Chapter 32: Fruit Wine and Confessions

After her afternoon classes ended, Luo Xiaoyun had just packed up her books when Xu Xiangyang grabbed her arm.

“Third! Are you free tonight? BBQ at the usual spot, Zhou Yu’an is treating!” Xu Xiangyang’s voice brimmed with excitement.

“Why the sudden treat?” Luo Xiaoyun asked, puzzled.

“He said you moved out a few days ago,” Xu Xiangyang paused, lowering his voice with mock sentiment, “He misses you terribly!”

Luo Xiaoyun shook her head helplessly. “It’s only been a few days. I think he just wants to drink and found an excuse.”

“I don’t care! You have to come! Cheng Fang is coming too, we’re just waiting for you!” Xu Xiangyang tugged at her arm, refusing to let go, with a stance that screamed ‘if you don’t agree, I won’t let go.’

“Fine, fine.” Luo Xiaoyun had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Walking out of the teaching building, the evening breeze brushed by, carrying the chill of early autumn. Luo Xiaoyun took out her phone, opened the chat with Su Muxue, her fingers pausing on the screen for a moment before slowly typing:

– Yun: Don’t prepare dinner for me tonight, I’m eating out with my roommates.

Almost instantly:

– Xue: Okay.

The evening barbecue stall was as bustling as ever. Charcoal flames flickered on the iron grills, and droplets of fat sizzled with a ‘zzz’ sound, mingling with the aroma of various spices, spreading through the night breeze.

The four sat by the roadside. Zhou Yu’an ordered with practiced ease: “Boss, twenty skewers of grilled beef, ten oysters, two portions of garlic eggplant, ten chicken wings, and three dozen beers!”

“Coming right up!” The boss’s vigorous voice cut through the noise.

Luo Xiaoyun watched the enthusiastic Zhou Yu’an and couldn’t help reminding him: “Ordering so much beer, can we finish it? If you three get drunk, I won’t be able to get you back to the dorm alone.”

“Handsome, we’ve got a new fruit wine, really tasty and low in alcohol. Want to give it a try?” The boss came over at the right moment, picking up a finely packaged bottle of fruit wine to recommend.

Inside the transparent glass bottle, the reddish-brown liquid shimmered under the light. Luo Xiaoyun remembered her own alcohol tolerance and nodded: “I’ll have a bit then.”

“Coming right up!”

Soon, skewers were brought to the table one after another, steaming hot and fragrant. The boss brought a large bottle of fruit wine, and the friends picked up the skewers and started eating.

Beer bottles were popped open against the table edge, the crisp sounds mingling with the crackling of charcoal.

“With a beautiful roommate to keep you company,” Cheng Fang raised a bottle of beer, looking at Luo Xiaoyun sitting across, his tone teasing, “you don’t need us brothers anymore.”

“But we see each other in class every day,” Luo Xiaoyun tried to defend herself. “And it’s just a normal shared rental…”

“Normal?” Zhou Yu’an raised an eyebrow, leaning in closer, eyes sparkling with gossip. “Does a normal shared rental make the campus ice queen take your arm willingly? Third, don’t try to fool us.”

Luo Xiaoyun’s face flushed. She knew that scene in front of the milk tea shop yesterday must have been seen by many; who knows what was being spread on the campus forum now.

“Come clean,” Xu Xiangyang put down his skewer, wearing an ‘I know everything’ expression. “What’s really going on between you two?”

“We’re really just roommates…” Luo Xiaoyun’s voice grew softer, nearly drowned by the surrounding noise. “Yesterday was just to help the senior get rid of a suitor…”

“Oh~” The three of them simultaneously let out a meaningful, drawn-out sound.

Luo Xiaoyun’s face reddened even more. She grabbed a skewer of grilled meat and stuffed it into her mouth, using action to refuse to continue this topic.

Before she knew it, Luo Xiaoyun had already finished a bottle of beer. Her cheeks were starting to flush, so she decisively switched to the fruit wine the boss had recommended.

The sweet liquid slid down her throat, carrying a mixed aroma of berries and lychee, almost no taste of alcohol, as smooth as juice.

“This is pretty much like a soft drink,” she muttered, then poured herself another large glass.

Seeing this, Xu Xiangyang immediately started teasing: “Third, today you have to drink to your heart’s content! Celebrate your escape from the sea of suffering with us single dogs!”

“I’m not in a relationship…”

“Then you’re not far from it!” Zhou Yu’an raised his glass. “Come on, bottoms up! This meal’s on me!”

Cheng Fang and Zhou Yu’an were drinking enthusiastically, one shot after another, finishing several bottles in a flash. Luo Xiaoyun had no choice but to clink glasses with them.

The fruit wine was indeed tasty, so she drank one cup after another, completely unaware of how strong the aftereffects would be. In no time, she had drunk most of the large bottle.

Gradually, her consciousness began to blur. The sounds around her became hazy, and the lights blurred into patches of glowing spots.

“Let me tell you,” she propped her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling as if filled with stars, “Senior’s cooking is really amazing… a hundred times better than the cafeteria… no, a thousand times…”

“Oh~” The three teased her again.

“She also blow-dried my hair…” Luo Xiaoyun continued to mumble, her voice softening, sweet and syrupy with drunkenness. “Her fingers were so gentle… so comfortable…”

“Third,” Xu Xiangyang suddenly spoke, his voice a bit slurred, “your face is really red.”

“Is it?” Luo Xiaoyun touched her own face; it was indeed burning hot. She shook her head, feeling the whole world gently spinning. “This chair… why is it spinning…”

Before she finished speaking, her whole body tilted to the side. Zhou Yu’an was quick to catch her. “Damn, Third, your tolerance… you can get drunk on fruit wine?”

Luo Xiaoyun leaned on his shoulder, grinning foolishly, her silver-white hair brushing against his neck. “I’m not drunk… just a bit dizzy…”

Xu Xiangyang and Cheng Fang were also pretty far gone. One began reciting his self-composed ‘Ode to the Single Dog’ with a slurred tongue, while the other, rarely seen like this, was lying on the table, discussing economic models with an empty bottle.

Zhou Yu’an looked at the ‘battle-damaged’ roommates and felt a headache coming on. How was he, alone, supposed to get these three back to the dorm?

Just as Zhou Yu’an pulled out his phone to call for help, a familiar figure passed by from the side of the road.

Su Muxue happened to be passing by. Seeing that there seemed to be a familiar figure at the barbecue stall, she paused for a moment, then walked straight over.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

What Should I Do When Girls Keep Trying to Win Me Over After Rebirth?

CampusRomanceHaremlove

Read Now →
Not interested