CH 36

Seeing Yu Zhou and Su Chang return together, Peng Xiangzhi’s eyes lit up instantly.

As the two walked past her, she pulled Su Chang’s hand, making her sit down next to her and asked, “How was it?”

Yu Zhou was a bit speechless, as Peng Xiangzhi could have shouted louder so everyone within a 5-seat radius could have heard her.

Su Chang felt a little dizzy as she leaned against the sofa backrest and didn’t say anything.

But Yu Zhou suddenly thought, Peng Xiangzhi just asked “how was it” and she had been acting weird today. Did Peng Xiangzhi already know about their relationship?

How did she know? Did she guess, or did she push Su Chang to say it out based on their unusual behavior?

Yu Zhou thought again that Su Chang and Peng Xiangzhi had known each other for many years. If Peng Xiangzhi had known about their relationship earlier, it would have been so much fun to hang out together with her enthusiastic personality.

Xiang Wan was drunk, Su Chang was dizzy, and Peng Xiangzhi glanced at the time, which was almost 1 am. Her ears couldn’t take the noise any longer, so she gathered everyone up before announcing that it was time to leave.

Exiting the booming darkness felt like returning to Earth as their heads were buzzing. It took a while to register the sounds of traffic. However, all the sounds seemed to have been roughly muted by inferior audio software, leaving a hoarse echo. They didn’t know why, but even stepping on the ground felt like stepping from a cotton pile onto a stone slab, suddenly becoming grounded.

There was a dim streetlight at the entrance of the bar, and opposite it, a row of neon-lit cafes that never closed, their signs flashing beautifully.

Under the shade of the trees in front of them, several barbecue stands with carts selling grilled cold noodles catered to the hungry “night souls” emerging from the bar. A few drunken men sat at the entrance, some squatting beside them, smoking.

Peng Xiangzhi felt hungry, as she let out a hiccup and yawned before walking toward the barbecue cart, asking if everyone wanted grilled sausages.

Su Chang rarely ate such things. She shook her head while standing aside.

Yu Zhou took one sausage and bought a bottle of water, as she ate and drank at the same time. With her hands occupied, she couldn’t take care of Xiang Wan, who was a bit tipsy, so Su Chang pulled Xiang Wan over and let her lean on her.

Sometimes, Yu Zhou thought these small stands were the last hurrah of bar culture. Regardless of hunger, the emptiness after revelry always needed something tangible to fill it. The most mundane items like barbecue could pull people back into the reality of rushing to catch the subway and waiting for breakfast pancakes.

Otherwise, some people might act out of line with their unresolved desires.

Speak of the devil, now two young men who had just finished smoking approached Su Chang and Xiang Wan with beer bottles in their hands, asking for their phone numbers.

Su Chang smiled, politely but coldly raised her hand, shaking her head slightly to refuse.

She then put her arm around Xiang Wan’s shoulder before gently patting her head, turning her gaze to the other side.

Seeing her aloofness, the older-looking guy with dyed hair became unhappy, his breath reeking of smoke as he was about to make a move.

Peng Xiangzhi was startled, she threw the skewer into the trash and grabbed a piece of tissue from the stand to wipe her hands before stepping forward, asking, “What’s up?”

Yu Zhou also went over, she quietly squeezed forward and stood in front of Su Chang and Xiang Wan.

She took another sip of water and glanced at the tattoo on the yellow-haired guy’s body as she scratched her cheek, feeling a bit inexperienced in such situations.

“We just want to invite the ladies to have a meal or go back inside for some more fun, and we’ll pay,” the yellow-haired guy said.

Yu Zhou felt disdainful, so shielded Su Chang and Xiang Wan once again while still drinking water between them.

“Why don’t you join us, beautiful?” the black-haired guy joined in.

“No, no, no, we’re waiting for our ride, we’re leaving soon,” Yu Zhou replied.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Su Chang putting away her phone after calling a designated driver.

Peng Xiangzhi looked around, seeing that there were people everywhere, thinking that the situation wasn’t too dangerous. She relaxed and said, “We’re done playing. Our boyfriends are coming to pick us up.”

“Right,” Yu Zhou added, “I’m getting married tomorrow, so this was a bachelorette party. It’s over now, and my fiancé will be here to pick me up soon.”

The yellow-haired guy showed a look of regret but said, “Congratulations! You can still come out and have fun even after you’re married.”

“Yeah,” Peng Xiangzhi showed her WeChat QR code, “Add me as a friend, and you can invite me next time.”

Having been given an easy way out, the yellow and black-haired guys were content. They added Peng Xiangzhi on WeChat and went to sit on the steps to drink.

In no time, the designated driver arrived and everyone got in the car, heading to Peng Xiangzhi’s house first.

As soon as the car door closed, Yu Zhou felt her legs go weak, belatedly realizing how tense the situation had been. She was glad that there was no need for any bottle smashing like on TV. After driving for a while, she asked Peng Xiangzhi in the front passenger seat, “Did you really give him your QR code?”

Without getting a reply, Yu Zhou listened carefully and heard the sound of even breathing.

“She’s asleep,” Su Chang said.

Yu Zhou looked at Su Chang, whose face still had a little blush. Since she didn’t flush when drinking, it wasn’t very noticeable as she still looked as cold and beautiful as a jade sculpture.

