Chapter 76: The Haunted Clinic and a Mortified Apology

Xia’s objective was clear and unwavering. Today, he was determined to savor Su Mian, this ‘little cake’ exuding an alluring sweetness. How could he possibly allow Xiao Moyuan to easily take her away and sabotage his plans?

A cold glint flickered in his light blue eyes, yet his face maintained a gentle expression.

He was just about to speak and intervene.

***

Simultaneously, Shen Zhixia received an irresistible, icy command transmitted through her bloodline from Xia—she must act against Xiao Moyuan today and drain his blood.

Under this dual pressure, her heart was fraught with anxiety, yet she had no choice but to step forward. Her voice carried a subtle, almost imperceptible stiffness.

“Moyuan… perhaps I should look after Ah Mian, or… should we send her home to rest?”

She sought a solution that would both temporarily safeguard Su Mian and create an opportunity to be alone with Xiao Moyuan.

Lu Yang, utterly bewildered by the sudden tension in the atmosphere, scratched his head and attempted to smooth things over.

“Well… it’s not like Mianzi meant to get drunk… It’s fine if Xiao Moyuan just takes her to a nearby hotel to sleep it off. We’re all classmates, after all.”

He even tried to lighten the mood with a half-joking tone, his gaze shifting between Shen Zhixia and Xia. “Don’t tell me… one of you can’t bear to part with Xiao Moyuan, and the other can’t bear to part with Mianzi?”

“Are we just not going to the haunted house without them?”

His words, though unintentional, had inadvertently struck a chord of truth.

Shen Zhixia was instantly speechless, her eyes dropping with a complex expression.

Xia’s smile also froze for a moment, a hint of dark malice flashing in his eyes, having been precisely seen through.

Standing behind Lu Yang, Qin Xuan’s gaze flickered slightly behind his glasses, a barely perceptible, extremely faint curve gracing his lips. ‘Lu Yang can sometimes utter words close to the truth,’ he mused internally.

***

Though Su Mian was mortified beyond belief at this moment, her lingering rationality told her she couldn’t continue feigning unconsciousness.

This gathering had been her idea, and Shen Zhixia was her guest. It would be truly inexcusable if her ‘accident’ dampened everyone’s spirits.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the burning flush on her face, and tried to make her voice sound clear and steady, opening her still-hazy, slightly misty eyes.

“I… I feel much better now. My head isn’t as dizzy… I should be able to go to the haunted house!”

With that, as if to prove her point, she quickly moved away from Xiao Moyuan and stood up straight. She didn’t forget to face him, lowering her head, and apologized in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum.

“I’m sorry… I drank too much. It wasn’t intentional.”

Xiao Moyuan’s expression remained calm, betraying no emotion, though his deep gaze lingered for a moment on her ears, which were still crimson despite her forced composure.

His tone was devoid of any discernible emotion: “It’s fine.”

He paused, then added three words: “Got used to it.”

These three words tapped lightly on Su Mian’s heart like tiny hammers, causing her to freeze for a moment.

‘His choice of words… isn’t that a bit odd?’ she thought.

‘When did our relationship reach a point where such intimate contact could be described as ‘getting used to it’?’

But then, she reconsidered. Lately, whether as ‘Su Mian’ or ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ her physical contact with Xiao Moyuan did seem to be quite frequent.

Moreover, she herself was perplexed. She inherently recoiled from intimate contact with others (especially men), yet why was it that with Xiao Moyuan… she didn’t feel that strong sense of repulsion?

She dared not delve deeper into the thought, hastily lowering her head and quickly scurrying behind Lu Yang and Qin Xuan, attempting to shield herself with their figures.

However, the gazes from the two girls Xia had brought still felt like thorns in her back.

Their eyes held an undisguised mix of scrutiny, deep confusion, and even a faint hint of jealousy.

Su Mian could even vaguely hear their hushed whispers:

“If I’d known getting drunk meant getting that close to the campus heartthrob… maybe I should’ve drunk more earlier?”

“Exactly… they looked so intimate…”

Upon hearing these words, Su Mian unconsciously puffed out her cheeks, a surge of inexplicable annoyance and irritation rising within her that she hadn’t even realized herself.

***

With everyone lost in their own thoughts, the group set off towards the haunted house Lu Yang had so enthusiastically recommended earlier.

Su Mian walked beside Lu Yang and Qin Xuan, recalling the mortifying scene in the KTV. The heat that had just receded from her face surged back.

She quietly asked Lu Yang, her voice filled with regret and confusion, “Teacher Lu, I was drunk and leaning on Xiao Moyuan sleeping… Why… why didn’t you wake me up?”

Lu Yang, hearing this, gave her a mischievous look and deliberately drew out his words, teasing,

“Oh—? We thought you liked leaning on Xiao Moyuan! You were leaning so naturally, so peacefully, who would dare disturb your beautiful dream, huh?”

In an instant, Su Mian’s face flushed crimson, even her neck turning pink.

