Chapter 17: Please Don’t Misunderstand, I’m Just Drunk

Lin Chuji peeked at Xie Yan through his fingers.

His face didn’t show an ounce of the embarrassment Lin Chuji felt—instead, he looked quite comfortable, quite pleased.

He even seemed to be enjoying himself a little?

He didn’t understand it, but he envied it.

Truly a social butterfly.

He’s who I want to become, Lin Chuji sighed inwardly.

 

After saying his piece, Xie Yan didn’t move, just looked at Qin Yi with slightly raised brows, extremely provocative.

Qin Yi’s face darkened, and he stepped aside an inch, then turned his head as if casually reminiscing: “I remember when we were kids, Xiao Chu would give me handmade crafts every weekend.

Cakes and pastries too, of course.

Now it’s just direct online ordering?”

 

Lin Chuji murmured, “Because I just found out today was his birthday, and I didn’t have time to make something myself.”

 

Xie Yan took another step forward, closing the distance.

His nearly 1.9-meter frame was truly imposing, instantly making the other seem lacking in presence.

Ignoring the previous comment, he smiled and said, “I said move aside, not shift a little.

Can’t you understand words?

Turns out Qinghua students are really bad at Chinese.”

 

Shen Yinan couldn’t help laughing.

Shen Yibei covered his mouth and explained, “He has a neurological disorder.

His expressions sometimes malfunction.

Sorry.”

 

Qin Yi’s expression darkened further, but he didn’t fully move out of the way to let him pass.

 

Xie Yan, without any concern for whether the bouquet might carry other meanings, reached out and took the gift.

A large bouquet of roses, surrounded by gold wrapping paper, delicate and dripping with vivid color, looking passionate and intense.

He turned to Lin Chuji and asked casually, “Did you pick this style?”

“No, the shopkeeper did,” Lin Chuji squeezed out, suffering unbearably.

 

Xie Yan looked at the two delivery men and said sincerely, “Your chant just now was pretty good—uniform and grand.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get it recorded.

Could you do it again?

I’ll tip you.”

“Sure, ten more times if you want!”

The delivery guy’s eyes brightened instantly at the mention of extra money, and he immediately started clearing his throat with his partner.

“Handsome, just say go and we’ll shout it together.”

 

This must be retaliation, Lin Chuji thought.

It’s fine.

Relax.

It’s just a minor embarrassment of having my name called.

I’ll let the birthday boy have his fun.

Besides, no one at this table knows who Lin Chuji is anyway.

What does it matter?

Lin Chuji tried to reassure himself.

But the next second, he completely reversed course.

No, too socially deadly.

I really can’t take it.

 

Lin Chuji lowered his hands from covering his face, and said with shame and anger, “Xie Yan!”

“What’s wrong?”

Xie Yan was holding up his camera, directing other friends to stand behind them.

Everyone moved like special forces, instantly forming a very neat formation.

 

Lin Chuji stared dumbfounded at a scene more surreal than any hallucination.

Only then did he belatedly realize that Xie Yan genuinely liked this kind of display.

He wasn’t ashamed of it—on the contrary, he was proud of it.

At that moment, he was truly undone by Xie Yan’s sincere reaction.

 

Xie Yan was still enthusiastically calling him: “You come too.

You gave them.

You stand in the center.”

 

Lin Chuji’s whole body radiated resistance.

He waved his hands repeatedly.

“I’m not the birthday boy.

My birthday is tomorrow.

You go.”

 

Xie Yan chose a spot for recording, then handed his phone to Qin Yi beside him.

“Of course I’ll stand in the center.

The two of us together.

And we’ll trouble this big brother here to record a video for us.”

 

Qin Yi, watching coldly from the side: ???

 

Xie Yan looked at him with a relaxed expression, as if he were very easy to get along with.

“So, a Qinghua student is this unwilling to help others?

No problem.

I won’t delay your departure.

I’ll ask a waiter to help.”

“No trouble.

I’ll record it,” Qin Yi said, maintaining an unflappable expression as he took the phone.

 

Xie Yan naturally reached out and pulled Lin Chuji into the empty spot in the center.

“Three seconds and you can start,” he said to everyone, then turned his head and added quietly, “Isn’t it a shame we lost our photo together?

Here’s a deluxe pro version for you.”

 

Lin Chuji: “…….”

Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

It’s just a bit too unique.

