Mu Chen found Ouyang Hao in a VIP room at Nightshade’s place, and by the time he arrived, Ouyang Hao was already drunk beyond recognition. Even though he was completely wasted, he still tightly held onto a hostess and refused to let go.
The hostess, upon seeing Mu Chen, as though seeing a savior, hurriedly sought his help, "You’re Mr. Ouyang’s friend, right? Ever since last night, Mr. Ouyang has been drinking non-stop. When dawn broke, he kept holding my hand and wouldn’t let go no matter how I tried. Please, persuade him!"
Mu Chen frowned and stepped forward, forcefully patting Ouyang Hao’s face, "Hao, wake up, wake up!"
Ouyang Hao slowly opened his eyes, saw Mu Chen, and suddenly broke into a smile, "Mu Chen, you’re here! Come have a few drinks with me."
Taking advantage of Ouyang Hao’s distraction, the hostess quickly broke free from his grip, crouched down to pick up the scattered cash on the floor, and left the room in a hurry, almost running.
Seeing Ouyang Hao dressed in disheveled attire and in such a sorry state, Mu Chen had no mood to accompany him in drinking. He grabbed him off the sofa, "Let’s go, I’ll take you home."
"Home? Go where? No, I will not go, I absolutely will not go! It’s great here! There’s good food, good drinks, and beautiful women. What could be better?"
"Great? What nonsense! Look at yourself now. Is this the Ouyang Hao I used to know? I’ll take you home and let the doctor have a look. Your leg hasn’t healed yet. If you keep treating it , you might end up a cripple."
"Become a cripple? What does it matter if I become a cripple? This wretched body of mine can’t even hold onto a woman. What use is it?" Ouyang Hao chuckled painfully, grabbing a bottle of liquor from the glass coffee table, uncapped it, and drank from it again, muttering as he did so, "Life is short. Why get hung up over one woman? It’s better to enjoy life while you can. Mu Chen, stop staring at me foolishly. Come, drink! We’re not leaving unless we’re dead drunk tonight!"
Mu Chen grabbed the bottle from Ouyang Hao’s hand and threw it heavily onto the ground, "Who wants to drink with you? Even a ghost wouldn’t drink with you!"
"If you won’t drink with me, then I’ll drink alone." Saying that, Ouyang Hao opened another bottle.
Mu Chen couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He swiftly pushed Ouyang Hao onto the sofa, grabbed his collar, and took a bottle of mineral water from the side, pouring it straight down his collar, angrily saying, "Ouyang Hao, you need to wake up! It’s just a woman. Is she worth you turning yourself into this mess?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
The cold water slowly trickled down his skin, soaking Ouyang Hao’s chest. The chilling temperature spread little by little, bringing back his consciousness slowly.
But the clearer his consciousness, the more pain he felt in his heart.
"You don’t understand!" He pushed Mu Chen away, staggering to his feet, and smiled bitterly, "Mu Chen, you’ve never truly loved someone, so you wouldn’t understand."
Ouyang Hao pointed to his chest, smiling sorrowfully, "Do you know this? It hurts here, it hurts so much! She doesn’t love me. She never loved me, not even once!"
Mu Chen stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond or comfort him. It was true, he had never truly loved someone, so he couldn’t understand Ouyang Hao’s feelings at that moment.
Yet, if loving someone meant such pain, he would rather never fall in love.