SBS chapter 26

Because he had truly gone overboard the day before—and that eggnog certainly wasn’t any normal drink; it was surprisingly strong—Ye Xi didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky the next day.

When he woke, he was still groggy, staring at the ceiling for a long time before remembering where he was. It took him two minutes to realize this was Bai Yue’s home.

Bai Yue’s home…

Ye Xi’s rusty brain finally started turning. Oh, right—he went on a Christmas date with Bai Yue yesterday. They exchanged gifts, went home together, as sweet and intimate as a couple.

Ye Xi’s lips were already curling up with a smile. His eyes sparkled slightly, filled with the light of lovely memories.

But that smile never fully formed before it froze.

Yes, he had gone home with Bai Yue holding hands—that was fine.

But then what?

What happened after they entered the house?

Blurry fragments started surfacing in Ye Xi’s mind.

He had been drunk, but not completely blacked out—he remembered scattered bits.

Like how he tore his own sweater.

Or how he sat on Bai Yue’s lap, insisting he look at him and throwing a tantrum when he didn’t.

Or… how he boldly kicked off his jeans right in front of Bai Yue and even winked proudly at him.

Like a thunderbolt on a clear day.

The sky collapsed.

All hope was lost.

These three thoughts rotated through Ye Xi’s brain on a loop.

He shot up in bed with a pale face, hair sticking out in every direction like a bird’s nest, lips trembling.

He thought—even if he didn’t remember everything in detail, those fragments alone were enough to make him want to jump off a building ten thousand times.

And the more he remembered, the more shocked his pupils became.

…

What else had he done? He seemed to recall hanging onto Bai Yue’s neck and singing.

And Bai Yue had no choice but to listen.

He refused to stay still while being changed into pajamas, kept trying to kick them off.

Ye Xi shakily lifted the blanket. One glance—and his heart died a little more.

Clearly, Bai Yue had been overwhelmed by a drunken, naked mess and could only wrap him in a long robe and shove him into bed.

Now, after a whole night, the robe was a wrinkled mess—barely clinging to his body.

“…”

Ye Xi shut his eyes in despair, burying his face into the blanket.

He couldn’t say a word. Even moaning in misery felt too hard.

He couldn’t believe what he had done.

In front of his male god. His crush. His beloved. His older brother figure—Bai Yue.

He had done all of that.

Ye Xi clutched his hair in agony, feeling like “pierced by a thousand arrows” wouldn’t even begin to describe his shame.

He couldn’t even imagine what Bai Yue had thought while dealing with him last night.

His memory was fuzzy, and he couldn’t recall Bai Yue’s expression at all.

He wasn’t even sure whether he’d said something he shouldn’t have…

The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. His face had completely lost its color. Though the room was warm, he was sweating cold.

And just then, a soft knocking came from outside the guest room.

It wasn’t loud—more like testing the waters than calling someone awake.

Along with the knock came Bai Yue’s gentle voice: “Ye Xi, are you awake?”

Awake?

No.

Already planning to dig a hole and bury himself for eternal slumber.

Ye Xi answered that question in his heart and seriously considered pretending to still be asleep—ignoring Bai Yue altogether.

But after a second, he pressed his lips together. He couldn’t bring himself to ignore Bai Yue.

He moved slowly, reluctantly, like walking to an execution, and made his way to the door.

Just as the knocking stopped, he placed his hand on the door handle.

Click—

The lock turned, and the door opened a tiny crack. Ye Xi tried his best to gather his wrinkled robe, revealing a pale, melancholy face through the gap.

“Morning, Bai-ge.” He greeted Bai Yue with a dispirited voice.

Then, as expected, he was stunned again by Bai Yue’s looks.

Despite the chaotic night and having taken care of him, Bai Yue still looked as elegant as ever—flawless from head to toe, like a magazine cover model.

Meanwhile, Ye Xi looked like a ghost who had just crawled out of a sewer.

For a moment, he even questioned why he dared to have a crush on Bai Yue in the first place.

Compared to someone so dazzling, he was probably just a gray, twitchy little hamster.

Ye Xi let out a sigh of despair in his heart.

Gripping the door handle in defeat, he braced himself for Bai Yue to scold him.

He knew he had been a handful last night. Even though Bai Yue had tried to stop him, he had insisted on drinking that eggnog and caused so much trouble.

Even if Bai Yue hadn’t seen through his ill intentions, being a little angry was totally justified.

But the next second, Ye Xi heard Bai Yue softly ask:

“Did you sleep well last night? Do you have a headache now that you’re awake?” Bai Yue asked gently.

Ye Xi was stunned for a moment and looked up in confusion.

Bai Yue’s expression was gentle. Even though the door was only slightly open, he didn’t force Ye Xi to come out of the room. Instead, he leaned against the doorframe and spoke to him like this.

He said, “You drank a bit too much yesterday and came back drunk. I was worried you’d have a headache when you woke up, so I made you some hangover soup. If you’re really uncomfortable, I also bring some painkillers.”

He looked at Ye Xi and smiled again. “I already sent your clothes from yesterday to the laundry room. The housekeeper will return them once they’re cleaned. But there are some new clothes in the guest room closet in your size. You can pick whichever you like.”

“If you’re done washing up, come out and eat. Lunch is almost ready.”

After saying that, Bai Yue reached out and patted Ye Xi’s head before turning around and leaving.

Ye Xi was dazed. Just like that?

