Chapter 47: Three People in One Room — Love Rival Brought Home part 1
Jiang Yunian leaned against the wall outside the private room, panting slightly. He wiped his lips vigorously with his sleeve, waiting until the tide inside his body completely receded before dragging his somewhat weak steps back into the room.
The noisy music and laughter were deafening, but he felt separated from the liveliness by a transparent glass cover, completely out of place. He sat back in the corner without a word, his eyes somewhat hollow.
“Did something happen?” Lu Yuanbai noticed. “You’ve been absent-minded since you came back.”
Jiang Yunian snapped out of it, meeting the Senior’s concerned gaze, and merely shook his head, weighed down by his thoughts.
“Is it too loud? Not used to it?” Lu Yuanbai pushed a cup of warm milk tea in front of him. “Drink some of this to warm up.”
His voice was very soft, just loud enough for Jiang Yunian to hear without attracting the attention of others.
Jiang Yunian took the cup, the warmth transmitting through the wall of the cup to his palm. In such a cheerful atmosphere, he didn’t want to be a killjoy. He forced himself to adjust his emotions, lowered his head, and took a sip. The sweet, creamy fragrance melted in his mouth, smoothing out a bit of the turmoil in his heart.
At that moment, his phone rang. It was a message from Jiang Yan, urging him to come home.
Before Jiang Yunian could reply, Lu Yuanbai said to him, “I’ll drive you back in a bit.” He dangled his car keys. “It’s on the way, and…”
He pointed helplessly at two classmates on the sofa opposite them who were already dead drunk. He couldn’t handle them alone and needed a hand to drop them off.
“Okay.”
It was already late at night when the party broke up. Lu Yuanbai carefully arranged vehicles for each classmate, and finally, he and Jiang Yunian supported the two most intoxicated students into his car.
Along the way, the faint smell of alcohol permeated the cabin. One classmate suddenly felt sick; Lu Yuanbai immediately pulled over, skillfully handed over a plastic bag, and gently patted his back. It took a lot of effort to clean up, and by the time the last female classmate was safely dropped off at her dormitory, Jiang Yunian realized it was long past the curfew.
Lu Yuanbai glanced at his watch and rubbed the center of his brows, looking slightly exhausted. At this hour, returning to the dorms was impossible. He turned to Jiang Yunian, revealing a trace of helplessness. “I didn’t bring my ID card, so I can’t stay at a hotel either…”
He paused, his voice softening a bit: “Is it convenient to take me in for one night?”
Jiang Yunian didn’t answer immediately. If it were before, he would have agreed without hesitation. But he wasn’t sure if LG was still following him. Just posting a photo today had attracted the other party’s retaliation. If he knew that he turned around and brought a man home, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Jiang Yunian admitted it: he was afraid.
Seeing his silence, Lu Yuanbai seemed to think he was troubled. “Inconvenient?”
Jiang Yunian fiddled with his fingers. “I…”
Lu Yuanbai never forced anyone. He smiled considerately: “It doesn’t matter. I’ll take you back first. I’ll just make do in the car for the night; it’s fine.”
He spoke lightly, but the fatigue he couldn’t hide in the corners of his eyes revealed his disappointment. Having said that much, how could Jiang Yunian let someone drive him home and then leave them to sleep in the car? Especially since the Senior had been taking care of everyone tonight, and it was so cold outside. It was just for one night. LG had already sought him out once; surely he wouldn’t still be secretly following.
Jiang Yunian couldn’t just leave him be; it was unreasonable both emotionally and logically. He reached out and grabbed the Senior’s hand as he was opening the car door, hesitated for a moment, then let go, mumbling, “My home is a bit small. If Senior doesn’t mind…”
“How could I?” Lu Yuanbai seemed to be waiting for this exact sentence, an imperceptible soft light hooking up in his eyes. “I’m the one imposing.”
“It’s not an imposition. Let’s go.”
“Senior, come in.”
