“Stand up.”
Su Yao’s body trembled at the sound of the voice. After a moment’s thought, she realized Mu Nanqiu was talking to her. After all, Wang Jing was genuinely passed out, sleeping peacefully, with no chance of standing up on her own.
Glancing at the pair of feet that hadn’t moved since stopping beside her, Su Yao felt a wave of panic.
Even though she knew the command was for her, she chose to play dumb.
Ten seconds passed, and the private room was silent except for the music.
The suffocating pressure was overwhelming…
Su Yao felt like crying, screaming in her mind, *I just want to go home!*
But Mu Nanqiu mercilessly stepped closer. Su Yao shot to her feet, standing less than half a meter from her. The proximity sent her nerves into overdrive, her body tensing, terrified of what Mu Nanqiu might do.
But Mu Nanqiu only said, “That’s more like it.”
Su Yao let out a sigh of relief. She’d half-expected Mu-xuejie to pat her shoulder and say, “Su Yao, I’m disappointed in you,” followed by a dramatic *bang*—whoops, wrong scene.
Shaking her head lightly, Su Yao felt like her brain was swimming in alcohol, filled with chaotic thoughts.
Mu Nanqiu glanced at Su Yao’s flushed face, then scooped up the limp Wang Jing from the couch, propping her up. Turning to Su Yao, she said, “Help me get her to the car.”
“Oh, okay!”
Su Yao’s mind was barely keeping up, but she didn’t hesitate at Mu Nanqiu’s words. She immediately reached out to support Wang Jing’s soft, boneless body.
Mu Nanqiu slung Wang Jing’s arm over her shoulder, gripping her wrist with one hand and wrapping the other around her waist. Su Yao mirrored her on the other side.
Together, they hoisted Wang Jing up, though Su Yao’s shorter stature meant most of the weight fell on Mu Nanqiu.
Luckily, Wang Jing wasn’t heavy, and Mu Nanqiu was far from frail. It was almost effortless.
They carried Wang Jing out.
Miss Li-zi watched, momentarily stunned. Spotting the jacket on the couch, she realized it was Su Yao’s, chased after them, and handed it over. With two people suddenly gone, the room’s atmosphere cooled instantly.
When they stepped out of the elevator on the third basement level, a blast of cold air hit Su Yao, snapping her fully awake. Earlier, the alcohol had made her feel like she was burning, unbothered by the cold, so she hadn’t properly worn her jacket. Now, the wind made her shiver.
By the side of a sleek black luxury car, as the back door opened, Mu Nanqiu said, “You don’t need to help anymore. It’s cold—put your jacket on.”
Su Yao didn’t react at first, blinking as she stole a glance at Mu Nanqiu’s profile. *Mu-xuejie is really pretty*, she thought. Though Wang Jing was attractive too, Mu Nanqiu’s aura was more captivating.
And this car—though Su Yao didn’t recognize the make—looked expensive.
Someone like Mu-xuejie was out of her league. Their brief acquaintance a few hours ago and their connection through Wang Jing were the only reasons they were interacting so closely now. To Su Yao, Mu Nanqiu still felt like a stranger, so…
Pursing her lips, Su Yao let go of Wang Jing and slipped on her jacket.
She watched as Mu Nanqiu single-handedly maneuvered Wang Jing into the car. Taking quiet steps backward, Su Yao was about to turn and leave when Mu Nanqiu’s voice stopped her.
“I’ll drive you home.”
“No, no need to trouble you, xuejie. My place isn’t far—I can walk. Yeah, I’ll just walk.”
Su Yao gave an awkward smile, brushing it off. They weren’t even friends; the offer was probably just polite small talk.
She knew how these things worked!
But Mu Nanqiu turned, staring straight at Su Yao, who had already backed up two meters, and said in a firm, unwavering tone, “I’m not being polite.”
“Uh…”
Su Yao froze, unsure what to do. She lowered her head, occasionally glancing up, but the moment her eyes met Mu Nanqiu’s, she looked away. One hand fidgeted with her hair, the other tugged at her sleeve, her body swaying slightly.
Mu Nanqiu took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration, and said, “You’ve been drinking.”
“I’m not drunk! I’m totally sober. You don’t need to worry about me, xuejie. I’ll just… go…”
Su Yao kept arguing, convinced the cold air had cleared her head. Without waiting for a reply, she turned to leave.
But after just two or three steps, she was yanked back. Turning stiffly, she saw Mu Nanqiu’s face, tinged with irritation.
“I—”
“Do you want me to knock you out and drag you into the car? I said I’m taking you home.”
