Achu: "Yeah, I remember back in freshman year, Yezi thought Aning was weak and offered to help her carry materials. But they were too heavy, and Yezi couldn't lift them and almost collapsed. Aning said from the side, 'Why don't I carry them myself? My legs aren't weak.' It was hilarious."
There are always so many things to talk about when it comes to school days.
Su Ye and Chai Qianning's grudges were probably formed back then, and they tormented each other throughout their four years of university.
Su Ye patted Chai Qianning's arm: "Blame her for not saying so earlier. If I had known she could move it herself, I would never have helped her."
"Then I can't let your kindness go to waste," Chai Qianning said, laughing so hard she could barely stand up straight.
This wouldn't have been so funny in the past, but it's quite amusing to talk about now.
"Get lost." Su Ye took a sip of wine and continued, "We have to thank that cockroach in the dorm back then for showing us a different side of A Ning."
One night during my freshman year of college, a cockroach suddenly got into our dorm room. Chu and Jelly were terrified. They tried to defend themselves with brooms and basins, jumping around like monkeys, but they still couldn't catch the cockroach.
Only Chai Qianning sat on the bed, calmly watching the other three in the dormitory dance wildly and exaggeratedly.
At the time, everyone thought she had been scared out of her wits.
When the cockroach crawled onto the wall next to her bed, she casually pulled out a tissue from the side, placed it in her hand, and amidst the shouts of the three people below, slapped the wall, killing the cockroach.
Immediately afterwards, under the horrified and shocked gazes of the other three people in the dormitory, she calmly got out of bed to wash and disinfect her hands.
Achu: "I still remember that incident vividly. Aning is simply my hero; she gave me a good night's sleep that night."
Later, Su Ye often used this incident to tease her, saying that how could a girl be so rude, and that she would never find a girlfriend if she acted like that.
As it turned out, Su Ye revealed the truth: Chai Qianning hadn't found a boyfriend during her four years of university.
Jelly said, "People who are good at flirting don't necessarily find a partner. Aning is a good example. The bookworm next door all have partners now, but Aning doesn't."
"When did A Ning acquire the title of 'veteran cadre'?"
"It was around that day in class that A-Ning brought a thermos cup that was exactly the same as Professor Xu's."
Everyone laughed, and joy enveloped the noise, wandering and surrounding the bar.
Su Ye seemed to remember something and nudged Chai Qianning's arm: "Hey, I remember you took a fancy to someone at the bachelorette party last time?"
"Huh?" Chai Qianning turned her head.
"You wouldn't have dumped her after a one-night stand, would you?"
Chai Qianning put down her wine glass: "Am I such a scumbag?!"
The four of them got together and talked a lot, from college to now, from work to life.
Before she knew it, Chai Qianning had also drunk quite a bit of wine.
She has a high alcohol tolerance, and she deliberately controlled herself, so she didn't get drunk. However, her eyes were hazy, making her look like she was drunk.
During that time, her phone vibrated several times in her pocket.
The message displayed was from Sheng Muxi: "Are you home right now?"
Chai Qianning replied: 【Not here.】
Sheng Muxi: [Where are you?]
Chai Qianning smiled slightly: "At the bar, will you come drink with me?"
Twenty minutes later, Sheng Muxi appeared at Bar No. 12.
While her friends were still drinking upstairs, Chai Qianning came down to find Sheng Muxi.
When Sheng Muxi saw her, his first words were: "Why are you drinking again? Drinking is bad for your health."
Chai Qianning swirled the liquid in her glass: "Again? It's not like I drink all the time." Chai Qianning smiled, finished the last sip of her drink, and placed the glass on the table.
The bottom of the cup made a crisp sound as it clattered against the marble tabletop. Sheng Muxi pursed her lips but remained silent.
She thought to herself that the other person was probably drinking to cheer themselves up because they had been stood up in their online relationship.
Although she knew that doing so might hurt someone, she felt it was worth it, as it would teach the other person a lesson.
Fortunately, Chai Qianning encountered her this time; what if it had been someone else?
Thinking of this, Sheng Muxi's last trace of guilt vanished.
"Are you in a bad mood?" Sheng Muxi asked.
"Huh?" Chai Qianning lifted her eyelids.
"Otherwise, why would someone come here alone to drink?"
Chai Qianning smiled.
Oh, she forgot, she had just been stood up that afternoon, so she shouldn't have such a happy expression on her face.
So she composed herself, lowered her eyes, and when it was time to play along, she was completely unambiguous, her tone perfectly suppressed: "Oh, I'm just in a bad mood."
The playful glint in my eyes was drowned out by the noisy lights and sounds of the bar.
Chai Qianning filled the glass with wine and pushed it in front of Sheng Muxi: "Then you'll have a few drinks with me."
Sheng Muxi rarely drinks alcohol in her daily life, but she agreed to drink with the other person this time because the other person was in a bad mood.
She held the glass with her slender fingers, taking a sip while thinking about how to comfort the other person. But she was afraid of touching on their painful memories, so every time she was about to speak, the words stopped on her lips and she swallowed them back.
