Chapter 1046 - 491: Drunk on a Thousand Cups, Downed by a Single Sip

Chapter 1046: Chapter 491: Drunk on a Thousand Cups, Downed by a Single Sip

A few strokes sketch out several large trees, with sunlight filtering through the branches and spilling onto the tennis court.

A teenage girl in a short skirt and knee-high socks and a handsome young boy in tennis attire are kissing across the net.

The scene is truly incredibly beautiful.

They sit under the starry sky by the seaside, shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the night sky.

The girl rests her head on the boy’s shoulder, her long ponytail swaying in the breeze.

They attend the boy’s high school graduation ball together, with the girl wearing a jade hair crown embellished with small broken diamonds.

Among the other sketches, the diamond and jade hair crown is unusually detailed and clear.

The jade’s color is vivid green, undoubtedly a top-quality Emperor Green Level jade!

Lawrence Winters was astonished, thinking this software was really heavenly, making the little jade hair crown so lifelike!

The plot of the animation progresses quickly.

Before long, the boy and girl have grown up.

The boy has matured into a tall young man, graduating from university, wearing a bachelor’s cap, and posing cheek to cheek with the girl who has blossomed into a beautiful young woman.

Then comes the part where the young man joins his family’s business.

This man’s family constitutes one of the prominent local clans, operating a small local bank that specializes in serving locals and Chinese descendants, offering both deposit and loan services.

This kind of small family bank, when managed properly during stable economic times, can yield substantial profits.

However, once the overall economy destabilizes, such community banks lacking risk controls are the first to suffer.

The narration within the animation reveals that the man’s family business suffered a significant setback during the financial storm over twenty years ago, facing liquidation and bankruptcy risks.

The man was at a loss, frequenting bars, drinking, and gambling, using these activities to numb himself.

The young woman did not know how to comfort him or help him, so she could only stay by his side as much as possible.

But at that time, the problems the man faced couldn’t be solved by mere companionship.

The two began to quarrel, even fighting.

Until another girl appeared, like an angel, saving the man’s family business and the man himself.

The woman who had accompanied the boy since their youth gradually became a dim background.

Finally, one day, she pushed open the door of the apartment she shared with the man and walked out.

She did not carry any luggage, only wearing a khaki trench coat, pushing the door open, stepping into the outside world.

Inside the door was a world of color, while outside it was black and white.

She stood at the doorway for a moment, before her was a vast white fog, unable to see the sky or the ground.

Her slender figure melted into the white fog.

The screen remained blank for a few seconds, followed by a delicate children’s room.

The woman held a small baby, humming a lullaby.

Soon after, someone knocked at the door. She rubbed her forehead, placed the baby in the crib, then opened the door.

Her first love stood at the door, and they argued fiercely, eventually the man pushing the woman forcefully.

The woman fell to the ground, struggling to get up for a long time.

Later, she slowly sat up, clutching her chest, mouth agape, gasping for breath, seemingly unable to breathe.

Finally, she clung to the crib’s rail, gradually closing her eyes.

Then came Miss Tang’s narration: "...In this way, my mother died at home because her asthma attack went untreated in time."

She paused, raising her voice, "Do you think this is Isaac York’s fault! It was because of him that my mother died so young. He pushed my mother to the ground and when she had an asthma attack, no one gave her medication, causing her premature death."

"Isaac York is the murderer! I want him to pay with his life!"

Suddenly, voices rose as people in the room turned to look at the large screen television on the wall.

"What’s going on? Aren’t you competing in Celestial Path Sect matches? Why is the claim for a life so intense?" Edward Foster curiously nudged Evan Stetford.

Evan Stetford glanced at the large screen television on the wall and said calmly, "This is the problem the contestants need to solve."

He paused, adding, "There are indeed phenomena in the whole affair that science cannot explain, which is why our organizing committee chose this case as the second competition topic."

Kenneth Osborne closed his laptop at this point, calmly saying, "There is no phenomenon scientific knowledge can’t explain; if there is, it’s because your scientific knowledge is insufficient."

Evan Stetford: "..."

He felt somewhat implicitly criticized.

However, reconsidering everything he’s done, it’s impossible for Kenneth Osborne not to have an opinion. Thus, he took the criticism in stride without continuing to argue.

Lawrence Winters looked around and saw that no one else in the room was disagreeing with Kenneth Osborne’s statement. She huffed lightly and said, "Beyond science, there is mysticism. It’s not that your scientific knowledge isn’t rich enough to explain these phenomena; it’s that this is simply another type of knowledge."

Kenneth Osborne smiled without continuing the argument.

He found Evan Stetford unpleasant but had no issues with Lawrence Winters.

Edward Foster clapped enthusiastically, smiling at Lawrence Winters, "Lawrence, I feel like ever since you resigned, you haven’t just become more spirited, but you’ve become philosophical too."

