Chapter 40

Xiang Huaizhi had an absurd thought, so absurd that even he found it laughable.

He pursed his lips, turned his back to the person on the sofa, opened the WeChat function menu, and hovered his fingertip over the “Voice Call” icon.

Before he could tap it, he heard that computer start ringing again.

“Ding.”

“Ding.”

“Ding.”

Then came the sound of Jing Huan typing on the keyboard.

Xiang Huai-zhi looked at the screen, which still showed those three emojis. He didn’t send any more messages, and Xiao Tian Jing hadn’t replied to him yet.

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but Xiang Huai-zhi breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the wet hair on his forehead with a towel.

…He must have been crazy to even entertain such an idea.

The message to Jing Huan was from Lu Wenhao, asking how to use the washing machine downstairs and even sending a photo.

Jing Huan explained it in just a few words, and Lu Wenhao replied with a thumbs-up.

Lu Wenhao: “The perfect wife material, Huan—mwah! [Red lips]”

Lu Wenhao: “If you were a girl, I’d definitely carry you home in a grand wedding procession.”

Xiao Jing: Piss off, how much have you drunk to be this wasted?

Xiao Jing: Even if I were a girl, you still wouldn’t stand a chance. Go wash your damn clothes already.

After cursing, Jing Huan finally switched back to his conversation with Heart’s Desire.

Xiao Jing: …QAQ Are you Lu Tiaotiao?!

Xiang: Yeah, he just took my phone.

Xiao Jing: I knew it! Damn it! [pounding the table]

After finishing the conversation with Heart’s Desire, Jing Huan closed his laptop and looked at the person standing by the bed.

Xiang Huaizhi had casually thrown on a bathrobe and was drying his hair with a towel, his back turned. From this angle, the advantages of his broad shoulders and tall frame were even more pronounced.

“Senior, give me your clothes, I’ll throw them in the washing machine with mine.”

Raindrops clattered against the window, layers of rain streaks obscuring the glass. Jing Huan looked out but could only see a blur of green.

“Hanging them to dry probably won’t work, let’s use the dryer.”

Xiang Huaiyi paused: “No need, I’ll handle it myself.”

“It’s nothing, it’s convenient. We can wash them together.” Jing Huan rummaged through his suitcase for clothes and then thought of something, “Or do you have a thing about cleanliness?”

Xiang Huai Zhi shook his head; he just felt embarrassed about both staying in someone else’s room and having them help with his laundry, especially since they had only met a few times and weren’t very familiar.

Sensing his thoughts, Jing Huan chuckled while holding the clothes, “Since you don’t, then I’ll wash them together.”

Jing Huan didn’t pay much attention while picking up the clothes, but Xiang Huai Zhi happened to see the black underwear lying right on top.

Huai Zhi withdrew his gaze: “…Okay, thank you.”

The sound of running water soon came from the bathroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Huai Zhi inexplicably glanced at the sofa.

The laptop lay quietly there, staring back at him.

After a moment, Huai Zhi averted his eyes and pushed those inexplicable thoughts to the back of his mind.

He dried his hair while sitting at the desk, picked up his phone to scroll through his social feed. After scrolling for a while, he finally came across the post that Xiao Tianjing had shared this morning.

【Xiao Jing: Perfect weather. [Image]】

It was a scenic photo. Before Xiang Huaizhi could take a closer look, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and the boy pushed the door open and walked out.

Jing Huan had changed into a black hoodie with beige linen shorts that ended just above his knees, revealing his kneecaps.

His legs were straight and fair-skinned, slightly slimmer than other boys’, yet the faint outline of muscle could be seen as he walked.

Xiang Huaizhi couldn’t help but glance up, his gaze drifting toward the other’s thighs, which were completely concealed by loose pants—not even the silhouette was visible.

Jing Huan immediately noticed his stare upon stepping out and followed his line of sight, staring at his own legs for a few seconds. “…What’s wrong?”

Xiang Huaizhi snapped back to reality, his expression calm. “Your pants are wet.”

Jing Huan gave an “mm” sound: “I wasn’t paying attention earlier and brushed against the sink.”

After drying their clothes, they headed out to the hotel restaurant.

Lu Wenhao and the others were already seated in the restaurant early on, having secured a spot by the window where they could enjoy the rain while eating—a rather poetic atmosphere.

Seeing the two walk into the restaurant side by side, Lu Wenhao couldn’t help but mutter, “See? They stand together like they’re on a runway… Tsk, even the girl pouring water over there is sneaking glances at them. I have a reasonable suspicion that no girls have chased after me since starting college, all because Jing Huan overshadows my brilliance.”

Gao Zixiang didn’t even look up: “You’re overthinking it. Being single is your own problem—it has nothing to do with Huanhuan.”

Jing Huan happened to hear this as he walked over. He casually took an empty seat and asked, “What are you saying about me?”

“We’re saying how handsome you are,” Lu Wenhao flattered.

