Section 42: Wine Does Not Intoxicate; People Intoxicate Themselves

Reminded of Lu Youyou by matters concerning his student status and graduation certificate, Sima felt a stirring in his heart and called her. Lu Youyou had consistently cared about Sima's recent situation. Ever since the closed-door training ended, he had not returned to North Zhili Foreign Studies University, seemingly deeply stricken, disheartened, and devoid of any inclination to continue his studies. Upon receiving Sima's call, she could not help but grow excited, becoming somewhat incoherent and uttering many things she should and should not have said. Hearing that he wanted to pay a visit and consult her about something, she agreed without the slightest hesitation. Only after hanging up did Lu Youyou feel a pang of regret. She tormented her hair in distress, completely unaware of the deep-seated elation and anticipation within her heart.

Sima arranged to visit the next morning. Since it happened to be Saturday and a day off, Lu Youyou decided to keep him for dumplings—lunch would be fine, but dinner might be a bit inappropriate. She left work early that afternoon and went to the vegetable market to purchase ingredients. Since Sima was no longer an athlete and had no dietary restrictions, she planned to make two kinds of fillings this time: mutton with onion, and pork with pickled cabbage, preparing them in advance to store in the refrigerator. The braised dishes were bought fresh that Saturday morning: garlic-sauced pork knuckle, spiced beef, shredded skin roast duck, and a dish of sweet melon to keep things refreshing and pleasing to the eye. Sima arrived promptly at ten-thirty. He did not come empty-handed, bringing a package of tea leaves and two bottles of wine. The tea was premium broken green tea from Wu Yutai, and the wine was pristine, estate-bottled Chateau Lafite, leaving Lu Youyou's toes curling in awkwardness, not knowing what on earth to say.

Sima did not beat around the bush. He explained that he had now been roped in by the Anti-Doping Center to act as a "guinea pig" to study "physiological adrenaline secretion abnormalities"—a sort of "external secondment." He lived a regular nine-to-five routine, had two meals a day in their cafeteria, and received a research stipend, making his life quite pleasant. His student status would be transferred to North Zhili Sport University just to acquire a graduation certificate. A certain Section Chief Yang at the Anti-Doping Center specifically handled this "adrenaline" portfolio and had promised him that he could stay on afterward, with a formal government establishment position, telling him to rest assured and cooperate with the center's work.

Lu Youyou let out a sigh of relief. No outcome could be better than this. North Zhili Sport University fell under the jurisdiction of the General Administration of Sport, so transferring his student status and securing a graduation certificate was simply a matter of a single word. With Sima's job already arranged, remaining in North Zhili City with a secure establishment, this could well be considered a blessing in disguise.

Sima continued, explaining that under Section Chief Yang, there was a director in charge of procurement named Xue Dong—quite a coincidence, also named Xue Dong. Young and well-connected, Xue Dong had openly placed imported Lafite in the cafeteria, and Sima had casually brought two bottles along to ask her to judge whether they were authentic. With a complex expression, Lu Youyou sighed and said, "You don't need to beat around the bush. That Xue Dong is Zhang Ke's childhood friend. He first worked at the General Administration of Sport before being transferred to the Anti-Doping Center. Those two bottles of wine last time... were sent by him..." She put on an apron and walked into the kitchen to wrap dumplings. After a moment, she said with a faint melancholy, "I'm not close with Xue Dong. His family background is formidable; I heard they have farms and wineries in France. Zhang Ke once got drunk and said all roads lead to Rome, but some people are born in Rome, and Xue Dong doesn't need to struggle at all—he just has to enjoy his life..."

Sima grew pensive. Xue Dong, born in Rome, seemed somewhat unfortunate, reduced to honestly serving as an internal affairs office director. He could completely abandon his identity as a "Gu-master," extract the Gu worms, and enjoy his life to the fullest, but he had not done so; there had to be a reason. The inner workings of Gu worms were the greatest secret of any "Gu-master." Sima estimated that within the entire Second Intelligence and Investigation Division, aside from the top chief Yang Zirong, those in the know could be counted on one hand.

Lu Youyou wiped her hands on her apron, fetched a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine, poured a small drop to taste, and then poured Sima a fraction of a glass. Elegantly swirling the wine glass like a civilized person, Sima took a small sip and said, "Rest assured, nothing's been added. It's just very ordinary wine!" Lu Youyou shot him a sideways glance, filled his glass to the brim with glugging sounds, tossed the bottle aside, and went back to wrapping dumplings. Slightly amused and somewhat helpless, Sima leaned against the doorway, drinking his wine while watching her busy movements.

