Chapter 20: Part (2): Rhapsody of the New Moon

But after hearing Yao Bingling’s words, she suddenly became full of energy, slapped the table with both hands, and shouted, “What do you mean by that? What do you mean we go back first, and you’ll come later in a few days!”

Ji Zi shouted, her face still flushed from the lingering effects of alcohol, her tongue slightly thick as she continued, “Do you think I’m an idiot, or do you really think I’m an idiot?”

She was completely unrestrained, clearly drunk. Yet her senses remained sharp enough to notice the two girls at the side covering their faces and stomachs to hold back laughter. When she looked over, Kiana was already laughing out loud, banging the table, and even Mei turned her head, letting out a small giggle.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong with you two? What’s so funny? Is there something on my face?”

“Don’t worry about why they’re laughing, but I need you to know that I need time.” Sitting in the chair, leaning back, Yao Bingling’s marker flew quickly in his hand, drawing one perfect circle and shape after another.

“If I’m not being obvious enough, let me put it this way: the cost for me going back is staying here alone for a few days. After that, I will come to find you myself.”

Yao Bingling fixed his gaze on Ji Zi’s face, then smiled warmly, a smile like admiring a masterpiece.

“…You, that guy, could it be!”

[Yao Bingling’s previous words exploded in Ji Zi’s mind. She stared at the marker in his hand as if she had seen a ghost, her eyes fierce enough to tear him apart.]

Yao Bingling, understanding her completely, stopped spinning the marker and began slowly waving it in front of her, back and forth…

“…Things that are already understood don’t need to be said.” Ji Zi immediately stormed into the bathroom, and a few seconds later, a shout that could terrify half the town erupted from within: “Yao! This isn’t over between us!!”

Following that came a torrent of water and flushing sounds.

“What do you mean not over? Isn’t it just writing ‘**’ and a few ‘正’ characters on your face?”

The culprit made no attempt to apologize. He leisurely tossed the marker into the air and caught it, over and over, entirely ignoring the fact that it was an indelible, oil-based marker that would take a week to dry.

“Uh, Colonel, your joke went too far.”

“Did it? I think this is rather gentle compared to the past.”

“Wow! This is considered gentle?! What did you do in the past then?”

“Well, if with men, it was a drinking speed competition. Both drink together, and whoever finishes last removes one piece of clothing, until only underwear remains. Of course, there’s a time limit; if neither finishes in time, they both strip together. If tension rises, a final wager can be issued, and the loser, regardless of what they wear, must go to the female dorm in just their underwear to sing a love song.”

Yao Bingling explained this with a casual tone, making Kiana and Mei shudder at the scene he described.

“Normally, it’s rare, because in the end, everyone is murderous, seeing people and ‘slashing’—eventually, you see a group of steel-like muscles, their scars like tattoos, dancing in the cafeteria with cups of alcohol.”

“Stop, stop!”

Kiana shouted, halting Yao Bingling before he could continue. The image of steel-like muscular men was already overwhelming her imagination.

She even faintly imagined:

“Ah♂”
“Patchouli♂Go”
“♂The ultimate pleasure♂”

Even a red-haired muscular man restraining a white-haired middle-aged man with a knee on his back shouting some bizarre phrase…

Wait! What the hell? That scene? That white-haired man looked so familiar!

Seeing this, Kiana felt compelled to stop Yao Bingling from continuing. She grabbed a can of liquid from the table to calm herself and drank it in one gulp… cold and refreshing, but the taste was slightly off.

“That’s leftover beer from Ji Zi,” Yao Bingling clapped in celebration: “Congratulations, you just had an indirect kiss with Ji Zi. How wonderful, how wonderful! Want me to make you red bean rice too?”

But as soon as he said that, a certain white-haired fool collapsed face-first onto the table.

This world really does have people who can’t handle alcohol.

“So, what happened next?”

Yao Bingling, thinking the matter was settled, started cleaning up the table, but Mei stopped him. The valkyrie, always well-regarded by Yao Bingling, Liu Yuyun, and the town, was breathing heavily, her face unnaturally flushed: “I’ll take care of the dishes. In exchange, tell me, what other games did you play~”

Whoa, her gaze and expression were dangerous. Mei and Kiana are supposed to be close, yet she now exuded an almost decayed, rotten aura.

“Colonel, were you in those games too?”

“…Technically, I was one of the instigators. But…” Yao Bingling’s expression darkened suddenly, his forehead shadowed like a demon in the darkness. He said, “No one has ever beaten me in drinking to just underwear… but there have been more than one who ended up just in underwear with me.”

“…Colonel, what was the worst loss you ever had?”

“You’re digging into my dark past?” Yao Bingling poured himself a glass of water from his cup, taking a sip without noticing it had been used by Ji Zi moments ago. He said: “Nothing serious. My worst? Well… just one sock and underwear left.”

“Pfft!”

Mei almost sprayed her water.

“Wait, the rule is removing one piece per loss. Why just one sock instead of pants and underwear?”

“Pants are worth three cups.”

“…That’s surprisingly humane.”

“Sweet, right? Three cups save time. Exceed the time, automatic pass.”

For men, the drinking table is a second battlefield. There are no allies; survival alone matters.

“So, who drank with you to that extent?”

Even Mei subconsciously felt closer to him, using a less formal tone.

“A fellow with a fated connection. My deputy. The only one who ever challenged me at the table.”

Although he cursed, Mei saw no hate in his face—only trust and nostalgia.

“Fated connection?”

“Ah, we were born in the same hospital, beds side by side. Grew up together through kindergarten to middle school, same desk. High school separated us, but he followed me into the army. You could say he’s a childhood friend.”

“Eh? Female?” Mei’s eyes lit up.

Yao Bingling turned to her, smiled, and calmly dropped: “A man.”

Before she could react, he patted her head: “Don’t overthink it. My orientation is normal. Clean up a bit, tonight I leave you in charge, don’t come looking for me.”

“Eh? Where are you going, Colonel?”

“As I said, I just returned briefly. My fieldwork isn’t finished. Afterward, I’ll come find you.”

He entered the bedroom, retrieving a black travel bag from under the bed. His tensed bandaged arms and visible veins hinted at its weight.

“Use the room freely. Don’t worry about cleanliness; Yuyun comes weekly. Also, don’t expect to find any weird books in my room.”

“Who would even look?”

“The 27-year-old aunt still in the bathroom.”

“Ugh!”

From the bathroom came a sound of shock, and Mei glanced toward the door, only seeing a fleeting shadow.

“Until later…”

The forest night was quiet. Tall, dense trees blocked any light, the darkness like a beast’s stomach, concealing everything.

Birds, insects, any nocturnal animals went silent the moment he passed. They did not flee; escaping would be futile.

Yet, he could not fully control his body.

After another step, he jumped—intending to reach a small slope ahead. But he erupted upward uncontrollably, colliding with a tree ten meters above.

His body was like steel. Normally, such an impact would utterly destroy a human, while the tree would suffer minor damage. But when he struck, the massive 25-meter tree snapped, splintering violently, debris flying, and he fell, exploding the earth like a grenade.

“Ugh!!!”

The impact left him feeling as if his bones would shatter. Raising his hands to pull himself from the pit, he realized another hand was holding his. He looked up—the person helping him… was himself.

This other Yao Bingling had pale, almost corpse-like skin, golden circuit-like cracks from neck to eyes, golden pupils, and a feral smile.

“Take it easy, friend. Tonight will be long. I have all night to play with you.”