Under the moonlight

Chapter 108 It's Time to Say Goodbye

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Chen Zhi, haha~" Just when the group was about to lose patience in the private room, Chen Xinxin casually tied up her long hair, took Peng Qiang's arm, and the two walked in together.

Huang Meng recognized the two of them at a glance. Chen Xinxin was still the same as before, still thin and tall, and Peng Qiang hadn't changed much either, but with makeup, she looked a bit more charming.

"Chen Zhi, when did you arrive without saying a word? Didn't you say you'd treat us to a meal as soon as you got here?" Peng Qiang pretended to be angry and pushed Chen Zhi, saying with a smile.

"Here we are, isn't this? Huang Meng invited us to dinner, so I'll just skip it for today, hehe~" Chen Zhi said, taking a few steps back.

The two women had no choice but to look at Huang Meng. In fact, Huang Meng had noticed them too. They had noticed her as soon as they entered the room, but whether out of embarrassment or shyness, they hadn't spoken to her.

Chen Zhiyi stepped aside, and their eyes met Huang Meng's. Chen Xinxin said with surprise, "Huang Meng, long time no see! You're so beautiful! I didn't even recognize you." Peng Qiang didn't say anything, but looked at her with a smile, appearing somewhat awkward.

"Yes, it's been a long time. Everyone has changed. Please have a seat." Huang Meng noticed their awkwardness and quickly offered them seats.

"Chen Zhi, come here, don't run away. You couldn't beat me at drinking last time we ate together, let's continue today!" Chen Xinxin quickly pulled Chen Zhi to sit down next to them, and Peng Qiang chimed in, "That's right, sit here." Chen Zhi looked at Huang Meng helplessly and had no choice but to sit down.

"Is this the place?" Hearing a sound outside, Chen Xinxin immediately shouted, "Hong Zhihui, Chen Yilin, He Xin, you three, hurry up and come in! You'll be punished if you're late!"

Upon hearing Chen Xinxin speak, a burst of laughter immediately came from outside: "Haha, what punishment? You're like a drunkard, all you think about is drinking all day long. Do you think we're your customers?"

After He Xin entered, he glanced around, his gaze lingering on Huang Meng's face for a few seconds before shifting away expressionlessly. He looked at Chen Xinxin, chatted with her, and sat down next to Chen Zhi. Then the remaining people sat down next to Peng Qiang in turn, leaving only one seat empty next to Huang Meng and Zhao Meng.

Hong Zhihui looked at Huang Meng with surprise, "Huang Meng? Oh my, it's been so long! You look so beautiful now." Huang Meng smiled at her and said, "Not at all, you're all the same." After exchanging pleasantries, the two of them didn't know what else to say. However, compared to the coldness of the previous people, Hong Zhihui made Huang Meng feel that she was still the same as before.

"Everyone, take another look. Is there anything else you'd like to eat? Order a little more." Once all the dishes were served, Huang Meng looked at the group who had been chatting and laughing with Chen Zhi and said loudly.

"Oh, that's enough. We'll just have a simple meal, right?" Chen Xinxin said, glancing at the group with a hint in her eyes.

"Ah, right, right, we're on a diet," Chen Yilin quickly agreed, and Peng Qiang chimed in, "Exactly, just a little bit is enough." Huang Meng smiled as she watched them. Sure enough, they were still the same as before. Chen Xinxin was the most opinionated, Chen Yilin always understood her, and Peng Qiang was like their little sister, always linking arms with them wherever they went and agreeing with everything they did. Hong Zhihui, however, didn't notice their little antics. While eating, she looked at Huang Meng and said, "Why did you decide to transfer schools back then? Where are you working now?"

"Back then, it was because of my dad's work. He's still working in our hometown now. How's your work?"

"Hey, isn't that how all jobs are? You go to work and wait to get off, then you wait to get paid, haha~"

"Yes, that's how it is. When I was in school, I felt restricted, and now that I'm working, I feel even less free."

“Exactly, not only are they not free, they also have no money. How pitiful!” Hong Zhihui said with a smile as she looked at Huang Meng.

“Hey, your family has its own business, doesn’t it?” Chen Xinxin said to Hong Zhihui.

“That was left for my brother, what does it have to do with me?”

"Oh, by the way, I think your brother's new girlfriend isn't as pretty as his last one." "Yeah, I think so too." "Then you..."

Huang Meng smiled as she watched Chen Xinxin, Peng Qiang, and Hong Zhihui chatting happily across from her, talking about things she didn't know. She silently ate her food and drank her red wine, watching them talk, laugh, and joke around like before. As she watched for a while, the smiling faces across from her slowly overlapped with the faces in her memory. The only difference was that the faces in her memory had clear and bright eyes.

