Chapter 84
It was almost nine o’clock, and Chi Aibei hadn’t returned yet. Lin Xiu sent several messages, but Chi Aibei didn’t reply. Just as Lin Xiu was about to call, Chi Aibei’s phone called him…
Lin Xiu answered: “Chi Aibei, where are you?”
The background noise was loud, sounding like it wasn’t a very reputable place. Lin Xiu frowned, only to hear a voice say, “I’m not Chi Aibei.”
Lin Xiu’s brow tightened. “Who are you? Where is Chi Aibei?”
“I’m Ge Feng. Chi Aibei is drunk.”
Ge Feng… who? Never heard of him!
Hearing that Chi Aibei was drunk, Lin Xiu’s expression instantly soured. With his tolerance, he actually dared to go out and drink with someone alone! What on earth was he thinking?
Lin Xiu received the bar address sent from Chi Aibei’s phone. On the way there, Lin Xiu’s mind was filled with the “handsome buzzcut guy” he’d heard about on the phone that afternoon. He was truly curious about where the little idiot was meeting these “shady” characters.
Remembering that the person had introduced himself as Ge Feng… the name sounded familiar.
…
The bar was a bit far from the school, taking half an hour by taxi.
When Lin Xiu walked into the bar, he saw a man trying to get touchy-feely with the person slumped over the bar counter. The buzzcut bartender behind the bar reached out to stop the man and said something, making him leave sheepishly.
The buzzcut bartender looked up at Lin Xiu standing at the door and gave him a greeting.
Seeing the man, Lin Xiu remembered where he’d heard the name “Ge Feng.” Wasn’t he the pursuit target Shen Yicheng had introduced to them during New Year?
Lin Xiu: “It’s you?”
Ge Feng nodded and pointed to Chi Aibei, who was passed out on the bar. “He’s drunk.”
Lin Xiu looked at the little fool who had almost been “picked up,” and his brow furrowed.
Seeing this, Ge Feng said, “I didn’t give him much. I just mixed him a cocktail and only put a tiny bit of alcohol in it. I don’t know why he collapsed. Is he allergic to alcohol?”
Allergic, my foot! Lin Xiu supported Chi Aibei. “No, his tolerance is just terrible.”
Ge Feng had been running a bar for a long time and had seen people with low tolerance, but never someone this bad.
Seeing that Chi Aibei was sleeping soundly, Lin Xiu didn’t wake him. He let Aibei lean against him and asked Ge Feng, “Why are you here?”
Ge Feng: “This bar is mine.”
He had heard Shen Yicheng say they met in a bar before. Lin Xiu glanced at the layout; it was originally a quiet bar, but after Ge Feng took it over, he found a band to perform every day, and business was quite good.
Lin Xiu looked at Ge Feng. He had a buzzcut and was indeed very handsome. So the “handsome buzzcut guy” mentioned on the phone referred to him?
Lin Xiu was a bit curious. “How did he end up here?”
After his third year of high school, Lin Xiu hadn’t gone to the boxing gym much, and he had only met Ge Feng that one time. He remembered that after that dinner, Chi Aibei had complained about Ge Feng scolding him. Yet, these two had somehow stayed in touch without him knowing, and Ge Feng had even gone to the school to find him.
Ge Feng: “I was passing by your school today and decided to drop in. Then he followed me out.”
The last time Chi Aibei went out to buy a gift, he’d wandered the mall and decided to buy alcohol. He remembered that Shen Yicheng’s partner owned a bar, so he called Shen Yicheng, who gave him the address. That was how the two had reconnected.
Ge Feng was a blunt person who didn’t beat around the bush. Seeing that Chi Aibei had things on his mind, he asked directly. Chi Aibei simply told him about the things he couldn’t figure out. Ge Feng’s way of “enlightening” people was unique; he looked at Chi Aibei and said in confusion, “You two aren’t together yet? Are you not eighteen yet?”
Chi Aibei once again felt that talking to him was a struggle. But it was precisely because of that struggle that Ge Feng wouldn’t just say “You like him” like Zhuang Yuan did. Instead, he would say, “You should think carefully about whether you like him.”
Today, Chi Aibei had gone out with him to report his progress—to tell him he was planning to pursue Lin Xiu and, by the way, to ask how Shen Yicheng had pursued him so he could learn a few things.
However, after hearing the story, Chi Aibei felt that Shen Yicheng’s methods weren’t suitable for him. That was basically a “one-night stand turns into love” situation!
Ge Feng went to mix drinks for other customers. Lin Xiu pinched Chi Aibei’s face. “You’ve got guts, running out to drink by yourself.”
Pinching his face made Chi Aibei’s mouth pucker. He frowned in dissatisfaction and waved his hand to brush him off. “Don’t touch.”
Lin Xiu pressed his hand down and picked him up in a horizontal carry. “Open your eyes and see who I am.”
