Under the dazzling, brilliant lights, Jiang Xiao’s pair of phoenix eyes were as clear as black jade, calm as a still ancient well.
Reflected in his eyes was a girl—this girl, like him, held a microphone in both hands.
But the key was, beneath her delicate and obedient features, Song Qiuyu’s slender, fair neck was slowly flushing red, inch by inch, with shyness.
Staring at her own reflection in his eyes, Song Qiuyu felt a restless stirring in parts of her body she couldn’t explain.
The atmosphere was subtle, her body burning hot.
She was only thinking about him, glancing at him subconsciously.
She didn’t have any other thoughts, yet somehow, she felt that if they kept looking at each other like this, something would happen.
As their gazes met, her heart raced faster and faster.
For a moment, she even thought Jiang Xiao looked unbearably handsome?
Although that was indeed a fact—ask Xie Zhuran or Lin An and they’d agree—but for her to think this now, in this situation, felt somehow… wrong!
It must be the Love Song Effect…
Love Songs really do people in!
Unconsciously, Song Qiuyu shifted her gaze away, gripping the microphone tighter and pretending to stay calm as she kept singing.
Fortunately, Jiang Xiao also averted his eyes at almost the exact same moment.
She snuck a glance at Jiang Xiao, but he acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to sing the next lyrics in his strange tone.
Apparently, she was the only one who found the eye contact awkward.
Once she realized this, Song Qiuyu’s singing grew more and more through gritted teeth, her mood unable to settle.
Xie Zhuran and Lin An both quietly covered their ears.
Damn it, why was fate torturing them like this!
They absolutely couldn’t let Jiang Xiao sing another song!
Only Sang Tian was thoroughly enjoying herself.
By the end of the Love Song, no one even remembered the original melody.
After that, Jiang Xiao didn’t sing again, and Song Qiuyu didn’t push him.
Instead, she kept piling snacks in front of him, urging him to eat and drink more.
Time slipped by happily, and soon, their KTV package was up.
“A Zhen, from the moment I saw you, I fell in love with you!” Xie Zhuran, dead drunk, hugged the KTV trash can, about to kiss it.
Lin An, even worse off, had taken off his glasses and was so drunk he claimed he saw his late Great-grandmother.
“Jiang Xiao, you take one, I’ll take the other!” Song Qiuyu rolled up her nonexistent sleeves and yanked Xie Zhuran off the trash can.
Of the group, only she, Jiang Xiao, and Sang Tian were still sober.
Since arriving at KTV, Song Qiuyu had barely touched any alcohol, afraid she’d get herself into trouble if she drank too much.
Sang Tian was the same, but for a different reason—her family didn’t allow her to drink much outside.
Jiang Xiao was even more unusual; he simply didn’t like alcohol.
Two bottles was friendship, any more was too much.
Still, it took real effort for them to drag the two drunkards out of KTV.
As soon as they stepped outside, a gust of rain-laden night wind made them shiver.
Looking up, they saw the sky dark and wild, rain pouring down.
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and raindrops smacked against the street, turning everything into a misty blur.
Trees along the roadside bent under the force of the wind.
In front of KTV, water had already pooled deep enough to cover their shoes.
Water kept splashing up onto their clothes and pants.
What a heavy rain…
A thunderstorm, no less.
Song Qiuyu immediately checked the Weather Forecast on her phone.
The forecast showed the rainfall would keep increasing, and this downpour was expected to last a whole week!
The rain had probably started a while ago, but they’d been in the private room and hadn’t noticed.
Now, there wasn’t a single person or car on the street.
Trying to return to campus in this would be too risky.
She thought back to the way things were earlier.
No wonder the whole afternoon had been stuffy and hot, with no sun in the sky.
If she’d known there’d be a thunderstorm, she wouldn’t have gone out today.
“The rain’s too heavy, we can’t get back to school. I remember there’s a hotel nearby—why don’t we run over and stay there for the night?”
Song Qiuyu’s whole face was shrouded in thick dampness from the rain, with tiny sparkling droplets clinging to her eyelashes.
The strands of hair falling over her forehead were strung with beads of water, swaying in the night wind.
“That’s all we can do.”
Jiang Xiao looked at her and nodded.
“Alright, let me think… It should be this way. Let’s run as fast as we can!”
With that, Song Qiuyu supported the drunken Xie Zhuran, took a deep breath, and strode into the storm.
The moment she stepped out, water splashed everywhere. Her shoes and socks were soaked, and her pant legs even more so.
Jiang Xiao helped Lin An and ran out too, with Sang Tian close behind.
Luckily, as soon as they dashed into the rain, they saw a hotel in business less than thirty meters away.
“Hurry, it’s just up ahead!” Song Qiuyu’s long black hair curled into seaweed, sticking to her face and neck.
On her snow-white skin, the cold rain kept streaming down.
The dampness wrapped around her, and the clammy, sagging sensation of her wet clothes made her deeply uncomfortable.
After a wild sprint through the rain, the group of drowned rats finally burst into the nearest Yunni Hotel.
The hotel front desk staff were momentarily stunned, but quickly switched into professional mode.
Because of the downpour, business was booming tonight—the hotel was nearly full. When they inquired, the front desk explained the situation.
“There’s only one single room left?”
Song Qiuyu frowned, looking at their rain-soaked clothes and pant legs, feeling a bit troubled.
This was just too classic.
If it were only Jiang Xiao and Sang Tian coming to the hotel tonight—a boy and a girl alone in a room, with just one bed…
Their relationship would heat up in no time, no matter how you looked at it.
But with so many people together, it completely lost that flavor.
“No choice, we’ll just have to squeeze in.”
Sang Tian helped finish the check-in.
Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao, dragging the two drunkards, followed the hotel staff into the elevator.
Sang Tian stuck close by, helping whenever she could.
When they reached the lone single room, the hotel staff laid out a protective cloth on the floor to keep the bed clean, and then Xie Zhuran and Lin An were neatly deposited on the cloth.
Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao stood aside and started wringing water from their clothes.
They’d run so fast that their clothes were only half wet, but the soaked parts could be wrung out in streams.
What had once been neat clothes were now wrinkled and rumpled.
Sang Tian was wringing hers out too.
“Ugh!” Lin An suddenly rolled over and sat up, looking miserable, one hand clamped over his mouth.
“It’s fine, Song, you guys rest. I’ll take care of him!” Sang Tian said, quickly helping Lin An toward the bathroom.
Watching Sang Tian’s retreating back, Song Qiuyu’s face broke into a satisfied smile.
What a girl—couldn’t ask for better!
She glanced at Jiang Xiao, thinking he’d be watching Sang Tian too, but he wasn’t.
Instead, his eyes were on the box of Poker cards on the table.
“Jiang Xiao, do you want to play Poker?”
Song Qiuyu asked softly, testing the waters.