Chapter 80

Chapter 80

A few weeks later, Ji Mian heard from the system that Song Yu and He Chang had gotten back together.

He breathed a small sigh of relief. One last act, and it’d all be over.

On a late September Friday, during the last class, Song Yu listened attentively. As the class neared its end, the teacher told the students to go over what they’d learned, basically giving them time to pack up.

Song Yu looked down, tidying his stuff into his bag. When he looked up again, his eyes caught the glass window on the door and he froze.

Though the boy outside stood a bit away and only his profile was visible, Song Yu still recognized him—it was He Chang.

He cleared his throat softly, and his knees under the table tapped together twice.

As soon as the bell rang, Song Yu scooped up his bag and went out.

Hearing the door open, He Chang turned and was surprised Song Yu was the first out.

"What are you doing here? No class?"

"No," He Chang took Song Yu’s hand, "I looked at your schedule. You don’t have class tomorrow, Saturday, so staying up late’s fine, right?"

Song Yu looked puzzled, "What’s going on?"

"Let’s grab dinner. I saw you posted about craving seafood."

Song Yu flushed, "That was posted months ago."

"We can get whatever you want."

"..."

He Chang knew Song Yu’s concerns and added, "Don’t sweat it. I’ve got money, seriously, plenty of it."

He Chang knew he was poor, but he didn’t believe he would stay poor forever. During those two years in high school when he didn’t study well, he tried every way to make money and successfully saved up a sum.

Back in high school, he was super frugal, borderline stingy. His uniform was falling apart, but he wouldn’t buy a new one.

That money was originally saved by He Chang, intending to go south and start a business right after high school. Unexpectedly, because of Song Yu, his life took a turn he’d never imagined.

Now, that money saved for starting a business and making a name for himself wouldn’t be needed for the next few years.

In addition, after the college entrance exam this year, he’d made a decent amount from part-time work. Besides covering his tuition and living expenses for four years of university, there was still some left.

He Chang used to yearn for a life of independence and wandering, thinking it would be free and unrestrained. He admitted his goals were simple—he just wanted to make money and become a boss.

But now it was different; he had Song Yu.

As the two were talking, the other students in the classroom began to file out. When Ji Mian and Xie Hang walked out, they saw He Chang holding Song Yu’s hand, whispering to him quietly.

"..."

Ji Mian stopped in his tracks.

Xie Hang, following behind him, also stopped.

At that moment, the two a few meters away noticed them.

Especially He Chang, who, upon seeing Ji Mian, exclaimed in surprise, "It’s you?"

"Thanks for helping me out that day," He Chang said, then remembered Ji Mian's grade and added, "Thanks, senior."

He Chang was actually older than Ji Mian, but he still called him "senior."

Ji Mian didn’t say anything.

"You two know each other?" Song Yu asked.

"Yeah, on enrollment day, he told me where the management school was," He Chang replied.

Ji Mian glanced at their hands holding each other, his eyelashes dropped indifferently, his lips tightened bit by bit, saying nothing.

"..."

Song Yu looked a little awkward.

"Let’s get out of here," Xie Hang was the first to break the silence.

He stepped forward, took Ji Mian by the wrist, making Ji Mian look at him, and then asked in a low voice, "Ready to go?"

Ji Mian followed him.

As they walked, Xie Hang stayed silent beside Ji Mian.

He knew that seeing Song Yu with someone else hurt Ji Mian more than getting rejected after confessing. At least before, Ji Mian still had some hope.

"Brother Heng, I need a drink."

Xie Hang couldn’t say no.

"I’ll accompany you."

*

There were plenty of small restaurants near where Xie Hang lived, all of them had baijiu and beer, and some fancier places even had red and white wine.

Ji Mian picked a restaurant that wasn’t too busy and asked the owner right away if they served alcohol.

The owner, a no-nonsense northerner, directly asked, "You want baijiu or beer?"

Ji Mian had only ever tasted a bit of wine before, and the experience wasn’t great, so he never touched it again.

He shivered but still gritted his teeth and said, "Baijiu."

"Don’t overdo it," the system reminded.

"Just baijiu."

The owner, seeing Ji Mian's forced composure, understood: this guy’s heartbroken.

Xie Hang glanced at him but said nothing. After all, with him here, if Ji Mian got wasted, he’d just carry him home.

The owner then looked at Xie Hang, "Young man, what would you like?"

"Beer, two cans," Xie Hang said, then ordered two dishes to go with the drinks, so Ji Mian wouldn’t hurt his stomach by drinking on an empty stomach.

When the owner brought the items, he also gave Xie Hang a look, implying that he should keep an eye on Ji Mian and not let him drink too much baijiu. He wouldn’t care so much for others, but seeing Ji Mian's face, he knew this one couldn’t handle his liquor.

The baijiu was served in the tiniest cups they had.

Ji Mian downed two cups right away. Aside from the burning sensation in his throat, he didn’t feel much else after two cups.

The system said, "Three and a half drinks, tops. If you can’t handle it, just fake being drunk."

It figured, since it’s the last act, let Ji Mian have his way.

"Alright."

Ji Mian was about to pour himself another round when Xie Hang opened a chilled beer beside him and slid it over. "Drink this."

Ji Mian hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

After downing a couple of sips, his face scrunched up in disgust. This was even worse than the previous one…

He shot a resentful glare at the person across from him: Why are you out to get me?

He took a few bites to wash down the bitterness, then chucked the beer aside and poured himself another glass of white liquor.

After finishing it, Ji Mian felt like it was about enough. He was about to pour himself another round, then follow the system's advice and start pretending to be drunk halfway through.

He didn’t have to fake it anymore; he was already starting to feel the effects, his body heating up slightly.

He reached for the liquor bottle.

