Of course, Bai Bin didn’t believe such gibberish as “I forgot” but he didn’t intend to continue questioning. After all, what mattered was that Liu Yanbo stood alive in front of him, the rest could be forgotten!
"When you have time, we can go back together. You haven't gone back for so many years, and now you’re married. Let’s bring the good news back and tell everyone!" Bai Bin grabbed the hip flask from Liu Yanbo and took a big sip.
Liu Yanbo was a heavy smoker. After finishing his cigarette and lighting up another, his eyes fell on Yin Hanruo in the private room. There was no change to his expression, as he calmly asked, "she told you everything?"
“Mm-hmm" Bai Bin nodded, then looked at Liu Yanbo with a little displeasure, asking, “why? If your wife hadn’t said anything, were you going to keep it from me?"
“I did think of that."
Truth be told, Liu Yanbo really didn’t want to tell Bai Bin about his marriage to Yin Hanruo. Not because of the rules he had with Yin Hanruo, but because he didn't want to disappoint Bai Bin.
For Liu Yanbo, the contract marriage was only a temporary stop when he had nowhere to go.
For Bai Bin, it was the dawn of hope.
When two people who only have each other are locked in the same dark cage, no matter who goes out first, the sun will light up the other through the bars.
Liu Yanbo knew this very well, but he also knew that what he brought usually wasn’t hope.
"You..." Bai Bin wanted to be angry, but he held it back. Then he meaningfully looked at Liu Yanbo and asked, "Young Sir Bo, am I now a stranger to you?"
"You think too much." Liu Yanbo playfully punched Bai Bin's shoulder and said with a smile, "You know me, I've been like this since I was a kid. Besides, I married her privately, and she has a big family in the capital. I’m a poor loser, who knows what will happen in the future? After all, in this day and age, divorce is as common as drinking water and marriage certificates are useless!"
"Are you afraid her family will look down on you?" Bai Bin frowned, a little anxious.
For Bai Bin, appearance-wise, Liu Yanbo was indeed unworthy of Yin Hanruo, but he was the only one allowed to think so, nobody else could!
Whoever dared look down on Liu Yanbo was his enemy.
"Do you think her family would look up to me? For what reason?" Liu Yanbo asked with a smile.
Reason?
Would they look up to him for his dual identity as a taxi and valet driver?
Yin Hanruo's family was not kicked by a donkey in the head.
Bai Bin was left speechless by Liu Yanbo’s question.
"All right. Why are you overthinking so much? What does it matter if I get married or not? When I'm ready..." Liu Yanbo’s eyes twitched, firmly gripping Bai Bin's shoulder. "We’ll go home together."
Bai Bin put his hand on Liu Yanbo's back and heartily nodded. "Yes! We have to go home together."
After his cigarette was finished, Liu Yanbo habitually reached for another one.
"Wait! Try this one."
Bai Bin stopped Liu Yanbo and revealed a pack of top-tier government-issued cigarettes from his pocket.
"Oh, man! This is good stuff. It seems our young Sir Bin is really doing well now." Liu Yanbo took a cigarette with a smile and put it on his nose to smell it.
"Of course! Did you forget who this guy is?" Bai Bin bragged.
…
Looking at the two men on the balcony glued shoulder-to-shoulder, playfully talking, those sitting in the private room all breathed a sigh of relief.
"I've never seen Captain so happy," one softly said.
Another echoed, "Yeah! I haven't seen it either."
As comrades for many years, they have seen his joys and sorrows, his responsibility, his vulnerability when secretly wiping tears in the middle of the night, his loyalty to the country, and his cruelty to the enemy... But they had never seen Bai Bin like he was now, as happy as a child.
They were happy for him.
Yin Hanruo was watching Liu Yanbo. She didn't understand the man and probably no one did.
Not knowing his joys and sorrows, his past, and not even who he was now.
He was like a stranger wearing all kinds of masks: smiling and looking at everything around him, living in his own world, and going to the distance alone.
Yin Hanruo couldn't help but inwardly ask, Liu Yanbo, are you the real you now?
If so, she was happy for him.
After finishing a cigarette Bai Bin dropped his cigarette butt, smiled, and beckoned. "Let's go in, everyone is waiting for us at the dining table!"
Liu Yanbo nodded, agreeing. He reached for the pack of standard issued cigarettes and said with a smile, "there's food to be eaten and cigarettes to be smoked."
Bai Bin waved his hand and generously said, "you can keep it, there's tons of it where it came from, I'm sick and tired of it."
"Young Sir Bin!" Liu Yanbo resisted the urge to kick Bai Bin's butt and stopped him from opening the glass door.
Bai Bin turned around and asked, "what?"
Liu Yanbo put away his smile and sincerely said, "No matter what I become, I will always be Qinghe Village’s Liu~ Yan~ Bo~."
