Chapter 138: Chapter 34: Drunken Beauty

Having lived in the United Kingdom for years, Zhu Qing’an’s dining etiquette might not have been as flawlessly elegant as Xia Xiqing’s, but it was still miles ahead of Zhang Yan’s, who had only recently picked up the basics.

So, when Zhang Yan noticed her holding the knife in her left hand and the fork in her right, he didn’t foolishly try to show off his meager knowledge of table manners. A logical deduction told him that the correct way to hold cutlery likely depended on a person’s dominant hand.

"Sister An, are you left-handed?"

"Yeah, I am."

"In the United Kingdom, would people take issue with you eating with your knife in your left hand and your fork in your right?"

"Hmm... how should I put it? If it were a formal banquet, I’d probably pay a little more attention out of courtesy, but in everyday life, anything goes," she explained.

"Besides, people from different places have different habits. Americans, for instance, even switch hands while eating. The Brits might frown at it sometimes, but they won’t say much.

"These minor points of etiquette are usually only scrutinized by old-school British people who fancy themselves aristocratic gentlemen—and even they rarely call it out to your face."

As they chatted, Zhang Yan discovered that Zhu Qing’an was a girl who loved documenting her life. Whether it was a foreign culture or an exotic landscape, she captured it all. During their meal, she showed him numerous photos from her time overseas, giving Zhang Yan—who had never stepped foot outside the country—a breathtaking glimpse of the world abroad.

There was just one thing: in all those photos, Zhang Yan never saw a single companion.

"Sister An, didn’t you make many friends abroad? I only see you in these pictures."

"Well, they say geniuses are destined to be lonely," Zhu Qing’an sighed. "Not that I’m calling myself a genius, but I’ve deeply realized that being ’different’ simply doesn’t make you very popular.

"Of course, I can’t rule out the possibility of having a flawed personality. Who knows, maybe I’m just incredibly annoying?"

From their brief time together, Zhang Yan found Zhu Qing’an to be highly charming. She was absolutely nowhere near annoying. Rather than being annoying, he figured her isolation was more likely the result of others feeling jealous or inadequate. Spending too much time around someone as capable as her would probably make anyone feel terribly inferior.

After a self-deprecating laugh, Zhu Qing’an’s gloomy demeanor suddenly vanished. She looked at Zhang Yan with a playful grin. "Oh, I get it now! You’re trying to fish for information again! If you want to know something, just ask me directly. Not only do I not have a boyfriend now, but I’ve never had one before either. In other words, I’m still a virgin, you know."

Zhang Yan glanced at Zhu Qing’an’s unusually flushed face, then looked at the bottle of Amarone wine he had specially ordered for the occasion. It was already empty. Clearly, she had had a little too much to drink.

He had just been testing the waters earlier. After all, a tipsy girl was generally easier to win over. He just hadn’t expected Zhu Qing’an’s alcohol tolerance to be this abysmal; it was no exaggeration to say she was a lightweight who could get drunk off a single glass.

"Sister An, you’re a little drunk."

"Nonsense! I’m not drunk. I’m completely sober right now! For example, I can see right through all your little schemes!"

Zhang Yan chuckled and shook his head. "With your tolerance, you’d be out cold after a single business dinner. You really need to be careful in the future."

"My tolerance is perfectly fine! Besides, I only ever drink juice at the law firm’s social events and team-building dinners. King Yama gives me a hard time over it constantly!"

"Then why did you feel so comfortable drinking this much with me tonight? Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad guy who’d take advantage of you while you’re drunk...?"

"Hehehe... Zhang Yan, are you stupid? Did you forget what I do for a living? I’m not one of those timid little girls who gets bullied and doesn’t dare to speak up."

Zhang Yan had a moment of realization. Saying something like that to a highly accomplished lawyer really was a bit silly.

"Besides, Zhang Yan, I know you’re not that kind of person," she added. "I trust you."

"How long have we even known each other for you to trust me this much? You should know, facing a stunning beauty like you, I don’t even trust myself."

"Hehehe, I just do! Didn’t you know? A girl’s sixth sense is super accurate!"

Zhang Yan naturally didn’t believe in such mystical nonsense. After all, if this so-called sixth sense were truly that accurate, there wouldn’t be so many girls deceived by scumbags. Furthermore, in cases involving telecommunications fraud, the majority of victims were women. That hardly served as proof of a strong sixth sense.

However, seeing Zhu Qing’an’s current state, he obviously wasn’t going to kill the mood by trying to reason with her. "Yeah, I believe you."

Satisfied with his validation, Zhu Qing’an smiled triumphantly. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she added, "Oh, right! That question I asked you in the car earlier—you almost managed to change the subject. You still haven’t told me, do you actually have a girlfriend or not?"

Knowing he couldn’t dodge the question forever—but also aware that her intoxicated state made it easy to brush her off—Zhang Yan smoothly offered a carefully worded response.

"As of right now, I haven’t met a girl whom I want to walk down the aisle with. Does that answer satisfy you?"

"Mhm!" Seemingly very satisfied with Zhang Yan’s answer, Zhu Qing’an looked delighted. But in the midst of her giggling, she slumped onto the table and fell fast asleep, her breathing deep and even.

Zhang Yan shook his head, marveling at how unbelievably trusting Zhu Qing’an could be.

Sure, if something *did* happen, she could call the police afterward and ensure her attacker faced justice, but the trauma of such an ordeal would be irreversible regardless. Taking a step back, if a predator only took advantage of the situation to grope her without going any further, she might wake up the next day completely oblivious to the fact that she had been violated.

For a breathtaking beauty like Zhu Qing’an to fall asleep so defenselessly, looking utterly at his mercy—it was practically an invitation to commit a crime.

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