Yearning For Warmth, Day and Night - Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Drinking
“She likes to exercise, and I like to cooperate and enjoy.” Wei Hui’s words had an unexpected effect. After the first game, the way everyone looked at her and Eleven changed again. In their minds, the incredibly powerful CEO Wei would surely be the dominant one in bed. They never expected her to be a submissive, and a perfectly content one at that!
This was far too different from what they had imagined. Even Luo Zhouping, upon hearing this, frowned and looked at Eleven not far away. No wonder she didn’t appreciate his advances; that was the reason. He certainly couldn’t become a woman…
Thinking this, he shifted his body and cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence: “Alright, alright, let’s continue with the next round.”
Everyone was still pondering Wei Hui’s recent statement, not yet fully recovering. Eleven was sipping mineral water when Du Yue Ming patted her shoulder: “Not bad, Eleven! I didn’t see that coming, you’re so fierce!”
“This is way more awesome than cheating!”
Behind her, two young secretaries looked at her with sudden admiration. One even offered her some snacks: “Eat more to replenish your energy.”
Eleven thanked her gratefully: “Thank you.”
She took a piece of chocolate, and just as she tore open the wrapper, she heard Du Yue Ming say: “I’ve realized I asked the wrong question before.”
Eleven bit into the chocolate; it was a little bitter, then slightly sweet as she swallowed. She smiled: “What question?”
Du Yue Ming said: “I didn’t realize you were so capable. How is it? Is CEO Wei cooperative in bed?”
Eleven nearly spat out the chocolate she had just swallowed!
A few minutes later, she finally understood the meaning of Wei Hui’s earlier remark. She didn’t learn it from the secretaries, but from Du Yue Ming’s post in their group chat.
— “Hey, guess what big secret I discovered!”
— “What?!”
— “Did you go on a trip today? You didn’t even take me!”
— “Yue Ming, when are we going out again? We haven’t been to that bar downtown in half a month.”
Du Yue Ming rolled her eyes, typing furiously on her phone: No one cares about my secret? Fine, I’m leaving.
— “No, no, no, Miss Du, tell us!”
— “Yue Ming, tell us, tell us.”
— “You’ve got our curiosity piqued, if you don’t tell us now, I’ll choke you!”
Du Yue Ming grinned, continuing to type: You know Wei Hui, right? She’s actually a submissive!
The group chat was completely silent for three full minutes, and then an uproar erupted, practically breaking through the screen. Eleven had never known what “dominant” and “submissive” meant before, but after hearing their conversation, she understood a little. She bit her lip, her face flushed as she watched the increasingly outrageous chat in the group, and simply put away her phone, looking at Wei Hui.
The Third Miss surely didn’t know that Du Yue Ming’s unintentional remark had spread throughout the entire “girls’ circle.”
Wei Hui was busy parrying with Luo Zhouping. Ever since the unfinished building project was finalized, Luo Zhouping had been having other thoughts. His own company had just gotten on track, and he wanted to use Wei Tian Group as collateral for fundraising. Wei Hui chuckled at his insatiable greed: “Vice President Luo, even if I agreed, the other board members wouldn’t.”
“CEO Wei, I, Luo Zhouping, have been with Wei Tian for over twenty years. I may not have credit, but I’ve certainly put in hard work. This small favor doesn’t even need to go through the board; you, CEO Wei, can handle it yourself, don’t you agree?”
Wei Hui smiled but said nothing. Luo Zhouping also knew this couldn’t be rushed. He said, “Alright, alright, no business today! Let’s just have fun!”
The other secretaries had already gathered around. They had recovered from their earlier shock and were now sitting near the two, even Eleven joined them.
“What game shall we play?” The chief secretary asked: “No more exercise. Climbing the mountain was exhausting, and then jumping around, my bones are all rattled. How about something else?”
“Truth or Dare?” One secretary said, and another smacked her head: “What’s fun about that! We’re tired of playing that in school!”
