CH 92

You can rely on us.”

This sudden direct fastball hit Fang Juexia’s heart. 

He totally hadn’t expected Pei Tingsong’s freestyle to end with such a sentence, one that was so grand and straightforward, while being veiled as well.

His heart was stuffed so full, and the caffeine he had just taken now seemed to be causing him some trouble.

In any case, it seemed that he couldn’t escape from Pei Tingsong’s palm.

When the cafe’s music salon session ended at 5:30 p.m., Kaleido returned to the second floor as they waited for the fans to leave under the staff’s arrangements. The six big boys leaned on the window glass and waved to the fans who were going home. Ling Yi even went as far as opening the window and shouting to them, “Be careful on the way back.” It was as if they were not idols, but ordinary friends, who had invited everyone to come over and be a guest, sing songs, and have a heart-to-heart chat. 

The sky had turned dark by the time they left. Cheng Qiang kept his promise and took his six cubs to a high-priced Japanese style barbecue shop.

“Wow, Qiang Ge is upping the ante today.”

“That’s great, I’m going to eat a super large amount of Wagyu beef today!”

They settled down in the private room that had been booked for them a long time ago; it had a long table and seven tatami mats. Jiang Miao, Lu Yuan, and He Ziyan sat in a row, while Pei Tingsong, Fang Juexia, and Ling Yi sat across from them. Xiao Wen took a seat at the innermost end, and Cheng Qiang took a cushion and sat at the outermost end. “The throne is left to me. You guys start ordering ba. Originally, Boss was going to come too, but then he got pulled into a meeting with your senior brothers, so he’ll probably be late. Let’s just first start celebrating within our little group.”

“Qiang Ge, I’ll save you some money.” As he said that, Ling Yi grabbed the menu and started ordering dishes as if he hadn’t eaten meat for hundreds of years. Cheng Qiang’s eyes widened as he looked on.

“Order some alcohol ba.” Lu Yuan yelled, “I haven’t had alcohol for a long time, I’m coveting it a little.”

“Go ahead, order, order, let’s have fun today, everybody have a drink.”

As the dishes were being brought out slowly, Cheng Qiang poured a glass of alcohol for himself and then let the six of them fill up their glasses. “Come, come, come, we also haven’t had dinner together in a long time. Let’s have a drink first.”

Pei Tingsong was really worried about Fang Juexia’s alcohol tolerance, so he didn’t pour him anything too strong, just pouring a glass of strawberry alcohol for him; after glancing at it, he saw that its alcoholic content wasn’t high, so decided that it should be okay. He also knew that he wasn’t very good at drinking either, so he also didn’t pour anything too strong for himself. 

“This tastes really good.” After the toast, Fang Juexia turned his head while holding the small cup as he said this to Pei Tingsong. 

Pei Tingsong put a dumpling on his plate. “Drink less, you won’t be able to eat in a while otherwise.”

Cheng Qiang emotionally slapped the table. “We have experienced a lot during this past half year. But things also slowly got better and better, which means that hard work will definitely have results.”

“Yes!” Xiao Wen was the most supportive of this statement. 

Lu Yuan said, “We don’t just work hard ba.”

He Ziyan laughed and said, “We are also hot ah!”

“Hahahahaha, so shameless.” Ling Yi laughed while eating meat.

Cheng Qiang pulled the topic back. “Today’s celebration, although it’s very small, is all people from our own family. But there are many good things to celebrate. The first is our ‘Last Summer,’ the #1 song for this month! Clap!”

Everybody put down their chopsticks and clapped.

Fang Juexia was still slow by half a beat. “We’re first?”

Pei Tingsong laughed. “You still have no wifi ne.”

“And the second good thing, which you all already know about… Congratulations to Kaleido for being nominated by the BMA! I have looked at the list, and we have four nominations in total, which has already broken the records for a boyband!”

“Wow!” This piece of information obviously made Kaleido more happy than the news about the song just now. Although it was just a nomination, it was already a very, very big affirmation for a male idol group.

Especially for these music-loving boys.

“My God, then we can take part in the awards show at the end of the year?”

“So excited, I’m going to start writing my acceptance speech now.”

“Remember this for me ah, young man: the first person you have to thank is the agent,” Cheng Qiang pointed to himself and said.

Jiang Miao poured another glass of alcohol for Cheng Qiang, and as if deliberately reminding him, dragged the topic back, “Qiang Ge, what’s the third one?”

“The third thing is—” Cheng Qiang clapped his hands in the direction of the door to the private room, and then sat back on the tatami mat wearing an ‘it’s handled’ expression on his face. Yet, as a result, the other seven people had to wait quite a while with him, making the atmosphere suddenly turn embarrassing.

“Yi?” Cheng Qiang stood up and opened the door. “Why didn’t you guys hear my signal?”