Opening the door, Jiang Yunian bent down to find slippers for the Senior to change into. Jiang Yan was sitting on the sofa, clearly having waited for a long time. He was just about to complain that his brother was back late, but when he saw there was another person behind him, the words stuck in his throat.
Seeing that he hadn’t slept yet and was staring at the person behind him with a not-so-good expression, Jiang Yunian explained with a guilty conscience, “This is Senior Lu, you’ve met him. He… is borrowing a place to stay for tonight.”
Hearing the latter part, Jiang Yan’s expression sank instantly.
Very good. His brother really didn’t take his words to heart. Just after being warned, he dared to bring a wild man home. Just great.
Jiang Yunian felt uncomfortable all over from that stinging gaze. He simply avoided it and introduced to Lu Yuanbai, “This is my younger brother, Ah Yan.”
Lu Yuanbai wore a gentle and appropriate smile, nodding slightly. “Little brother, sorry to disturb you.”
Jiang Yan frowned slightly, sweeping a cold, indifferent glance over him, not accepting this cheap familiar address. While his brother was hosting, he grabbed him and pulled him aside, suppressing his anger. “Who told you to bring him here?”
Jiang Yunian’s wrist hurt a bit from the grip. He knew Jiang Yan hated outsiders stepping into their small space the most, but there was no other way. He whispered an explanation, “Senior drove us back and missed the dorm curfew. Just for one night, okay?”
Jiang Yan pulled a long face, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, his entire being screaming “unwilling.”
No place to stay? Heh, only his brother would fall for such a cheap trick.
Jiang Yunian’s gaze softened, carrying a bit of pleading, his fingers gently tugging at the corner of Jiang Yan’s clothes.
“Yunian,” Lu Yuanbai’s voice rang out at the right time, breaking the deadlock. He stood in the center of the living room, his posture composed. “Where is convenient for me to sleep?”
It wasn’t in Jiang Yunian’s nature to leave a guest hanging. He pulled his hand away and walked over. The apartment was palm-sized; two bedrooms could barely accommodate them. Jiang Yan disliked contact with outsiders, so it was impossible for him to share a room with anyone. But he couldn’t let the Senior sleep on the sofa… that would be improper.
His gaze shifted between Jiang Yan and Lu Yuanbai, finally landing on the latter. “Senior… how about squeezing in with me?”
“Sure.”
“No!”
Both spoke at the same time. Jiang Yunian and Lu Yuanbai looked at Jiang Yan simultaneously.
“My brother’s bed is small; it can’t fit two people.”
The bed was indeed a single bed, but when Jiang Yan insisted on squeezing in to sleep before, why didn’t he say it was small then?
Jiang Yunian tried to reason: “Squeezing a bit should be fine. There are no spare beds in the house.”
Jiang Yan: “I’ll sleep with Ge.”
“No.”
This time it was the brothers’ turn to look at Lu Yuanbai, who voiced the objection. The other party seemed to realize he was a bit impulsive. He pointed to the double bed in the master bedroom and settled for the second best option. “How about this room? I’ll make do with Little Brother for a night?”
Little Brother? Heh.
Jiang Yan didn’t reply, clearly unwilling to “make do” with him. But right now, no one accepted Jiang Yunian sleeping with the other party, and the situation was deadlocked for a moment.
The night was deep. If they argued any longer, no one would get any sleep.
Jiang Yunian looked at Jiang Yan’s tense profile and already had a guess in his heart. Ah Yan was resisting him and the Senior so much, could it be because…?
Tonight’s events had left him restless, and he was exhausted from playing. He really didn’t have the energy to argue with them. He sighed, pulled Jiang Yan’s arm, and said with feigned melancholy, “If you’re not willing, then I can only squeeze in with Senior.”
Jiang Yan: “…”
Silence was taken as consent. “Then it’s settled.”
Lu Yuanbai sensed that the other party seemed dissatisfied with him. Trying to leave a good impression in front of the younger brother, he took the initiative to walk two steps closer and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I sleep very well. I won’t fight you for the blanket.”
Jiang Yan shook off his hand without leaving a trace. “That would be best.”
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