After their confessions were rejected, they regretted it for the rest of their lives.

Chapter 98 A Thorough Confession

"If you have another dinner, I reckon you won't be able to go back to university."

Xia Weichan glanced at the time.

It was a little past ten o'clock, but Qingcheng University has a gate control system; the gates close at 11:30, prohibiting entry and exit from the campus.

Zhou Juzi blinked, swung her thigh slightly, and said awkwardly, "The main problem is that at this time of year, if I go back to university, there's not much to eat there... and I'm really a bit hungry."

"—You're not planning to go home tonight, are you?"

Xia Weichan was a little helpless. He hesitated for a moment, "Forget it, I found a restaurant nearby, and that will save me from going to the university. I'll stay in an apartment tonight and we'll talk about the luggage tomorrow."

"Okay~"

Zhou Juzi responded softly, then looked out the car window at the night. The evening breeze ruffled the girl's hair, a cool and comfortable feeling...

Xia Weichan's recent changes have given people a sweet feeling; she no longer coldly refuses them, and some requests can be granted with just a little coaxing.

The car was parked at a small restaurant not far from the apartment. It wasn't a fancy place, but it had a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere. Xia Weichan chose this place for a simple reason: the food was served quickly, so she could finish her meal early.

There were some tables scattered around the entrance, and many people were having dinner and eating skewers after get off work.

Normally, bringing a guy to a place like this is just right for a get-together between brothers, but it would be a bit strange to bring a girl to such a place.

But Xia Weichan isn't here for barbecue skewers; there are regular dishes here.

He led the somewhat curious girl to a private room and ordered some dishes from the waiter: "I just ordered some stir-fries. If you want some barbecue, you can add that too."

"No.."

Zhou Juzi shook her head, looked at Xia Weichan in front of her, and then glanced at the bustling scene outside the window. She said curiously, "I thought you would go to a place that suits your... well, your temperament."

-

"Do you find this place a bit noisy?"

"No...this reminds me of the feeling of a barbecue stand in a small town."

The noise, the clatter of bottles—this place actually felt somewhat familiar to Zhou Juzi, at least it was better than the private room Xia Weichan had taken her to at the beginning.

The young girl wasn't used to such upscale places, which made her feel somewhat isolated.

Her curled eyelashes fluttered twice, and Zhou Juzi said softly, "I'm feeling alright. It's good to have you here."

"6

""

Xia Weichan didn't reply. Although the atmosphere of this place didn't quite match Zhou Juzi's feeling, this girl from the countryside was indeed quite generous. Such a noisy and crowded place would be a place that Kuriju Tsuruo would never go to. In the second playthrough, when Xia Weichan was in a good mood, she brought Ke Yuexuan to a similar place, but judging from the girl's uncomfortable expression, she didn't seem to like this kind of place either.

But Azusa Tachibana seemed quite natural about it.

"In places like this, they give you free drinks if your order is over a hundred, but you probably won't drink, right?"

"liquor?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Juzi frowned, revealing a hint of disgust. She shook her head: "I hate this kind of thing..."

"Oh right, I almost forgot."

Xia Weichan suddenly remembered that the girl's father had a history of alcoholism and causing trouble, something she hadn't expected before.

"If you don't like it, I can have the waiter take it back when he comes."

"Never mind, if you want to drink...it's fine."

Zhou Juzi shook her head. In her memory, most of the boys in town drank a little, though she didn't quite understand it...

"...The reason I hate alcohol is that many people become unlike themselves after drinking..."

1

"That's just an excuse. Drunkenness is a magnifying glass. Bad people get even worse after drinking, while ordinary people might just brag a little after drinking."

Xia Weichan's voice was calm, and she smiled gently, intending to let the matter drop: "Actually, I shouldn't have drunk alcohol, because I had to drive."

"Um..

'

The girl nodded. She didn't dislike alcohol itself, but it reminded her of her alcoholic father when he was drunk.

Does a person's personality really not change drastically because of alcohol...?

Zhou Juzi was somewhat curious...

She pursed her lips. Xia Weichan's presence gave her some confidence to try new things.

Just then, the waiter brought over the two complimentary bottles of beer. Xia Weichan was about to ask to exchange them for soft drinks, but the girl spoke up first, saying, "Just... put them here."

"..Um?"

"I want to try it..."

Zhou Juzi looked at Xia Weichan with a guilty look in her eyes, and then added in a low voice, "I only decided to try it because you were here."

3

"What does this have to do with me?"

Xia Weichan was helpless, but since it was beer after all and the alcohol content wasn't high, it wouldn't hurt to let the girl have some since she wanted to drink it.

He pointed to the dishes on the table with his chopsticks and reminded them, "But if you want to drink, it's best to sip while eating, otherwise you'll get drunk very quickly."

5

""

Zhou Juzi didn't say anything, but picked up the green bottle containing the wine, and imitating what she remembered others doing, she pressed the bottle against the corner of the table, and then pressed it down hard. Without needing a corkscrew, the bottle cap flew off with some white foam.

"?"

Xia Weichan stared at the way the girl opened the bottle, a gesture that seemed completely out of place with her beautiful appearance, and his expression faltered slightly.

