Chapter 23: Ning Shuang Gets Dead Drunk and Can’t Tell Man from Beast

Next, Ning Shuang lost a few more rounds here and there. They didn’t rush to question him right away, holding out until he had lost four rounds before they started firing off their questions.

Gu Ting’s face was alight with gossip-fueled curiosity, and she was the first to pipe up. “Is the person you like from your year?”

Ning Shuang blinked and shook his head.

“I’ll ask, I’ll ask!” Ming Qingning raised her hand and cut in. Everyone turned to look at her. She fixed Ning Shuang with a mysterious stare. “Is it a freshman?”

Ning Shuang nodded. “Yes.”

“Mom!” “Aah!” The girls squealed like they’d just devoured some earth-shattering piece of gossip, buzzing with excitement. “I knew it had to be a freshman! What a waste of a question.”

A deep flush spread all the way around Ning Shuang’s ears.

“Hey, we’ve still got two questions left—ask away!”

“Okay, okay, my turn this time.” Yang Mengqi threw up her hand. “Is it one of the junior girls in the class you’re mentoring right now?”

Ning Shuang frowned faintly, pondering for a moment before answering. “Yes and no.”

“What do you mean ‘yes and no’? We’re not playing lateral thinking puzzles here.”

“It just is.”

“My answer’s perfectly fine anyway—you guys can puzzle it out yourselves.” Ning Shuang snatched a piece of apple from the table and popped it into his mouth, munching as he spoke.

The boy sitting across from him chimed in with his analysis. “That means either it’s not someone from the class he’s mentoring, or the person he likes isn’t a girl.”

Ning Shuang pursed his lips, paused for a beat, and then said, “You’ve got one question left now. Once that’s done, I’m heading home.”

It was getting late anyway. Ning Shuang thought of the one person and one dog waiting for him back home, and he decided not to linger outside any longer than necessary.

“Why? It’s not even that late.”

Ning Shuang curved his lips into a smile, propping his chin on his hand. “The little pup at home really misses me.”

Everyone knew Ning Shuang had a dog at home, so his excuse checked out perfectly. As for the fact that Ji Huaizhi had moved into Ning Shuang’s place, only Lu Yuyang and Zhao Wei Liang were in on that secret—no one else.

“Fine, fine.”

“I’ll take the last question. The person you like is named…”

Ning Shuang’s ears twitched, and he instantly sensed something was off. He quickly cut the guy off. “I’ll switch to a dare—no more truth questions.”

The boy nodded vigorously. “Sure, sure. In that case, show us a photo of the person you like.”

Ning Shuang’s eyes went wide. “You can ask for photos??”

“Of course you can—always could.”

“Ah, then I should’ve asked Xiao Xu for a photo of the person he likes just now!” Ning Shuang’s face was full of regret.

The boy who’d been called out let out a smug huff. “You guys are the ones who didn’t ask. If you had, I’d have shown you for sure.”

Ning Shuang pressed his lips into a straight line, racking his brain for a moment before saying, “I don’t have a photo of him.”

“No problem. I’ve got all the freshmen profiles right here. Just tell me the class and the name, and I’ll pull it up for you.” Gu Ting was clearly thriving on the drama.

Seeing that Gu Ting was dead serious, Ning Shuang hurriedly spoke up. “Nah, forget it. I’ll just drink.”

He grabbed a half-full glass of beer from beside the table and downed it in one go.

By the time the others moved to stop him, it was too late. After all, it was common knowledge that Ning Shuang got drunk off even the slightest touch of alcohol. If he hadn’t wanted to answer their questions, they would have just made him chug juice as punishment.

“Ning Shuang, you… that’s beer,” Ming Qingning said, blinking in shock.

Ning Shuang looked around at the group and nodded calmly. “I know.”

“You okay?”

“I’m not drunk.” Ning Shuang stuck out his thumb to show he was perfectly fine.

“That’s good, that’s good.” Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

In the very next second, the guy who’d only downed one beer slammed face-first onto the table with a loud thud right in front of them.

