Jiang Yingxue took out the takeout she had ordered. There were five medium-sized boxes and two bottles of fruit juice provided by the merchant.
Two of the containers held seafood; one was packed with oysters, and the other was filled with sea cucumbers.
Another two boxes contained Italian tomato meatball pasta, adding a bit of Western flavor to the meal.
The last box was cashew shrimp, a side dish to accompany the pasta.
Just like that, the two people, who had been starving for a long time, ate in silence for about thirty minutes. The food on the table was quickly cleared away as they both ate and drank their fill.
Of course, Jiang Yingxue, who had a smaller appetite, did not eat much. She stopped her chopsticks after only half a bowl of pasta and a few side dishes. Ye Zhou handled the rest, not even letting the other half of Jiang Yingxue’s pasta go to waste.
Ye Zhou quickly tidied up the trash on the scene, while Jiang Yingxue stepped out to take a phone call.
When she returned a few minutes later, she had a takeout bag in each hand. The one in her left hand clearly held several cans of CASS beer, with an alcohol content of about 4.5%, while her right hand held some barbecue and a whole Mughal Spiced Chicken.
“Oh my god! Club Leader Jiang, you — you mean you’re still not full?” Ye Zhou was momentarily dumbfounded.
Jiang Yingxue looked at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I’m definitely full. I just got a little more alcohol and some snacks to go with the drinks.”
Ye Zhou was stunned. “It’s already this late. Instead of going back, you’re staying at the Drama Club to drink?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that? I’ll head back to rest after drinking for a while. It’s not like I’ll lose a limb,” Jiang Yingxue said.
Ye Zhou could not help but press a hand to his forehead.
Alright, he finally understood now.
If Senior Lin was a chimney, then the President was definitely a lush.
“Fine then. Club Leader Jiang, you take your time drinking. I’ll head back first.”
“Huh? We already ate together, so just stay and have a drink with me,” Jiang Yingxue invited him earnestly.
“Uh, the way you say that… we clearly just had a simple meal. People who don’t know the truth might think we did something scandalous,” Ye Zhou’s lip twitched, but his tone remained sincere. “But I really have to go back now. You know I have a part-time job. I haven’t written a single word of today’s three chapters yet. If I go back any later, I’m afraid I won’t make the update.”
“If I can’t make it, I have to take a leave of absence, but I already got lazy and took a day off at the beginning of this month. If I take another one today, my Perfect Attendance Award for the month is gone. My hundred thousand words will go to waste. It breaks my heart.”
“In any other situation, I would definitely stay and drink with you tonight, Club Leader Jiang. We could drink all night until we passed out.”
“But since there’s this special circumstance, I’m sorry, President. I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t drink too much by yourself, either. Know your limits.”
“Bye.”
Jiang Yingxue spoke up hurriedly.
“Wait! As long as you stay and drink with me tonight, I’ll compensate you for whatever your Perfect Attendance Award is worth, okay?”
“Sigh, other people have superpowers, but with you, President, it turns into money-power. I’m really quite embarrassed.”
“Look, today you not only gave me a haircut but even treated me to dinner, and now you’re doing this. Anyway, I can’t accept your kindness. No one with normal values could.”
“I’m afraid if these favors keep stacking up, I won’t be able to pay them back. I might have to offer myself in marriage.”
“I’m sorry, I…”
Ye Zhou was phrasing his words, preparing to decline her request for a drinking buddy again, when the Daily Intelligence in his mind began to refresh, causing him to stop talking subconsciously.
[Today’s Intel: After you leave, Jiang Yingxue drinks alone in a gloomy mood and gets dead drunk. She passes out on the cold floor in a daze and doesn’t go home until the sun hits her backside the next day, feeling miserable and suffering from a splitting headache.]
Ye Zhou’s body stiffened, and the corner of his eye twitched.
Honestly, this President’s addiction to alcohol was a bit too much. She could end up like that even while drinking alone? She clearly didn’t care about her own body at all.
