Xia Xinghe was completely unconscious from the alcohol and naturally didn’t answer Bai Qingzhou’s question.
The air fell into silence. Only the sound of breathing lingered in the room.
Outside the door, chaotic voices grew louder. After a while, a loud, energetic shout shattered the quiet:
“Don’t stop me! I can still drink!”
Little Fatty, who had previously passed out on the table like a corpse, suddenly started acting drunk again, staggering over to shake the dorm leader’s shoulders.
“Come on… don’t sleep, drink with me.”
The dorm leader, jolted from his sweet slumber, slammed the table: “What are you yelling for?! Pour the drinks!”
But the bottle was empty. The two of them paused, glancing at each other.
“No more booze?”
“None!”
“Go buy another!”
“Buy! Definitely buy!”
“Buy what?!”
Still half-sober, Yan Cai sluggishly raised a hand and pushed both their heads down onto the table. “Go to sleep, brothers.”
There’s no reasoning with drunk people. Pressed down like that, they really did stop moving. A moment later, the dorm leader even began to snore.
“…So obedient.”
Yan Cai’s blurry eyes blinked slowly. Still tipsy, he pulled out his phone to call a cab while muttering, “Gotta get them home.”
But after poking at the screen for a while, he couldn’t unlock it.
“I’ll do it.”
Bai Qingzhou, unwilling to let them cause more drunken chaos, walked over quickly. “Give me the address.”
Yan Cai blinked at him blearily. “Who are you… with that cold face, acting like you’re someone important, let me tell you, I—I…”
There was no point arguing with someone drunk. Bai Qingzhou directly took his phone, unlocked it using Yan Cai’s fingerprint, opened his contacts, and called one of the recent numbers.
“Hello, are you a friend of the phone owner? He’s drunk. Could you come pick him up?”
The voice on the other end hesitated, then said, “Sure. Send me the address.”
The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but the surroundings were noisy and Yan Cai kept mumbling curses, so Bai Qingzhou didn’t think too much about it. He quickly sent over the location, then repeated the process for the other two who were slumped over the table.
While waiting for the pickups to arrive, Bai Qingzhou returned to Xia Xinghe’s side.
Xia Xinghe looked uncomfortable, his brows furrowed as he kept groaning softly. He seemed hot and started fumbling to remove his clothes.
Bai Qingzhou sighed, placed the back of his hand on Xia Xinghe’s forehead to cool him down, and murmured, “We’re going home soon. Be good, okay?”
“No…”
Xia Xinghe refused without hesitation. Then, after a beat, he called out Bai Qingzhou’s name.
“Bai… Bai Qingzhou.”
“Mm?”
Bai Qingzhou looked at him. “What about me?”
Still with his eyes closed, Xia Xinghe muttered, “You’re such a damn bastard.”
Bai Qingzhou: “……”
He let his guard down.
…..
The first to arrive was Little Fatty’s colleague, who carried him out. Then came the dorm leader’s wife, and together she and Bai Qingzhou got him into a taxi.
Half an hour passed, but no one came for Yan Cai. Meanwhile, Xia Xinghe had started fussing again, whining that he missed home and wanted to go back. Bai Qingzhou had no choice but to ask the hotel staff to look after Yan Cai and carried Xia Xinghe downstairs.
Bai Qingzhou had driven to the hotel but had arranged for a designated driver in advance, anticipating he might drink. The driver seemed experienced—seeing Xia Xinghe so drunk, he helped Bai Qingzhou settle him into the car, then smoothly returned to the driver’s seat and turned to ask:
“Sir, where are we headed?”
Before Bai Qingzhou could answer, Xia Xinghe jumped in:
“Home!”
The driver, still patient, asked gently, “And where’s home?”
Xia Xinghe replied confidently: “Home is where home is!”
The driver: “……”
Bai Qingzhou: “……”
Xia Xinghe was completely drunk, and since Bai Qingzhou had no idea where his home was, he could only press his fingers to his temple and give the driver his own address.
