Dazzling

Xing Wu resolutely snatched Qing Ye's glass and set it on the table: "We've eaten enough. Let's call it a night. Everyone go home to your mothers."

With Xing Wu shooing them away, Pang Hu and the others couldn't very well insist on staying. Xing Wu had figured it out—this girl was stubborn as a mule. If Huang Mao and the others didn't leave, she'd keep drinking just to spite them. The only way to stop her was to swiftly kick this bunch out.

Once they were gone, Qing Ye staggered to her feet. She had indeed drunk beer before—at most half a glass, never more. Today she'd had over three glasses, and the first one had been gulped down too quickly. The moment she stood up, the dizziness hit her.

Xing Wu had just locked the door when he saw Qing Ye clinging to the staircase, stumbling and faltering as she climbed. She had already made it up two steps but then slipped back one, nearly missing her footing and tumbling down. Xing Wu's heart leaped into his throat as he rushed over, grabbing her by the waist to keep her from falling backward.

But Qing Ye lifted her head, cheeks flushed crimson, and grinned at him: "Big cousin, is that you?"

"Crazy." Xing Wu's face hardened as he released her and pushed her up the stairs. Qing Ye's movements were unsteady, and fearing she might tilt backward again, he stayed close behind her, ready to catch her.

When she finally made it upstairs, she stopped at the top of the staircase, clutching her chest with a deep frown.

Xing Wu walked over and saw her state. "You're not going to puke, are you?"

Qing Ye shook her head, sniffing with red-rimmed eyes. Suddenly, without warning, tears began to fall, leaving Xing Wu stunned.

What was this about? Preparing to throw a drunken fit? With a prelude? A couple of tears as a preview?

Xing Wu hated it when girls drank and made scenes—it was utterly undignified. His expression turned cold as he dragged her toward her room, intending to dump her on the bed and make a quick exit.

But before they reached the door, Qing Ye let out a loud "Waaah!" and burst into tears. Xing Wu jolted, turning to look at her. Qing Ye had surprising strength—she shook him off and yelled, "All you do is bully me! Xing Wu, you jerk! I'm new here and don't know anyone, and from the moment I arrived, you've been bullying me. My parents never bullied me. No one has ever bullied me before."

Xing Wu felt a headache coming on, a line of text flashing through his mind: Here it comes, here it comes, the drunken tantrum is approaching...

Xing Wu planted his hands on his hips, about to speak, but then he saw Qing Ye's red-rimmed eyes glistening, her chin stubbornly lifted high. She looked like a homeless Persian cat—noble, proud, yet pitiful. Her rosy lips were slightly pursed, and her shimmering eyes fixed on him: "Say something! Why aren't you talking? Do you hate me?"

Xing Wu knew he wouldn't get away easily tonight, so he stopped rushing. Crossing his arms, he looked down at her with a faint, mocking smile at the corner of his eyes. "When did I ever say I hated you?"

"You did! Your eyes, your mouth, your voice, your actions—every part of you tells me you hate me. I'm sleeping in your room, and you can't even come home. You resent me, don't you?"

Xing Wu sighed in exasperation, tilting his head to take a deep breath before turning back to her calmly. "I don't resent you. I resent myself. Whether I come home or not has nothing to do with you. Don't flatter yourself."

Tears instantly welled up in Qing Ye's eyes again. "See? You're bullying me again..."Xing Wu opened his mouth but found himself momentarily speechless. Qing Ye sniffled and said pitifully, "Do you think I wanted to come to your house? I had no idea what your home was like before I came. I'm stuck in the barbershop every day, unable to even step outside. I'm practically growing mold. I don't know anyone here, no friends to talk to, no one to take me out for a walk or to explore. I don't even know where to buy facial cleanser, let alone toner, moisturizer, or sunscreen. I have nothing..."

Qing Ye broke down into desperate sobs. At first, Xing Wu didn't understand—was the lack of facial cleanser and such really worth such heart-wrenching tears? But as he watched her small shoulders trembling, he realized she wasn't crying over the lack of daily necessities. She was grieving the loss of her home, the familiar places she'd left behind, and the people she'd spent her days with.

Xing Wu had never left Anzi County. The farthest he'd ever gone was to the eastern part of the county, near the border of the neighboring city. He couldn't fully grasp Qing Ye's despair, but after seeing her lifestyle photos, he could somewhat understand.

Xing Wu took a step closer, his tone softening slightly. "I wasn't being harsh on you. If you need anything, just tell me."

Qing Ye let out a "hmph" and turned her head away. It was hot outside, and Xing Wu wanted to pull her into the room. But the moment he tugged at her, her body swayed like a fragile piece of paper and collapsed against his chest.

The sudden impact of her soft body against his sent a tremor through Xing Wu's eyes. He looked down at Qing Ye, whose eyes were half-closed, and almost instinctively pushed her away. But his hands hovered mid-air, unable to follow through. He was afraid that if he pushed her away, she'd start crying again, accusing him of disliking her or being harsh.

Xing Wu had always considered girls to be troublesome creatures. He'd never paid attention to any girl, and no girl had ever dared to act unreasonably in front of him. Yet, faced with Qing Ye's drunken state, he found himself unwilling to let go.

After a brief internal struggle, he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her into the room. But his palms felt scorching hot, and her slender waist seemed so delicate that it might break with a little more pressure. A strange, unfamiliar feeling stirred in his heart.

In his arms, Qing Ye murmured faintly, "I feel awful."