He stared expressionlessly ahead, his ears ringing with the deafening words, and started thinking about which mountain would be a good place to buy a grave.

 

First time.

The delivery guy started the chant. “Lin Chuji wishes Xie Yan a happy birthday.

May you be as bright as the morning sun that day, forever radiant.

Heart!

Heart!

Heart!”

 

Second time.

Everyone held back their laughter and shouted together.

“Lin Chuji wishes Xie Yan a happy birthday.

May you be as bright as the morning sun that day, forever radiant.

Heart!

Heart!

Heart!”

 

Third time.

Shen Yinan and Shen Yibei both looked at him and said, “Your turn.”

 

Lin Chuji had become resigned to any further demands.

Adopting a “if you can’t beat them, join them” mentality, he showed his most sincere smile, took a deep breath, and loudly said, “Lin Chuji wishes Xie Yan—”

Just as he got the beginning out, he felt the simultaneous stares from all around, instantly deflated, his voice getting lower and lower, mumbling.

“—May you be as bright as the morning sun that day, forever radiant.

Heart… ( &……& ^-^ heart#……%& heart%&**~”

Xie Yan was very satisfied and even encouraged him, “See?

It’s not such a big deal.

What are you afraid of?”

Lin Chuji blinked slowly and asked seriously, “Are you giving me desensitization therapy?”

“You noticed?

You’re pretty great,” Xie Yan said, casually patting his head as he used to encourage Xie Wan.

Lin Chuji just stared at him, dazed.

 

Qin Yi really couldn’t stay any longer.

As soon as the recording finished, he immediately returned the phone and said goodbye, “Xiao Chu, I’m leaving now.

I’ll come find you tomorrow for your birthday.”

Lin Chuji nodded.

“Thank you for talking with me.

See you later.”

“It’s fine.

I was very happy tonight too,” Qin Yi said absently.

 

Xie Yan looked up coldly, glanced at him, then lowered his head to continue checking the video he had just taken.

After Qin Yi left, Lin Chuji slowly retreated to the side, took out his phone, and started settling accounts with the culprit.

[User12322]: Shopkeeper!

Are you there?

Will you be able to sleep tonight?

I can’t sleep very well.

[Shopkeeper]: What’s wrong, little girl?

Weren’t you happy with the surprise I prepared for you?

[User12322]: Where did you get that I’m a little girl??????

 

Lin Chuji typed furiously, venting all his anger on that thin screen.

[Shopkeeper]: Your username, the way you talk, and the emojis you use—they all seem like a little girl.

Besides, the gift you picked is also something a girlfriend would give to her boyfriend.

I’ve never seen a guy buy that.

 

Lin Chuji was about to explode.

He had just bought a razor.

Such a reasonable and ordinary thing.

Why did it have to be a little girl who gave it?

[User12322]: Fine, fine, even if that was a misunderstanding, why did you have the card read out loud?

[Shopkeeper]: It’s so grand!

I even threw in an extra twenty bucks.

Didn’t you like it?

I specifically stressed that they should read the emojis too, to express your passionate, hot, fervent feelings.

Pretty awesome, right?

[User12322]: Thanks a lot.

The effect was excellent.

I’ll give you five stars.

 

He almost typed the last line through gritted teeth.

 

When he looked up again, Xie Yan and the others had already opened the cake and placed it in the center of the table.

Written in beautiful icing was “Lin Chuji wishes Xie Yan a happy birthday.”

Then he watched as Xie Yan took a small knife, carefully picked out the character for “wishes,” and put a candle in its place.

Lin Chuji didn’t understand what he was doing and asked, bewildered, “What are you doing?”

 

By now the candle was lit, the surrounding lights dimmed, leaving only the flickering flame.

In that soft light, Xie Yan tilted his head slightly, smiling as he looked at Lin Chuji.

“Look again?

Doesn’t it say ‘Lin Chuji and Xie Yan happy birthday’ now?

It’s just one day apart.

It’s almost midnight.

Let’s just celebrate together.”

 

Yes, the character for “wishes” was gone.

Between the names “Lin Chuji” and “Xie Yan,” there was now a blank space.

He had gone from being a supporting character to also being the star of tonight.

 

Lin Chuji felt something gently knock against his heart.

He couldn’t say why.

It felt a little bittersweet.

His memories before age nine were blank.

From age nine onward, he had never celebrated a birthday with friends.

Every year on this day, his parents celebrated at home with him.