The driver nodded, said “Got it,” and drove off without another word. Xia Xinghe also stopped talking—his head tilted as he started to slump to the side.
Bai Qingzhou reached out to steady him, and Xia Xinghe naturally nestled into Bai Qingzhou’s arms, clinging to him like a well-behaved cat.
It was the coldest time of the year. Even with the car’s heater on, it didn’t feel particularly warm. The car sped down the road, the wind tapping against the windows with soft rattles. Xia Xinghe leaned against Bai Qingzhou, his body radiating warmth like a little heater.
Bai Qingzhou had also drunk quite a bit. His throat was dry, and his blood pulsed with heat. He stopped suppressing himself. His scorching gaze rested unrestrainedly on Xia Xinghe’s flushed cheeks, and after a moment, the corners of his mouth lifted.
“Xia Xinghe,” he whispered into his ear, “you can’t blame me for this.”
It’s not that I’m trying to keep you here on purpose—you’re the one who came to me.
…..
The 20-minute drive passed in a flash. The driver parked in the garage and cheerfully said,
“Sir, we’re here.”
The chill in the air sobered Bai Qingzhou up quite a bit. He nodded and helped Xia Xinghe out of the car. The driver quickly came around to assist.
“Let me, sir—I’ve got experience.”
The driver reached for Xia Xinghe’s hand to sling over his shoulder without a second thought, grabbing his wrist directly.
The stark contrast between their skin tones made Bai Qingzhou frown. He quickly moved Xia Xinghe’s arm to rest on his own shoulder and gripped the same spot on Xia Xinghe’s wrist the driver had touched. His voice was cold:
“No need.”
“…Why’d it suddenly get so cold?”
The driver shivered inexplicably but, seeing he didn’t need to do any heavy lifting, simply laughed and waved:
“Alright then, sir. Take it easy.”
Bai Qingzhou gave a faint “Mm.” His fingers brushed over Xia Xinghe’s wrist, intentionally or not, as if trying to wipe away any trace that had been left behind.
A moment later, when a faint red mark bloomed on Xia Xinghe’s arm, Bai Qingzhou finally seemed satisfied. He told the driver,
“You can go.”
Then carried Xia Xinghe into the house.
“Got it, sir—don’t forget the five-star review!”
The driver quickly left. Their dog, Bamboo, had already been awakened by the commotion. Barking twice at the driver’s back, it followed Bai Qingzhou back into the living room.
Bai Qingzhou placed Xia Xinghe on the sofa. Bamboo immediately trotted over and started sniffing Xia Xinghe.
Xia Xinghe didn’t react, still fast asleep. Bamboo simply plopped down on top of him and began enthusiastically licking his face.
“Bamboo!”
Bai Qingzhou frowned and scolded:
“No licking!”
“Woof?”
“Back off. Let him rest.”
“Awooo~”
Bamboo whimpered and lowered its head, looking pitiful. But Bai Qingzhou was unmoved, still staring at it coldly. Left with no choice, Bamboo reluctantly retreated from Xia Xinghe’s side and curled up miserably in a corner. Only then did Bai Qingzhou smile with satisfaction.
With Bamboo out of the way, the room quickly quieted down. Bai Qingzhou washed his face with cold water first, then brought a basin of warm water to wipe Xia Xinghe’s face.
A white towel damp with warm water glided over Xia Xinghe’s fair skin. His cheeks were still rosy, and tiny droplets clung to his flushed face. Bai Qingzhou’s heart skipped a beat for no reason.
At this moment, Xia Xinghe was incredibly well-behaved—especially so. Maybe it was the comfort of the warm towel, but his brows relaxed in contentment. His long lashes cast a soft shadow across his face. His slightly parted lips were pink, soft, like jelly—tempting to taste.
They must be sweet.
Alcohol still coursed through his body. His blood ran hot. His reason wavered. Desire tugged at him. The warm towel was tossed into the basin, splashing water everywhere. A flicker of darkness flashed in Bai Qingzhou’s eyes. His fingertips, still damp from holding the towel, gently stroked over Xia Xinghe’s lips.
