novelraw Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Chapter 38 Drunk YugeThe moment Wen Yufeng first saw Qin Qing, he almost thought he was hallucinating.
It wasn’t until he turned his gaze back in that direction and stared for a few seconds that he confirmed his classmate was indeed present in this bar.
Standing there with an expressionless face, the boy clenched his left hand.
It took him a long while to suppress the urge to just go over and carry her out of there.
Just then, a bartender stopped beside him.
“Yu-ge, we’ve reserved a spot for you, and Qiao An and the others are waiting. Aren’t you going to join them?”
“…”
Hearing this, Wen Yufeng slowly withdrew his gaze.
In this situation, if he showed any indication of familiarity with her, it wouldn’t be good for her.
After a few seconds, Wen Yufeng lowered his eyes and responded lightly.
“Lead the way.”
“Right away.”
The bartender cheerfully acknowledged and led Wen Yufeng to a nearby circular sofa.
As luck would have it, their destination was the table right next to the one where Qin Qing and her friends were seated.
The circular sofas in this bar had low backrests with a bit of a smooth curve at the top. When the tall boy sat down, the sofa’s backrest barely covered his broad shoulders.
With just a few meters of space between them, Qin Qing felt as if the air around her had suddenly become thinner.
“How is he, huh? How is he?”
Lin Manxue, unaware of Qin Qing’s earlier change in expression, was now full of excitement. She leaned in, lowering her voice as she repeatedly asked Qin Qing—
“Isn’t he super handsome?”
“…”
Qin Qing’s earlier frustration at Wen Yufeng seeing her but not acknowledging her had now morphed into a feeling of inexplicable sadness.
She couldn’t understand what she had done wrong to make him avoid her so much, to the point where he’d skip two weeks of school but still come to a bar.
…After all, he was the one who said he wanted to sit next to her in the first place.
Thinking of this, Qin Qing felt like a jar of old vinegar was bubbling inside her, making her increasingly upset.
As a result, she didn’t even notice Lin Manxue’s question.
After not getting a response for a while, Lin Manxue found it odd and turned to look at Qin Qing, only to see her friend looking as if she was about to cry.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Xiao Qing?”
Lin Manxue panicked, unconsciously raising her voice.
The tall figure at the next table, who had his back turned to them, suddenly froze. After a couple of seconds, he couldn’t help but glance over.
There were quite a few former classmates at Qin Qing’s table. A girl sitting next to Qin Qing chuckled softly and teased Lin Manxue.
“Lin Manxue, keep your voice down. I think the guy from Yi Zhong has noticed us.”
“…”
Qin Qing’s slender back stiffened at her friend’s words. After a couple of seconds, she shook her head and lifted her face.
“Manxue, I’m fine.”
At the far end of the sofa, a girl sitting next to Fu Hanlin also spoke up.
“Qin Qing, didn’t you transfer to Yi Zhong too? I heard you skipped ahead to sophomore year. Do you know that guy? Can you introduce us?”
“Yeah, yeah, I really want to meet him,” the girl sitting next to Qin Qing chimed in, sneaking glances at the other table. “Wow, he looks great even from the side… And his arm muscles are so defined. Isn’t he the one who often gets into fights with the guys from our school? I bet he’s the type who looks lean in clothes but has a great physique underneath…”
Qin Qing clenched her small fists midway through, but as the conversation continued, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“…I don’t know him.” She suddenly spoke up, interrupting the girl.
Qin Qing’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was so tense that it trembled slightly, startling the people around her.
Realizing she had lost her composure, Qin Qing paused for a few seconds before turning her head, her brows softening into a gentle expression.
With a faint smile on her pretty face, she added, “If I knew him… he would have come over to greet me, wouldn’t he?”
The others snapped out of it and nodded, some of the girls especially disappointed.
“True, that’s a shame…”
Fu Hanlin, who had been ignored for a while, now had a strange expression as he stared at the boy sitting sideways at the other table. Hearing Qin Qing’s words, his expression grew even more confused.
…Could he have remembered wrong?
That couldn’t be right. The appearance of the boy who had stopped him from confessing was not something easily forgotten.
Even though the bar’s lighting was a bit dim and suggestive, he shouldn’t have been able to miss it.
“Hey, Fu Hanlin, are you jealous?” The girl next to Fu Hanlin suddenly spoke up, brushing her hand against his arm as she leaned in closer. “Don’t worry, I only like you.”
“…”
Fu Hanlin looked uncomfortable and glanced awkwardly in Qin Qing’s direction.
Qin Qing was caught off guard by the girl’s unfriendly gaze and then heard Lin Manxue whispering beside her.
