One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 24

"Alright." Tang You'an said softly after hearing the "I'll kill you" threat, a faint smile playing on her lips. "If Xici is willing."

"Let me tell you, I'm more than willing!" Song Xici exclaimed, attempting to struggle out of her embrace.

However, Tang You'an grasped her wrist, gazing into her eyes. "Really?"

Song Xici looked at her closely, her eyes darting before she paused briefly. "Of course!"

"I don't believe you." Tang You'an said, releasing her hand.

"Fine, don't believe me then!" Song Xici hastily moved away from her embrace, standing up and facing the dressing table. She picked up a bottle of primer, fidgeting with it as she muttered, "You dare to joke with me like that. I don't know what you've been learning on set all day..."

Tang You'an lowered her head, smiling without responding.

"Who knows what kind of nonsense you've been reading online all day..." Song Xici continued to grumble.

Hearing this, Tang You'an coughed lightly.

Song Xici turned to glance at her. "I'm not doing your makeup anymore! You can watch me do mine, and learn step by step. Otherwise, you'll never learn. If you mess it up, I'll fix it for you."

Tang You'an paused for a moment, then nodded. A woman's heart was truly unfathomable—one second she was offering to do her makeup, the next she was changing her mind.

So afterwards, Tang You'an began nervously mimicking Song Xici, applying various products to her face.

Rarely seeing Tang You'an in such a flustered and clumsy state, Song Xici watched from the side, laughing so hard her stomach hurt. However, it was clear that Tang You'an truly had no idea what she was doing. In the end, Song Xici had to step in and transform the messy makeup into a natural, flawless look.

After everything was done, Song Xici and Tang You'an got into the car and headed to the Rongcheng Grand Hotel where Qi Yuan was holding his birthday party.

This hotel was considered a landmark in Rongcheng. Not only did it have a long history, but its construction was also eye-catching. The exterior looked like a European castle, while the interior was luxuriously decorated. Today, Qi Yuan had rented out the entire venue.

Among the group of friends who used to hang out together, Qi Yuan was the most successful. She became famous right after her debut, and after starring in two TV dramas, she was scouted by a director to transition to the big screen.

Although she didn't take on many roles, basically just one film a year, and rarely made public appearances, both she and her fans were quite low-key. However, due to the good box office performance and critical reception of each of her films, she gradually became recognized as an actor known for her skills.

Someone once created a comprehensive influence and status chart of actresses born in the 80s and 90s in the entertainment industry. In the chart, Jiang Yuyan was the "Empress Dowager"; Zhao Lu was the "Queen Mother"; Jin Yawen was the "Empress"; while Qi Yuan, Zhao Zixi, and Bai Yunmo were the "Imperial Consorts", with Qi Yuan being the youngest among them.

Therefore, Qi Yuan never cared about titles like "National Goddess" and such.

However, since Qi Yuan got married, she appeared even less frequently in the public eye.

In fact, although Song Xici's private relationship with Qi Yuan wasn't particularly close, it was still a bit better than Liao Bixin's relationship with Qi Yuan. So when Liao Bixin asked her if she was coming to this birthday party, she was quite bewildered, because she had already received an invitation from Qi Yuan long ago.

After registering and presenting their gifts and money, they entered the hotel. Inside, quite a crowd had already gathered. The event was set up as a buffet, probably to allow everyone to move around and socialize freely. Long tables were already laden with various beautiful dishes presented in exquisite containers.

In the center of the lobby, a piano was set up on a stage, with a man dressed in white sitting there playing.

"The chandelier in this hotel is even bigger than the one in our house." Tang You'an's focus seemed a bit off.

Song Xici looked at her after hearing this. "Don't be so unsophisticated."

"Oh..." Tang You'an nodded, then looked at the food with shining eyes. "When can we eat them?"

Song Xici glanced at her again. "Is eating all you ever think about?"

"Food is the first necessity of the people." Tang You'an replied.

"Stop talking. It hasn't started yet. Let's go greet Qi Yuan first. Also, just call her Sister Qi. And in a setting like this, we must link arms to look good." Song Xici said.

