My Manor

Boss, be careful!" Robbins couldn't help but voice his concern as he watched Jiang Hai stagger toward his villa.

"No, it's okay. Don't worry. Park the car and head back as well. Don't forget, there are mountain lions around—be careful on your way home," Jiang Hai waved to Robbins, mustering all his strength to speak.

"Boss is something else. He never turns anyone away, and he can really hold his liquor. The fact that he can still make it home in this state is impressive," Robbins chuckled as he watched Jiang Hai's unsteady figure. After parking the car, he headed to his own villa, while Jiang Hai finally made it back to his own.

As soon as he stepped inside, the illusion of control faded. A sudden wave of dizziness hit him, and he nearly collapsed. Fortunately, his instincts kicked in. Despite his slowed reflexes from the alcohol, he managed to brace himself with his hands, though the impact stung. He patted his head groggily before stumbling to the living room sofa, where he collapsed helplessly.

Today had been a big day—Jiang Hai had just sold his cattle, earning over 30 million. To be honest, he was thrilled. This was the first official profit from his estate. To celebrate, Zhang Lao had insisted they go to his place for a drink.

Jiang Hai had readily agreed—after all, in Chinese culture, business conversations often happen over a meal and drinks. Initially, he had assumed that Zhang Lao, being an older man, wouldn't be able to outdrink him. However, he soon realized he had underestimated the situation.

Zhang Lao himself wasn't a heavy drinker, but that didn't mean he wouldn't call for reinforcements—his eldest and second sons. These days, most of the business was managed by Zhang Lao's eldest son, and since today was a significant event—the collection of meat—both sons had shown up.

Jiang Hai, as the host and guest of honor, was naturally expected to drink. He had deliberately told Robbins to stay sober and drive, so he ended up facing all three of them alone. Given his enhanced physique—twice that of an average human—he had assumed he could easily outdrink three people. But he had overestimated himself.

If it were a fight, even thirty men wouldn't be his match. But drinking? That was another matter entirely. Natural tolerance plays a role, and Jiang Hai's wasn't particularly high. He could handle about half a liter of liquor and eight bottles of beer—not too much, but not too little either. He wasn't a frequent drinker, so his alcohol tolerance hadn't been trained over time.

Even with his enhanced body, that only meant he could manage a liter of liquor and sixteen bottles of beer at best. But tonight, he had exceeded that limit. Worse, the liquor they had been drinking wasn't just any liquor—it was infused with medicinal herbs, including deer whip, snake, deer blood, ginseng, goji berries, ganoderma, antler, and other potent ingredients.

Instead of lowering the alcohol content, the infusion had increased it. The liquor was at least 65% alcohol—practically disinfectant-grade. Jiang Hai had consumed nearly two and a half liters. By the end, all three of Zhang Lao's men had collapsed as well.

After apologizing to Zhang Lao's second daughter-in-law, Jiang Hai had somehow managed to get into a car and head home. He had thrown up on the way, which helped with the nausea, but the dizziness remained. By the time he reached his villa, he could barely stand. He lay on the sofa, taking deep breaths, trying to ease his headache, but despite his exhaustion, sleep evaded him. That was the curse of overdrinking—exhaustion coupled with insomnia.

After about an hour, the worst of the dizziness subsided. Slowly, he sat up, went to the kitchen for a large glass of water, then made his way to the bathroom. Feeling slightly better, he trudged up to the second floor, too drained to even think about Feng Yunchen or Ai Xiaoxi. All he wanted was his bed.

But when he opened the door, he was stunned.

The room was empty of his usual companions—Xiaobai, Xiaohuang, Banya, and Jiujiu were nowhere to be found. Instead, lying on his bed was a blonde woman in silky pajamas.

Jiang Hai blinked, trying to clear his foggy mind. Looking more closely, he recognized her—it was Aphra Arnold.

"What's going on? Did I walk into the wrong room?" he muttered, scanning the familiar layout. No, this was definitely his room. So why was she here?

"You're finally back," Aphra murmured sleepily. She had been awakened by the sound of the door opening. Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking at Jiang Hai with mild reproach.

"Uh… You're sleeping here? Alright, I'll go crash in another room," Jiang Hai said apologetically, turning to leave. But before he could step out, Aphra jumped off the bed and grabbed his arm.

"Don't go. If you leave now, my visit will have been in vain."

Hearing those words, Jiang Hai's mind, still clouded from the alcohol, suddenly sharpened. A woman, dressed like this, waiting in his bed in the middle of the night—who would believe she had no intentions?

"Aphra, stop joking. I need to sleep. You know I can't make any promises," he muttered, trying to pull away.

"Who wants your promises? I want you." Aphra's voice carried a hint of complaint, but also determination. She didn't give him a chance to protest, pulling him onto the bed.

Jiang Hai, caught off guard, found himself lying beneath her. Their faces were inches apart, their noses nearly touching.

"Have you been drinking?" she asked, wrinkling her nose as the scent of alcohol hit her.

Jiang Hai felt a little embarrassed. "So… let's forget this."

He tried to sit up, but Aphra pushed him back down, her gaze firm. "Drink or no drink, I don't care. I don't know if I'll get another chance like this, so tonight, we settle this. I don't mind the smell of alcohol or sweat. I just want you to feel me—that's all."

Before Jiang Hai could react, she had already begun removing his clothes. He was wearing outdoor sportswear, easy to take off. In the blink of an eye, she had stripped him down. That startled him. Was this really happening?

"Stop, stop!" he tried to protest, his mind still sluggish from the alcohol.

"I'm not stopping. You're drunk—just lie back and enjoy. Leave everything else to me." Aphra pushed him down again and bent forward. In that moment, Jiang Hai lost all resistance.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was her determination, but Jiang Hai found himself surrendering. As the night went on, his initial hesitance melted away, and he allowed the moment to unfold.