"I know. No matter what happens, you will always be Qinghe Village's only young Sir Bo and my little brother."
In the private room, the table was full of food and wine, and everyone was seated.
"It seems after the storm came a calm, it's worth a drink."
Shangguan Qingmeng confidently picked up a glass of wine.
"Ah~"
After she downed the drink, Liu Yanbo ridiculed, "Brothers, it seems none of you can drink much! Five people losing against a woman."
"Shangguan sister is just too good at drinking," a tall man sitting on the right-hand side of Bai Bin scratched his head and awkwardly smiled.
"Why, little brother? Do you think you’ll be any different? Can you win against me?" Shangguan Qingmeng stood up and pointed at Liu Yanbo.
This was a blatant provocation!
If he were to admit defeat, Liu Yanbo would definitely lose face.
To that provocation, no man could say no. Especially Liu Yanbo, a dignified old driver. "I’m quite a good drinker too."
Shangguan Qingmeng smiled, and directly called the waiter, ordering two bottles of Burning Knife wine.
"One bottle per person, let’s see who finishes first."
Shangguan Qingmeng unscrewed both bottles and pushed one to Liu Yanbo. Shangguan Qingmeng surprised everyone.
The Burning Knife was popular for being strong, burning like fire. Some people got drunk just from smelling it. Drinking an entire bottle by yourself, even slowly, was already insane. Drinking it fast… did she want to burn a hole in her throat? These were the thoughts circling in the room.
"Are you crazy?" Yin Hanruo hurriedly objected. She knew that Shangguan Qingmeng could handle alcohol, but this was too reckless.
"Little sister, don’t butt in," Shangguan Qingmeng said with a smile, "it was your man who provoked me first."
Yin Hanruo angrily turned her head to look at Liu Yanbo, threatening him with her eyes.
Liu Yanbo shook his head quickly and spread his hands to show this wasn't what he wanted.
"Little brother, will you drink or not? My girl Hanruo doesn’t like men who go back on their word."
Shangguan Qingmeng licked her lips, looking impatient.
Damn it. She doesn't like me in the first place!
However, it was too late to go back now. Liu Yanbo took the bottle, "of course I will, whoever doesn't win is the king of turtles~" he joked, ignoring Yin Hanruo's hot glare. Then he said, "but for the sake of fairness, you drink half and I drink a bottle."
“Haha!” Shangguan Qingmeng’s laughter sounded like a ringing bell. She said, "Little brother, I like you more and more! But if you lose, you have to pay a price."
"What price? "Liu Yanbo feebly asked.
A hint of cunning flashed in her eyes, and she steadily said, "Sell us the formula for your foot injury medicine."
Ever since she and Yin Hanruo confirmed that the next direction was the pharmaceutical industry, Shangguan Qingmeng had been very attentive. She wanted to put it on the agenda even more so when she learned that the formula was from Liu Yanbo.
Shangguan Qingmeng had asked Yin Hanruo several times, but Yin Hanruo couldn’t find a good opportunity because of their awkward relationship ever since the marriage contract was signed.
Today a good opportunity presented itself. Liu Yanbo looked like he was in a good mood. But that wasn’t the main reason why Shangguan Qingmeng mentioned the formula, it was because of Bai Bin.
Shangguan Qingmeng knew about Liu Yanbo and Yin Hanruo’s contract marriage, but Bai Bin didn’t.
From what she observed today, Bai Bin only learned that Liu Yanbo and Yin Hanruo were married outside the police station. She was certain that he cared about the marriage very much, and it seemed Liu Yanbo cared about him very much.
As long as Bai Bin didn’t know the truth, it didn’t matter whether Shangguan Qingmeng won or lost. She had great confidence that Liu Yanbo wouldn’t refuse to sell the formula while in Bai Bin’s presence.
After all, it was his wife's company. Instead of selling it, even giving it away wasn’t a stretch.
Liu Yanbo smiled, indifferently looking at Yin Hanruo, then at Bai Bin, and nodded. With admiration, he asked Shangguan Qingmeng, "Then what if you lose?"
Shangguan Qingmeng could see that Liu Yanbo knew what she was thinking, but he had still agreed. She couldn't help feeling content and smiled charmingly. "Brother, if I lose, I will sleep with you. What do you think?"
Poof~
Liu Yanbo almost ran away.
Shangguan Qingmeng was indeed a beautiful and attractive woman, born with a lot of charm, and with a bold and free personality. Women like that were very popular with men.
But to say that in front of so many people, what could anyone expect Liu Yanbo to do? How could he react?
Yin Hanruo frowned. Stirring trouble so blatantly, Shangguan Qingmeng, what do you think you’re doing?
Yin Hanruo was about to speak when her phone rang.
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