"Okay." Tang You'an nodded.

So Song Xici linked her arm with Tang You'an's, and after looking around, walked towards Qi Yuan.

"Sister Qi!" After jogging over to Qi Yuan, who had just finished chatting with someone, Song Xici smiled and spoke up, "Happy birthday!"

"Xici, you're here?!" Qi Yuan smiled when she saw her, then gently put her arm around Song Xici's shoulders before looking at Tang You'an. "Hello."

"Hello, Sister Qi." Tang You'an bowed slightly. "Happy birthday."

"Sister Qi, it's been so long since I've seen you. You've become even more beautiful... Is this what they call being nourished by love?" As Song Xici spoke, she glanced towards Qi Yuan's husband, who was chatting animatedly with someone on the other side.

"Haha, what about you? I see you're glowing too. Your partner must be treating you well, right?" Qi Yuan looked at Tang You'an, then back at Song Xici. "I've heard you two are very happy..."

Song Xici immediately thought of the 'like' incident and felt her heart skip a beat.

"Do you feel happy?" At this moment, Tang You'an turned to Song Xici with a smile and asked.

Song Xici secretly pinched her. Seeing this, Qi Yuan smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"Sister Qi Yuan!" At this moment, Liao Bixin's voice came from afar.

The three of them turned their heads to look in her direction.

Liao Bixin had clearly put a lot of effort into her appearance today. Her makeup and styling looked very professional, unlike something she had done herself. She wore a black fitted long dress with a yellow mid-length fur coat over it. Long, sparkling earrings dangled from her ears. She looked as if she was about to walk the red carpet.

"I suddenly feel like you're dressed a bit too casually today." Song Xici unconsciously leaned towards Tang You'an and whispered in her ear.

Tang You'an looked down at her own outfit after hearing this. It did seem that way.

Liao Bixin looked like she was going to a ball, while she looked like she was waiting for barbecue on the street corner.

"You're here?" Qi Yuan looked at her.

"Yes, Sister Qi Yuan, you look so beautiful today. Hug!" Liao Bixin skipped a couple of steps, extending her arms towards Qi Yuan with pursed lips.

"Alright, alright." Qi Yuan smiled awkwardly and hugged her briefly. "Why didn't Qi Sheng come?"

"He... really couldn't make it. I'm so sorry." Liao Bixin said, holding Qi Yuan's hand.

"Oh... It's okay." Qi Yuan shook her head.

"It must be tough." Song Xici said at this moment, her arm linked with Tang You'an's, smiling sweetly.

"Haha... can't be helped. After all, we're not idle fish. Business has been busy these past two years, unlike some D-list celebrities who have plenty of free time. Plus, with his fame, if he frequently dropped work, people would say he's being a diva." Liao Bixin laughed. The implication was that Qi Sheng was so popular, unlike Tang You'an and Song Xici who were flops with too much free time.

"Is that so..." Song Xici nodded, looking at Tang You'an. "Indeed, we're quite different from you busy folks, just a couple of small fry."

"I guess I'm quite the idle fish too, spending most of the year with free time." Qi Yuan suddenly chimed in.

Hearing this, Liao Bixin's face froze momentarily. She hastily stammered, "Sister Qi Yuan, I didn't mean it like that, you know..."

"It's alright, I understand. I need to head over there now. Have fun." Qi Yuan glanced at Liao Bixin, gesturing towards the stage area of the hotel, and with a slight smile, she gracefully departed.

"Ah..." Liao Bixin wanted to say something more but found herself at a loss for words.

"Little Idle Fish Tang, come on, let's go over there!" Song Xici linked her arm with Tang You'an's, pointing in a certain direction.

"Okay." Tang You'an smiled slightly, bowing to Liao Bixin before allowing Song Xici to lead her towards the stage area.

Watching the two walk away, Liao Bixin once again felt the urge to strangle Qi Sheng from 256 km away.

Shortly after, the piano music abruptly stopped, and everyone looked up. Simultaneously, a well-known female host appeared on the hotel stage, rattling off a long speech, after which everyone began to applaud.

