32.drinking alcohol

Here is the translation of the passage you provided:

The men around, who failed to catch Xiaowan, couldn't help but let out disappointed sighs. A few of them wanted to step forward to争, but when they saw that it was Nathan holding this beautiful, seductive girl, they immediately lost the courage to move forward. Xiaowan, upon recognizing who was holding her, furrowed her pretty brows and immediately tried to push Nathan away. With a drunken slur, she shouted, "Why is it you? This doesn't count! I want to jump again!"

Nathan, however, could not allow her to jump again. Although the guests in his bar were all either rich or influential, men were still men, and their nature was the same. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of a young and beautiful woman like Xiaowan? How could he let this girl, who had stirred his heart, fall into someone else's arms?

So he used some strength to control her struggling body and said, "You're drunk, miss. When you sober up tomorrow morning, you'll regret your actions. Let me take you somewhere safe now."

Xiaowan kicked her two slender, fair legs and stubbornly said, "I'm not drunk! Let me tell you, my drinking capacity is just fine! Let go of me, I'll sleep with whatever man I want, none of your business!"

Nathan didn't engage in an argument with her but directly carried her into his office. Outside the bar, the music was loud and the crowd noisy, but this office had excellent soundproofing, and the interior was very elegant. There was even a small resting area for Nathan to take a break.

Nathan initially planned to let Xiaowan rest in the small lounge, but unexpectedly, she suddenly punched him in the face and broke free from his arms. However, when she landed on the floor, her high heels slipped, and her left ankle twisted. Xiaowan immediately sat on the ground, gasping in pain.

Nathan, seeing this, quickly forgot about his sore nose and rushed to help her to the nearby couch, asking, "Does it hurt a lot? Is it serious? Should I call my personal doctor?"

Xiaowan, upon hearing this, couldn't help but laugh and look at him, saying, "Calling a doctor to treat a sprained ankle at a bar? Are you crazy?"

Nathan helplessly said, "Then let me take a look? It seems like your ankle is swollen—"

But as soon as he reached out his hand, Xiaowan slapped it away, giving him a cold stare and biting back, "Who are you? Are we familiar? You start touching a lady like this? No wonder you're friends with that scumbag Andrew. You and he are cut from the same cloth!"

…It seemed that she still clearly remembered him. Nathan felt a little embarrassed by Xiaowan's words but, at the same time, felt an inexplicable sense of joy in his heart. He quickly took a step back and said, "You misunderstood me, miss. I have no ill intentions toward you. I just didn't want you to act recklessly like you did on stage and later regret it, so I brought you here to cool down."

"Why should I regret it? It's none of your business!" Xiaowan gave him an eye roll and was about to get up and leave. However, as soon as she tried to stand, she let out a cry and collapsed back onto the couch. Her ankle really hurt too much.

Nathan immediately said, "How about this? I'll leave for now. You can rest here, and when your ankle feels better, you can leave. I won't disturb you anymore."

Xiaowan glanced around the office, seemingly satisfied with the environment, then casually lay down on the couch and tossed him a white-eyed look, saying, "Get out, I'm going to sleep."

…Hey, this is my office! Shouldn't you say thank you? Nathan helplessly muttered in his heart but resignedly stepped out and closed the door gently. However, he was still worried that her ankle might be seriously injured, so he went to a nearby pharmacy and bought some ointment for her sprain.

When he left earlier, Xiaowan had been nonchalantly stepping on his leather couch with her high heels, but when Nathan returned with the ointment and opened the door, he was surprised to find that she had completely changed.

The girl had curled up into a small ball on the couch, wiping the tears streaming from her red, swollen eyes, looking as pitiful as a stray dog abandoned on the street.

Nathan's heart tightened. Just as he was about to ask what had happened, Xiaowan, lying on the couch, noticed he was back. She was startled at first, then immediately turned over, facing away from him, and shouted, "Didn't you say you wouldn't disturb me again? Why are you back?"