Bai Qingzhou leaned down. The distance between them shrank, close enough that he could feel Xia Xinghe’s breath.
“Xia Xinghe?”
Bai Qingzhou’s voice was husky. His lips were just about to touch Xia Xinghe’s—
—when Xia Xinghe’s lips moved. His throat bobbed.
…Was he about to throw up?!
Bai Qingzhou’s instincts kicked in. He quickly pulled Xia Xinghe upright just in time for him to vomit all over the expensive leather sofa.
The sour stench of alcohol immediately filled the room, shattering any trace of romantic atmosphere. Bai Qingzhou stared at the innocent culprit in disgust, then, with a resigned sigh, dragged him into the bathroom and gently patted his back.
Xia Xinghe was clearly suffering. Tears welled up in his eyes from the retching.
He whimpered and complained:
“Bai Qingzhou, I—I feel awful…”
Bai Qingzhou’s tone was gentle:
“It’s okay, just let it out. Hmm?”
“I still feel horrible…”
“Almost done. Hang in there.”
He coaxed him like a child, going back and forth for a long while before Xia Xinghe finally emptied his stomach. Bai Qingzhou handed him a glass of water to rinse his mouth. Xia Xinghe obediently rinsed twice, then stared blankly at the cup in his hands.
“Bai Qingzhou.”
“Mm?”
“Why do you always see me at my worst?”
That aggrieved tone made Bai Qingzhou’s heart soften.
“It’s okay,”
he said.
“I like you no matter what you’re like.”
Xia Xinghe didn’t respond. He continued staring at the glass.
After a moment, he murmured again:
“Bai Qingzhou.”
“Mm?”
“Why did you come?”
—Of course, because of you.
Even if I knew your friends were joking, I was still afraid to lose you.
Bai Qingzhou stayed silent. Some words were hard to say.
Then he realized—Xia Xinghe didn’t seem to be talking to him.
He was simply murmuring to the glass of water in his hands.
“Bai Qingzhou.”
He called out again.
“Bai Qingzhou.”
“Bai Qingzhou.”
One call after another.
His gaze burned as he stared at the cup in his hands, unwilling to look away.
Bai Qingzhou crouched down, trying to take the cup from his hands. Xia Xinghe’s eyes suddenly widened as he hugged the cup tightly to his chest, as if terrified it would be taken away.
“Let me hold it a little longer,” he pleaded stubbornly, his beautiful eyes glistening, on the verge of tears, “just a little while, or I won’t be able to hold it anymore once I wake up.”
Bai Qingzhou’s heart suddenly softened, swelling with a powerful pulse.
Let him hold it, then. He took Xia Xinghe’s wrist and tilted the cup to pour out the water inside, then said to him, “Go ahead, hold it.”
Xia Xinghe nodded contentedly and promised, “Just for a bit!”
It was already late. Starlight scattered gently through the windows. Bai Qingzhou went to tidy up the mess on the sofa and scheduled a housekeeping service for the next day. When he came back, Xia Xinghe was still cradling the cup. Bai Qingzhou sighed, bent down, and carried him to the bed. He took off his shoes and loosened his clothes.
Xia Xinghe was very obedient, letting Bai Qingzhou move him around. He still clutched the glass cup in his hands, smiling like it was a precious treasure.
Once he lay down, he raised the cup with one hand, and with the other, he poked the side of the cup with his finger, muttering again:
“Bai Qingzhou.”
“Bai Qingzhou.”
“Go to sleep,” Bai Qingzhou said helplessly, gently ruffling his soft golden hair.
As the ticklish sensation slid past his fingertips, Xia Xinghe suddenly spoke again. His soft voice drifted clearly through the quiet darkness.
“Bai Qingzhou,” Xia Xinghe murmured, “I like you so much. Why don’t you like me back?”
Bai Qingzhou’s body froze.