They both drank in silence, the atmosphere surprisingly harmonious and peaceful.
Perhaps it had been too long since she last had a drink, but after just one cup, Serena felt her head starting to spin.
She stood up, intending to pour herself another drink. However, her steps were unsteady, and she stumbled back into the lazy sofa.
Xavier saw this and quickly put down his glass, walking over to her. "Stop drinking. You're already a little drunk."
"I'm not drunk!" Serena waved her hand in protest, "I have a high alcohol tolerance! Come on, pour me some more!"
"You can't drink anymore!" Xavier reached to take the glass from her hand, but she quickly dodged him.
Laughing lightly, he said with a tone of indulgence, "You're so drunk you can't stand, but your hands are still so nimble..."
"Drunk? Who's drunk?! I'll tell you, I'm famous for never getting drunk after a thousand cups! Anyone who says I'm drunk, let them come here, and we'll drink together to see who gets drunk first!"
"Alright, alright, you're not drunk! You're the invincible one, and no one dares drink with you!" Xavier humored her, but his hand still reached to grab the glass from her, "Rena, give me the glass. What if you accidentally drop it and hurt yourself?"
Serena's consciousness was already a little foggy. The words 'Rena' brought her thoughts back a few years.
At that time, she was madly in love with Clint.
When Xavier found out, as usual, he gathered a group of people and blocked Clint on his usual route to and from work.
She remembered that day clearly. She had finished class early and went to his company to find him.
After work, the two of them had just stepped out of the building when a group of thugs holding knives and clubs surrounded them.
At first, she thought they had encountered a robbery, and she was about to hand over her purse when she heard a familiar voice from behind the crowd, "Move aside!"
The thugs immediately parted to make way.
Xavier, with his hands in his pockets, walked arrogantly towards them.
He stopped in front of them, first sizing up Clint and then asking Serena, "Is this the one bothering you?!"
She didn't know where the courage came from, but Serena stepped in front of Clint and fiercely confronted Xavier, "What do you mean by bothering? He's my boyfriend!"
"Boyfriend?!" Xavier's gaze flickered, "Serena, don't mess around! Your boyfriend can only be me!"
"I'm her boyfriend!" Clint suddenly spoke, drawing Xavier's attention back to him.
"You?!" Xavier's face darkened, his eyes burning with anger as he glared at Clint, "Don't you know Serena belongs to me?!"
"Sorry! I didn't know!" Clint replied with calm defiance, "I only know that she and I love each other, we're mutually attracted, and she has officially agreed to be my girlfriend!"
"Well, well! There's really someone not afraid of dying!" Xavier sneered, and then, taking advantage of Serena's unguarded moment, he pulled her to his side.
He waved his hand, signaling the thugs behind him, "Beat him! Beat him until he knows his place!"
The thugs charged, attacking Clint with fists and sticks.
At first, Clint could hold his own, but with so many people, he was eventually overwhelmed.
Gradually, the punches and blows from the thugs increased.
Serena, blocked by Xavier, was frantic.
No matter how much she begged, Xavier refused to let up.
Suddenly, one of the thugs raised a wooden club behind Clint, ready to strike his head. In a panic, Serena broke free from Xavier's grip and rushed into the crowd.
Xavier quickly chased after her, shouting, "Rena, don't go over there, you might get hurt!"
But at that moment, she didn't care about anything else.
Seeing she wouldn't listen, Xavier shouted to the crowd, "Stop! Everyone stop! Don't hit him anymore!"
The thugs stopped, and Serena rushed over to Clint, supporting his face, which was already bruised.
Seeing the blood on the corner of his mouth, her heart ached terribly.
She glared at Xavier, speaking through gritted teeth, "I like him, and I want to be with him. You've destroyed my relationships with other boys countless times, and I've turned a blind eye every time. Because, there was really nothing between us. But this time, you'd better not interfere with me, or..."
Her eyes flickered, and she noticed a knife lying on the ground nearby.
She bent down, grabbed the knife, and held it to her neck, "If you force me again, I'm not afraid to die with him."
The metallic knife gleamed with a cold light, reflecting off Serena's face, flickering in the dim light.
That light seemed like an arrow, piercing straight through Xavier's chest.
He carefully extended his hand, "Rena, don't be impulsive. Put the knife down, we can talk slowly. Don't hurt yourself!"
"You've already caused such a scene. How can I talk slowly with you?!" Serena's tone suddenly rose, and she pushed the knife forward, "You'd better take your people and leave! Don't ever come again! Otherwise, I really will show you what it means to die!"
He was silent for a long time before biting his lip and asking with difficulty, "Have you really decided on him?!"
"Yes! I've decided! I'll never change, not in this lifetime!"
She still remembers the expression on Xavier's face that day, an expression she had never seen before.
Even now, when she recalls it, it's still hard to describe.
It was like a precious treasure had been lost, and she couldn't go find it.
"Alright!" Xavier looked at Clint, gritting his teeth and warning, "Kid, you better treat her well from now on! Otherwise, I'll make sure you regret it!"
After saying that, he waved his hand and turned to leave. "Move out!"
The gangsters quickly followed his lead, bustling as they walked away.
From that moment until her wedding, Xavier never appeared in front of her and Clint again.
The past is like a tide. Thinking back to the time when she was so reckless for love, Serena shook her head helplessly. "I told you, once I decide, it's for life. I haven't changed, but you have!"
Xavier looked at the woman in front of him, her eyes blurry from the alcohol, muttering, "Changed?! If I could change, I wouldn't still be stuck in your pit after twenty years, unable to pull myself out!"
Serena opened her eyes when she heard him, and her gaze gradually focused.
When she recognized it was Xavier, a wave of bitterness suddenly surged in her heart.
It was as if all the suffering she endured from Clint was because Xavier hadn't been persistent enough back then.
If he had insisted on disrupting things, would she have stayed away from that man? Would her life have been much better?
***