An eerie silence fell over the scene…

~~~

It was 11:30 at night.

A taxi pulled up to the side of the road. The back door swung open, and a lanky young man hopped out before turning to help a half-drunken fellow passenger to his feet.

“Thanks, driver.” Xiao Xu shut the car door.

Ning Shuang had passed out cold after that one drink. The rest of the group were all dorm students, and Xiao Xu was the only one who lived off-campus—and not too far from Ning Shuang’s place at that—so he’d volunteered to escort him home.

Luckily, Ning Shuang wasn’t totally wasted. His legs were just unsteady, and his head wasn’t entirely clear, but at least he wasn’t causing a drunken scene.

“Ning Shuang, you live here?” Xiao Xu pulled out his phone to double-check the address Gu Ting had sent, confirmed they were in the right spot, then tilted his head toward Ning Shuang.

Ning Shuang squinted at the place and nodded. “Mm-hmm!”

“Sorry about that, Ning Shuang. We didn’t mean for things to go that far, and even if you didn’t wanna spill, you could’ve just drunk some juice as your penalty.” Xiao Xu steadied Ning Shuang as they made their way into the yard, whispering his apology under his breath.

Ning Shuang’s ears were ringing with a constant buzz—he didn’t catch a word of it.

“Anyone home?” Xiao Xu was asking about Ning Shuang’s parents.

Ning Shuang paused to think. Ji Huaizhi was still at home, so he nodded. “Yeah.”

With that, Xiao Xu raised his hand and knocked on the door. There was a faint sound from inside, and a few seconds later, the door creaked open. The polite greeting Xiao Xu had ready for Ning Shuang’s aunt and uncle died in his throat.

He stared dumbstruck at the man standing there.

Ji Huaizhi’s eyes were as dark as the midnight sky, his expression utterly frigid. Even with his face half-shrouded in shadow, he was impossible to look away from.

“You, you… sorry, must’ve got the wrong door…” Xiao Xu’s knee-jerk reaction was that he’d knocked by mistake.

But in the next instant, the person he’d been propping up let go of his arm and stumbled forward straight into the long-haired man’s embrace. “Good evening! Ji Huaizhi.”

Ji Huaizhi smoothly wrapped an arm around Ning Shuang’s waist, his peripheral glance flicking toward Xiao Xu. Xiao Xu took half a step back and hastened to explain. “Ning Shuang just had a little booze… only a little…”

No wonder Ning Shuang reeked of alcohol when he’d toppled over. Ji Huaizhi simply said, “Thanks.”

With that, he guided Ning Shuang inside and casually pulled the door shut behind them.

A gust from the closing door brushed across Xiao Xu’s face. He stood there frozen for a few seconds before yanking out his phone. He quickly set up a brand-new group chat and hammered out a frenzy of messages.

【Xiao Xu: 111】

【Xiao Xu: 111】

【Xiao Xu: You guys won’t believe what I saw when I took Ning Shuang home.】

【Xiao Xu: A guy! I saw a guy!】

【Xiao Xu: A super hot guy.】

…

Meanwhile, inside the house, the lights flicked on one by one. Ning Shuang was eased onto the sofa, completely oblivious to the group chat exploding behind his back.

Ji Huaizhi straightened up and gazed down at Ning Shuang, who had slumped bonelessly onto the cushions.

Alcohol never really showed on Ning Shuang’s face when he drank—just a faint flush at the tips of his ears. Without the overwhelming stench of booze clinging to him and his current dazed state, Ji Huaizhi might not have even realized Ning Shuang was drunk.

Hanging out and drinking with a whole crowd, picking up all sorts of foul, mingled odors in the process. Ji Huaizhi was starting to think he never should have let Ning Shuang go out at all.

But in the next moment, Ning Shuang parted his lips and mumbled something. Ji Huaizhi’s gaze darkened as he instinctively dropped to one knee beside the sofa and leaned in close to catch what Ning Shuang was saying.

“Water…”

He wanted water.

Ji Huaizhi rose and headed to the kitchen, filling a glass with warm water for Ning Shuang.

Ning Shuang felt like everything in front of him was upside down—even Ning Dundun looked inverted. He tilted his head stubbornly, trying to right his wonky vision.

