C16 Chapter 16

“Huff... huff...” Su Jiyue was so drunk she couldn’t tell which way was up. She just kept gulping air, having no idea what she’d just done.

After she finally caught her breath, she tried to step out of the bathtub. But drunk people don’t exactly have great balance, so she promptly slipped and fell right back in.

The difference was, this time she dragged Qin Yaochen in with her.

“Damn it!” Qin Yaochen was yanked into the tub out of nowhere. After spitting out a curse, he tightened his grip, hauled Su Jiyue up out of the water, and stared at her face, about to give her a couple sharp taps to wake her up—

“Yaochen...” Su Jiyue’s eyes were glassy and unfocused, her breath hot with alcohol against his face.

“Yaochen... I really like you, I...” As she spoke, tears spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t want you to hate me... I don’t...”

They said drunk words were sober truths. Hearing that, Qin Yaochen couldn’t help but soften. The hand that had been about to smack her cheek instead reached up to wipe away her tears.

“Yaochen... ever since the first time I saw you, I... I’ve liked you so much...” Su Jiyue clung to him like a koala, her whole body wrapped around his—so much that her pajama top slid down.

“I... you’re good to me, Yaochen... you don’t let people push me around... I...” Her voice broke again as she started crying harder. “Everyone picks on me...”

And Qin Yaochen, with Su Jiyue practically naked in his arms, felt a dangerous heat surge low in his belly, threatening to get out of control.

“Su Jiyue, get off me. Now.” His whole body went rigid as he barked the order.

“No!” Drunk Su Jiyue was stubborn as hell. “I like you, Yaochen... I’m gonna sleep hugging you... hugging...”

After hearing her, Qin Yaochen clicked his tongue, a headache coming on. Without overthinking it, he stripped her clothes off, rushed her through a quick shower, ignored the drunk’s messy protests, gave her a rough towel-off, then tossed her onto his bed and wrapped her up in the comforter.

He was about to turn around and take a shower himself when Su Jiyue pushed herself up on the bed. “Yaochen… don’t go… Yaochen, I’ll be good… don’t go…”

She clutched his damp sleeve. Under the warm yellow light, her eyes shimmered with a look no one could refuse. The pitiful way she looked somehow cooled the anger in his chest.

“I’m going to shower. I’m not leaving,” Qin Yaochen said, tugging the comforter higher to cover her smooth body. He turned toward the bathroom, but Su Jiyue sat up again.

“Yaochen, I’m really good…” Su Jiyue said, blinking those watery eyes.

“Yeah. I know you are,” Qin Yaochen soothed her patiently. The second the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. Did he really just talk like that?

Before he could, Su Jiyue wobbled off the bed, looped her arms around his neck, and kissed him without hesitation.

“Su Jiyue! Do you even know what you’re doing?” The sudden kiss threw Qin Yaochen off balance—and made his body react in a way he didn’t like.

“Yaochen… I—I’m clean… I don’t want to have dinner with that bank guy… I’m clean… w-w…” she cried, still trying to kiss him. When she couldn’t reach his mouth, she started tugging at his clothes instead.

Qin Yaochen blocked her kisses with one hand and stopped her from undressing him with the other. In the scramble, she managed to rip a button clean off his shirt.

Seeing her like this, Qin Yaochen pinned her down on the bed. “Su Jiyue, snap out of it!”

“Yaochen… I-I like you…” Su Jiyue’s eyes were still hazy, her body restlessly squirming beneath him.

“Damn it.” Qin Yaochen immediately felt the shift in his body. Staring at her tempting red lips, he bent down and bit them hard.

It was a night of reckless indulgence. Qin Yaochen didn’t know how many times they ended up tangled together. In the end, he gently stroked Su Jiyue’s sleeping face, pulled her tight against his chest, and finally drifted off.