The Sky Garden carried hundreds of guests attending the birthday banquet into the starry sky, with more than a dozen starships escorting it on all sides to ensure the safety of the flying vessel.
The children of noble families all brought guards and attendants, but the young nobles gathered together to play and did not like being followed and disturbed, so these attendants stood aside together with the Wang family servants originally serving on the flying vessel, waiting there.
Only the attendants accompanying the three princes and princesses stayed close at their sides, not waiting at a distance like the others’ attendants. These attendants were the protectors of the imperial heirs, and would not easily leave their masters’ sides.
Yan Qiongyu had once had rare opportunities to get close to the princes and princesses, but because these meticulous protectors were watching him like hawks at the side, he had failed to obtain the genetic samples he wanted.
The banquet was arranged in the garden at the highest level: looking up was the starry sky, looking down was a sea of flowers. Because everyone was young and there were few rules, after the banquet began, the unmarried omegas could not help but form groups and step into the flower sea to admire the scenery, sending up bursts of laughter.
Those crisp, soft voices were like the rich, beautiful flowers here, attracting the young alphas gathered together on the other side.
Most nobles married through alliances, which meant that within this small circle were the future partners of these unmarried AOs; every banquet attended by young people was a disguised matchmaking event.
This restlessness also affected the betrothed couples. Not long after the banquet began, everyone found suitable places of their own to talk of love and deepen their feelings.
As for the banquet’s protagonist, Wang Luan, she could only sit in the glass house amid the sea of flowers, accompanying several guests of high status to drink and chat. She was responsible for drinking; Yan Qiongyu was responsible for chatting.
The only ones still remaining in this glass house were the three princes and princesses whose intentions were not in the wine, as well as several sons of great noble families.
Each of these people looked perfectly respectable, and none of them showed her any courtesy. They ignored the refusal written all over her face, their wine glasses almost thrust up to her eyelids, their intention to get her drunk especially obvious.
Even with the social expert Yan Qiongyu at her side, Wang Luan was still forced to drink several cups.
Yan Qiongyu was not very clear about Wang Luan’s alcohol tolerance. Seeing her shake her head, sitting there silently without speaking or moving, as if she were drunk, he leaned closer and softly asked with concern, “What’s wrong, are you feeling unwell? I’ll help you go rest.”
He was calculating that once Wang Luan withdrew, these people would start showing off their own tricks. Just as he was about to help Wang Luan stand up and let her go back to avoid the noise, his hand was pushed away by Wang Luan.
He saw Wang Luan lift her head expressionlessly, look at the circle of faces with smiles that hid disdain beneath their restraint, then suddenly stand up and take the wine bottle, pouring a cup for everyone.
“Everyone drink a cup together, everyone has to drink. Come on—if you don’t drink, you’re not giving me face!” Wang Luan said, breaking her usual silence.
The nobles, who cared most about face, seemed to sense that she was drunk, and with smiles of watching a good show, all smiled and drank together.
No sooner had the glasses been set down than Wang Luan moved again with the bottle: “Sixth Prince, Seventh Princess, and Eighth Princess, thank you for gracing us with your presence today. As the Wang family’s heir, I represent the Wang family in expressing our thanks to you.”
Wang Luan suddenly invoked the Wang family’s face; they could not refuse to drink.
The Seventh Princess had the poorest alcohol tolerance. She put down her glass and said, “Is Wang Luan drunk? Perhaps you should go down and rest.”
As soon as she spoke, Wang Luan rushed up and poured her another cup. “Of course I’m not drunk, Seventh Princess. At the last banquet I offended you in many ways, let’s drink this cup and count it as my apology to you.”
Her tone was flat, without emotion. It did not sound like an apology, but rather like an accusation.
But being on the Wang family’s territory, with her competing brothers and sisters watching from the side, and Wang Luan wearing a look of not letting it go unless she drank, the Seventh Princess could not refuse. She could only hold that large cup of wine and take a sip.
