Morning Fire

"60kg champion! Drink!"

"Red-haired little girl, bottoms up!"

On the second floor of the sports school cafeteria, a makeshift long table was piled high with beer foam. Yu Chen was surrounded, with endless glasses being handed to her and pats on the shoulder coming from behind. She had tried to use her "minor" as a shield, but Coach Qin's words, "except for celebrations," pushed her into the vortex of forced drinking.

After the third glass, a burning sensation spread from her throat to the tips of her ears. The ends of her bright red hair, stained with beer foam, clung to her collarbone like a cluster of glowing fuses. She squinted, searching for help, her gaze piercing through the smoke to land in the corner—Xiao Wei leaned against the windowsill, his black shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, a half-empty can of sparkling water dangling between his fingers, his hat pulled low, yet unable to conceal the amused smile playing on his lips.

“Xiao…” Yu Chen began to speak, but his voice was drowned out by the jeers.

The next second, someone put their arm around her shoulder and brought another glass to her lips. The liquor sloshed around, jingling like a bell in a boxing ring at night.

At 23:47, the cafeteria closed.

With one hand in his pocket, Xiao Wei walked through the swaying crowd, put his arm around Yu Chen's waist, and pulled him into his arms: "My child, I'm taking him with me."

The drunkard could barely stand, yet his fingers gripped Xiao Wei's shirt hem tightly, as if clinging to the last piece of driftwood. The warmth seeped through the fabric, carrying the sweetness of beer and the bitterness of malt.

"Can you still walk?" Xiao Wei lowered his head, his voice drifting into her ear.

Yu Chen nodded, then leaned his head against her shoulder, his voice soft and drawn out: "...Yes."

"Can do it my foot." Xiao Wei chuckled and picked the person up horizontally. The drunk cat was ridiculously light, but it nuzzled around in her arms, its nose brushing against her neck like a kitten looking for milk.

At one o'clock in the morning, a black SUV drove into the sports school dormitory area, but not to go back to the dormitory—it turned right, into a detached villa, and the garage door was raised.

The elevator went straight to the second floor, the doors opened, and a warm yellow motion-sensor light came on. Xiao Wei placed Yu Chen on the island bar, and the drunkard immediately lay down, his ear tips turning bright red. Xiao Wei took a paper bag from the dressing room and unfolded it—a black and white cat servant outfit, with a small bell tied at the collar and a soft velvet rope for the tail that could be tied around the waist.

"I've been wanting you to wear this for a while now." Her voice was low, but with a clear mischievous grin. "Perfect for a celebration night."

Yu Chen looked up, her pupils glistening with moisture from the alcohol. She was a beat slow to react, but stubbornly reached out her hand: "...No way."

"Don't want to?" Xiao Wei raised an eyebrow, scratched behind her ear with his finger, and then put the cat ear headband on her. "Drunkard, be good."

Alcohol numbed his judgment and amplified his competitive spirit. Yu Chen stared at the clothes for three seconds, then suddenly reached out, snatched the paper bag, and said in a muffled but fierce voice, "Wear it!"

Ten minutes later, at the door of the walk-in closet.

Yu Chen swayed out—cat ears perched in her bright red hair, a black and white miniskirt that barely reached her thighs, and a tail tied behind her waist, swaying with her steps. She looked down and tugged at her skirt, her ear tips burning red: "...It's too short."

Xiao Wei leaned against the door frame, his gaze sliding from the cat's ears to the tip of its tail. His Adam's apple bobbed silently, but he deliberately dragged out his voice: "Not bad, can it scratch people?"

As she spoke, she turned to get milk from the refrigerator, her back to Yu Chen, and began to recount "the clown stories of when I first arrived at the sports school"—

"Remember your first day? You failed to climb over the wall, got stuck in the middle of the net, and your screams of 'Help!' were so loud they were split open. I thought a red sparrow had come."

"Later in training, a sandbag was thrown and hit Li Wei's foot. He screamed like a pig being slaughtered. You bowed on the spot, saying, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.'"

Every word was like lighting a fire on a drunkard's tail. Yu Chen's ears burned redder and redder, her tail fur practically bristling. Suddenly, she rushed forward, shoving Xiao Wei's shoulders and back with both hands—

"Bang!"

Caught off guard, Xiao Wei was tackled to the sofa. The milk carton flew out, its white arc tracing the warm yellow light before splashing onto the floor like scattered stars.

The sofa sank in, the scents of mint and beer mingling.

