Qiao Li chose a spot, spread out a plastic bag, and was about to sit down when she saw the same young man from the subway standing about ten feet away, watching her. He seemed startled when she looked over and quickly averted his gaze.

She didn't think much of it. She sat down, opened a beer, and drank, taking in the scenery of the river. As she finished her first beer, someone sat down beside her. It was the young man. He was holding… two beers. Glass bottles, clinking together. She remembered him buying popsicles earlier though. 

Nonetheless, she gave him a small smile and opened another can.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him trying to open his beer bottle, repeatedly using his teeth. The sight made her own jaw ache. She dug her keychain out of her bag. 

"Let me help you with that," she offered.

Feng Yi blushed. ‘So embarrassing!’

"Okay," he mumbled. His mind had gone blank earlier; he’d thrown away the popsicles and bought two beers instead. A tall glass bottle and a short can, they looked good together, right? Only after buying them did he realize how impulsive he’d been. He'd considered throwing them away and taking the subway, but then the image of the groping hand on the train flashed through his mind. 

The goddess was so beautiful; what if she encountered a creep on the way home? There’d been so many news stories lately about women being assaulted.

Worried, he clutched the beers and hurried after her, intending to see her home safely. If they ran into more than one thug, and he couldn't fight them off, he could at least smash the bottles over their heads.

Then the goddess had stopped at the riverbank. The breeze played with her hair as she gazed at the scattered lights on the water, her back looking incredibly fragile and forlorn. Feng Yi took out his phone and texted Qi Han.

[abcdYifg: Not coming for games. Something came up.]

She looked like she wanted to drown her sorrows. Wouldn’t that make her even more vulnerable? He had to make sure she got home safe.

After watching her for a while, he found himself sitting beside her.

Qiao Li opened his beer, and they both drank in silence. She had a low tolerance. Four beers wouldn't make her lose control, but they would slow her reactions and dull any negative emotions. She finished her last can and was about to leave when a beer bottle appeared before her. "Want this?"

Feng Yi had only finished half of his first bottle and still had the other one untouched. He'd been stealing glances at Qiao Li. Even after four beers, the sadness hadn’t left her face. Clearly, she hadn't had enough to drown her sorrows, so he generously offered her his other beer. Although she looked beautiful with her brow slightly furrowed, her smile was even more captivating.

Qiao Li took the bottle, stunned, then smiled. 

"Thanks." Having someone to drink with definitely lifted her spirits. "I'm Qiao Li. Qiao as in tree, Li as in colored glass*."

*T/N: Her name’s Chinese character meaning.

Qiao Li. Such a beautiful name. Qiao was beautiful, Li was beautiful, and together they were even more beautiful, especially when paired with the person herself. Feng Yi repeated her name silently in his mind. "Feng Yi. Feng as in seal, Yi as in easy."

"Just got off work too?" Qiao Li asked.

Still reveling in the knowledge of her name, Feng Yi murmured, "Yeah."

"Live nearby?"