Chapter 79 Drunk

Chapter 79 Drunkenness

Yan Zhoubai was noticeably smaller than Zhan Jiayu; his feet looked to be about the same size as Zhan Jiayu's palms. Moreover, he was even fairer-skinned than the already pale Zhan Jiayu, so the contrast in skin tone was striking.

Not to mention Zhan Jiayu was wearing black pajama pants—the visual impact of Yan Zhoubai's feet resting on his thigh was so intense that Zhan Jiayu felt an instant rush of heat.

He discreetly shifted Yan Zhoubai's feet a bit closer toward his inner thigh.

When Yan Zhoubai was first set down on the bed and saw Zhan Jiayu kneel on one knee before him, he didn’t immediately realize what was happening.

But this downward view gave him a uniquely satisfying feeling.

Zhan Jiayu was the man in charge of the Zhan family, the villainous big boss from the system's descriptions—and yet here he was, kneeling right in front of Yan Zhoubai, being looked down upon.

The novelty lasted only a couple of seconds before Yan Zhoubai understood what Zhan Jiayu was doing: he was rolling up Yan Zhoubai’s pant legs. After finishing with the pants, he took Yan Zhoubai’s arm and rolled up the sleeves too.

“What’s wrong? You look a bit dazed.”

Zhan Jiayu looked up and noticed Yan Zhoubai staring at him somewhat lost in thought. He couldn’t help but reach out and gently flick his nose.

“It’s been so long since anyone rolled up my pant legs for me.”

Zhan Jiayu was about to say, “It’s nothing, you poor thing,” when he heard Yan Zhoubai continue:

“My mom used to do it for me. It just made me think of her all of a sudden.”

Zhan Jiayu: …

I’d really rather not be compared to your mom.

Once his pant legs and sleeves were rolled up, Yan Zhoubai rolled over and did a somersault right on the bed. Then he pulled the covers over himself and buried underneath.

The last time they had to share a room in Jiang City, he felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, but this time it felt completely at ease—he was genuinely happy.

Zhan Jiayu had a habit of drinking a little alcohol before bed—not much, just a bit—as he found it helped him sleep.

But he’d forgotten he had company today. So when he stepped out of the shower, still damp, and went to fetch ice balls from the fridge and whiskey from the liquor cabinet as usual, a fluffy head suddenly popped up beside him.

“You drink before going to sleep?”

Yan Zhoubai watched with keen interest as Zhan Jiayu poured the whiskey. Then, noticing the array of bottles in the liquor cabinet, he was even more amazed, as if he’d struck gold. “Wow, you have so much alcohol here.”

Zhan Jiayu’s room was spacious, and Yan Zhoubai hadn’t noticed the cabinet in the corner until Zhan Jiayu opened it, revealing rows of liquor.

“Yeah, I have a little to drink before bed—helps me sleep.”

The whiskey poured into the glass, the liquid causing the ice ball to clink against the side, producing a crisp sound. This was unfamiliar to Yan Zhoubai—no one in the Yan family drank, and there was no liquor cabinet at home.

“I usually drink milk to help me sleep. No one in my family drinks alcohol—my dad prefers tea, and my oldest brother only drinks when he’s out for work events.”

Yan Zhoubai reached out and poked the glass. It slid slightly across the table, leaving a meandering trail of moisture.

“That’s a good habit. It’s best not to drink too much.”

Zhan Jiayu picked up the whiskey and took a sip.

Then he noticed Yan Zhoubai staring intently at his glass. He raised an eyebrow. “Want to try?”

Yan Zhoubai immediately nodded, his eyes sparkling.

Zhan Jiayu was a bit hesitant. He didn’t want to disappoint Yan Zhoubai, but judging by his reaction, he’d probably never had alcohol before. He was worried Yan Zhoubai would get drunk after just one sip.

“I can drink! I’ve had wine brewed by my senior brothers and sisters back at Cangru Temple.”

Yan Zhoubai seemed afraid Zhan Jiayu wouldn’t let him drink, so he quickly insisted he could handle alcohol—he wasn’t a lightweight.

“Your senior brothers and sisters brewed it?”

“Mhmm!”

Zhan Jiayu thought to himself, *Then it must be pretty low in alcohol. He probably can’t handle this.*

“This is too strong. How about I mix you something with a lower alcohol content?” He was worried straight whiskey would be too harsh for Yan Zhoubai.

“Mix something? A cocktail? You know how to mix drinks?” Yan Zhoubai looked even more excited.

Zhan Jiayu mixed whiskey with syrup and lemon juice to make a whiskey sour for Yan Zhoubai.

He didn’t often make mixed drinks, so his skills were just average. But Yan Zhoubai had never seen anything like it—he’d never even been to a bar. Watching Zhan Jiayu pour different liquids into a jigger and then into a shaker seemed incredibly cool and new to him.

“Try this—a whiskey sour. It’s lower in alcohol.” Zhan Jiayu pushed the glass toward Yan Zhoubai.