"When can we eat?" Tang You'an asked Song Xici while clapping.

"Oh, soon, soon!" Song Xici was exasperated with her. Always thinking about food, like a pig.

"I see many things over there that I've never eaten before." Tang You'an continued. "It's much more luxurious compared to the food on set."

Song Xici turned to look at her, almost laughing from frustration. "Fine, when you have some free time later, I'll take you out to broaden your horizons."

However, their whispered exchanges and meaningful glances appeared to others as if they were flirting. Seeing this, Liao Bixin finally couldn't stand it and moved further away.

At this moment, Qi Yuan and Liu Yong took the stage. The elegant and charming Qi Yuan looked like a sparkling diamond.

"Sister Qi is so beautiful..." Song Xici involuntarily clasped her hands to her chest in admiration.

"I think..." Tang You'an pondered carefully, "you're more beautiful."

Hearing this, Song Xici rolled her eyes at her, then couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

"Friends, thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday. I deeply appreciate the care and support each of you has shown me over the years. Without you, I certainly wouldn't be where I am today. Thank you, and I hope everyone enjoys the food, conversation, and entertainment tonight!" Qi Yuan's speech was brief.

Nevertheless, after she finished speaking, the crowd applauded enthusiastically.

Afterwards, once Liu Yong had also given his speech, they proceeded to open champagne and cut the cake. At the same time, the melodious piano music resumed.

After receiving their slices of cake and exchanging pleasantries with familiar faces, Tang You'an and Song Xici walked to a small table in a quieter corner to eat. Along the way, Song Xici also grabbed two glasses of wine from a passing waiter's tray.

"Xici, I'll go get you some food." Tang You'an said, standing up.

"Alright, go ahead." Song Xici nodded, forking a small piece of cake into her mouth.

So Tang You'an stood up and walked towards the buffet area.

She stood there, imitating others by taking a plate, then began moving back and forth in the food area, looking here and there. Song Xici watched for a while, but then someone called her, so she focused on answering the phone.

A short while later, Song Xici looked up to see Tang You'an returning with a table full of food.

There were large crabs, big black tiger prawns, various shellfish, cheese-covered beef chunks, and a whole assortment of other dishes.

Looking around, everyone else had taken just a little bit, while their table was piled high like a mountain.

"Oh my goodness..." Song Xici looked at her, dumbfounded. Generally, in such occasions, people would eat slowly and sparingly for the sake of appearances.

"Xici, here." Tang You'an sat down, tilted her head slightly, and began placing what she thought were the best items onto Song Xici's plate.

"Alright, really..." Song Xici finally put down her phone with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, picking up her fork. "I'll join you in being uncouth this once."

Just as Song Xici finished speaking, Tang You'an placed two large, freshly peeled shrimp on her plate.

After chewing and swallowing her food, Song Xici watched Tang You'an sitting across from her, diligently working on a crab, meticulously picking out the meat. She lowered the tip of her fork to the white porcelain plate, bowing her head with a smile.

Later, as Song Xici raised her glass to take a sip of wine, she turned her head and saw a familiar figure standing not far away.

The person was tall and slender, with a high ponytail, wearing a khaki coat. It was unmistakably Zhou Yi.

"Zhou Yi? How come you're here?!" Upon discovering Zhou Yi's presence, Song Xici quickly stood up and trotted over, coming to a stop in front of her.

Seeing this, Tang You'an followed.

"Our company has a long-term partnership with Qi Yuan's husband Liu Yong's company." Zhou Yi explained, holding a wine glass in one hand and gesturing towards Liu Yong with the other.

"Oh, I see..." Song Xici nodded. "Impressive, CEO Zhou!"

"Just call me Zhou Yi..." Zhou Yi pressed her temple.

"Hahaha, alright, alright!" Song Xici laughed.

"By the way, hello, I'm Xici's friend, Zhou Yi. I'm sorry I couldn't make it back for your wedding." Zhou Yi then extended her hand towards Tang You'an.

"It's fine." Tang You'an shook her hand.

