Chapter 19 If Being Sober Is a Sin
Jiang Ranxu picked up Meng Weishen near the front desk of the KTV.
The reason they called him "pick up" was because he was already drunk and unconscious. A girl they didn't know was watching over him, fiddling with her phone, probably trying to call a taxi.
The girl gave him a probing look: "Are you the one Wesley is dating tonight?"
Jiang Ranxu just nodded slightly without introducing his identity, thinking that the other party had guessed it.
"I'm an intern in their group. He's been drinking with his boss. Do you want me to help get him into the car?"
The girl tried to pull Meng Weishen up, but Jiang Ranxu stopped her in time: "It's okay. You go first, I'll take care of it."
After the girl got into the online taxi, Jiang Ranxu leaned over slightly, approaching the staggering drunk. The KTV's light bulb cast an ambiguous blue-purple light on the drunk until his figure cast a shadow, tightly enveloping her, and the light disappeared.
Fortunately, the drunkard had no sense of crisis and still kept his eyes closed, only moving his eyelashes in the shadows.
The strong smell of alcohol hit Jiang Ranxu's nostrils, but he didn't find it disgusting. Jiang Ranxu touched the drunk's burning face, "Meng Weishen, wake up."
Having just experienced the howling winter wind, his body temperature must have been very cold. He shivered at the sting and indeed opened his eyes.
Meng Weishen sat up straight as if he were an artificial intelligence that had just been given a power-on command. Without waiting for Jiang Ranxu to react, he strode out of the KTV.
Jiang Ranxu was stunned for a moment, then quickly chased after Meng Weishen and grabbed his arm, pulling the left half of his coat back onto his shoulders. "Wait a minute, what are you going to do?"
"Mia, you go back first. Someone is waiting for me tonight, and I have to go find him." Meng Weishen's pupils were dimmed, and he didn't turn his head to look at him, but stared at the tiles on the straight road.
"Meng Weishen." Jiang Ranxu had no choice but to call out again.
Meng Weishen had already pushed open the glass door to the KTV. A cold wind rushed in, dry and biting, leaving a faint fishy smell in the fine lines of his skin. The wind seemed to sober Meng Weishen up a little, and he finally paused, studying his face intently.
Jiang Ranxu took the opportunity to help Meng Weishen zip up his down jacket, pulling it all the way to his chin. As soon as he touched Meng Weishen's neck, he called out, "Oh, you're my wife."
You drunkard, who did you mistake him for?
Jiang Ranxu frowned slightly, not wanting to pay attention, so he let go of the other person's collar.
Meng Weishen chuckled foolishly, revealing his pointed canine teeth: "No, I was wrong. We haven't got the marriage certificate yet, Jiang Ranxu."
This was the first time Meng Weishen called him by his real name. Jiang Ranxu couldn't take his eyes off the other's canine teeth, and his heart skipped a beat.
Meng Weishen laughed again: "Why are you standing there? Let's go and see the lantern festival."
It was now 8:30 pm, and it was too late to rush to the Lantern Festival.
Jiang Ranxu led the other party to another destination: the green park across the street.
The Beijing municipal government is known for its generous spending, and during the Lunar New Year, the street trees are decked out in vibrant displays. Most of these trees are deciduous, their leaves swept clean by the cold wind, leaving only a few slender branches, perfect for lighting displays. Light strips are wrapped around the trunks, and bulbs hang from the treetops, illuminating the park's cobblestone paths.
Jiang Ranxu believes that looking at the illuminated trees on the roadside cannot be considered a fraud: "Look, it's a lantern festival."
The shapes of the lanterns were a bit monotonous, with only spheres and stars. In his memory, there should be cartoon lanterns in the shape of rabbits, antique lanterns with Tang poetry written in calligraphy, and lotus-shaped river lanterns.
But perfunctory treatment was enough for Meng Weishen. He stepped on the cobblestones and quickly jumped into the depths of the park.
Without warning, a massive, ancient tree blocked the path ahead. Its trunk was likely tens of meters tall. Colored lights had barely reached the lowest treetops, their countless needle-shaped leaves a lush green beneath the orange-yellow light. The main trunk remained cloaked in a solemn black veil, only the whistling wind uttered a hoarse hum.
The ancient trees of the imperial capital are the iron anchors cast into the earth by history. Even if the seas dry up and the rocks crumble, the anchors will remain.
