Chapter 51 Wine Washes Away A Thousand Sorrows

• Camdenale is the capital of Bridgerale. Streets are neat and clean, and you don’t see real roadside stalls. Chester and Zhao Huanhuan had actually come to an indoor version of a street-side stall. But the decor here—tables and chairs—was pure, old-school stall style. It really carried that hint of the curbside vibe. They ordered a dozen skewers and five or six bottles of beer. “Come on, big brother. Thank you. You’re the one who changed my luck in Camdenale…” Zhao Huanhuan filled her glass to the brim and held it up to clink with Chester. “No need for all that ‘benefactor’ talk. We’re friends…” Chester raised his glass and clinked hers. One big glass down, Chester clicked his tongue softly. It didn’t have wine’s rich aroma, but beer had a rare, unfussy freedom to it—bold, wide open, no pretense. “Big brother, truth is, we met because of booze. That time, if I hadn’t been too broke to eat, went for drinks, then passed out, I never would’ve run into you…” Zhao Huanhuan said in a low voice. Chester thought of that night. He’d left a class reunion feeling hollowed out, like the warmth of the world had been stripped clean. In that moment, he met Zhao Huanhuan—this quirky, lively girl. Back then, he saved Zhao Huanhuan, kept her from being prey after she blacked out. But thinking back now, it felt like he saved himself. She’d brought laughter back into his life. “Guess that’s fate…” Zhao Huanhuan lifted her glass again. “Yeah. Fate…” Zhao Huanhuan couldn’t really hold her liquor. Two glasses in and her eyes already went hazy. Chester was better, but he was tipsy too. Zhao Huanhuan looked at him—this big brother of hers. Under the lights, his figure wore a lonely slant. “Big brother, thank you for these days. You let my mom stay in a hotel she’d never dream of in her life. You even lined up a job for me. I feel so lucky meeting you… You call it fate. But what about you and the big sis? What about your fate with her?” Zhao Huanhuan poured herself another full glass. She was sharp. She could see Chester missed her. And that he kept trying to hide it, trying to forget. But a heart that deep couldn’t be covered up. “Let’s not go there… don’t go there… drink, drink…” Chester grabbed the bottle and filled his glass to the top. He sighed quietly. Zhao Huanhuan really was keen, high EQ. In that flicker of a moment, he’d thought of Emilia Parker. He hadn’t expected her to catch it so fast. “Big brother, don’t be like this, okay? When you go quiet like that, it hurts to look. It breaks my heart…” Zhao Huanhuan pressed a hand over his glass, stopping him from drinking. “Huanhuan, you’ve never been in a relationship. You don’t get this…” Chester shook his head. “No, brother, I do. I know exactly what it feels like… I once liked a boy too. The secret kind. I liked him for a year. In that year, it was sweet and bitter at once. But a year later, I saw him with another girl…” “Big brother, you know what? Even though he was never mine, it felt exactly like losing him. My whole world cracked apart. It took me three full years to crawl out of that heartbreak I never even got to have. Sounds silly, I know. But only people who’ve lived it understand what it’s really like!” Zhao Huanhuan burst into tears. Chester frowned and said, “Huanhuan, you’re drunk…” “I’m not drunk…” Zhao Huanhuan blinked. Then she drew a deep breath, lifted the glass she’d just filled, and took a hard swig. Beer spilled and splashed across her shirt. “Chester, big brother, you’re a good man. I don’t want to see you hurting like this. I want you happy, every single day. Forget all that pain…” she said, hint of hysteria cracking her voice. Chester let out a long breath, picked up his glass, and downed it in one go. “I want to forget too. Forget the past, forget her. These days, I’ve been working hard, trying to numb myself. Hanging with you, hoping your optimism rubs off. I don’t want to think about the heartbreak… But man, forgetting the past, forgetting what really happened—it’s brutal.” Zhao Huanhuan grabbed the bottle, refilled Chester’s glass, then filled her own. Watching him slump like that, her chest went tight. “Big brother… why, why is fate so unfair to you? You’re this amazing guy, and big sis still won’t love you back…” she said, each word heavy. She couldn’t figure it out. How could a woman throw away a man like him? How hard was big sis’s heart? She’d started at Tygerson Group today and learned Liu Ruru was the sales director—and Liu Ruru treated Chester with respect, real respect. That made her guess Chester’s place was way above Liu Ruru’s. And yet, a man of status in a top-tier group gave it all up for love—willing to be a live-in son-in-law, staying close to the woman he loved, caring for her, looking after her. He must’ve loved her like crazy. That woman should’ve been so happy, right!? But in the end, she ditched him. And even after being tossed aside, Chester still loved her. “It’s not about fair or unfair…” Chester shook his head and reached out to wipe the tears off Zhao Huanhuan’s cheeks. “Okay, Huanhuan. Don’t cry. You’re a big girl. Cry too much and you’ll look puffy… Come on, no more tears…” “Big brother, drink…” Zhao Huanhuan lifted her glass, swaying. “Okay. Drink…” Chester raised his glass and clinked hers. Then they both knocked it back. It was like only the beer in their cups could wash away a thousand sorrows. The old saying had it right: when worry claws at you, only fine drink chases it off. After a few more glasses, Chester was swimming too. Zhao Huanhuan wasn’t any better—never had much of a tolerance. Her little face was flushed cherry red. “Big brother, let’s go home and drink, yeah?” she slurred. “Yeah, go home, drink at home…” Chester, dazed, didn’t think twice. He wrapped an arm around Zhao Huanhuan and headed out. They hailed a cab, gave the driver an address, and Chester leaned back, eyes closed, trying to steady himself.