Chapter 82 Willingly.
Just when Qi Yuan finally couldn't hold on any longer due to his "bold words" and the alcohol, his body softened and he slid down from the chair like a pile of mud. Just when he was about to make close contact with the balcony floor -
Zhou Ai, who was drunk just now and seemed to be about to lose consciousness in the next second, suddenly stood up nimbly, moved sideways swiftly, and perfectly avoided Qi Yuan's falling trajectory. He even used the corner of the table to steady himself.
He even turned his head with an "innocent" look and looked at Chu Yi, who was standing at the balcony door and subconsciously wanted to step forward to catch Qi Yuan because he suddenly fell down, but there was no sign of drunkenness on his face.
Those peach blossom eyes were surprisingly bright in the night and the balcony lights, flashing with cunning and success, like a cat that successfully stole some meat.
He lowered his voice and said with a little pride:
"Holy crap! We can finally get rid of this oversized lightbulb!"
Chu Yi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He looked at the man in front of him who was pretending to be drunk without any flaws but whose eyes were clear at the moment. Then he looked at Qi Yuan who was lying on the ground and snoring. He was speechless for a moment and could only raise his hand helplessly to rub his hair, feeling both amused and helpless.
In the end, Chu Yi directed the "awake" Zhou Ai, and the two of them dragged the sluggish Qi Yuan from the balcony back to the living room and placed him on the couch. As soon as Qi Yuan touched the soft couch, he groaned twice, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep.
After Chu Yi settled Qi Yuan down, he went to the kitchen and made a cup of warm kudzu flower water for each of them to sober up. Although he could tell Zhou Ai was probably faking it, he had still drunk quite a bit.
Zhou Ai took the cup and sipped it obediently. He was sober, but the physical effects of alcohol were undeniable. After a few bottles of beer, his impeccable face was already showing a distinct hint of drunkenness.
Under the light, his fair skin revealed an alluring blush, spreading from his cheeks to the corners of his eyes, and even his delicate earlobes were stained crimson, as if they were smeared with the finest rouge.
Those peach blossom eyes that usually seduce people now look even more radiant because of being slightly drunk.
Her eyes were unconsciously lazy and blurred, and her long and thick eyelashes occasionally trembled slightly, casting a faint shadow on her lower eyelids.
He tilted his head back slightly to drink the water, his Adam's apple rolling up and down as he swallowed, inexplicably imbued with a certain savage sexiness. He exuded a lazy yet dangerous charm.
Zhou Ai obediently drank his hangover tea and didn't bother to rest. He pulled a single sofa over, propped his chin on one hand, elbow on knee, and squinted his drunken eyes, watching Chu Yi, who was bending over to clean up the mess and mop the floor.
His gaze seemed to carry real warmth, affectionate and focused, lingering on Chu Yi without any concealment.
Chu Yi was mopping the floor with great concentration. As he moved back and forth vigorously, the hem of his soft home T-shirt was occasionally lifted up, revealing a section of his flexible and white waistline.
His skin shone delicately under the light, the dimples of his waist faintly visible. As he walked, the legs of his loose-fitting home trousers swayed slightly, occasionally revealing his slender ankles, which seemed as if they could be held in one hand.
Zhou Ai leaned there lazily, as if appreciating some masterpiece, his eyes closely following the "scenery" that appeared from time to time, with a satisfied yet dangerous smile on his lips.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Chu Yi stood up, put down the mop and went to open the door.
Standing outside the door was Cheng Yingzhi. He seemed to have come in a hurry, with beads of sweat on his forehead.
His eyes passed Chu Yi and saw Qi Yuan lying on the sofa and sleeping soundly.
In the living room, Zhou Ai restrained his lazy "watching" posture when the doorbell rang, but still maintained the posture of supporting his cheek with one hand, and just glanced lightly at the door, and his eyes briefly met Cheng Yingzhi's in the air.
Chu Yi looked at Cheng Yingzhi outside the door, who was obviously anxious. Instead of moving aside immediately, he put on a playful smile, folded his hands leisurely in front of his chest, and leaned against the door frame casually, just blocking Cheng Yingzhi's steps into the room.
He raised his chin, his tone carrying a rare hint of ruffianism: "Mr. Cheng, you came to pick someone up so late at night, and you came empty-handed? Don't you want to show your appreciation?"
When Cheng Yingzhi was stopped by him, he was stunned at first, and then he looked at Chu Yi, who had an attitude of "this road is mine".
He glanced at Zhou Ai, who was also leaning on the sofa in the living room, looking at this side leisurely with the same expression, and instantly understood something.
He lowered his head and shook it with a hint of amusement, his tone filled with helplessness and indulgence: "You kid... when did Zhou Ai lead you to become so bad?"
He raised an eyebrow and took out his phone, waving it in front of Chu Yi. "Tell me, how do you want to express your feelings? You can't ask me to buy a bouquet of flowers right now, right?"
Chu Yi kept his arms crossed and slowly began to count the accounts: "Meaning? That kid Qi Yuan cheated me out of 1.5 million yuan, saying he was going to make some kind of 'stay-up-late-and-extend-life' health tea. In the end, I didn't even get a cup of milk tea. He almost died here just waiting to eat..."
Before he could finish his words, a crisp "ding" sound came from his phone.
Chu Yi paused, took out his phone and glanced at the screen - a bank account information, amount: 2,000,000.00.
He raised his eyebrows, immediately put away his phone, stepped aside to make way, and smoothly made a "please" gesture. His tone instantly became extremely polite:
"Please come in, Mr. Cheng. He's sleeping soundly on the sofa."
