Before even eating anything at the table, Qin Shuang had already downed a few drinks. She then suggested, "Eat something first."
“Yes, yes,” Zhuo Cheng also said, “There’s no rush to drink.”
Everyone ate and drank, first making a circle around each other's drinks, and then moving on to the customary casual drinking session.
Sure enough, Ji Mingming used various topics and excuses to hand wine glasses to Xiao Shulang. Xiao Shulang not only accepted them all, but also took the initiative to retaliate, pestering him to drink.
Qin Shuang frowned as she watched Xiao Shulang down another glass. She wanted to drink for him, but Xiao Shulang gently stopped her.
"It's nothing." Xiao Shulang looked at Ji Mingming, whose face was flushed as he poured the wine again, and whispered to Qin Shuang, "Watch how I deal with him."
Qin Shuang felt that Xiao Shulang's voice also carried the scent of alcohol, otherwise why would there be an unusual warmth brushing against his ear? He swallowed and said, "You should also take care of yourself."
Drinking too much alcohol is ultimately bad for you.
Xiao Shulang nodded.
Finally, Ji Mingming entered upright but ended up lying under the table, while Xiao Shulang sat steadily, finally putting down his wine glass and letting out a soft sigh: "Heh."
You think this is all you've got to drink with me?
Some people cheered and praised him for his high alcohol tolerance.
Xiao Shulang smiled lazily. He didn't flush easily when he drank, but the corners of his eyes were already red. His slightly tipsy and languid appearance inexplicably made the people around him look away, as if they would get drunk if they looked any longer.
Ji Mingming was dragged away by his assistant, and the rest of the people had almost finished eating. The director suggested that they move to another place to continue playing.
Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang have to go back to the Heartbeat Encounter program team tomorrow for work, so they won't be participating in the sequel. After everyone else said goodbye and left, only the two of them and their respective assistants remained.
Xiao Shulang remained seated, pressing his hand to his temples as if trying to sober up. Xiao Jiang said, "Brother Xiao, shall I go get the car?"
Xiao Shulang nodded, put his hands on the table and stood up, but as soon as he got off the chair, his legs went weak and he fell back down with a "plop".
Xiao Jiang stopped abruptly at the door, but before he could go forward, Qin Shuang, who had been standing next to Xiao Shulang, reached out her hand: "Are you alright? Can you still walk steadily?"
Qin Shuang wanted to lend a hand, but Xiao Shulang didn't move.
He frowned slightly, blinked, as if trying to make out something, his gaze slowly moving from Qin Shuang's hand to his face.
The way he looked up made Qin Shuang notice that his usually bright and lively eyes were now filled with confusion, his hidden sharpness gone, and he looked... innocent and obedient.
Qin Shuang's heart skipped a beat, her fingers curled slightly, and her voice became even softer: "Xiao Shulang?"
"I think..." Xiao Shulang said slowly, emphasizing each word, "I'm a little drunk..."
Qin Shuang: I can see that.
He sighed and reached out to help Xiao Shulang up. Xiao Shulang was very quiet while drunk, neither acting out nor talking nonsense. He obediently let others help him up, and seemed very easy to manage.
"Brother Xiao, are you drunk?" Xiao Jiang hurriedly retreated. "Do you even remember where you put your access card?"
Xiao Shulang's room required a key card to unlock, and Xiao Shulang frowned, seemingly trying hard to recall. After a while, his brow relaxed, and he spoke under Xiao Jiang's expectant gaze—
"have no idea."
He spoke very calmly, as if he wasn't the one who wouldn't be able to get into the house tonight.
Xiao Jiang said anxiously, "Then we can only get a hotel room tonight, but we have to go to the dating show crew tomorrow morning. Has Brother Xiao packed his luggage yet? Will he have enough time...?"
Qin Shuang helped the person up, and after a moment of hesitation, said, "Let's go to my house."
Xiao Jiang paused, then asked, "Huh?"
“He’s drunk and needs someone to look after him. If he wakes up tomorrow morning and it’s too late, I have plenty of new clothes that he hasn’t worn yet.”
Qin Shuang said, "We're on the same show, so it's on our way."
That's a solution! But Xiao Jiang hesitated, "Brother Wang told me to take good care of Brother Xiao. If I go with him, won't that cause trouble for Teacher Qin?"
As his assistant, not knowing the true extent of Qin Shuang and Xiao Shulang's relationship, he dared not leave Xiao Shulang alone outside, so he had to accompany him.
Qin Shuang: "No, we have enough guest rooms."
After discussing it, Xiao Jiang and Xiao Wu went out to get the car first, while Qin Shuang said she would just support Xiao Shulang.
Even the most well-behaved drunk person will walk very heavily. Qin Shuang thought for a moment, then put one of Xiao Shulang's arms on her shoulder and wrapped the other arm around his waist to help him up.
Xiao Shulang swayed and leaned against his shoulder, remaining very quiet. Just as he was about to step out of the private room, this quiet drunkard suddenly became restless.
He stretched out a finger and, with audacity, poked Qin Shuang's face.
He not only poked me, but he also said, "You look just like the person I like?"
She looks exactly like my favorite main character.
Who is the person you like? Qin Shuang's eyes darkened.
Before Qin Shuang could react further, a person stomped heavily at the door, making a loud thud despite the soft carpet on the floor.
