CH 35

Xiang Wan seemed to be getting tipsy.

Yu Zhou noticed when Xiang Wan was sitting sideways on her chair, facing Peng Xiangzhi’s direction, slightly leaning forward. She took Peng Xiangzhi’s hand and held it gently while shaking it.

With a rosy face and alcohol in her eyes, she looked at Peng Xiangzhi.

Peng Xiangzhi’s heart skipped a beat.

“What’s up?” She quickly closed her legs as she turned towards Xiang Wan.

Yu Zhou was on alert, watching as Xiang Wan shyly glanced at her before clumsily returning her gaze to Peng Xiangzhi’s face.

Xiang Wan said softly and seriously, “Director Peng, I want to act spoiled with you.”

Yu Zhou’s pupils dilated rapidly as an alarm went off in her head.

She tried to stand up quickly to stop Xiang Wan but stumbled on the chair leg. Su Chang reached out to help her, and Yu Zhou instinctively squeezed Su Chang’s hand.

Turning to look at Su Chang with a still-flustered expression, Yu Zhou felt the familiar coolness and grip of Su Chang’s hand.

She withdrew her hand, saying, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Over there, Peng Xiangzhi asked Xiang Wan, puzzled, “How… would you like to act spoiled?”

Xiang Wan whispered, “My family has no money, but I want to attend a training course, so I thought…”

She tried to suppress the alcohol as her breath came in waves.

Peng Xiangzhi’s goosebumps rose before she blurted out, “I’ll waive the fee for you.”

“Ah?” Xiang Wan looked up, glanced at Yu Zhou as she said, “I don’t want it to be free, just hit[1] me and it’ll be fine.”

Peng Xiangzhi felt like she was about to cry, what kind of weird appetite was this?

She swallowed hard as she pulled her hand back, “First of all, I’m not…”

“Secondly, when it comes to having a boyfriend or anything like that, I don’t have any penchant like, you know, S&M.” She said this part very softly.

Xiang Wan stared with her soft eyes, not understanding a single word.

“Discount, it’s a discount, Director Peng.” Yu Zhou’s head spun around, wishing she could shout it with a loudspeaker, but this situation is too embarrassing. So when Yu Zhou hurriedly clarified, she still kept it in a low voice.

“Oh.” Peng Xiangzhi breathed a sigh of relief while patting her chest, “You scared me to death.”

“Sorry, Director Peng, I didn’t explain it clearly to her. We’ll pay the normal fees.” Yu Zhou said awkwardly.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I said I’d waive it for her, although it was said in the heat of the moment, I never take back my words.  Actually, I think she has talent, so adding an audit spot shouldn’t be a problem. But if you need teaching materials and supplementary materials, you’ll have to buy them yourselves. As for the meal card, our training course includes it, but auditing students might not have it,” Peng Xiangzhi sobered up and explained to Yu Zhou.

“She’s only eighteen and uneducated, so it’s not easy for her. Use your money for a training course to enroll her in a literacy class. Not knowing how to read really won’t work anywhere.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too.” Yu Zhou nodded, poking the bowl with chopsticks, feeling as if she was in a parent-teacher meeting.

The two discussed Xiang Wan’s growth and development for a while, as well as other miscellaneous topics. The meal was coming to an end.

Peng Xiangzhi went out to scan the code to pay the bill. Everyone grabbed their bags and started to leave in small groups.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the meal as they said their goodbyes at the entrance of the restaurant.

As the host, Peng Xiangzhi didn’t feel at ease since everyone had been drinking. She made sure everyone got into a taxi one by one, deliberately leaving some people for last.

Su Chang stood in front of the restaurant, taking out her phone to call a designated driver.

She hesitated a little, wondering if she should invite Yu Zhou and the others to join her.

Unexpectedly, Peng Xiangzhi returned gracefully, glancing at Su Chang with her phone, Yu Zhou standing beside her, and Xiang Wan. “Let’s continue the party.”

She said with a smile.

Seeing Su Chang lazily look at her, Peng Xiangzhi thought her eyes were saying, “Listen to me, thank you.”[2]

Well, no need to be so polite.