Did Bai Yue really just come to check if his head hurt?

The narrow door creaked open a bit more. Ye Xi poked his head out from inside and silently watched Bai Yue’s retreating figure.

After a few seconds, he pulled back into the room and shut the door.

He leaned against it, looking a little lost.

Slowly, he walked into the bathroom and took off his robe to shower.

While brushing his teeth, he stared quietly at his reflection in the mirror.

The person in the mirror looked much better than when he had just woken up.

His hair was neatly combed back, he had changed into a soft white shirt and gray vest. After freshening up, he looked more alert, and even his lips had regained some color.

Ye Xi brushed his teeth slowly.

He had thought Bai Yue would at least scold him a little.

Rationally, he knew Bai Yue wasn’t a short-tempered person. Even if he reprimanded him, it would be mild.

But when he lived with his biological mother, even the slightest mistake would lead to criticism or even verbal abuse.

Things didn’t get much better after moving into the Zheng family. He even had to deal with Zheng Yang, who always looked at him with disdain.

So, growing up, Ye Xi developed a conditioned reflex.

Whenever he thought he had done something wrong, even a slight hint of coldness would make him hyper-aware and anxious.

But Bai Yue hadn’t scolded him, not even a stern look.

Bai Yue had simply made him hangover soup.

Water droplets slid down Ye Xi’s chin and fell into the white sink.

He snapped out of it, lowered his eyes, and rinsed the foam from his mouth.

…..

After fully tidying himself up, Ye Xi slowly came out of the room.

By the time he got to the living room, Bai Yue had already set the table.

Seeing him, Bai Yue naturally called him over. “Just one cold side dish left. Sit down and start with the hangover soup.”

Bai Yue handed him a white porcelain bowl.

As soon as Ye Xi took it, he could smell the pleasant scent of dried tangerine peel and hawthorn, mixed with kudzu root and goji berries. It was slightly sour with a hint of sweetness, and not hard to drink.

He accepted it silently, but after taking a few sips, he didn’t stay seated. Instead, he carried the bowl and stood next to Bai Yue.

He didn’t bother Bai Yue, nor did he try to help, knowing he couldn’t. He just quietly stood there, drinking the soup while watching Bai Yue.

When Bai Yue turned and saw this scene, his heart nearly melted.

“What’s wrong?” he asked Ye Xi.

Ye Xi had already finished the soup. Bai Yue hadn’t given him much, afraid it would affect his appetite for lunch.

But the sweet taste of hawthorn and honey still lingered on his tongue.

Ye Xi looked at Bai Yue, still unable to hide a bit of confusion. He asked, “Bai-ge, are you really not angry at all? Don’t you think I caused you trouble yesterday?”

He thought about it and decided to admit his mistake.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have drunk so much yesterday. I even acted out and made you take care of me for so long.”

He said it sincerely.

Bai Yue’s expression shifted.

He looked at Ye Xi—wearing clothes he had bought, tall and handsome, fair and beautiful—like a pampered little prince under the bright daylight.

Yet when Ye Xi spoke, despite the calm tone, his eyes were filled with doubt, as if he couldn’t believe he didn’t find him troublesome.

This stirred an indescribable emotion in Bai Yue’s heart.

He turned off the stove. The tomato beef stew he had been simmering still bubbled in the pot, filling the kitchen with a delicious aroma.

He looked at Ye Xi seriously.

“That wasn’t troublesome at all, Ye Xi,” Bai Yue said softly. “If you had been alone yesterday and something dangerous happened while you were drunk, I might have scolded you. But I was there. It’s my duty to take care of you. And your behavior wasn’t out of line.”

“And me taking care of you—that’s only natural. You’re like a little brother I watched grow up. Taking you out for Christmas means I’m responsible for you. Besides, I really enjoyed spending time with you. You being drunk and acting out—I just saw it as a little brother being playful. It’s normal. Everyone should be able to act a little spoiled with their older brother.”

As Bai Yue spoke, he almost sighed to himself.

He already knew where the issue lay.

He had noticed long ago that Ye Xi hated troubling others.

Whether it was taking him to the hospital or tutoring him, Ye Xi’s first instinct was always to refuse.

Zheng Yang had also mentioned that Ye Xi was extremely quiet at home—even when he was sick, he wouldn’t say anything and would quietly dig through drawers for medicine. He seemed used to bearing everything on his own.

“I really don’t think you were a bother,” Bai Yue said softly. “In fact, yesterday was the most enjoyable Christmas I’ve ever had. You were also very cute when you were drunk.”

……

Because of that sentence, Ye Xi’s ears stayed red all through lunch.

He barely dared to look at Bai Yue across the table and focused on eating quietly.

Biting into a piece of tomato beef, his heart still felt warm.

Bai Yue… not only didn’t think he was annoying, he even said he was cute.

Just thinking about that made Ye Xi feel like his face was burning again.

He stuffed another spoonful of rice into his mouth and secretly looked up—only to meet Bai Yue’s gaze.

Bai Yue, dressed in soft gray loungewear, looked refreshed and cheerful. He smiled at Ye Xi and filled another bowl of soup, placing it next to him.

Ye Xi blushed again and obediently drank the soup.

But he didn’t know what Bai Yue was thinking while looking at him from across the table.

Bai Yue thought, he better not tell Ye Xi—that he had been so focused on eating that a grain of rice had stuck to his left cheek.

He was afraid Ye Xi would want to crawl into a hole out of embarrassment.