Cheng Yingzhi glanced at him helplessly and walked into the living room. He walked to the sofa and tried to pull Qi Yuan, who was sleeping soundly, out of bed.
But Qi Yuan was like a puddle of real mud. Just as he was lifted up a little, he fell back to his original position softly. He even smacked his lips and slept even more soundly.
Cheng Yingzhi looked at his heartless appearance, sighed, and gave up the idea of getting rid of him immediately.
"Let's take a break and let him sober up." Chu Yi said, turning around to pour a glass of warm water for Cheng Yingzhi.
Cheng Yingzhi took the cup of water and sat down on the single sofa next to him. He came in a hurry and was indeed a little thirsty.
He looked at Chu Yi's silhouette as he bent over to add water to his bowl, his eyes deep. He suddenly spoke with a barely perceptible gentleness in his tone, "I feel like you're in much better shape than before."
Chu Yi finished adding water and stood up. He raised an eyebrow at the words, and his face showed the expression that Cheng Yingzhi said he had "learned bad things from Zhou Ai". He asked with a hint of jokingly, "How can you tell? Have you become more handsome?"
Cheng Yingzhi took a sip of water, smiled when he heard that, and glanced meaningfully at Zhou Ai who was standing next to him and began to lazily admire his wife again.
"Not really." He paused, his tone teasing, "I've become a bit mean, I guess I learned that from the guy next to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly put down his water cup, leaned over to Zhou Ai, and lowered his voice, with a hint of provocation and familiarity: "Hey, Zhou Dadingli, according to seniority, shouldn't you also follow Chu Yi and call me Brother Sheng to listen?"
Zhou Ai raised her eyelids, glanced at him lazily, and curled the corners of her lips. There was a hint of malice and ambiguity in her smile. She lowered her voice and asked back, "If I scream... can you bear it?"
Cheng Yingzhi was choked by his words, and made an unpleasant "tsk" sound. He grabbed a pillow from the sofa and threw it at Zhou Ai: "Get lost! I don't want to argue with you."
After a bit of commotion, Cheng Yingzhi sat back down, his expression becoming more serious as he looked at Chu Yi: "But having said that, I really feel that you have changed a lot."
His eyes flickered between Chu Yi and Zhou Ai. "More... more down-to-earth than before. That feeling of alienation that seemed to separate everything has faded a lot."
He said this sincerely.
Chu Yi used to be excellent and polite, but he always seemed to be covered by an invisible glass, so cold that it was difficult for people to really get close to him.
And now, Chu Yi is still elegant, but the aloof feeling that keeps people at a distance has suddenly dissipated, and he has become more lively and down-to-earth.
Chu Yi was slightly stunned when he heard his words, and subconsciously turned his head to look at Zhou Ai beside him.
Zhou Ai was also looking at him, her peach blossom eyes filled with a gentle smile and understanding, as if saying: See, I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Chu Yi did not respond directly, but picked up his water cup, took a sip, and smiled involuntarily.
Some changes are self-evident.
He knew it himself, but he was willing to do it.
"Aunt Chu asked me a few days ago if I had met you." Cheng Yingzhi pondered for a long time, hesitating whether to say it, but finally chose to be honest.
After hearing Chu Ruoyin's words from Cheng Yingzhi's mouth, the relaxed smile on Chu Yi's face faded. He curled the corners of his mouth slightly but did not respond.
Several months have passed since the last birthday party at the old house ended in a bad mood.
The mother and son seemed to have reached some kind of silent understanding, and neither of them took the initiative to contact the other.
They are obviously the closest blood relatives in the world, but because of the complicated calculations of interests, prejudices against family background and forced interference in each other's lives, they are pushed further and further apart. The gap between them seems to be more difficult to cross than that between strangers.
Cheng Yingzhi observed Chu Yi's expression and continued, his voice lowered with a hint of reminder: "A few days ago, the Xie family took the initiative to bid for a new project of the Cheng family, and the conditions were very generous. It seems that the cooperation between the two families is getting closer and closer..."
He paused, frowning slightly, clearly not optimistic about this, and added, "...But in my opinion, this may not be a good thing. Xie Huaiming is a man of deep thoughts, and his father has been making quite a few moves on the board of directors recently. I'm afraid that they are so actively trying to get closer to the Cheng family, and it's not just for business."
Cheng Yingzhi's gaze fell on Chu Yi's calm face: "You...be careful."
Chu Yi listened quietly, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the warm wall of the cup. He didn't respond immediately, his long eyelashes drooping, obscuring the emotions in his eyes, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
Zhou Ai, standing beside him, also relaxed his languid demeanor and sat up straight. Although he remained silent, his gaze had grown colder, the usual smile in his peach-colored eyes replaced by a sharpness.
After several seconds, Chu Yi slowly raised his head and said, "Yes, I see. Thank you, Brother Ying, for reminding me."
He turned his head and looked at Zhou Ai, who was standing beside him with a tense expression. He reached out his hand and gently placed it on the back of Zhou Ai's hand which was resting on her knee. His fingertips were slightly cold, but they carried a soothing power.
Zhou Ai felt the warmth on the back of her hand, and her tense nerves relaxed slightly. She held his fingers with her backhand and squeezed them tightly.
After seeing Qi Yuan and Cheng Ying off, Chu Yi and Zhou Ai were the only ones left in the room, along with a faint smell of alcohol that had not yet completely dissipated in the air.
Zhou Ai looked at the direction where the door was closing, stood up slowly, walked behind Chu Yi, stretched out his arms to wrap around his waist from behind, rested his chin on his shoulder, and his warm breath with the smell of alcohol sprayed on Chu Yi's ears, his voice was low and sexy.
"The light bulbs are finally cleared... Oh dear, now, is it my turn?"
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