Yu Chen straddled Xiao Wei's waist, her cat ears swaying with the movement, the bells jingling softly. Her hands rested on his shoulders, her eyes wet with intoxication, yet brimming with a small flame: "Say it again! Say it again and I'll—"

"So what?" Xiao Wei chuckled, placing his palm on her lower back, his fingertips sliding down the tail rope, his voice hoarse and sticky, "Tickling me?"

Enraged, the drunkard lowered her head and bit Xiao Wei's shoulder and neck—not too hard, not too soft, the tip of her teeth grazing her skin, like stamping a victory seal. Xiao Wei's Adam's apple bobbed, his palm gripping the back of her neck, pressing her down until their foreheads met, his voice so low it was barely a whisper:

"If a cat bites someone, it has to take responsibility."

Yu Chen relented, his breath sweet with the taste of milk and beer. Drunkenness tinged his eyes with a rosy hue, yet he stubbornly raised the corners of his mouth: "I'll take responsibility then..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Wei turned his head and touched the bell behind her ear with his lips, the sound scattering in the warm yellow light:

"Then I'll take responsibility for you for life."

Three in the morning, in the dressing room.

The cat servant outfit was removed and hung on the clothes rack, its tail drooping softly, like the ropes after an overtime game.

On the bed, Yu Chen, wearing Xiao Wei's gray vest, nestled against the other's shoulder, her fingers unconsciously picking at the old scar, her voice muffled and soft: "...If you ever force me to drink again, I'll bite you."

"Where to bite?" Xiao Wei chuckled, his palm enveloping her fingers, his voice still hoarse from the recent loss of breath. "Give me the coordinates, and I'll cooperate."

The only response she received was the drunkard's even, hot breathing—

Like a newly kindled fire, little by little, it illuminates the future.

The next morning, 07:10.

A sliver of morning light pierced through the grey-blue curtains, like a half-drawn finish line lying across Yu Chen's eyelids. She had barely moved when her whole body felt weak and sore—

On his neck, there was a fresh, dark purple "medal" with faint teeth marks on the edge;

On the inner thigh, several faint red finger marks faded into the skin, like lingering flames.

She froze for two seconds, and her earlobe burned instantly.

"woke up?"

The culprit was right next to him, propping his head up with one hand, his black hair spread across the pillow, his voice hoarse from just waking up, but unable to hide his mischievous grin, "Little cat, are your claws still sharp?"

Yu Chen sat bolt upright, her gray vest slipping down to her shoulders, revealing a jumble of old and new marks on her collarbone, like a spilled palette. She grabbed a pillow and smashed it into Xiao Wei's face.

"Xiao! Wei!"

The voice was split, carrying the morning sand, but it sounded more like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Xiao Wei caught the pillow with one hand and tossed it aside. He then used his other hand to hook her waist, his voice low and drawn out: "Don't be angry, let me see if it still hurts—"

"Look at my head!" Yu Chen slapped her hand away, shrinking back until his back was pressed against the headboard, his ear tips turning bright red. "You last night..."

She couldn't continue, her knuckles turning white from gripping the bedsheet so tightly.

Xiao Wei smiled and touched the bell behind her ear with his fingertip—the only evidence left by the cat servant outfit last night. The soft "ding" sounded like adding another spoonful of oil to a fire.

“Remember?” Her voice was hoarse and slow. “You said it yourself—'If you’re going to take responsibility, then take responsibility.'”

Yu Chen's mind exploded—

The arc of spilled milk, the curve of the sofa sinking, the mingling of mint and beer scents, the bell ringing until midnight... all these fragments rushed up at once, burning her ears like a sunset.

She raised her leg to kick him, but Xiao Wei grabbed her ankle first, his fingertips sliding down the faint red finger marks, his voice so low it was barely a whisper:

"Don't move around, the marks haven't faded yet."

"You dare mention that again!" Yu Chen exploded, grabbing the other pillow and hitting it on the face again. "I still have training today!"

After being teased twice, Xiao Wei finally stopped, got out of bed, took a brand new black vest from the closet, and handed it to her, his voice softening:

"Put your clothes on first, then I'll apply the medicine for you."

Yu Chen took it, but her fingertips touched the other person's hand between their thumb and forefinger—there, a fresh teeth mark was clearly visible, the personal seal she had left when she "took care" of them last night. She paused, her ears turning even redder, but she pulled the vest over her head, her voice muffled by the fabric:

"...If you ever try to force me to drink again, I'll bite you for the rest of my life!"

Xiao Wei chuckled softly, reaching out to ruffle her hair, his voice hoarse from the early morning, yet earnest:

"I couldn't have gotten it."

The sunlight continued to shine, and the bells tinkled softly in the wind, like a pre-announced tinkling bell.

This time, no one let go, and no one got drunk.