Yan Zhoubai eagerly picked up the glass and took a sip.

Wow, this is delicious! But just as Zhan Jiayu said, it was a bit stronger than the wine his seniors brewed at Cangru Temple.

Still, Yan Zhoubai felt the slightly higher alcohol content was well within his tolerance—in fact, it made the drink more flavorful.

Seeing how much Yan Zhoubai enjoyed it, Zhan Jiayu assumed he could handle the alcohol and didn’t say anything more. He just watched as Yan Zhoubai quickly finished the entire glass.

After finishing the drink, Yan Zhoubai felt extremely happy—a feeling that lasted even after the lights were turned off and he was lying in bed.

“What do you think I should major in?”

“But I guess I don’t really have a choice. Even if I get into Wutong University, my scores aren’t high enough for their best programs.”

“Then again, Wutong University is just a pretty mediocre school in the capital. Their best programs aren’t that great anyway—can’t even compare to the worst programs at Peking University.”

“Hey, since I trained at Cangru Temple for three years, maybe I should just apply to a Taoist college? Then I could become a professional Taoist priest.”

“There’s even a Taoist college here in the capital. Maybe my master knows some teachers there and could recommend me to a great advisor.”

…

Yan Zhoubai was unusually excited tonight. The lights had been off for five minutes, and with the curtains drawn, the bedroom was pitch black—a perfect environment for sleeping. But Yan Zhoubai kept chattering away.

“Become a Taoist priest? The Yan family wouldn’t agree to that, would they?” Zhan Jiayu asked.

From an angle Yan Zhoubai couldn’t see, Zhan Jiayu had been lying on his side, facing toward Yan Zhoubai.

“I don’t care! I’m an adult—I can do whatever I want! Anyway, I’m not their biological son. The Yan Group won’t have a place for me in the future, and I have no idea how to manage a company. I’m going to do what I love!”

It seemed like this touched a nerve. Yan Zhoubai’s voice suddenly rose, and Zhan Jiayu heard the rustling of the covers—it was hard not to suspect Yan Zhoubai was gesturing wildly.

“Alright, alright. Do whatever you want.” Zhan Jiayu’s tone was almost like he was soothing a child.

“If you want to join a company, you can come be my assistant someday—I’ll teach you the ropes, little by little. If you want to be a Taoist priest, I’ll be your behind-the-scenes sponsor. Even priests need someone to give them a push.”

Zhan Jiayu now wanted to be the man who stood by Yan Zhoubai's side, unconditionally supporting whatever Yan Zhoubai wanted to do.

He expected to hear a happy reply from Yan Zhoubai, but instead, Yan Zhoubai asked him calmly, "Why are you so good to me?"

"And why did you kiss me last time at that restaurant?"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Jiayu's first thought was, *why else? Of course, it's because I like you, otherwise why would I do these things.*

But he felt that Yan Zhoubai seemed off, as Yan Zhoubai wouldn't normally ask such questions.

Yan Zhoubai's next sentence confirmed it: "Ohhh... I get it, did you always love watching 'The Amazing Little Taoist' as a kid? Right? You're so good to me because you like that show, it has to be!"

"The Amazing Little Taoist? What's that?" Zhan Jiayu had never even heard of that show.

But he thought he needed to check on Yan Zhoubai first, so he turned on the bedside lamp.

As soon as the light was on, he saw Yan Zhoubai's blanket was kicked into a tangled mess, and his face was flushed.

His skin was already fair, so the redness stood out even more.

He'd guessed right: Yan Zhoubai was drunk.

Zhan Jiayu reached out to touch Yan Zhoubai's face, testing his temperature, "Xiao Chuaner, are you drunk?"

Sure enough, the whiskey sour was too strong for him.

"No way, I'm not drunk! I'm just a little excited, my mind is totally clear—I could do a math test right now!"

Yan Zhoubai stubbornly denied being drunk, insisting his mind was sharp and he was fully aware of his heightened emotions.

"System, tell me, am I drunk?"

Yan Zhoubai even asked the system to prove he wasn't drunk.

It proved his mind was still functioning, as he didn't say it aloud but asked internally.

Clap, clap—the system wanted to give him a round of applause.

"Not drunk, not drunk."

The system played along. Actually, it wanted to say he was well on his way to being drunk, and it recognized this state from past experience.

Back when Yan Zhoubai secretly drank at Cangru Temple, he was like this too.

When Yan Zhoubai wanted to try Zhan Jiayu's mixed drink earlier, the system considered stopping him but decided Zhan Jiayu's home was safe enough for a little tipsiness.

Zhan Jiayu drew Yan Zhoubai into his arms, his deep voice murmuring by Yan Zhoubai's ear, making his ear tingle, "Oh? Not drunk? Then tell me, when did we first meet?"

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Author's note: Whiskey sours are delicious!

Almost missed the deadline, cramming to finish my paper right before school starts [sobbing].