you to come with me.”

Hearing this, the little person in Han Ning’s heart appeared once again, screaming and running wildly, kicking up a cloud of dust behind. However, her face remained calm as ever, and she agreed.

Under the influence of alcohol, Shen Xi felt light and carefree. A slow, silly smile spread across her face, a stark contrast to her usually cold demeanor. She propped her chin on her hand, tilting her head as she gazed at Han Ning beside her, her eyes twinkling like stars.

Han Ning blinked, realizing that Shen Xi was drunk. She looked at the seven or eight empty beer cans on the table and couldn’t help but tease her, “You have such a low alcohol tolerance, yet you brought so many cans. I thought you could really hold your liquor…”

“Han Ning~” Shen Xi scooted closer, reaching out to grab her hand and calling her name again, “Ning Ning~”

Han Ning raised an eyebrow, shocked to hear that nickname come from Shen Xi’s mouth. She put down her chopsticks and coaxed, “Shen Xi, you’ve had too much to drink. Does your head hurt? Let me help you to bed, okay?”

“No, I don’t want to sleep…” Shen Xi stubbornly shook her head, hugging Han Ning’s arm.

Then she giggled, “Ning Ning, you’re so pretty~” She took a deep breath and smiled contentedly, “You even smell nice… I like it~”

Was this Shen Xi’s true self after getting drunk?

Han Ning looked at the beer bottles in confusion and muttered, “It’s not even realgar wine…”

She lowered her head and saw that Shen Xi had closed her eyes. She was momentarily stunned, staring at Shen Xi’s sleeping face.

This face—every time she saw it, it felt like a fresh surprise, something she could never get enough of. She thought that even the most famous Asian actresses paled in comparison to Shen Xi.

“Are you asleep?” Han Ning asked.

“…Mm…” Shen Xi replied.

Han Ning chuckled, “You’re answering me, but you say you’re asleep?”

Shen Xi didn’t respond this time. Han Ning carefully helped her up, pushed open the bedroom door, and placed her on the bed.

It was Han Ning’s first time entering Shen Xi’s bedroom. It was just as she had imagined—clean, fragrant, and with a soft, plush bed.

As soon as Shen Xi lay down, she started mumbling. Han Ning thought she had a headache and sat on the bed, gently massaging her temples. But then, Shen Xi grabbed her fingers and muttered with her eyes closed, “Sleeping like this is uncomfortable… need to take off my clothes… better to sleep without them.” As she spoke, she began unbuttoning her shirt.

Han Ning immediately pressed her hands back under the blanket. Her heart pounded in her chest as she panicked, struggling to keep Shen Xi from undoing her buttons. She muttered under her breath, “Shen Xi, behave and sleep properly… I swear, with you, I have no moral bottom line…”

Saying this, she kicked off her slippers, climbed onto the bed, and sat on Shen Xi’s legs.

Holding both of Shen Xi’s hands down, she leaned in with a determined look and whispered fiercely, “I really don’t want to take advantage of you while you’re drunk, so don’t test me!”

This time, Shen Xi’s hands stayed under the blanket. After a long while, she finally stopped moving. Han Ning sighed in relief. It seemed like she had finally fallen asleep.

Han Ning was exhausted from all the fussing. She got up from Shen Xi’s legs, put her hands on her waist, and looked down at the peacefully sleeping woman. Leaning in slightly, she pinched Shen Xi’s cheek and gritted her teeth, “Such a handful!”

Shen Xi didn’t move. Han Ning finally felt at ease, lying down beside her for a short rest before getting up again. She found Shen Xi’s cup, filled it with water, and placed it on the nightstand. Under the cup, she slipped a small note. After finishing, she turned off the main light, switched on the bedside lamp, and quietly left the room.

She went to the kitchen, washed all the dishes again, picked up Lightning, and, before leaving, rubbed Thunderstorm’s little head and said, “We’re leaving now~ Bye-bye~”

Thunderstorm got up from its little nest and ran after her, meowing at Lightning.

Lightning struggled in Han Ning’s arms, wanting to get down. Han Ning chuckled and finally let it go, “Alright, alright, stop crying. I won’t take it away. You two can play together.” With that, she turned and walked out the door.

After she left, the apartment fell silent. When Shen Xi woke up again, it was past three in the morning. She rubbed her eyes, feeling extremely thirsty. She sat up, ready to get some water, when she turned and saw her cup filled and placed neatly on the nightstand.

She picked it up, took a few sips, and felt much better. Then, she noticed the note under the cup. Picking it up, she read Han Ning’s message:

“Other people get drunk and make a scene. You get drunk and act cute. Quit drinking. For the sake of your dignity, I won’t remind you what happened tonight. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me~”

After reading it, Shen Xi felt her heart race. Memories of the night before started surfacing in fragmented pieces.

“Ning Ning, you’re so pretty~”

“You even smell nice… I like it~”

As more memories came back, Shen Xi’s expression grew more and more colorful. She buried her face in her hands and muttered regretfully, “Alcohol is evil…”

At 8 a.m. the next morning, she was woken up by her alarm. Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed, tidied up the blankets, and went to the living room to feed the cats.

Two identical black-and-white cats sat in the nest, staring at her. Shen Xi blinked hard, thinking she was seeing double. But no, there really were two of them.

“Did Han Ning leave you here last night?” Shen Xi squatted in front of the cat nest and stroked Lightning’s head. Lightning nuzzled into her palm and meowed twice. Shen Xi opened two cans of cat food, washed a spare bowl, and poured the food in for Lightning.

After feeding the cats, she went to the bathroom to freshen up. As she walked out, she remembered the dishes in the kitchen and rolled up her sleeves to clean them.

When she got to the kitchen, the table was spotless, gleaming under the morning sunlight.

The kitchen was also impeccably clean—even the trash bin was empty. Shen Xi stood frozen for a moment. “Is this… Cinderella’s fairy godmother?”

She didn’t have time to dwell on it. She grabbed a bottle of yogurt from the fridge for breakfast, changed clothes, did her makeup, and left with her bag and keys.

While waiting for the elevator, she thought about how she had invited Han Ning over for dinner, but in the end, she only made one dish while ordering the rest. Then, she got drunk and passed out, leaving Han Ning to clean her entire house.

“Was I even hosting? Or did I just get free housekeeping?” The elevator doors opened, and Shen Xi frowned, sipping her yogurt as she muttered, feeling increasingly guilty.

Meanwhile, Han Ning had already been at the filming set since early morning. When Shen Xi arrived, she saw Han Ning filming a scene with Xu Li’er.

The more she watched, the more she realized—Han Ning was truly beautiful. Even last night, her drunk words were simply an unconscious admission of how she really felt.

Xu Li’er was also pretty, but maybe because she was younger, she seemed a bit too naive. Shen Xi saw her as nothing more than an innocent and adorable kid.

The scene ended, and the director, Zhou He Yang, was satisfied. “Cut! That was great. Take a break while we set up the next scene.”

Han Ning hadn’t noticed Shen Xi yet. Neither had Zhou He Yang, so when he turned and suddenly saw her face, he jumped in shock, clutching his chest. “Jeez… Sneaking up on people like that… scared me half to death…”

With that, Han Ning finally saw Shen Xi. She tilted her head, blinked playfully, and walked over. “You’re here?”

Shen Xi nodded. “Thank you…”

The two walked to the lounge together.

Behind them, Zhou He Yang complained, “Hey, I’m the boss~ Can’t you two at least show some respect? Han Ning? Shen Xi? I’m talking to you…”

They ignored him and closed the lounge door behind them.

Zhou He Yang sighed, “So rude…”