Volume 1 Chapter 52 Why Is Your Face So Red

"If I ever catch you giving anyone else a ride again, whether it's a man or a woman, you can forget about having this bicycle."

In a daze, Song Qinian seemed to hear Shen Chiyan say those exact words, so much so that a few days later, when Miao Ziai came looking for Song Qinian to give her a ride to the hospital to visit Shen Yushu's grandmother, Song Qinian refused without even thinking about it.

"Why? Am I not worthy of sitting on your bicycle's back seat?"

Song Qinian looked somewhat embarrassed. "No, no, it's just that my bike's battery is dead."

If Shen Chiyan were to see her carrying Miao Ziai, she had no idea what kind of crazy things he might do.

Miao Ziai expressed deep regret, and the two of them hailed a taxi to the hospital.

Shen Yushu had taken a few days off to take care of his grandmother, and when the two girls saw him again, they felt he looked like he had lost a whole circle of weight.

The moment Miao Ziai saw Shen Yushu, her heart ached terribly. "Yushu, how have you been lately? How is Grandma?"

Shen Yushu gently patted Miao Ziai's head. "Don't worry, she's already much better."

"Mmm, mmm, that's good then."

Shen Yushu cast a glance at Song Qinian and said apologetically, "Ninian, I only just found out about the things on the campus forum. I'll go clear the air this afternoon. I'm sorry for bringing you so much trouble."

Before Song Qinian could express her stance, Miao Ziai chimed in indignantly, "Pay no attention to them. The more you try to clear things up, the more excited they get. The innocent will always remain innocent."

"But..."

Song Qinian also gestured with her hands, "The most important thing for you right now is to take good care of your grandmother. You don't need to worry about anything else."

"Right, right, right. Let's go in and see Grandma."

Seeing that Song Qinian didn't care at all about the gossip on the forum and didn't suspect him either, Shen Yushu felt quite conflicted inside.

Yet, having already made his choice, there was no turning back.

Grandma recognized the sweet and adorable Song Qinian at a single glance. Looking at her with a warm and benevolent smile, she asked, "Little Shu, is this the young lady who brought you here last time?"

"Yes, Grandma. Her name is Song Qinian, and we all call her Ninian."

"Ninian, what a lovely name! Child, come here, let Grandma take a look at you."

Shen Yushu's grandmother beckoned to Song Qinian, and after hesitating for two seconds, Song Qinian walked over to the elderly woman.

Grandma took Song Qinian's hand in hers, looked her up and down, and broke into a beaming smile. "Oh my, what a well-behaved and exquisite child. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Song Qinian wanted to pull her hand back to use sign language, but Grandma was holding it tightly, leaving her no choice but to cast a look of appeal at Shen Yushu and Miao Ziai.

Shen Yushu said, "Grandma, Ninian can't speak, so please don't put her on the spot."

Grandma seemed to be pondering what "unable to speak" actually meant.

After a long while, she patted Song Qinian's hand with a mixture of regret and pity. "Child, life has been hard on you."

Song Qinian shook her head, feeling a stinging sensation in the bridge of her nose.

Shen Yushu's grandmother reminded her of her own grandmother.

Back when she lost her ability to speak, Song Guoliang was so worried he couldn't sleep and tried every possible means to cure her illness.

Liu Xiaohan, on the other hand, was terrified that Song Qinian wouldn't be able to marry into a good family, constantly nagging and complaining about her fate day in and day out.

Only Song Qinian's grandmother would hold her in her arms and whisper words of comfort, "Ninian, the doctor says your vocal cords are fine. Sooner or later, you will definitely speak again. My Ninian sings so beautifully, and Grandma still wants to hear you sing *South Nianwan*."

Come to think of it, she hadn't visited her grandmother in a long time. When the next long holiday came around, she must go to the countryside to see her.

"Little Shu, you must take good care of Ninian at the company."

A subtle flicker crossed Shen Yushu's eyes. "Mm, I will."