"Uh… sorry, I was just worried about your injury, so I bought some ointment for you." Nathan gently placed the ointment on the small round table next to the couch. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Get out." Xiaowan said calmly, but her voice still had a hoarseness from crying.

Nathan, who was already at the door, turned back at the last moment and cautiously asked, "Sorry for asking, but you seem very upset. Could you tell me what happened? Maybe I can help."

Xiaowan immediately scoffed and still had her back to him, saying, "Stop it. I don't need help from the scumbag friend of that Andrew, who beats his own sister."

"I'm not really friends with Andrew. Our families just have some business dealings," Nathan quickly explained. "After you left that day, I found out the truth. I want you to know, I think you did the right thing. I also have a sister, and I've always treated her like an angel, caring for her. I can't understand why Andrew would be so cruel to his own sister. That's why I've cut ties with him."

The girl on the sofa was silent for a moment, then turned her head to reveal one eye, suspiciously asking, "Really?"

Nathan nodded seriously, "Yes. If you don't believe me, you can ask the waitstaff here. Andrew's name has been placed on the bar's blacklist. Also, after my parents found out about this, they were very upset and reduced their dealings with his family. We had originally wanted to help Andrew's poor sister, but we heard she left her home not long ago."

"Of course, she left." Xiao Wan said somewhat proudly, "I was the one who convinced her to leave that dysfunctional family. As long as she's strong and independent, even without those incompetent parents, Maggie can live well, even better than she ever did."

Nathan looked at her, unable to hide a slight appreciative smile, and said, "I believe you."

Xiao Wan stared at him for a while before sitting up. The disdain in her gaze was replaced with admiration as she said, "Hmph, I used to really dislike you, but… forget it. At least you're a rich, heartless playboy with a little bit of conscience."

Nathan chuckled, "Playboy? Where did you hear that?"

Xiao Wan rolled her eyes, staring at the ceiling dryly, "Nathan Brown, the proud son of the chairman of Brown Hotels, worth at least 300 million dollars. You're 29 and still don't have a steady partner. Your life's motto is 'If I can sleep with women, why should I marry them?' With all that, you still have the nerve to claim you're not a playboy? I'm giving you face by not calling you a womanizer."

For the first time in his life, Nathan was embarrassed by someone's words. He rubbed his nose, unsure where to look, and said, "Cough, I didn't expect you to know so much about me."

"Of course." Xiao Wan casually shook her slender legs while sitting on the sofa, saying leisurely, "It's your turf. I can easily find out anything. Besides, I'm a professional gold digger. If I can't even gather this kind of information, what am I even doing?"

Nathan was slightly surprised. Honestly, most of the women he had been with were gold diggers, but none had ever been so direct about it. They would usually go to great lengths to present themselves as the high-minded kind who didn't care about money. After all, men liked women who loved them, not their wealth. So, a gold digger would usually keep their true nature hidden.

Who would have thought this girl would just say it outright?

Seeing Nathan's surprised expression, Xiao Wan chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong? Surprised? You look down on me because I'm a gold digger? Pfft! Don't act all high and mighty in front of me, Mr. Brown. You're no better than me. We're both just playing around with life. The only difference is you're a man and a rich second-generation, so no one dares to call you out for your chaotic personal life."

Her words weren't pleasant, but they were true. Nathan had always been self-aware. In front of such a straightforward girl, all the pretenses seemed unnecessary. He smiled slightly and said, "I am a bit surprised. But I don't look down on you. I'm just… happy."

"Happy?" Xiao Wan looked at him like he was an idiot.

Nathan gave her his trademark charming smile, saying, "Happy that you're so honest and understand me so well. It shows I'm favored by you, right? Since you know me so well, could you give me a chance to understand you as well?"

Xiao Wan immediately rolled her eyes and said, "Don't dream about it, I'm already seeing someone—"

But she suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if remembering something sad. Her face darkened, and she lowered her head. All the earlier arrogance faded, and she turned back to lie down on the sofa, muttering, "I don't want to talk to you anymore. I want to sleep. Please leave."