After shaking hands, Zhou Yi looked Tang You'an up and down. To be honest, based solely on the Tang You'an she saw, it was impossible to associate her with the complaints Song Xici used to make.

"I need to head over there now." Zhou Yi said, pointing towards Qi Yuan and Liu Yong.

"Alright, go ahead!" Song Xici winked.

At this moment, someone else approached Song Xici and Tang You'an with drinks, wanting to chat, so the two turned their attention to them.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yi walked over to Liu Yong and Qi Yuan, raising her glass to clink with theirs.

"It seems the rumors outside are true, CEO Zhou is indeed a great beauty." Qi Yuan smiled.

"You're too kind." Zhou Yi's lips curled into a slight smile.

"I hope our future cooperation with your esteemed company continues to be as pleasant as always." Liu Yong said with a smile.

"I hope so too." Zhou Yi nodded.

Afterwards, there was another round of back-and-forth business talk.

"Ah!" However, at that moment, a low cry of surprise came from behind, accompanied by the sound of glass shattering.

Zhou Yi turned around.

A woman wearing a nude-colored long dress with a matching coat and sporting voluminous, slightly curled hair stood there, her head bowed in terror. On the ground were shards of broken glass.

"CEO Zhou, your coat on the back..." Qi Yuan's eyes widened as she noticed the wet patch on the back of Zhou Yi's coat.

"I'm so sorry..." The woman kept her head down, apologizing nervously. Her manager had pushed her to come talk to Qi Yuan and build a rapport, as Qi Yuan seemed to appreciate her talent. So she had come, but unexpectedly someone had bumped into her, and then... It wasn't intentional.

"Look at me." Zhou Yi said, uttering just three words.

Hearing this, the woman froze for a good while before slowly raising her head.

She had a small face, extremely fair skin, curved eyebrows, delicate features, and a look that was both alluring and innocent.

"Chang Ye?" Qi Yuan was startled and spoke up.

The moment her gaze met Zhou Yi's cold eyes, Chang Ye's pupils constricted, and she clutched the hem of her dress tightly.

An hour later.

Noticing that Tang You'an seemed a bit tipsy and fearing she might do something foolish like blurting out nonsense, Song Xici immediately called Old Ji. After Old Ji arrived, she and Tang You'an left the hotel.

Today, Tang You'an had fended off quite a few drinks for her. But Tang You'an wasn't excessively drunk, just a bit unsteady on her feet, causing her to sway as she walked. Her consciousness was also slightly hazy.

So Song Xici reached out to support her arm, then walked to the car. After the chauffeur opened the door, she ushered Tang You'an inside.

Fortunately, Tang You'an had good drinking manners. Even when drunk, she didn't become rowdy or anything, just soft and docile.

"Old Ji, let's go." Song Xici said to the driver.

"Alright!" Old Ji responded.

"Feeling uncomfortable?" Song Xici asked, seeing Tang You'an with her eyes closed, hand supporting her forehead.

"A bit, heartburn..." Tang You'an spoke, her breathing somewhat heavy.

"I'll make you some honey water when we get back." Song Xici said.

Hearing this, Tang You'an turned her head, looking at her through hazy eyes, then nodded slightly. "Okay..."

Over half an hour later, they finally arrived home.

After Song Xici opened the door, Tang You'an lifted her foot to walk in but stumbled, nearly falling. Luckily, she managed to grab onto the door at the last moment.

"Oh, wait a second! I'll help you walk!" Song Xici said, quickly changing out of her high heels, tossing her bag aside, then turning back to support Tang You'an's arm, helping her inside before closing the door.

"Sit on the sofa for a bit, I'll go make you some honey water." Song Xici said after guiding Tang You'an to the sofa. She then ran to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

After scooping a few spoonfuls of honey into a cup, adding water, and stirring it well, Song Xici carried the cup to Tang You'an's side.

"Here, drink it!" Song Xici handed over the honey water.

"Mm..." Tang You'an opened her eyes, took the cup, and drank it all in one go before placing it on the coffee table.

"Want to go to your room?" Song Xici asked.

"Yes." Tang You'an nodded.