“Fu Hanlin confessed to you but failed, and soon after, this Sun Wan girl pursued him successfully. It’s normal for her to feel hostile toward you, so be careful around her.”
“…”
Hearing this, Qin Qing actually felt relieved.
She had been worried that Fu Hanlin might still have some lingering feelings, and if things got awkward in front of so many people, it would be embarrassing for everyone involved…
Meanwhile, at the next table…
“Yu-ge, what are you looking at?”
The small guy sitting next to Wen Yufeng followed his gaze, landing on the rowdy group of boys and girls at the neighboring table.
The small guy’s eyes lit up. “Yu-ge, did one of them catch your eye? Should I help you—”
Before he could finish, someone smacked him on the back of the head.
“What the heck—”
He turned around, ready to lash out, but when he saw who had hit him, he quickly changed his tune, putting on a fawning expression.
“Oh, it’s you, Qiao An-ge, sorry about that, I wasn’t yelling at you…”
Qiao An gave him an annoyed look and kicked his leg.
“Sit over there, and stop annoying Yu-ge.”
The small guy obediently scooted over, muttering to himself, “How am I annoying him? I’m just trying to help Yu-ge pick a pretty girl.”
“You don’t think that annoys him?” Qiao An said with a half-smile, raising his arm as if to hit him again, though he didn’t follow through.
He glanced at the indifferent and aloof boy next to him before turning back with a smile. “When have you ever seen a woman get within a foot of Yu-ge?”
The small guy pouted, grumbling, “I just thought Yu-ge seemed interested in that table…”
Hearing this, Qiao An looked toward the neighboring table.
Noticing several girls sneaking glances in their direction, he couldn’t help but smile and move closer to Wen Yufeng.
“They’re just a bunch of kids, probably trying to make some noise to get attention. If they’re bothering you, Yu-ge, I can have them kicked out.”
“…”
Wen Yufeng lowered his gaze, swirling the angular glass in his slender fingers, the liquid inside reflecting the dim, intimate light.
He lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip, his voice low and hoarse. “No need.”
Qiao An’s eyes flickered.
——
It seemed that Yu-ge was in a bad mood tonight?
Thinking for a moment, Qiao An signaled to the others at the table and led by example, raising his glass to lightly clink against Wen Yufeng’s.
“If something’s bothering you, we’ll drink it away with you, Yu-ge.”
Wen Yufeng didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on his glass.
After a moment, he let out a low chuckle, a hint of self-mockery appearing on his handsome face. Then he lifted his glass and downed the contents in one go.
…
Every second Qin Qing spent there, she regretted more and more her decision to come out with Lin Manxue today.
As she watched the group around her get more and more rowdy, Qin Qing felt her head throbbing in time with her pulse.
Finally, when the so-called “High time” in the bar was over, Lin Manxue and the other girls reluctantly returned to their seats.
But clearly, they weren’t done having fun. Someone picked up a bottle from the table and shook it, winking at everyone—
“Let’s play a game!”
“Yeah, let’s do it!”
Everyone eagerly agreed.
“…”
Qin Qing, who had been sitting in silence, felt her scalp tingle. She couldn’t take it anymore and reached out to tug on Lin Manxue’s sleeve.
“Manxue, it’s getting late. We should go home, or our families will worry.”
“Don’t be like that,” Lin Manxue quickly grabbed Qin Qing’s hand. “Let’s just play a little longer! Just a little while!”
Qin Qing remained unmoved, staring at Lin Manxue with a stern expression, her small face tight with seriousness.
Lin Manxue had no choice but to fold her arms and make a pleading gesture. “How about this: we play this one game, and then we’ll leave—deal?”
Seeing Lin Manxue continuously winking at her, looking as pitiful as could be, Qin Qing sighed and relented. “All right. But you said it—after this game, we leave immediately.”
“Sure, sure, no problem!”
Lin Manxue made a show of patting her chest as if making a solemn promise.
Qin Qing frowned slightly, her nose wrinkling in exasperation. “You…”
“Qin Qing, Lin Manxue, aren’t you two joining us to play?” Fu Hanlin suddenly called out to the two of them, who were still huddled in the corner.
“We’re coming,” Lin Manxue responded loudly before turning to Qin Qing with a teasing whisper. “I bet you, Fu Hanlin hasn’t given up on you yet.”
“…”
Qin Qing rolled her eyes at her without saying a word.
Lin Manxue laughed and pulled Qin Qing back to the sofa.
“Are we playing Spin the Bottle? What are the rules?” someone asked curiously as soon as Qin Qing sat down.
Having never been to this sort of place before, Qin Qing was unfamiliar with the game of “Spin the Bottle.” Intrigued, she looked at the empty bottle lying horizontally in the middle of the table.
