The scent of liquor filled the private room as Xie Zhuran and Lin An, both drunk, stared dumbfounded at the side of Song Qiuyu that appeared after she had had too much to drink.
Was there some kind of fungus mixed into this beer?
Otherwise, how could they be witnessing their own roommate acting like a real girl, coquettishly pouting and begging Jiang Xiao for a hug?
This was way too Jaguarlike and bizarre.
If Lao Song were really a girl, wouldn’t she have already been taken straight to a hotel by now?
Luckily, Lao Song was a guy.
But then again, is being a guy really any safer? What if the other party was from Chengdu?
No, that couldn’t be it.
The gay scene in Chengdu preferred bearded, chubby men, not someone like Song Qiuyu.
That didn’t seem quite right either.
Someone like Song Qiuyu might belong more to the Xiaonan Niang category. Speaking of which, was Xiaonan Niang even male or female, or was Xiaonan Niang’s gender just Xiaonan Niang?
Regardless, with Song Qiuyu’s looks, whether male or female didn’t matter to certain people at all.
The two heavily intoxicated men exchanged a glance and then turned their eyes to Jiang Xiao.
“Lao Jiang, this is on you now.”
“We can’t let Song Qiuyu get drunk again!”
Sang Tian reflexively opened her phone camera and pointed the lens at the two figures.
Only two people at the scene were still sober—Sang Tian and, naturally, Jiang Xiao.
“Hug me~”
Seeing Song Qiuyu act like a little girl after getting drunk, Jiang Xiao lowered his eyelashes and didn’t move to hug her.
Song Qiuyu seemed to notice Jiang Xiao’s refusal and looked a little disappointed, lowering her head. She didn’t force herself onto him but instead turned to look at the other person beside her.
She murmured, stepped over, and continued to open her arms with a coquettish tone: “Hug me~”
“Why does Lao Song look for someone to hug everywhere when he’s drunk? And what does he do after getting hugged? Surely he wouldn’t go and kiss someone, right?”
Xie Zhuran glanced at his roommate, who was asking him for a hug, and couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
Although his roommate was indeed adorable, he was straight.
Just as straight as the Mysterious Heaven Sever Spirit Sword he kept in the dormitory.
He wasn’t into being hugged or kissed by men.
Wait…
But then again, could he guide Lao Song to hug Sang Tian?
His eyes shifted as he cleverly moved beside Sang Tian.
Drunkenly, Song Qiuyu turned and looked at Sang Tian.
Xie Zhuran’s calculations were so obvious that Lin An quickly understood his intentions.
They had been planning to matchmake their roommate with Sang Tian anyway. If they really ended up hugging, it would be perfect.
However, just as Song Qiuyu moved toward Sang Tian, Jiang Xiao frowned deeply.
He recalled what he had done to Song Qiuyu when they were both drunk.
Both of them were men; after something like that happened, they could both pretend it never did.
But Sang Tian was a girl. Sang Tian couldn’t handle that.
For Sang Tian, it would be a hurt.
To put it more seriously, it would be considered drunken molestation.
With this thought, he acted immediately, stepping forward to firmly grab his potentially mistake-making roommate.
“Uh…”
Song Qiuyu blinked blankly at Jiang Xiao. Her drunken mind couldn’t think clearly and simply regarded him as someone coming to give a hug.
A hopeful and excited smile bloomed on her slightly flushed cheeks.
“Want a hug?”
She tilted her flushed face up, looked at Jiang Xiao’s cold expression with blurry, drunk eyes, and lightly swayed her open arms, showing no hesitation in expressing her strong desire to be embraced.
“The time in the private room is almost up. Let’s get ready to go. We have an 8 a.m. class tomorrow.”
Jiang Xiao didn’t look at her. With a somewhat guilty sigh, he let go of her slender arms.
A drunk person wouldn’t understand words; only emotions were heightened. The shapely eyes reddened again.
“Damn, is she about to cry again?!”
Xie Zhuran immediately felt the situation was tricky and a little helpless.
After saying that, he subconsciously wanted to call Sang Tian to think of a solution.
Before he could act on the idea, Lin An sighed beside him. He also understood Jiang Xiao’s meaning, adjusted his glasses, and said,
“Lao Jiang, how about you let Qiuyu get a hug, then help him walk, and get ready to leave?”