Zhuo Cheng, who had returned to the private room because he had left something behind, thought: "..."
He stared in disbelief, then panicked, "I left my phone in the private room... I didn't hear anything, really!!"
Qin Shuang: "..."
This is what they mean by "protesting too much here"!
A note from the author:
Xiao Shulang (drunk): Why do you look like the person I like? (My favorite anime/manga character)
Qin Shuang: You have someone you like? Who?
Chatting on different channels
Chapter 25 Could it be that he likes me?!
Qin Shuang and Zhuo Cheng looked at each other in dismay. The drunkard, oblivious to his own mortality, continued to poke the movie star's face with his finger.
It's actually quite easy to poke.
Zhuo Cheng was the first to lose his composure; he was at a loss for what to do: "I...I...I'll go find my phone—"
He bypassed the two people, went inside to grab his phone, and forgot to say goodbye. He ran as fast as he could, as if something was chasing him.
Qin Shuang held Xiao Shulang's arm with one hand and supported his waist with the other, but she didn't have any extra hands to stop Xiao Shulang's little actions.
He could only lead the person outside while casually asking, "Who do you like?"
The drunkard, his mind not quite processing the information, dryly repeated, "Who do you like?"
Qin Shuang was quite patient, and since there were only the two of them in the elevator, he asked again.
This time, Xiao Shulang seemed to finally catch up, and said "Oh," "I like the protagonist."
That's not an answer. Qin Shuang then asked, "What's the protagonist's name?"
This time, Xiao Shulang's eyes widened slightly: "You didn't know?"
With an incredulous look on his face, Xiao Shulang raised his drunken voice: "He is the protagonist of this world, the only protagonist!"
Qin Shuang: You're quite drunk; you're starting to talk nonsense.
How could someone who's not drunk use such an embarrassing adjective? This must be from some movie describing a savior.
He began to doubt whether even Xiao Shulang's previous affection was just drunken ramblings. Was it necessary to keep asking who it was? Maybe there wasn't even such a person.
But this time, without him even asking, Xiao Shulang had already started talking. He had been quiet just now, but now he seemed to want to say everything at once.
"He's cool, stylish, and a really nice person; he's fearless and indomitable; adversity is his nourishment, setbacks sharpen his skills." Xiao Shulang finished praising him, a smile playing on his lips. Not content with just praising himself, he sought validation, "Handsome, right?"
Qin Shuang felt he had to retract his earlier opinion. The idea that Xiao Shulang wouldn't talk nonsense when drunk was false. He numbly agreed, "Yeah, handsome."
Although he had no idea who it was, there was no reasoning with a drunkard.
"Right?"
Xiao Shulang seemed satisfied, nodded, and leaned close to Qin Shuang's ear: "Since you seem to not know, then I'll tell you, the protagonist, the protagonist—"
"bite--"
The elevator arrived at the underground parking garage, and the door opened.
Xiao Shulang's voice reached his ears at the same time.
"Her name is Qin Shuang."
Qin Shuang suddenly stopped in her tracks.
At least he remembered to lead the person out of the elevator first, and then turn his head to look at Xiao Shulang, trying to see if his words were true or false.
Xiao Shulang, slightly drunk, leaned closer: "Uh, you really do look a lot like him..."
A drunk person doesn't have the mental capacity to consider whether the distance between them is appropriate, but a sober person can't ignore it. Seeing the two getting closer and closer, Qin Shuang had to turn her head away and give up trying to figure out what was going on in Xiao Shulang's face.
Too close...
Qin Shuang led him to the car, momentarily stunned, pausing every few steps. Before her assistant came to help, she couldn't help but ask again, "Is it the kind of fandom?"
After all, Xiao Shulang had said that he was her fan, and Qin Shuang felt that she couldn't misunderstand.
Xiao Shulang smiled gently and drawled, "More than that—my liking goes beyond that!"
Qin Shuang was utterly shocked: Could drunkenness be contagious? Otherwise, why was his heart pounding and his mind in disarray? Strange sounds vibrated near his eardrums, and indescribable images flashed by rapidly—
If I were to condense all those conflicting thoughts into one sentence, it would be: He likes me?
So all those incredibly exaggerated adjectives were actually praising me!?
Qin Shuang was shocked all night long; her savior was none other than herself!
Qin Shuang hurriedly helped Xiao Shulang into her car, where Xiao Wu drove and Xiao Jiang followed in his car.
As soon as Xiao Shulang got into the car, he leaned his head against the window, nodding off as if he could fall asleep at any moment. He had probably talked enough earlier and was now quiet.
Qin Shuang fastened his seatbelt, while Xiao Shulang lowered his hazy eyes and gazed at him gently.
Qin Shuang felt as if that quiet gaze was tangible, making his hands and heart burn. He quickly tied his clothes, withdrew his hands, and sat down at the other end.
Both of them were sitting in the back seat. After the car started, Qin Shuang forced herself to keep her eyes on the outside of the window and not look at Xiao Shulang, but she couldn't help but see his reflection in the car window, so she couldn't avoid it.
Having found no other way, Qin Shuang simply stared at the sparse reflection in the window, trying to find an answer for herself using rational thinking:
He and Xiao Shulang got along really well and felt very comfortable, but having only known each other for a few days, Qin Shuang felt that it was definitely not to the point of romantic love.