Ye Huaquan's alcohol tolerance was just as terrible as Ye Lan's, a family trait. After getting drunk, he became annoyingly talkative and had a knack for bringing up things people least wanted to hear. Ye Huaquan was already convinced his nephew had been snubbed, which made him lose face, so he loudly and continuously comforted him, hoping Ye Lan would also drink a few more cups to drown his sorrows and vent his frustrations.

Ye Lan thought, holding back his anger, 'Vent, my ass. Vent to my grand-uncle.'

"Still being stubborn and saying you don't like him. Even if you don't like him now, you will sooner or later... You think I don't know you?" Ye Huaquan was still rambling. He was truly drunk, having long forgotten whether Jiang Chi was tall or short, male or female. He began planning Ye Lan's life for him. "If you really like him, then go for it! If he's a good person, I have nothing to say, nothing else matters... Once you two are married and settled down, I can finally face your parents. I haven't led you astray all these years, I've been wholeheartedly..."

Ye Lan couldn't stand it anymore. He poured another cup of sobering tea and, without taking no for an answer, persuaded Ye Huaquan to drink it.

Someone took the opportunity to come over and exchange pleasantries with Ye Huaquan, trying to build a connection. Ye Lan seized the chance to slip away, leaning against the back of the sofa and taking out his phone.

Jiang Chi had sent him another message.

Jiang Chi seemed to have sensed that Ye Lan was deliberately giving him the cold shoulder.

Jiang Chi didn't know what he had said wrong to make Ye Lan ignore him. He was a little annoyed with himself, and his tone was much more cautious than before.

Ye Lan recalled what Ye Huaquan had just said, "If he doesn't listen, just freeze him out," and suddenly felt that he was being particularly childish.

Even if Jiang Chi really didn't want to come, what right did he have to throw a tantrum?

Ye Lan wanted Jiang Chi to come to Starlight out of goodwill, but he had never heard of anyone being obligated to accept another's goodwill in its entirety.

Although Ye Lan could be a bit overbearing, he wasn't that unreasonable.

He checked Jiang Chi's social media feed. The latest post was from an hour ago. Looking at the building Jiang Chi had posted, Ye Lan recognized it as a radio station he had been to before. It seemed he was recording a show.

Chinese New Year's Eve was only a few hours away, yet he was still working.

Ye Lan gently rubbed his phone, then suddenly stood up, slipped away from the crowd, and left the private room.

"Mr. Ye, is there anything I can help you with?"

A waiter standing outside the private room saw Ye Lan come out and quickly bowed to ask. Ye Lan made a "shh" sound. "I came out to sober up a bit. There's no one else around here, right?"

The waiter smiled. "Rest assured, President Ye has booked this entire floor. No one else can come in."

Ye Lan nodded. "I'll just take a walk by myself."

The waiter tactfully stepped back to his post.

Ye Lan sat down in the center of the main hall, far from the private room, holding his phone and hesitating over how best to reply to Jiang Chi.

After mulling over the wording for a long time without coming up with anything, Ye Lan grew impatient. He wasn't one for subtlety, so he just called him directly.

The call was answered quickly. Jiang Chi said joyfully, "Hello?"

Before Ye Lan could speak, Jiang Chi whispered, "Hold on, I'm stepping out to take this..."

Ye Lan waited. After a series of rustling sounds, the other end became quieter. Jiang Chi had probably gone back to his dressing room. He asked softly, "Hello? Still there?"

The corners of Ye Lan's mouth curled up uncontrollably. "I'm here."

"Still recording your show?" Ye Lan glanced at the time. It was almost twelve o'clock.

Jiang Chi hummed in agreement and said with a laugh, "It's about to end! Today's show was pretty relaxed, I don't even feel tired."

"Liar," Ye Lan scoffed. "Recording this late, how could you not be tired?"

Jiang Chi chuckled. He could faintly tell that Ye Lan's tone was a bit off. He asked cautiously, "Brother Ye Lan... are you unhappy about something? Or did you drink too much?"

'I'm mad because of you,' Ye Lan thought.