“Walking while drunk and swaying will be very uncomfortable for Song. Carrying him would be more comfortable.”
Sang Tian blinked rapidly, dropping a heavy hint.
Hearing this, Jiang Xiao fell silent, glanced at Song Qiuyu twice, and not daring to hesitate, bit his lip and braced himself to get closer.
Immediately, he opened his arms. The moment she lunged forward, he hugged her tightly.
It wasn’t their first hug. The closest they’d been was in the dormitory when Song Qiuyu accidentally fell into his arms trying to grab back a notebook…
But that time, there were no eyes watching them.
“Well done, Lao Jiang. This time, Lao Song shouldn’t cry anymore.”
Xie Zhuran couldn’t help but sympathize with Jiang Xiao.
Usually, he was stuck being paired with Lao Song no matter what, and now he had to take care of a drunk roommate who had turned into a coquettish drunkard.
Though Lao Song was a guy, he was so cute and pretty—what a test for the cadre.
Hopefully, Lao Jiang could hold out and not accidentally be led astray and make a big mistake.
“Anyway, Qiuyu’s in your hands now, Lao Jiang.” Lin An agreed deeply.
“I really didn’t expect Song to be this cute when drunk.”
Sang Tian couldn’t help but snap another picture.
Xie Zhuran and Lin An froze.
Not cute—how could it be anything but terrifying? Right, Lao Jiang?
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Jiang Xiao’s body stiffened severely, no longer daring to feel the softness in his arms.
Although both were men, the person he was hugging was soft and fragrant.
Face-to-face and tightly embraced like this, it was too easy to feel the subtle parts of the other’s body.
Perhaps out of fear, he tried his best to control the distance.
He was afraid of touching that part of the other person’s body, and also afraid of the other touching his. Neither wanted trouble.
Yet the person in his arms acted like a mischievous little wild female cat, rubbing her hot face and body against him!
In her foggy state, she teased him, and he helplessly held her tightly, really not daring to move.
Any movement could cause a problem.
“Hug me, hehe~”
“Mm, hug me.”
Jiang Xiao clenched his fists, expressionless, repeating the words like a broken record, then spent some effort carefully removing her from himself.
He persuaded her to climb onto his back and then decisively grabbed her thighs, gently lifting her up.
“Jiang Xiao, where are we going?”
The drunkard on his back wrapped her slender arms tightly around his neck, smiling silly, asking a dumb question.
“To the dormitory.”
Jiang Xiao originally didn’t want to respond but thought better of it and answered briefly.
They left the KTV together.
The night was clear with a bright moon and sparse stars, perfect weather except for the wet cold night wind blowing over them.
But the breath Song Qiuyu exhaled into Jiang Xiao’s ear was hot and wet.
“Jiang Xiao…”
Song Qiuyu was quiet for a long moment, looked up at the sky, stretched out two fingers pointing at the stars, and asked,
“Why do you think the stars in the sky are winking at us?”
Jiang Xiao didn’t want to respond.
Xie Zhuran and Lin An couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Since becoming bystanders, they found this quite amusing.
Poor Lao Jiang.
But they just couldn’t hold it in.
Ignoring the two snickering roommates, Jiang Xiao suddenly felt like throwing off the drunk on his back.
But then again, during the National Day Holiday when he himself got drunk, it probably wasn’t like this…
Whether it was or wasn’t, Song Qiuyu had indeed taken care of him all along.
Thinking this, the impulse to toss her off suddenly vanished.
He just felt this was what he should do.
Endure it. This was his penance.
“I heard that people who pass away become stars, always watching… watching the most important people! Hoping to see the important people find happiness again…”
After saying this, Song Qiuyu gave a silly laugh, looking as if she was asking for praise for her cleverness.
No one praised her; the three of them laughed but unconsciously looked up at the twinkling stars, each with their own thoughts.
Jiang Xiao paused, also looking up at the stars, fixating on the brightest one, sinking into silence.
Along the way, Song Qiuyu’s chatter never stopped, spouting nonsense. At first, they could catch a few words; later, it was all confusion.
Back at school, the five parted ways. Sang Tian, happily loaded with photos, returned to the Girls’ Dormitory. Jiang Xiao continued carrying the drunkard and returned with two other drunkards to the Men’s Dormitory.
