Xue Fu used to drink alcohol.

During holidays, under her parents' supervision, she drank both beer and red wine.

Xue Fu drank very little, only one cup at a time, and never got drunk, so she wasn't very clear about her own limits.

She had never drunk baijiu before, let alone this kind of high-purity homemade spirit.

Xue Fu felt that one cup should be fine.

So she drank honestly.

Everyone else just took a small sip, but she downed the whole glass in one go.

This liquor was different from the beer and wine she had drunk before; it burned her throat, and she immediately felt warm after drinking it.

Xue Fu thought, no wonder it's called liquor, because it burns the throat and the stomach.

Zheng Peipei, who was standing nearby, noticed Xue Fu's empty wine glass and was startled. She then leaned over and stared intently at Xue Fu's face, worried that she might be drunk.

"Are you alright, Xue Fu?"

Xue Fu is feeling alright now, quite sober. She shook her head: "I'm fine, I'm not drunk."

She suddenly felt a little proud.

But after eating a few more bites, Xue Fu started to feel the effects. She felt dizzy, her vision blurred when she tried to pick up food, and she couldn't manage to pick anything up after several attempts.

Xue Fu is the kind of person who doesn't blush when she drinks.

When she drinks alcohol, apart from her small, moist, cherry-red lips, her face is clean and white, making it impossible to tell that she has been drinking.

So after she gradually became slightly tipsy, Zheng Peipei didn't notice. She only felt that Xue Fu was quieter and less talkative than usual.

The men's table where Gu Chong sat was several tables away from the women's table, and his view was always blocked, making it difficult for him to see Xue Fu's movements.

After most people had finished eating and left, Gu Chong found an opportunity to discreetly approach Xue Fu.

When he walked over to Xue Fu's table, he realized as soon as he saw her that she must be drunk.

A person sat blankly in his seat, facing the courtyard wall behind him, staring blankly as if reflecting on his mistakes, his gaze fixed on the slightly empty wall.

Almost everyone at Xue Fu's table had left. Some were rushing home, while others were chatting with others.

Zheng Peipei, who was originally sitting next to her, also went inside and talked to Liu Ling.

No one noticed Xue Fu's state at that moment.

Gu Chong turned and headed towards the kitchen, where he found the kettle and poured a bowl of warm water.

Gu Chong held a glass of warm water in his hand and asked about her condition: "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Hmm?" Xue Fu glanced sideways at the sound.

Her eyes were watery, clear and bright, but also filled with a sense of bewilderment and confusion.

Gu Chongwei sighed; she was indeed drunk.

"Drink some warm water first."

He gently pressed the rim of the bowl to her lips, but fearing she wouldn't react, he told her to open her mouth: "Xue Fu, open your mouth and drink water."

Xue Fu, who was a little slow to react after getting drunk, was surprisingly obedient. She opened her mouth and took small sips of the warm water that was fed to her.

Xue Fu recognized him; it was Gu Chong.

After drinking a small bowl of warm water, Xue Fu felt better and her body wasn't as hot anymore.

She slowly described her feelings: "I feel a little dizzy."

After drinking, her voice was a little hoarse. Gu Chong asked her, "Then let's take you home and make you some hangover soup so you won't feel so bad."

After a few seconds of understanding, Xue Fu nodded: "Okay."

Gu Chong helped her to her feet, not intending to let her walk alone.

People around noticed this and looked over, but Gu Chong gave them a cold glance, startling them so much that they immediately looked away and didn't dare to look again.

Who angered this fiend? Why is he so fierce?

The man was suspicious, but he was certain of his guess: the two of them were definitely dating.

The man clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Gu Chongzhen was so lucky. He was so jealous.

Even when Gu Chong helped Xue Fu walk, her body was as limp as a noodle, weak and unsteady, swaying from side to side.

Gu Chong held her wrist with one hand and put the other on her shoulder, practically embedding her whole body into his arms as he carried her forward.

When they reached a deserted ridge in the field, Gu Chong picked her up and carried her on his back.

Xue Fu was very compliant, obediently holding his neck with both hands to prevent herself from falling backward.

Her head was spinning, but she was trying hard to stay awake.

Lying on Gu Chong's back, she felt dizzy and weak again, her body limp and leaning against him, her face pressed against his neck, her warm breath hitting her skin, and Gu Chong could smell a faint scent of alcohol.

"Hmm..." Xue Fu squinted, trying to figure out where they were, but her mind was foggy and she couldn't make out anything. "Gu Chong... how much longer until... he arrives..."

As she spoke, her soft lips gently caressed the skin on his collarbone, causing Gu Chong to tremble and his mind to waver.

He choked for two seconds before replying in a dry voice, "Soon."

Besides that, he was also worried about whether he was sweating or not, and whether he would smell bad... He was wearing rough clothes, would they rub against her skin?

Lost in thought, Gu Chong quickened his pace to get home.

When he arrived home, Gu Fei wasn't there yet. He was still playing with the other children in the open space in the center of the village.

Gu Chong shifted his shoulders awkwardly and asked the person leaning on his back, "Do you want to take a nap?"

Gu Chong was worried about leaving her alone at the educated youth settlement while she was still drunk.

"Can you sleep at my place for a while?" He swallowed hard, trying to justify himself, "I'll change your sheets, they're all clean."

Xue Fu squinted and made a soft "hmm," then after a while replied with a "okay."

Gu Chong carried her into his room and placed her on a chair next to him, telling her to sit for a while.

Gu Chong took out the clean and dried bed sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases from the cabinet and changed all the bedding on his bed.

He changed quickly, and after he finished, he glanced at his bed, the bed he had slept in for more than ten years, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"alright."

Xue Fu, who was sitting over there, had already started to doze off. She closed her eyes, supported her face with her arms on the armrests, and swayed her head slightly.

Gu Chong felt a little thirsty, so he pursed his lips to moisten them.

He walked over and stood in front of Xue Fu, half-squatting down: "Xue Fu?"

"Hmm...?" Xue Fu finally opened her eyes a crack, her voice rising slightly at the end.

"Go to bed and rest."

"Oh...okay..."

Gu Chong forcefully carried her to the bed, then knelt down to take off her shoes.

A thin blanket was put over her, but Xue Fu felt even more drowsy, and her open eyelids could no longer stay open and she closed them.

She slept softly and defenselessly in his bed. Gu Chong didn't dare to look at her for long and left with a sentence as if fleeing: "I'll go make some hangover soup."

As Gu Chong sat down in front of the stove to light the fire and cook a hangover soup, his heart was still pounding and he was trembling with excitement.

It seems like he's deceiving himself. Although the sheets on the bed have been changed, it's still... the place where he lies every night.

Xue Fu is sleeping there now.

I was enveloped by... his aura.