The meal quickly ended amidst their laughter and chatter. They hadn't eaten much, as most of the food was still left on the table. Huang Meng had also drunk almost half of a bottle of red wine. Originally, she had thought that one bottle wouldn't be enough for them to enjoy each other's company, nor would it be enough for them to reminisce about their youth.

Huang Meng looked at the clean dining table. They hadn't even taken out their plates; they had only taken a few bites of food.

"Sigh, it's over, really over." She chuckled self-deprecatingly, looked up at the ceiling, and said helplessly.

Chen Zhi saw them off. It was Chen Xinxin who suggested leaving. As if she had timed it perfectly, she suddenly said that she had something to do and had to leave first. Chen Yilin, who was always on her side, also said that it was getting late and they had to leave. Peng Qiang quickly agreed.

Hong Zhihui was the last to react. She looked at Chen Xinxin's eyes and immediately understood. She quickly said that she had to get up early for work and needed to go back to pack.

Huang Meng quickly stood up, but Chen Xinxin pulled Chen Zhi up and said with a loud laugh, "Come on, let me give you a chance to send us beauties out, hurry up."

Seeing them making a ruckus and pulling Chen Zhi away, Huang Meng stopped trying to see them out. She watched them laugh and joke away, expressionless, until they slowly disappeared from her sight, with only the faint sound of their laughter lingering in her ears.

"It's over. This time, it's really over."

If she left in haste when she was young and didn't have time to say goodbye, then tonight's dinner is her, the present her, bidding farewell to the friendships that have passed on, on behalf of her former self.

Goodbye, my former friends. You have all left the past with the person I used to be. The person I am now and the person I used to be are no longer the same people we used to be, so how could we possibly have the same friendship as before?

Zhao Meng did not go with Chen Zhi to see them off. He had guessed that they would not stay here long after Chen Xinxin came in. They were all dressed casually and said they would eat less before they even started eating. It was not that they did not want to eat, but that they had other plans. He thought that they must have made plans to have a late-night snack together.

"Oh, it's such a pity that we didn't finish all these dishes. Do you think we can get a refund?" Huang Meng took another sip of red wine and looked at Zhao Meng.

"Let's go, I'll take you home." Zhao Meng could tell she was drunk when he saw the obvious blush on her face, her hazy eyes, and the watery look in them.

"No, I'm not leaving! I want to eat more! I can't waste food!" Huang Meng suddenly got angry for some reason. She shouted loudly and almost climbed onto the table with both hands and feet, hugging the plate and pulling it into her arms.

"Don't you know we can't waste food? There are so many people in S country who have nothing to eat, do you know that? Back then, I even went under those piles of rocks to look for food, but I couldn't find anything. Look at all this, just throwing it away, what a waste. And, and Nasha and the others, Yaqin, do you know Yaqin's sister, Duowa? I rescued her, but if there's nothing to eat, they'll all starve to death, do you know that?"

Zhao Meng watched her gesticulating wildly as she sat on the table, holding an empty wine bottle in her arms. Whenever he went to pull her up, she would move around wildly. Afraid that she would hurt herself, Zhao Meng stood still and listened to her talk, constantly responding to her.

“Do you know how cruel those mercenaries are? People are gone in an instant, right in front of you, thud, they just fall down. Xu Ao and I, we went to such lengths to save those people in the factory, but in the end, that leader still got away. I should have killed him…” Huang Meng said, gesturing with her hand.

Zhao Meng looked at her and stopped trying to stop her. He had originally wanted to find an opportunity to ask her about her time in S country, and since she was willing to talk about it, he was happy to listen.

And so, Huang Meng talked on and on about her experiences in S country, mostly about what happened after she met Xu Ao at the embassy. Of course, she also told Zhao Meng about her story with Xu Ao. Zhao Meng listened attentively to everything she said.

Finally, when she was drunk and tired, Zhao Meng carried her down from the table. Chen Zhi, who had been waiting outside, saw that Zhao Meng had carried her out and smelled the alcohol on her. He felt even more remorseful and quickly called a car back to the hotel.

Zhao Meng placed Huang Meng on her bed, took off her shoes and socks, covered her with a blanket, and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly remembered Xu Xinyi's previous experience. He turned back and sat down on the sofa by the bed, looking at her sleeping face and thinking about her earlier account. That Xu Ao, who looked like a pretty boy, turned out to be a brave and resourceful person. No wonder she took a liking to him. However, he himself was not bad either. Even when he was drunk, he was thinking about that Nasha and that Ying from the embassy. It seemed that she was really worried about them.