Destined to be his Wife

Chapter 22 - Fun

"Selfies!!!" Linlin pushed in behind YuZhi and TangShi on the dancefloor, holding her phone up high to capture while on tiptoes above the three of them as they huddled in then waved frantically at ZhengLi to come over. She was picture happy tonight, more so the drunker she got because she wanted to document TangShi's first night partying with her. It was a long time dream of hers to have TangShi live a normal life of a twenty odd year old girl in Shanghai and she never for a moment thought a contract marriage would be the key to achieving it.

"Stop taking so many." TangShi giggled but still smiled and posed as YuZhi pulled her in beside him with an arm around her shoulders to ger in on screen, sticking his two-fingers up in a V sign as the three of them were caught for all time on Linlin's cell. He was an old hand at selfies and having pictures taken and seemed to have no bad angles. ZhengLi wandered over with his tray in hand and a new round of shots and motioned them all to sit. Frowning at his click happy date and her reel of way too many pictures of tonight.

"You missed it!" Linlin accused, waiting for him to lay it on the circular table in the center of their booth before hauling him down beside her and forcing him to take one with just the two of them. He sighed, smiled, and obeyed. Willing to appease her in anyway because he was having way too much fun in her company.

They had been here for a couple of hours already and the four of them were at the merry drunk stage and getting more so. Companionable atmosphere had grown between them all and it had relaxed TangShi completely. It felt like four good friends out for a normal weekend session. ZhengLi and Linlin had gone from enemies on the battle front to comrades in arms and were trying to outdrink one another and flirting heavily while doing so.

TangShi was trying to be reserved in her alcohol intake, but the more relaxed YuZhi became with his, the more he encouraged her to keep up. He had no problem seeing her get drunk as he was confident he could handle his booze and wouldn't let anything happen to her. He wasn't old fashioned or overly sexist and believed women should be able to kick back and have fun as much as men did.

"Here." YuZhi handed her a tiny flaming shot glass very carefully and motioned her to watch him before trying it. "Blow, Tap on the table, and down." He raised a brow at her and then did exactly that to show her what he meant. Blowing the flame from the top of his liquor, tapped the base on the polished marble surface, and then swallowed it down in one flick back of his head before turning it upside down and thumping it on the table. It was a practiced move and he seemed very skilled at drinking. "Your turn." He winked at her, stuck close by her side like he had been all night and she nervously chewed her lip as she fiddled with the hot little glass. So far she had stuck to the less alcoholic cocktails but ZhengLi was pushing shots for the last two rounds. One she refused already, and she was tempted to try it.

"What if I don't like it?" She queried and was met with a cheeky smile that brought out YuZhi's dimples. His hair was a little messier than earlier, his outer jacket discarded, and he seemed casual and approachable when he wasn't so immaculate. She wasn't aware that in the last two hours her faith and trust in him had expanded hugely. They were no longer awkward or stiff sitting here together but seemed very much like old companions.

"No one really likes it. Burns going down but it gets you smashed, and everyone likes that feeling." He lifted the base of her shot with his fingertip to motion her to do it and she obliged by following his instructions. Eyes glued to his the whole time as though seeking instruction or approval and he didn't blink or look away.

Blow, tap, and drink, and then she coughed like a maniac, thumping her chest with a balled fist as the warm foul and bitter liquid burned all the way down her throat. A taste that was so strong it made her eyes water, and she did not like it at all.