Nathan vaguely guessed what might have happened, but he didn't dare to ask directly. He didn't want the conversation to end just yet, so he tentatively asked, "Are you hungry? Should I bring you something to eat?"

Unexpectedly, this question hit a sore spot with Xiao Wan. She couldn't resist the temptation of food and immediately turned her head, looking at him with her big eyes, like a little squirrel peeking out of its tree hole, asking, "Do you have red wine foie gras?"

Without thinking, Nathan replied, "Yes, just wait for me. I'll be right back."

He rushed to the bar, told the bartender what he needed, and received a strange look from the bartender. "Boss, are you okay? This is a bar, we don't serve foie gras. Maybe you want some dried fruit to snack on?"

Nathan realized he'd lost his mind asking such a question. Sigh, this girl had not only stirred his heart but lowered his IQ too. He quickly said it wasn't necessary and rushed out of the bar, driving his sports car to his Michelin-starred restaurant, BForest, calling the chef back to prepare a portion of foie gras, then grabbed a bottle of champagne and raced back to the bar.

When he arrived at the office door, out of breath and holding the food, Xiaowan didn't express any gratitude. Instead, she shot him a glare and complained, "Why are you so slow? I'm about to starve to death."

Nathan had more or less figured out her temperament. He knew that she was sharp-tongued, but deep down, she was kind-hearted, otherwise, she wouldn't have stood up for Andrew's poor sister. So, he didn't argue with her. He placed the food in front of her and said, "Here's the foie gras you wanted. Try it."

Xiaowan immediately picked up a fork, speared a piece of foie gras, and savored it carefully. Soon, she let out a purring sound like a cat and happily exclaimed, "This is so delicious! It melts in your mouth, so delicate and tender! Where did you buy it?"

Nathan couldn't help but smile proudly, "It's made at the restaurant my family owns."

"This is so good! What's the name of the restaurant? I must go!" she asked.

"BForest," Nathan smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll treat you next time. The restaurant's business is booming, though, so if you go on your own, you'll have to wait in line for three or four months."

"So it's that one. I've actually wanted to go for a long time." But Xiaowan didn't directly respond to his invitation. Instead, she opened the champagne, poured herself a glass, and asked him, "Do you want some?"

Nathan nodded, "Sure, I'll have a little."

So the two of them sat facing each other at a small table, not even friends yet already conversing and drinking as though they were. Before long, Xiaowan finished an entire bottle of champagne. She smacked her lips and said, "This wine is so weak. You're the owner of a bar, bring me something stronger!"

Nathan hesitated, "But I think you've already had quite a bit…"

"I don't care about drinking myself into oblivion. It's none of your business." Xiaowan shot him a look. "I'm not asking you for money, hurry up and bring me the best wine here!"

With no other choice, Nathan walked over to his liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of brandy he had been keeping for a long time. Just as he was opening the bottle, Xiaowan suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, why does this shoe look so familiar?"

Nathan's face turned purple instantly. How could he explain this to her? How could he tell her he had randomly picked up the shoe and treasured it enough to place it in his important liquor cabinet? She would never believe that, and might even think he had some kind of weird fetish!

Quickly, he made up an excuse: "Oh! I'm friends with the general manager of this brand. This shoe is a souvenir from their company! I just thought it was unique, so I placed it here."

"Really?" Xiaowan raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. Before Nathan could stop her, she quickly grabbed the shoe and turned it over, showing him the bottom, saying, "This Christian Louboutin brand sure knows how to give me face. The bottom of the souvenir even has my name, Lin Xiaowan, engraved on it."

Nathan stared at the three Chinese characters engraved on the sole. Although he didn't understand the meaning, the bold and powerful handwriting gave him the feeling that a man had engraved those words for Xiaowan.

His face turned red with embarrassment. He had never imagined that his lie would be exposed so easily! He, a grown man, had just picked up the shoe and placed it in the cabinet without realizing there was a hidden message on the sole!