“Right.”
“Just because we’re tired of it doesn’t mean we can’t play it anymore?” Du Yue Ming winked at the secretaries around her. Her gaze then fell on Eleven and Wei Hui. Everyone understood, their expressions turning into a collective “Ohhhhhh.” They immediately said, “Let’s play!”
Eleven scratched her head and asked Wei Hui beside her, “Third Miss, what is Truth or Dare?”
Her gaze was clear and captivating, bright and sparkling, as if two stars had fallen into her eyes, their color incredibly beautiful. The two sat close, and Wei Hui tilted her head, meeting that pair of eyes, which held her own tiny reflection. Her breath hitched. She replied, “It’s an adventure game. Do you want to play?”
Eleven was worried it would be physically exhausting. She whispered even softer, “Is it still running and jumping?”
Wei Hui never lied, nor did she tease people, but at this moment, an idea sparked within her. She teased, “Yes.”
Eleven’s face fell: “I don’t want to play.”
Her emotions, whether joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, were all clearly displayed on her face, her expressions rich and vivid, completely unlike the timid appearance she had when first brought back to the Wei family. In just over a month, Eleven had regained some of her childlike nature. Wei Hui lowered her eyes and whispered, “No daring, just play a little.”
Eleven never doubted her words; she would do whatever Wei Hui said. She nodded, “Okay.”
Her complete trust and utter lack of doubt in Wei Hui’s words made Wei Hui’s lips curve upward. She then heard the chief secretary ask, “CEO Wei, will you join us too?”
She thought for a moment: “Okay.”
The idea of “Truth or Dare” was proposed by Du Yue Ming, originally hoping to pry into Wei Hui and Eleven’s private matters. However, after a few rounds, all her own secrets were being revealed. Her first love’s age, whether she had done anything out of line as a minor—everything was spilled. Only then did she beg for mercy: “Next, next game! This game is not friendly to me, it’s specifically targeting me!”
Eleven, playing for the first time, was a bit resistant at first, but then she gradually got into it. Because every time Du Yue Ming was asked a question, just watching her reactions made Eleven laugh for a long time. So gradually, she also let loose and played. However, from beginning to end, neither she nor Wei Hui were asked any questions.
She was even happier.
The next few rounds of games were also more entertaining. Because climbing the mountain was too tiring, everyone lacked the energy to fuss with other games. They simply sat around and played for the afternoon, grilling some vegetables when they got hungry, which was quite pleasant.
Dinner was eaten at the hotel, also arranged by Luo Zhouping. Everyone helped clean up the barbecue feast before heading to the hotel. Eleven’s attention was entirely on Wei Hui throughout, and seeing her look normal now, she felt relieved. Following behind the group, Eleven had gotten to know most of the secretaries over the afternoon, and several even chased after her to be friends. Eleven accepted their enthusiasm but didn’t reciprocate.
They were different from Du Yue Ming; she could tell.
Upon reaching the hotel, a server opened a large private room, and everyone filed in. Eleven was arranged to sit beside Wei Hui. After sitting down, she prepared to wash Wei Hui’s cup, but her wrist was caught: “It’s fine, just use it like this.”
Eleven didn’t ask why, simply nodded: “Okay.”
She said, pouring Wei Hui a cup of tea. Dishes were served quickly. Everyone had been eating barbecue outside all afternoon and weren’t too hungry, so dinner turned into a drinking party. However, since most of them were women, the alcohol served wasn’t very strong. No one dared to toast Wei Hui directly, but they frequently raised their glasses to Eleven. Eleven glanced at Wei Hui, and seeing no objection from her, she stood up, clinked glasses lightly, and drank it all down.
The pale yellow wine flowed down her throat, sweet and with a slight burning sensation, but that feeling was quickly drowned out by the wine’s aroma. She drank two glasses and found it quite delicious, wanting to drink more.