Chi Aibei struggled to open his eyes, looking up at him for a while before grinning. “Brother~”
Chi Aibei reached up to wrap his arms around Lin Xiu’s neck. “Brother, did you see the flower I gave you?”
Lin Xiu: “I saw it.”
Chi Aibei closed his eyes as if his power had been cut. He asked muzzily against Lin Xiu’s chest, “Do you like it?”
Looking at the person who had fallen back asleep, Lin Xiu sighed. “I like it.”
Ge Feng watched Lin Xiu carry the person away. He apologized to the customer waiting for a drink and turned to call Shen Yicheng.
Shen Yicheng answered: “Not busy?”
Ge Feng: “I have something to tell you. Chi Aibei got drunk and was taken away by Lin Xiu. Nothing will happen, right?”
Shen Yicheng was used to Ge Feng’s sudden, contextless calls. But hearing him mention Lin Xiu and Chi Aibei, Shen Yicheng was still stunned for a moment. “The two of them went to your place?”
Ge Feng: “Lin Xiu came to pick up Chi Aibei.”
Shen Yicheng laughed, “Are you and that kid on such good terms now?”
Seeing him acting all playful, Ge Feng said, “Don’t talk nonsense. They haven’t gone far yet.”
Shen Yicheng: “What could possibly happen?”
Ge Feng: “A lot could happen.”
Shen Yicheng seemed to understand what he meant. He said with a smile, “Are you specifically calling me to scold me?”
Ge Feng didn’t understand his logic. “I’m asking you. Aren’t they your friends?”
Shen Yicheng: “Lin Xiu is indeed my friend, but that brat doesn’t count. So, from a friend’s perspective, even if something happens, my friend won’t be the one losing out.”
Ge Feng: “…” This guy is truly shameless!
The next morning, Chi Aibei woke up to find himself sleeping in Lin Xiu’s bed. Looking at Lin Xiu’s face so close at hand, Aibei’s heart skipped a beat.
Perhaps the alcohol hadn’t fully worn off, but Chi Aibei found the courage from nowhere to reach out and touch the small mole at the corner of Lin Xiu’s eye. His fingertip pressed lightly against it, and he gave a successful little grin. He finally got to touch it!
Lin Xiu suddenly opened his eyes, and their gazes met. “What are you doing?”
Chi Aibei froze and abruptly withdrew his hand. The dorm bed was only so big, and sleeping two people was already a squeeze. He was lying on the inside, practically pressed against the wall. He wanted to pull away, but there was nowhere to hide.
Chi Aibei braced himself and said, “Being… being a hooligan.”
Lin Xiu wasn’t fully awake yet, and his gaze at Chi Aibei was undisguised and direct. “Your way of being a hooligan is quite unique—poking people’s eyeballs?”
“It is not!” Chi Aibei looked at the small mole at the corner of his eye and murmured, “I was touching that mole of yours.”
How could Lin Xiu not know he was interested in that mole? It wasn’t the first time Aibei had wanted to touch it. But he didn’t understand what was so noteworthy about a simple mole.
Lin Xiu: “You like it?”
He clearly knew Lin Xiu was asking about the mole, yet his heart still skipped a beat. With red ears, he stammered, “L-like it.”
Zhuang Yuan hadn’t woken up yet, so the two spoke in low voices. Chi Aibei’s mouth was faster than his brain; after speaking, he realized how embarrassed he was. He hooked his foot awkwardly, but accidentally brushed against Lin Xiu’s leg.
Chi Aibei stiffened—Heavenly Father! I didn’t do it on purpose!!!
Lin Xiu looked down for a moment, then looked back at Chi Aibei. Chi Aibei couldn’t take it anymore. He reached out to cover Lin Xiu’s eyes. “Don’t look at me.”
Chi Aibei wasn’t used to this feeling. Even though he had often slept in the same bed as Lin Xiu before, it was just a brush of the foot—it wasn’t as if they’d never touched before.
Lin Xiu grabbed his hand and moved it away. “Why is your face so red?”
Chi Aibei didn’t know what color he was right now. He abruptly hid himself under the quilt. “It’s not.”
Although he didn’t know why the kid had suddenly “caught on,” seeing that he no longer brazenly crowded him but had instead learned how to blush, Lin Xiu smiled.
He patted Chi Aibei’s head through the quilt. “In the future, you aren’t allowed to drink unless I’m there.”
Chi Aibei peeked out from the quilt with only his eyes showing. “What if you are there?”
Lin Xiu: “I’ll allow you one lick.”
Translator’s Note: “Being a hooligan” (耍流氓 – shuǎ liúmáng) is a humorous way to say someone is being flirtatious or touchy-feely in an inappropriate (but usually cute in this context) way. Lin Xiu’s final line is such a tease! “One lick” (舔一口) refers to just a tiny taste of alcohol, but the double entendre isn’t lost on the readers. Hope you enjoyed the fluff! See you in the next chapter!
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