Xiaowan raised an eyebrow and enjoyed watching Nathan, a strong man, turn red and not know what to do. She laughed, tossing the shoe back into his arms, and teased him, "What, were you pretending to be Cinderella? Picking up shoes and all. Hey, tell me, do you have a foot fetish?"

Nathan immediately protested, "Of course not! I just… I just…"

"Just what? Tell me," Xiaowan said, hopping closer, crossing her arms and looking at him, even though Nathan was physically stronger and taller, he couldn't put up any stance in front of this fragile girl.

Eventually, he was backed into a corner, leaning against the wall. He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, saying seriously, "I don't know why. But after seeing you at the bar that day, I just couldn't forget you. I picked up the shoe just to keep a memento, because I thought you'd never show up again. After all, our encounter in the bar wasn't very pleasant…"

Xiaowan seemed to be taken aback by his directness. She froze for a moment, then pursed her lips and hopped back to the sofa. Nathan was pleased to notice that her cheeks seemed a little flushed. Could it be that she also…

But Xiaowan quickly said, "You think I wanted to come? I just went into a bar because I was in a bad mood and didn't care about the name. Who would have thought I'd bump into you! Now stop standing there and come drink. The stuff in your liquor cabinet isn't bad! I'm going to finish them all tonight!"

If it had been anyone else, even Nathan's most respected father, he would have refused to let them drink all his wine. But that night, Nathan didn't know what came over him, and he really did let Xiaowan drink one bottle after another.

By the end of the night, both of them were drunk and disoriented, lying on the sofa. Xiaowan leaned against one side of the sofa while Nathan squatted beside her, still half-drunk, rubbing ointment on her swollen ankle. Xiaowan took out her phone, checked the time, and murmured, "His match should be over by now…"

"Huh? What match?" Nathan could barely keep his eyes open but still tried to apply the ointment to her injury.

Xiaowan was silent for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly turned red. She jumped up, grabbed Nathan's collar, and choked, "Do you know? I really thought I could make it work with him, but he disappointed me again. I really want to forgive him, but I just can't! So I broke up with him. I thought… after so many men, breaking up would be easy for me, but… but I'm still so sad. It feels like my heart's been ripped out. No matter how much I drink, I can still feel the pain…"

Nathan, though drunk, was still rational. He had suspected that Xiaowan didn't just get drunk and go up on stage to dance for no reason, and she had mentioned that she would belong to the man who could catch her tonight. He didn't expect it to be because she had broken up with someone.

From her description, he guessed that she must have been betrayed by her boyfriend. Nathan knew he should feel sorry for her, but he couldn't help but feel overjoyed upon learning she was single. He felt like running out into the streets to celebrate.

But seeing her distressed and hurt expression, Nathan couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He gently comforted her, "It's normal. Anyone would feel sad and hurt after a breakup. But time will heal everything. Believe me, when you meet the right person, he won't make you feel sad anymore."

Xiaowan leaned in close to him, with red eyes and a pitiful look, asking eagerly, "Then tell me, where is that man who won't make me sad?"

Nathan opened his mouth, about to say something, but before he could, the woman in front of him collapsed into his arms, fast asleep.

Nathan looked down at the teardrops hanging at the corners of her eyes. Unable to resist, he gently wiped them away. He wanted to carry her to the rest room so she could sleep properly, but Xiaowan clung to him like a cat. Each time Nathan tried to pick her up, Xiaowan would resist in her sleep, refusing to move. Eventually, Nathan gave up and sat on the sofa, allowing her to lean against him, playing the role of a human pillow.

Of course, Nathan didn't sleep well that night and woke up early the next morning. However, since the girl in his arms was still sleeping soundly, Nathan didn't move. Unfortunately, the bartender, who was about to finish work, came in at that moment and called out, "Boss—"

"Shh!" Nathan quickly made a quieting gesture, but it was too late. Xiaowan stirred, slowly opened her eyes, and stared at him for two seconds. Then, seeing their ambiguous position, she immediately looked frustrated and crazy, before sternly asking him a question, "Damn it! Did you wear protection last night?"