“Oh, oh, oh, I’m sorry.” The waiter entered the room with a very exquisite cake in his hand.

“The third good thing is— It’s our Juexia’s birthday la.” Cheng Qiang sat down again before continuing, “Although it’s not today, tomorrow night, Ling Yi and Lu Yuan have other events, and I have to go with them. We won’t be able to get together tomorrow night, so let’s celebrate it together today.”

As soon as he finished talking, Ling Yi clapped his hands and led everyone in singing the happy birthday song. Pei Tingsong took the birthday cap from the waiter’s hand and put it on Fang Juexia’s head, as if he was putting on a small crown.

Fang Juexia hadn’t thought about this at all. Recently, he had been very busy with the new album, the publicity events, and other various activities. He had long forgotten his own birthday.

It turned out though that everyone else had remembered it.

“Happy Birthday to Juexia in advance!”

Ling Yi quickly took the opportunity to say, “The birthday gift I bought for you has already been put on your bedside table la!”

Lu Yuan nodded. “Me too. I already prepared it in advance.”

“Thank you.” Fang Juexia’s always quiet face contained a bit of a delighted expression right now. He wasn’t very good at expressing himself, so he poured a glass of pink strawberry alcohol for himself, toasted everyone, and kept saying ‘thank you.’

Everyone chatted while eating, discussing topics ranging from their personal life to gossip in the entertainment industry. It was a great pleasure to eat melons; one moment, the conversation consisted about which two actors had developed real feelings for each other while being part of a drama, and the next moment, it was about the power struggle of big companies.

Jiang Miao was a person who worried about others more, so he kept using the small tongs to help everyone roast the meat, and also ordered a new wave of dishes after everyone had eaten nearly everything on the table. Later, they began to play the finger-guessing game and the drinking wager game.

By the time all the meat had been consumed, the alcohol had gone a bit to Cheng Qiang’s head, and his face had turned red. Although he had started late, when it came to dispensing soulful chicken soup to everyone, he showed concern for each and every one. At last, he took the glass that kept swaying back and forth and bumped it against Fang Juexia’s glass. Like an old father, he advised him, “Juexia ah, you should remember this, if you have something going on, you should rely on us more, you know? Don’t carry everything by yourself, that’s so hard ah.”

The effect of cup after cup of downed strawberry alcohol had accumulated, and Fang Juexia was also a bit dizzy. As soon as he nodded, his head felt even more dizzy. “En…”

“Yeah, Juexia.” He Ziyan said, “Although we are not particularly reliable ba…”

Ling Yi made a preemptive strike. “Who said that? I’m reliable.”

Jiang Miao looked at him with a smile. “But we are your bandmates. So if you have a very hard time, you can rely on each of us.”

Pei Tingsong agreed with this very much. He tilted his head on Fang Juexia’s shoulder and said, “That’s right.”

With Pei Tingsong leaning on him like that, Fang Juexia’s whole person completely slanted over, and the half a cup of strawberry alcohol that he was still holding in his hand spilled all over Ling Yi. 

“Hey, hey, hey!”

He Ziyan craned his neck over. “He seems to be drunk…”

Lu Yuan frowned. “That’s too fast.”

Pei Tingsong quickly pulled Fang Juexia up. Looking at the table, he noticed that Fang Juexia had drunk almost two-thirds of the bottle of strawberry alcohol. “No, how can you drink so fiercely ah?”

Fang Juexia was already showing the symptoms of being drunk,  giggling away. “Barbecue–was a little salty… This one is… sweet.”

Finished.

At that moment, Pei Tingsong went back to the day they had drunk with Shang Sirui at the hotel, and now, when he recalled those memories, his hand started to throb. 

As soon as Fang Juexia drank, he became a child, one who would say anything and dare to do anything. He had to find a way to take him away, all to prevent him from saying something that he would regret when he got up tomorrow.

“Qiang Ge, your phone.” Jiang Miao grabbed Cheng Qiang’s arm. 

“Oh, oh, phone,” Cheng Qiang sat upright and picked up his cellphone. Seeing that it was Chen Zhengyun calling, he happily answered, “Boss, we’re still here, nearly done eating.”

“Ah, you booked that. Okay, okay, I’ll bring them over right away.”

After he hung up, Cheng Qiang ate another vinegar boiled peanut. “Well, the boss and the rest of them just finished on that side. He has booked a KTV luxury room for you guys, and your senior brothers will also be there. Everyone can have fun together and won’t need to go back to the dormitory tonight.”

“Yes! I want to play with Sansan!”

“Finally this time, a place for me to shine!”

Fang Juexia was in a daze, but upon hearing ‘KTV’, he grew a little excited. “Sing? Are we going to sing? ” He stuttered a bit, and spoke vaguely like a child, “I-I can sing.”