Xiang Wan sat between the two of them, maintaining her previous leaning posture, resting her head on Su Chang’s shoulder, her head bobbing as she slept.

Sighing, Yu Zhou thought to herself how Xiang Wan could drink so much in such a short time, wondering if she was a heavy drinker when she was in the Li Dynasty.

Yu Zhou thought to herself that the alcohol content in ancient times was probably lower. Xiang Wan might have been used to casually drinking homemade wine with her friends back then without getting too drunk, so she didn’t take enough precautions this time.

It didn’t take long before they arrived at Peng Xiangzhi’s residential area, but she was now tipsy and half-asleep, barely able to walk. Yu Zhou left Xiang Wan sleeping in the car and asked the designated driver to keep an eye on her. Then, she and Su Chang helped Peng Xiangzhi into her home.

Following the same routine, when they arrived at Yu Zhou’s place, Su Chang helped her get Xiang Wan out of the car before supporting her into the elevator.

Su Chang held onto Xiang Wan as she watched Yu Zhou unlock the door with her fingerprint.

“Door unlocked.”

A familiar female voice announced as Yu Zhou turned on the lights. She tried to support Xiang Wan’s weight but couldn’t handle it.

Though these girls looked light, a truly drunk person felt like a thousand pounds.

Seeing the situation, Su Chang stepped in to help support Xiang Wan, asking, “Where should she sleep?”

“The spare bedroom.”

Yu Zhou also put one of Xiang Wan’s arms around her neck to prop her up. She told Su Chang, “Don’t worry about changing shoes. I’ll mop the floor later.”

“Okay.”

They dragged Xiang Wan, who felt as heavy as a sack, into the bedroom before putting her on the bed. Yu Zhou, feeling as if she had just been beaten, crouched down, panting while taking off Xiang Wan’s shoes. She removed her outer coat and let her sleep in her yellow slip dress, covering her with a thin blanket. Then she stood up and wiped her sweat as she adjusted the air conditioning to 26 degrees Celsius.

Su Chang watched Yu Zhou busily taking care of everything, leaning against the door deep in thought.

After finally finishing everything, Yu Zhou picked up Xiang Wan’s coat to hang outside to air out the smoke smell. Just as she was about to turn off the light and leave, she heard Xiang Wan mumbling something.

Yu Zhou leaned in to listen.

“Great Tao prevails, the world is shared by all…” It was a quote from the “Book of Rites.”

“Puff”, Yu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh, quietly scolding her, “You’re crazy.”

Then she stood up, holding her knees, closed the door and went out with Su Chang.

The outside lights were so bright that stung her eyes. She felt as if her body had fallen apart, and Su Chang supported her waist, saying, “Let’s go.”

Yu Zhou looked up at Su Chang, whose eyelids were a bit red with the smell of alcohol on her breath. Her blinking slowed down as if she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

Yu Zhou glanced at the clock in the living room, “It’s almost three o’clock.”

“If you go back, it will be passed three.” she said.

“Mhm.” Su Chang’s voice was nasal as she put her hand on the back of a dining chair, ready to leave.

“Why don’t you…”

Yu Zhou called out to her.

Su Chang looked back.

Yu Zhou scratched her head, “I don’t know if it’s appropriate, but I think it’s too late and you seem exhausted, plus you’ve been drinking, all alone.”

Especially considering the guys who tried to flirt with them earlier, she was a bit worried.

Such a beautiful girl, feeling woozy, even with a designated driver, it might not be safe to leave the parking garage and take the elevator alone.

If it were an ordinary friend, she would definitely invite them to stay the night and leave when they were sober the next day, but this was Su Chang.

She hesitated to say it.

Yu Zhou thought that if Su Chang didn’t ask and just left, she would let it go. However, Su Chang looked at her, pursed her lips, and then asked her with a nasal tone, “And then?”

“I think…”

“There are only two bedrooms in your house.” Su Chang said.

True, the other room was a study and didn’t have a bed.

“You can sleep in the master bedroom,” Yu Zhou said, “I’ll make the living room sofa bed and it will be fine.”

Su Chang thought for a moment and said, “I’ll sleep on the sofa then.”

“Your back isn’t good, you won’t be able to sleep on the sofa,” Yu Zhou scratched her neck, “In that case, you might as well go home.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a bit frustrated as if she was being too pushy.

Su Chang looked at Yu Zhou scratching her neck, her own neck slightly reddened. She glanced at her phone, saying softly, “It is really late.”

She was indeed struggling to stay awake.

Su Chang walked over to the sofa, half-sitting on the armrest with hands moved in her pockets. She looked up at Yu Zhou, “Is it okay?”

Her voice had a grainy texture, especially clear at the night.

“Actually, it’s fine, um, because it’s not just the two of us. I mean, it’s not about whether it’s the two of us or not, if it were someone else in this situation, I would want them to rest early too.” Yu Zhou spoke honestly.

“Alright, I’m really tired.” Yu Zhou’s mouth felt so dry that she made a bitter face, “You can change your shoes and go in, use the master bedroom’s bathroom, you already know everything, so I won’t say more.”

“Okay, I’ll let the designated driver know.” Su Chang took out her phone.

Yu Zhou nodded and went into the master bedroom to get her pajamas before heading to the guest bathroom.