"What’s going on?" Gu En’s question didn’t need elaboration – she was clearly asking why Ding Long had invited all these people into their private room.
"I ran into them downstairs, so I thought why not bring them up to join us. We all know each other, after all." Ding Long said, aware of Gu En’s temperament, then chided the others, "Don’t you bunch start crowding around Miss Gu as if you were blind. You think she’ll serve you drinks just because you’re standing there? We’re all here to have a drink together."
"Boring!" Zhou Chenyue curled her lip. Everything was going fine until Ding Long invited this lot. "He Zhilan, come outside with me for some fresh air, and take care of some... nature call. I drank too much juice during dinner," she said.
Amused by Zhou Chenyue’s facial expression, He Zhilan nodded and the two of them left the private room.
All the way down the hallway from the private room, around the corner, was the communal washroom on this floor. The women’s room was towards the right.
The two of them strolled in hand-in-hand. It was quiet inside, their voices the only sound. Zhou Chenyue shifted her gaze, looking around before mumbling, "Odd, where did my big sister go?"
Once they had taken care of their business, He Zhilan and Zhou Chenyue stood by the sink washing their hands. The mirror above the sink reflected their faces clearly. Both of them were frowning; one looked somewhat tense while the other, slightly worried.
"He Zhilan, can you come with me to look for my sister? She’s been gone quite a while. She hasn’t returned to the private room yet." Zhou Chenyue was genuinely worried her cousin might be upset because Lan Li’s name was brought up during dinner.
"Yeah." He Zhilan nodded, "Maybe she went somewhere to smoke. Your sister smokes a lot. She was smoking non-stop during dinner."
"That’s all because of that jerk, Lan Li! He’s the one to be blamed! My sister never smoked before, but started after they broke up. Her addiction has gotten worse in the past two years. But I’ve never seen her smoke as much as she did tonight. That’s why I’m worried about her!" Zhou Chenyue seethed, her tone of voice indicating she’d like nothing more than to tear Lan Li to pieces. "He Zhilan - isn’t your brother in the same unit as Lan Li? Tell your brother, whenever he gets the chance, to beat the hell out of Lan Li!"
"Fighting is forbidden in the army." He Zhilan laughed helplessly, "Besides, Lan Li’s rank is higher than my brother’s."
"Well, in that case, it isn’t ideal for your brother to hit a superior. Never mind," Zhou Chenyue stuck out her tongue, seeming a bit embarrassed, "I was just joking. Don’t really let your brother confront Lan Li. Just to let you know, I’m pretty scared of Lan Li."
He Zhilan wasn’t surprised at all. Lin Deng and Gu En were both afraid of Lan Li. It would be strange if Zhou Chenyue, an outsider, wasn’t.
The sound of water flowing accompanied their conversation. As the water rinsed the sweat from their palms, He Zhilan didn’t feel any relief. Her gaze lingered in the mirror on the two of them. Zhou Chenyue, although only a few months younger than Lin Deng and several years older than He Zhilan, looked incredibly innocent. As the saying goes, the outward appearance reflects the inner self, making Zhou Chenyue’s countenance that much more childishly tender.
It was October; the cold water should be feeling refreshing against their skin, but He Zhilan couldn’t shake the feeling of heat.
"Zhou Chenyue, have you, Gu En, and Lin Deng all grown up together?"