Chapter 61 Couldn't we be a little more prepared...?

"Peng Chengyi".

A familiar voice came from behind, yet it carried a barely perceptible hint of anger, like muffled thunder rolling through the clouds on a summer day.

Peng Chengyi paused, her heart skipped a beat for no reason, and slowly turned around.

Chen Yubai stood a few steps away, the streetlights casting a warm yellow glow behind him, outlining his tall and slender figure.

He was wearing a simple gray T-shirt and sweatpants, his bangs were a little messy and fell over his forehead, and his dark eyes were fixed on her, like a nocturnal animal eyeing its prey, with a scrutinizing look and a hint of inexplicable displeasure.

"Weren't you eating barbecue?" Peng Chengyi's mind was a little dull from the alcohol, and she blurted out the question subconsciously.

"...You saw me?" Chen Yubai frowned and walked up to her. "You saw me, so why didn't you say hello?"

"..." Peng Chengyi paused for a moment, feeling like her brain was about to burn out. She tried to recover her senses, "I see you're busy chatting with your friends, so let's just forget about it."

"Which eye of yours saw me chatting with my friend?" Chen Yubai let out a light snort, clearly not accepting her explanation.

"Anyway, I did see it..." She guiltily looked away.

Chen Yubai's gaze lingered on her lowered eyelashes for a moment, complicated, before turning to Ke Xingjian beside her. His tone left no room for argument: "I have something to say to her, but it's not convenient for outsiders to hear. You can go now."

Ke Xingjian still wore that impeccable gentle smile, but he didn't move: "She seems to have had a bit too much to drink right now, so she's probably not in a good position to talk business."

Curious about why Chen Yubai had specifically followed her, Peng Chengyi immediately straightened her back, trying to prove she was sober, and said, "I'm not drunk! We can talk business!"

“But I promised your roommate I would get you back to your dorm safely.” Ke Xingjian still didn’t back down.

"...Don't worry, I'll deliver it." Chen Yubai smirked, then added with a sneer, "Besides, she's safest with me."

Ke Xingjian's smile faded almost imperceptibly for a moment, but he finally shrugged in resignation and turned to Peng Chengyi, saying, "When you get to the dorm, send me a message to let me know you're safe."

"Mmm!" Peng Chengyi nodded quickly, like a chick pecking at rice, almost making herself dizzy again.

Once Ke Xingjian's figure disappeared at the intersection, she immediately lifted her eyelids, her slightly tipsy impetuosity showing, and looked at Chen Yubai: "What do you want to talk about? Tell me quickly!"

Chen Yubai didn't answer immediately, his gaze sweeping across her face like a searchlight.

Her long eyelashes, made up with mascara, looked thicker and slightly curled upwards than usual.

Her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural blush, and the glossy lip gloss reflected the light, making her skin appear even whiter and softer.

The alcohol made her eyes slightly hazy, her watery pupils carrying a hint of naivety, yet they were exceptionally alluring.

His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, but his brows furrowed even more tightly as he spoke in a cold voice: "With such a low alcohol tolerance, don't drink with people you don't know well, are you stupid?"

"..."

So, after all this time, he's here to become the dean of students?

Peng Chengyi immediately pouted unhappily: "They're not strangers! They're all new classmates, and some are even upperclassmen..."

She paused, then added, "And besides, I'm not drunk! I'm perfectly sober!"

"You call this being sober?" Chen Yubai almost laughed in anger. "You can't even walk straight, and your eyes are all wandering. Peng Chengyi, can't you be a little more cautious in the future?"

"How could I be so careless!" she glared at him defiantly, but her drunken glare was less menacing and more like a coquettish complaint.

"If you're so wary, it's one thing to have your roommate deliver it, but to have a guy you've only known for a few days deliver it?" His tone turned serious.

"Senior Ke isn't a bad person!" she muttered softly, instinctively defending him, "He even helped me avoid drinking earlier..."

Chen Yubai scoffed, his voice even colder: "If he were really a good person, he shouldn't have let you drink in the first place, and he certainly wouldn't have let you end up like this."

"What's wrong with me? I'm perfectly fine! Besides, the alcohol content of that liquor wasn't high to begin with, and he didn't know I had such a low alcohol tolerance at first!"

As she spoke, she simply took a step forward and strode ahead.

"..." Chen Yubai's eyes darkened. He stared silently at her swaying back for a moment, then suddenly took a step forward and caught up with her, grabbing her slender arm. "What's so good about it? You're going the wrong way."

Peng Chengyi paused awkwardly, her face flushing even more, and defended herself, saying, "Even when I'm sober, I sometimes go the wrong way, after all, I have no sense of direction."

Hearing this, Chen Yubai tightened his grip, both annoyed and amused: "Alright, you're the most clear-headed one. Hurry up and come back to school with me."

His palms were warm, pressing against her skin through the thin fabric, with an undeniable strength that made her heart flutter slightly.

Peng Chengyi pursed her lips and tried to shake off his hand, saying, "Your class hasn't ended yet, has it? I can walk by myself, you don't need to see me off. Anyway, you didn't promise my roommate anything."

He didn't move an inch; instead, he gripped the object even more firmly.

“But I promised your mother I would take good care of you,” he said calmly, offering a reason she couldn’t refute.

"..." Peng Chengyi choked and could only be half-lifted and half-supported by him to walk forward.

The streetlights cast long, blurred shadows of the two people, which intertwined.

The alcohol, combined with her lingering resentment, kept rising within her, and Peng Chengyi couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "No wonder my mom always talks about you and praises you, saying how great Xiaoyu is... I'm definitely not as filial and obedient as you, why don't you just go and be her son?"