Seeing that she only took one sip, Wang Luan immediately became unhappy, her face wooden as she said, “Why isn’t Seventh Princess drinking? Could it be that because of last time’s offense you bear a grudge against me? That can’t be, right—Seventh Princess is such a magnanimous person, you wouldn’t hold such a small matter against me, would you.”
“Of course not…”
“If not, then drink.”
The Seventh Princess cursed inwardly, finished the entire cup of wine, leaned back in her chair, and stopped speaking.
The young master of the Hei family, Hei Yan, who had a grudge with Wang Luan, did not like the sight of her. Seeing her act so arrogantly, he wanted to go up and blunt her edge. However, his elder brother beside him noticed his movement and gave him a severe look to stop him.
Hei Yan did not dare ruin his brother’s affairs, and did not want to continue drinking with Wang Luan here either, so he simply swaggered off from the place.
As soon as he stood up, he drew Wang Luan’s attention. Just as she was about to call him back, she heard Hei Yang say, “Sorry, my younger brother has always been like this. I’ll discipline him when we get back.”
Wang Luan immediately turned to Hei Yang. “It’s fine. Drink this cup, and I’ll forgive your brother for his rudeness.”
Hei Yang drank a cup indifferently. Wang Luan casually poured him another, saying, “Second Young Master Hei, I didn’t expect you to come as well—you’re really giving me face. We must have a drink!”
Hei Yang tugged at the corner of his mouth and perfunctorily drank a cup.
After finishing one cup, Wang Luan poured another. As she poured, she said, “Last time Hei Yan and I had a bit of a small conflict. He’s not here, so elder brother can drink this cup on his behalf—let bygones be bygones.”
After speaking, she drank it herself first, not giving Hei Yang any time to wrangle. Under her urging gaze, Hei Yang had no choice but to drink along with her.
Seeing Hei Yang forced to drink three cups, the Li family’s young master beside them gloated. “Ah, who would’ve thought you were such a bold drinker, Wang Luan. Why didn’t you ever talk to us before? We even thought you looked down on our Li family.”
As soon as someone spoke, Wang Luan’s attention was immediately drawn over.
She took two steps to the two Li family members and glug-glug poured six cups of wine. “The Wang and Li families have always had a good relationship. I drank three cups with Second Young Master Hei, then you two will drink six cups. Deep feelings mean down it in one go. Come on, drink!”
“Why aren’t you moving? If you don’t drink, I’ll think you’re looking down on our Wang family.”
After nearly forcing everyone present to drink, Wang Luan still showed no intention of stopping. With a strange yet excited gaze, she swept over the crowd. The moment she heard anyone speak, she would go over and launch into another round of urging them to drink.
After she caught opportunities to urge the three princes and princesses to drink several more cups, they stopped speaking altogether. The Seventh Princess, whose alcohol tolerance was the worst, did not even look at Wang Luan, only staring at the teacup she had switched to, cursing Wang Luan inwardly.
She had come this time with another purpose. Before she even found a chance to be alone with Yan Qiongyu, she had already been made dizzy by this drunkard’s pouring. Was Wang Luan truly drunk, or faking it?
Not only the Seventh Princess—everyone else watched Wang Luan sit there briskly opening bottle after bottle, and could not help but mutter inwardly.
Is this person’s alcohol tolerance really that good? At the start she looked like she was drunk, so how does she seem to be getting clearer the more she drinks, with no end in sight?
Some people undergo a complete change in temperament after getting drunk. Wang Luan was exactly that kind.
In her original world, when she had just joined the company, there was a company dinner she couldn’t avoid attending. Her colleagues said she was too introverted and unsociable, and jokingly pressured her to drink.
Later, a drunk Wang Luan turned the tables and drank several colleagues and a few supervisors under the table. The next day, when the supervisors saw her, their faces turned green, and afterward she was never again invited to drink at company dinners.
However, the people present did not know of Wang Luan’s glorious exploits in another world.
