'Help yourself with the soup. It will make you feel better. Take care of yourself. –Man Rui.' It said.

"Man Rui?" He jolted as if electricity struck from his crown down to the tips of his toes.

"Man Rui was here? On top of it, she cooked this? For me?" Saying that he was elated was an understatement.

He called for the head of his security and inquired about it.

The man had a stoic countenance and was trained to keep it that way, but somehow his brow twitched from the query. "You cannot remember, young master?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I remember. So tell me." He said rather impatiently. There were traces of Man Rui all over, yet he couldn't quite recall the events of last night.

"Go straight to the point and answer."

"She went home with you, Sir – not… well…" The bodyguard seemed to be blus.h.i.+ng at how his words came out and tried to clarify when Zhu Li Qiang almost had a heart attack.

"She just made sure you're home safe and left. But before she left, she purchased some ingredients first and prepared the dish."

"Do you really not remember what happened last night, Sir?"

"Will I be asking if I do?" He was irritated as well for not remembering. How could he not remember such an important detail?

"Argh!!!" He pulled his hair out of vexation but froze. Bits and pieces of what happened last night came to him in snippets.

"Hey, Zhu Li Qiang, seriously, do you plan to drown yourself with alcohol? That's pathetic!" He could remember her saying while she trudged her way towards his condo, with him by her side, his arm across her shoulder.

'She could drag a heavily drunk man all alone?' His eyes glimmered with realization, 'Ahh, right. One of my men lent a hand and a.s.sisted my other side.'

He settled into the couch, ready to consume his third serving of the egg drop soup.

"Zhu Li Qiang!"

This time he was blus.h.i.+ng from the memory.

When Teng Man Rui and the bodyguard laid him on his bed, the lady suddenly was pulled into his embrace. At the time, he seemed half-asleep, but he was sleep-talking, whimpering. "Man Rui! Huhuhu! Choose me! Choose me!! I'm the better man! I'm the best man for you! Huhuhu!"

"You!" Teng Man Rui addressed the bodyguard that was standing near them. She was trapped in his hold and was awkward. Her face was burning with embarra.s.sment. "Free me." She commanded.

"Quick!"

The bodyguard obliged.

"Please get me a clean set of clothes from his closet."

"Ma'am?"

"He needs a change of clothes!" She was quite fl.u.s.tered due to the nature of her request. He reeked of alcohol and didn't he throw up earlier? I reek of alcohol too because of him, ugh!" She rolled up her eyes and shook her head.

"So will you not get the clean clothes? Just randomly pick a loose s.h.i.+rt. And a towel as well."

"I'm on it, miss." The bodyguard left hurriedly towards the closet and returned in a few minutes. The two of them industriously performed the ch.o.r.e of changing Zhu Li Qiang's top while he himself was heavily beaten by alcohol, his traitor comrade.

At this point, he seemed to be remembering this part. Though fuzzy, it's enough to warm his heart, warmer than the effect of the egg drop soup could ever have on him.

He did a facepalm and bowed his head. His ears were red, and he was smiling ear-to-ear. When he lifted his face again, it was stoic.

"Did the s.h.i.+ Young Master ever get an egg drop soup the last time she tended to him?"

"No, Sir."

"You sure?"

"Affirmative, Sir."

Zhu Li Qiang went on a fit of triumphant laughter, eyes glimmering from an unintended victory against his rival.