You didn't give me face, making Ye Huaquan think my interest was one-sided, embarrassing me in front of so many people in that room...

That's what he thought, but someone as proud as Ye Lan would never be able to say it out loud. He went along with Jiang Chi's suggestion, "Yeah... I drank a little too much."

"Did you throw up?" Jiang Chi's heart ached for him. "You should ask a waiter to get you a glass of warm milk, preferably a thick one."

Hearing the anxious tone in Jiang Chi's voice made Ye Lan feel much better. He said deliberately, "Everyone else is drinking, clinking glasses, and I'm supposed to toast them with a glass of warm milk. Is that appropriate?"

"It's appropriate, it's appropriate." Jiang Chi coaxed him in a low voice. "You can say you have work tomorrow. That's the excuse I always use."

Ye Lan chuckled lightly. "Tomorrow is Chinese New Year's Eve, what damn work would I have. Don't tell me you still have work tomorrow?"

"No, I don't." Jiang Chi was still worried about Ye Lan and urged, "Then... then how about some hot tea?"

When Ye Lan heard that Jiang Chi didn't have work tomorrow, an idea sparked in his mind.

Jiang Chi was now convinced Ye Lan was truly drunk. Not expecting to have a proper conversation with a drunkard, he had no choice but to ask, "Who are you out with? Is Cen Wen there?"

"She's not here," Ye Lan said. "I gave her the day off yesterday to go home for the New Year."

Helpless, Jiang Chi could only urge Ye Lan to go home early. Ye Lan, pretending to be drunk, grunted and hummed in agreement. This made Jiang Chi even more worried. He asked, "Is Old Jin there? Will he take you home later?"

Ye Lan shook his head. "He didn't come."

That part was true. Ye Lan didn't know how late he'd be out, and since it was the New Year holiday, he didn't want to make Old Jin wait, so he had sent him home early.

"Then..." Jiang Chi asked tentatively, "around what time will you be done? I should be wrapping up in about half an hour. I... I can come pick you up and take you home."

Ye Lan chuckled softly. "What? Afraid someone might pick me up while I'm dead drunk?"

Pick him up...

Jiang Chi pictured Ye Lan passed out drunk, clothes in disarray, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

The rims of Jiang Chi's ears turned red. He stammered, "I just think... it's not very safe."

Jiang Chi held his breath, clutching the phone lightly, waiting for Ye Lan to tell him the address.

"No need."

Ye Lan turned his head to look at the time and said, "This club has dedicated drivers on standby. I'll just have them take me."

"Oh... I see." Jiang Chi gave a dry laugh. "Alright then, please be safe and try to go home early. It wouldn't be good if you got photographed."

Ye Lan gave a careless, perfunctory agreement. On Jiang Chi's end, Li Weili was already rushing him, so Jiang Chi had to hang up the phone quickly.

Jiang Chi returned to the studio and sat down. A makeup artist came forward to touch up his hair, and the show's director approached him apologetically. "So sorry, I didn't expect the recording to go so late today. The station is about to go on holiday, so we have to record the next two episodes in advance. Things are a bit rushed, I'm really sorry."

"It's no problem." Jiang Chi smiled good-naturedly. "I was quite happy when I heard you were doing a special feature for me. Since it's just me, it's normal for the recording to take longer."

"Of course it's a special feature when we invite you over." The host, also touching up her makeup, exchanged words of encouragement with Jiang Chi. "Let's do this! Just another half hour of recording and we can wrap up."

Jiang Chi nodded, and after the makeup artist finished with his hair, he signaled to the director that he was ready.

The script had been reviewed in advance. Jiang Chi's memory and adaptability were both excellent. Although he was a little dejected about being rejected by Ye Lan, thankfully, his acting skills were still on point. His energy remained high, he was gentle and polite, and he would occasionally play dumb on purpose, making the female host roar with laughter.

The half-hour recording session passed quickly.

"That's a wrap!"