What they didn’t expect was that as soon as they arrived, Song Qiuyu’s cheeks puffed out, looking like he was about to vomit.
“Lao Song, don’t throw up!”
“Qiuyu, hold on a bit!”
Xie Zhuran and Lin An scrambled to help Jiang Xiao.
But they were still a step too late.
Two sets of clothes were dirtied—one Jiang Xiao’s, the other Song Qiuyu’s.
“Phew…” The discomfort on Song Qiuyu’s pretty face faded, and he looked drowsy and lazy.
“It’s fine. I’ll take Song Qiuyu to the bathroom to clean up.” Jiang Xiao decisively supported him and headed straight for the balcony, opened the bathroom door, and walked inside.
Watching the two leave, Xie Zhuran muttered with a shake of his head, “Lao Song has been an adoptive father to Lao Jiang for so long. Finally, it’s time for Lao Jiang, the good son, to repay the favor.”
Xie Zhuran’s voice was soft with emotion.
After saying this, his expression changed, and he covered his mouth before dashing into the restroom, almost disappearing in a blur.
“Ugh.”
“What an idiot.”
Lin An shook his head and sighed.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiao had already taken off his soiled jacket and shirt.
He tossed the dirty clothes into the laundry basket, held his breath, and looked at Song Qiuyu leaning against the wall, head tilted as if he might collapse any moment.
Song Qiuyu looked very sleepy, eyes squinting, clearly unable to open them fully.
“Want me to help you take it off?”
Jiang Xiao stared at him for a long while before speaking.
Song Qiuyu’s eyes remained squinted and dazed. He pursed his lips, then used his hands to pull down the zipper of his jacket.
But someone drunk couldn’t undress properly.
After a while, the jacket was still on, and he had managed to dirty his clean white shirt underneath.
“I’ll do it.”
Jiang Xiao looked at him helplessly.
Then he reached out carefully to help remove the soiled jacket. However, when it came to the shirt, he hesitated.
Song Qiuyu only had two layers on; if he took the shirt off too, then that would mean…
Jiang Xiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He raised his eyes to look at him and then lowered them to the chest rising and falling with each breath, making his heart race.
Accidentally seeing and personally undressing someone were two completely different things.
“Stop dawdling…”
Song Qiuyu pushed Jiang Xiao’s hesitant hands away, lowered his head, and fumbled with the shirt buttons for quite a while but couldn’t undo a single one.
Seeing him about to try biting the buttons, Jiang Xiao quickly interrupted,
“Let me do it.”
Song Qiuyu’s lowered eyelashes trembled slightly.
She removed her hands from the buttons, tilted her head to one side, and, still drunk, slightly opened her eyes.
Her watery, nearly overflowing eyes were blurry and unclear.
She could only vaguely see Jiang Xiao’s hands reaching out to her, unbuttoning the shirt one by one, slowly from top to bottom.
If it were anyone else approaching her, she might have resisted.
Her brain started thinking, but she didn’t know why, when it was Jiang Xiao, she felt no resistance—only a deep sense of security.
She even wanted to get closer to him.
Song Qiuyu couldn’t think clearly and only followed this feeling of comfort, letting him continue unbuttoning.
As the shirt opened, a slightly raised patch of snow-white skin was exposed to the air. Maybe due to the cold air, Song Qiuyu’s body trembled lightly.
Jiang Xiao’s breath hitched, blood quickening.
His mind was very clear—this was his roommate, his friend, his brother.
Yet for a moment, he misjudged the situation.
He mistakenly thought the person in front of him was a girl.
Thinking that way made an already difficult situation even harder—he was undressing Song Qiuyu.
And with Song Qiuyu’s silent consent.
Realizing his own unnecessary nervousness, his emotions grew more complicated, but he couldn’t ignore the blatantly speeding heartbeat.
Jiang Xiao dared not look at Song Qiuyu’s face.
He tried to banish distracting thoughts and silently repeated the Great Compassion Mantra in his heart.
The thin white shirt draped around shoulders as smooth and soft as milk and jade, the clean, beautiful back exposed from beneath the shirt.
Just like that, Song Qiuyu appeared before him again without a shirt.
His skin was as tender and white as jade, pure as untouched snow.