Chapter 50: You get me drunk

Su Cheng, sipping her drink, smiled warmly.

“My hair isn’t dyed, you know,” she said. “It’s naturally this color.”

The two girls seated beside her cast envious glances, each expressing their admiration.

Leaning back against the sofa, Su Cheng had a girl on either side of her, and she continued to sip her drink, chatting and laughing merrily with the young women.

Lin Shiyue, sitting before the grill, watched the scene unfold, and though she knew they were merely her roommates, she found herself wishing they wouldn’t get so close to Su Cheng.

Her face fell, her expression losing some of its usual cheer.

It was akin to witnessing her beloved openly flirt with others, right before her very eyes.

A suffocating feeling settled in her chest.

Yet, in this moment, Su Cheng and she shared no romantic ties.

The persistent vexation, however, was a bitterness that no amount of wine could drown.

Glancing around, she noted that few people remained; aside from Gu Xiya, who was slumped beside her, head bowed and spirits low, only her two roommates and Su Cheng were left.

Sun Xiaochen and Chen Xi had long since eaten their fill and departed.

“I’m heading to the restroom,” Gu Xiya announced, letting out a small burp as she rose. Her eyes held a hazy, distant look, and her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, suggesting she had perhaps indulged a little too much.

Yet, she had only consumed a little over half a can of beer.

Watching Gu Xiya stumble unsteadily toward the exit, Lin Shiyue’s voice held a note of concern: “Perhaps I should accompany you?”

Gu Xiya firmly declined. “No need,” she stated.

As she watched Gu Xiya exit the private room, a lingering worry persisted in Lin Shiyue’s heart. Despite the faint air of rivalry between them, they were, after all, classmates, if one set aside the matter of Su Cheng.

“Class monitor,” one of them began, “we’re heading back now. Will you two be alright staying here a bit longer?”

Lin Shiyue offered a strained laugh to her two roommates, her demeanor easing slightly. “It’s quite alright, really,” she assured them. “I’ve already settled the bill, so there’s no need for you to worry about it.”

“Alright, then we’ll transfer the money to you later. We’re off now.”

“Alright.”

The private room door clicked shut once more, leaving only Lin Shiyue and Su Cheng within the spacious confines.

Now was the opportune moment for a reckoning.

Lin Shiyue approached Su Cheng, a half-finished can of beer in her hand.

Though Su Cheng’s blurry vision prevented her from discerning the newcomer’s face, her attire alone was enough to identify her as Lin Shiyue.

Indeed, she was the only one in a skirt that evening.

“Shiyue, come have a drink.”

Su Cheng’s head swam, and though her hand trembled slightly as she lifted the beer can, she still managed to extend it toward Lin Shiyue.

Lin Shiyue settled beside her, her smile bright and inviting. “Chengcheng,” she purred, “you seem a little tipsy. Can you still drink?”

Su Cheng’s brow furrowed, her smile fading slightly. She clinked her can against Lin Shiyue’s. “Why wouldn’t I be able to drink?” she challenged. “I’ll drink as much as you do! Drink!”

Lin Shiyue observed Su Cheng’s flushed, slightly intoxicated appearance, a hint of tipsiness coloring her own expression.

“Heh heh, drink,” Lin Shiyue chuckled. “I’ll drink with you, but whoever gets drunk first will have to face a punishment, you know.”

Su Cheng thumped her chest, her voice rising in confidence. “No problem at all! I, Su Cheng, have never feared drinking, especially not with you, Shiyue. Back then, it was always me carrying you home when you got drunk…”

Realizing she had let something slip, Su Cheng immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, her slightly blurred vision fixated on Lin Shiyue’s half-smiling, half-teasing face.

Alcohol, she realized, still had the power to dull one’s thoughts. Su Cheng’s heart pounded with alarm, her only hope that Lin Shiyue hadn’t understood her blunder.

Lin Shiyue’s lips curved into a tantalizing arc, her slightly flushed cheeks appearing even more captivating under the warm, sun-toned lighting.

“Slap.”

Su Cheng gave herself a light slap on the cheek, then laughed awkwardly. “Haha, I misspoke! Drink, drink! Bottoms up!”

Lin Shiyue mirrored Su Cheng’s motion, tilting her head back to gulp down the beer. Yet, after that swallow, Su Cheng’s eyes seemed veiled by layers of gauze, the ceiling lights blurring into indistinct glows.

