Chapter 43: Drunken Mistakes — You Deserve It!

what happened after that? You saved me, and then what?"

"Then? Then I handed you over to Ao Tian." As she spoke, Long Qi grinned mischievously. "Oh right, last night... did you and Ao Tian... you know? Hmm?"

That's what she wanted to know! "I... I don't remember anything. Um... based on what you know about the great Master Yu, would he actually take advantage of a drunk girl?"

Of course not. He wouldn't even touch a woman who's unwilling, let alone one who's drunk. But... Long Qi wasn't about to tell her that. "Of course he would. Women who fall into Ao Tian's hands rarely come out unscathed. Plus, he's got a perfect track record. Who knows how many women ended up pregnant? Maybe... you're already carrying his baby." She raised her eyebrows with a wicked smile.

Yao Yao turned pale with fear. Did she really sleep with Yu Ao Tian? That bastard! How could he do this to her? But... it was her own fault. She got drunk and caused all this trouble. She couldn't blame anyone else. She totally deserved it!

"Honestly, your figure doesn't feel as flat as it looks. Are you using padding?"

Snapping back to her senses, Yao Yao realized Long Qi was poking her chest. She frowned and snapped, "Shameless!" Then raised her hand and slapped her.

The weekend finally arrived, and Yao Yao slept in until nearly noon. When she woke up and stretched lazily, she reached for a piece of clothing—and a small envelope fell to the floor with a soft plop.

"What's this?" She picked it up. "It's... an invitation to Xia Ru's birthday party." It was scheduled for 6 PM that evening. She didn't have to work today, and the nightclub was closed too. Should she go?

Maybe Gong Xiaoman will come back from Japan too. Don't you want to see your best friend?

Xiao Man… Forget it. She'd go visit her grandfather at the hospital first.

"Yao Yao, sweetheart, you finally have a day off. Why don't you just rest at home? I heard from your mom you've been coming home really late this week. What kind of job are you doing anyway?" Grandpa Luo asked from the hospital bed, looking at his granddaughter with concern. His condition had stabilized, though he still didn't look great.

"Grandpa, our company's been working a lot of overtime lately. That's why I've been so late."

"Overtime? Until 2 in the morning? And then you go back to work at 7 AM? Isn't that exhausting?"

"It's fine, Grandpa. Everyone else is doing the same. If they're not complaining, why would I?"

She hadn't told her family about her part-time job. She knew that if her grandfather found out she was working at a nightclub, he'd rather die than let her continue.

"You little rascal. I can't win with you. Fine, stay if you want."

"Come on, Grandpa. I'd just be bored at home anyway. Let me stay here, please?" Yao Yao pouted. Her mom had been caring for Grandpa all week. Now that it was the weekend, she wanted to help ease her mom's burden a bit.

"Alright, fine. Just let her stay. You know she just got back from Japan—of course she wants to spend more time with us," her mom said.

"Exactly! Mom's right!"

"Okay then. Why don't you tell Grandpa some stories about your time in Japan?"

Stories about Japan? Besides the unpleasant memories with Feng Chen Yi, almost being assaulted by Yu Ao Tian, and the warmth of Gong Xiaoman's friendship, she didn't have much to say. Still, being the considerate girl she was, she made up a few nice stories to tell Grandpa.

As the afternoon approached, the hospital announced visiting hours were over and family members were asked to leave.

"Yao Yao, if you have plans, go ahead. I can head home by myself," her mom said.

"I'm fine, Mom. I'll go with you."

"Hehe, really? I saw the party invitation. Go, sweetie. Have some fun. You're a grown woman now—don't cling to your mom all the time."

"But Mom… I like clinging to you."

Her mom shook her head helplessly at her daughter's affectionate antics. "You're still so clingy. What are you going to do when you have a boyfriend?"

"Hmph! Then I just won't get a boyfriend."

"Nonsense! What, you're going to stick with your mom for the rest of your life? Yao Yao, I'm your mother. I know how you think. I know how mature you are. I also know that... never mind. Just go have fun." Her mother sighed halfway through the sentence.

Yao Yao understood what she had meant to say. But that was a painful memory neither of them wanted to bring up again. "Alright. I'm going now, Mom."

"Wait, take this with you." Her mother pulled out a beautifully embroidered cross-stitch from her bag.

"Mom, what's this?"

"You can't go to a birthday party empty-handed. I know you'd probably try to save money and wouldn't buy anything expensive. But we can't be rude. This gift shows our sincerity. Give this to your friend."

"Mom… thank you." Yao Yao's eyes reddened as she took the gift.

Over the years, while Yao Yao had been in Japan, her mom supported the family by doing small sewing jobs. Even now, with Grandpa sick, she often stayed up late sewing after Yao Yao returned home from her shifts, and still woke up early to take care of him. Yao Yao knew all too well how hard her mother worked. That's why she had abandoned her pride and taken the nightclub job.

Now, her mother was even worrying about her gifts. That cross-stitch had to have taken at least three days to finish—just one more sign of how much her mother loved her.

Sigh...

That weight in her chest grew heavier. She didn't know how to make her mom's life easier. She just wanted to grow up quickly… so she could give her everything.

Arriving at the address on the invitation, she was met with the sight of a three-story townhouse nestled in the beautiful Shoushan Creek area. Lights shimmered from within, the courtyard was brightly lit with lanterns, and music floated through the air.

"Xia Ru, happy birthday. Here's your gift." Everyone was gathered in the garden partying, and Yao Yao had to squeeze through the crowd before finally finding Xia Ru.

"Luo Yao Yao?" The group of guys and girls around Xia Ru lit up when they saw her. "Why did you invite her?"

"Ran into her in the elevator, so I figured I'd ask her to come."

"Oh? Which elevator?" Everyone looked intrigued.

"The one in the Bo Sen Group building."

"What? Yao Yao, you work at Bo Sen? What do you do there?" The second they heard that name, their tone changed completely. The Bo Sen Group was no joke—even rich kids needed real skills to get into a company like that.