Victoria let out a groan as she began to stir, having the vaguest sense that something was not quite right. She sat up abruptly, her eyes widening in alarm as memories of the night before came rushing back. Ignoring the dull headache that had begun to form, she spared a quick glance at the couch she had been lying on before taking in her surroundings. It didn’t take her long to figure out just whose living room she had been sleeping in, and the realization made her grimace.

“Oh good,” a voice suddenly said, causing a startled Victoria to whip her head towards the speaker. “You’re awake.”

A young man made his way cautiously into the living room, his boyish face and messy black hair making him look more like a teenager than a young adult. Henry Lau gave Victoria a thin smile before continuing, “It looks like you’re really awake this time; that’s good.”

“Nice to see you too, Henry,” Victoria replied warily, rolling her eyes in mild annoyance. She hadn’t seen him in nearly two years, but somehow, he still looked the same as before when they last met. She frowned in confusion. “What do you mean I’m ‘really’ awake this time?”

“You kept waking up from time to time after you fainted at the party,” Henry explained with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “You finally passed out after a while and hadn’t woken up until now.”

Victoria groaned again—of all the situations to get herself into, it just had to involve her ex-boyfriend. “Where is Zhou Mi now? How did I get here?” she asked, her tone bordering on demanding. She felt her headache worsen as her mind tried to help her figure out why Henry was even in China because the last time she’d checked, he was still studying in Canada.

“He brought you here after you passed out at the party last night,” Henry answered, giving a slight nod towards the hallway. “He's currently in the shower, but if you want to yell at him you're free to wait until he's done.”

Victoria ignored the subtle sarcasm in his tone and instead gave an exasperated sigh. She really did not want to be here having this conversation with Mi’s best friend, who was obviously not pleased to see her. She needed to leave immediately.

“Mi-gē was worried there would be too much drama if you were sent to the hospital, so he—” Henry found himself unable to continue his explanation as Victoria began speaking over him.

“Forget it; I don’t want to know why.” She rose from the couch and began walking towards the front door, her eyes scanning for her belongings. “I should go; tell Mi ‘thank you’ for me.”

“Wait a minute,” Henry said quickly, moving immediately in front of her. “I know you’re mad at Mi-gē for doing this, but he was really worried about you, okay?” Henry bit his bottom lip before continuing, “You were drugged last night, and he was worried that whoever did it would hurt you.”

“I wasn't drugged,” Victoria replied quickly, shaking her head as she did so. “I was drunk.”

Henry raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Seriously? Do you really think Mi-gē is that stupid? You can lie to yourself all you want, but the truth is the truth: you were drugged at that party. If it wasn't for Mi-gē, who knows what would have happened to you.”

Henry wasn’t trying to be rude on purpose, but he would have been lying if he said he was happy to see her—she did dump his best friend, after all. When Mi had called him that morning saying that there was an urgent matter that needed his help, he had been expecting the worst. What he did not expect was to see his friend’s ex-girlfriend passed out on the couch and an agitated Mi. After being briefed on the events from the night before, Henry reluctantly agreed to watch over Victoria in case she woke up. He had promised he would be nice, but that was easier said than done.

Victoria took a deep breath, mentally counted to ten, and then released a long sigh before giving Henry a pointed look. “I don’t have the energy to argue with you, Henry. Now please, where’s my purse?”

Henry returned her gaze levelly before sighing. “Wait here a moment and I’ll go get it.”

Victoria watched as he scampered off, his feet silent against the carpet. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, she hurried to the front door and put on her shoes. Just as she finished adjusting the strap on her left heel, Henry returned with her purse. She all but snatched it out of his hand and was just about to turn the knob of the door when a hand on her wrist stopped her. She turned back around to see Henry shaking his head. She scowled. “What?”

“I’m driving you home; Mi-gē’s orders,” he stated flatly. He could practically see the steam coming from her ears at this point. He was probably going to get in trouble with Mi later, but honestly, it wasn’t his fault the girl was so stubborn. He continued in a firm tone, “I don’t know why, but even after what happened, he still cares for you. He’s my best friend and I respect his opinions and decisions, even if I don’t agree with him. Therefore, I’m taking you home.”

Victoria wrenched her arm free from Henry’s grasp and gritted her teeth as she resisted the urge to scream. Instead, she glared at him and stated in the most monotonous tone she could muster, “Henry. It’s fine. I am perfectly capable to drive myself home.”

Henry opened his mouth to continue arguing against her, but before he could utter a single word, a new voice cut in, “That’s enough, Henry. You’ve done your part.” Both Henry and Victoria turned at the voice; Henry immediately shot the speaker an apologetic look. Mi flicked his gaze between the two, his expression completely neutral as he surveyed the situation at hand. Crossing his arms over his chest, he allowed his eyes to settle on Victoria as he stated in a tone that was as monotonous as hers, “If she wants to leave, then let her.”

Henry frowned but remained silent. Both watched as Victoria turned around and opened the door. Instead of leaving, however, she paused and turned back towards Mi. Giving him a quick bow, she forced herself to remain emotionless as she expressed her gratitude. “Thank you for your concern, but really, I'm fine. Let’s just pretend that last night never happened, okay?” Before either of them could give her an answer, she darted out the door, shutting it loudly behind her.

At the sound of the door closing, Mi released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. He began walking towards the couch, shaking his head and muttering under his breath as he began folding the blanket that he had used to cover Victoria’s sleeping form the night before.

Henry paused for a moment before following his friend. He stood by the coffee table and patiently waited for Mi to finish tidying up before speaking. “I can’t believe you just let her leave like that.”

Mi shot the younger man a look that clearly conveyed his discomfort at the topic. When Henry didn’t budge, however, he sighed again before sitting down. A hand reached up and scrubbed over his eyes as he said in a tired voice, “She already hates me. If I meddle in her business any more, she’ll probably get a restraining order or something.”

“Someone could have seriously hurt her last night,” Henry reminded him softly. He hated seeing Mi like this, but he hated being unable to help even more. He wished Victoria had been more honest with them; he was sure it would have made Mi feel a lot better.

Mi didn't respond, but a long sigh conveyed his current mood about the situation. As much as he tried to stay calm and rational about what had happened the night before, his gut instinct was telling him that something was very wro