Zhan Wanqiu was very ritualistic.

She would always make the birthday extremely grand.

She would set up a beautiful three-tiered cake in that large, somewhat empty villa, arrange an extravagant celebratory scene, and buy him very, very expensive birthday gifts.

But precisely because of that, it only highlighted his loneliness, reminding him over and over that aside from his parents, there were no other lively voices.

Qin Yi was the only exception back then, but Zhan Wanqiu had also forbidden them from seeing each other.

Until they moved, they had met in secret.

 

So at this moment, Xie Yan probably didn’t understand the weight of his casual invitation in Lin Chuji’s heart.

Lin Chuji’s eyes grew a little moist.

He held it back, then said softly, “Okay.

Then I’ll bask in your light.”

 

Borrow your friends, borrow your liveliness, let me experience for the first time the feeling of being surrounded and celebrated on my birthday.

 

Inside the cake box was a paper birthday hat.

Xie Yan pulled him over, didn’t ask, just put it on his head.

Then he stood side by side with him in the center and directed everyone, “You can sing now.”

“Come on, come on, everyone together.

Sing,” Shen Yinan said, acting as conductor with great ease.

They sang it once in Chinese, once in English.

Lin Chuji was still enjoying it, only remembering to tug at Xie Yan’s sleeve to remind him when the candle was almost burned out, “Hurry, hurry, time to make a wish.”

 

Xie Yan didn’t understand why he had such a strong fixation on making wishes.

He had said before that his wish could never come true, so he didn’t have one.

So now, he just watched Lin Chuji nervously close his eyes, press his palms together, looking very devout.

After a few seconds of staring, he closed his eyes too and silently repeated the same words he had thought that night watching the meteor shower.

Then I’ll give my wish to Lin Chuji.

May his wish come true.

 

Lin Chuji closed his eyes and muttered, “Wishing for happiness.

Wishing for freedom.

Wishing for someone to love me like the blazing sun, without holding back.”

Wishing for this person to be like a bright sun—embracing and passionate, not like Zhan Wanqiu’s stifling, suffocating, oppressive need to escape.

He opened his eyes, looked at everyone, and said with a smile, “Cut the cake.”

 

From the moment he saw Xie Yan in the dorm at Jing University, he had thought that today would be the worst day of his seventeen years—one social death after another, unbearable.

But now, as the day drew to a close, he felt that today was the happiest day of his seventeen years, and he would welcome his eighteenth birthday with this wonderful feeling.

“After cake, shouldn’t we have some other activities?”

Zhao Heng said casually.

“Oh right, Boss Xie has finally entered the adult world this year.

Let him see how joyful this world of drunken dreams can be,” Shen Yinan said, already opening his phone to search for nearby bars.

 

Xie Yan ate his cake slowly, indifferent.

“Boring.

Nothing new.”

 

Shen Yinan spoke carelessly.

“What, you don’t want to go?

Gambling, drugs—can’t touch that, you know.

As a people’s police officer’s son, can’t you have some ideological awareness?”

“You’re sick.

I was talking about drinking,” Xie Yan said, kicking him.

“Friends, we’ve been looked down upon by Boss Xie.

So our mission tonight is to find another place and get him drunk!”

Shen Yibei clicked his tongue.

“Last time we went easy on him because he was a kid.

It’s time to show him the real power of us adults.”

 

Lin Chuji glanced at him, his tone a little proud.

“What’s there to drinking?

I can even mix—” He stopped mid-sentence, his tongue tripping, slamming on the brakes.

Wait, too happy.

Xie Yan doesn’t know that the person mixing drinks was me.

I almost blew it.

Lin Chuji didn’t even dare to think about it.

If his alt account were exposed, with all the things he had said and done while wearing that mask, he really couldn’t stay at Jing University another day.

He forcibly rubbed his face with his hands, using physical means to try to sober up his mind.

“Mix what?”

Xie Yan looked at him with amusement.

“Mix… mischief.”

Lin Chuji reached out, smeared some cream from the cake onto his finger, paused in midair for several seconds, then gathered his courage and wiped it on Xie Yan’s face.

 

Xie Yan looked at him thoughtfully.

Here we go again, Lin Chuji.

I’ve never seen anyone wipe cake on someone else so gently—just a tiny bit on his fingertip, touching his cheek softly, more like flirting.

He wiped it off with his finger and reminded him quietly, “Don’t do something that’s so easy to misunderstand again.”

