511. Tipsy
By the time Wen Yang received the news and arrived at the small bar, it was almost noon.
He looked helplessly at the group of girls sprawled over the table and turned to Zhang Shaoqing. “What happened here?”
Well, Yan Xinya and Qian Qian were a given—these two girls just couldn’t resist the opportunity to drink when it presented itself. But Ning Chu? She had always been averse to alcohol!
“How should I know? I was supposed to go shopping with them and carry the bags,” Zhang Shaoqing said, casually sipping on his cola, shrugging innocently. “But I overslept for an hour, and by the time I got here, it was already like this.”
Wen Yang walked over to Ning Chu, and maybe because she heard his footsteps, she didn’t even lift her head. She grunted some unintelligible words and plopped her head straight into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Wen Yang~”
Her face, red and hot, nudged against his stomach, which made him a bit awkward as he tried to back away, but she held on tight.
He glanced around nervously and gently rubbed the Little Succubus’s head, asking, “What made you suddenly drink?”
“It’s all Lily’s fault!”
“Hey, why blame me?”
The snoozing Lily suddenly perked up and lunged at Ning Chu.
Wen Yang, baffled by the two little demons getting into a tussle, stepped back in confusion, standing helplessly at the side. But seeing Lily so lively was a rare sight.
Usually, she had this ice-cold expression; even in front of friends, she would talk a bit more but still maintain her elegant and aloof demeanor. Not like now, running around in disarray with Ning Chu.
“Why don’t you take Ning Chu home to sleep?” Zhang Shaoqing suggested. “I’ll take care of Qian Qian, I’ll notify Xinya’s boyfriend, and the rest can just stay here.”
“We’re all leaving together!”
Xixi grabbed Ning Chu’s arm. “I broke up with that guy, no way I’m taking her back alone~”
“When did that happen?” Zhang Shaoqing asked, surprised.
Mentioning this seemed to ignite the Wolf Girl; she stood up in a huff, grabbing Ning Chu’s hand and pressing it to her chest. “He treated me like this! So I just…”
Wen Yang hurriedly restrained the Wolf Girl, fearing she was about to throw Ning Chu over her shoulder.
“I’m not stupid~ Just demonstrating…”
“Less drinking, please,” Wen Yang pleaded.
Seeing Yan Xinya’s dramatic reenactment, he silently sympathized with the poor guy who might be getting shoulder tossed. Given he had seen him a few times before, he was a scrawny lad—one toss like that and he was probably already in the hospital.
Wen Yang couldn’t help but chuckle as he pulled up Ning Chu’s slipping spaghetti straps, making sure the Little Succubus didn’t flash anyone.
He carried away the bottles on the table, preventing the girls from getting into serious trouble, then sat down across from Zhang Shaoqing, shaking his head. “What a bunch of… ”
“Speaking of which, what’s the plan with your mom about this mess?”
“How would I know?” Zhang Shaoqing’s carefree demeanor vanished, and he lit a cigarette, grumbling. “I’ll just keep dodging her questions! What can she do? Actually run away from home?”
“But you’ve done that before.”
“Yeah, but then my card gets frozen by my mom, and I’m left sharing weeds with Qian Qian!” He crossed his legs and retorted, “What about you? Didn’t you say you wanted to move away? Ning Chu wants to stay?”
“Ning Chu’s coming with me.”
“How nice… her parents don’t mind you being a broke dude, huh?”
They definitely had their reservations before. Luckily, Ning Chu was pretty adamant, and her future mother-in-law wasn’t too domineering. Plus, Wen Yang had been doing alright, leaving a good impression on her.
Otherwise, he might’ve faced the same dilemma as Zhang Shaoqing and Qian Qian.
“They won’t wake up for a bit; I’ll go get some food,” Zhang Shaoqing said, heading to the bar’s kitchen, leaving Wen Yang to watch over the drunken girls.
Ning Chu cozied up next to Wen Yang, lounging comfortably on the bar’s small sofa, resting her head on his thigh.
“Why drink so much?” Wen Yang gently played with her long hair.
She hadn’t drunk that much, but her tolerance was terrible. She opened her eyes, dazed and unfocused, staring up at him for a moment before mumbling, “We won’t get to hang out next semester…”
Honestly, her innocent and flushed expression made one want to tease her mercilessly.
Wen Yang pinched Ning Chu’s cheek. “There will be opportunities in the future.”
His feelings about graduating and potentially leaving friends he had known for years were only faintly melancholic, unlike Ning Chu, who seemed much more emotional.
Ning Chu turned, resting her face against his stomach, murmuring, “Everyone will have changed then; it won’t be as fun as it is now~”
“True,” Wen Yang agreed.
Zhang Shaoqing returned with two bags of peanuts, sitting across from them and eyeing Ning Chu sprawled across Wen Yang’s lap. “Ha~ even drunk she can’t part from a guy, huh?”
Ning Chu lifted her arm and tossed her phone at him. “Not drunk!”
“Geez! You’d throw away your phone? Still not drunk?” Zhang Shaoqing carefully caught the phone, a bit shaken.
“Stop teasing her.”
Wen Yang stuffed the phone into his pocket to avoid a potential post-drunk cry-fest over a shattered screen when Ning Chu woke up.
“What about Wang Jie? Haven’t seen him in class these days.”
“Ever since he had that fight with his girlfriend, he’s been gaming non-stop. Doesn’t remember class at all!” Both men sighed in unison.
They had initially considered taking their girlfriends home, but aside from Ning Chu and Qian Qian, there were still three girls with no one to claim them. They couldn’t just leave them at the bar unattended.
They couldn’t even step away for a moment, fearing Yan Xinya would get the urge to demonstrate something on her best friend again.
“So, are you planning to take over the family business or start your own thing?” Wen Yang asked, popping a peanut in his mouth as he asked Zhang Shaoqing.
“Me? I’m just living off free food until I d*e!”
“How about your internship certification…?”
“My family runs a company; it’s a piece of cake!” Zhang Shaoqing said nonchalantly. “Anyone can find a job with a stamp from me—no biggie.”
Considering the serious nature for a moment, he turned to Qian Qian, resting his chin in thought. “Is there anything you could do? I’m tired of hanging out at bars and KTVs with my pals. It’s getting old, and Qian Qian won’t let me!”
“Must be nice for you guys~ You can do whatever you want, while my mom hounds me about everything. Qian Qian nags me all day…”
Wen Yang simply smiled, not wanting to dive deeper.
At least Zhang Shaoqing wouldn’t have to worry about money.
Ning Chu’s family lived in the provincial capital, and even a relatively remote house would cost over twenty thousand per square meter. Just casually assembling a small-sized apartment of forty or fifty square meters would cost in the millions.
If everything went smoothly with work, it might take him until nearly thirty just to scrape together a down payment, and he’d also be strapped with a pile of debt.
Fortunately, the housing market wasn’t great right now, with prices gradually dipping, at least leaving a glimmer of hope.