Peng Xiangzhi, with a bright smile, holding Yu Zhou in one hand while Xiang Wan in another, first asked the one on the right, “Do you want to go? The drinks there are good too.”

“Yes.” Xiang Wan nodded.

Then she asked the one on the left, “I just talked to you about Xiang Wan’s training direction, and we still need to talk about it for a while.”

“I see.” Yu Zhou looked at her.

Peng Xiangzhi happily said to Su Chang, “Chang, call a designated driver. Let’s go to 1988 with your car.”

She walked arm in arm with both of them, like a playboy.

1988 was a lively bar filled with trendy men and women and indulgent youths.

The atmosphere was electrifying. As soon as they entered the dark passageway, their eardrums were shaken by the pounding rhythm. Xiang Wan, who had never seen anything like this before, shrank her neck and leaned on Yu Zhou’s shoulder, her head swaying slightly to the beat.

With a wave of her hand, Peng Xiangzhi twisted her way into the crowd. Her tight red dress highlighted her curvaceous figure, like ripples in the sound waves.

As they passed through the corridor, they saw a dazzling array of light beams on the floor and walls, surrounding the crowd like twinkling stars.

Xiang Wan felt both suffocated and numb from the pulsating beat as if her heart was resonating with the rhythm.

The dancing crowd was captured in wild silhouettes by the lights, intoxicated and lost.

Navigating through the crowd like fish, they arrived at the booth Peng Xiangzhi had reserved earlier.

Knowing that Su Chang didn’t like noisy places, she specifically chose a quieter booth. The lively atmosphere was muffled, like being wrapped in a drum.

Infectious enough to sway the heart without causing chaos.

Yu Zhou watched Peng Xiangzhi order drinks in her element, thinking that her red “battle dress” seemed to be well-prepared.

When the fruit plate and drinks arrived, Peng Xiangzhi handed Xiang Wan a glass first, “Try this. It’s sweet with a milky taste, you should like it.”

Xiang Wan indeed loved it.

Yu Zhou sighed. What kind of noble lady is this, so fond of alcohol?

Seeing Xiang Wan enjoying herself, Yu Zhou didn’t say much. Anyway, Xiang Wan had already had quite a bit to drink. If she got drunk, so be it. Although Yu Zhou herself also felt a bit dizzy, her mind was clear. After resting for a while, it shouldn’t be a problem to take her home.

Or perhaps…

There was no perhaps.

She glanced at Su Chang, who was sitting at the end of the booth with her legs crossed. Her black shirt clung to her tall and slender figure as if she had a slightly gallant soul.

She sat there, her arm resting on the sofa’s back, fingers supporting her forehead, seemingly watching the crowd on the dance floor, but not really.

How could there be such a person? Yu Zhou wondered.

She sat amidst the smoke, the alcohol, the overwhelming noise, and the colorful desires, yet she seemed to be sitting at the edge of a bridge, indifferently watching the moon.

And then she became the moon herself.

The fiery phoenix flowers handed drinks to the moon, clinking glass after glass. The moon held her glass, giving it a light tap before drinking with restraint, sipping intermittently.

And then the moon got a little drunk.

It became hazy, making it impossible to see clearly.

Yu Zhou rubbed her eyes, realizing that after a few drinks, her mind wasn’t very clear either.

Feeling uncomfortable with a bloated bladder, she leaned over to Peng Xiangzhi’s ear as she shouted, “I’m going to the restroom.”

Peng Xiangzhi nodded, yelling back, “It’s in the back! Walk to the end and turn right. The men’s and women’s restrooms are next to each other. Don’t go into the wrong one after drinking too much!”

She seemed very experienced.

Yu Zhou smiled before walking steadily towards the restroom. As she got farther away, the music quieted down, so she could hear a few people making phone calls as well as some hiding in the corner, smoking and flirting.

Yu Zhou didn’t like the smell of smoke, so she chose a cleaner stall to finish her business. She came out to wash her hands, looking at her flushed face in the mirror while tidying up her appearance. Rubbing her hot ears, she walked out before seeing Su Chang standing in front, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

She leaned against the darkened wall, her black shirt not blending in but rather standing out even more.