Xing Wu let out a soft "heh." "Weren't you acting all tough earlier? If you can't hold your liquor, why force yourself? Pride isn't worth much around here. Next time, don't suffer for the sake of saving face."

He laid her on the bed, took off her shoes, and gently lifted her ankles to settle her legs on the mattress. Qing Ye had an innocent beauty—when her eyes were open and she was arguing, she radiated energy, but when she closed them to sleep, she looked quiet and docile. In her unconscious state, lying on the bed, there was a forbidden, alluring charm about her.

Xing Wu's gaze tightened. He quickly straightened up and moved to the other side of the room to turn on the air conditioner. Then, he pulled a blanket over her. Unexpectedly, Qing Ye, who had been lying still, rolled over and pointed to a pile of clothes by the bed, saying to Xing Wu, "Those need to be washed."

"..."

If she weren't drunk, Xing Wu would have given her a sharp knock on the head. Was he her laundry servant? Was she getting addicted to bossing him around? She didn't seem the least bit self-conscious about it.

Annoyed, Xing Wu put his hands on his hips and glanced at her lying face-down. Her long eyelashes rested gently, and her pink cheeks were squished, making her look chubby and infant-like. Hmph, a giant baby.Xing Wu sighed and walked over to her bedside. Good lord, she had managed to pile up another small mountain of clothes in just two days. Was she wearing clothes or eating them?

As Xing Wu bent down to tidy up, Qing Ye sensed someone moving around in front of her and half-opened her eyes. What she saw were tight jeans hugging a shapely rear. Qing Ye murmured, "Nice butt."

Xing Wu jolted in surprise, turning to glare at her: "What did you say?"

Qing Ye closed her eyes and uttered one word: "Nice." Her hand, lying limp by the pillow, even gave a thumbs-up.

Xing Wu felt a surge of blood rush to his chest, stuck between rising and falling. Was this girl... flirting with him?

Seeing that she had stopped moving, Xing Wu gathered the clothes and went downstairs. He cleared the messy table, washed the dishes, and even did Qing Ye's laundry. The faint yellow light in the bathroom cast sharp shadows across his defined features. Though usually expressionless, he found himself smiling as he washed the soft, light-blue fabric. Had Xing Wu lost his mind? Actually helping a girl do her laundry? If his buddies outside found out, they probably wouldn't believe it even if he gouged their eyes out.

After finishing the laundry, Xing Wu wrung out the clothes and carried them upstairs. When he opened the door, Qing Ye was already breathing evenly in deep sleep, having kicked off her blanket completely. Xing Wu moved quietly, holding the basin with one hand while using the other to pull the blanket back over her. He hung the clothes on the drying rack by the window, adjusted the air conditioner to a warmer temperature, and was about to leave when he pulled the door open.

He had already reached the staircase when he remembered how uncomfortable Qing Ye had seemed earlier. Worried she might wake up and vomit during the night, he simply collapsed onto the sofa and stayed.

However, by the time Qing Ye woke up the next morning, Xing Wu was already gone. Her head throbbed—mainly because she rarely drank that much—and assuming Xing Wu had left last night, she had little memory of what happened.

Due to the hangover, Qing Ye felt listless all morning and stayed upstairs, not coming down until lunchtime.

Huang Mao and Pang Hu had followed Xing Wu back again. Qing Ye felt like these three were like the Three Stooges, always stuck together as if they had nothing else to do.

But Qing Ye guessed right—aside from Xing Wu needing to run back and forth, the other two really had nothing going on.

When Huang Mao saw Qing Ye coming downstairs, he grinned and said, "Cousin, heard you got really drunk last night? Went on a drunken rampage?"

Qing Ye froze, glancing at Xing Wu, who acted as if he hadn't heard anything and continued feeding their grandmother. A bit uncertain, Qing Ye asked Xing Wu, "Who did I go crazy on last night?"

Only then did Xing Wu slowly look at her and retort, "You don't remember?"

"..." Damn it, if I remembered, why would I be asking you?

A faint, ambiguous smile tugged at the corner of Xing Wu's lips, making Qing Ye a bit nervous. She vaguely remembered yelling a bunch of nonsense at Xing Wu and feeling pretty good about it. Waking up this morning, she did feel much more relaxed, but she couldn't quite recall exactly what she had shouted. As for whether she did anything else, she had no memory of that either.

Huang Mao only added fuel to the fire by joking, "It's fine, cousin, we're all family here. We won't mind if you took advantage of us."

If he hadn't said anything, it would have been better. But now, Qing Ye lifted her head and stared at him, then... blushed.

She blushed because her upbringing wouldn't allow her to behave so improperly. If she really had acted out drunkenly in front of them last night, she might as well find a block of tofu to knock herself out with.

So, Qing Ye picked up some food, carried her bowl to the kitchen to eat, her eyes seemingly tinged with a hint of embarrassment.As soon as she left, Huang Mao couldn't stay calm anymore. Clutching his chest, he exclaimed a series of "Holy shits" before excitedly declaring, "Did you see that? Did you? My cousin just blushed at me! She even ran away shyly, too embarrassed to look at me! Damn, after our conversation last night, she must have fallen for me!"

Then he suddenly pulled Pang Hu into a hug: "Fatty, you saw it too, right? You saw her blush, didn't you?"

Pang Hu scratched his head: "Well... maybe she was just hot?"

"Hot your sister! Oh my god, I'm about to have a puppy love!"