Mu Chengguang only introduced them to each other, without mentioning that they were already registered as married.
Nan Yu finished his drink and the five of them filled their glasses for a toast, downing their shots. Shuaichang finished his and insisted that Mu Chengguang shouldn’t drink anymore, “You still have to drive. Let me handle the drinking today.”
“Teacher Nan, take it easy! You still have class tomorrow,” Mu Chengguang said, worried as he watched him finish another glass.
However, Mu Chengguang felt delighted that Shuaichang was willing to help him avoid drinking.
Liu Zhi felt sour watching them—who doesn’t have a partner to show off to? He turned and snatched the drink from Lin Xi’s hand, “I’ll drink for you!” and gulped it down.
Liu Zhi had a low tolerance for alcohol; after two glasses, his face was already flushed, and he started speaking with a slur, “Chengguang, if Nan Yu bullies you or treats you badly in the future, just tell us—we’ll teach him a lesson!” As he said “teach a lesson,” Liu Zhi shook his fist vigorously.
“Alright, alright. I’ll remember your goodwill. Teacher Nan wouldn’t bully me; he only spoils me, even better than my dad.” Mu Chengguang thought about how his dad only gave him money and little warmth. He found the emotional fulfillment he lacked in his childhood through Nan Yu. Now, he was completely devoted to Nan Yu; even if Nan Yu asked him to transfer all his assets, Mu Chengguang would probably do it without hesitation.
Liu Zhi, still wanting to drink, was stopped by Lin Xi who pulled him away from alcohol and urged him to eat instead. He happily ate half his fill while foggy-minded.
Mu Chengguang had a rough idea of Nan Yu’s alcohol tolerance and knew that Qian Xiang couldn’t handle much either. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that in terms of drinking, Teacher Nan completely outclassed Qian Xiang.
Qian Xiang’s pride in his drinking abilities was nothing but embarrassing in front of Teacher Nan.
Mu Chengguang watched the two of them down another glass and hurriedly leaned over to Nan Yu, whispering, “Give Qian Xiang some face. If he gets drunk and causes a scene, you can act a bit tipsy too.” To save face for Qian Xiang, Nan Yu would have to play along.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control,” Shuaichang said, touching the warm ear that Mu Chengguang had blown warm air onto, then turned back to focus on eating.
Mu Chengguang, concerned he might hurt his stomach drinking on an empty stomach, occasionally fed him some edamame or peanuts, which Shuaichang happily accepted.
On his left sat Liu Zhi with his girlfriend, and on the right, Nan Yu and Mu Chengguang, while Qian Xiang felt particularly desolate. Everyone around him had partners caring for them, but here he was, all alone and ignored.
He wished he had brought Qian Zhenzhen with him.
Qian Zhenzhen was Qian Xiang’s younger sister, two years his junior, who had always followed the three of them around while growing up. She began to crush on the most handsome Mu Chengguang at the age of blossoming youth, but despite pursuing him for years, she had never succeeded. When she heard that her brother was meeting with his friends, she insisted on tagging along. Qian Xiang had to put in considerable effort to shake her off, fearing she would cause a ruckus if she found out Mu Chengguang had a partner.
Now he was missing Qian Zhenzhen—having a sister around would have been nice; it would save him from feeling outnumbered while trying to support his childhood friends.
By the end of the night, after Qian Xiang went outside to vomit, he returned and tried to drink again, but as he picked up the cup, it fell to the table with a loud bang, and he passed out.
Shuaichang, who had been slowly eating his vegetables, seized the opportunity to enjoy two bowls of fragrant rice.
Liu Zhi and Lin Xi had long finished their meals, and since they had booked a room, they weren’t in a hurry. Mu Chengguang asked, “Has Qian Xiang booked a room?”
Liu Zhi shook his head, “I’ll go ask the landlady for a room for him.”
After Liu Zhi went outside and returned with a furrowed brow, Mu Chengguang quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“No rooms left.”
With Qian Xiang in this state, he definitely couldn’t go home tonight. He would need someone to take care of him, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for Lin Xi to stay alone.
Lin Xi noticed Liu Zhi’s dilemma and stood up, saying, “I’ll ride back with Chengguang. I need to visit my mom tomorrow anyway; she called today saying she missed me.”
“Chengguang, would it be alright if you dropped me home?”
“Of course.”
With Lin Xi’s concession, they helped carry Qian Xiang to the room. While Lin Xi went to the restroom, Mu Chengguang teased Liu Zhi, “Your girlfriend is really nice, very understanding.”
“Hey, no need to envy. I’ve never made a poor choice when picking a girlfriend; they’re all wonderful!”
“Alright, alright. If I call you fat, you’ll be out of breath.”
Mu Chengguang and Nan Yu went outside to wait for Lin Xi. When she returned from the restroom, the three of them drove back to the city together.
Mu Chengguang asked Lin Xi for her address and found it was quite close to their neighborhood; it was indeed on the way.
Shuaichang drank a mix of three different kinds of alcohol, and even though he could handle his liquor, he was starting to feel a bit dizzy.
Mu Chengguang, feeling sorry for him, said, “Teacher Nan, you should sleep for a bit; we still have two hours until we get home.”
“Mm, drive safely,” Shuaichang replied, closing his eyes to rest.
The golden-yellow streetlights lined the roadside neatly, casting flickering shadows across Shuaichang’s profile; his lashes trembled gently with his breathing, his nose straight, lips rosy, and the rich scent of alcohol surrounding him made the air inside the car intoxicating.
Mu Chengguang didn’t dare to look at him any longer and focused intently on driving.
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