Chapter Ten Hangover

  Two days before the college entrance examination, Teacher Bai announced a three-day holiday in class, and the classroom suddenly exploded like a pot, cheering and jumping for joy. Several mischievous students even stood up to dance the crab dance, causing the whole class to burst into laughter.

  I turned my head to look at the last row, and Ji Dong was leaning on his chin with one hand, his eyes staring at me. Our eyes met for a moment before he looked away, still with a lazy face, as if nothing mattered to him. Ji Dong was much more mature than other boys, not just in appearance, but also in experience. Having gone through many years of social struggles, he really seemed like an adult, calm and composed when faced with things, without any hint of a high school student's demeanor.

  "Come with me." I was just about to put away my last textbook in my backpack when a large hand gently grasped my wrist. He didn't use force, but instead slowed down his pace to match mine, pulling me along as we walked.

  There were still two or three students in the classroom, watching us with a "seen it all before" expression and making "tsking" noises. I didn't want to pay attention to them anymore, as I was destined to coexist with rumors and gossip from now on. After that night, I had basically thought things through - since I couldn't shake off the rumors, I might as well accept the challenge calmly and let the devilish boy know that this gentle and obedient class monitor wasn't someone to be trifled with either.

  Ji Dong pulled me along, walking into a shaded area behind the teaching building, then let go of my hand, furrowing his brow slightly, his eyes fixed on me with restraint, opening his mouth slowly, his voice low and husky: "The night of the dance party, where did you go?"

  "I... I just sat on the sofa by myself... didn't move, dancing is not my forte!" Her eyes darted back and forth before meeting his again.

  It wasn't until Ji Dong saw Ruoxi that he realized, but I always thought they had already figured out each other's identities at the dance party. Apparently not, or else he wouldn't be bored enough to come ask me now. As for that part where Yuwen Hu jumped out and danced with her outside, let's just consider it a hallucination. I must keep this secret locked up tight!

  "Have you ever been out?" asked in a low tone.

  "No! I've been inside all along and saw you dancing with Ruoxi!" I shook my head in a hurry to deny it.

  "Why don't you come yourself?" His eyes darted to his clenched fists, and his gaze was as clear as water, "I thought it was yours..."

  "I...I don't want to be with Zhang Juyu..." She dodged his clear eyes, her heart feeling a bit empty, "I thought it was him, where did you come from!"

  "Don't be Yu Ge's girlfriend, okay?"

  ??“……”

  A sentence that left me speechless. He himself knew very well that this was not something I could decide, otherwise he wouldn't have been made a fool of by his boss every time.

  He seemed to have clarified the relationship between initiative and passivity, and coldly sneered: "Forget it, I didn't say anything."

  I looked at the tangled and inexpressible expression on his face, tiptoed, raised my arm and patted him on his sturdy shoulder, revealing a brilliant smile: "Winter melon, don't worry! I won't always let myself be at a disadvantage!"

  "I really miss the you from when we were young." A gentle smile appeared on his face, and he reached out with a large hand to ruffle my short hair, "The long-braided fake little kid and the short-haired good student, huh, you're really hard to find!"

  Puffing out her cheeks, she dodged his incoming hand, glaring at him while tidying up her disheveled hair: "Stinky winter melon, believe it or not, I'll beat you into a bitter melon!" A light punch landed on his arm again. Probably because he was a low-level thug, I only dared to bully him - who let him be my little brother in the first place!

  Thanks to the devil's blessing, a part of me who went out for a long journey is slowly coming back with my backpack. I also miss that brave and fearless little girl who loves to fight for justice!

  I finished moving all the books back to my dorm and saw Ruoxi standing at the school gate with a strange expression, her eyes staring blankly into space. I quickly ran over to her side and looked at her carefully, her eyes were red as if she had just cried, but when I stood next to her, she didn't react at all.

  "What's wrong with you?" I shook her shoulders and asked anxiously, seeing Ruoxi standing at the school gate like a statue for the first time.

  "Rice rice......" Her wandering eyes fixed on my face, her emotions low, speaking with a thick nasal tone, "I've had a breakup, I'm not in the mood, let's go drink together."

  Then, I was held by Ruo Xi's hands on my arm, her head occasionally leaning on my shoulder, sniffing with her nose.

  "Sister! That's my shirt!" She was heartbroken to see her short-sleeved shirt stained with a sticky substance. Seeing her pitiful expression, she immediately softened her tone, "Forget it, do whatever you want."

  The day after tomorrow is the college entrance examination, I believe Zhang Jiu Yu should be honest for two days and not come out to wander. Even if he's inside, I have to accompany Ruoxi again to rush into the tiger's mouth. Ruoxi this girl, has something on her mind, as long as she cries it out, vents once, maybe the next day will be fine, if not, I'm afraid no one will sleep well afterwards, I've been taught by her countless times. Moreover, this time, the object of her unrequited love in her mouth, apart from Ji Dong, I couldn't think of anyone else, how can I say it, I also have to take some responsibility.

  Once again, we came to the bar, the scene was as usual, lively and extraordinary, we also became regulars here, coming every now and then, feeling like returning home. The little brother behind the bar had a strange smile in his eyes, seeing us sit down, he ran over like a pug.

  "Two ladies, what can I get for you?" An exaggerated smile, even if they saw money, they wouldn't need to open their eyes so wide.

  "Just get me drunk, that's all I need." Yifeng leaned against the bar with one hand on his forehead, looking up at the bartender with a tilted gaze. This posture was purely for getting drunk and nothing else.