 

Lin Chuji belatedly realized, his face exploding in redness.

No, today is still a very terrible and deadly day.

The worst.

 

Shen Yinan drew out his words, teasing, “Wow—what are you two doing?

In public like this?

Can’t you consider us single people’s feelings?”

 

Shen Yibei chimed in perfectly, “Wow—first roses, now feeding each other sweet cake?

I can’t live—”

Lin Chuji stammered out his delayed excuse, “It was the shopkeeper!

The shopkeeper thought I was a little girl.

He messed up…

Please don’t… don’t joke about us anymore.”

“Won’t, absolutely won’t,” Shen Yinan said, making a zipping motion over his mouth.

“Very straight.

You two are iron straight,” Shen Yibei said with the conviction of someone joining the Party.

 

Lin Chuji: “…….”

 

Several girls nearby laughed with satisfaction, propping their chins on their hands to watch the show.

“You extroverts, stop teasing Xiao Lin, or he’ll never show up again and we won’t get to see handsome guys.”

“Exactly.

But I think Junior Lin looks very cute with his red cheeks.”

“Moderation, everyone.

Gauge the boundaries, know the limits Junior Lin can accept, got it?”

They sounded thoughtful, but they were really just teasing.

Lin Chuji reflected: Why did I ever end up with this group of people?

“You guys go play.

I’m into healthy living.

I need to go to bed early,” Lin Chuji said, utterly humiliated, and abruptly stood up.

 

Xie Yan casually exposed his flimsy lie.

“You go to bed early?

You’ve never been asleep before midnight.

Except that one time, you tied me to the—”

Lin Chuji quickly interrupted, “Fine, let’s go to the bar.

Right now.”

 

After groggily following everyone into that soft sofa, Lin Chuji belatedly realized that Xie Yan had tricked him again.

But the birthday celebration was done, all misunderstandings were cleared up.

From this moment on, he would strictly draw a line between them.

 

Sitting at the other end of the sofa, with five people between them, Lin Chuji downed two big gulps of alcohol, brooding.

The taste was off.

He took another small taste and confirmed it: fake alcohol again.

“Let’s go dance?”

Shen Yinan, a person who truly enjoyed life, had smoothly started setting the rhythm as soon as they entered.

“I’m not going.

You guys go,” Lin Chuji said, sitting in the colorful lights, feeling a headache coming on.

 

Xie Yan had no real interest in such dance clubs.

He had come along just not to spoil the fun.

He sipped his drink slowly, watching Lin Chuji deliberately keep his distance from the other end of the sofa, thoughtful.

Good.

That suits me just fine.

 

But Lin Chuji was too eye-catching.

Xie Yan’s own looks were aggressive, and most people would just take a second glance and then keep their distance.

But Lin Chuji was soft, beautiful, cool but not prickly, and a bit shy when he spoke.

Soon enough, men and women came over to chat him up, ask for his contact info, toast with him.

The music was loud, and Xie Yan couldn’t hear what they were saying, only occasionally seeing his lips move.

“If you don’t act soon, your wife is going to run off with someone else,” Shen Yinan came back dripping with sweat, bending down to whisper in his ear.

“None of my business.

Even if he doesn’t come home tonight, it has nothing to do with me,” Xie Yan said, tilting his head back for a big gulp.

When he snapped out of it, Lin Chuji had actually disappeared from view.

 

Xie Yan’s movement halted.

After making things clear with me, he’s going to find someone else?

No, he had already met Qin Yi today, and Qin Yi seemed more proactive than him, not like someone who had been heartlessly abandoned.

Could there be another real ex-boyfriend besides this one?

So complicated.

I can’t see clearly, and I can’t figure it out.

Xie Yan propped his temple with his fingers and sighed quietly, “Lin Chuji, you’re something else.”

 

Anyway, as he had just told Shen Yinan, even if he didn’t come home tonight, it had nothing to do with him.

Xie Yan drank while letting his mind wander aimlessly.

 

When Zhao Heng came back to rest and saw only one person on the sofa, he asked, “Where’s Lin Chuji?

Isn’t he with you?”

“No idea where he went,” Xie Yan said absently.

Then he checked the time and suddenly sobered up more than halfway.

Over half an hour had passed, and Lin Chuji still hadn’t come back.

Even if he left with someone, he would at least say something, wouldn’t he?

Could something have happened?

All kinds of chaotic thoughts flooded his mind, and Xie Yan grew irritated.

