40 Chapter 40: Tipsy

A few hours earlier.

Shen Jun Shan waited for Qiao An in front of his house. He heard footsteps coming down, and he had déjà vu about it.

Thankfully, it was Qiao An and not some other ladies who tried so hard to get people's attention.

"You are early. I thought I am early, but you are earlier." Qiao An looked at her watch. She purposely went down five minutes earlier.

"Ladies first." Shen Jun Shan smiled and did not brag about it. He asked Qiao An to lead the way down like a gentleman he is.

The restaurant that they wanted to go to was new in town. It has been operating for only three weeks. Even though the restaurant was new, its reputation is excellent, that one has to make a reservation three days before going there.

As they reached the restaurant, Qiao An read the name of the restaurant. "Rose Bloom Restaurant."

Qiao An did hear about the restaurant as her students always talk about it in her classroom, but she, herself, never went into the restaurant. But looking from the name, it excluded a romantic atmosphere.

Both Shen Jun Shan and Qiao An entered the restaurant, and Qiao An could see how right she was. The restaurant screamed 'love' all over the place. The table was quite far from each other, and there were only two chairs per table.

If that is not obvious enough that the restaurant targeted couples as its primary customers, then Qiao An must be stupid.

"Have you been here before?" It was almost a foolish question to ask Qiao An, but Shen Jun Shan tried his luck.

Qiao An looked at Shen Jun Shan like he had asked the stupidest question in the world. A woman like Qiao An who is single and likes to be alone -came to a restaurant for a couple?

"Are you for real?" Qiao An did not answer but asked a question instead.

Shen Jun Shan laughed and let the waiter directed them to their table.

The table booked by Shen Jun Shan was a table at the corner end of the place where people will not pass by. Shen Jun Shan specifically asked for that location because he knew how Qiao An did not like people to stare at her.

"My students said that people need to make a reservation three days before eating here. How did you get in?" Qiao An planned not to ask anything about it, but she got curious as she saw the place was fully booked.

"I got lucky." The answer from Shen Jun Shan was simple.

The reason why Shen Jun Shan was able to get a table in the restaurant was indeed a stroke of luck. Shen Jun Shan's company happened to be the one who did the renovation in the restaurant, so Shen Jun Shan knew the owner.

He gave a call to the owner of the restaurant asking for a favour just for the day. The owner was understanding enough to comply with his request. Shen Jun Shan was grateful for that.

While eating, a waiter came in with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of roses, saying that it was a complimentary gift from the owner. On the card, there was a card.

"To Mr Shen and girlfriend, have a great night."

Qiao An read what was written on the card, and she slightly lowered her volume when she read the 'girlfriend' part.

"No wonder people keep on talking about this restaurant. Their complimentary gifts are great. I know nothing about wine, but that one looks delicious." Qiao An looked at the wine and gulped.

Shen Jun Shan asked the waiter to open the wine. Never once he mentioned anything about the 'girlfriend' thingy. Shen Jun Shan poured the wine into the wine glass and gave it to Qiao An.

It has been a long time since she drank wine. The last time she drank would be during her university day. Su Na had smuggled a bottle of wine from her dad's study and brought it to their hostel.

At that time, Qiao An did not know what kind of wine it was, but after a few glasses, she got so drunk. Jin happened to call her at that time, and Qiao An said some things she could not remember. The next day, Jin was waiting for her in the parking lot, looking very angry and disappointed.

Jin scolded Qiao An for drinking too much and saying nonsense things on the phone. But when Qiao An asked Jin what she talked about on the phone, Jin refused to tell her. Qiao An could not remember anything, but since Jin was quite angry, she felt that she must have done something terrible.

Ever since that day, Qiao An never tries to drink anymore. Even so, Qiao An could not forget the happy feeling she had after drinking with her friends.

Qiao An drank only two glasses because she was afraid of getting drunk. Even though she drank two glasses, she could feel that she was getting tipsy.

Shen Jun Shan asked Qiao An to wait at the lobby of the restaurant as he went to get his car, but Qiao An insisted on coming with him to the parking lot. Shen Jun Shan was worried about Qiao An, but since Qiao An emphasized that she will walk, then Shen Jun Shan let her.

Qiao An shut her eyes closed back to their apartment complex. When they reached the parking lot, Qiao An tried to walk, but she staggered a bit.

Shen Jun Shan could not stand it anymore, so he went to support Qiao An.

"I'm okay. I'm not drunk, just a little bit tipsy. So, Jun Shan, don't worry."

Shen Jun Shan looked at the stubborn lady but continued to support her anyway. He put his hand on her shoulder as they ascended the stairs.

Shen Jun Shan refused to let go of Qiao An until they entered Qiao An's home. Qiao An was still shutting her eyes, and sometimes she frowned as if she was in pain. Shen Jun Shan set her down on the sofa and went into the kitchen for a glass of warm water.

"An An" Shen Jun Shan patted her head and bent down. "Drink this."

Qiao An opened her eyes slowly, and she could see Shen Jun Shan's face in front of her, but what attracted her attention was the feather-like things on Shen Jun Shan's neck.

Without realizing it, Qiao An inched closer to Shen Jun Shan's neck. Then she tried to blow the thing off his neck.

Shen Jun Shan froze, but Qiao An kept on blowing to his neck. He could feel that he is going crazy because of that.

Shen Jun Shan straightened his back. Qiao An stopped blowing and looked up to Shen Jun Shan.

"If you keep on blowing my neck, I am not responsible for what happens next." Shen Jun Shan touched his neck.

Qiao An gulped. She pointed towards Shen Jun Shan's neck, but surprisingly, the feather-like thing was not there anymore. Is she drunk? Is that why she thought she saw a feather-like something on Shen Jun Shan's neck?

Qiao An let out a small laugh. It was too embarrassing for her.

"What could happen between us? The feeling should be there first for anything to happen. Do you, perhaps, in love with me?" Qiao An looked at Shen Jun Shan; she had a broad smile on her face.

Shen Jun Shan's inner monologue screamed 'yes' a thousand times, but he knew better not to mess things up. Qiao An is tipsy, and he did not know if Qiao An could remember what she did because, in Shen Jun Shan's eyes, Qiao An looked drunk enough to be blowing things that do not exist.

"Do you?" Shen Jun Shan asked back.

Shen Jun Shan put the glass down on the coffee table near Qiao An. He could see that Qiao An was confused about his question.

He decided to give Qiao An a small clue about his answer. He took Qiao An's hand and kissed the back of her hand.

"Drink the warm water before you go to sleep."

Then, Shen Jun Shan patted Qiao An's head and went out of the house.