“Going in? It’s empty inside.” Yu Zhou walked down a step and stood in front of Su Chang.

Su Chang looked up, her breath mixed with a faint scent of alcohol, but her eyes were wide open instead of lazily closed, staring at Yu Zhou.

“What’s wrong?” As someone passed behind them, Yu Zhou took a small step forward, a little worried. “Drunk?”

Su Chang shook her head and furrowed her brows, seemingly a bit overwhelmed by the alcohol. She leaned her head lightly against the wall with her nostrils flaring, saying, “I have a question I want to ask you.”

Her voice was very soft, but it was quiet enough here.

However, this was the restroom area in a bar, where countless passions had taken place. Just a moment ago, she had seen a man and woman kissing passionately.

Yu Zhou instinctively lowered her gaze, only to see Su Chang’s legs.

Slightly bent and pressed against the ground, they were long, straight, shining white in the night, making people unable to look away.

Yu Zhou thought she might really be drunk because she suddenly couldn’t remember what day it was, whether it was 2022 or 2019. 

If it were the latter, it would also be a summer.

***

She and Su Chang, along with her two childhood friends, went to a bar together. At that time, she was fond of Chivas Regal and had several glasses. However, she hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner, so her stomach felt a bit uncomfortable.

She went to the restroom alone, finishing her business before washing her hands. Feeling nauseous again, she entered a stall and bent over, trying to throw up.

Unable to vomit, she was about to stand up when she heard the door sound behind her. Su Chang followed her in, gently supporting her.

In a state of disarray, she closed the door and kissed Su Chang’s neck as her hand began to explore.

But Su Chang was calm, pulling her hand out and holding it before giving her a peck on the lips. She then took her out of the restroom with an indifferent expression.

After saying goodbye to their friends, the two took a taxi home.

At home, Su Chang didn’t turn on the light and stood against the wall waiting for her, her back thin and small, leaning against the wall slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Zhou asked.

Su Chang’s voice was soft and gentle as she enveloped her, saying, “You can continue what you want to do with me in the restroom.”

‘You can…’ Su Chang’s expression.

And so, Yu Zhou’s hand returned to Su Chang’s body.

It was like a long-awaited reunion.

It seemed like her first time to be top, not long after they got together.

***

Howe~ver, the bar at that time wasn’t as noisy as it is now, making it so easy to interrupt one’s memories.

Yu Zhou looked up and asked, “What do you want to ask?”

Her brows furrowed slightly, making Su Chang suddenly lose the heart to continue.

She paused for a moment before saying, “I told you before that I wanted to wait until our collaboration was over before discussing this, but now we’re halfway through, so I thought I’d ask half of the question first.”

Yu Zhou sniffed, “Can you ask a less important question then? Because I’m afraid if it’s too important, I might not answer well, and it could affect our future cooperation.”

Su Chang thought for a moment and said, “Sure.”

“Alright.”

“I want to ask you…” Her words were stuck in her throat. In fact, she hadn’t prepared another question, but as she looked at Yu Zhou while breathing, she suddenly remembered the gossip that Peng Xiangzhi had mentioned.

“Did you ever experience ‘dead bedroom’ when we were together?”

Yu Zhou didn’t expect her to ask this, making her mind suddenly go blank. She stared and said, “No, you were great.”

As soon as she spoke, she wanted to bite off her tongue.

Su Chang stared at her steadily while Yu Zhou looked back at her foolishly, awkwardly reflecting each other’s image in their pupils.

Suddenly, they both laughed and looked away at the same time.

Yu Zhou really thought it was funny. She pursed her lips before saying, “What’s going on? Why do you have such a strong sense of self-esteem as a top?”

Su Chang also laughed, looking sideways at the shadows on the ground.

They didn’t know what to say, but for some reason, the atmosphere between her and Su Chang suddenly lightened.

The old her would never have imagined that Su Chang would be someone who would pull her ex to prove her prowess in this area.

“How about I embroider a pennant for you to hang at home?”

Su Chang laughed happily and shook her head.

“Let’s go.” Yu Zhou had no choice but to sigh.