allonlinenovel Chapter 293 [Empire] Drunk
Chapter 293 [Empire] Drunk
He remained silent, not answering. The air grew even more stagnant. I suddenly realized that no matter what happened, I couldn't escape this man, his invisible presence, no matter what was in his heart. As long as I was back here.
Christmas Eve should be a warm and cozy night, but the atmosphere here is unusually depressing. I can't help but feel a chill, and I turn and walk towards my room, leaving a casual farewell: "Then I'll go to bed first, good night."
The moment I closed the door, I realized that I had been unknowingly infected by this depressing atmosphere.
It was late at night, the light in the room was dim, snow was falling outside, and the wind was blowing outside the window, bringing a chill. But I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
Just then, I faintly heard a deep laugh coming from the living room. It wasn't a normal laugh, more like something squeezed from the back of my throat, with a distinct hoarseness and pain, as if some emotion was surging. The laughter became intermittent from time to time, with an unbearable tremor.
I could clearly feel the hidden sadness, as if at this moment, the entire villa was swallowed up by his emotions.
I frowned, and the figure of that man emerged in my mind - was he Shan Qi's pursuer, or his former lover? We never really talked about his name, or rather, his existence seemed to have always been a vague background in the relationship between Shan Qi and me.
Every night, he bustled around in the kitchen, preparing a delicious dinner, waiting for Shan Qi to come home. The daily routine seemed like a part of life. I never gave it much thought.
Tonight, everything was different. That voice was filled with unconcealed bitterness and devastation, like a sudden outburst of long-suppressed emotion. I suddenly realized that this man might not be so sharp after all. In fact, perhaps he was hiding more scars than I had imagined.
I stood up, gently pushed open the door, and walked into the living room. The voice grew clearer, a helpless cry. When I reached the door, I saw him squatting beside the sofa, a bottle of wine in his hand, his eyes hollow and lifeless, clearly drunk. The bottle had fallen to the floor, spilling all over.
He saw me standing there, was stunned for a moment, and then smiled again. That smile was still heartbreakingly hoarse, as if it could seduce out the fragility and sadness in people's hearts.
"Are you listening?" he asked, his voice weak and sad.
I didn't answer him, but just stood there, looking at his face distorted by alcohol and emotions.
Yet, at this moment, his fragility, his loneliness, and the endless pain made it impossible for me to look away. I suddenly understood why he always endured so silently, why he always prepared dinner for Shan Qi but never revealed his true feelings - it wasn't that he didn't want to talk, but he had nowhere to talk.
I couldn't help but walk closer to him and squatted down: "Are you...are you okay?"
He stared at me with a moment of surprise in his eyes, and then he sighed: "You ask me if I'm okay? How can I be okay? Shan Qi has you now, and I'm nothing." When he said this, his voice was hoarse, full of self-mockery and forbearance.
I was silent, not knowing what to say. Perhaps he and Shan Qi had a profound relationship in the past, perhaps they had loved each other, perhaps they had been hurt. But all of that was in the past, and now he was here, silently bearing the marks left by time.
He laughed again, a little bitterly: "I am just a passer-by, who would remember my name?"
I was stunned, and some emotion was quietly rising in my heart, as if there was some guilt, or perhaps more of sympathy for his silent pain.
"Would you like something to drink?" I asked in a low voice, reaching out to pick up a bottle of wine, but my fingers stopped at the bottle mouth and hesitated.
He didn't refuse, nor did he show any reaction. He just continued to stare at the empty room, as if he didn't even have the energy to look at me.
At that moment, I finally understood how much was hidden behind his silence, how his laughter and tears were intertwined, difficult to unravel. He had never truly moved on from the love and pain he once endured.
I stood up again and whispered to him, "You don't have to drink so much. You won't hurt yourself or others." My voice was soft, but a little cold and hard when I said this.
He didn't respond, but just lowered his head and continued to hold the bottle. I knew that tonight he would still face this silence alone, perhaps continue to cry, and bury himself in the drunkenness once again.
I turned around suddenly and rushed over almost subconsciously. The man in front of me had fallen to the ground, and the bottle of wine in his hand rolled to the floor with a hollow crashing sound.
He was huddled up in a ball, his face pale and his eyes blurry, yet he still carried a hint of unwillingness and loneliness. At that moment, I seemed to realize that he wasn't just drunkenness that had caused him to collapse, but that something deeper seemed to be weighing him down, making him unable to breathe.
I was stunned for a moment and stopped where I was.
Just now I thought he was just drunk, but now it seems he's literally teetering on the brink of agony, ready to collapse at any moment. It's just that he never reveals this pain to anyone else, preferring to hide it beneath a mask of silence, letting time and alcohol take it all away. If only it could.
I squatted down and reached out to help him, but I felt powerless. What on earth was this person enduring? I didn't understand, but looking at him like this, the confusion and pity in my heart slowly turned into an inexplicable guilt.
He struggled for a moment and weakly pushed my hand away: "Don't touch me." His voice was a little hoarse and angry, as if even my help had become a burden.
"If you continue like this, something bad will happen." My tone became a little serious. The man in front of me seemed more fragile than I thought, like a piece of porcelain that could break at any time.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes piercing through all the pain and helplessness. Though he looked completely irrational, a flicker of lucidity still lingered in them. He sneered, as if mocking my concern. "You're right, something bad will happen to me. But who can stop me?"
I bit my lip, feeling an indescribable emotion surging in my heart.
I know it's not that he doesn't want help, it's just that he's long been accustomed to loneliness, used to hiding all his pain inside, not wanting anyone to see it. There might be an unsolvable knot in his heart, and the other end of that knot might be Shan Qi. Of course, maybe not.
I tried to help him up again, but seeing the rejection in his eyes, I stopped. "What are you thinking about?" I asked softly, even though I knew that simple concern wouldn't help him at all.
He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice like it came from the abyss: "Do you think I don't know? I'm just a tool, Shan Qi's tool. Always have been. I know he doesn't care about me anymore, but I'm still here, waiting for him to never really look back at me."
I was speechless for a moment. The deep helplessness and sadness left me at a loss for words.
I knew what this man said might be true. To him, Shan Qi had probably always been just a shadow of the past, even he himself had become insignificant. Perhaps, he was no longer that special person in Shan Qi's heart, but a forgotten memory in the corner of the past.
However, at this moment, I felt an inexplicable urge in my heart. I didn't want to see him sink into despair. Perhaps he was once Shan Qi's sweetheart, but now he has his own life.
I took a deep breath and decided not to avoid it anymore. "You are not a tool, you are also a human being, a living person." My voice was weak, but my tone was extremely firm. "You don't have to live for others, especially Shan Qi."
He suddenly looked up, a complex look flashing in his eyes: stunned, confused, and a little surprised. Obviously, he didn't expect me to say that, or perhaps he had long forgotten how to re-examine himself.
I stood up, opened the refrigerator, and took out a bottle of water. When I returned to him, I gently handed it to him: "You need to calm down, drink some water."
He looked at me, finally giving up the offer. He took the water bottle and lowered his head to drink a few sips. Silence filled the air, as if everything had been quietly frozen in time. Finally, he whispered, "I... understand. Thank you."