Drinking doesn’t solve any problems, but at least it lets people temporarily vent the frustration buried deep inside.
However, by the next day, those troubles will still need to be dealt with.
Ning Chu sat on a small stool on the side, one hand propping up her chin and the other pressing on her painful stomach. She sighed deeply as she watched the others drinking at the table.
She also wanted to join in, but instead, she sat there like an outsider, sipping on some hot water that Wen Yang had just boiled.
As a succubus with a sensitive constitution, if her period pain got too bad, she could end up fainting or going into shock, so she didn’t want to take that risk.
“You really don’t want a bride price?”
Wen Yang turned around, asking softly.
“I don’t want it. What’s the point of that stuff?”
“I’m worried your mom will feel embarrassed...”
Her mother did care about face, but Ning Chu just shook her head: “When it comes time to actually get married, if you don’t have money, can my mom squeeze it out of your card? Or is it like Shaoqing’s family, where they’d force us to break up?”
Wen Yang thought about it and didn’t believe her future mother-in-law was that type of person.
“Besides, by then you’ll be a millionaire, right?”
His little succubus was as confident as ever, and he couldn’t help but laugh and agree: “Exactly. I’ll buy you a villa and hire a few maids to serve you.”
“You better keep your word! I want an outer-world maid!”
“Are you dreaming? We don’t even have maids at home, just old aunties.”
No! What are you, a third wheel in our little couple’s chat?!
Ning Chu glared at him angrily and snapped, “If you can’t keep your mouth shut, then just shut up! You’ll regret it when you’re passed out!”
She’d make sure to draw two turtles on Zhang Shaoqing’s face when he wasn’t looking!
There was a knock on the door outside, and Zhang Shaoqing’s grilled fish arrived.
Normally, it wasn’t allowed to order takeout to the dorms, but these delivery guys were quite resourceful, and the iron fence outside the dorm building had been repaired countless times. In the corner of the school’s wall, there was even a ladder made out of random materials.
Ning Chu quickly ran to open the door and clumsily brought the grilled fish back to the folding table.
“Grilled fish is here~”
The marinated dishes they had brought earlier were already all eaten up, and Wen Yang cleared the empty beer bottles from the table, lighting two alcohol lamps under the grilled fish to heat it up.
“Give me a piece first!”
Ning Chu eagerly held a disposable bowl and chopsticks, looking at the fragrant grilled fish, drooling.
“Wait, let the fire warm up first.”
“Alright...” she swallowed her saliva and reminded Wen Yang, “You better drink less. Otherwise, I might just leave you here and go back myself.”
“Don’t worry.”
Though he said that, even before the grilled fish was ready, Wen Yang already seemed half-drunk.
None of them had good tolerance for alcohol. Even with an entire box of beer, all three of them already had flushed faces, looking tipsy.
With a “thud,” Ning Chu’s attention fell on Zhang Shaoqing, who was holding a cigarette between his lips.
“Can I go outside to smoke?” Zhang Shaoqing mumbled, feeling uncomfortable under her stare, “Women are so troublesome.”
His blood pressure was rising!
She’d definitely be the death of him at this rate!
Even though Ning Chu was still technically a man, she still didn’t want to smell second-hand smoke in the air-conditioned, closed space.
She’d argued enough with this idiot today, so she didn’t bother to say anything more, just rolling her eyes.
The character she created back then was something she would have to bear the consequences for herself...
As the night deepened, the grilled fish was completely devoured, with even the side dishes finished off, leaving only a bit of soup.
The folding table was a mess, with two empty boxes of beer added to the chaos, along with a bunch of bottles and cans scattered across the floor.
“Come on! Let me show off another bottle!”
“Where’s the alcohol? How come it’s gone again?”
Zhang Shaoqing held up the empty bottle and whined, while Wang Jie had already lowered his head in submission, and Wen Yang was slumped backward into Ning Chu’s arms.
“Drink less...”
The situation had gone beyond Ning Chu’s expectations. She thought one box of beer would be enough for the three of them to get tipsy, but these three men with heavy hearts couldn’t stop drinking.
They’d agreed to drink responsibly, but when it came down to it, they weren’t holding back at all.
She smiled wryly, looking down at Wen Yang, whose head was heavy, pressing on her chest.
“Wake up? Don’t fall asleep.” She gently shook Wen Yang’s shoulder. “Are you really planning on staying here while I go back on my own?”
“Mm...”
Wen Yang just mumbled, his eyes still tightly shut.
Ning Chu helplessly shook him again, “Get up! You’re crushing me!”
Not caring for his comfort anymore, she tried to lift his head off her chest. With one hand, she pushed the mess on the table to the ground and let Wen Yang lie on the table to continue sleeping.
“Drunkard!”
She sighed in relief, standing with her hands on her hips, feeling a headache at the sight of the three drunks and the mess in front of her.
Why had she suggested Wen Yang bring them both to drink?
Now she was the one left to clean up...
At least, they weren’t crying or causing a scene while drunk.
Wang Jie had already gotten into bed, snoring away, while Wen Yang lay unconscious on the table.
Only Zhang Shaoqing, with a silly look on his face, was holding the empty bottle to his mouth, trying to drink air, still mumbling, “Where’s the alcohol? Why is there no more...”
He didn’t look like his usual carefree self at all, instead, he seemed a [N O V E L I G H T] little dazed, like a complete fool.
Ning Chu wasn’t in a rush to clean up. She pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures of everyone, especially of Zhang Shaoqing.
This was precious blackmail material!
A few years from now, if they had a chance to eat together, she could pull out these photos and laugh at them!
In ten or so years, when they had kids, she could show their nephews and nieces what their parents looked like in this state!
Even when Zhang Shaoqing passed away, she’d burn these photos for him!
“Alright... time to clean up.”
Putting away her phone, Ning Chu picked up a broom and dustpan and gave Zhang Shaoqing’s calf a couple of taps: “Go lie down on the bed, don’t block the way here.”
“Oh~ You’re acting like my mom now...”
“Don’t take advantage of me. No ungrateful son like you!”
When Zhang Shaoqing called her "Mom," Ning Chu couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the one losing out.
The room was a mess, and she spent half an hour cleaning up all the beer bottles and takeout. She placed the trash bags by the door.
“Wen Yang, I’m leaving now.”
She walked over to the folding table, shaking Wen Yang’s body, and asked, “Are you coming with me?”
It was summer, so she wasn’t worried about Wen Yang catching a cold. Though it wasn’t great for him to sleep like this, she figured he’d climb into bed himself once he woke up in the middle of the night.
As a little succubus, she could never manage to move this tall guy, who was almost 1.9 meters tall, onto the bed.
But just as she was about to leave, Wen Yang drowsily opened his eyes: “Let’s go back together.”
“Can you stand up on your own?”
Ning Chu carefully held onto Wen Yang’s arm, grumbling, “I told you to drink less, but you just kept going. I couldn’t stop you.”
“Now look, how am I supposed to take you back with your big size?”
“I was already in pain today, and I had to take care of you, you drunkard.”
It seemed Wen Yang wasn’t really paying attention to her words. He just stared at Ning Chu with his unfocused eyes, still dazed.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Her face flushed slightly, and she awkwardly shifted her gaze.
“Ning Chu... if you stay with me, I promise you won’t regret it...”
“In the future, I’ll make a lot of money, and you can spend it however you like! Let Mom see, your taste is better than hers!”
Her cheeks reddened even more, and her tone softened, the previous annoyance fading away.
“You’ve drunk too much. No more next time.”
“I don’t even care about that money...”