Jing Huan smirked but didn’t bother responding. Noticing Xiang Huaizhi pouring a cup of warm milk, he casually pulled out the chair next to him to make space for the other to sit.

Originally planning to sit next to Lu Hang, Xiang Huaizhi paused mid-step and simply took a seat.

He asked, “Want some milk?”

Jing Huan was taken aback. “This is for me?”

It was the last cup of hot milk in the buffet. Without a word, Xiang Huaizhi placed it directly in front of him.

Jing Huan didn’t stand on ceremony and drank half of it in one go. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a black bag at Lu Wenhao’s feet and asked, “What’s this?”

Lu Wenhao chuckled, “Treasure.”

Jing Huan used his fingertip to lift the bag for a glance—it turned out to be several bottles of red wine.

He was speechless: “…So those two big boxes were just for carrying this?”

“Yeah, I stole it from my family’s wine cellar and smuggled it out in my suitcase. I even padded it with a bunch of stuff to keep it from breaking.”

“Aren’t you afraid your dad will beat you up?”

“If he does, it’ll be after I get home. Who cares? Let’s enjoy ourselves first,” Lu Wenhao said smugly. “I’ve already booked a KTV room. We can head straight there after dinner.”

Jing Huan thought about it. Since his usual dungeon team wasn’t active tonight anyway, he nodded and agreed, “Alright.”

Xiang Huaizhi said, “You guys go ahead, I’ll pass.”

“Come on,” Lu Hang swallowed his food. “Let’s all go together. It’s not like you brought your laptop anyway—what’s the point of going back to your room?”

Xiang Huaizhi didn’t enjoy singing or that kind of atmosphere. He pursed his lips, still wanting to decline.

“Come on, senior,” Jing Huan suddenly turned to look at him, propping his chin on his hand. “I promise I won’t let them make you drink.”

Jing Huan had the standard double eyelids, with long and thick eyelashes. The decorative chandelier of the hotel reflected in his eyes, making them seem as if they were glowing.

Xiang Huaizhi locked eyes with him for a few seconds before standing up: “…Got it. I’ll go get some food.”

Jing Huan also got up: “I’ll go with you.”

The two arrived together and left together. Watching their retreating figures, Lu Hang couldn’t help but ask, “Are they really that close?”

“I don’t think so. Last time on the stairs, Brother Xiang just helped Huanhuan steady herself.”

Lu Wenhao wasn’t interested in friendships between men. He nudged closer to Lu Hang and urged, “Brother Lu, hurry up, continue the story. What happened to that notorious female scammer in your server later?”

Jing Huan kept his word about not letting anyone pressure Xiang Huaizhi into drinking—there wasn’t even a glass placed in front of him.

In the background, music played on shuffle at a very low volume. Xiang Huaizhi sat casually on the sofa, watching the person beside him play finger-guessing games with Lu Hang.

Jing Huan clearly spent a lot of time in bars—he knew all the drinking game tricks, and no matter what variation Lu Hang proposed, he could keep up.

Who would’ve thought? He seemed like such a well-behaved guy at first.

But while Jing Huan knew plenty of games, he wasn’t as skilled as Lu Hang and had already lost three rounds in a row.

“Damn it.” Losing yet another round, he cursed with a laugh and poured himself another drink.

Lu Hang had also drunk quite a bit: “What’s wrong, junior? If you can’t handle it, just ask the guy next to you to drink one for you. I promised.”

While pretending to care about Jing Huan, his hands were anything but steady, pressing down on the bottle to fill the glass to the brim for Jing Huan.

Lu Wenhao: “Me? No problem, Huanhuan, I’ll drink this one for you.”

“No, not you.” Lu Hang stopped him, gesturing with his chin toward Xiang Huaizhi, “I meant the one on his right.”

Xiang Huaizhi raised an eyebrow and gave Lu Hang a warning glance, signaling him not to go too far. Then, he made to stand up, intending to help Jing Huan drink that glass of wine.

Jing Huan raised his glass, downed it in one go, wiped his mouth, and said, “Finished. Let’s keep going.”

Jing Huan started learning how to hang out at bars from his freshman year.

Lu Wenhao never teaches him anything good, only bad habits. Several times he didn’t come home was because Lu Wenhao dragged him to bars, got him so drunk he passed out and had to sleep at hotels.

However, drinking can indeed relieve stress, just don’t do it too frequently. Since the start of sophomore year, this is actually their first time drinking.

Half an hour later, Jing Huan’s cheeks had turned slightly red.

“I need a break.” With that, he plopped down onto the sofa, bumping into Xiang Huaizhi’s shoulder.

“Ah, I bumped into you again. Why do I keep running into you?” Jing Huan turned his head, their faces now extremely close. “Senior, aren’t you going to sing?”

The scent of alcohol mixed with his body wash drifted into Xiang Huaizhi’s nostrils.

“……Not singing. You should drink less, your face is all red.”

Jing Huan raised his hand and touched his own cheek: “It is a bit warm, but it’s fine, I can hold my liquor pretty well…”

Just as he finished speaking, the background music suddenly grew louder, immediately followed by a familiar, powerful intro.

