“Well, why do you always have to tell the truth?” the mirror replied, sounding defeated.
“I’m just stating facts! Mirror, if you really want to pursue Noah, do it properly. Don’t take these shady shortcuts!” Evelyn warned her, though she wasn’t sure if the drunken mirror would listen.
“I know. But if I don’t use some tricks to soften Noah’s personality, do you think we’d even have a chance?” the mirror asked, looking at Evelyn.
Evelyn didn’t know how to answer that. Still, she insisted, “I still think you shouldn’t approach Noah this way. He won’t like it!”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying. You won’t cheer me up, and now you’re just bringing me down!”
“Mirror, I’m serious!”
“I know. I’m just joking. Even if I got completely drunk and stood naked in front of him, I doubt his eyelids would even twitch.” The mirror paused, then added, “Just like me and Alexander. When we got married, we barely knew each other. And look at us now—it’s great!”
Evelyn almost blurted out that she hadn’t known Alexander when she married him either.
She looked at the mirror for a long moment. Finally, the mirror nodded. “Let’s go. Or those two in the private room will think we got lost.”
Evelyn smiled and walked forward, her arm linked with the mirror’s.
“Are you sure our private room is this way?” the mirror asked.
“Isn’t it?” Evelyn asked hesitantly.
Back in the private room, the two men were drinking together. With just the two of them, there was no need for formalities. Their conversation was direct.
“How did Mr. Sterling meet Evelyn?” Noah asked.
“Blind date,” Alexander replied simply.
“Blind date?” Noah was stunned by Alexander’s answer.
He had imagined many scenarios, but this was the least likely one.
After all, in his opinion, given Alexander’s identity and status, even if he needed to get married, he would find a suitable match.
Besides, Evelyn hadn’t even graduated from university. Her family wouldn’t force her to marry at this age, and they certainly wouldn’t arrange a blind date for her.
“We took one look at each other and it clicked. After spending some time together, we decided we were a good fit. The wedding was at the end of last year. I guess since you were abroad, Evelyn didn’t invite you to attend,” Alexander said with a smile.
He poured Noah another glass of wine.
“She really didn’t tell us she was getting married,” Noah said.
“That was Evelyn’s oversight. I apologize for that. Let me drink to make up for it. Although you missed the wedding, you can still make it to the baby’s one-month celebration,” Alexander said, half-jokingly raising his glass to Noah.
Noah stared at Alexander in amazement. After a few seconds, he came back to his senses. He clinked glasses with Alexander and downed the wine.
Evelyn and the mirror returned to the private room. Alexander and Noah were getting along well.
Neither of them looked any different.
Evelyn didn’t know whether to worry or feel relieved.
They sat for another half hour. Everyone was almost drunk. It was time to call it a night.
Evelyn was still worried about how the mirror and Noah would get home.
Alexander had already arranged for the driver to take them back.
“Mirror, are you okay?” Evelyn asked, looking at her with concern.
“I’m fine. I only had a few drinks. If anyone’s going to get drunk, it’ll be Noah first,” the mirror said with a smile.
“I’m fine too,” Noah replied with a smile.
“Okay. Call me when you get home,” Evelyn instructed.
“Don’t worry. The Sterling family driver won’t sell us off,” the mirror waved and replied with a smile. Then she turned to Noah and asked, “Will you take me home?”
Noah nodded and answered, “Of course.” Then he turned to thank Alexander and Evelyn again for their hospitality. They waved once more, then got into the car with the mirror.
After watching their car disappear, Evelyn turned to Alexander and asked, “Should we head back too?”
Alexander nodded and led Evelyn to the car behind them.
“You drank a lot today,” Evelyn said after they got in the car, looking at him.
“I’m fine,” Alexander said, holding Evelyn’s hand.
“It’s a bit scary watching you drink like it’s just water.”
Alexander turned his head to Evelyn and said with a smile, “Are you afraid I’ll get drunk?”
“Not that you’ll get drunk, but that you’re already drunk,” Evelyn muttered.
“Your classmate can hold his liquor,” Alexander said, seemingly changing the subject.
“Yeah, they’re all good drinkers. I’m the worst one here,” Evelyn pouted.
“Even if you could drink well, don’t,” Alexander reminded her.
“I know. I don’t like drinking anyway,” Evelyn nodded.
Alexander looked at her but said nothing more.
Evelyn felt Alexander had drunk too much and just wanted him to rest, so she didn’t say anything else.
When they returned to Sterling Manor, Alexander wasn’t in a hurry to take a shower. Instead, he took Evelyn to sit in the living room on the second floor and calmly said, “Now you can tell me about that time you skipped school.”
“I’ve already forgotten about it,” Evelyn replied with a pout.
She had been having a good chat with him earlier in the evening. She hadn’t expected Alexander to notice those details.
Now that they were home, he was asking about her truancy.
She couldn’t tell him that on Noah’s birthday that day, she had to go out to buy him a gift.
Then the mirror had encouraged her to go out together. Evelyn had worried it wasn’t safe for the mirror to go out alone, so she had agreed.
She hadn’t expected to run into Noah. It had turned into a three-person truancy.
The three of them had sneaked out of school, eaten, and celebrated Noah’s birthday. They hadn’t gone back to school until the end of the day.
All three of them had been punished for it.
Alexander didn’t press further. He played with a strand of Evelyn’s hair, then asked with a smile, “Tell me about you and Noah.”
“Huh?” Evelyn turned her head in surprise and looked at him.
After a long pause, she lowered her head and muttered, “There’s nothing between us.”
“Tell me how you taught him to play basketball. I didn’t know you could play,” Alexander continued, still playing with her hair.
“I really can’t play well. In middle school, I learned a few basic moves. My PE teacher praised me for my three-step layup. But Noah just wasn’t very good at it. Later, the PE teacher asked me to guide him. That’s all it was,” Evelyn explained.