565. Zheng Qian is Here
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If she could, Lin Nan would really like to join them for a drink and chat with Xiong Da.
Xiong Da was already tipsy, resembling a little kid as he recounted his first love, tears and snot streaming down his face. Lin Nan stood on the balcony, distractedly fiddling with her phone while listening to Xiong Da’s voice echoing from inside.
As the drinks flowed, not only was Xiong Da getting emotional, but Tu Junhui and Big Dog also chimed in, furiously bashing their poor buddy’s ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Chen Yao sat quietly, his voice dropping deeper and more gravelly under the influence of alcohol.
Lin Nan felt a twinge of envy at their brotherhood—too bad she was a woman.
It’s not that she couldn’t drink; if she got drunk too, who would take care of this bunch? God knows what kind of chaos could erupt, not to mention it wasn’t safe to get wasted in the guys’ dormitory.
“Dmn it, I told you! Just beat her up and feel better!” Tu Junhui slammed the floor, sending pain shooting through his pudgy hand, yet completely unaware. “Or make her return the money! After stringing Xiong Da along for a month, she scammed him out of tens of thousands! Who gets such a good deal?!”
Big Dog echoed with righteous indignation, “You didn’t even score? Just held hands?! Why the hell did you spend so much on her? That cash could’ve gotten you a couple of girls!”
Chen Yao stayed quiet, yawning as he clinked glasses with Xiong Da and downed another bottle.
“What do you mean by ‘get a couple of girls’?”
Suddenly, the dorm door swung open, revealing Zheng Qian, who frowned at the chaotic scene before him.
Instantly, the four drinkers fell silent, wide-eyed, turning in unison to face their counselor—deadly silence ensued.
Tu Junhui was the first to react, blinking rapidly before tipping backward with zero warning, and within three seconds, he was snoring. It was only then that Chen Yao and Big Dog realized something was off and promptly flopped onto the ground, playing dead.
Meanwhile, Xiong Da continued pouring drinks and munching on barbecue, blissfully unaware that the beer crates had multiplied around them. They had already polished off their third crate of beer and several bottles of liquor.
Zheng Qian glared at the mess of cigarette butts and ashes on the ground, then turned his piercing gaze at his students, who looked nothing like students at all. His anger boiled over: “Skipping class to drink in the dormitory this afternoon?!”
He slammed the door shut, stormed over, and kicked Tu Junhui, growling, “Stop pretending! Get up! You’re all here getting smashed instead of doing something worthwhile! You think you can just go around paying for girls? What’s next, you flying to the moon?!”
Tu Junhui, with his thick skin, showed zero reaction and even kept his eyes shut for half a minute, looking as if he might genuinely fall asleep.
Lin Nan hid on the balcony, witnessing Zheng Qian’s explosion of fury, too scared to speak. What if the wrath fell upon her, the innocent bystander?
Usually, Zheng Qian wouldn’t care if students skipped class, but why was he personally investigating the dorm today?
Perhaps it was the approaching finals. Zheng Qian must be stricter now, fearing students would fail?
Inside, seeing the three students avoiding responsibility, Zheng Qian turned to Xiong Da, who was still obliviously sipping his drink. “What’s going on?”
Xiong Da was flushed, emotional, as he answered, tears pouring down his face. “I got cheated on…”
Zheng Qian’s face hardened as he squatted next to him, snatching the beer away. “Knock it off! Go to bed! You’re a grown man crying over a woman! Look at Chen Yao! If Lin Nan cheated on him, do you think he’d be a pathetic mess like you?!”
Chen Yao, playing dead on the floor, rolled his eyes secretly. What’s it to you? My Lin Nan would never cheat on me!
Zheng Qian stood back up, kicking one of the faux-sleepers. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, “You better show up to class tomorrow! You’ll come to me to get a leave note!”
“It’s almost finals, and you lot are still drinking and barbecuing? Living too well, aren’t you?” Zheng Qian scoffed, but as he raised his head, he caught sight of a small head darting away on the balcony.
He paused and walked straight over to the back door, flinging it open to find Lin Nan standing outside, wearing an awkward smile.
“Aren’t you drinking with them? Hiding here to skip class?”
“Isn’t it because I was worried they’d get drunk and have nobody to look after them…?”
Though Lin Nan had no qualms about messing with Zheng Qian before, his currently grim demeanor was pretty terrifying, making her speak with a hint of guilt.
Zheng Qian sighed deeply, turning to the sprawled-out students. “Alright, those who can get up, do so! Head back home to your mothers!”
The only reply he got was a chorus of snores.
Having already drunk way too much, once they lay down, eyes closed, a few minutes turned into actual sleep. At that moment, Xiong Da was already slumped against the wardrobe, off to dreamland.
Now Zheng Qian was stunned: how was he supposed to deal with this group of sleeping students?
Should he and Lin Nan haul them to the beds?
Those beds were at least a meter and eighty centimeters high—it didn’t seem feasible to lift them up there easily.
He turned to Lin Nan. “Should we just let them sleep on the floor?”
Lin Nan couldn’t help but laugh and cry. If Zheng Qian wasn’t here, she’d just use magic to strip them clean and toss them onto the beds.
“I’ll tidy up the floor; you take down their bamboo mats for some cushioning?”
“Looks like that’s all we can do.” Zheng Qian was at his wits’ end, initially thinking Tu Junhui and the others were skipping class to play games, only to land in this messy situation.
With bottles and cigarette butts strewn all over, Lin Nan began to clean up, her brow twitching with frustration.
The smell of smoke was killing her; just a few minutes in the room made her dizzy and her throat itch.
Fortunately, the dorm was large enough; the four of them only occupied half the space, which was relatively untouched by the cigarette debris. After a quick sweep and mop, she laid out the bamboo mats on the floor, completing a makeshift bed.
Xiong Da and Big Dog were just about a hundred pounds each, and Zheng Qian, dragging them like limp ragdolls, settled them onto the floor. Then, he and Lin Nan awkwardly lifted Chen Yao and Tu Junhui, struggling to get them over.
Four drunken pigs squished together on the narrow floor, limbs tangled up in a hilarious heap—it almost made Lin Nan want to undress them… imagining how they’d look in the morning as a bunch of hulking guys…
Mainly because they were sitting on the floor, their clothes and pants were covered in smoke and alcohol stains. If they didn’t strip them down, they’d have to wash the blankets again in the morning.
“Alright, you handle the rest. I’m heading out.” Zheng Qian was exhausted, kicking Tu Junhui a couple of times for good measure. “Dmn, you’re as fat as a pig!”
Lin Nan felt just as worn out. With someone around, she couldn’t use magic, and she wasn’t exactly strong to begin with. After all this chaos, she was ready to collapse.
If Zheng Qian hadn’t come to help, she could’ve solved everything with magic already.
With a sigh, she watched Zheng Qian leave and turned to her wardrobe, pulling out a comforter she hadn’t used in six months and tossed it over the four sprawled guys like layers of cozy blankets.
