Chapter 46: Chen Yi Gets Drunk

  Ye Ming knew: Zou Wenming was so meticulous in paving the way for himself, that was with a prerequisite: he must first assist him in climbing to the position of Party Secretary and Director of Xinleng County Bureau, only then did he have the qualifications and ability to promote and arrange himself. Otherwise, this plan of stealing the beam and changing the pillar would only be an empty castle in the air...

  So, he took the initiative to say to Zou Wenming: "Director Zou, I don't need to hide anything from you. My relationship with the new Director Xu of the Municipal Bureau is indeed very good. If you want to find a time to visit him and communicate with him, I can make introductions for you. Director Xu has just arrived and is not very familiar with the situation below, and he also wants grassroots leaders to take the initiative to report to him. So, I think as long as I bring you there, he will be happy to receive you."

  Zou Wenming's purpose in coming to see Ye Ming today was precisely to hear these words. So, as soon as Ye Ming finished speaking, his eyes immediately took on an unusual luster, and he said excitedly: "Great, great, great! Little Ye, when are we going to see Director Xu? You arrange it! I hope that under Director Xu's care, we can progress together and grow together!"

  Ye Ming heard him excitedly say the two words "grow up", and couldn't help but feel a little amused, then continued to chat with him for a few more sentences before bidding farewell and getting off the bus.

  Ye Ming walked into the private room and found that Chen Yi was already a bit drunk, swaying back and forth while standing by her seat, holding a wine glass in her hand and shouting that she still wanted to drink.

  Ye Ming quickly stood beside her, snatched the cup from her hand and smiled: "Chen Yi, let's drink after singing in the private room, forget it for now."

  Everyone in the ward knew that they had always been called sister and brother, and their relationship had always been very close. Moreover, Chen Yi was several years older than Ye Ming, so no one suspected that there was anything ambiguous between them, but kept teasing Chen Yi to drink more wine.

  "Everyone, brothers, I am Chen Yijie's brother. She really can't drink anymore! If you still want to toast her, I'll drink on her behalf!"

  Xiao Zhihui held a wine jug in his hand, opened his drunken and blurry eyes, and said with some unclear articulation: "Ye... Ye Ming brother... do you know the rules of drinking? At the dinner table, as long as you've picked up your cup, you have to drink it all the way down, you can't quit halfway. Chen Yi has already picked up her cup, so she should drink it all the way down, whether she gets drunk or not is another matter... If you want to drink on her behalf, that's okay too, but if we toast her with one cup, you have to drink three cups. Will you do it?"

  Chen Yi was drunk, but still conscious. When Xiao Zhihui said they would toast themselves with one cup and Ye Ming would have to drink three cups, Chen immediately felt sorry for Ye Ming and loudly shouted: "That's not okay, it's too unfair! I don't want Yezi to substitute me, I'll drink myself!"

  Ye Ming secretly pinched her hand under the table, then said magnanimously: "I agree with Director Xiao's words. As long as it's a toast to Sister Chen, I'll drink three cups!"

  Chen Yi saw him risking his life to help her drink, and she was both moved and heartbroken. Under the table, she tightly grasped Ye Ming's hand, and tears of happiness welled up in her eyes...

  They drank until 8:30 in the evening. Ye Ming's capacity for liquor was large, but he couldn't withstand so many people toasting him, and also had to drink on behalf of Chen Yi, who was not drinking, so by the time they went to the karaoke hall to sing, he was already 80% drunk.

  Zhang Dongfang was in high spirits today, not only drinking a lot of wine, but also ordering many classic old songs at the song hall, singing with great passion and intoxication, winning wave after wave of warm applause.

  In his view, the purpose of winning over Ye Ming today has been achieved. Next, he will ask Ye Ming to take him to meet Director Xu. As long as Ye Ming agrees to speak well for himself in front of Director Xu, his position as the new head of Leng County Bureau is as stable as a rock...

  Thinking of this, he continued singing while excitedly and proudly glancing at Ye Ming sitting in a corner.

  But what he saw made him take a big surprise: under the dim light, only Ye Ming and Chen Yi were sitting side by side, with their right hands clasped together, tightly holding each other. Chen Yi's head was almost leaning on Ye Ming's shoulder...

  Zhang Dongfang could hardly believe his eyes, the songs he sang were all off-key - how was this possible? Chen Yi had always been known for being virtuous and elegant in the bureau, but what happened today? Was she really drunk and acting wildly after drinking?

  As Zhang Dongfang was pondering over Ye Ming and Chen Yi, the two of them were now completely absorbed in their tender and sweet moment, without any awareness that under the dim and hazy light, a pair of eyes had already fixed on them...

  Ye Ming and Chen Yi walked into the private room, without any communication, they naturally and tacitly sat down in a dimly lit corner.

  Because the private room was very large, Ye Ming and Chen Yi sat in a corner, separated from others by a distance. Moreover, everyone in the private room had already gotten drunk, so no one paid attention to their movements, all enthusiastically singing songs or giving three leaders a toast, applauding and cheering.

  At the beginning, Ye Ming also sang a few songs and toasted Zhang Dongfang, Jin Cheliang, and Su Lihua with several beers. Later, seeing that everyone's interest was on the three bureau leaders, and Zhang Dongfang almost monopolized the microphone singing non-stop, he walked back to his seat.

  As he sat down, he inadvertently touched Chen Yi's scalding and slippery palm, his heart swayed involuntarily, and under the influence of a few cups of wine, he grasped her soft wrist tightly in his own palm.

  Chen Yi turned her head in the dim light and glanced at him, that hand only struggled slightly before letting him grasp it. Later on, the two people's hands grasped each other tighter and tighter, becoming ten fingers tightly interlocked.

  As Ye Ming and Chen Yi were both slightly drunk, they became completely absorbed in the tender and sweet atmosphere, totally forgetting that there were still many leaders and colleagues around them.

  It was almost eleven o'clock when Chen Yi said in a soft and gentle voice: "Ye Zi, I'm a bit sleepy, can you take me home?"

  Ye Ming quickly stood up and said to Zhang Dongfang and others: "Director Zhang, leaders, Sister Chen is drunk and wants to go home to rest. I'll send her home first!"

  Xiao Zhihui threw down the microphone in his hand and said enthusiastically: "Brothers, I'll drive you back!"

  Zhang Dongfang wiped a mysterious smile on his face and said to Xiao Zhihui, "You can't leave. If you leave, who will pay the bill? Besides, everyone here has had too much to drink, and the police are cracking down on drunk driving now. So, no one is allowed to drive back tonight, let's park our cars in the hotel parking lot and come back tomorrow to pick them up!"

  Saying that, she smiled and said to Ye Ming: "Xiao Ye, it's a trouble for Chen Yi to take a taxi back. You don't have to come over again either. We'll play for a while longer and then head back too."

  Ye Ming nodded, said a few more words of gratitude, and then supported Chen Yi to the outside to take a taxi, heading straight to Chen Yi's "Biyuan Community".