"Stop whining. You will have fun, trust me" Evelyn assures her but only Shi Lian knows if she will or not. Parties aren't her thing and she hardly went to two or three clubs with her when she stayed in the States. 

Shi Lian rolls her eyes. "Of course you will have fun. " Evelyn grins parking the car at a distance from the club. "Let me call my parents or else they will be worried sick" Shi Lian tells her and starts dialing her parent's number. 

After she is done, they both step out of the car and walk towards the club. The night and under it, an eccentrically designed club. The club looks expensive, surely popular by its looks. "I haven't even changed. Eve, I look pathetic" Shi Lian says, looking at women dressed in shimmering dresses while she is still in her boring clothes. 

"The dress is sexy enough for clubbing" her best friend teases, giving her a wink. She isn't wrong tho. The dress fits her curve perfectly and ends just above her knees. 

A big line, all waiting to go inside. Shi Lian remembers a scene in America where she and Evelyn had to wait for almost 4 hours. After that, they always went with tickets booked in advance. 

Evelyn takes her to the other door, the one leading with stairs. "We are special duh" she smiles and takes out the passes from her purse. 

She hands them to the bald man, handsome, and waits as he nods. He checks it real quick and allows them to go inside. Looking back at the people who are waiting in lines, Shi Lian does feel she is special. 

Music booms making the earth shake. The black marble tiles, glittering and spotless are like glass, delicate and elegant. People pass by, drunk as the both of them walk inside. Shi Lian makes a face of disgust watching the girl tumbling, looking like a mess as she passes by them. How long has it been since she last stepped inside a club? 

Hand in hand, Evelyn leads her to the main area. Taking each step carefully, they reach down the region and head to the bar. The dance floor is crowding with swarms of people, laughing, hooting, and cheering. 

They take seats and watch people having fun as they dance. Their sweats making it look hot at the same time disgusting to Shi Lian. She winces and turns her head to the bartender. 

A medium height, cute, and dreamy eyes man is showing his skills. Whisking, shaking, flipping. Cool! 

"What you want?" Evelyn asks loudly. The music blares making their voices low. 

Should she drink? She has to go home as well and if her parents see her in this state, they must think that she is doing this all because of Zichen, which she is not. 

She shakes her head, "No! I am fine!" 

But Evelyn is not taking no for an answer. She orders shots and passes one to Shi Lian. "C'mon! One drink!" she requests. 

Shi Lian glances at the glass and then at Evelyn. She knows she shouldn't but... Fuck it. She sighs and takes the shot glass in hand. 

Evelyn smiles and starts counting. With the count of 1, both of them gulp down the whole thing. The liquid makes its way inside her stomach, giving burns in her throats and a sour taste in her tongue. Woah that is one hell of a drink! 

"Another one?" Evelyn asks but she has already ordered many. 

Shi Lian nods, liking the feel of the tequila shots. One after another, she gulps five glasses. Her mind is buzzing, her adrenaline rushing, and her cheeks flushed. Her throat feels as if someone has set up a fire. Her stomach too, the burning sensation inside there can be felt. 

Shi Lian isn't a good drinker. With only six drinks, her mind is already buzzing. She opens her hair from a bun and lets it fall. Beautiful as is, the sight makes her way too beautiful. 

"Feeling good, right? " Evelyn says, grinning to see her best friend. 

Shi Lian bobs her head, smiling widely. "Yeah!"

The lights, music, people this all should give her a headache but surprisingly it isn't. "One Cosmopolitan" she orders. The bartender nods, giving her a cute smile. 

Surprised, Evelyn asks, "You are drinking? Shi, you aren't a good drinker."

Shi Lian sways side to side in her seat, not hearing what she is saying. Her life's already a mess, why not make it messier. The thought makes her chuckle. 

"Give me the strongest you have," she says, gulping the cosmopolitan. 

Evelyn worries. It's good that Shi Lian is having fun but drinking in excess is not her style. "Shi! You cannot take that shit!" She yells, shakes her by her arm but Shi Lian is still tough on drinking the strongest one. 

Usually, Shi Lian sits, and Evelyn drinks but it's different today. Did something happen to her? Evelyn remembers Shi Lian mentioning she had a sour day today. What happened exactly? 

"Shi Lian, what happened? Crisis with the company?" 

Shi Lian turns her eyes to her, drunk eyes gazing at her. She shakes her head forcefully and the smile on her face starts to fade. 

"Then? Uncle and Aunt said something? Or was it that guy... Zichen?"

At the mention of his name, she breaks. She was trying so hard, hard to hide everything she is feeling yet she can't. Her lips quiver and Evelyn notices Shi Lian crying. "Shi! Oh my god! Babe, what happened?" she asks panicking. 

When Shi Lian does not answers and continues to cry, Evelyn asks, "Tell me. Was it him? Did he do something to you?"

Shi Lian continues to sob, not saying anything. "Fuck, Shi, tell me!"Evelyn requests, holding her hand. 

Wiping the tears from her face, Shi Lian faces her. "He was a liar! A big liar!"

Evelyn had no idea what to say so she chooses to listen. Shi Lian continues, "H-he lied to me! Every fucking time! I was such a fool. Why can't I have any normal relationship? Why?"

Seeing her in such a state breaks her heart. She had seen her like this years ago and seeing her again like this, she cannot take this. She scoots closer to her seat and embraces her. 

"There... There. You are a brave woman. Brave" she soothes her, "Cry... Cry all you want. I am here. Here."

This makes Shi Lian cry even more. Not caring where they are, or if people watching them, all they need is themselves. There for each other. 

After a while, when Shi Lian has calmed down, Evelyn asks, "Wanna go home?" Shi Lian sniffs, shaking her head like a big no. She is drunk and when she is drunk she won't go home. 

Evelyn does not argue as she knows there's nothing into happening with nagging her. 

Shi Lian hops from the bat stool, wiping her tears and whatever black lines made on her face. "I wanna dance!" she says, her drunk self says. 

Evelyn hesitates but nods. Maybe dancing will help her mood to lift? Even what she thinks sounds fake. Evelyn hops down too and the both of them make their way to the dance floor. 

Their hips swayed as they groove with the music. Dancing is one of her talents that Shi Lain didn't know existed. 

Their moves match the rhythm and a light layer of sweat makes its way from the back of their necks. 

Closing her eyes, Shi Lian sways, in her world, wanting nothing but peace. The tequila makes the adrenaline rush inside her body. Her cheeks flushed and a smile on her glowing face. 

People were all around her, dancing and singing. She smiles at them as they do too. Some try to dance with her some flirt. She has encountered all these before too so it doesn't much bother her. In the past, she would give a mean look and ignore them but today she does not like doing that. She instead, accepts and dances with them.

A man, dressed casually, handsome with blue eyes and brown hair gives a flirty smile. He puts his hand on her waist cautiously, in case if she slaps him or something. She in return, snakes her arm around his neck, the distance between them as they dance a d groove together. 

As they are dancing, a cold and dark voice from her behind gives her a shiver down her spine. "Get your fucking hands off her!"