The two men sat atop the mountain, drinking heartily. When they'd had enough, they began to chat. Quentin Hua glanced at Maxwell Jing and asked, "What's wrong with you? You seem pretty happy to me! Damien Gray might be a bit hard to please, but he hasn't tortured you, has he?"
Maxwell Jing scoffed, "I think you're happier than I am!"
"Me?" Quentin Hua couldn't help but laugh, falling back to lie on the grass. Gazing up at the beautiful starry sky, he murmured softly, "Maybe I'm just not qualified for happiness."
Maxwell Jing lay down on the grass as well, chuckling under his breath. "Not qualified for happiness? I don't think I've done anything unforgivable! At most, I like to tease beautiful women a bit—surely that doesn't disqualify me from happiness?"
"Heh..." Quentin Hua laughed for a while before asking, "Why do you like beautiful women so much?"
Maxwell Jing snorted, "You’re asking me? You have more beauties around you than I do!"
Quentin Hua thought for a moment, then nodded, "It does seem that way!"
Maxwell Jing folded his hands behind his head and asked, "So why do you like beautiful women?"
Quentin Hua hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, I don’t like beautiful women. Would you believe that?"
Hearing this, Maxwell Jing burst out laughing. After the laughter faded, he said, "I believe you, because I don’t like them either." He sighed and continued, "I used to, though. Everyone appreciates beauty, right? But after abstaining for a while, I just don’t feel the same anymore." Now, even if he wanted to return to his old self, he couldn’t.
Quentin Hua asked with a gossiping tone, "Why did you quit? Don't tell me you're not up to it anymore?"
Maxwell Jing twitched his lips. "You sly devil, I think it's you who's not up to it! I may like beauties, but I've never actually touched one, alright? Uh... wait, I did touch one—just one!" Maxwell Jing held up a finger, waving it dramatically, then suddenly complained, "Isn't that my only hobby? And it's not allowed? That's just too much!"
Quentin Hua glanced at Maxwell Jing—was he drunk? This wine really had a strong kick! Still, he had no intention of prying into Maxwell Jing’s secrets. After all, who doesn’t have a few secrets of their own?
After his outburst, Maxwell Jing tugged at Quentin Hua’s sleeve, grinning foolishly. "Well, since you’re a beauty too, I guess I’ll just quit!"
Quentin Hua pulled his sleeve back, rolling his eyes. "You've got the wrong person!"
Maxwell Jing leaned in, studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Seems you’re not the one..."
"Obviously! Of course it’s not me!"
Maxwell Jing shook his increasingly dizzy head and asked, "You say you don’t like beauties, so why are there so many around you?"
Quentin Hua was feeling a bit dizzy too. He replied in a wistful tone, "Because someone once read my fortune and said I’d live a long life, and that I’d be happy in my later years. My soulmate was supposed to be a beauty."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Maxwell Jing burst out laughing, "So... you’ve been searching for your beauty all this time?"
Quentin Hua snorted, "Is it wrong to long for happiness?" But could he really be happy?
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. His fate could only be controlled by himself—sooner or later...
The color drained from his beautiful face, cold sweat beading at his temple. He gritted his teeth, enduring inhuman pain, the chill in his eyes deepening as the veins in his clenched fists bulged.
Maxwell Jing, tipsy now, didn’t notice the change and simply mumbled, "At least you can still hope for happiness. That’s more than I can say."
The coldness in Quentin Hua’s eyes slowly faded, his tense body relaxed, but his face remained pale. He sighed inwardly—must be the wine loosening his emotions. Who knows how much shorter his life would be now!
He really wondered if that person had lied to him. Could he really live a long life in this state? But even if it was a lie, it was a kind one. That person was nothing like his father at all.
Quentin Hua glanced at Maxwell Jing, then, as if nothing had happened, smiled. "It’s just heartbreak, isn’t it? People who’ve never loved still get by just fine!" From Maxwell Jing’s words, it wasn’t hard to see he was suffering over love.
Maxwell Jing waved his hand. "You don’t understand. Never having it and then losing it are completely different!" With that, he reached for the wine jar again.
Seeing Maxwell Jing about to drink more, Quentin Hua frowned, "You should slow down..." Before he could finish, Maxwell Jing was already gulping from the jar.
Quentin Hua didn’t bother to stop him and simply said, "If you get drunk, don’t expect me to take care of you!"
Maxwell Jing snorted, "I’m not that easy to get drunk!"
Quentin Hua shook his head. It was obvious Maxwell Jing was almost completely drunk! He was a little curious about the person Maxwell Jing couldn’t let go of.
Suppressing his curiosity, Quentin Hua gazed at the twinkling stars in silence. Never having had something, or having it and then losing it—which is happier? Who could ever answer that?
Not wanting to think about those troublesome matters for now, Quentin Hua sat up and joined Maxwell Jing in drinking.
Ethan Gu arrived on the mountain and saw the two miserable friends, drunk as could be. Quentin Hua was a bit better off, at least somewhat sober, but Maxwell Jing seemed completely out of his mind.
Seeing Ethan Gu, Quentin Hua smiled, "Little Ethan, are you here to drink too?"
Ethan Gu frowned, "I just came to enjoy the night view! What are you two doing? How are you going to get down the mountain in this state?"
Maxwell Jing looked up at Ethan Gu, then staggered over to him. When he was a step away, he suddenly lurched forward and collapsed into Ethan Gu’s arms, then didn’t move at all.
Ethan Gu supported him, glanced at Quentin Hua, and asked, "Can you walk on your own?"
Quentin Hua shook his head, only to see Ethan Gu turn and walk off with Maxwell Jing, leaving him stunned. He couldn’t help but shout, "Ethan Gu, you’re just going to leave me here?"
No sooner had he spoken than he cried out in pain, only to hear Ethan Gu’s cool voice drift back, "Rest for a bit and you’ll sober up!"