Xie Hang, who had been silently watching him drink, finally snapped and grabbed his hand. "Are you trying to drink yourself to death?"

Ji Mian turned his head, stared at him for a few seconds, and suddenly his eyes welled up.

Then, a tear plopped down.

The guy holding his wrist froze.

The system let out a whistle, expressing admiration for Ji Mian's increasingly masterful acting skills.

Look at that, now he doesn’t even need to pinch himself to cry on demand.

After his crying act, Ji Mian started howling: "Waaah!!"

Xie Hang, still reeling from his tears, was startled by the sudden outburst, his hand trembling.

"Wuwu…"

"What’s so great about that big oaf? He’s not even as good-looking as me!!"

Xie Hang’s heart had almost gone numb with pain when he saw Ji Mian’s tears. But now, hearing Ji Mian’s howling, a glimmer of amusement lit up his eyes.

Ji Mian slammed the glass down on the table, clenched his fist, and banged the table twice in frustration. "Brother Heng, is he as good-looking as me?"

"Is he? Is he?"

Xie Hang reached out to wipe his tears and coaxed, "No, he’s not as handsome as you."

After a while, the owner came over, also smiling, and said to Xie Hang, "Hey, if your buddy’s wasted, take him home. Some girls next door got spooked and complained."

Hearing this, Ji Mian immediately shut up.

The restaurant’s decor was quite sophisticated, with two rows of seats separated by a screen-like partition. When they came in, only one table of men was sitting in the outer row.

He hadn’t expected to scare anyone.

"Come back with me, alright?" Xie Hang talked to him like a kid, standing up to help him.

Realizing he had scared people and made a mistake, Ji Mian let Xie Hang support him without resistance. Whether it was the alcohol or the prolonged shouting, he felt dizzy and staggered as he stood up.

Luckily, Xie Hang held his arm, keeping him from falling.

As they walked around the partition, Ji Mian spotted a table with a few girls on the other side.

His eyes still red, he apologized to the girls who had been scared: "Sorry for that."

"You're slurring," the system sighed.

He seemed really drunk; he should’ve known his limits.

The girls, seeing that the one who’d been yelling was actually two incredibly handsome guys, and the one apologizing was oddly cute, quickly responded.

"Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine..." they said generously.

It was about a ten-minute walk from the restaurant to the nearest school gate.

A few minutes after leaving the restaurant, Ji Mian realized the dizziness he’d felt in the restaurant wasn’t an illusion; the alcohol was finally hitting him.

Realizing he might actually be a bit drunk, Ji Mian stayed quiet.

The shouting in the restaurant had been an act; he didn’t want to actually act drunk in front of Xie Hang.

Until Xie Hang, who was holding his arm, suddenly stopped.

"Huh?" Ji Mian turned his head, confused, and had to stop too.

Xie Hang looked at him, leaning slightly closer.

Ji Mian felt like the distance between them had suddenly shrunk, though he wasn’t sure if it was just the alcohol playing tricks on him.

Xie Hang smiled, "You’re about to trip over your own feet."

Ji Mian: ??

But he was walking in a straight line.

"No, you're walking in an S-shaped curve," his legs were practically twisting into a pretzel.

"..."

"Let me carry you on my back."

Ji Mian was stunned and quickly refused, "No need!"

Xie Hang stared at him for a few seconds, mimicking Ji Mian's usual tone, "At worst, you can carry me back when we return."

"..."

Before Ji Mian could react, Xie Hang had already grabbed his right forearm, and with a pull, Ji Mian was steadily on his back.

The way Xie Hang decisively carried him reminded Ji Mian of Lu Ge.

For the first half of the journey, Ji Mian could barely stay awake.

But lying on Xie Hang's back, with the rhythmic swaying of his steps and the alcohol, he unknowingly started to feel sleepy.

It felt like the journey was very long, as if they had been walking for a long time.

Only the system knew this wasn’t just Ji Mian’s imagination.

Because Xie Hang had already walked past the school’s west gate over ten minutes ago.

After circling halfway around the school, Xie Hang gazed at the east gate across the road for a moment.

The person on his back breathed steadily, clearly asleep, the faint scent of alcohol brushing against his neck and ears...

They’d never been this close before.

Xie Hang hesitated briefly, pretending not to notice the large stone engraved with the school emblem at the east gate, and kept walking along the dimly lit path.

The system thought, "..."

This kid.

Ji Mian was fast asleep.

Who knows who he was dreaming about, but he nuzzled his warm cheek against the back of Xie Hang’s neck.

Xie Hang shuddered, a tingling sensation shooting from his neck down to his tailbone, nearly making him stumble with the person on his back.

"Ge..."

He heard the person on his back call out softly.

"Hey, wrong name," the system chimed in Ji Mian’s head.

The words snapped Ji Mian out of his daze.

He quickly corrected, "Song... Song Yu..."

The air hung heavy with silence.

Xie Hang finally murmured, "Do you really like him that much?"

"..."

Ji Mian pressed his face into Xie Hang’s back, knowing he couldn’t be seen, and stayed quiet, feigning sleep.

"What is it..."

Xie Hang’s chest rumbled faintly as he spoke, and Ji Mian, pressed against his back, felt the subtle vibrations clearly.

"What do I lack compared to him?"

As the words hung in the air, the steady rise and fall of Xie Hang’s back continued.

It traveled through their pressed skin straight to Ji Mian’s heart, igniting a storm of emotions.

Ji Mian’s arms around Xie Hang’s neck and his thighs against Xie Hang’s waist went rigid.

Xie Hang’s steps faltered slightly as he felt Ji Mian’s legs against his waist quiver faintly.

He pressed his lips together and kept walking, acting as if nothing was wrong.