Chapter 18

Josh had already sat up cross-legged.

Under the dim streetlights, Chen Zhiyu stopped abruptly, as if time had frozen at that moment.

He stood there for a long time, his shadow stretching long behind him. Josh's hands were wrapped tightly around his neck like seaweed, and his long, thin hair gently brushed against his neck and fell onto his shoulders.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the strands of hair flying in the wind created ripples in his heart, causing a tremendous shock within him.

Chen Zhiyu was overwhelmed with emotions that were difficult to process. He walked slowly down the road, as if he had carefully considered every step. It took him a long time to get back to where he had parked.

After Chen Zhiyu safely put Qiao Xi down and made her sit obediently in the back seat of the car, he was about to get on the car when he realized that someone behind him was grabbing his clothes tightly.

Sitting in the back seat, Josh had her head down, her fists clenched tightly, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly in her hand, refusing to let go.

Her long hair hung down on both sides of her face, her chin bobbed slightly, and she was muttering something to herself, as if she had something to say to him.

Chen Zhiyu bent down and tucked her hair behind her ears, asking softly, "What's wrong?"

Under the moonlight, Josh's entire face was exposed. Her expression was not good; her brows were furrowed, her eyes were closed, and her mouth opened and closed.

Chen Zhiyu's heart clenched, worried that she wasn't feeling well, and he asked with concern, "Qiao Xi, are you feeling nauseous?"

Josh kept his head down the whole time. When he heard his question, he shook his head very slowly, but he tugged at his clothes even harder.

Chen Zhiyu gently lifted her chin with his right hand. Supported by his warm palm, Qiao Xi was forced to tilt her head back. Sensing the faint light, she slowly opened her eyes, her half-open gaze unfocused.

"What's wrong?" Chen Zhiyu asked with concern.

Josh's mouth moved slightly, very gently, and his voice was very soft.

Chen Zhiyu bent down and put his ear close to his, "What did you say?"

Seeing the blurry figure so close at hand, a smile instantly bloomed on that drunken face. Where Chen Zhiyu couldn't see, Qiao Xi revealed a sly grin, while vigorously tugging at his clothes and shaking him up and down, shouting clearly, "Giddy up!"

The crisp, powerful sound echoed through the busy street, and long afterward, Chen Zhiyu's ears were still ringing.

The drunkard, whose scheme had succeeded, looked at him with a satisfied expression.

Chen Zhiyu sighed. A drunkard is a drunkard; he couldn't have a normal conversation with him.

"Josh, hold on tight, we're going home." Chen Zhiyu got back on the bike and told her to sit still in the car with a slightly forceful tone.

This time, Josh obediently nodded, wrapped his arms around his waist, and locked his hands tightly together.

Josh's palms were very hot, like a hand warmer. His palms were pressed tightly against his firm abdomen, and the heat seemed to spread through the skin and flow into his body. In that instant, Chen Zhiyu's body trembled and he straightened his back.

He paused for a moment, then reminded her, "We need to leave now."

Josh pressed his head against him again, his forehead against his back, rubbing against him. The touch was warm and a little itchy. Chen Zhiyu took a deep breath, tightened the handlebars, and finally set off.

It takes about half an hour to drive from the place where the gathering was held to the residential area. Worried that Josh might fall asleep halfway, he rode very slowly and kept talking to her the whole way.

In the latter part of her drunken state, Josh seemed to have lost her language system, but fortunately she was well-behaved enough to respond with "uh-huh" and "ah-ah" sounds.

Nothing went wrong on the way back, and I arrived home safely.

Josh was still somewhat conscious and was able to get out of the car on his own. After getting out, he didn't run around but waited patiently in place, watching Chen Zhiyu lock the car.

Her long, flowing hair was already disheveled by the wind on the road, with a few strands sticking to her face. Standing in the vast darkness, she looked like a wandering female ghost.

Seeing her like this, Chen Zhiyu chuckled to himself and asked, "Can you walk by yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Josh raised her eyes, her eyes, hidden by her thick black hair, revealing disdain. She slightly raised her chin, as if to say, "Who do you look down on?"

“Alright then.” Chen Zhiyu smiled, raising his eyebrows. “I’ll watch you go.”

"Hmph." Josh snorted and took a step, but his first step was unsuccessful, and he stumbled and almost fell over.

Chen Zhiyu suddenly reached out his hand.

To everyone's surprise, Josh managed to hold on by himself, and proudly turned around, giving Chen Zhiyu a light glance, and under his surprised gaze, he resolutely took the second step.

It was the first time Chen Zhiyu had seen Qiao Xi drunk, and he found it very interesting. It felt like he was getting closer to her and seeing a side of her that no one else knew.

This is a secret that belongs only to the two of them.

Chen Zhiyu was in a good mood, smiling as he looked at her. He gave Qiao Xi a thumbs up and praised her generously, "You're great."

Unexpectedly, all I got in return was a soft snort.

The aftereffects of the red wine were too strong. At first, it wasn't a big deal, but after fermentation, Josh's head felt like it was filled with lees, his brain was in disarray, and he had no idea what he was doing.

Driven by the alcohol, Josh spread her arms and lifted one foot high in the air. She imagined herself as an eagle soaring with outstretched wings. She stomped down hard with that foot, and just a few centimeters from the ground, she gently landed.

She turned back again, looking proudly at Chen Zhiyu.

This time, Chen Zhiyu tilted his head, said nothing, and did nothing.

Josh stared at him blankly with a straight face.

Chen Zhiyu was speechless. In the darkness, his eyes widened slightly as he stared at her without saying a word.

