Interestingly, the crew members, especially a few of Hang Fei's newly recruited seniors, seemed to be attracted to Tang Weiwei's beauty and took turns offering her drinks.
Tang Weiwei found herself in a difficult situation, unable to refuse or accept.
Fortunately, Xu Xiuwen stepped in.
He directly took the glass from Tang Weiwei's hand and said to the men offering drinks, "Weiwei can't drink. I'll drink for her."
Xu Xiuwen's sudden intervention surprised those offering drinks.
Sensing the possible relationship between Xu Xiuwen and Tang Weiwei, they quickly stopped and didn't dare to offer her drinks again. After all, who would dare to make a move on the boss's woman, risking getting fired?
Xu Qian and Zhao Yatong, among other women, watched Xu Xiuwen shielding Tang Weiwei from the drinks, their minds buzzing with curiosity about the relationship between Xu Xiuwen and Tang Weiwei.
Were they a couple? It didn't quite look like it.
But if they weren't, why would Xu Xiuwen step in for her?
Seeing Tang Weiwei was off-limits, the male employees turned their attention to the other four women, taking turns offering them drinks instead.
During the second round, Xu Xiuwen spoke up, "It's not safe for girls to drink too much at night. You should stop."
With the boss's words, they nodded and stopped pressuring the women to drink.
Although the atmosphere at the table remained lively, there was an undercurrent of tension.
Xu Xiuwen's actions first to protect Tang Weiwei and then to stop the male employees from pressuring the other women, especially considering their attractiveness, made it easy to misunderstand his intentions.
Even Hang Fei began to suspect, asking quietly, "Xiuwen, you're not thinking of using hidden rules on your subordinates, are you?"
Xu Xiuwen was momentarily stunned before replying speechlessly, "Do I seem like that kind of person?"
Hang Fei nodded, "You kind of do."
Seeing Xu Xiuwen's face darken, Hang Fei laughed and said, "I'm just kidding."
Xu Xiuwen, unfazed, explained, "It's late, and if they drink too much, it's unsafe. I'm doing this for their safety."
Hang Fei didn't comment on whether he believed him, instead laughed, raised his glass, and clinked it with Xu Xiuwen's.
After drinking a bit with Hang Fei, Xu Xiuwen put down his glass and noticed Tang Weiwei's bright eyes watching him.
He leaned in and whispered, "Why are you looking at me?"
Tang Weiwei softly replied, "Thank you."
Xu Xiuwen smiled, "No need to thank me. Besides, there's another reason I didn't let you drink."
"What reason?" Tang Weiwei asked, her interest piqued.
Xu Xiuwen chuckled, "Do you remember your dorm dinner before winter break?"
Tang Weiwei's face turned red.
That night, though she drank the least, she still got drunk.
She didn't remember what she said or how she got back to the dorm.
Later, she found out from Shen Minyao that Xu Xiuwen had taken them back to the dorm.
Shen Minyao also told her that after getting drunk, she was very unruly on Xu Xiuwen's back, pulling his hair, pinching his ears, and calling him a "big bad guy."
Knowing this, Tang Weiwei was extremely embarrassed.
She wanted to apologize to Xu Xiuwen but never found the courage and eventually forgot about it.
Now that Xu Xiuwen mentioned it, she recalled it again.
Seeing her blushing face, Xu Xiuwen asked, "So, you remember what you did that night?"
Tang Weiwei lowered her head, blushing, and softly said, "I'm sorry."
Xu Xiuwen laughed and ruffled her hair, "Who asked you to apologize? You were really cute that night."
Tang Weiwei sighed in relief but then heard Xu Xiuwen say, "You always keep everything inside and say nothing, but when you're drunk, you say your true feelings. You kept calling me a big bad guy. Do you have any complaints about me? You can tell me; it's okay."
Tang Weiwei, looking like a startled little hamster, almost curled up into a ball.
Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but laugh, quickly saying, "Alright, I wasn't really upset. I actually found it interesting. If you ever have any complaints about me, just tell me. Don't keep it all inside, okay?"
Tang Weiwei softly explained, "Actually, I don't have any complaints..."
"That's good. But even if you do, it's fine. Tell me so I can improve, right?"
After saying this, Xu Xiuwen raised his glass and said, "How about this, if there's anything I did in the past that made you uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize. I'm sorry, Weiwei."
Tang Weiwei was very surprised by what she heard. She couldn't help but look up at Xu Xiuwen.
Seeing the seriousness in Xu Xiuwen's eyes, she realized he wasn't joking.
Her heart instantly felt warm.
Tang Weiwei didn't say anything, but the softness in her eyes said it all.
Xu Xiuwen chuckled, "You don't want to forgive me?"
Tang Weiwei quickly shook her head.
Xu Xiuwen swirled the wine glass in his hand.
Only then did Tang Weiwei understand, and she hurriedly picked up her glass.
Her glass was empty.
Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but laugh again. He took the initiative to ask for a drink and poured some juice for Tang Weiwei.
Then he raised his glass, gently clinked it against hers, and took a sip.
Tang Weiwei looked at the juice in her glass and felt a bit touched.
After finishing their meal, it was getting late, and Xu Xiuwen suggested they end the dinner.
The male employees hadn't drunk much and were mostly sober.
One by one, they greeted Xu Xiuwen and then left.
After paying the bill, Hang Fei greeted Xu Xiuwen and left as well.
Xu Xiuwen looked at the four women who hadn't left yet and asked, "How are you getting home? Do you need a ride?"
Song Xiaomi and Lu Xinyao didn't speak.
Xu Qian shook her head and said, "No need."
Zhao Yatong also said, "If you give us a ride, what about Tang Weiwei?"
Xu Xiuwen said, "You can squeeze in first, I'll take Weiwei to Jiangling and then drive you back to the dorm."
Hearing this, the girls no longer objected.
After leaving the restaurant, they came to the car, and the four women gave the front seat to Tang Weiwei.
The four of them squeezed into the back seat.
Fortunately, the girls were all slim, so they managed to fit.
From left to right, it was Xu Qian, Lu Xinyao, Song Xiaomi, and Zhao Yatong.
Seeing the four girls choosing the back seat, Tang Weiwei had no choice but to sit in the front.
Once everyone was settled, Xu Xiuwen drove towards Jiangling.
East Street and Jiangling's North Gate on North Street were close, and they arrived at Jiangling College's gate in less than five minutes.
The car stopped.
Tang Weiwei unbuckled her seatbelt and got out.
Xu Xiuwen said to the girls in the car, "Wait for me."
Then he also opened the car door and got out.