Chapter 12: Drunk
As the liquid entered his mouth, the burning sensation immediately made Shen Zhouyue realize that the cup didn’t contain juice, but alcohol.
Choked by the fiery liquor, he coughed incessantly. He hurriedly put down the glass, covered his mouth, stood up, and walked to the side.
Unsuppressable coughs spilled out from between his fingers.
Yu Tingzhou looked at Shen Zhouyue with concern, said a quick word to his friends, and followed him.
“Are you alright?”
Shen Zhouyue kept coughing, his fair face flushed completely red.
A bottle of mineral water was handed to him.
Yu Tingzhou had just asked a waiter for it.
Shen Zhouyue took the water and drank a mouthful, finally feeling much more comfortable.
“Thank you!”
“Is it okay for you to come out and find me?”
Yu Tingzhou knew what Shen Zhouyue meant.
He explained gently, “It’s fine, I told them.”
“If you’re still feeling unwell, we can go back first. I’ll introduce my friends to you another time.”
Shen Zhouyue felt that was completely unnecessary.
In a year, the two of them would go their separate ways, so why bother knowing each other’s friends?
But Yu Tingzhou didn’t seem to detect any issue with his attitude, which made Shen Zhouyue feel a bit helpless.
By now, he had stopped coughing.
He straightened up, his face still carrying the flush from the violent coughing.
“I’m not feeling bad anymore, let’s go back!”
Shen Zhouyue didn’t say much more and walked straight toward the private room, with Yu Tingzhou following behind.
Inside, the friends were currently discussing the matter between Yu Tingzhou and Shen Zhouyue.
Liu Xuanting was very dissatisfied with Shen Zhouyue because of what happened at the auction.
He frowned and said unhappily, “How did Tingzhou find such a partner? His personality is awkward, and he ignores people.”
“I just asked him a few questions about Tingzhou, and he gave me the cold shoulder. I wonder if he’s like this in front of Tingzhou too?”
Fang Mo rubbed his nose bridge helplessly and sighed. “It’s the first time he’s met you, and you were asking all sorts of questions; of course, he wouldn’t be happy about it.”
“Tingzhou found someone who looks so similar to his junior. Could he be treating him as a substitute?”
They were Yu Tingzhouâs college classmates, so naturally, they knew what the junior who used to follow him around looked like.
None of them could understand Yu Tingzhouâs choice.
Outside the door, Shen Zhouyue heard their conversation and couldn’t help but glance at Yu Tingzhou beside him. “Did Mr. Yu choose me as your contract marriage partner because of this face?”
Shen Zhouyueâs sudden question surprised Yu Tingzhou.
He studied Shen Zhouyue in the dim light of the corridor. “You do look very much like that junior!”
“But I chose you not because of your face, but simply because among the materials the assistant selected, you were the most suitable one.”
Shen Zhouyue didn’t fully believe this explanation.
He always felt that sometimes, the look in Yu Tingzhou’s eyes when looking at him held a hint of nostalgia and melancholy, and perhaps a trace of regret.
He and Yu Tingzhou had only met three times a few years ago.
The first time was to set up Yun Xing and Yang Zhou, where he discovered Yu Tingzhou could cure his insomnia.
The second time was at the bar, the night they had An’an.
The last time was when Yu Tingzhou warned him not to let Yun Xing know about what happened between them.
They hadn’t even met at the wedding. Yu Tingzhou probably had forgotten he had ever met him before.
So, it was impossible for him to look at him with such eyes.
He was just looking through his face, which resembled Yun Xing’s, to reminisce about the past!
“Perhaps!”
“Your friends seem to have misunderstood!”
Yu Tingzhou naturally heard the conversation inside the room as well.
He rubbed his throbbing brow helplessly. “I will explain.”
When they returned to the private room, everyone acted as if the previous conversation had never happened.
They toasted and chatted about topics Shen Zhouyue was unfamiliar with.
With nothing to do, he could only eat silently.
Yu Tingzhou arranged with his friends to go surfing at the nearby beach the next day. Just as he was about to ask for Shen Zhouyueâs opinion, he saw Shen Zhouyue sitting bolt upright, staring blankly ahead.
He was murmuring, “Mm… so dizzy…”
It had only been ten minutes or so; how did he end up like this?
Yu Tingzhou was confused.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on the food on the plate.
That dish contained quite a bit of alcohol. Although it didn’t taste strongly of liquor, people with low tolerance would still get tipsy from it.
It seemed Shen Zhouyue was one of them.
He said helplessly to his friends, “I’ll take him back first. See you tomorrow.”
The friends also noticed Shen Zhouyueâs state and nodded in understanding.
Yu Tingzhou originally intended to support Shen Zhouyue as they walked.
But the height difference between them was significant. If he supported him, Yu Tingzhou would have to stay bent over, which was very uncomfortable. So, after hesitating, he decided to carry Shen Zhouyue out in a princess carry.
Hearing his friends jeering behind him, Yu Tingzhou glared back helplessly.
In his daze, Shen Zhouyue felt his feet leave the ground as if he were being lifted. He looked over with watery eyes. “Mm… uncomfortable…”
But his vision was blurry.
He couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, but instinctively felt there was no danger.
So he nuzzled against Yu Tingzhou. His soft hair occasionally brushed against Yu Tingzhouâs arm and chest. The clothes blocked some of the sensation, leaving only a faint itch.
With both hands holding Shen Zhouyue, Yu Tingzhou couldn’t spare a third hand to stop Shen Zhouyueâs movements.
He could only endure the itchiness on his skin and walk quickly toward the hotel.
Fortunately, the hotel was just upstairs. Otherwise, he might not have been able to control the urge to touch the skin that was causing the itch.
Once in the room, Yu Tingzhou placed Shen Zhouyue onto the bed.
As soon as Shen Zhouyue touched the soft bed, he felt his body sinking.
With his brain not quite clear, he frantically reached out, trying to grab something to stop falling.
In the end, his hand grabbed onto a button on Yu Tingzhouâs chest.
The button had already been loosened by Shen Zhouyueâs nuzzling earlier, and with this grab, it popped off completely.
Without the restriction, the shirt opened to the sides, revealing the skin of his chest.
Shen Zhouyue vaguely felt his fingertips touch something resilient, but before he could feel it carefully, the presence disappeared.
He pouted in dissatisfaction. “Don’t run…”
He even tried to sit up to chase it, but the soft mattress beneath him couldn’t provide much leverage, and his limbs were soft and weak, so he couldn’t sit up at all.
“Mm… it’s gone…”
Shen Zhouyueâs eyes turned red with grievance, and his voice carried the sound of sobbing, looking as if he had been bullied.
Yu Tingzhou looked at Shen Zhouyue with a headache.
Seeing that if he didn’t do something, the person lying on the bed was going to cry out loud, Yu Tingzhou sat helplessly by the bed and pulled Shen Zhouyueâs hand onto his chest.
Shen Zhouyueâs expression, poised on the brink of crying, froze instantly.
He moved his fingers. The soft yet firm texture made him reluctant to let go. He even struggled to sit up, wanting to press his face against Yu Tingzhouâs chest to feel it with other parts of his body.
Noticing Shen Zhouyue flopping around like a fish out of water, Yu Tingzhou helplessly reached out and wrapped his arm around Shen Zhouyueâs waist, pulling him into his embrace.
Shen Zhouyue, his wish granted, settled down considerably.
He leaned against Yu Tingzhouâs chest, his head rubbing against it incessantly.
As the soft hair brushed across his chest, Yu Tingzhou reflexively tightened his pectoral muscles.
Feeling the texture change, Shen Zhouyue squeezed curiously and even tried to take a bite.
Yu Tingzhou reacted quickly and stopped Shen Zhouyue, saving his chest from acquiring an extra set of teeth marks.
“You’re pushing your luck, aren’t you?”
Feeling himself being pushed away, Shen Zhouyue looked at Yu Tingzhou with a pitiful expression again.
But this time, Yu Tingzhou made up his mind not to soften his heart.
After all, if this continued, things he couldn’t control would happen.
He didn’t want a repeat of that awkward event from a few years ago.
But how could the muddled Shen Zhouyue know Yu Tingzhouâs thoughts? Perhaps feeling wronged, or for some other reason, tears started falling patter-patter as he cried silently.
“Hey, hey, hey… what is this look for… If someone sees this, they’ll definitely think I’m bullying you…”
At this moment, Yu Tingzhou was extremely thankful that only he and Shen Zhouyue were in the room.
But speak of the devilâjust then, Yu Tingzhou noticed Shen Zhouyueâs phone ringing.
The caller was his own mother.
Shen Zhouyue answered the phone in a daze. Still crying, he choked out, “H-hello…”
Fang Hanyun knew something was wrong as soon as she heard the voice.
“Zhouyue, what’s wrong? Did Tingzhou bully you?”
Shen Zhouyue had unconsciously put it on speaker, so Fang Hanyunâs voice echoed in the room.
Worried that Shen Zhouyue might say something he shouldn’t in his unclear state, Yu Tingzhou quickly took the phone from him, turned off the speaker, and explained to Fang Hanyun on the other end.
“I took Zhouyue to trick a few friends of mine. He accidentally drank a few glasses, and his tolerance isn’t great, so he’s having a drunk fit!”
“Mom, did you call Zhouyue for something? Otherwise, I’ll have him call you back tomorrow when he sobers up!”
Shen Zhouyue kept reaching out, trying to snatch the item back from Yu Tingzhouâs hand.
Yu Tingzhou had to restrain the struggling Shen Zhouyue while desperately making up excuses to fend off Fang Hanyun. When he finally dispelled her suspicions, he let out a sigh of relief.
Exhausted, he lay back on the bed. Shen Zhouyue, still in his arms, toppled over with his movement.
The resilient muscles caused Shen Zhouyue to bounce slightly upon impact.
Watching the scene sway before him, Shen Zhouyue seized the opportunity and suddenly opened his mouth, clamping down on a certain spot on someone’s chest.
“Mm… tasty meat… don’t run…”
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