Hei Yang sat beside Yan Qiongyu and instigated, “She’s had so much to drink, why not have someone send her to rest first?” He felt Wang Luan was truly an obstacle here.
Yan Qiongyu wanted to do that too, but earlier he had grabbed Wang Luan’s hand to take her away temporarily, only to be poured a cup in return. Very good—she was now attacking indiscriminately, friend or foe alike.
The conversation between the two caught Wang Luan’s attention.
“Bang.” A cup of wine was set in front of Hei Yang. When he looked up, he saw Wang Luan’s face leaning in close. Yan Qiongyu had already quietly moved away, pretending to study the flowers to one side seriously, not wanting to be dragged into it.
“Second Young Master Hei, let’s drink another cup.”
Hei Yang did not want to continue entangling with this drunkard. With distant politeness, he said, “I can’t hold my liquor.”
“Everyone says Second Young Master Hei is the strongest alpha of this generation of the Hei family, S-rank. How could you be worse than me? I don’t believe it. Another cup!”
Hei Yang took a deep breath, did not fall for her provocation, and said calmly, “Wang Luan, you’re really drunk.”
Wang Luan felt regret. Knowing he wouldn’t drink anymore, she said, “Alright, you’re right. Then after we finish this cup, I’ll go rest.”
Hei Yang: “…………” He took the cup and drained it in one go.
Wang Luan: “Bold!”
She carried the wine bottle and wandered over again to the three princes and princesses who were whispering to each other.
Hei Yang: “…………” Weren’t you supposed to go rest after one cup?
But the words of a drunk were clearly not to be trusted.
Wang Luan, full of wine, stubbornly refused to leave. The Seventh Princess was the first to give out. She stood up and said she was going to the lounge to sober up, and one after another, everyone left.
They had originally poured wine to get Wang Luan drunk and incidentally watch her make a fool of herself, not to be poured back on by her instead.
With everyone fleeing in disarray, Wang Luan could not find anyone and finally quieted down. Yan Qiongyu signaled the servants to move all the wine away, then stepped forward and gently said to Wang Luan, “Everyone’s gone, the wine is finished. Let’s go too.”
“The wine’s finished? Oh, then let’s go.” Wang Luan was fairly obedient this time. She slowly stood up and walked off as if nothing were wrong, making it more than ten meters.
Then she was tripped by a flower branch and fell with a smack into the flower bushes.
Yan Qiongyu stepped forward to help her up. Catching the scent of wine mixed with floral fragrance, he finally realized that Wang Luan was already very drunk. With this fall, her whole person quickly became muddled.
Seeing him support Wang Luan toward the lounge, the servants by the path hurried over to help. As soon as Wang Luan saw them, she wrapped herself around Yan Qiongyu with both hands and feet, muttering softly, “No—men, go away!”
At the same time, she clung to Yan Qiongyu even tighter.
Yan Qiongyu: “…………” It was obvious that Miss Wang Luan did not place him within the category of men.
After much difficulty, they finally got Wang Luan to their room. Wang Luan staggered into the washroom. Yan Qiongyu thought she was going to vomit and was preparing to call two beta maids over to take care of her. After all, he might be very busy later and unable to look after this drunkard.
“Ah!” A scream came from the washroom.
Yan Qiongyu turned his steps and went to knock on the washroom door. “What’s wrong?”
From inside came a confused, frightened voice: “On my body—there’s a strange thing growing!”
“What strange thi—”
The door was pulled open. Wang Luan stood there in panic, tugging at her dress.
There was no need to ask anymore. He knew. She had started again.
Yan Qiongyu closed his eyes speechlessly and rubbed his forehead. Miss Wang Luan, when drunk, was every bit as hard to deal with as during a susceptible period.
A short while later, Yan Qiongyu sat on the sofa tidying his clothes, which had been pulled into disarray, while Wang Luan, having been injected with a sedative, lay on the bed sleeping soundly.