Jiang Ranxu studied the introduction board under the tree. It turned out that the ancient tree was thousands of years old and had once been used for folk sacrifices.
Before he knew it, Meng Weishen had already circled the ancient tree on his own, and then came back in a daze, bumping into his back.
Jiang Ranxu was caught off guard and staggered slightly. Meng Weishen suddenly hugged him from behind, covering his back with his entire upper body.
It was as if a ball of alcohol ignited my spine, transmitting a hot and fuming sensation.
Meng Weishen murmured nonchalantly, "You're cold, Jiang Ranxu."
"Nonsense, I waited for you for more than two hours last night."
Jiang Ranxu wanted to shake Meng Weishen off, but the drunk Meng Weishen was even more stubborn than a piece of taffy. He turned stiffly and tried to straighten Meng Weishen's shoulders, but Meng Weishen took advantage of the situation and hooked his neck, rubbing his nose with his lips stained with strong liquor.
What finally landed on his lips was a soft, moist mass, like a melted chocolate bar, the rich aroma of wine bursting between his lips and teeth. But he could still recognize the scent from Meng Weishen's collar. He couldn't tell what it was: soapberry? Mint? Dew? He only knew it was a clean scent.
The kiss started and ended abruptly. Jiang Ranxu immediately turned his head away and reached out to cover the lower half of his face. The lines in his palm trembled with a hot and itchy feeling. It was Meng Weishen's lips pressed against his palm.
Meng Weishen raised his blank eyes. The shadows of the trees, the spots of light, the cold wind, all fell on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Meng Weishen, do you know what you are doing?"
"I know."
"...What can you know? You know nothing."
Jiang Ranxu's chest was filled with a simmering fire, though it didn't ignite. He had indeed imagined kissing Meng Weishen many times, and he had certainly imagined going even further. But not now.
According to his plan, the first kiss should happen after a carefully prepared date, and the whole process must be followed: first have dinner and drink some fruit wine; then go to see a drama from the People's Art Theatre, or an old film exhibited at a film festival; after the date, he will send the other person home, and when they are about to leave, they will naturally escalate to a kiss.
The reckless and chaotic drunken kiss completely ruined the meaning of the first kiss.
Meng Weishen answered seriously: "You are a man, I have to try it with you first. This is what you said, let me see if I can accept a man."
Guilty, he pulled away the fuel from his anger. Jiang Ranxu was silent for a moment, then finally grabbed half of the other person's arm and said, "You've had too much to drink. I'll take you home."
Meng Weishen didn't say anything for a while, lowered his head, and let him lead him towards the exit of the park.
Until the two of them stepped onto the curb, Meng Weishen somehow awakened some function, shook him off, took big strides, and rushed towards the online taxi parked on the side of the street.
The moment Meng Weishen got into the back seat, Jiang Ranxu blocked the car door in time, his heart still beating wildly: "Where are you going? What are you doing?"
"You get in the car too." Meng Weishen considerately moved his legs inward to give him the outer seat.
"...Just tell me where you're going first." Jiang Ranxu held the car door tightly, standing there with the wheel.
The driver was enthusiastic and answered on Meng Weishen's behalf: "The destination he chose is the Haidian District Marriage Registration Office."
"That's right, let's go get the certificate." Meng Weishen nodded repeatedly as if in a dream, "Why don't you get in the car?"
Jiang Ranxu felt like his head was about to explode. Taking advantage of the other party's confusion, he no longer restrained his temper: "Meng Weishen, are you crazy? What do you mean by getting a marriage certificate? Do you know what time it is? There's no chance tomorrow morning. Did you make an appointment in advance? Besides, you have no idea what you are doing now. You will regret it when you wake up tomorrow morning!"
Meng Weishen stared blankly at the leather pad, not understanding his concerns at all: "Why? This is what you said, asking me to get a real marriage certificate. Why didn't you go?"
Jiang Ranxu regretted it before the other party.
Of course, the advice he gave to Meng Weishen was full of selfishness, but selfishness had to be packaged decently, otherwise it would only make people disgusted.
Just like kissing, love should also follow the process he planned: first pretend to cooperate with the other party's contract marriage, and then the two will develop feelings as they spend time together day and night. He will then guide Meng Weishen to confess his true feelings to him, and he will pretend to be very surprised and nod in agreement.
But Meng Weishen always disrupts his plans, leading to him facing the second bad ending: having a one-night stand with a straight man, and being blocked on all platforms by the straight man who woke him up the next morning.
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