Lu Wenhao, sitting at the song selection console, shouted loudly: “Huanhuan! Your song is up!”

Jing Huan glanced at the screen—”Loyalty to the Country.”

He laughed in exasperation: “Lu Wenhao, are you asking for a beating?”

“Hurry up, hurry up,” Gao Zixiang handed the microphone over. “Last time I said you sang better than that girl, but this bastard Lu Wenhao just wouldn’t believe me. Today you’ve got to shut him up with your singing!”

They often sang playful songs together at karaoke. After cursing a couple of times, Jing Huan finally took the mic and started singing along with the music.

He sang a couple of lines, then got up and walked over to Lu Wenhao, nudging him with his leg to signal that he wanted to pick a song.

Taking advantage of Jing Huan’s brief absence, Lu Hang quickly scooted over to Xiang Huaizhi’s side.

“Damn, this song again? I swear I hear it everywhere lately,” Lu Hang said. “Gotta admit, Huanhuan sings it pretty well, but I still prefer Little Jingjing’s version.”

When he got no response, he looked up in confusion. “Old Xiang…”

Xiang Huaizhi frowned, a mix of emotions swirling in his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on Jing Huan without uttering a word.

After singing for a while, Lu Wenhao started organizing a dice game.

Xiang Huaizhi noticed that this junior not only struggled with finger-guessing but also wasn’t very skilled at playing dice.

With such a terrible hand, where did you get the confidence to challenge others head-on?

Sure enough, after losing a few rounds, Jing Huan couldn’t take it anymore. They were mixing red beer, and he drank the most. By the end, he was dizzy and his hands shook as he picked up his glass.

Lu Hang noticed too: “Huanhuan, forget it. We won’t make you drink this time…”

Before he could finish, Jing Huan had already downed the glass. He waved his hand: “It’s fine… I can handle it. I’m going to the restroom; you guys keep playing. I’ll be back to continue.”

After saying this, he propped himself up on the table and stood, wobbling unsteadily and nearly falling onto Xiang Huaizhi.

Xiang Huaizhi said, “I’ll go with you.”

“No, no need.” Jing Huan stepped on his shoes as he walked out, murmuring, “I can manage by myself…”

Xiang Huaizhi stood up to help him, but Jing Huan suddenly reached out, pressed his shoulder, and stepped on his shoes again. “Senior! Don’t come with me!”

Xiang Huaizhi: “…”

Seeing the person stumble out, Xiang Huaizi hesitated between going after him or not when Lu Wenhao said, “It’s fine. When Huanhuan’s drunk, he’s pretty much the same as when he’s sober—doesn’t act up and can still find his way. Last time he got drunk, he managed to walk back to school alone from the hotel without causing any trouble along the way. Pretty impressive, right?”

“……”

That’s quite the talent.

Ten minutes passed, and Lu Wenhao scratched his head, “Oh no, why hasn’t Huanhuan come back yet?”

Lu Hang casually remarked, “You don’t think he’s trying to walk all the way back to school from the resort, do you?”

The private room fell silent instantly.

Xiang Huaizhi stood up: “I’ll go check.”

After all, this KTV was run by the resort itself and could only be booked through room reservations, so the environment wasn’t chaotic. The hallway was exquisitely and luxuriously decorated, looking as if they were in a high-end hotel.

Xiang Huaizhi asked the server for directions and hurried toward the restroom, already planning where to search next in case no one was there.

It turned out there was no need to search at all—the boy was lying on the couch outside the bathroom with his eyes closed, his shoulders rising and falling slightly with each breath.

Xiang Huaizhi walked over and, without a word, slung the boy’s arm over his shoulder, supporting his waist as he lifted him up.

Jing Huan seemed to sense something, leaning his entire body against Xiang Huaizhi, frowning as he said, “I can walk by myself.”

Hearing this, Xiang Huaizhi loosened his grip slightly, only for Jing Huan to slump back onto the couch once more, his head lolling forward.

“…” Xiang Huaizhi found it amusing as he looked down at the person leaning against his thigh. “Can’t you walk?”

Jing Huan rubbed against his leg without saying a word.

After about ten seconds, Xiang Huaizhi realized this person was using his leg as a pillow.

Without a word, Xiang Huaizhi bent down and hoisted him up again.

Lu Wenhao didn’t lie—Jing Huan indeed doesn’t act out when drunk. Xiang Huaizhi smoothly helped him to the elevator, even managing to free one hand to call Lu Hang.

“I’ll take him back to his room first.”

Lu Hang grunted in acknowledgment. “We’ll head back soon too. Nothing happened, right?”

“Nope,” Xiang Huaizhi glanced down at him. “Just drunk.”

After hanging up the phone, the elevator arrived. Xiang Huaizhi stepped inside and pressed the button for the 20th floor.

“Who were you talking to?” the person leaning on his shoulder suddenly mumbled, then called out to him in a slurred voice, “Gege.”