“What else? The old rules: whoever the bottle points to gets punished.”
“Yeah, but what kind of punishment?”
“…”
There was a brief silence at the table as the girls exchanged glances, seeming to agree on something unspoken.
Sun Wan, who was sitting beside Fu Hanlin, cleared her throat. “How about this? Let’s pick someone from the neighboring table—there are guys and girls there, more than ten people. Whoever the bottle points to has to go over and toast a drink with someone of the opposite sex. If they succeed in getting the other person to drink, they pass. If they fail, they have to draw another penalty—remember, it has to be someone of the opposite sex.”
“Wow, Fu Hanlin, you should really keep an eye on your girlfriend—” one of the boys joked. “She obviously has an agenda!”
Sun Wan shot a glare at the boy who had spoken up.
“I’m the one paying for the drinks, so what, I can’t set the rules?”
“All right, all right, whatever the sponsor says goes!”
Everyone chimed in agreement.
“…”
Qin Qing blinked in confusion. Before she could fully process what was happening, the rules were set.
She was stunned and turned to Lin Manxue. “Do I have to participate too?”
Lin Manxue replied, “Of course! No one gets to sit out—you wouldn’t want to be the odd one out, right?”
“But I’ve never played this before, and I’ve never even had a drink—”
Before Qin Qing could protest further, the bottle in the middle of the table had already started spinning.
With no time to refuse, Qin Qing stared at the bottle, her heart pounding in her chest. It made her more nervous than any exam she’d ever taken.
Luckily, when the bottle finally stopped, it pointed to a girl sitting some distance away from Qin Qing.
“Phew…”
Qin Qing, playing this game for the first time, instinctively let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had narrowly escaped some peril.
Everyone laughed and teased the girl who was the first to “win.” The girl, unafraid, called over a waiter to open a bottle, grabbed two glasses filled with liquor, and confidently walked over to the neighboring table.
People at the table watched with interest as the girl approached the guy sitting at the far end, which didn’t surprise anyone.
Qin Qing was no exception.
Though it was her first time playing this game, she was well aware of what these girls’ real goal was—to find an excuse to talk to Wen Yufeng.
Unlike the others, though, Qin Qing maintained her usual quiet and well-behaved demeanor, sitting still and barely glancing in any direction, as if she was ready to place her hands neatly on her knees.
Yet, despite her efforts to avoid looking, she could clearly feel a complex gaze resting on her for a moment.
A girl next to her whispered excitedly.
“Wow, is he looking over here? If it’s my turn, I’ll definitely go over there too.”
“Do you think it’s that easy? What if he shuts you down? Oh wait, did he actually drink?”
“…”
Startled, Qin Qing looked up.
Sure enough, just as the girl said, Wen Yufeng, who was leaning back on the sofa with one hand resting on his forehead, had taken the glass and downed the liquor in one gulp.
Then, without even looking up, he handed the glass back to the girl who had offered him the drink, his gaze lowering once more.
His profile remained indifferent and handsome.
The girl who had successfully toasted Wen Yufeng returned to the table with a red face, clearly pleased with herself, giving the other girls at the table renewed confidence.
In the following rounds, the girls all headed straight for Wen Yufeng, drinks in hand.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Wen Yufeng didn’t refuse a single time.
While Qin Qing’s table was filled with amazement, those at the neighboring table, including Qiao An, began to feel a bit uneasy.
——
This was clearly not typical behavior for their “Yu-ge.” Either he was in an exceptionally good mood, or he was in a particularly bad one… and judging by his increasingly expressionless face, it didn’t seem like he was in a good mood.
After a while, Qiao An nudged the small guy next to him, giving him a look, and whispered, “In a bit, you should just get the security to kick these clueless kids out. They’re way too full of themselves…”
The small guy, also staring wide-eyed, nodded in agreement with a complex expression.
…He was beginning to wonder if there really was a girl among them that had caught Yu-ge’s eye.
Otherwise, Yu-ge, who came here every week, had never accepted a single drink from anyone before.
Meanwhile, Lin Manxue was whispering to Qin Qing, clicking her tongue in disbelief—
“This school bully from Yi Zhong is something else, huh? How many drinks has he had now? Even if he has a high tolerance, drinking like this could give him alcohol poisoning, right? I wonder if his stomach can handle it…”
“…”
Qin Qing clenched her small hands tightly at her side, and when she looked up, she saw the last girl, Sun Wan, returning triumphantly.
“Come on, let’s keep going!”
The others cheered eagerly for the next round.
But Qin Qing could no longer contain herself. She suddenly stood up.
Perhaps it was because her movements were too abrupt, or maybe it was because everyone was so focused on the spinning bottle, but either way, everyone, including Lin Manxue, looked over in surprise.