The scene before my eyes became increasingly blurry.
The light shifted from pinkish-purple to cyan to yellowish-white, flickering incessantly. In Sheng Muxi's eyes, it all transformed into a tender and lingering filter.
Chai Qianning didn't intend for Sheng Muxi to drink too much with her.
Unexpectedly, the other person had an extremely low alcohol tolerance; he got drunk in less than two drinks.
Chapter 19 Sweetness
The woman's pupils gradually dilated, and she stared blankly at Chai Qianning, but not at her face; rather, she seemed to be staring at some empty space.
Chai Qianning moved the wine glass in front of her to the other side and said, "Are you drunk?"
Sheng Muxi tilted her head, as if she understood, and her breath smelled of alcohol: "I'm not drunk, but I don't usually drink much, so I can't drink too much with you."
“Drunk people always say they’re not drunk.” Chai Qianning raised her fingertips, lightly brushed them across the other person’s nose, and then slid them to her shoulder for support.
The two left the bar.
Chai Qianning took Sheng Muxi back to her home first. Worried that he might feel unwell after drinking, she bought a jar of honey on the way back.
Fortunately, Sheng Muxi was very quiet after getting drunk. He didn't talk nonsense or move around. He leaned against the sofa as if he was asleep.
Chai Qianning unscrewed the honey jar and glanced at the sofa out of the corner of her eye.
As if noticing that the other person was looking at her, Sheng Muxi got up and swayed as she walked to Chai Qianning's side, sat down on the stool, put her hands on the table, and leaned her head slightly.
She stared at Chai Qianning's fingers for a long time, her red lips parting slightly: "What are you doing?"
"I'll make you some honey water; it'll make you feel better," Chai Qianning said with a smile. "You really have a very low alcohol tolerance."
While they were talking, Chai Qianning wasn't paying attention and a few drops of the honey she scooped out accidentally dripped onto the side of her thumb.
She raised her hand, intending to brush the strands of hair from her forehead behind her, when she saw the pale yellow color on her hand.
So much so that some of the honey on her hands got onto the corner of her lips.
She pulled out a tissue from the side, intending to wipe her fingers first, when Sheng Muxi suddenly spoke: "Are you feeling better?"
Chai Qianning said while wiping her hands, "Hmm?"
"What can make you feel better?"
"How about it? Maybe a kiss from you will cheer me up." Chai Qianning's tone was playful.
It was just a joke, and Chai Qianning didn't even take it seriously. But then Sheng Muxi looked up and reached out to tug at her arm.
The force pulling her was very light, but because it was so sudden, Chai Qianning leaned forward and sat down in the chair.
Sheng Muxi leaned forward, her eyes, filled with a drunken glint, appearing unreal no matter how she focused.
"Really?" Sheng Muxi murmured.
Their breaths mingled together. Chai Qianning swallowed hard, her throat bobbing, but she couldn't utter a single word.
The woman's warm fragrance enveloped her heart. Chai Qianning was still holding a tissue in her hand, which was now a crumpled ball.
A slightly cool touch landed on Chai Qianning's lips, followed by a hot, moist, soft sensation that swept away the honey that clung to her lips.
"It's so sweet," Sheng Muxi sighed contentedly.
.
When Sheng Muxi woke up the next day, she was lying in her own bed at home.
After sitting up, I was stunned for a few seconds. My mind went blank for a moment, and then many things came to mind.
She was able to figure out the cause and course of events.
Last night, I got drunk, and Chai Qianning took me home, made me some honey water, and helped me to my room to rest before leaving.
But her memories don't stop there; there's also a vague part—she kissed Chai Qianning.
She curled her fingers to her lips, clenched her knuckles, and frowned slightly, trying hard to figure out whether this memory was a dream or something that had actually happened.
Could it be that she was drunk and fell asleep last night, half-asleep, feeling the other person taking her home while dreaming?
But this dream was far too... different from what she usually dreamed about.
Sheng Muxi hurriedly grabbed her phone from the bedside table, glanced at the time, realized it was the weekend, then buried her face in the pillow, pulled the blanket up to cover her entire face, and rolled around on the bed a few times.
The phone, which had been tossed onto the bed, vibrated. Sheng Muxi threw off the blanket covering her head, reached for her phone, swiped the screen, and after seeing who had sent the message, she instantly sat up.
Chai Qianning: [Are you awake?]
Sheng Muxi replied with "[Awake.]" Her finger hovered above the screen for a while before she finally typed: "[Sorry for troubling you last night, thank you for bringing me back.]"
And... Sheng Muxi tidied her messy long hair, her fair fingers continuing to type on the screen: 【And thank you for the honey water.】
Upon seeing the word "honey," Sheng Muxi licked her lips, as if she could still taste the lingering sweetness from last night.
Chai Qianning: [So you remember.]
Sheng Muxi's cheeks flushed slightly upon seeing this message. She tentatively typed, "[I remember some things, but it's a bit blurry. I didn't do anything while I was drunk, did I?]"