Lin Shiyue subtly drew closer to Su Cheng, taking her small hand and gently caressing it.

Perhaps it was the result of the rigorous training from Su Cheng in her past life, for even after finishing the second can of beer, Lin Shiyue’s face merely bore a faint blush from the alcohol, her mind remaining perfectly lucid.

Su Cheng, in contrast, leaned limply against the sofa, her head reeling as if the world spun wildly around her.

A profound sense of unease washed over Su Cheng, a flicker of regret crossing her features.

This body, she realized, was inferior to her former self in both spice tolerance and alcohol capacity.

‘If only I hadn’t been so quick to indulge,’ she thought, ‘seeking that fleeting thrill.’

But it was all irrevocably too late.

“Chengcheng,” Lin Shiyue’s voice drifted softly, “do you want another drink?”

Su Cheng, with a strenuous effort, shifted her body, trying to widen the distance between them. An invisible, alluring aura seemed to emanate from Lin Shiyue, causing Su Cheng to feel a distinct sense of resistance.

She simply did not wish to grow too close to Lin Shiyue; they were meant only to be good classmates.

Lin Shiyue, however, offered Su Cheng no chance of escape, as one hand gracefully encircled Su Cheng’s slender waist, effectively immobilizing her.

“You still haven’t answered me,” Lin Shiyue murmured.

Breath heavy with the scent of alcohol fanned against Su Cheng’s earlobe, intoxicating her very senses.

The delightful tingle spreading from her earlobe made Su Cheng emit a muffled, shy sound she couldn’t suppress, a sound that plucked at her heartstrings.

“Chengcheng… do you still want to drink?”

Su Cheng took a deep, shaky breath, her mind clearing slightly as her misty eyes met Lin Shiyue’s fervent gaze.

“Drink, of course… why wouldn’t I drink? I’m not drunk yet… bring on the wine!”

Lin Shiyue smiled demurely, opening a can of beer, her eyes filled with profound meaning as she gazed at Su Cheng’s utterly intoxicated face.

Su Cheng, unable to discern Lin Shiyue’s features, could only perceive her drinking alone and immediately began to grumble discontentedly.

“I want to drink too… I’m not drunk…”

Lin Shiyue, of course, had not forgotten her. Her mouth full of wine, she placed her hands on Su Cheng’s delicate shoulders, her clear, sparkling eyes brimming with amusement.

Su Cheng stared at Lin Shiyue’s blurry, beautiful face, now so close, and asked with utter bewilderment, “What are you doing? Where’s my drink?”

Lin Shiyue slowly leaned in, her eyes, clear and luminous as spring water, rippling with a rising tide of emotion. The apprehension in her heart swelled even further under Su Cheng’s confused gaze.

Beneath that apprehension lay a deep-seated desire and an overwhelming possessiveness.

She had once felt like a princess trapped in a world of ice and snow, sitting alone in a palace forged from dark, glacial ice, forever awaiting the fated hero who would rescue her.

When that singular hero finally breached the gates of her heart, bringing with them a melting warmth, it was the first time the princess had ever truly experienced the sun’s embrace.

But when that hero departed, the warmth that had nourished the princess vanished alongside them.

Once one had tasted honey, the profound sweetness would forever linger in their bones.

This time, she resolved to claim that warmth and sweetness entirely for herself.

As her fingertips settled upon Su Cheng’s cheek, Lin Shiyue’s once wavering gaze hardened with unwavering resolve.

“Shi…yue…”

The inherently bitter wine now held a profound sweetness, its chill banished by the girl’s warmth, replaced instead by a comforting heat.

Su Cheng squeezed her eyes shut, no sound escaping her lips as a torrent of searing heat washed over her, demolishing the dam of her reason. Everything was submerged in that overwhelming warmth, dissolving and scattering into nothingness.

The wine in her mouth completely evaporated, and the white-haired girl’s once-sparkling, intoxicated eyes now lacked any light, their focus utterly lost.

Everything before Su Cheng’s eyes was now an indistinct blur, her vision shrouded in a watery mist that uncontrollably spilled from her eyes.

The world grew increasingly dim, as if she were sinking into a quagmire, relentlessly consumed.

In the final vestiges of Su Cheng’s consciousness, a melody, etched deeply into her mind, resurfaced…

“You got me drunk… you made me cry…”