Drinking wine by itself was rather pointless. Sima asked, "Are there any side dishes to go with the wine?"

Lu Youyou took the braised dishes out of the refrigerator. Sima ate a piece of the pork knuckle with an intoxicated expression; it had been so long since he last ate pork that he had almost forgotten he was no longer an athlete and could finally indulge freely in pork. Lu Youyou could not help smiling and said, "I wrapped some pork and pickled cabbage dumplings. Try them in a bit!"

Showing zero self-consciousness as a guest, Sima drank the wine alongside the braised dishes, quickly polishing off an entire bottle while devouring the garlic-sauced pork knuckle and spiced beef down to the last bite. Lu Youyou had also finished wrapping the dumplings. She boiled the first batch, brought them out, untied her apron, and joined Sima for a few drinks. She held her liquor well; she could easily handle a bottle or two of this "unadulterated" wine without issue. Yet, for some reason, one didn't need alcohol to get drunk when intoxicated by the atmosphere; after just a single glass, her cheeks grew hot, and a wave of tipsiness washed over her.

Sima praised the pork and pickled cabbage dumplings without reservation. Watching him eat, Lu Youyou beamed, her radiant smile melting away the mountain that had been weighing heavily on her chest. Her heart beat with lively vitality, and her glowing countenance made her look several years younger. Once they finished drinking and eating the dumplings, Lu Youyou acted like a virtuous little wife, clearing away the bowls and chopsticks and brewing Sima a cup of "high-fragrance" broken green tea. The aroma of jasmine tea permeated the afternoon sunlight. Sima stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her, and solicited her affection. Though her mouth protested, her body was entirely honest; they tumbled from the sofa to the bed, losing themselves in each other's scent.

When she woke up, dusk had already settled deeply. Lu Youyou had no idea where she was and remained dazed for a long time before collecting her wits. Her lower back ached, her limbs felt weak, and her body felt warm, lazy, and utterly unwilling to move. This was a physiological attraction—dopamine, adrenaline, hormones—making people lose their minds and abandon reason. She vaguely remembered Sima leaning against the headboard reading a book, taking a phone call, and then whispering into her ear that he had some matters to attend to and would leave first, promising to visit her again next weekend. Would there even be a next weekend? The room held only her alone, leaving her free to regret as much as she pleased, to repent as much as she desired. Yet this time, Lu Youyou felt very little guilt. A faint smile graced the corners of her lips, making her feel like a female demon who had stolen and eaten the flesh of the Monk of Tang. She lingered in bed for a long time, sluggishly took a shower, changed into outerwear, and went out. She took a stroll in the nocturnal chill, stopped by a pharmacy to buy a box of levonorgestrel tablets, and reminded herself to practice protection since they couldn't be taken often.

Thus, Sima and Lu Youyou drifted back together. With a tacit mutual understanding, they began operating an intimate "weekend couple" relationship: trysting at Lu Youyou's place on Saturdays and returning to their respective lives on Sundays. They ate, slept, read books, and chatted, never once mentioning Lu Yuan, as if that were a taboo topic. Indeed, Lu Yuan had vanished from their lives, not appearing again for a very long time. Sometimes Lu Youyou thought she was the one best suited for Sima. Her cousin was too young, too naive, possessed a spiritual cleanliness, and could not tolerate the slightest flaw; sooner or later, she would crash and burn. Her uncle had been right—Sima was not a suitable match for her. The longer it dragged on, the harder it would be to sever; a prolonged pain was worse than a short, sharp one. At least this way, she hadn't ruined the rest of her own life...

So, was Sima in the wrong regarding this matter? Lu Youyou did not wish to defend his actions. Sima indeed failed to conform to traditional moral standards—flitting from flower to flower and discarding the old for the new—and deserved condemnation. But upon closer reflection, it was actually Lu Yuan who could not accept Sima's infidelity and had resolutely cast him aside. This world was not simply black and white, right and wrong; between black and white lay countless shades of gray. One had to compromise, accepting all of life's imperfections, in order to spare oneself excessive suffering. The flower of youth blooms only in the present moment; why bother pondering eternity?