Chapter 22

Sang Ning settled down, and the drunkenness stirred up her sleepiness. She didn’t hold out for long before she lay on the bed and fell asleep.

Shen Tingwan worried that she might press on her ear, so she gently brushed aside the hair by her ear and removed her hearing aid.

Sang Ning buried her cheek into the pillow, lost in a deep sleep, as if dreaming yet also as if it were reality, with Shen Tingwan staying by her side the whole time.

Outside, the party was in full swing.

Wei Xue noticed Shen Tingwan hadn’t come out and checked the bedroom again. She pushed open the door and saw Sang Ning lying on her side on the bed, covered with a thin blanket. Shen Tingwan sat on the single sofa by the bed, playing on her phone.

She really was a one-cup lightweight. Wei Xue lowered her voice a bit. “She’s asleep?”

Shen Tingwan looked up. “Yeah.”

Wei Xue didn’t understand Shen Tingwan’s behavior. “If she’s asleep, why are you still watching over her? Come out and play.”

Shen Tingwan said calmly, “No thanks, you guys go ahead.”

“She’s a grown adult—does she really need watching? It’s not like she’s out somewhere; what danger could there be sleeping at home?” Wei Xue blurted it all out, then stared at Shen Tingwan for a moment. Though Shen Tingwan was considerate to her friends, this seemed overly so.

Shen Tingwan ignored Wei Xue’s string of questions. “Lend me your laptop. I need to edit a work draft.”

Wei Xue leaned against the doorframe, her smile meaningful. She had always been straightforward. “Is it really just editing a draft, or do you want to stay with your sweet junior?”

Shen Tingwan didn’t change expression and smiled warmly. “Lend me the laptop, thanks.”

Wei Xue: “…”

Shen Tingwan had several work emails to handle, and now she had some free time, so she borrowed Wei Xue’s laptop to work temporarily.

Sang Ning slept quietly, without moving.

Half an hour later, there was another knock at the door.

Shen Tingwan looked toward the entrance.

Yu Shuang walked in. Seeing that Sang Ning hadn’t woken up yet and Shen Tingwan had been keeping her company in the room, she said, “I’ll stay with her.”

Shen Tingwan sat at the desk and smiled easily. “It’s fine. I’m just working overtime anyway.”

Yu Shuang didn’t say anything more.

As Shen Tingwan reviewed the manuscript, she occasionally turned her head to glance at the person on the bed.

Sang Ning usually wore only light makeup, and most of the time she went bare-faced. Her features were refined and pleasing to the eye; asleep, she looked softer, less stubborn.

Shen Tingwan suddenly smiled. She’d slept so long without changing position. The room’s AC was strong, so she got up and raised the temperature.

In the middle, Sang Ning woke up once.

She lay on the bed and vaguely saw Shen Tingwan working at the computer, thinking it was a dream. In a daze, she called out, “Senior Sister.”

Shen Tingwan turned to look at her, walked to the bedside, leaned over, and asked softly, “What is it?”

Sang Ning’s gaze was soft and hazy. “Nothing. Just wanted to call your name.”

Then she fell back asleep peacefully.

Shen Tingwan paused, then looked down at her flushed cheeks and couldn’t help smiling again.

When Sang Ning woke up, it was already dark. Yu Shuang had called her. The alcohol had mostly worn off, though her head was still a bit dizzy. Getting drunk in front of everyone had embarrassed her badly.

Everyone had been drinking, so they all called cars home. Yu Shuang lived in the same direction as Sang Ning, so they shared a ride.

Shen Tingwan asked, “You okay?”

Sang Ning felt dizzy and embarrassed. “I’m fine.”

Yu Shuang smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll get her home safe.”

Shen Tingwan nodded, knowing Sang Ning and Yu Shuang were close.

Once everyone else had left, Wei Xue looked at Shen Tingwan, this time seriously. “Shen Tingwan, aren’t you being a bit too nice to your junior?”

Shen Tingwan didn’t deny it; she admitted she took extra care of Sang Ning.

Wei Xue tilted her head, intrigued. “What’s the reason?”

Because she’s special. Shen Tingwan rarely met someone so pure. She didn’t explain it to Wei Xue, but seeing the teasing in her eyes, she simply said, “Not what you’re thinking.”

Wei Xue didn’t buy it; it didn’t feel innocent. “Really?”

Shen Tingwan: “Yes.”

Wei Xue frowned, dissatisfied. “I don’t see you being this considerate to me. I’m jealous now.”

“Are you bored?” Shen Tingwan chuckled. “I’m heading out too.”

…

After drinking, Sang Ning fell asleep quickly again that night, but she had dreams all night—jumbled messes of everything. She only remembered they involved Shen Tingwan.

She dreamed that after getting drunk, she mustered the courage to confess to Shen Tingwan.

“I only see you as a friend.”

“Don’t do this.”

“You’re troubling me.”

“Yeah, no chance at all.”

When she woke up, Shen Tingwan’s gentle words of rejection still echoed in her ears—or at least, words like those that she’d heard Shen Tingwan say to others.

Her head spun as Sang Ning sat up in bed, rubbing her temples. Harsh sunlight leaked through the curtain gaps; it was already late.

