518. A Bunch of Drunks!
Drinking doesn’t solve any problems, but at least it lets people vent their pent-up frustrations, albeit temporarily. The trouble is that come morning, those worries still need to be dealt with.
Ning Chu sat on a little stool to the side, one hand propping up her chin and the other clutching her painfully aching belly. She gazed at the few people at the table drinking and let out a long sigh.
She wanted to join in, rather than sit on the sidelines like a spectator, but with Aunt Flo in town, she could only sip on the warm water Wen Yang had just boiled.
As a sensitive little succubus, if her period cramps got too severe, she’d be at risk of fainting or worse, and she really didn’t want to take that gamble.
“Are you really not going to ask for a bride price?” Wen Yang inquired, turning around and speaking softly.
“What’s the point? Why would I want that?”
“I’m just worried that Aunt might feel embarrassed…”
Sure, her mother could be a bit prideful, but Ning Chu shook her head. “When it comes time to get married, if you’re broke, does my mom have a magic ATM card to squeeze money from you? Or do you plan on pulling a ‘break up’ like Shao Qing’s family?”
Wen Yang figured her future mother-in-law didn’t seem like that type.
“And besides, by then you’ll be a millionaire!”
Ning Chu, their little succubus, was steadfast in her confidence in him, and he laughed in agreement. “Absolutely! By then, I’ll buy you a villa and hire a few maids to wait on you hand and foot!”
“That better not just be talk! I want some hot mom-maids!”
“Dreaming big over here? My house doesn’t even have maids, just a bunch of old aunties.”
Not! They were just lovebirds chatting and boasting, so why was this big-headed goof sticking his nose in?!
Ning Chu shot him a glare, “If you don’t have anything smart to say, zip it! Just wait until you’ve drunk yourself under the table, then you’ll see!”
He had to paint a couple of turtles on Zhang Shaoqing’s face for sure!
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door—Zhang Shaoqing’s grilled fish had arrived.
Normally, dorms don’t allow takeout, but these delivery guys were something else; the iron gate outside the dorm kept getting repaired, with all kinds of makeshift stairways built from junk along the school wall’s corners.
Ning Chu dashed to open the door, clumsily bringing the grilled fish back to the folding table.
“Grilled fish is here~”
The marinated snacks they’d brought earlier had already been devoured completely. Wen Yang cleared off the empty bottles from the table and lit two alcohol lamps under the grilled fish to heat it up.
“First piece for me!”
Ning Chu eagerly held a disposable bowl and chopsticks, salivating over the delectable grilled fish.
“Hold your horses, we eat when it’s warmed up.”
“Okay…” She swallowed and then reminded Wen Yang, “Drink less, or I’ll just leave you here!”
“Don’t worry.”
He said that, but they hadn’t even started on the fish yet, and Wen Yang was already half-drunk.
In fact, none of them could hold their liquor; they hadn’t even finished a box of beer, yet all three were already sporting rosy cheeks.
“Plop!” Ning Chu’s attention landed on Zhang Shaoqing, fixated on the cigarette dangling from his lips.
“Can I step outside for a smoke?” Zhang Shaoqing felt the weight of her gaze and mumbled as he stood up, “Women are such a hassle.”
Oh great—there goes the bl**d pressure!
He would eventually be the one to drive her to an early grave!
Even if Ning Chu was still a guy, she didn’t want to inhale secondhand smoke in this air-conditioned closet!
After arguing with the big-headed idiot enough for one day, she just rolled her eyes.
The character she had written herself into years ago was clearly coming back to bite her…
As night deepened, the grilled fish was gorged down to the last drop, and the once-decent folding table now resembled a battlefield, littered with empty alcohol boxes and a mess of bottles.
“Hey! Let’s show off another bottle!”
“Wait, where did the booze go?”
Zhang Shaoqing waved an empty bottle, calling out in dismay. Wang Jie had dutifully lowered his head, while Wen Yang had slumped back against Ning Chu, out cold.
“Drink less now…”
Ning Chu was stunned by how fast things escalated; she thought a single box of booze would get them a little tipsy, but instead, three heavy-hearted guys just couldn’t stop.
They all promised to slow down but drank like it was some sort of challenge.
With a resigned smile, she looked down at Wen Yang, who was now resting heavily against her. His head felt like a lead weight pressing down on her chest.
“Hey? Wake up! Don’t fall asleep on me.” She gently shook his shoulder. “Are you really going to let me leave you here by yourself?”
“Mmm…”
Wen Yang merely mumbled, eyes still tightly shut.
Feeling particularly exasperated, Ning Chu shook him again. “Get up! You’re crushing me!”
Not caring about his feelings anymore, she struggled to lift his head and swept all the junk off the folding table to let Wen Yang lay flat on it.
“Drunkard!”
She sighed with relief, standing up with hands on her hips, staring at the three drunks and the chaotic mess before her.
What made her suggest that Wen Yang find them both to drink? Now she had to clean up the aftermath…
Fortunately, they didn’t make a scene when they got drunk.
Wang Jie had self-spiritedly crawled into bed, and as soon as he lay down, he was snoring away. Wen Yang was sprawled on the table, completely oblivious.
Only Zhang Shaoqing remained, looking utterly dazed and pouring air into the empty bottle, mumbling, “Where’s the booze~ Why is there no booze left…”
He bore none of his usual carefree charm, looking instead like a bewildered child, almost like someone with an IQ malfunction.
Ning Chu didn’t rush to clean up. She pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures of everyone, especially Zhang Shaoqing.
This was precious blackmail material!
In a few years, when they had a chance to gather again, she could whip out these photos and roast them!
In, say, fifteen years, if she got to meet their kids, she could show them how embarrassing their parents used to look!
Heaven forbid, if Zhang Shaoqing went six feet under, she’d even burn the photos for him in the afterlife!
“Alright… let’s tidy up.”
Putting her phone away, Ning Chu grabbed a broom and dustpan and gave Zhang Shaoqing’s shins a couple of taps. “Get to bed, you’re in the way.”
“Oh~ You’re starting to sound like my mom…”
“Don’t take advantage of me. I have no room for unruly brats in my life!”
Every time Zhang Shaoqing called her “Mom,” it felt like she drew the short straw.
After half an hour of frantic cleaning, she finally rounded up all the bottles and takeout, stacking the garbage bags by the door.
“Wen Yang, I’m heading back, okay?”
She approached the folding table and shook Wen Yang’s shoulder gently.
On a hot summer night, she wasn’t worried about him catching a cold; he might not be the best at napping on a table, but when he woke up in the middle of the night, he could just climb into bed.
There was no way a little succubus could haul the towering giant that was 1.9 meters tall to bed.
But just as she spoke, Wen Yang groggily blinked his eyes open. “Let’s go back together.”
“Can you even stand?”
Ning Chu carefully supported his arm, rambling on in frustration, “I told you to drink less! You just kept at it; I couldn’t stop you.”
“Now look at this—how am I supposed to carry you back with your giant self?”
“Also, I was suffering from bellyache earlier and now I have to babysit you, the drunkard.”
Wen Yang seemed to zone out, staring at Ning Chu with unfocused eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Her face turned a little red as she awkwardly looked away.
“Ning Chu… stick with me, and I promise you’ll never regret it…”
“I’ll make tons of money in the future! Spend whatever you want! Let my mom see that your taste is better than hers!”
The blush on her face deepened, and her previous annoyance softened.
“You’ve really drunk way too much; next time, no more!”
“I’m not even impressed by your measly money…”