Lin Manxue blinked in confusion. “Xiao Qing?”
“…”
Qin Qing’s cheeks flushed red. Having acted on impulse, she now felt a bit awkward.
“Sorry, I want to leave.”
Lin Manxue quickly grabbed her. “Come on, didn’t we agree to play until this game is over?”
“…”
Knowing she was in the wrong, Qin Qing didn’t argue, but just looked at Lin Manxue with her clear, innocent eyes, not blinking.
Lin Manxue couldn’t stand it and finally relented. “All right, how about just one more round? After that, we’ll leave?”
Not wanting to cause a scene in front of so many people, Qin Qing nodded and sat back down.
…It’s a one-in-twenty chance, after all. What are the odds it’ll land on me this time?
Half a minute later, when the bottle stopped with its neck pointing directly at her, Qin Qing wished she could go back in time and drag herself out of the bar.
Lin Manxue: “…”
“Pu-haha!”
Qin Qing: “…………”
After laughing her heart out, Lin Manxue rubbed her sore cheeks, sighing, “This is what they call Murphy’s Law, haha…”
The person pouring the drinks had already handed two glasses to Qin Qing.
“But I’ve never had alcohol…”
Qin Qing looked at the two glasses, her pretty face scrunching up.
The guy pouring drinks smiled at her. “That’s why I poured just a little for you. Come on, Qin Qing, give it a try.”
“…”
Qin Qing sighed deeply, then picked up the glasses, determined, and stood up.
With her delicate face tense, Qin Qing slowly walked over to the neighboring table.
What should have been a few short steps felt like a long journey.
The people at the other table all turned their eyes toward Qin Qing, with a few joking to each other:
“Whoa, this girl looks like she’s in middle school.”
“Haha, no way. I think she’s with those others from Third High School, right?”
“But she looks way too small for a high schooler.”
“Doesn’t that just make her even cuter?”
“You’re a pervert, get away from me…”
As they watched the girl approach, her face growing redder with each step, even the people at the table had to admit—
This girl was definitely a budding beauty.
“…”
Qin Qing could feel all those eyes on her, but she was too embarrassed to make eye contact with anyone.
Almost instinctively, she walked toward the boy leaning against the sofa with one hand on his forehead, his eyes half-closed.
Qiao An, sitting next to Wen Yufeng, grew more and more displeased, but seeing that this time it was such a cute girl coming over, he didn’t have the heart to say anything.
As Qin Qing stopped in front of him, the boy, his black hair slightly covering his eyes, looked up.
Their gazes met.
Qin Qing, looking into those familiar black eyes, noticed that his gaze seemed unfocused—
It was clear that he was already somewhat intoxicated.
Qin Qing felt a pang of emotion, a complicated feeling she couldn’t quite describe.
But regardless of what she was feeling, she didn’t want him to drink anymore.
So, swallowing back the words she had been about to say, Qin Qing clenched the glasses tighter, took a deep breath, and glanced around the table.
Most of the looks she received were teasing or scrutinizing, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the glasses.
Finally, she inhaled deeply and walked over to another spot at the table.
She approached a man who seemed to have a refined air about him, sitting quietly.
Seeing her approach, the small guy beside Qiao An whispered with a sly grin, “This girl is definitely too naive; Sun Qifeng is the most deceptive of the lot.”
Qiao An didn’t respond, but his expression showed agreement.
By this time, Qin Qing had reached the man, and awkwardly and shyly extended her hand, offering one of the glasses.
“Would you, um, like a… drink?”
Even this short sentence was spoken hesitantly, making the people around the table chuckle.
“…”
The laughter made Qin Qing’s cheeks burn even hotter. She just wanted to get this game over with and leave as soon as possible.
And never come back.
The man, Sun Qifeng, adjusted his silver-framed glasses with a slight flash of the lens and smiled.
“No problem.”
“…” Qin Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
Noticing her reaction, Sun Qifeng’s eyes gleamed with interest, and he added, “But, I have one condition.”
Qin Qing blinked in surprise, her almond-shaped eyes widening slightly.
Sun Qifeng patted the empty seat on the sofa beside him, smiling. “Sit down, and I’ll drink.”
Although she didn’t understand his intentions, Qin Qing, eager to end the game quickly, didn’t think too much about it.
She sat down on the empty seat, instinctively scooting as far away from him as possible.
Sun Qifeng paused briefly, then suddenly leaned in closer.
Qin Qing was startled, and at the same moment, Lin Manxue, realizing what was happening, stood up, ready to rush over.
But before she could move, a cold, menacing voice filled the room, cutting through the air like ice—
“Touch her, and see what happens.”