  The bartender quickly took out a bottle of transparent liquid from the cabinet behind him, and also took out two glasses, placing them in front of us and filling them up. The bottle had beautiful lines, covered with dense English letters, and in the middle was a line of blue bold font: ABSOLUTVODKA. I've never drunk before, and couldn't guess what it meant.

  He picked up the cup at the end of the stream, took a big gulp, and his whole face turned red immediately. His small face scrunched up, his tongue stretched out long, his mouth opened wide to gasp for air, and he frantically waved his hands back and forth.

  "Get me a glass of juice!" I hastily told the bartender, and gently blew air on Ruoxi, while also scolding "This isn't water! How can you be so careless all the time!"

  "I... unlike you... I..." She was already mumbling and slurring her words. I took the juice and poured it into her mouth, cutting off what she wanted to say.

  "Miss, you can drink so much! You're really a heroine among women!" The bartender's little brother came over with a flattering face.

  I glared at him warily, his face twisted into a grotesque grin that was utterly unbecoming; no matter what, he couldn't lay hands on customers.

  "Miss, don't get me wrong, it's our deputy general manager who told me to take good care of you from now on." He explained with a sly smile, his eyes narrowed to a slit and his mouth stretched wide.

  "Who is your deputy general manager?" Can't recall having met this person before.

  "Miss, you're really funny, you're all so close, don't you know?" Seeing my puzzled expression turn to horror, he continued, "The only bar in our city, the boss's surname is Zhang. As for the vice president, haha, you understand!"

  Then his face broke out in a smile, and I, still dazed, smiled awkwardly back at him before he busied himself again.

  "My head is so hot..." A can of juice went down, Ruoxi was still dizzy, her face was still bright red, gradually calming down, still panting with her mouth open, her eyes were distant, one hand holding onto my arm, "This wine is even stronger than last time! Mimi try some too, it's just one word: awesome! Hahaha..."

  She looked at me helplessly as she started to go crazy, first laughing loudly, then crying while shaking my arm violently. It was no longer a light drizzle, but a torrential downpour. As she wailed, I gently patted her back to comfort her and led her away from the bar, not wanting to draw too much attention. After taking two steps, she broke free from my grasp and rushed back, shouting for wine, grabbing the full cup of wine from me. I quickly went over to pull her back, walking with her to an empty sofa in a quiet corner, helping her sit down.

  Her makeup was smudged by tears, and her whole face was covered with a messy green color. She suddenly buried her face in my shoulder again, and her snot and tears all smeared on my clothes.

  Alright, alright, I'll let you win this time since you're so sad about it.

  Gradually, the crying sound by my ear subsided. Ruoxi, who had finished venting her emotions, lifted Hua Hua's face, her eyes puffy like walnuts, and with a scowl on her face, she glared at me... I finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, lowering my head to compose myself before looking up again, then lowering it once more to continue laughing.

  "Go ahead and laugh, you heartless guy!" Thick nasal sound, looking at me covering my mouth and sneaking a smile, the corners of her mouth also curled up uncontrollably.

  "What's going on between you and Ji Dong?" Seeing that she seemed to be in a better mood after crying, I finally asked the question that had been bottled up inside me the whole time.

  "That stupid winter melon, he's killing me! I hate him to death! He actually thought I was you!" Ruoxi coughed violently twice, her nose twitching as she sucked in air. "I hinted at it so many times when we were dancing together, and yet he still didn't get it! How despicable! Don't ever mention him to me again!"

  She raised that transparent high-heeled cup containing high-concentration liquor again and was about to bring it to her lips when I quickly intercepted it.

  "Stop drinking, you're already drunk! If you can't walk later on, don't come crying to me!"

  "Mind your own business, today... I must get drunk, and tomorrow when I wake up, everything will be forgotten! Let me drink!" She shouted loudly at me, her mouth emitting a strong smell of alcohol that made my head dizzy, one arm also waving in the air to stop me from getting closer.

  "Alright, you want a drink, I'll keep you company!" She tilted her head to look at me, smiled with an open mouth, and then heavily pushed the wine cup over.

  I took the cup from her hand, furrowed my brow and first lightly sniffed it, my lips barely touching the rim of the cup, carefully tilting the body of the cup, just as the transparent liquid touched my lips, I immediately straightened up with the cup, first sipping it in my mouth, the smell was pungent and spicy, so uncomfortable that I grimaced. It's very astringent and hard to drink, yet many people take pleasure in it.

  Today I let go, drinking to boost my courage, one cup down and no worries! So I raised the wine glass again, tentatively sipped a small mouthful, forcing myself to ignore the uncomfortable feeling, and then drank more and more. With each sip, a pungent smell pierced through my brain, and my tongue had lost all sensation. My mind was racing with scenes from the past few days, replaying like a movie. I must be brainwashing myself, by tomorrow, I'll definitely forget everything, don't want to think about anything.

  In the dimly lit sofa, I and Ruoxi took turns drinking. My mind still felt clear, knowing it was late and time to go home, but as soon as I stood up, my left foot tripped over my right and I fell back onto the sofa. Dizzy and uncomfortable, my stomach churned with a wave of nausea, a hot sensation rising up, but I kept holding it in, holding it in, until my consciousness gradually became unclear...

  In a daze, I feel my body as light as a cloud floating up, like in a dream, just stretching out my hand to reach the sun, fiery and scorching, pulsating with life... It's so hot, my whole body is sweating, I'm about to be roasted...

  The next day, when I woke up, it was already dusk. The fiery sunset shone through the narrow slit of the window curtain, shining directly on my face. Still a bit sleepy, I rubbed my eyes and wanted to stretch, but my foot kicked something soft in the bed. The object was kicked, and while snoring, it started to move, rolling up the quilt that covered me, exposing me who was wearing only underwear to the air.