Chapter 12: The Sweetheart’s Plea and a Terrifying Awakening

“Could it be… that the problem truly lies with me?”

This thought of self-doubt, like a pebble dropped into the tranquil lake of his heart, sent ripples of confusion through his mind, which was already muddled by alcohol.

The warm summer night breeze carried the scent of barbeque smoke, yet Su Mian felt an inexplicable, bone-chilling cold. He couldn’t help but shiver.

The tide of drunkenness surged, making the distant streetlights blur into indistinct halos.

He refused to be dismissed so easily. Fueled by the alcohol, he snatched up his phone again, his fingers clumsily poking the screen as he sent a friend request.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Brother, I was wrong. Please add me back, boohoohoo.]

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: From now on, I’ll definitely reply to Brother’s messages immediately. Please, please forgive me this one time, okay?~]

As Su Mian typed these words, a profound sense of injustice welled up within him.

The alcohol acted like a magnifying glass, amplifying the pent-up frustration, humiliation, and resentment he had accumulated over the past few days.

He felt like the most wretched person in the world, crushed by his love rival in reality and now forced to beg for pity online. This was a complete divergence from his initial plan for revenge.

“Mianzi, what are you fiddling with, head down? We’ve eaten enough; how about we pack up and head back to rest?” Lu Yang suggested, patting his stomach as he surveyed the messy table.

“I… I can still drink more!” Su Mian suddenly lifted his head, protesting indignantly.

His abrupt movement caused his wide sleeve to inadvertently sweep aside a large portion of his overly long bangs, which usually concealed his eyes.

In that split second—

Lu Yang, who was about to stand up, inadvertently glanced at Su Mian’s face. He froze as if under a spell, nearly sliding off his plastic stool.

‘I rely on…!’

Lu Yang cursed inwardly. After spending more than half a month together, his impression of Su Mian was that of a quiet, shabbily dressed little shut-in, always hiding his face behind bangs and glasses.

Yet, that fleeting glimpse, despite the dim lighting and Su Mian’s drunken, flushed cheeks and hazy eyes, revealed a face that was completely exposed.

His skin was dazzlingly fair, his features impossibly delicate. Especially those eyes, misted over and moist, carrying a hint of bewildered grievance… they were simply…

…simply too damn beautiful!

Lu Yang felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly shook his head, trying to dislodge the bizarre thought.

‘What am I thinking?! This is your brother!’

He forced himself to calm down, clearing his throat twice. “Cough… Alright, alright, don’t push it. You’re so drunk you can barely sit still. Next time, next time I’ll definitely drink to your heart’s content!”

“Hic…” Su Mian let out an alcoholic burp, swaying as he stood up. “I… I’ll just go relieve myself.”

“Are you sure you don’t need me to help you?” Lu Yang asked, worriedly watching his stumbling steps.

“No need! I know the way!” Su Mian stubbornly waved a hand, his eyes glazed over, as he shuffled unsteadily towards the restroom.

Just as he entered the restroom and leaned against the cool tiled wall to compose himself, his phone vibrated—Xiao Moyuan had actually accepted his friend request!

Overwhelmed by a surge of delight, which further muddled his already hazy mind, he fumbled to type.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: geG…WCNMD.] [Brother… I was wrong.]

Alcohol severely hampered his finger coordination.

[Yuan: ???]

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: I’m a little drunk.]

[Yuan: Having an episode? Deleted.]

Seeing his hard-won friend connection about to be lost again, Su Mian broke into a sweat. The more anxious he became, the less his fingers obeyed him.

In a moment of desperation, his mind heated up, and he directly pressed the voice call request.

Almost instantly, the call was connected.

“Why are you calling me?” The man’s voice from the other end was deeper than it usually felt through text, possessing a metallic magnetism that vibrated through the earpiece and into Su Mian’s eardrums, making his heart skip several beats.

Whether it was the alcohol or a mere illusion, he found the voice… damnably pleasant.

“Are you playing games with me?” Receiving no response, the other party’s voice cooled several degrees. “If you don’t speak, I’m blocking you.”

Su Mian wasn’t unwilling to speak; he simply didn’t dare. He feared his true voice would expose him.

“Three.”

“Two…”

As the cold countdown continued, Su Mian steeled his heart. He closed his eyes and, with all his might, channeled the soft and endearing persona of ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ calling out in a light, soft, and tearful voice:

“Brother… Brother.”

This single “Brother,” though not loud, carried a natural stickiness and softness due to his drunkenness. Its trailing syllable trembled slightly, sounding both like a plea and helpless coquetry.

Even Su Mian himself didn’t realize how alluring his voice was at that moment.

Silence fell briefly on the other end. Then, Xiao Moyuan’s voice returned, even deeper than before, carrying an indescribable sense of pressure: “Say it again.”

Su Mian, emboldened, obediently called out once more: “Brother…”

“Heh,” a faint, ambiguous chuckle emanated from the phone, “Baby, your voice… sounds truly adorable.”

That “baby” and the highly possessive remark made Su Mian’s cheeks flush crimson. A jolt of electricity seemed to course through him, leaving him momentarily numb.

Though he couldn’t see the other’s expression, he felt an invisible, possessive gaze firmly locking onto him.

This sensation of being scrutinized like prey made his toes curl in shame, and he instinctively pressed his legs together.

“Bro… Brother, are you willing to forgive me now?” He pressed his advantage, his voice so saccharine it gave him goosebumps.

This time, it was Xiao Moyuan who felt a tightening in his throat. Yet, he keenly detected something unusual amidst the syrupy cooing.

