Jiang Yingxue burst out laughing.
She reached out and took the bottle of lactic acid bacteria drink from Ye Zhou’s hand. As she unscrewed the cap, she noticed the thick seal had already been peeled off. He was quite thoughtful.
“What are you doing? You’re a Scientist. Instead of researching what you should be researching, you’re wasting time looking up what drinks women in our country and others should have after drinking? It’s a complete waste of time.”
Ye Zhou scratched his head. “Club Leader Jiang, to tell you the truth, I actually just looked it up and bought it online right now.”
“Mhm~ I knew it. You’re always looking for a last-minute fix. You’re so used to it.”
Jiang Yingxue took a few sips, and her brows suddenly furrowed.
Hiss— no wonder they said this was good for after drinking. The sour, refreshing taste practically jolted her dizzy head awake.
She screwed the cap back on, set it aside, and said, “Well, you delivered the stuff, and I drank it.”
“Why are you still here? Aren’t you leaving?”
“Have you decided to stay and drink with me all night?”
Ye Zhou grinned. “It’s not quite that extreme.”
“Since I’m already back, there’s no harm in staying with you for a little longer before I go, right?”
The corners of Jiang Yingxue’s red lips curled up slightly.
“What? Do you finally realize that your part-time job isn’t nearly as important as your sister? It’s not too late, though. There’s still a chance for redemption.”
Ye Zhou spoke truthfully. “Yes, indeed. But special circumstances require special methods. Of course, that’s just my personal opinion.”
Jiang Yingxue’s brows knitted slightly. “Are you saying that if there weren’t special circumstances — like if I hadn’t been drinking or even gotten drunk — you would have just left me alone?”
Ye Zhou waved his hands hurriedly. “I didn’t say that. You said it yourself.”
The scene fell silent for a full minute —
Jiang Yingxue brushed her silver hair back and spoke first. “Forget it. If a blockhead like you could understand things that quickly, you wouldn’t be Ye Zhou.”
“How about this? Give me a hug, and I’ll forgive your rudeness. I’ll also stop drinking and get ready to go home.”
Ye Zhou was stunned. “Huh? It’s that simple?”
“Do you want it to be hard?”
Jiang Yingxue crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine then.”
“No, no, no! I’ll give you a hug right now, this instant.”
Ye Zhou hurriedly leaned down and gave Jiang Yingxue a big hug.
To any outsider, it would have looked like an ordinary hug between acquaintances, but he could clearly feel Jiang Yingxue’s body stiffen for a split second.
Before Ye Zhou could think more about it, Jiang Yingxue suddenly pushed him away and ran toward the restroom outside.
Her retreating figure looked a bit like she was fleeing in panic. It was hard to tell if the flush on her cheeks was from the alcohol or something else.
‘What’s going on? Usually, Club Leader Jiang would take the chance to whisper in my ear or tease me.’
‘But she suddenly ran away. Am I being rejected? Man, I’m actually quite hurt.’
***
Meanwhile, at the restroom sink, the faucet was trickling with water.
Jiang Yingxue fanned her cheeks vigorously with both hands to dispel the flush, but she couldn’t suppress the pounding of her heart.
She looked at her misty eyes in the mirror and grabbed her hair.
‘You’re going to be the death of me, Jiang Yingxue!’
‘Ask yourself. Ever since you started liking Ye Zhou, you thought this little club member was quite cute and reliable. You’ve been teasing him with that intention the whole time.’
‘So why did an inadvertent hug from him just now make you lose yourself for a moment? Ah, I’ve definitely been played by him. That kid is actually quite wicked deep down.’
‘There’s no way I’m falling for him, not even for a second! Even if he’s impeccable for his age, both inside and out, he’s too young. He’s a full three years younger than me.’
‘To put it bluntly, how could I randomly fall for a brat like that?’
‘But… the key is that he’s handsome, tall, and cute. Plus, he’s great at taking care of people. He wouldn’t be a bad life partner, would he?’
‘No, no, no! Jiang Yingxue, you must be crazy! Why are you thinking about that?’
‘Right, you must be too drunk. Your brain isn’t clear!’
***
A woman’s words are deceptive spirits.
Jiang Yingxue had promised a moment ago that she would stop drinking and go home, but as soon as she came out, she didn’t take a single breath before drinking one can after another. She didn’t stop until she was unconscious.
Ye Zhou tried to persuade her during the process, but every time he did, Jiang Yingxue would place the alcohol on private parts of her body. How was a gentleman like Ye Zhou supposed to argue with that?
Since he couldn’t stop her, he simply gave up and sat to the side to eat a few skewers of barbecue.
“Zhouzhou, your sister likes you so much. Do you like your sister?”
Jiang Yingxue’s head was buried in Ye Zhou’s chest, her arms wrapped around his neck as she spoke in a sweet, coquettish tone.
But she had repeated this sentence at least ten times in Ye Zhou’s ear. He didn’t feel much; he just felt helpless.
They say the truth comes out after drinking, but why did these words sound so playful coming from Jiang Yingxue’s mouth?
“Oh, I like Club Leader Jiang too.”
“You have to call me ‘Sister’ in private!” Jiang Yingxue’s tone was very dissatisfied.
“Fine, fine. Sister, Sister. I like Sister, okay? You’re my favorite person in the whole world, Sister!”
“Hehehe, that’s more like it~”
Ye Zhou gently patted Jiang Yingxue’s soft shoulder. Only then did she giggle a few times and quiet down.
As the saying goes, when a mature woman acts cute, there’s no room for little girls.
If you wondered why, it was because of the sense of contrast.
‘But then again, the difference between Club Leader Jiang before and after drinking is too huge. Just like Senior Chen.’
‘No, that’s not right. Senior Chen is charming both before and after drinking, so they can’t be compared.’
‘It’s more like Club Leader Jiang and Senior Lin are similar in some ways. In what way? The way they insist on me calling them “Sister.” Man, could they both have hidden Brother Complexes?’
Ye Zhou complained mercilessly in his mind as he pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time. Fortunately, it wasn’t midnight yet.
He needed to hurry up and send Club Leader Jiang back. Getting through three chapters of his novel was definitely out of the question, but he could still manage two chapters to get his Perfect Attendance Check-in.
“Hey, Sister, where do you live? Why don’t I take you back?”
“Mhm~ you little rascal, why are you in such a hurry to take me back? Do you want to do something bad to your sister?” Jiang Yingxue murmured, her eyes fluttering open dizzily.
“Setting aside whether I’ll do something bad or not, I really am in a hurry.”
“Fine. Seeing how impatient you are… my house is at Fandou Garden, Building Two, Room 1001…”
With that, Jiang Yingxue closed her heavy eyelids, and her breathing gradually leveled out.
Ye Zhou immediately opened his navigation, but he reacted a second later.
“Hey, Sister, are you bullying me because you think I haven’t seen ‘Big Ear Tutu’?”
Ye Zhou grabbed Jiang Yingxue’s shoulders and shook them, but no matter how he shook her, she didn’t react.
“Oh boy, I’m doomed!”