To think she had the nerve to tell Senior Lin that smoking was bad for her health earlier. This was clearly a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
“President, I suddenly feel like that matter isn’t so important after all.”
“I can stay and drink with you, but only on the condition that you drink a little, and then we both go home. What do you think?”
Jiang Yingxue nodded solemnly.
“No problem! I’ll only drink a little!”
“I’m serious, truly just a little,” Ye Zhou said, his face full of disbelief.
“Of course, just a… billion little bits.”
“Hey, you’re definitely playing word games with me, aren’t you?”
“I’m not. Anyway, since you agreed to stay with me, you have to follow my rules.”
“Agh, look at you, being so unreasonable. You’re not even trying to hide it,” Ye Zhou could not help but rub his forehead.
Jiang Yingxue looked indifferent. “If even this isn’t okay, then go ahead and leave.”
Ye Zhou was taken aback. “Then I’m really leaving?”
“Go ahead.”
Jiang Yingxue still looked indifferent and even waved her hand.
But when she looked up a second later and rubbed her eyes, where was Ye Zhou? He had probably run off long ago.
A trace of disappointment could not be hidden in the depths of her eyes.
“I told you to leave, and you really left?”
“Zhouzhou isn’t well-behaved at all. Don’t even think about getting a little red flower from this big sister this week.”
As she spoke, Jiang Yingxue felt possessed as she pulled out her phone and found a photo.
In the photo, Ye Zhou was sound asleep, leaning against Jiang Yingxue’s full, rounded chest.
Jiang Yingxue couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Pfft— Zhouzhou acting spoiled and begging for milk… he’s so cute.”
‘This photo is definitely a little bit of leverage over him. If I had taken it out to blackmail him just now, he definitely would have stayed to drink with me with a thick face.’
‘But I suddenly couldn’t bring myself to do such a thing. Using leverage to threaten people… if I really did that, it would be too repulsive. If it were in the past, I certainly wouldn’t have shown any mercy.’
‘When exactly did I change? Did I start changing gradually after Ye Zhou joined the club?’
“Sigh! If I can’t figure it out, I won’t bother. Drinking alone is still drinking. It’s not a big deal.”
“I raise my head to view the bright moon, then lower it to think of my home… Whoosh! Drowning one’s sorrows only makes them worse!”
***
On the other side, Ye Zhou had bought the necessary items at the Campus Supermarket before it closed. About ten minutes later, he returned to the Drama and Film Club.
In just that short span of time, Jiang Yingxue had already finished three cans of beer, while the barbecue and fried chicken on the side remained untouched.
She heard footsteps approaching and slowly looked up, only to realize that Ye Zhou had returned at some point. Her beautiful eyes quietly lit up.
She used her hands to push herself off the ground, but her steps were unsteady. she even kicked an empty beer can near her feet, causing a clattering sound. It looked like she was about to fall at any moment.
Ye Zhou stepped forward quickly and reached out to support her, leading her to sit down on the sofa.
“President, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I’m not Chen Yuhe; I won’t lose my sense of direction after just a bit of ‘cat piss’ alcohol. I’m doing great—”
“Ahahaha… it’s already come to this, and you still have the nerve to bring her up?”
“Let’s not talk about that then. Didn’t you leave? Why did you come back?” Jiang Yingxue asked slurringly.
Ye Zhou rubbed his nose. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk you out of it, so I went to the Campus Supermarket to buy something to help you sober up. It should be of some help to you.”
“Something to sober me up?” Jiang Yingxue was startled.
“Ta-da!”
Ye Zhou quickly pulled a drink from his left pocket. “According to American research, the drink girls love most after drinking—chocolate milk!”
Jiang Yingxue froze and turned her head away. “That’s something little girls like to drink. I don’t like it.”
“Heh heh heh!”
Ye Zhou gave a mysterious smile and quickly pulled another drink from his right pocket. “I knew you might not like milk, President, so I bought another one.”
“According to domestic research, the drink women love most after drinking: lactic acid bacteria!”