Lawrence Winters: "..."

Annoyed, she tapped Edward Foster’s hand with her chopsticks, "If you can’t talk properly, don’t talk! What do you mean by becoming philosophical? Do you see any philosopher as cute and beautiful as me?"

"Of course not, you’re prettier than all the philosophers combined, even if they circled Blue Star several times!" Edward Foster’s flattery came easily, reaching perfection.

Lawrence Winters turned her annoyance into laughter, cheered up by his words, saying, "That’s more like it, eat more in a bit, though your mom’s treating us."

Edward Foster nodded with a smile.

They chatted and laughed, and the waiter began serving the dishes they ordered one by one.

There were six of them in total, and they ordered twelve main dishes, six appetizers, six desserts, and drinks.

Seeing so many dishes, Lawrence Winters was truly overjoyed.

The food here was indeed delicious, and Lawrence Winters ate happily, thinking if Mrs. Foster’s cook didn’t suit her taste, she could occasionally order takeout from here.

Evan Stetford and Edward Foster frequently raised their cups, encouraging everyone to drink.

Lawrence Winters was used to this scenario. She didn’t really drink, only holding coconut juice as a gesture.

But Abigail Henderson was much more straightforward.

When Evan Stetford toasted her, she drank.

When Edward Foster toasted her, she drank.

When Lawrence Winters toasted her, she also drank.

Later, Mrs. Foster and Kenneth Osborne joined in the fun and toasted her twice.

After drinking, she fell flat on the table, passed out cold.

Lawrence Winters was amazed, checking for breath under Abigail Henderson’s nose.

She relaxed only when she found her breathing was weak but existent.

"Abigail’s alcohol tolerance is so poor...isn’t she a top lawyer? Doesn’t she have to drink when negotiating business?" Lawrence Winters expressed her doubt.

Evan Stetford smiled faintly and said, "Abigail works in intellectual property law, so she doesn’t usually drink much. So today, trying to keep up with us, she couldn’t handle it."

Lawrence Winters drank about as much as Abigail Henderson but was completely unaffected.

Edward Foster curiously asked, "Lawrence, what’s your alcohol tolerance? How much can you drink?"

"With someone I get along well with, I never get drunk no matter how much I drink. With someone I don’t like, I’d fall over with just a sip." Lawrence Winters shrugged, smiling brightly.

Her dark eyes sparkled like someone had taken a handful of stars from the night sky and scattered them across a shadowy lake.

Edward Foster took a leap of courage, asking, "Then what about me? Am I the never-get-drunk type or the sip-and-fall type?"

Kenneth Osborne’s faint smile suddenly vanished.

Lawrence Winters glanced at Edward Foster, giggled, "Of course, Little Boss Foster is someone I get along well with, definitely the never-get-drunk type!—But Little Boss Foster, do you really want to test your drink against mine? I’m telling you, I’m extraordinarily gifted in this aspect."

Edward Foster mentally swapped "get along well" with "like," and an overwhelming joy burst in his heart like fireworks on National Day, each bloom more splendid than the last.

Evan Stetford smirked and, slightly tipsy, asked, "Lawrence, what about me? Am I the never-get-drunk type or the sip-and-fall type?"

"Of course, you’re the never-get-drunk type too!" Lawrence Winters smiled at Evan Stetford, sweetly, as if honey was about to overflow from the small dimples at the corners of her lips.

Edward Foster was a bit confused from drinking.

He looked from Evan Stetford to Lawrence Winters, then pointed back at himself, saying, "How...how come Evan is also the never-get-drunk type? Do you have many...many...people you like?"

Lawrence Winters raised an eyebrow, "I said get along well, not like. Little Boss Foster, what are you talking about?"

Edward Foster stared blankly, though his mind cleared somewhat, stammering, "I...I don’t know what I’m saying, but how can you feel the same towards me and Evan? We’re clearly different people!"

"You’re different people, but you’re both my good friends..." Lawrence Winters gently comforted him, even placing a warm towel on his face to help sober him.

Edward Foster was so happy he covered his face with the towel, occasionally making silly sounds like "hehe" or "heehee."

Mrs. Foster couldn’t resist saying to Lawrence Winters, "Lawrence, do you think my foolish son still has a chance? I know I’m his mother, my view might not be objective. But I know my son well, he’s truly dependable. He’s dated some minor celebrities before, no need to hide that. But the only one he truly likes is you."

Lawrence Winters: "..."

Her face flushed red.

Of course, she had a great impression of Mrs. Foster, but she couldn’t just be with someone because their mom’s wonderful, right?

Her gaze drifted slightly, thoughts spinning rapidly in her mind, looking to change the subject.

Mrs. Foster stared at her intently, filled with hope.

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This is the second update, with a bonus for reaching 1500 monthly tickets.

The third update will be at 7:30 PM.

Hugs to all!