Chen Cheng sighed and reached out to pat her shoulder.

This girl must be feeling so bitter inside right now.

"Because I... was scammed."

"I was scammed by the agent... *sob*... out of six months' rent."

"*Sob, sob, sob~*"

"I have no money left."

"And today... today, I was even wrongly accused by my colleague, saying that I... I lost the quotation sheet."

"That I lost it... *hahahaha~*"

"I didn't even go to the bathroom!"

"How could I have lost it... *sob, sob, sob~*"

Chen Cheng clicked his tongue and reached out to wrap his arm around her shoulder.

Qiao Xichen didn't react at all, just continuing to sob.

In her current state, it seemed like anyone—anyone willing to offer her comfort—could put an arm around her.

Being held like that, the tension in Qiao Xichen's body suddenly released.

Her body went limp, and she leaned against Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng didn't say a word, gently placing her head on his lap so she could lie down comfortably.

"Jingjing~"

"Jingjing~"

"I miss you..."

Qiao Xichen muttered and called out.

"Hu Jingjing!"

"Does it hurt?"

Chen Cheng frowned deeply; the name Hu Jingjing, combined with Qiao Xichen resting on his lap, made him very uncomfortable.

He couldn't help but subconsciously associate Qiao Jingjing, who was filming in the desert, with Hu Jingjing, who had jumped off the overpass to commit suicide.

Qiao Xichen suddenly looked at Chen Cheng with dazed eyes, sat up straight, and asked, "Do you know Hu Jingjing?"

Chen Cheng paused, not knowing how to answer.

Whether it was this life or the last, it was always me knowing her, while she didn't know me.

"You don't know her, right?" Qiao Xichen chuckled softly. "Let me introduce her to you."

"Hu Jingjing is my best friend."

"She also asked me."

"She said... Qiao Xichen, what's so good about Beijing?"

"Why do you have to stay in Beijing?"

"*Sob~ sob, sob, sob~*"

"Beijing is really too big."

Tears streamed down Qiao Xichen's face. "It makes us..."

"It makes us... feel insignificant."

"A few days ago... a few days ago, a girl... from the rooftop..."

"Jumped off."

"Maybe you saw this news in the social reports."

"But after a few seconds, you would forget it."

"This person... was my friend."

"Her name is Hu Jingjing."

"I won't forget~"

"She, on... on her birthday..."

Qiao Xichen choked up several times, covering her mouth and sobbing bitterly.

After saying the last word.

Qiao Xichen seemed to have exhausted all her strength; she closed her eyes and fell straight asleep just like that.

Seeing her about to topple over to the other side, Chen Cheng hurriedly reached out to catch her.

He steadied her, straightened her up, and let her lean back against his shoulder.

He gazed at Qiao Xichen, whose face was flushed red from crying.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"I thought you couldn't get drunk."

"When you're drunk, you're loud and boisterous;"

"But when you're asleep, you're quite well-behaved."

Chen Cheng looked at the whiskey bottle on the floor with a little bit left, and reached out with his foot to pull it over.

He picked up the bottle and took a swig directly from the mouth.

"*Pfft~*"

"It's a bit spicy~"

"*Hahahaha~*"

The next day at noon.

Qiao Xichen woke up with a start from her sleep, sat up, and nervously looked around.

She also vigilantly lifted the corner of the quilt and looked down.

Why was she wearing a white silk nightgown?

Qiao Xichen's heart instantly sank.

Not only did she not know where she was, but her clothes had been changed.

Qiao Xichen held her head in frustration, rubbed her temples hard, and tried to remember something.

Qiao Xichen frowned.

She only remembered drinking on the company rooftop.

Later...

"Hmm?"

Qiao Xichen was suddenly stunned.

"Right."

"Later, a handsome guy came."

"Then I vented to him."

Qiao Xichen suddenly recalled some fragments and her face flushed red instantly.

She held her head and muttered, "Qiao Xichen, you are absolutely crazy."

A few seconds later, she suddenly remembered.

"What day is it today?"

She hurriedly looked around, searching for her phone.

She saw her phone charging on the nightstand at a glance.

Qiao Xichen hurriedly lunged over, picked up the phone, turned on the screen, and saw that it was Saturday.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"*Ha~*"

"Scared the life out of me."

"What scared the life out of you?"

Just then, a clear male voice suddenly sounded in Qiao Xichen's ear.

Qiao Xichen's eyes widened, and she turned around with an awkward expression.

She forced an awkward smile, raised her hand to wave, and greeted him.

"Morning~"

Chen Cheng looked at her embarrassed appearance and raised his eyebrows with a chuckle.

"Morning."

"Did you sleep well?"

Qiao Xichen smiled sheepishly. "Not bad."

Chen Cheng nodded. "That's good."

"Get up, let's have some breakfast."

"Hmm... brunch, I suppose."

He casually placed a shopping bag on the nightstand. "I had the hotel staff pick out two outfits for you; see which one you like."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng suddenly looked at Qiao Xichen with a cheeky grin. "Getting dressed... I shouldn't need to help with that, right?"

Qiao Xichen's face turned beet red instantly.

If he didn't need to help with getting dressed...

That meant he did help with undressing...

He really was the one who took my clothes off last night...

Thinking about it, Qiao Xichen's face was so red it looked like it could bleed.

She shook her head and smiled sheepishly. "No, no need~"

"Um... last night, we two..."

"Nothing... nothing strange happened, right?"

"*Hahahaha~*" Chen Cheng couldn't hold it back and laughed out loud.

Qiao Xichen immediately frowned, glaring at him angrily, her face flushed red.

"Did it or not?"

Chen Cheng laughed for a while, then waved his hand. "Forget it, I won't tease you."

"I don't like sleeping with a dead pig."

Qiao Xichen didn't even bother to retort to Chen Cheng calling her a dead pig; she breathed a sigh of relief.

Before she could even be happy, she realized this man had already walked up to her.

Chen Cheng looked at Qiao Xichen's soft, tender face and said cheekily: "However... if you want to, I'd be happy to oblige."

As he said this, Scum Cheng reached out to cup her face and pursed his lips.

Before Qiao Xichen could even curse, she felt like she had been struck by lightning.

This seemed to be the scene from last night when they arrived at the hotel, where she had groggily hugged this man and demanded a kiss.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"

Qiao Xichen's brain was about to explode; she was so embarrassed she felt like her toes could rip through the sheets.

She wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Chen Cheng watched her shy and embarrassed young-girl expression and shook his head with a smile.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Hurry up, if you don't get up now, it'll really be lunchtime."

As he said this, he habitually ruffled her hair.

Qiao Xichen's face was already beet red, and she couldn't say a word in retort.

It wasn't Chen Cheng's fault for lacking boundaries; she just looked too much like Han Su.

It was really hard to completely separate the feelings he had for the two of them.

Watching Chen Cheng turn and walk out of the room again, Qiao Xichen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Covering her face, she felt a wave of shame and annoyance.

"Ahhhhh, Qiao Xichen, this is so embarrassing."