By the time Ji Huaizhi returned with the water, he found Ning Shuang dangling precariously off the edge of the sofa, his head hanging over the side as he stretched out a hand to pet Ning Dundun’s head.

Ji Huaizhi let out an inaudible sigh, a tangle of irritation and helplessness washing over him.

He set the glass on the table and gently pulled Ning Shuang back upright. In a warm voice, he coaxed, “Here, have some water.”

Ning Shuang sat hunched over, his hands dangling limply between his legs, his head bowed as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

Gazing at Ning Shuang’s tousled hair, Ji Huaizhi found himself reaching out without thinking, intending to smooth back the stray locks from his forehead. But in the next instant, Ning Shuang suddenly lifted his head. His eyes were strikingly clear, showing no hint of intoxication at all. Ji Huaizhi’s hand hung frozen in midair—neither able to advance nor retreat.

“I…” Ji Huaizhi began, only for Ning Shuang to suddenly grab both of his hands. He tugged them toward his own cheek and nuzzled against them softly. “Good evening.”

He was greeting Ji Huaizhi with utmost seriousness.

There wasn’t a trace of drunkenness in his tone or the look in his eyes, yet the gesture was utterly unlike anything a sober Ning Shuang would do.

Ji Huaizhi even felt a touch dazed.

“Sorry I’m back so late.” Ning Shuang’s voice was exceptionally gentle.

Any lingering spark of anger in Ji Huaizhi’s heart fizzled out completely at those words. He let out a sigh. “It’s fine.”

Ning Shuang broke into a smile and reached up to pat Ji Huaizhi on the head. Grinning, he said, “Dundun, you’re so cute…”

The air hung silent for several seconds.

Ji Huaizhi’s face darkened in an instant, the anger that had only just subsided surging back up. He glanced at Ning Dundun by his feet, then picked up the cup of warm water from the table and shoved it into Ning Shuang’s hands. With a cold expression, he said, “Drink some water.”

“Oh.” Ning Shuang took the cup in both hands and tilted his head back, draining it in just a few gulps.

He drank too hastily. Water trickled slowly down his jaw, tracing a clear path along his smooth neck before vanishing into his T-shirt.

Ji Huaizhi took the empty cup and averted his gaze.

Perhaps it was the effect of that cup of water, but only after finishing it did Ning Shuang recognize the man sitting right in front of him as Ji Huaizhi.

“Aiya!” he exclaimed, his voice rising. “Ji Huaizhi? You’re still up?”

Ji Huaizhi didn’t feel like responding.

“Mm, waiting for you,” he replied to Ning Shuang anyway.

Ning Shuang chuckled a few times. “You’re such a good guy.”

“Then I’ll…” He pushed against the sofa and staggered unsteadily to his feet. “I’m off to bed. You should get some sleep too.”

Ji Huaizhi rose as well, reaching out to steady Ning Shuang’s arm. “Thanks. I don’t know why, but I feel like I can’t see the ground under my feet clearly.”

One drunkard. One idiot drunkard.

Ji Huaizhi said nothing more. He supported Ning Shuang as they went upstairs.

Once they reached Ning Shuang’s room, Ji Huaizhi helped him sit on the edge of the bed. He was about to go close the window when Ning Shuang suddenly grabbed his hair.

It forced Ji Huaizhi to bend down, one knee bending as it pressed against the bed’s edge. They were now mere inches apart.

“Ji Huaizhi,” Ning Shuang said earnestly, gazing at him, “have I ever told you how good-looking you are?”

Ji Huaizhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He replied flatly, “I know.”

“Actually, I’ve dreamed about you.” Ning Shuang’s tone turned suddenly shy and coquettish—an expression and voice utterly unlike him.

Ji Huaizhi hadn’t planned on indulging Ning Shuang’s drunken ramblings, but this piqued his interest. “What did you dream?”

“I dreamed… I don’t know.” Ning Shuang’s eyes grew hazy as they fixed on Ji Huaizhi. After a pause, he added, “Maybe it wasn’t you.”

Ji Huaizhi bristled immediately, but Ning Shuang went on. “I don’t know.”

Ji Huaizhi reached out and grasped Ning Shuang’s hand, intending to pry loose the fingers clenched in his hair. Instead, Ning Shuang lifted his other hand and gripped Ji Huaizhi’s tightly, his eyes full of worry as he gazed at him. “Why are your hands so cold?”