So Song Xici supported the swaying Tang You'an up the stairs, opened the door, and led her inside. Then Song Xici helped her remove her makeup, found her clothes for a shower, and even dried her hair afterwards.

"Geez, these people, always saying 'oh let me toast you' this and that, it's so annoying... forcing people to drink until they're drunk..." Song Xici grumbled as she tidied up the hairdryer cord.

"Xici..." At this moment, Tang You'an stood up from the chair and walked unsteadily to Song Xici's side.

"Hm?" Song Xici put the hairdryer aside and turned to look at her.

"Besides me... how many friends do you have?" Tang You'an reached out, twirling a strand of Song Xici's hair around her slender finger, then looked up at her with hazy eyes.

"You really seem... a bit drunk..." Song Xici couldn't help but swallow, taking a small step back. Damn, she actually found this version of Tang You'an a bit alluring. Had her brain been kicked by a horse?

"Mm?" Tang You'an blinked slowly.

"Well... I have two very close friends, and then some other ordinary acquaintances." Song Xici finally answered honestly.

"Then to you..." Tang You'an took another step closer.

"You..." Song Xici looked into her eyes, her body gradually stiffening.

"Compared to them... am I as important as they are?" After coming closer, Tang You'an leaned down, gazing at her.

Song Xici suddenly felt that Tang You'an's eyes looked like a deep abyss. If she wasn't careful, she might fall in and be unable to escape.

"Yes..." Unconsciously, the word slipped from Song Xici's throat.

Hearing this, Tang You'an smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Song Xici glanced at her, then looked away.

"Xici, I've realized, sometimes I wonder..." Tang You'an parted her lips softly.

"Hm?" Song Xici looked back at her.

"If one day, I accidentally return to that original place, what should I do..." Tang You'an lowered her gaze to the floor.

Song Xici froze upon hearing these words.

"I've gotten somewhat used to this side. The bed here is very soft, the lights are very bright, I can access the internet, and it's convenient to go anywhere because the cars run so fast. Work allows me to meet many people who are all nice to me, and there's so much delicious food..." Tang You'an said.

Song Xici still didn't respond, but suddenly felt a heaviness in her heart.

"Moreover, you're not there." Tang You'an continued.

Hearing this, Song Xici frowned, the unpleasant feeling in her heart intensifying.

"You know, living alone before felt fine, so why is it that now, thinking about going back to that kind of life scares me?" Tang You'an's voice remained soft.

Song Xici turned her head to look out the window, but a thin mist of tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

"Also, what if the King of Hell gets upset one day and just drags me straight to the underworld... After all, I'm supposed to be dead, right? But... I don't want to..."

"Shut up." Song Xici finally spoke. However, her voice was trembling slightly.

"Xici..." Tang You'an looked up at her, suddenly stunned.

"If you keep talking nonsense, tomorrow I'll go buy ten durians and make you kneel on them, so you can taste what it's like when this tiger shows her claws—" Song Xici pointed out the window, her eyes red-rimmed as tears suddenly rolled down her cheeks, leaving long streaks.

"I'm sorry." Tang You'an said, pressing her forehead. "I don't know what I'm saying, it's just..."

"I don't want to talk to you anymore..." Song Xici fidgeted with her fingers, looking down at her hands before turning to walk towards the door. "I'm going to sleep..."

"Xici!" Tang You'an was startled, instantly sobering up. She reached out and grabbed Song Xici's wrist, pulling her back into her arms. "I just... suddenly wanted to know, if that happened, would you remember me or, in the future, occasionally think of me?"

"No." Song Xici said, her face buried in Tang You'an's chest, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. After speaking, she let out a heavy breath.

Hearing this, Tang You'an suddenly froze like a wooden statue.

"I... have the memory of a fish, so, so if you don't want me to forget you, you must always stay in front of me, don't curse yourself..." Song Xici's body trembled as she spoke in a muffled voice. "If you leave, I'll... forget you as soon as I turn around..."

Hearing this, Tang You'an placed her hand on the back of Song Xici's head, gently stroking her hair. "Okay."