Chapter 526 A Major Problem In Itself
The pair did not eat as much as they drank, and down their drinks with great fervor, they did.
Nan Xing meant to get Tang Jing sloshed because he discovered that there must be more to this woman than meets the eye.
For one, she was way too restrained. From the moment they met until now, there was nothing she presented that made him uncomfortable.
Every detail about her had been impeccable and well-executed. From her dressing to her mannerisms and the way she addressed him, he had found them all appropriate and delightful.
That was precisely what was wrong.
Nan Xing was nobody’s fool, for he had been seeing the world since the age of sixteen or seventeen, and thus knew a fair bit about women.
More than anything, he understood everyone had their flaws. If one should ever encounter another without discernible ones, then the latter must be a fraud.
Only those who were intelligent and smart about it would conscientiously try to mask their own weaknesses.
Hence, at times, the absence of a problem was a major problem in itself.
Perfection contravened the laws of nature, for no one could be perfect, thus anyone who appeared to be so must most likely be faking it.
The desire to witness her true self was what prompted Nan Xing to try to get Tang Jing intoxicated.
Coincidentally, Tang Jing was of the same opinion. She was determined to get this playboy before her smashed, so he would not be conscious enough to discern whether she was speaking truthfully.
No one demonstrates less restraint than an agreeable drunkard.
Hence, both of them kept their thoughts to themselves while they sought to douse each other in drink, just to see who might be the first to fall.
The alcohol content of sake ultimately proved too much for Tang Jing, who was the first one to buckle, and at the rate that they were going at it, she feared she might collapse outright and be robbed of the chance to talk.
That was why she elected to throw in the towel first. “We might be going too hard. Shall we ease off a little, Mr. Xing?”
“Nonsense. You can really hold your liquor well, Ms. Tang. A true heroine amongst men. Let us continue.” Following that, Nan Xing raised his cup anew.
With so many years of clubbing under my belt, I refuse to believe that I can’t knock you out!
Tang Jing clasped her palms together in a gesture of seeking clemency. “I really can’t take it anymore. Let’s take it slow and chat a little.”
“All right.” Nan Xing, too, lowered his cup.
To a certain extent, he, too, felt that their pacing had been a little frenetic. Although he was pretty confident of coming out victorious, his hasty drinking had nonetheless become a cause for some abdominal discomfort.
“Actually, Ouyang Qing and I were in the same class in high school.” Tang Jing started the ball rolling.
“Oh, is that so? Now I see why you wanted to hold a press conference to enable her to come away unscathed,” Nan Xing replied genially.
“My intention of asking you out today, Mr. Xing, is really to try to understand what’s your take on that incident,” Tang Jing queried.
“I don’t have too many opinions about it. Hasn’t the matter already blown over? Just treat it like another piece of fodder for the tabloids,” said an ebullient Nan Xing.
“No, this isn’t over yet. Right now, Ouyang Qing’s still very upset and is preparing to execute the second part of her plan.”
“Oh. A second step? Might you be able to share with me what that is?”
Tang Jing feigned a look of apprehensiveness. “Qing and I are really close, so I’m not sure whether I should be telling you this.”
Hearing that, Nan Xing was sniggering inside. Keep it going. You wouldn’t have asked me out if you have no intention of talking.
“In that case, would you like to reconsider? Actually, it really doesn’t matter whether I hear it or not, as I know well what sort of person Ouyang Qing is.” Nan Xing appeared nonchalant about it.
His was not an act either, for he simply did not care to know to begin with.
This response of Nan Xing’s put Tang Jing in a bit of a pickle, for the scenario she planned was for Nan Xing to press her, and she would, in response, portray her reluctance to share the information she had.
His stated disinterest had just set her script veering off course.
The flip side was that she had somehow arrived at the understanding that the one before her was no ordinary Casanova, but a thinking person who could not be easily subjected to her manipulation.
“Then we shan’t discuss Ouyang Qing anymore. Let’s resume drinking.” Tang Jing smiled.
“Suits me just fine.” A jolly Nan Xing raised his cup and clinked it against Tang Jing’s.
When Tang Jing took a sip, she suddenly tasted a trace of bitterness in this alcohol that did not seem present before.
“Though Mr. Chen and yourself look exactly alike, your personalities are a world apart.”
Given the circumstances, Tang Jing had to latch onto some other topic in order to keep the conversation flowing.
Her motive for doing so was, of course, to persist in finding a way by which she could eke out the details concerning what Ouyang Qing said. That was, after all, her real purpose in coming out here.
“That’s right. Chen and I are very different indeed. However, it’s kind of normal, just like there aren’t two identical leaves to be found anywhere in this world,” Nan Xing remarked genially.
“True, that. Then surely you and Mr. Chen don’t share the same taste in women either?”
“That, I don’t know. It may probably be the case, as I’m not sure whether Chen would be into the ones that I am.”
“What sort of girls do you fancy then, Mr. Xing?” Tang Jing followed up quickly.
“I don’t have a preferred type. The sort that I’d gravitate to when we meet are the ones that I’m looking for. Since human beings are not merchandise, none could be made to order. Therefore, a so-called preferred type is, in reality, a loaded question. People simply aren’t drawn to the one type of romantic interest, just as one could not possibly enjoy just one type of dish. We must surely find ourselves attracted to a diverse range of people, or at least, that’s what I think.”
Nan Xing is a chatty person, and considerably more so than usual now that his lips are loosened by drink.
Tang Jing nodded heartily in agreement. “You’re absolutely right, Mr. Xing. Would Ouyang Qing be the sort that you’d be attracted to, then?”
“No,” blurted Nan Xing without the slightest hesitancy.
“Why so? She’s pretty, hails from a good family, and is a top student from a renowned school. It’s almost as if she’s the perfect specimen.”
Tang Jing was quietly jubilant to hear Nan Xing express his disinterest in Ouyang Qing, for that meant that the latter’s desire to backpedal and marry Nan Xing instead was completely wishful thinking.
“Didn’t we agree not to talk about Ouyang Qing? Why has this conversation drifted back to her again?” Nan Xing asked.
“Oh, I have no idea how that happened, either. Perhaps it’s because she’s a common acquaintance to us both,” Tang Jing purred.
Even as she presented herself as rational from day to day, she actually knows how to act girlish and coquettish. She is a woman, after all.
“Since we’re already back onto this subject, why don’t you just tell me what the second stage of her plan is?” enquired Nan Xing opportunistically as well.
“But she’s my good friend. How could I tell you something that she shared with me in confidence? Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
Tang Jing had to slap a little gravy on it. Her performance demanded it.
“Since she’s got a plan that she’s eventually going to follow through on, I’m going to find out regardless, even if you choose to keep mum about it. So it doesn’t really matter whether you say it or not, and neither is it going to affect your friendship.”
Nan Xing knew that Tang Jing was looking for a launchpad to ease into what she wanted to reveal about Ouyang Qing’s plan, and he was happy to provide it.
Otherwise, would it not be a waste of everyone’s time if they were to keep going on and on in circles like that?
“All right. You’ve got a point there, so here goes. It’s something she came up with all on her own, but I’ve been trying to talk her out of it because it didn’t sit right with me. However, I can’t say for sure that she’d listen. All I can do is try my best to put a stop to this,” confessed a hapless Tang Jing.
“It’s fine. Go on and say it. What exactly is she planning?”
Tang Jing’s revelation was rather shocking. “She’s preparing to sue you for harassment and to take you up for attempted assault.”