“You’ve been drinking?” he asked, his tone unreadable.

“Mm… just a little bit…” Su Mian honestly admitted.

“Why did you drink?”

“Because… because Brother deleted me, and I felt awful, truly awful…”

As he spoke of his sorrow, the sense of grievance, magnified countless times by the alcohol, surged forth again. Su Mian’s voice took on a distinct crying tone, even accompanied by faint sniffling.

He truly was upset. The feeling of his efforts being unappreciated and carelessly discarded was simply terrible.

“Mm, don’t cry.” Xiao Moyuan’s voice remained cool, but it seemed to have softened slightly.

However, this attempt at comfort seemed to open a floodgate. Su Mian’s crying only intensified, his choked sobs sounding utterly pitiful.

Xiao Moyuan on the other end: “…”

According to his usual temperament, if a girl cried like this in front of him, he would have lost patience and hung up immediately.

But strangely, listening to the suppressed, drunken sobs through his earpiece, he couldn’t muster any irritation. Instead, he found the soft weeping… somewhat endearing.

He uncharacteristically refrained from interrupting, allowing the other party to cry for nearly a minute before slowly speaking. “Calmed down a bit?”

“Mm…” Su Mian hiccupped, his voice thick with congestion, as he responded.

“Then stop crying. Are you outside right now?”

“Mm…”

“It’s getting late. It’s not safe for a girl to be drinking outside alone. Go back and rest first.” Xiao Moyuan’s voice, though still cool, carried an undeniable, almost commanding concern as it came through the phone in the night.

The two exchanged questions and answers, with Su Mian behaving exceptionally obediently at the moment.

“Then Brother…” Su Mian choked, asking the most crucial question, “Are you willing to have an online relationship with me now?”

His tone brimmed with evident anticipation and vulnerability, as if a single ‘no’ would send him into another fit of tears.

On the other end, Xiao Moyuan instinctively rubbed his brow.

His rationality clearly told him that he should continue to play hard to get, maintaining distance and control to keep the game at his pace.

However, the nasal, soft, and dependent plea through his earpiece was like a feather, gently tickling a rarely touched corner of his heart.

‘Fine,’ he thought, as if possessed, ‘Since this little fox has shown enough dependence and… intrigue, perhaps giving her a small taste of sweetness now will make her drop her disguise faster and willingly fall into the trap.’

“Mm.” A simple syllable escaped his throat.

Almost simultaneously, with a ‘beep,’ the voice call was abruptly disconnected.

Su Mian stared blankly at the suddenly black screen—his phone had run out of battery and automatically shut down.

Just now… Xiao Moyuan seemed to have agreed? Was that “Mm” an agreement?

However, his head felt like it was filled with paste, spinning wildly, making effective thought impossible.

Clinging to the last shred of his fading consciousness, he swayed unsteadily, found Lu Yang and Qin Xuan, and returned to their dorm room.

After a quick, perfunctory wash, he lost consciousness the moment he practically collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep.

That night, Su Mian had a bizarre and vivid dream.

In his dream, his revenge scheme achieved unprecedented success.

Xiao Moyuan was utterly captivated by his ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ disguise, loving him to death and obeying his every whim.

Then, according to his original plan, at the peak of Xiao Moyuan’s affection, he brutally kicked him aside, blocking and deleting all contact information.

Witnessing Xiao Moyuan’s imagined agony and collapse, Su Mian in his dream felt a triumphant thrill, a complete vindication!

Suddenly, the scene shifted. Shen Zhixia returned to his side, and they reconciled, seemingly heading towards a happy ending…

However, Xiao Moyuan, having somehow discovered the truth, arrived at their doorstep, radiating a terrifying malice.

He was cornered by Xiao Moyuan, step by step, until he had nowhere left to retreat. The other’s eyes were cold and sharp like poisoned daggers, his voice low and dangerous:

“You’ve got some nerve, playing me like this, huh? Sweet… heart… Marsh…mallow.”

Su Mian’s courage instantly evaporated in the dream; he cowered, his voice trembling: “Wh-what do you want?”

Xiao Moyuan pulled out a cold, humorless smile. “What do you think?”

The next second, the world spun, and he was heavily tossed onto the soft bed.

Xiao Moyuan’s tall figure loomed over him, exuding immense pressure. Su Mian was truly terrified, pleading tearfully: “Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao! We’re brothers, calm down, be rational! I was wrong, I apologize, I truly was wrong…”

But Xiao Moyuan leaned down, his fingers playfully pinching Su Mian’s chin, his tone mocking and cruel: “Wife, do you want to… take a look at yourself in the mirror?”

Su Mian was forced to turn his head, gazing at the full-length mirror nearby.

The person in the mirror was wearing the JK uniform he was familiar with, with soft, chestnut-colored long curly hair.

Yet, his once flat chest had, at some unknown point, become full and shapely, stretching the fabric into a startling curve…

He instinctively reached down to touch his skirt—

The empty sensation made him jolt all over, waking him abruptly from the dream!

“Hoo… hoo…” Su Mian panted heavily, sitting on the bed, his entire body drenched in cold sweat, his heart still pounding frantically.

That dream was too real, too terrifying!

With lingering trepidation, he grabbed his charging phone. The moment it powered on, an unread message popped up.

[Yuan: Wife, good morning.]

Su Mian stared at the three words on the screen, his pupils constricting sharply. He was so startled he nearly threw the phone.

‘The dream… the dream actually came true?!’