Mu Nanqiu was furious—absolutely furious. Su Yao was trying to slip away again, and she wanted to teach her a lesson. But seeing the girl’s timid, frightened expression, Mu Nanqiu couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Swallowing her words with a sigh, Mu Nanqiu reached out and pinched Su Yao’s cheek—soft, warm, and squishy. She wondered what it’d be like to take a bite.
Su Yao, now pinched, was terrified Mu Nanqiu might hit her. She’d defied Mu-xuejie several times, and surely she was upset. The pinch was just the start—there had to be more coming!
But as she waited, all she got was Mu Nanqiu’s impossibly gentle voice.
“Good girl~”
The sound made Su Yao’s bones melt, her body going limp as she collapsed into Mu Nanqiu’s arms. The softness, the faint milky fragrance—it was *Mu-xuejie’s scent*…
Feeling the gentle touch and scent against her face, Su Yao swallowed hard. She was convinced she was about to be silenced for good. Trembling, she stammered, “Xuejie, I’m really sorry! I… I just lost my balance. You really don’t need to drive me!”
Holding the stubbornly defiant yet soft Su Yao, Mu Nanqiu gave a helpless smile. Taming this awkward personality was going to be a long road.
Keeping a firm grip to stop Su Yao from squirming free, Mu Nanqiu adopted a threatening tone. “You’re saying you’re not drunk? You can barely stand. How are you getting home? A girl, drunk, wandering alone at night? Aren’t you afraid you’ll end up passed out on the street, picked up and sold off?”
“I…”
Su Yao’s face scrunched up. Though the alcohol had dulled her mind, she could still understand Mu Nanqiu’s words were true.
But she didn’t want to accept help. She was afraid—afraid of relying on others, afraid of becoming addicted to someone’s presence.
*I can manage just fine on my own.*
Mu Nanqiu wasn’t waiting for Su Yao’s agreement. Taking a deep breath, she slipped one arm under Su Yao’s armpit to support her back and hooked the other under her knees, lifting her in a princess carry.
Caught off guard, Su Yao instinctively wrapped her arms around Mu Nanqiu’s neck.
By the time she processed what happened, she was already in the passenger seat, staring blankly as Mu-xuejie leaned over to fasten her seatbelt.
*Did I just get princess-carried?!*
As Mu Nanqiu settled into the driver’s seat, the car started.
The night world was in full swing, livelier than before. Su Yao gazed out the window at the shifting street scenes until the car stopped at a traffic light.
They were stuck in traffic.
Mu Nanqiu, mildly irritated, tapped her fingers on the steering wheel while waiting. Glancing at Su Yao, who looked half-asleep, she said, “Don’t drink anymore, and don’t hang out with that crowd.”
“Okay…”
Su Yao mumbled a response, unsure if she’d follow through. Future problems could wait for the future.
Mu Nanqiu didn’t seem bothered by Su Yao’s half-hearted reply. She’d had similar talks with Mu Beizhi, who was just as rebellious. A bit of hands-on discipline usually did the trick.
“Especially Hua Mingye. Stay away from her.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
“Did you hear me?”
“Huh?”
Su Yao blinked, confused. Hadn’t she already answered? Before she could dwell on it, Mu Nanqiu pressed on.
“Repeat it.”
“…”
Su Yao felt like she was turning to stone. What was this about? Puzzled, she glanced at Mu Nanqiu in the driver’s seat, only to find her staring back. Su Yao quickly shifted her gaze to the car ahead, pretending not to notice.
But Mu Nanqiu wasn’t letting her off. Smirking, she teased, “Repeat it for me.”
At that moment, Wang Jing started mumbling incoherently from the back seat. Mu Nanqiu snapped, “Go back to sleep,” and Wang Jing fell silent instantly. Su Yao had hoped Wang Jing might divert the pressure, but she was useless in less than a second.
With Mu Nanqiu’s gaze back on her, Su Yao felt the weight of it. Twisting her fingers, she stared at a distant building and muttered, “Um… don’t hang out with Hua Mingye…”
“Good enough.”
Su Yao’s reluctance was obvious, but Mu Nanqiu didn’t mind. Smiling, she reached out and patted Su Yao’s head. “Can you sing?”
The head pat caught her off guard, but Su Yao wasn’t as nervous now. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she felt unusually bold, staring at Mu Nanqiu’s face.
She’d thought the “ice-cold goddess” xuejie was aloof and unfeeling, but seeing her smile warmly was a surprise.
Grinning foolishly, Su Yao said, “I can sing ‘Two Tigers.’ Pretty impressive, right?”
Puffing out her chest proudly, she cleared her throat and began, “Two tigers, two tigers, one has no ears…”
Mu Nanqiu reacted quickly, pulling out her phone to record Su Yao’s tipsy rendition of “Two Tigers.”