Faced with his indifference, Josh immediately changed his expression, glanced at him with disdain, snorted, turned around arrogantly, and lifted the foot that was originally in front of him again.

Chen Zhiyu watched as she retreated again. "Dancing the Yangko?"

Even performing the Yangko dance isn't this strenuous.

After a moment, Chen Zhiyu understood and gave her a thumbs up, saying, "You're awesome."

Finally hearing the praise, Josh was satisfied and, as if given a command, took another step forward.

Helpless, Chen Zhiyu knew they would be walking until dawn at this rate. He stepped in front of her, squatted down again, and stretched his arms out behind him. "Come on, I'll carry you."

But nothing happened for a long time.

Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him. Josh took a running start, creating a cool breeze, and finally managed to climb onto his back.

Chen Zhiyu held her steadily.

The security door at the entrance of the residential complex was always open. The elderly residents had difficulty opening the door, so they would always prop it open with a brick, thus saving Chen Zhiyu the trouble of carrying her to open it.

In the stairwell, motion-activated lights illuminated one floor at a time.

Chen Zhiyu carried her up to the fifth floor. The stairwell was stuffy and hot, and the two of them were very close together, so they were both sweating.

Josh kept dozing off and waking up throughout the journey. If Chen Zhiyu hadn't reminded her from time to time, she probably would have fallen asleep in the car.

When they got home, Chen Zhiyu first put Qiao Xi on the sofa.

Josh could no longer hold on and buried his face in the sofa, remaining motionless.

The house was pitch black. Chen Zhiyu got up to turn on the living room light, but after thinking for a while, he turned on the entryway light instead.

The house was quiet. The light from the entryway silently spilled in, and Josh, hidden in the dim light, had a flushed face and was breathing softly.

Chen Zhiyu straightened her body and gently brushed her disheveled hair aside.

Seeing that she was sleeping peacefully, he didn't plan to wake her. He hurriedly took a shower first, and when he came back, he sat back down on the carpet and quietly watched her.

Josh rolled over on the sofa and fell asleep on his side, one hand dangling down from the sofa.

Chen Zhiyu stood guard at the edge of the sofa, gently holding her hand. His long, slender fingers supported hers, their fingers intertwined. He leaned his face closer, and the two were very close.

The air conditioner was on in the living room, but the heat in Chen Zhiyu's eyes didn't diminish. He said in a muffled voice, as if pleading or trying to please, "Qiao Xi, I want you to depend on me, to depend on me completely."

He held her hand greedily, with a hint of restraint, and murmured under the cover of night, "Josh, don't always treat me like a child."

Chen Zhiyu's gaze followed Qiao Xi intently; he was hers, and she could only have him.

Once this idea takes root, it can never be suppressed.

Strangely, even though she was the one who was drunk, Chen Zhiyu felt dizzy and lightheaded. It was in this hazy clarity that he had the courage to speak the truth.

Tonight, one person drank that glass of wine, but two people ended up drunk.

People who are drunk are most likely to wake up thirsty in the middle of the night.

After an unknown amount of time, Josh, who was lying on the sofa, tossed and turned, complaining that he was thirsty and wanted to drink water.

Worried that Qiao Xi might fall, Chen Zhiyu moved her further inside to make sure she wouldn't roll over and fall, then quickly got up to pour water.

When I came back after pouring the water, I found that Josh had already sat up cross-legged.

"What's wrong?"

After a good night's sleep, Josh's eyes regained some clarity. She took the water Chen Zhiyu handed her, drank it all in one gulp, and then said, "I haven't washed up or removed my makeup yet."

After a while, once the dizziness subsided, Josh propped himself up from the sofa and went to the bathroom to wash up.

The bathroom door was closed.

First came the sound of rushing water, then there was silence for a long time. Worried that something had happened to her, Chen Zhiyu went to the door and knocked twice. "Qiao Xi, don't sleep, hurry up and finish tidying up and go back to your room to sleep."

Finally, the sound of flowing water returned to normal.

Chen Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't convenient for him to stay here indefinitely. Just as he was about to leave, the sound of water stopped after only two taps. He knocked on the door again. "Qiao Xi, answer."

There was no reply this time.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Josh, stop pretending to be asleep."

Upon hearing a soft click of disdain from inside the door, Chen Zhiyu smiled knowingly.

This person is still drunk.

After she finally finished tidying up and went into her room, Chen Zhiyu felt relieved and returned to his own room.

After a busy night, the two slept soundly.

Josh didn't have to go to work the next day, and without an alarm clock, he slept until the afternoon.

When Chen Zhiyu got up after washing up, he was in the living room wearing his pajamas.

"You're awake?" Seeing her groggily enter the living room, Chen Zhiyu pointed to the simple meal laid out on the table. "Perfect for lunch."

"I had some drinks last night, so I'll eat something light for now."

Josh nodded blankly, then sat down at the dining table after washing up and asked him, "What time did you wake up?"

"It's only half an hour earlier than yours."

It's indeed good wine; it doesn't give you a headache after drinking it.

Josh rarely drinks, but she usually doesn't get drunk. It's just that yesterday she drank a mixed bag of drinks, causing her to black out a bit. She was about to ask, "Yesterday..."

"You promised me we'd go out and have fun together before school starts, remember?" Chen Zhiyu, sitting next to her, placed the peeled egg in her hand and suddenly asked.

"I agreed?" Josh took a bite of egg white and turned to look at him.

Yesterday, Josh was in a daze and couldn't speak clearly, probably because he couldn't remember something. Chen Zhiyu lied without hesitation, "Yes, you promised."

Josh nodded hesitantly, "If there's nothing else, then go ahead."

Judging from her skeptical look, she really didn't remember what happened yesterday.