He took out his phone to video call him, then realized they hadn’t even added each other’s contact information back yet.

 

Not wanting to cause panic, he just said to Zhao Heng, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

While walking in that direction, he dialed Lin Chuji’s number and looked around for any similar figure.

He hadn’t held out hope, but unexpectedly, the call went through and was quickly answered.

“Hello, who is this?”

Lin Chuji’s voice came through the phone, light and airy.

 

Xie Yan frowned, his tone a bit urgent.

“Where are you?”

“Bathroom.

The last stall.

The biggest… one,” Lin Chuji obediently answered.

 

The place he guessed at random, and he actually was there.

Xie Yan strode in that direction, nearly wearing out his soles, and stopped in front of the door.

It was locked tight.

Could someone else be in there?

“Lin Chuji, open the door.”

He spoke into the phone, and his voice also carried clearly through the door.

 

Lin Chuji had drunk quite a bit tonight.

He had been drinking steadily during dinner, and then a few more glasses of fake alcohol just now.

All mixed together, his head was a bit fuzzy, but his mind was still clear.

The voice sounded very familiar, extremely familiar, like he had heard it somewhere.

He thought for a few seconds, then realized it was Xie Yan.

Safe, wouldn’t hurt him.

So he unlatched the door.

 

Seeing him fully dressed and alone, Xie Yan breathed a huge sigh of relief.

But his gaze fell lower—he was curled up, squatting there, his cheeks flushed, his eyes dazed, looking half sober and half drunk.

The worry he had imagined earlier mixed with this sight, and his anger flared up again.

“You disappeared for so long without saying anything?”

Xie Yan reached out to pull him up, but couldn’t on the first try.

“You’ve never been to a place like this before, have you?

Do you know that someone like you, so many people are waiting outside to pick up drunk prey?

You’d be eaten alive and still happily counting the money for them.”

 

Lin Chuji wasn’t really listening to what he was saying.

Being jostled around like this, he felt sick and wanted to vomit.

Fighting the nausea, he looked up, his tone slightly aggrieved.

“It’s too loud in there.

Too many people.

I don’t like it.

So…

I hid here.”

 

Xie Yan froze.

To get away from all those people hitting on him?

Or to get away from me, to draw that line?

Either way, he knew how to ensure his own safety.

It was Xie Yan who had thought him too naive.

“Sorry.

I was in a hurry.

I spoke too harshly,” he said quietly.

 

Right then, using the strength of Xie Yan’s arm, Lin Chuji staggered up from the floor.

But because his legs and body were weak, once the momentum passed, he lost strength again and fell into Xie Yan’s embrace.

He had indeed lost some control, dizzy and confused, only aware that the scent on Xie Yan was so nice.

So he turned his head and nuzzled against him.

“What are you doing now?”

Xie Yan reached out to push his head away, but couldn’t find a good place to grab.

He could only hold his hands in the air, helplessly letting Lin Chuji sniff at him like a little dog.

With each movement, his hot breath brushed across Xie Yan’s bare skin, igniting sparks everywhere, even heating his blood to a boil with the alcohol.

Xie Yan tilted his head back slightly, burning up.

 

The person in his arms was hanging limply, relying entirely on the arm Xie Yan had around his waist to stay up, yet completely unaware, pressing closer and closer.

Xie Yan sighed, letting him be unrestrained.

After a long moment, he suddenly sobered up and said through gritted teeth, “Are you seeing someone else in me?”

 

Lin Chuji didn’t speak, didn’t answer.

Xie Yan’s expression grew darker.

He raised his hand to press against Lin Chuji’s forehead, stopping his approach, then slid his calloused palm down to grip his pointed chin, using a little force to force him to meet his eyes.

Lin Chuji tried to struggle but couldn’t.

“Who am I?”

Xie Yan called his full name.

“Lin Chuji, speak.”

 

Lin Chuji stared at him for a long time.

So long that Xie Yan started to feel restless, his fingers tightening, until Lin Chuji blinked the mist from his eyes and said softly, “It’s Xie Yan.

I really like you…”

 

Xie Yan’s whole body went rigid, his heart stopped.

He nearly forgot to breathe.

Every sense rushed to one point.

He felt Lin Chuji easily push away the hand gripping his chin, and the next second, his soft, burning lips pressed against Xie Yan’s palm.

“…your scent,” Lin Chuji mumbled.

 

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