"So this actually works to open the bottle..."

Zhou Juzi looked somewhat surprised, a hint of smugness appearing on her pretty face. The girl held the open bottle of wine horizontally in front of Xia Weichan, as if showing her prize to someone she liked: "Look!"

"After becoming famous, it's best not to show off your talents in public like this," Xia Weichan reminded her.

"I know, I'll try it tonight..."

'

Xia Weichan didn't know how to evaluate her; this girl was indeed much more special than the previous few frail girls.

Zhou Juzi picked up a plastic wine glass and poured some of the pale yellow, bubbly liquid into it.

The girl brought her nose close and gently sniffed the aroma. Having never drunk alcohol before, she could only detect a pungent smell of alcohol.

With a frown, Zhou Juzi pinched her nose and gulped down the entire bottle of wine.

Her peach blossom eyes closed tightly, as if she had choked, and she clenched her fist and patted her chest.

After a moment, she gently stuck out her small, pink tongue and complained, "It tastes awful..."

"If it tastes bad, don't force yourself to drink it. Eat some vegetables."

"Oh...wait a minute."

As she said this, Zhou Juzi poured some more beer.

"7

Xia Weichan didn't bother with it; after all, it wasn't baijiu (Chinese liquor), so drinking a little wouldn't hurt.

After eating with my head down for a while, I heard the girl's voice again, but her tone was a bit more cloying than before.

"Actually... I feel like alcohol really doesn't make people worse..."

"That's normal. Alcohol only makes timid people bolder."

"Um...

'

Perhaps feeling a little tipsy, Zhou Juzi felt her head spinning. She put down her chopsticks, drank the beer she had just poured, and said listlessly, "Those people who always use my being drunk as an excuse after doing something awful... they're utterly rotten..."

As if recalling those terrible things from her childhood, or perhaps because she was a little drunk, the girl's voice suddenly carried a hint of anger: "That guy, he can't do anything right. Every time he goes out, he causes trouble for Mom, and then he always tries to get away with it by saying he's drunk!"

'

'

"Xia Weichan...you must know him too, after all, you used him to threaten me back then...but thank you..."

Without you, I really don't know what I would do...

1

"But it is precisely because of these experiences that your character has become so strong."

He started rambling incoherently after drinking.

Xia Weichan could hear the complaint in the girl's tone. She looked up at the beer bottle next to her; in just a few minutes, the first bottle of beer was completely empty.

""

"Because of what happened when I was a child, I'm actually a bit neurotic..."

Zhou Juzi's face was flushed, and her eyes seemed to glisten with tears, like a delicate rose in full bloom. The girl seemed to only want someone she could trust to listen to her pour out her grievances: "Every time...every time, he comes home late at night, ransacks the house, and if he can't find money, he calls everyone useless," and then he even hits them. That guy is the most useless one, lazy and good-for-nothing, never bringing anything home...Grandpa fell and never got up again while looking for him at night, and Mom also suffered from depression..."

Alcohol affects mood —

The girl took the second bottle of beer and opened it just like the first time, but this time she made a lot of noise, as if she was venting her anger.

The smell of alcohol seemed to permeate her misty, peach-blossom eyes, causing Zhou Juzi to gently wipe away her tears with her arm before pouring the wine. "...So tired..."

"You should take a break and stop drinking."

"don't want!"

1

Like a little girl who has been wronged and is crying to an adult.

Xia Weichan looked at Zhou Juzi and remained silent for a while. Of course, he knew who the girl was talking about. It was her father, but he had a lot of criminal records and was a very bad guy.

never mind...

Sometimes it's better to talk about things with someone.

He's still here tonight...

Xia Weichan was also curious about what happened next: "And what happened to that jerk?"

66

'

After a long pause, Zhou Juzi slowly spoke: "He's dead too."

"Is that so?"

Hearing the girl's somewhat indifferent words, Xia Weichan frowned.

He suddenly remembered something—

Speaking of which, of the five girls he's tied to, the only one with a harmonious family background is Zuoqiu Hangyu from the first playthrough, right?

Thinking of this, Xia Weichan's eye twitched and she said, "So that means your only remaining relative is your grandmother?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Juzi lowered her eyes and remained silent for a moment. Then, she silently looked at Xia Weichan's face, extended a finger, and pursed her lips, saying, "And you..."

"?"

"Because of you... whenever I think back to the past... I feel so amazing about myself back then, that I was able to get through it all."

What do you mean by "because of me"?

Xia Weichan didn't know what to say. She just felt that the atmosphere was a bit heavy. Was it too inappropriate to bring up things like one's family of origin at the age of college students...?

He thought for a moment, then comforted her, "It's alright. As long as you didn't have any problems growing up in this environment..."

"I might be a little mentally unstable too..."

Because it was her first time drinking, Zhou Juzi couldn't hold her liquor and appeared quite tipsy, but this actually made the young girl look rather cute...

However, what followed gave Xia Weichan a chill.

"Before I met you, I always carried a butterfly knife with me... especially that noon when you asked me to come find you..."

"ha?"

"Because I felt insecure... After my mother passed away, I always carried a knife with me because during that time, debt collectors would often come to my house if they couldn't find the scoundrel..."