Take My Breath Away

All the other soldiers nodded in unison. They were one big well-oiled machinery. "Yes, Talbot's right, Chief. We did that only for your own good! We had no ulterior motives."

Wesley, however, was unfazed by their unanimous response and replied calmly, "All of you! Get out and get ready for a running exercise. If you delay for even a single second, your phone will be confiscated." He added in a warning tone, "For a month!"

"Yes, sir. We're leaving right now." They all responded in a similar way. Then one of them mischievously added, "Please do remember to check Blair's WeChat Moments." Before Wesley could retort, Talbot and the other soldiers turned around and darted out of Wesley's office faster than a scared rabbit.

When the office had quietened down, Wesley slowly brought out his phone and opened the WeChat app. He tapped on Blair's Moments.

Blair had posted a photo about half an hour ago. She was with a group of eight people, all holding a glass of beer and toasting each other. The caption caught his eye. "Warning! Whoever gets a phone call, has to chug down one glass!" Eight phone numbers were mentioned beneath that, as if inviting people to call!

Wesley knew at a glance that the last number was Blair's. He wondered if anyone had called her. Was she drunk?

The glasses looked quite tall, even though they were slightly narrow. Still, she didn't have a big appetite. Could she gulp one down?

Actually, by the time Wesley could check her WeChat Moments, Blair had already been forced to gulp down two glasses of beer. Of the two calls she had received, one was from a classmate she had in high school and the other one was from Orion.

Joslyn, the birthday girl, had already received five calls. Unfortunately, the calls weren't going to stop for her since everyone would want to wish her, oblivious of the rules of the game.

Just as the group had settled down after one of the calls, one of the boys received a call—from Hartwell!

The boy wanted to cry when he heard what the voice from the other end of the line was saying. "Hi there. I'm Joslyn's husband. Can you put her on the phone for me, please."

The boy replied in an anguished tone, "Sir! Come on! You could have called your wife directly!"

Hartwell nonchalantly responded, "Oh, please! I saw her post and know all about your little game. I wanted to talk to her so I just randomly picked up a number." It was obvious why. He didn't want his wife or Blair to drink too much, so he had deliberately chosen a random number.

The boy passed his phone to Joslyn, murmuring, "You know, your husband is such a sly fox. This one doesn't count."

"Doesn't count?" Everyone burst out laughing. "You wish! You know the rules! Whoever gets a call has to chug it down! We didn't have a restriction on the callers. Pop a glass down, now!" While Joslyn was busy talking to Hartwell on the phone, the boy was forced by the group to gulp a tall glass of beer in a single breath.

"Hey honey," Joslyn greeted her husband with a smile.

Sighing helplessly, Hartwell cautioned her, "What's this game you guys are doing? Take care, huh? I cannot be there, you know? Don't drink too much and keep an eye out for Blair too. Don't let

and I'm so happy. I want to drink another glass and make a toast to you, but I'm already full. I think my tummy will burst if I do that."

"Hmm...They haven't finished their own drinks. Hey you don't have to drink anymore either. Blair, I'm really happy with your cousin. I hope you can find someone to be your happiness soon." Joslyn knew about Blair's trouble in love affairs and in her work.

Blair smiled, rubbing her head against her friend's shoulder. It felt weirdly good and relaxing. Then she took the unfinished glass of beer and drank a swig. "Joslyn, I don't even know my own heart now. And you know what? I feel even more confused about Wesley's mind. When I decided to go abroad and study in England, I also swore to myself that I wouldn't love Wesley anymore for the rest of my life. He had turned me down so mercilessly. But when I came back and met him once more, I couldn't help falling in love with him all over again. He's such an attractive young man! But that jerk! If he doesn't love me, why does he keep me in his apartment? He told me that he will let me go when I have a boyfriend. Don't you think he's being ridiculous and a bit weird?"

Joslyn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and laughed. "Yes, he's being very ridiculous. If Wesley were a woman, he would be a manipulative and hypocritical bitch. Haha..."

Blair thought about her words. Joslyn was right. Wesley and the female gender were a dangerous combination. She laughed out loud too. "He thinks he's doing this for my own good, but he never asks me what I want. I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore, but I guess each time I see him, I get soft-hearted. He once told me very clearly that he doesn't love me. Why can't I have more self-respect and stay away from him? Do you think I'm a loser?"

"Shh!" Joslyn raised her feeble arm and covered Blair's mouth, a bit loosely. "Don't look down on yourself like that. It's Wesley's problem. He doesn't like you but still keeps you around him. He's the one who said that he was doing it for your own good. But I can clearly tell that it's because he loves you. He just doesn't want to admit it!"