"Come on! Cheers!" Hiram nudged Jay on his shoulders. The latter immediately came to his senses. And cocking his head to the right, he picked up the glass as a grin escaped his lips.
Although Jay and Hiram heckled and broke into cheers, Charles remained quiet on the couch. Even when he took a sip from his glass, his face was stern and almost difficult to read.
Right now, the atmosphere was a little dull and contrary to celebratory-although booze filled their glasses. In fact, even the usual high-spirited and nonsensical Jay felt uncomfortable.
He remembered how Doris went frantic yesterday out of jealousy. And to keep himself away from any more trouble, Jay thought of something to veer away from Libby. "Charles, let's play cards," he suggested, raising his brows up and down.
"All right, sure." Although Charles still sounded cold, it was better than having him with his mouth utterly pressed into a thin line.
"Okay! Let's play cards!" Jay exclaimed and made room on the table. Then he flipped the cards and said, "You two, come here and help me."
He pointed at Lilian and Libby, who both seemed surprised. The two even gazed at each other to confirm whether Jay was really asking them.
As if the two women were not enough, the latter even asked Hanson to play with them.
So, the party of five sat around the table, playing cards.
"If you can win one round, I'll ask them to give you tips," Charles uttered to Lilian as he leaned closer to her.
"Thank you, Mr. Fu," Lilian whispered with a smile.
"Hey! You can't ask us to do that, Charles!" Jay was the most impatient one of the bunch. In fact, this was evidenced by the bitter grimace and furrowed brows painted on his face.
"Come on. It won't cost you a lot of money!" If Charles was playing mute just a while ago, now he seemed to have gathered the energy to spit words and even argue. And this didn't escape Jay's sharp senses as he caught on to something strange about his friend's behavior.
"Something is wrong with him. Did Nancy kick him out? Is that why he came here to find a woman and vent his anger?" Jay whispered in Hiram's ear while suspiciously locking his eyes at Charles.
"What? I don't know! Just focus on your cards!" Hiram, who was now quite irate too, muttered in a low voice.
The fact that Charles was having fun around these girls was already enough proof that something was wrong. Jay knew his friend dearly, and the former would never bat an eye or lest flash a smile around random women unless he really liked them.
However, even though Charles seemed to look quite cozy, he didn't touch Lilian. It would appear as though he was playing cat and mouse with Nancy—such dirty trick he used to employ on his women.
So as the five of them all locked their gazes and focused on the cards, the clock ticked fast without them noticing, eventually reaching the twelve o'clock midnight mark.
Suddenly, Doris invaded Jay's thoughts, forcing the latter to yawn and stretch.
"Charles, it's late. We should go home. Nancy and the kids are probably waiting for you!" With his back fully rested on the couch, Jay intently gazed at his friend. It was rare for him to look and sound this serious, and Charles knew that too.
Meanwhile, Hiram didn't say anything. Instead, he lowered his head and played with the cards in his hand.
But then, as soon as he heard Nancy's name, Charles pinched between his eyebrows and coldly hooted, "Let's play some more!"
Helpless, Jay could only let out a heavy sigh and shake his head a couple of times.
So, thinking that he had no escape, he might as well make the best of the night and worry about Doris when he got home. For now, he had to be a good friend and look after Charles.
The party lasted until dawn, with empty bottles of alcohol filling the table. Their eyes could no longer stay open while their bodies swayed in no direction, completing a picture of five drunk individuals.
But of the five of them, Charles was the most wasted and drunk as a skunk. He could even barely stand on his feet!
And seeing the hopeless case of his friend, Jay gazed at Charles with pitiful eyes. He was worried about the latter’s safety, so he asked Lilian to drive him back.
"What? I can't! I'm not good at driving," Lilian protested, almost stomping her feet just to do otherwise.
"It's okay. You’ll be safe as long as you drive slowly."
Jay tried to persuade the woman even more. "O-Okay." Lilian nodded and pouted her lips.
Although Charles was too plastered, he did nothing to refuse-much to Jay's surprise. Even when he loaded him in the car and buckled him up, Jay was waiting for any protest from his friend, but the bastard seemed really cozy with Lilian.
So as he watched the car drove away from the bar, he couldn't help asking, "Hiram, do you think that Charles... " For a moment, he paused, unable to make sense of his instincts. But there were some signs he saw tonight, and knowing that, Jay continued, "Is Charles falling in love with that woman?"
At the thought of this, even Hiram had to stop and think for some time. "That's impossible! You know Mr. Fu is head over heels with Miss Ning!" He shook his head to brush off the thought.
"You're right. But I can't understand why he did that; why he went out tonight to have fun! It doesn't make sense!" Jay shrugged his shoulders, also trying his best to think positive and stay clear of any suspicions.
"It's okay. I'm sure it's nothing serious. Come on, let's go home." Taking out his phone, Hiram looked for a designated driver for himself.
Meanwhile, Charles sat in the back seat sulkily and unbuttoned his shirt. His head was still spinning, and the passing scenery of lights and buildings from the outside didn't help at all.
He asked Lilian to send him back today mainly because he was indeed drunk, at least much more than he was last night.
But it was not until the car halted in the yard that he realized the severity of the situation.
It was already so late and impossible for Lilian to hail a cab at this hour. The woman couldn't go back home.
"Mr. Fu, how about I walk home?" Lilian started, sensing the distressed look on the man's face.
It was an hour drive from the bar to get here. Such a long way would be exhausting for her to traverse with her feet. Not to mention, it would be dangerous for a woman to walk this late alone!
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