She stammered in protest, “I, I couldn’t possibly! I’m not—”

Lu Yang cut her off with an ‘I understand, I understand’ expression, continuing to tease her: “Oh—you know you’re rivals, then?”

“The way you were clinging to his arm, refusing to let go, sleeping like there was no tomorrow—your explanation isn’t very convincing.”

“Anyone who didn’t know would think you were Xiao, the great campus heartthrob’s, little pampered wife, sticking to him even in your sleep.”

Walking slightly ahead, Xiao Moyuan, with his excellent hearing, caught every word of their conversation. A distinct, uncontrollable upward curve appeared at the corners of his usually stern lips, and his mood brightened even further.

Qin Xuan, who had been silently observing, keenly noticed this subtle change in Xiao Moyuan’s expression. His gaze flickered behind his glasses, and a look of understanding dawned on his face.

Su Mian, meanwhile, was so mortified she felt like she was about to smoke, her face burning with embarrassment, her toes curling, utterly at a loss for words.

Seeing her reaction, Lu Yang finally had a change of heart and stopped teasing her, returning to a serious tone.

“The moment you came back from the restroom, your eyes were glazed over, and you went straight for Xiao Moyuan. Then, you leaned against his shoulder completely naturally and fell asleep instantly.”

“I called your name several times, but you didn’t react at all. We had no choice but to ask Campus Belle Shen to try and help you lie down somewhere else to rest.”

Su Mian asked quietly, a glimmer of hope in her voice, “And then… Zhixia… she didn’t move me away?”

Lu Yang shrugged, his expression helpless. “Then you clung to Xiao Moyuan even tighter, like an octopus, mumbling and groaning. We couldn’t pry you off at all.”

“I’m telling you, Mianzi, when you’re drunk, does your subconscious just want to cling to Xiao Moyuan and prevent him from interacting with Campus Belle Shen? You’re a truly dedicated rival.”

“Anyway, I’ve figured it out. I’ll never let you drink again, even if it kills me. It’s too terrifying.”

Su Mian lowered her head in shame, her voice barely a whisper. “I… I didn’t know my alcohol tolerance was so bad, and… and so embarrassing.”

She remembered her confident declaration not long ago that she would never drink again.

Suddenly, another crucial question came to mind. She asked cautiously, her voice even softer, “Boss Lu… at the time, Xiao Moyuan… what was his expression? Did he… did he not push me away?”

She imagined the scene; if it were her, she probably would have slapped away a clinging rival long ago.

Lu Yang ‘tsk’-ed, his tone surprisingly carrying a hint of praise for Xiao Moyuan. “Oh, speaking of that, I really have to commend Xiao Moyuan. He’s actually quite decent.”

“Seeing you in that drunken state, he wasn’t impatient or angry. Even with you clinging to him like that, he still played dice with us with one hand and barely lost any rounds.

Never mind whether he was trying to maintain his gentlemanly image in front of Campus Belle Shen; just considering his rivalry with you, to have that much patience is truly remarkable.”

‘Otherwise, he would have kicked her to the floor long ago.’

Su Mian fell silent…

‘Did Xiao Moyuan let her lean on him really because he was afraid she’d babble drunkenly and shout out those crazy ‘you’re responsible if we sleep together’ threats from last time in front of so many people?’

‘Yes, that must be it!’

‘Otherwise, how could a man tolerate his rival hanging on him and sleeping?’

‘It simply doesn’t make sense!’

Thinking this, perhaps sleepwalking onto Xiao Moyuan’s bed in the hotel last time wasn’t such a bad thing after all?

This thought made her mood even more complicated.

But regardless of the reason, she had thoroughly embarrassed herself today.

She glanced at Shen Zhixia, who was walking slightly behind them.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her face held an extremely complex, inexpressible expression. Her eyes were somewhat vacant, clearly preoccupied.

Su Mian thought, ‘Shen Zhixia must also be speechless by my absurd behavior just now… She must think I’m very strange…’

***

Absentmindedly and dazed, Su Mian followed the main group. Soon, they arrived in front of what Lu Yang had called ‘N City’s most famous’ haunted house.

It was a detached building that appeared quite old, its exterior deliberately designed in a dilapidated, abandoned style. Several stories high, its windows were dark, cavernous holes, exuding an eerie aura.

Lu Yang pointed to the house before them and began to set the mood.

“This is it! I’m telling you, this place is seriously creepy! It used to be, so they say, a rather famous beauty clinic!”

He deliberately lowered his voice, his expression turning mysterious.

Su Mian and the two girls Xia had brought were immediately captivated, their expressions involuntarily tensing.

Su Mian even swallowed nervously, her eyes fixed on Lu Yang.

“What did you hear, Boss Lu?” she whispered, both frightened and curious.

Lu Yang, seeing their anxious faces, continued with satisfaction in an eerie tone:

“I heard… that during a surgery, the doctor was careless and forgot to give the patient anesthesia! The patient screamed in pain and immediately filed a complaint!

Later, the incident blew up, and the beauty clinic couldn’t stay open and went out of business… Then, it was converted into this haunted house…”

Su Mian:

“……”