The producer and director came over to thank Jiang Chi. Everyone exchanged New Year's greetings. The host was much more lively off-air; she ran into Jiang Chi's dressing room, pulling everyone into some cheerful banter for a while before suggesting they all go out for a late-night snack. Upon hearing this, Geng Tian perked up. He had come specifically today hoping to get the few newcomers he was managing onto an episode of the show after the New Year. He was just about to cozy up to the producer, so he couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. He immediately clamored his approval and shot Jiang Chi a meaningful look.

Unfortunately, Jiang Chi was looking down at his phone, sending a WeChat message to Ye Lan to ask if he was home yet, so he didn't see Geng Tian. Instead, the female host from the show came up to Jiang Chi and said with a smile, "Come on! It's boring to go home anyway, and it's already so late. Let's just not sleep. We can fill our stomachs before going home and rest all day tomorrow."

Jiang Chi was on friendly terms with this host, so it wouldn't be right to refuse her. He smiled and nodded, "Okay."

A huge weight lifted from Geng Tian's heart. He smiled and busied himself with making arrangements.

Everyone bundled up in either down jackets or overcoats. Jiang Chi and the female host put on masks and hats. While they were waiting for their car, Jiang Chi's phone buzzed.

Jiang Chi took out his phone. It was a call from Ye Lan.

Jiang Chi relaxed a little, thinking he must have gotten home.

Jiang Chi took a few steps to the side, away from the others, and took off his mask to answer the call, whispering, "Hello? Are you home?"

Ye Lan chuckled. "Nope."

Jiang Chi frowned. "Are you still at the club? Didn't you just say..."

"I left a while ago." Ye Lan was sitting in the passenger seat, a smile in his eyes as he looked out the window. He turned, reached out, and pressed the car horn a few times. "Look to your left. Is there a black car parked on the side of the road?"

Jiang Chi: "!"

Jiang Chi's eyes widened bit by bit.

Ye Lan rolled down the window, and a puff of white vapor formed as he spoke, "You guys are sure taking your sweet time... It's a good thing it's nighttime, otherwise the traffic police would have plastered my car with tickets by now."

"You..."

Jiang Chi, afraid of being overheard, lowered his voice excitedly, "You came by yourself? Didn't you drink?!"

"No, a driver brought me. I had him leave when we got here." Ye Lan looked at Jiang Chi from a distance and smiled. "I was originally going to come up and visit you on set, but I didn't bring a mask or sunglasses. If I just walked over, I was afraid I'd get swarmed by the young girls at the radio station."

Jiang Chi's heart was pounding. "It's a good thing you didn't... The director just asked me if I knew you well, and I said not at all."

Hearing this, a nameless fire ignited in Ye Lan's heart. He said, displeased, "What?! Is it that embarrassing to know me? Hey, I've noticed you've been getting pretty cocky lately..."

"No, no, no..." Jiang Chi complained endlessly, hastily explaining, "I was afraid of causing you more trouble."

Ye Lan snorted. "You'd better be."

Jiang Chi hesitated. "The driver left too, so... how are you getting home?"

Ye Lan said coldly, "Why don't you give me an idea? Or should I call for a designated driver?"

That would be tomorrow's headline!!!

Jiang Chi swallowed hard. He could vaguely picture tomorrow's morning news: Ye Lan, with a dark face and suppressed anger, sitting in his car while countless people outside snapped photos of him. The news anchor would be smiling and narrating: 'Law-abiding citizen Ye Lan remains calm after being abandoned by his driver late at night, pulling over to call a designated driving service and striving to be a model driver. On this joyous Spring Festival, we and Mr. Ye sincerely remind you: don't drink and drive, and don't drive if you've been drinking...'

Jiang Chi tentatively asked in a low voice, "I can take you home, is that okay?"

Ye Lan's expression finally softened a little. "Then what are you waiting for?"

After hanging up, Jiang Chi put away his phone, trembling slightly as he pondered how best to break the news to everyone.

The truth was definitely out of the question. In the middle of the night, Film Emperor Ye was waiting outside the building where he was recording, essentially faking an incident to get him to drive him home. Forget what others would think...

Jiang Chi covered his face. Even he himself couldn't believe it.