Taking advantage of no one paying attention, Eleven quietly prepared to pour herself a third glass, but her wrist was suddenly clasped. She turned to see Wei Hui shaking her head slightly: “This wine has a strong kick later, drink less.”
Someone who had never drunk before certainly wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Eleven, as if caught red-handed doing something naughty, shyly replied: “I understand.”
She put down the glass: “I won’t drink anymore.”
Her obedience brought a smile to Wei Hui’s brows. Before she could speak, she heard Luo Zhouping say: “You really are something, only drinking yourselves. You haven’t even toasted CEO Wei! Come, CEO Wei, I’ll toast you.”
It was well known that Wei Hui didn’t touch alcohol. In all her years at Wei Tian, she had never broken this rule. But now, with Eleven beside her, she had broken her vow. It remained to be seen if Luo Zhouping could make her break a second one.
The two had always been in a state of rivalry at the company, a fact everyone was well aware of. So, the atmosphere suddenly stiffened. The few people still holding chopsticks put them down, all wanting to see how Wei Hui would respond. She stared at the cup in front of her. Just as she was about to speak, a voice came from beside her: “Mr. Luo, that’s not right of you.”
Du Yue Ming’s tone was cool as she said, “As the saying goes, ‘a guest is a guest.’ I’m here on behalf of my brother. So, shouldn’t I be the one to toast CEO Wei’s first drink? Don’t you agree?”
Luo Zhouping glared angrily at Du Yue Ming, wondering if she was being intentional or not, and how he had offended her again. She had ruined many of his plans this afternoon, none going his way, and now she was interfering again. It truly infuriated him!
Du Yue Ming, however, paid no mind to his flushed, liver-colored face. She raised her glass: “CEO Wei, by both custom and reason, I should toast you on my brother’s behalf for this first drink. But then, Eleven and I are friends, so how about this: I’ll drink two glasses, and you two drink one ‘crossed-arms’ toast? How about that?”
As her words fell, the other secretaries started to cheer: “Crossed-arms toast! Crossed-arms toast!”
This time, Eleven didn’t need anyone to translate; she understood Du Yue Ming’s meaning. She looked at Wei Hui in a panic, but saw her purse her lips and smile, raising her glass: “Alright.”
Alright.
This response exploded in Eleven’s ears like a muffled thunderclap. For a moment, she felt dizzy. Before she could react, Wei Hui actively raised her hand, placing the glass in her hand. The two looked at each other. Wei Hui raised her glass and tilted her head back, drinking the fruit wine. They were so close that Eleven could clearly see Wei Hui’s eyelashes, distinct and long and curled. Wei Hui’s deep features and elegant nose almost touched Eleven’s cheek. Eleven’s face flushed crimson. Amidst the cheers, she heard Wei Hui’s clear voice: “Drink.”
She closed her eyes, and with a feeling of reverence and awe, drank the glass of wine in her hand.
It was too sweet.
So sweet that she forgot how the dinner ended. Her mind was hazy, and she felt as if she were walking on clouds. She vaguely followed Wei Hui back to their room when someone patted her shoulder. She turned and saw Du Yue Ming’s magnified smiling face: “Have a good night!”
She shook her head, staring at Du Yue Ming blankly, and stammered, “Okay.”
Du Yue Ming saw her dazed expression and laughed: “Oh, by the way, here’s a gift for you.”
“I’ve wanted to give it to you for a long time, just never had the chance.” She said, taking out a small brown bottle from her pocket and winking: “It’s my best private collection. Here, it’s for you.”
Eleven held the bottle: “Private collection?”
“It’s easy to use, just put a little on after your shower.”
Eleven understood that it was probably similar to the skincare products the Third Miss had given her. She nodded: “Okay, thank you. I’ll use it.”
Du Yue Ming watched her enter the room, bottle in hand, and smiled, narrowing her eyes. Tomorrow, Eleven would definitely thank her even more!