Qin Xuanye was once again dead drunk in the bar.
His buddies beside him couldn't help but advise, "Old Qin, that's about enough."
"Exactly, last time you drank like this, you almost ended up in the hospital."
"Ah, who would have thought fate would play such a cruel trick. Old Qin's ex-girlfriend ended up becoming his fiancée's sister after all these twists and turns."
Qin Xuanye shot a glance over.
The guy immediately corrected himself, "I mean, his ex-fiancée's sister. What a mess, truly a soap opera."
Another friend chimed in.
"Isn't the most dramatic part that Old Qin got hung up on the same woman twice?"
The brothers all sighed in unison.
Seeing him about to call the bartender again, they quickly stopped him, "No more drinking."
Qin Xuanye picked up his glass, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go.
Setting the glass down, his face was full of bitterness as he said, "Why... why doesn't she like me..."
A brother patted his shoulder and said,
"They say there's no accounting for taste. Maybe you're just not her type."
"Yeah, not long ago my mom ran into Mrs. Wei, who said she was picking out jewelry for her future daughter-in-law."
"So fast? Wei Miao is moving really quickly... Could they be getting married already?"
Bang—
Qin Xuanye slammed his empty glass heavily on the table.
His eyes were bloodshot.
"What did you say? She's getting married?"
The brother hastily backtracked, "No confirmed news, I was just guessing."
"But Old Qin, you really should let it go. Chen Liuyue is already Wei Miao's girlfriend, she's taken. You're not planning on becoming a homewrecker, are you?"
It was just a joke from the brother.
His intention was to tell him to forget it.
Unexpectedly, Qin Xuanye not only heard it but took it seriously.
A glimmer of sobriety returned to his drunken eyes.
"A homewrecker? Right, so what if she has a boyfriend? I can be the other man."
The other brothers: "..."
The brother who had just spoken panicked: "Old Qin, I was just joking! How can you take it seriously!"
Qin Xuanye placed his hands heavily on his shoulders.
Speaking each word with deliberate seriousness:
"No! Good brother, I think you make a great point."
"So what if Liuyue likes Wei Miao? I can be the other man."
With that, he stopped drinking, stumbled off the barstool, and prepared to leave.
His group of good brothers quickly grabbed him.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Qin Xuanye's eyes were bleary with drink, but he kept muttering one sentence.
"I'm going to be the other man."
Oh no, hearing this, the brothers immediately held him back.
In his current drunken, incoherent state, what kind of "other man" could he be? He'd probably walk out and bump right into a lamppost.
"Why are you holding me back? I'm going to be Liuyue's other man." Seeing his brothers restraining him, Qin Xuanye grew agitated.
The brothers exchanged glances, all showing helpless expressions.
They could only coax him, "We're not stopping you."
"Right, right, even if you want to be one, Chen Liuyue has to agree, doesn't she?"
Qin Xuanye seemed to ponder this, slowly nodding his head, "Yes, you're right."
After saying that, he started fumbling for his phone.
"I'm going to call Liuyue."
But after searching for a long time, he couldn't find his phone anywhere on him.
His brothers pointed helplessly at the bar counter, "It's here, it's here."
Qin Xuanye walked over gleefully, his left foot almost tripping over his right, nearly falling flat.
Finally getting his phone, turning it on, and finding the contact list, the smile on his face from a second ago instantly turned into a pout, on the verge of tears.
His brothers were dumbfounded.
"Don't cry! Old Qin, be strong."
"Yeah, weren't you going to make a call? What are you crying for?"
Qin Xuanye pointed at the phone screen.
Then pointed at himself.
"She... she blocked me again."
After saying this, he couldn't help but start sniffling, about to cry.
His brothers frantically handed him tissues, patted his shoulders, telling him not to cry.
They didn't know how to comfort him either.
One of the "smart" ones spoke up,
"Stop crying! Old Qin, she blocked you, but she didn't block unknown numbers. Here, use my phone!"
He handed it over with great camaraderie.
Qin Xuanye stopped sniffling, took the phone, and dialed that familiar string of numbers with practiced ease.
"Beep, beep, beep—"
After a long wait, the call connected.
A clear, pleasant female voice came from the other end: "Hello, who is this, please...?"
The brothers all gave encouraging looks.
Qin Xuanye nodded, slurring into the phone:
"Hello, I am the other man."
The brothers nearly fainted: "..."
A magnetic, pleasant chuckle came from the other end of the line.
Followed by the woman's sweet, crisp voice again: "A-Xuan, are you drunk?"
Hearing this form of address, Qin Xuanye's eyes lit up a little.
But he stubbornly said:
"I'm not drunk."
"Hmm, good that you're not drunk. Then I'm hanging up." Chen Liuyue was straightforward.
The light that had just ignited in Qin Xuanye's eyes nearly went out.
The brothers around him grew anxious, chiming in to help:
"He is drunk! Drank several bottles, can't even walk straight now. Miss Chen, could you come pick him up?"
Qin Xuanye also wore an expectant expression, adding, "Yes, pick me up."
Chen Liuyue: "What's our relationship? Why should I go out in the middle of the night to pick up a drunk?"
Qin Xuanye thought slowly.
After a long moment, he answered: "I'm your other man."
The brothers all showed helpless expressions and shook their heads.
It's over, it's over!
She's definitely going to hang up angrily now.
With his level of emotional intelligence, what hope does Old Qin have in love? He might as well be single forever.
Unexpectedly, the woman's voice sounded again.
"How much did you drink? Did you turn yourself into an idiot?"
"Text me the address. I'll be there soon."
With that, the call was ended.
Qin Xuanye slowly turned his head, patted the nearest brother, and bragged like a child:
"Did you hear that? Liuyue said she's coming to pick me up, hehehe."
"She said she's coming, hehe."
"My Liuyue, Liuyue." He said while slowly swaying his head, his grinning face almost too embarrassing to look at.
The other brothers looked at each other.
"That's it?"
"She's coming just like that?"
"No wonder they got together in high school. Old Qin still has some skills."
"Something's not right, guys. She has a boyfriend now. Aren't we helping Old Qin steal someone else's girl..." Finally, one person voiced a pang of conscience.
Another promptly covered his mouth, saying:
"If you're a brother, shut up!"
"Do you want to see Old Qin drinking himself into an idiot here for a third time?"
That person shook his head, "No."
"Then that's settled! Sorry, Brother Wei." He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly towards an empty spot.