“We know you can sing.” Pei Tingsong supported him up. “Are you dizzy? Do you feel bad?”

Fang Juexia wanted to say that he wasn’t dizzy, but when he shook his head and felt the dizziness come on again, he became confused about whether he was dizzy or not, so he just hummed twice.

What does a hum mean ah? Pei Tingsong didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry at this. 

“Come on ba, let’s go.”

After tidying up a bit, they called for a taxi as they prepared to go downstairs. Pei Tingsong helped Fang Juexia all the way down the stairs, and it was as if he was holding up a little white snake with no feet. Fang Juexia walked askew, tottering back and forth.

“Qiang Ge, he’s too drunk. Getting over there will be an ordeal, and maybe in a little bit, he’ll start feeling bad.”

Cheng Qiang, who had also drunk a bit too much, rubbed his new buzzcut. “Really? Ah, then-then….”

Pei Tingsong pulled Fang Juexia into his arms and let him lean against him. “I’ll take him back ba.”

Jiang Miao asked him, “Then, you also won’t go?”

“I happen to not feel well, too.” Pei Tingsong just randomly came up with a reason. Who could have known that this reason would then be heard by the drunk Fang Juexia. “Don’t feel well? Where do you not feel well, let me see….burp.”

After drinking alcohol, his voice had become affectedly sweet, and he had stuck himself onto Pei Tingsong without any scruples, holding his arm like a clingy kitten.

“Stop for a while ba, ancestor.” Pei Tingsong tugged at him while feeling the closet door crumbling.

“You’re so fierce.” Fang Juexia suddenly turned angry, and blushed while speaking in an aggrieved tone, “You don’t like…”

Pei Tingsong immediately covered his mouth. “I’m wrong, I’m wrong.”

I like you, I especially like you.

Pei Tingsong sweated for his broken closet door.

Ling Yi, standing to one side, was a little surprised. “It turns out that Juexia turns into this when he’s drunk ah…”

Lu Yuan clicked his tongue. “When you’re drunk, you even start kissing people, you’re not much better.”

The taxi, which had been hailed in advance, arrived late. Cheng Qiang mumbled  a few words to Pei Tingsong and sat down inside. Pei Tingsong, who half-held Fang Juexia, nodded, while that silly guy in his arms stretched his arms to obediently say bye-bye to them. After a while, their taxi also came. Pei Tingsong had to exert a lot of effort before he managed to drag Fang Juexia inside, and the entire way back, Fang Juexia kept mumbling that he was going to throw up, but also saying that he wanted a hug. 

Fortunately, the taxi driver was a middle-aged uncle, who did not know or suspect their identities.

It was so hard to take care of a drunk person, and Pei Tingsong finally managed to drag him home. Only the two of them were left in the dormitory. Fang Juexia sat on the little stool at the entryway, clamoring that he was dizzy. Pei Tingsong squatted to help him take off his canvas shoes, and then put them away. Every time Fang Juexia got drunk, their identities seemed to switch as well; Pei Tingsong became the Gege, and Fang Juexia became the childish Didi. 

He did enjoy this switch occasionally.

“Sleepy, I want to sleep.” Fang Juexia rubbed his eyes.

“You want to sleep now ah?”

“I want to sleep!”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Pei Tingsong couldn’t outstubborn him. Knowing this guy’s drunken temper, he simply picked him up, carried him into his room, and put him on his bed, which was always clean and had no wrinkles.

“Sleep, our Juexia wants to sleep.” As he coaxed him, he spread out the quilt for Fang Juexia, “I’ll get the towel wet to wipe your face with.”

“You don’t go.” Fang Juexia seemed to be biting down on every word very hard. He grasped his arm, and his strength grew. “Don’t go, I like you, you keep me company.”

Pei Tingsong froze beside the bed.

Fang Juexia’s face had turned red, his hands were hot, and he was smiling in a very silly, yet very beautiful way. “I want….want…”

Pei Tingsong bent over and touched his forehead. “What do you want?”

“You!” His eyes were very bright under the lamp at the head of the bed, looking just like the stars. He even opened up the quilt obediently and pulled Pei Tingsong into it. “You sleep with me, okay?”

After having already received such an invitation, Pei Tingsong felt that if he didn’t agree, he would be Liu Xiahui.

“Then…. If I dirty your bed,” He lay down and rubbed his face against Fang Juexia’s cheek as he continued asking, “would you mind?”

Fang Juexia kissed his lips, and then hiccuped childishly. His response was upright and logical.

“You’ve already dirtied me, and I-I didn’t blame you then ah.”

—

Juurensha: Ohohohohho, the return of drunk FJX! So cute! And also, I’m so curious, who did you kiss, Ling Yi???? Was it Lu Yuan????