For every question Guo Dalu asked, this boy answered with at least seven or eight sentences.

  The more Guo Dalu looked at him, the more amusing he found him. So he deliberately teased him, “Why are you called Diao Shi? Poems aren't fish—how can you fish for them?”

  Diao Shi curled his lip, as if unimpressed. “You don't even know that reference? ‘Diao Shi Gou’ is another name for wine. Since I always carry wine for my young master, I'm called Diao Shi. And since reading books can cleanse people of their vulgarity, he's called Sao Su.”

  He looked Guo Dalu up and down and added, “You probably haven't read many books, have you?”

  Guo Dalu burst into ughter. “Good kid! As they say, a great general never has weak soldiers. Not only can you drink, but you're well-read too.”

  Still ughing, he said, “I may not have read much, but I've had plenty of wine. Want to have a few drinks with me?”

  Diao Shi said, “If your drinking skills are really that good, why don't you dare drink with our young master?”

  Only then did Guo Dalu realize that Young Master He had already entered the main hall and was chatting with Wang Dong and the others. Through the window, he could see that Wang Dong and Lin Taiping seemed to have taken a liking to him.

  Yan Qi, however, looked distracted, frequently turning his head to gnce outside.

  When Guo Dalu noticed him, Yan Qi immediately stood up, subtly gestured for him to follow, and walked toward the door.

  As he stepped out of the hall, Guo Dalu had already caught up to him and asked, “Looking for me?”

  Yan Qi rolled his eyes at him and said, "Why do you always act like a child? You seem to enjoy chatting with kids more than adults."

  Guo Dalu ughed. "That kid is more articute than most adults. Sometimes, if you talk with children, you'll find yourself feeling younger too."

  Yan Qi didn't respond. Instead, he walked slowly along the corridor, heading toward the backyard.

  Guo Dalu had no choice but to follow. Unable to hold back, he asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"

  Yan Qi walked a little further before suddenly turning around and asking, "What do you think of this, Young Master He?"

  Guo Dalu replied, "He seems like a refined and cultured man. And apparently, he can really hold his liquor."

  Yan Qi said, "Do you think he might be the one who...?"

  Guo Dalu's eyes lit up. He cut in, "The one who paid our bill at Kuiyuan restaurant?"

  Yan Qi nodded. "What do you think? Possible?"

  Guo Dalu said, "I hadn't considered it before, but the more I think about it, the more likely it seems."

  Yan Qi continued, "There aren't any famous scenic spots around here, so why would a traveler come all the way here? And of all days, why today?"

  Guo Dalu said, "There are a lot of coincidences in the world, but this one does seem a little too convenient."

  Yan Qi asked, "Have you ever seen him before?"

  Guo Dalu replied, "No."

  Yan Qi pressed, "Think again."

  Guo Dalu said, "No need. If I had met someone like him before, I definitely wouldn't have forgotten".

  Yan Qi bit his lip. "Judging from Wang Laoda and Lin Taiping's reactions, they don't seem to recognize him either."

  Guo Dalu asked, "What's his name?"

  Yan Qi said, "He called himself He Yafeng, but that could be a fake name."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Why would he use a fake name? Do you think he has bad intentions toward us?"

  Yan Qi replied, "So far, I haven't seen any sign of malice."

  Guo Dalu said, "Not only is there no malice—he's been so good to us that it almost doesn't make sense."

  Yan Qi said, "That's exactly why I'm suspicious. When someone is overly kind, they usually have an agenda."

  Guo Dalu suddenly chuckled.

  Yan Qi frowned. "What are you ughing at?"

  Guo Dalu said, "I was just thinking… 's really hard to be a person. If you’re too nice, people suspect you have a motive. If youtoo mean, they call you a scoundrel."

  Yan Qi shot him a gre. "I knew you'd take his side."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Why?"

  Yan Qi smirked. "Because he can drink. Drunkards always believe that as long as someone enjoys drinking, they can't possibly be a bad person."

  Guo Dalu ughed. "Well, that's actually true. People who drink freely tend to be straightforward. You'll never see a drunk man scheming against someone."

  Yan Qi said, “You're not drunk.”

  Guo Dalu replied, “Almost. I'm about to go in and get him drunk.”

  He chuckled and added, “Once he’s drunk, he won’t be able to help telling the truth.”

  Yan Qi suddenly smiled as well.

  Guo Dalu asked, “What are you smiling about?”

  Yan Qi said, “I was just thinking—you do have at least one advantage over most people.”

  Guo Dalu ughed. “I have at least three hundred advantages. Which one are you talking about?”

  Yan Qi said, “You always know how to seize an opportunity.”

  Guo Dalu asked, “What kind of opportunity?”

  Yan Qi replied, “The opportunity to drink!”

  Guo Dalu had made a mistake—people don’t all act the same when they’re drunk.

  Not everyone is like him, spilling their hearts out the moment they've had too much.

  Some people, after drinking, love to boast and ramble nonsense, saying things even they don't understand. By the time they sober up, they've already forgotten everything.