Chen Yubai paused slightly, then let out a very soft sneer: "...I'd like to."

"Huh?" Peng Chengyi didn't hear him clearly; the alcohol made her ears feel like they were blocked by a membrane. She instinctively tilted her head, bringing her burning ear closer to him. "What did you say?"

Chen Yubai, however, kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, gently pressing her shoulder with his other hand to straighten her up, his lazy tone devoid of emotion: "It's nothing, watch your step, walk properly."

-

As they entered the campus, the night breeze carried the faint scent of osmanthus blossoms. Passing by a brightly lit supermarket, Chen Yubai pressed her down onto a bench by the entrance without a word: "Wait here quietly, I'm going to buy something."

“I’m already in the school, it’s not far, I can find my way back by myself…” Peng Chengyi was unwilling to wait idly, and muttered as she tried to stand up. The alcohol made her movements a little sluggish, like a kitten trying to resist but with uncoordinated limbs.

Chen Yubai paused, deftly pulled out his phone, pointed the camera at her flushed face, which was filled with reluctance and drunkenness, and snapped a picture, capturing her bewildered and silly look at that moment.

“If you dare to run away,” he waved his phone, his tone calm but every word a precise blow, “I’ll send this photo to your mom as soon as I get out, so she can see that someone has gotten himself into this state less than a week into the new semester.”

"..."

Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly, and she slowly sat back down.

Damn it! This dog really knows exactly how to pinpoint her Achilles' heel!

She idly swung her legs, staring blankly at her elongated shadow on the ground. The evening breeze made her a little more awake, but her head was still spinning.

Before long, Chen Yubai came out carrying a transparent supermarket plastic bag, then his warm hand gripped her arm again, and with a little force, he lifted her up from the chair: "Let's go."

When they reached the dormitory building, he handed the bag to her, his tone flat: "Go upstairs, soak it in hot water, and drink it; it'll make you feel better."

Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the plastic bag and realized that it contained a jar of honey grapefruit tea.

She thought he had gone to buy her something, but it turned out to be hangover tea. Feeling a little conflicted, she pursed her lips and mumbled, "Oh, thank you..."

He put his hands back in his pockets and lazily reminded her, "Let me know on WeChat when you get to your dorm."

"We're already downstairs..." She looked up, feeling that he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"I'm afraid you'll fall on the stairs and make the campus headlines again tomorrow." Chen Yubai's lips curled into a half-smile.

"...I'm not that drunk!" Peng Chengyi scoffed, turned around, and pushed open the glass door. "I'm leaving, bye-bye!"

Chen Yubai stood quietly in place, watching her figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, before turning around and returning to his dormitory.

After entering the room, he quickly walked to the balcony and glanced at dormitory 303 across the street.

When the light came on and her blurry figure appeared behind the glass door, his tense brows relaxed, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Just as I was about to look away, I saw her throw the plastic bag onto the table and bend down to unbutton her shirt dress.

Chen Yubai's nerves jolted, and he hurriedly pulled out his phone, quickly typing and sending: "Pull the curtains."

The person on the other side didn't react at all and continued unbuttoning their clothes.

He frowned deeply and dialed a video call without thinking.

The urgent ringing finally snapped Peng Chengyi out of her sluggish state. She stopped unbuttoning her clothes and impatiently approached the incessantly ringing phone on the table.

Seeing that it was Chen Yubai, his alcohol-numbed brain didn't have time to think, and his finger subconsciously pressed the answer button.

"I'm at the dorm! What are you going to do now?" She pouted, leaning closer to the screen, completely unaware that her unbuttoned shirt collar was wide open, revealing her slender bra straps and snow-white skin, her undulating curves on full display in front of the camera.

It seemed to be much more fulfilling than that summer vacation.

Chen Yubai's breath hitched, and he abruptly flipped the phone screen over and held it face down in his palm.

"Huh? Why is it dark..." Peng Chengyi asked, still confused.

Chen Yubai's Adam's apple bobbed, and he licked his suddenly dry lips, his voice slightly hoarse as he said, "Peng Chengyi... could you please put your clothes on first?"

After struggling to process the situation and his words, Peng Chengyi suddenly looked down at his open shirt, and with a "boom," all the blood in his body rushed to his face.

She pulled back, frantically wrapping her open shirt dress around herself, and hissed at the phone, both embarrassed and angry, "You pervert! Did you see that?!"

"...I didn't see it." His voice came through the receiver, a little stiff and unnatural, before he quickly added, "Remember to close the curtains before changing your clothes."

After saying that, he almost abruptly hung up the phone.

The dormitory fell silent instantly.

Peng Chengyi subconsciously turned her head to look at the glass door of the balcony. The lights of the boys' dormitory across the way were clearly visible, and there were even shadowy figures moving behind some of the windows.

Damn! Her heart skipped a beat, and she instantly sobered up considerably.

Draw the curtains! She completely forgot about something so important!

She was both annoyed and embarrassed, so she wrapped her shirt dress tighter around herself and almost lunged to the window, pulling the curtains shut with a whoosh.

On the opposite balcony, Chen Yubai looked at the curtains that had finally been drawn, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he let out a deep breath.

He put his phone back in his pocket, leaned forward, slightly bent his back, and rested his arm on the cold railing.

Waiting for the cool night breeze to dissipate the heat from his ears.

-----------------------

Author's Note: [Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking]

There will be another update at 12 noon! Thank you to RainyDay, AhYaya, WangXiaoXiaoXiaoXie, Sunshine, Soleil, Gulu, XUANER, and Leventseleve for the nutrient solution!