Chapter 190: Like

By the time all the dishes were on the table, Bai Yao and Long Ziyi already had seven or eight empty bottles in front of them.

Qiu Ye looked at Bai Yao with suspicion.

Although her face was flushed and her eyes a bit glazed, she was clearly excited, pulling Senior into a nonstop chat, talking much more than usual.

‘That can’t be right?’

On the night before the school report, Bai Yao got drunk after just two bottles, burrowing into his arms, constantly saying she was hot and insisting on taking off her clothes, all clingy like a kitten.

Qiu Ye suspected that Bai Yao had done it on purpose that night.

In fact, from the moment he met her until now, he might never have figured out her alcohol tolerance.

He sat down next to Bai Yao.

As soon as he sat down, the girl who got talkative when drunk suddenly couldn’t hold up anymore, leaning limply on his shoulder, yawning nonstop.

“I might have had a bit too much…”

“Don’t drink anymore. We won’t be able to get back like this.”

Qiu Ye took a couple of bites of the food and sipped some beer.

He still had to take care of the drunk Bai Yao, so just a symbolic drink was enough.

He let her lean on his shoulder, stared at her face, and suddenly let out a silly laugh.

Bai Yao’s face was flushed red, resting on his shoulder as she gazed at him blankly.

“Hehe~”

“Don’t go on a drunken rampage, or I’ll leave you here.”

“Don’t~ I haven’t done anything!”

She laughed like a female pervert, making Qiu Ye shudder.

Qiu Ye rolled his eyes and stuffed a piece of rib into Bai Yao’s mouth.

“Eat up, stop drinking.”

“What’s the rush?”

Long Ziyi invited the two to stay over.

“The sofa can be opened up into a bed. Why not just crash here tonight?”

“No, no.”

Qiu Ye quickly waved his hand.

“It’s fine. Even if she’s really drunk, I can take care of her.”

Senior, as always taciturn, silently moved a small stool to sit on the side, holding a rice bowl bigger than his face and eating nonstop.

“Of course she’s really drunk~ Could it be fake?”

Long Ziyi laughed, her tone full of teasing.

Bai Yao ignored her, continuing to act like a dizzy drunk, leaning on Qiu Ye’s shoulder and yawning constantly.

Qiu Ye looked down at her.

‘To be honest, she looks like she’s drunk, right?’

Her eyes were glazed and unfocused, her body limp—it didn’t seem fake.

“Our school’s Anime Club is really famous. Did you two know?”

While eating, Long Ziyi casually started a topic, bragging about her past glory.

“Back then, I was the star! Local conventions had to invite us!”

She went from the Anime Club to interesting stories from conventions, then took out her phone and played a video of her doing a otaku dance from back then, and she even used to be a cheerleader, cheering for her boyfriend’s ball games.

Compared to the wage slave who had entered society and drank every day, the her of those days was young and lively.

After about half an hour, after several rounds of drinks, Long Ziyi also couldn’t handle her alcohol, lying down on the sofa.

“Alright, we should clean up and head back.”

Qiu Ye stood up to help Senior clean up the mess.

He carried the plates to the kitchen sink.

When he came back, he saw Bai Yao and Long Ziyi leaning on each other, each holding a bottle, drunk and swaying their heads.

“I told you not to drink anymore.”

Long Ziyi, drunk, fell face-first into the sofa.

Qiu Ye pulled Bai Yao up, and Long Ziyi, now without support, also collapsed.

“We’ll head back first then?”

He turned to ask Senior.

“Mm, I’ll see you two out.”

“Just take good care of Long Jie.”

After saying goodbye, Qiu Ye grabbed Bai Yao and left the apartment.

Walking out of the apartment building, the moon was bright and stars were few outside.

The street was deserted, with almost no pedestrians, only occasional cars speeding by.

The cold night wind blew, and Qiu Ye saw Bai Yao shiver.

He took off his trench coat and draped it over her shoulders.

“I’ll call a ride…”

Qiu Ye looked down to order a ride-hailing car, but Bai Yao tugged his arm.

“How about we walk?”

He turned to look.

Bai Yao’s face still had some drunkenness, she couldn’t stand very steadily, her gaze a bit unfocused, but she tried hard to open her eyes wide and round, keeping them as clear as possible.

Her voice was soft and husky.

It was obvious Bai Yao was trying to look sober.

“Alright, it’s been a long time since I went out for a late-night stroll. I’ll walk around with you.”

But in reality, she was at least half drunk.

Qiu Ye opened a navigation app; from the apartment to their rented room, it was actually only three kilometers.

Along the sidewalk, Qiu Ye worriedly grabbed Bai Yao’s wrist and pulled her slowly toward the direction of their rented room.

The streetlights ahead and behind cast two intersecting shadows of them.

The night wind blew, rustling the greenery trees.

Bai Yao deliberately walked a catwalk along the cracks in the sidewalk tiles.

It was clear she was in a good mood, stepping lightly on her tiptoes.

Occasionally, a wave of drunkenness would make her wobble, but Qiu Ye would catch her in time.

“Such cold weather, and you insist on wandering outside late at night.”

“Walk with me~”

Bai Yao muttered.

“When I was stressed in high school, I also liked to wander around alone late at night.”

“Are you stressed a lot now?”

“It’s okay.”

Bai Yao looked up at Qiu Ye, her eyes wide and round, staring blankly like a cat.

“I’m just a bit scared.”

She sighed.

Although not fully drunk, at half-drunk she couldn’t suppress her emotions.

“Scared of what?”

Qiu Ye was not unfamiliar with Bai Yao’s worries.

That feeling of being unworthy, of worrying about gains and losses—Qiu Ye had long understood it.

From the very beginning, Bai Yao had a bit of inferiority in her bones.

“It’s just…”

“Afraid that I’ll leave you in the future?”

Bai Yao hesitated and said:

“If you’re just playing around…”

“No one can guarantee the future.”

Qiu Ye thought for a moment.

He didn’t give a promise, only comforted:

“But you can become better yourself. Even if the day of breaking up really comes, you’ll find someone better, and you’ll live well. You won’t collapse from one breakup or one blow.”

Bai Yao nodded in understanding.

The System seemed to want that for her too.

So it had been helping her become better, trying to rebuild her confidence.

“But… what if I can’t do it?”

“Isn’t that what I’m here for?”

Qiu Ye smiled openly.

“I’ll help you.”

Bai Yao intentionally bumped his waist.

“Hmph! When I become better, I’ll leave you! Find a better-looking and nicer boyfriend!”

“You’re not that kind of person.”

“Who says! You used to think I was so innocent~”

“That’s true.”

Who would have guessed that Bai Yao could deliberately fake drunkenness to devour him clean?

She was usually quite a passive personality.

Qiu Ye recalled earlier.

The bottles in front of Bai Yao must have contained at least six or seven beers, but she was only half drunk, still logical, her speech clear, and she didn’t go mad and try to take off her clothes.

To be truly drunk, to the point of falling asleep or going on a rampage, she would need to drink at least ten bottles.

“Qiu Ye!”

“Huh?”

Bai Yao suddenly jumped onto Qiu Ye’s back, wrapping her legs around his waist, hanging on his back like a koala.

Qiu Ye was startled and quickly supported her small bottom with both hands.

“What kind of drunken madness is this?”

The girl’s fragrance mixed with the smell of alcohol, and her breath was like orchid in Qiu Ye’s ear.

Her tone was soft and silly, but her words were unprecedentedly straightforward.

“I like you.”

“Mm.”

Qiu Ye responded, his tone especially gentle.

“From now on… let’s work hard together?”

“Of course.”

“I’m going to marry you.”