The flickering lights in the KTV room danced with a dreamlike rhythm, pulsing to the beat of the music. The colors grew more fantastical, but the singing abruptly stopped.
At that moment, everyone's attention in the KTV room was fixated on Lin Youqi, who had suddenly confessed her feelings to Su Yirao.
Someone even turned off the background music, leaving the room in a tense silence.
All eyes were on Su Yirao and Lin Youqi, waiting for Su Yirao's response. Whatever answer she gave would undoubtedly become the next big topic of gossip among the "Qiyu" Café staff.
After her unreserved confession, Lin Youqi squeezed her eyes shut, too nervous to face Su Yirao. She couldn't bear to hear Su Yirao's judgment.
Deep down, Lin Youqi knew her chances were slim. Su Yirao, despite her approachable demeanor, was unlikely to return her feelings. But people often hope for the impossible...
After a brief moment of shock, Su Yirao responded calmly, "Thank you for liking me. But the café is still in its early stages, and we need to stay focused on our work. I also want to avoid any situations that might resemble office romances."
Su Yirao's rejection of Lin Youqi's confession was not surprising to Guan Qingtong. After all, Su Yirao had broken off an engagement with someone as handsome and wealthy as Yu Xingye without hesitation. But what did surprise her was Su Yirao's bluntness, essentially criticizing Lin Youqi for not being focused on work.
Guan Qingtong silently felt sorry for Lin Youqi. At the same time, she found herself wondering what kind of person could actually win Su Yirao's heart. Would Su Yirao remain as composed and reserved in love as she was in everything else, or would there be a drastic change?
For some reason, she suddenly recalled the moment outside the airport when Su Yirao had teased her...
Guan Qingtong's thoughts were interrupted by Lin Youqi's awkward apology.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Sister Rao. I'll focus entirely on work from now on."
With that, she fled from the center of attention, retreating to a corner where she cracked open a bottle of alcohol. She used the act of drinking to hide the tears and embarrassment marking her face.
"Alright, we've played this game long enough. Let's take a break." Su Yirao didn't look back at Lin Youqi, her tone indifferent as she tried to lighten the mood.
Perhaps the confession had been too intense, because the group quickly dispersed, each person whispering about what had just happened.
"Guan Qingtong, Xiao Lin is... you know, a lesbian." A colleague with a bad reputation sidled up to her, saying something unpleasant. "When we get assigned to the staff dorms, we better be careful. What if she does something perverted at night..."
Guan Qingtong frowned, retorting, "What are you talking about? Why are you always thinking such nasty thoughts?"
"Hmph, don't say I didn't warn you. I'm definitely not rooming with her," the colleague huffed, clearly annoyed by Guan Qingtong's attitude, before walking off to gossip with someone else.
Seeing that the colleague had already approached several people, Guan Qingtong felt a chill run down her spine.
People's words could be dangerous, and there were certainly others who shared this colleague's prejudices. Lin Youqi was going to have a tough time at the café from now on.
Guan Qingtong sat down next to Lin Youqi, watching as she drank herself into oblivion. She wanted to say something comforting, but in the end, she couldn't find the words.
...
The night grew darker as the lively team-building event came to an end. The team members, each using different modes of transport, made their way home under the stars.
"Xiao Lin, wake up."
Guan Qingtong gently shook the completely inebriated Lin Youqi, feeling utterly at a loss.
Driven by a sense of compassion, she couldn't just leave Lin Youqi there, but how was she supposed to get her home? And where was home for Lin Youqi? She didn't even know where Lin Youqi lived.
As she fretted, Su Yirao walked over.
The strong smell of alcohol made Su Yirao wrinkle her nose in mild disgust, her patience visibly thinning.
"Sister Su, she's really upset, that's why she got drunk," Guan Qingtong explained. "I don't know where she lives, and right now..."
"Drag her along and bring her to my place for the night."
With that, Su Yirao turned to leave, not offering any help.
Guan Qingtong sighed and hoisted one of Lin Youqi's arms over her shoulder, following Su Yirao out of the KTV hall.
As the cool night air brushed against her skin, it eased some of the exhaustion she felt. But just as she began to enjoy the fresh air, she saw Su Yirao open the back door of her car, signaling for her to put the drunken Lin Youqi inside.
After securing Lin Youqi in the backseat, Guan Qingtong said, "Sister Su, I'll get going now. Sorry to trouble you with this."
To her surprise, Su Yirao glanced at the unconscious Lin Youqi in the backseat, her expression darkening with irritation.
"You stay and help me get her into my apartment. I have a bit of a cleanliness issue—I don't want to touch her when she reeks of alcohol."
"What?" Guan Qingtong was taken aback. "But, Sister Su, your car..."
"It can be cleaned," Su Yirao replied as she walked toward the driver's seat. "She'll sleep on the couch tonight. I'll deal with the couch cover—or even the couch itself—later."
Talk about being rich and carefree!
The thought flashed through Guan Qingtong's mind as she settled into the front passenger seat.
While fastening her seatbelt, she noticed Su Yirao wince slightly as if the seatbelt had pressed against her injured shoulder.
As she buckled her seatbelt, Guan Qingtong asked, "Sister Su, after all this time, has your shoulder burn not healed yet?"
"It's healed."
"You're lying. I just heard you wince from the pain when the seatbelt touched it."
Su Yirao didn't deny it this time, responding with, "It's not fully healed."
"If it's still hurting after all this time, you probably didn't take proper care of it, which means it's getting worse."
Su Yirao drove in silence, neither confirming nor denying Guan Qingtong's words.
"Sister, this won't do." Guan Qingtong insisted, "Let me check your burn..."
"No need, I've got it under control."
Yeah, right.
Guan Qingtong secretly rolled her eyes, trying to figure out how she could get her way.
Soon, the car smoothly pulled into an underground parking lot.
Su Yirao pressed the button to release her seatbelt, slowly removing it.
Noticing this, Guan Qingtong glanced at her own seatbelt buckle, a sly grin forming on her lips.
"Sister, could you help me? My seatbelt won't come undone. It's so weird."
"Is that so?" Su Yirao pressed the button on the passenger seatbelt.
With Guan Qingtong subtly holding the seatbelt in place, Su Yirao's efforts were futile.
"That's strange. Let go, and I'll see if the belt is jammed."
As she spoke, Su Yirao leaned over to the passenger side, reaching across to inspect the belt buckle.
In a split second, while Su Yirao was focused on the buckle, Guan Qingtong used her strength to suddenly push herself towards Su Yirao.
In the confined space of the front seats, Su Yirao had no room to dodge and ended up falling back into the driver's seat.
The momentum, combined with the tight space and Guan Qingtong's deliberate action, resulted in Guan Qingtong landing directly on Su Yirao's lap!