"You're right, I know Hanrui's temper, and there's no reasoning with her right now. Alright, honey, tonight you'll have to make a small sacrifice. I'll take Hanrui to our place to sleep with me, and you can sleep in the living room, okay?" Wenwan, feeling a bit guilty, tugged at Li Bin's arm as she pleaded.
Li Bin had been waiting for those exact words, secretly thrilled that Wenwan was the one suggesting Ling Hanrui stay at their place.
But on the surface, he put on a reluctant act, saying, "Ugh, well… that means I won't get to be with you tonight… Fine, Hanrui's your best friend, and we can't just stand by and watch her suffer! Alright, go talk to her then."
"Great! You're the best, darling!" Wenwan shot Li Bin a grateful look before turning to comfort Ling Hanrui.
Li Bin casually dug into the hotpot on the table, watching as Ling Hanrui, under Wenwan's soothing words, wiped her tears and nodded repeatedly. He knew right then and there that today's plan was a done deal!
The thought of Ling Hanrui going to his house, sleeping in the bed he slept in every day, with only a wall separating him from this pair of gorgeous best friends—hell, maybe even a spicy encounter—made Li Bin's heart race with excitement.
"Hanrui, come on, no more getting upset! It's not worth getting mad over a guy like that. Let's keep eating the hotpot. After we're done, you can come stay at our place. I'll let you have the bed with Wenwan. When Cui Tianjiao comes crawling back to apologize, you can give Wenwan back to me," Li Bin said with a grin, placing a slice of beef in Ling Hanrui's bowl, his tone warm and considerate.
[Intimacy with Ling Hanrui: +10 (70, familiarity level)]
"Li Bin, Wenwan, you guys are too good to me! Thank you! Thank you, Li Bin!" Ling Hanrui, moved to tears again, looked at Li Bin with eyes full of gratitude and admiration. "If it weren't for you two helping me, I really wouldn't know what to do! That jerk is so heartless—he even drove off with the car! He'd probably be thrilled if I died out here on the road! He'd love it if I ran into some thug! Maybe he'd only be satisfied if me and my baby were dead!!"
"Hanrui, come on, it's not like that. You've got us, don't you? Tianjiao wouldn't be that cruel. Maybe he'll come back looking for you any minute now," Wenwan said kindly, trying to comfort her.
"Waiter, bring a bottle of red wine! Wenwan, tonight I'm getting plastered with you!! It's been forever since we've had a drink together. I remember back in college, when everyone in our dorm got drunk—that was so much fun. God, I miss being single! I never should've married that scumbag!!"
Hearing Ling Hanrui talk about drinking with Wenwan, Li Bin's eyes lit up. Talk about perfect timing! If he could get these two besties drunk, tonight was gonna be one hell of a ride! A little three-way action would be fucking epic!
"No way, Hanrui! You're pregnant, you can't drink! I'm not indulging you on this one. Listen to me, after you have the baby, I'll drink with you, I promise!" Wenwan, alarmed, grabbed Ling Hanrui's arm to dissuade her.
"No! I'm drinking! This baby in my belly? I'm getting rid of it tomorrow! Tonight, I'm getting wasted with you, Wenwan! Are you my best friend or not? If you are, drink with me!" Ling Hanrui, fired up, grabbed Wenwan's arm and shouted stubbornly.
"Hanrui, don't do this. You can't make rash decisions when you're this upset…" Wenwan tried to reason gently again.
But by then, the waiter had already brought the red wine. Seeing Li Bin's nod, he popped the cork right away.
"Wenwan, let Hanrui have a little. It'll help her feel better. Red wine's good for women, a little won't hurt," Li Bin said, playing the peacemaker as he placed the wine glasses the waiter handed over in front of them. "I've gotta drive later, so I can't join you. Wenwan, just have a little with Hanrui. After going through something like this, nobody would feel okay."
"Alright… just one small glass!" Wenwan nodded reluctantly. Meanwhile, Ling Hanrui had already grabbed the bottle and poured herself a full glass of red wine.
"That's enough, don't pour more!" Wenwan tried to stop her, but Ling Hanrui picked up her glass and chugged it down in one go. Then she grabbed the bottle again, pouring a big glass for Wenwan. "Wenwan, you drink too! Drink with me! If you don't, I'll finish it all myself!"
"Okay, okay, I'll drink with you!" Wenwan, heartbroken for her friend, reluctantly picked up her glass and downed it in one go.
After one glass, both women, who had little tolerance for alcohol, had flushed cheeks glowing with a rosy hue.
"One more!" Ling Hanrui raised her refilled wine glass, clinking it against Wenwan's with a bold grin.
"Hanrui, you can't drink anymore!" Wenwan tried to stop her, but Ling Hanrui, already tipsy, chugged another glass of red wine in one go.