After leaving the hospital, Shen Yushu insisted on treating Miao Ziai and Song Qinian to a meal. Before the two could even refuse, Shen Yushu smiled and said, "I haven't had a proper meal in days, and I have no appetite eating alone. Do me a favor and keep me company for a meal, won't you?"

Since he had put it that way, it wouldn't do for Song Qinian and Miao Ziai to refuse.

The three of them headed to a hotel near the hospital together.

Standing at the entrance of the hotel, Miao Ziai and Song Qinian exchanged glances.

Miao Ziai asked, "Do we really have to go to such a high-end hotel? This place clearly isn't cheap."

Shen Yushu smiled. "What? Looking down on me? Thinking I can't afford a single meal?"

"I didn't mean that. It's just that Grandma is in the hospital, and it costs money every day. I was afraid that you..."

"Stop worrying about this and that. It's just a meal; it won't break me."

Miao Ziai looked at Song Qinian. Feeling that things had already reached this point and any further objections would surely hurt Shen Yushu's self-esteem, Song Qinian smiled and nodded.

As the two walked ahead, neither of them noticed Shen Yushu quietly sending a WeChat message to Lin Lanxing.

Looking at Song Qinian's slender and petite back, Shen Yushu clenched his fists tightly.

To save Shen Yushu some money, both Song Qinian and Miao Ziai ordered the cheapest dishes on the menu.

Shen Yushu also ordered a glass of red wine, pouring some for both Song Qinian and Miao Ziai.

The moment Song Qinian saw the alcohol, she was reminded of her embarrassing mishap from last time.

"Sorry, I can't drink."

Shen Yushu had already raised his glass with a smile. "Ninian, I'm toasting to thank you for getting me to the hospital in time that day, and also... we've known each other for over a month and haven't properly celebrated yet. It's rare for the three of us to get together, so let's take this opportunity to have a drink. Don't you agree, Xiao'ai?"

"Right, right, right, we definitely must have a drink. Ninian... this red wine doesn't make you drunk."

With the two of them chiming in and boxing her in from both sides, Song Qinian had no choice but to compromise.

"I am genuinely only drinking this one single glass."

"Mm, just one glass!"

The three of them raised their glasses together. While joyful smiles bloomed on the faces of Miao Ziai and Song Qinian, Shen Yushu's heart was filled with complex emotions.

Just as he watched Song Qinian bring the glass to her lips, Shen Yushu suddenly called out, "Ninian!"

Startled, both Song Qinian and Miao Ziai turned to look at him.

At that moment, Shen Yushu's phone suddenly chimed with a message from Lin Lanxing: "Don't let me down."

Shen Yushu gripped his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

"Yushu, what's wrong?"

Hearing Miao Ziai's voice, Shen Yushu closed his eyes tightly, opened them again, and looked up at the two girls with a smile. "Nothing. I just wanted to tell Ninian to drink slowly so she doesn't choke."

"Haha, Ninian isn't a child, how could she choke on wine?"

"Yeah, come on, let's drink."

"Mm, let's drink."

Miao Ziai clinked her glass with Song Qinian's again, and the two drank together.

As the three of them drank, ate, and chatted, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

However, not long after, Song Qinian suddenly began to feel a wave of heat wash over her body, and her head grew somewhat dizzy.

She hadn't even finished a single glass of wine, so why did it feel like it was going straight to her head?

Seeing Miao Ziai and Shen Yushu chatting happily, Song Qinian tugged at Miao Ziai's sleeve.

"Oh, Ninian, why is your face so red? Are you drunk already? Is your alcohol tolerance really that terrible?"

As the discomfort intensified, Song Qinian laboriously gestured, "I'm going to the restroom."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Song Qinian shook her head. "No, no need. You guys keep chatting."

After Song Qinian walked away, Miao Ziai looked at her wine glass and mercilessly laughed, "Her face turned this red after just a tiny sip? Ninian really cannot hold her liquor at all. Next time, we should just let her drink Wahaha juice instead, haha..."

Watching Song Qinian's swaying figure as she walked away, Shen Yushu pressed his lips into a thin line and remained silent.