Time flew by, and the small gathering Qiu Xi had mentioned arrived.
That evening, before Qiu Xi had even finished getting ready, Nan Hua had already arrived.
"Little Ge, go chat with Ah Hua. Tell him I'll be down shortly."
Qiu Xi was still busy with her preparations and would take quite a while.
"Alright..."
Qiu Ge, who knew his sister's "pace" well, muttered a few words and went downstairs.
Downstairs, two people were sitting, with Grandma Qiu and a few others nearby. After chatting for a while, half an hour had passed.
It was only at this moment that Qiu Xi came down from upstairs.
"Ah Hua, I'm ready. We can leave."
Hearing the voice, those below looked up.
"Little Xi..."
"Sis! You look excessively beautiful today!"
Having been subjected to his elder sister's "elite education" since childhood, compliments came out without even thinking.
And then he looked at his father...
Alas!
He's old, his brain really can't keep up anymore!
As for Nan Hua beside him, it was even more so. Upon seeing her, his eyes hadn't moved away.
She wore a formal red gown; most people couldn't pull off this color.
But for Qiu Xi, there was no such concern.
Her skin was as smooth as congealed fat – it wasn't just a saying. This shade of red, on her, actually made her seem to enhance the dress.
Her usually casual curly hair was now up, adorned with crystal hairpins. A playfully curled fringe in the front softened the domineering aura of the red, making her look like a charming little princess.
Truly embodying the saying:
A graceful lady...
"We'll be heading off, bye-bye~"
After walking down, Qiu Xi linked her arm with Nan Hua's, bid farewell to those in the hall, and then they left.
Outside, in the car.
"Xi Xi, I suddenly don't want to take you out anymore..."
Qiu Xi asked, confused, "Hmm?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw Nan Hua's gaze.
His eyes, unfathomably deep, seemed to contain the stars.
But they still couldn't hide that hint of affection.
Qiu Xi, "..."
"Is it really that serious?" Her voice held a charming laugh.
Nan Hua, hearing her laughter, put down the seatbelt he was holding, turned his head, and lowered his voice, saying, "My girlfriend is so beautiful, why wouldn't it be that serious?"
As he spoke, he reached out and gently brushed away a few stray hairs from her temple.
After a moment of silence, she couldn't hold back and buried her head.
The moment she buried her head, Qiu Xi's arms on either side tightened, and she naturally embraced him.
"Mmm~"
When it was over, both were breathing slightly heavily.
"Okay, let's go quickly!" Her small face flushed, Qiu Xi nudged him to hurry.
She herself took out the spare lipstick from her bag and pretended to touch up her color.
Pushed by her, Nan Hua settled back into his seat and fastened his seatbelt.
He chuckled softly, "Alright, we're leaving now."
Because of the delay, by the time they arrived, everyone was already waiting.
"Sister Xi, you're here." Seeing them, Song Jing Shu started to call out.
The people beside her also stood up and greeted them.
Qiu Xi walked over with a smile, "Sorry we're late."
"Please, sit down, don't be formal."
Then she looked at Song Jing Shu and the others, "You too, please sit."
"Besides this meal, is there anything else planned for today?" Sitting down, Qiu Xi began to chat with them.
"Sister Xi, we'll follow your lead, just a meal and some chat."
Song Jing Shu smiled, "After all, there's a big event tomorrow."
Qiu Xi nodded, "That's good."
"We'll start casting the net tomorrow. Once everything is done, we can take a break and go home."
"Sister Xi, are you serious?" Pei Wen, next to her, became excited upon hearing about the break.
He was eager to see his parents!
Moreover, after this was over, he wouldn't be the one who, upon returning home, was immediately scolded and disliked.
Returning with his savings from over half a year, his parents would be happy for a long time!
After all, working with Sister Xi, he had earned more in these past six months than others did in one or two years.
Qiu Xi heard Pei Wen's urgent tone and looked at the curious eyes next to him, smiling, "Yes!"
"So, when we get the holiday depends on you all."
Hearing this, Chu Lan Zhi immediately said, "Sister Xi! Don't worry, at the latest within three days, we will definitely finish this."
If they could go back, that would be more than a week's holiday!
It felt so good just thinking about it~
"Okay, then I'll look forward to the good show!"
"Deal!" the two promised.
"Sister Xi, now that we've chatted, shall we begin?"
If they continued chatting, the people opposite would probably not be able to sit still.
Seeing Song Jing Shu's gaze, Qiu Xi understood, "Alright, let's not waste any more time. Let's begin."
Of course, the first thing to do when it was time to begin was to toast.
Qiu Xi looked happy, so when she raised her glass, before Nan Hua and Liang Yun Fei beside her could react, the small glass of wine was already in her stomach.
Although the other two were watching, she still managed to drink a little from time to time.
Later on, Nan Hua directly pressed down on her wine glass and replaced it with juice.
The small gathering lasted nearly two hours, and then the group emerged from the large private room.
"I'll take her back first. You all can do as you please."
Looking at Qiu Xi, who had suddenly become so quiet, Nan Hua suddenly regretted it.
He should have been the one drinking earlier and told Xi Xi to drive, then this wouldn't have happened.
Liang Yun Fei and Song Jing Shu watched, then nodded, "Okay."
If they had known earlier, they wouldn't have ordered alcohol.
Drinking leads to trouble; who knew if they could even wake up early tomorrow!
After Nan Hua and Qiu Xi's car drove away, the others also left.
And for Nan Hua, as expected.
On the way back, the quiet Qiu Xi suddenly started to stir.
"Ah Hua~ Hua Hua~"
Nan Hua's lips twitched, "..."
What the heck is Hua Hua?
"I'm telling you..."
She stopped halfway.
Nan Hua said helplessly, "Telling me what?"
"I'm not telling you!"
"It's a secret~"
Nan Hua, "..."
"Fine, don't tell me~"
Nan Hua muttered as he quickly drove towards the Qiu family's house.
He wondered if his uncle would scold him when he saw them...
"I said I wouldn't tell, why aren't you asking me? Don't you want to talk to me..."
Nan Hua, "..."
Who could tell him why this way of getting drunk was like this?
It wasn't like this before...