She stared blankly at her familiar room. Her memories after drinking were like shattered glass, fragmented. She tried piecing them together.

Yu Shuang had brought her home last night.

And yesterday afternoon, after accidentally drinking that cocktail, Shen Tingwan had accompanied her back to the room. She probably hadn’t acted out of line; Yu Shuang had told her her alcohol tolerance was good—she got drunk quietly.

But she vaguely remembered staring at Shen Tingwan for a long time. She wondered if Shen Tingwan had noticed anything…

Shen Tingwan probably wouldn’t take it to heart since she was drunk.

She reassured herself inwardly.

After sitting dazed for a while, she still felt the lingering smell of alcohol on her. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom for a shower.

After the shower, she felt much fresher, but her mind was still elsewhere. She checked her phone and saw a WeChat from Shen Tingwan that morning.

[Shen Tingwan] Not feeling bad today, right?

Sang Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Tingwan probably hadn’t noticed anything, or she wouldn’t have checked in. She replied, “Not feeling bad anymore,” without asking more.

On Monday at work, Sang Ning inevitably got teased by Yu Shuang about being a “one-cup wonder.” She secretly swore she’d never touch alcohol again in her life.

After Qixi, Sang Ning’s workload eased a bit. Soon, she received another job invitation email from Observation’s visual department—likely due to the good response from the previous interior page shoot, hinting at long-term collaboration.

Yu Shuang was thrilled, beaming. “You’ve landed magazine gigs too. Aren’t you going to thank your dear senior sister properly?”

Sang Ning thought about it—yes, she really should thank Shen Tingwan for the initial recommendation. She had to go to the magazine office again the day after tomorrow; maybe she’d run into her.

The anticipation for seeing her grew more frequent.

Her second time at Observation headquarters, Sang Ning was much more familiar. As usual, they had a meeting first to align on the shoot details, then brainstormed together.

Thanks to the successful prior collaboration, Sang Ning had more say this time, meaning more creative freedom during the shoot.

Sang Ning took notes diligently. In the latter half of the meeting, light footsteps approached. Someone arrived and sat right next to her, but she didn’t look away.

Until her pen cap fell to the ground. She reached to pick it up, but the person beside her beat her to it, handing it back—

“Thanks…” Sang Ning saw a beautiful hand and recognized it instantly from the fingers and nails. She looked up—it was indeed Shen Tingwan. She froze, her heart quietly losing control.

They were still in a meeting, so Shen Tingwan just gave her a shallow smile and turned to the projection.

Sang Ning snapped back and refocused on work.

Though a bit distracted.

Sang Ning recalled a club exchange event from her freshman year. With no other seats, Shen Tingwan had sat beside her then too. She’d sat ramrod straight, but her heart had raced uncontrollably all evening because of the person next to her.

That night, she’d suddenly realized clearly: every bit of attention and heartbeat for Shen Tingwan was called falling in love.

Shen Tingwan wasn’t busy today; she sat on the side and listened through the entire meeting.

After it ended, Director Tan from the visual department asked, “Teacher Shen, plans for lunch? Join us?”

Shen Tingwan: “No thanks, Director Tan. Go ahead.”

Sang Ning packed her materials; most others had left. Seeing Shen Tingwan still there, she asked, “Not eating?”

Shen Tingwan paused, then smiled. “Waiting for you.”

Sang Ning went speechless.

Shen Tingwan stood. “I’ll take you to the cafeteria. You haven’t tried it here, right?”

Sang Ning changed tack. “Senior Sister, let me treat you to lunch.”

Shen Tingwan explained, “I can’t leave at noon today; cafeteria it is. Not convenient?”

Sang Ning: “No.”

Just past noon, the cafeteria was crowded. The headquarters cafeteria had no complaints—diverse options, plentiful, and good taste.

Along the way, many people greeted Shen Tingwan, and she responded warmly to each. Sang Ning could tell she was very popular—or rather, Shen Tingwan was always popular.

Shen Tingwan usually had lunch plans, lots of business meals, so cafeteria visits weren’t frequent. She told Sang Ning, “I don’t know what’s good here. Pick what you like.”

After getting their food, Shen Tingwan found a two-person table. After Sang Ning took a few bites, she asked, “How is it?”

Sang Ning: “Mm, pretty good.”

The two-person tables in the cafeteria were small; sitting face-to-face, they weren’t far apart.

Shen Tingwan ate leisurely, occasionally glancing across. Sang Ning ate quietly, looking composed again. Their last meeting was at Wei Xue’s, where Sang Ning had gotten drunk and clung to her…

Today she was polite and distant, a bit like “flipping face and not recognizing people.”

Sang Ning noticed Shen Tingwan looking at her.

They held eye contact for a moment. Thinking of that afternoon still made Shen Tingwan want to smile.

Sang Ning was thinking about that day too. She ate a couple bites of rice sullenly, then sipped some soup. “Senior Sister.”

Shen Tingwan: “Hm?”

Sang Ning remembered she hadn’t thanked her yet. “Thanks for taking care of me last time when I got drunk.”

Shen Tingwan paused quietly, then smiled and countered, “Getting distant with me again now?”

Sang Ning looked at her puzzled.

Shen Tingwan stared at her and said mildly, “You were clinging to me and acting all sweet that day.”