Chapter 17 Gets Closer to "Do You Want Me to Carry You?"
"—Mu Tingyu, come here."
The man's voice was deep and carried an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Zhuang Ren was startled and instinctively tried to explain, "Brother Xing, it's not what you think..."
Before he could finish speaking, the people around him started to move.
Mu Tingyu's head felt heavy, and her thoughts were a little sluggish.
As she walked, the wine she had drunk swayed and lingered in her body, gradually seeping into every corner.
Part of it invaded her consciousness, and part of it weighed on her heart, like a heavy brick, making her feel suffocated.
She walked right up to him, stopped, and looked up at him.
Then—she reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt.
Xing Ze lowered his eyes, looking into the girl's glistening eyes, and asked softly, "Have you been drinking?"
Mu Tingyu obediently replied, "I drank it."
His furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he raised his head a little, gesturing to Zhuang Ren, "Thank you for bringing her back. Go home soon."
Zhuang Ren was already a little afraid of him, and he put away any thoughts he might have at this moment. However, seeing that he was about to start scolding someone, he couldn't help but feel a little worried for Mu Tingyu.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Brother Xing, Teacher Mu... she didn't drink too much on purpose. I'll have to trouble you to take good care of her."
"......"
Xing Ze lifted his eyelids and looked at the young man standing under the street lamp with a scrutinizing gaze.
With delicate features, youthful and gentle demeanor, and a touch of refined scholarly air, he has an appearance that easily inspires a sense of closeness.
He stood under the streetlight, his tone full of concern for Mu Tingyu.
Xing Ze narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "Go."
Zhuang Ren had no choice but to leave, looking back every few steps.
After his footsteps faded away, Mu Tingyu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Xing Ze looked over upon hearing the sound and found that the hem of his clothes had been twisted into a pitiful little braid.
"..." He was still angry, and his tone was somewhat fierce, "What are you laughing at?"
Mu Tingyu blinked: "Were you just about to curse him?"
"......"
Xing Ze glanced at her indifferently, without saying a word.
Mu Tingyu struggled to support her head and vividly described, "The expression on your face just now seemed to say—get out of the way, don't get in my way!"
After saying that, she started laughing nonstop again.
Xing Ze looked at her, and his Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.
After a while, he spoke, his voice low: "Do you know why he's in the way?"
Mu Tingyu tilted her head and thought for a while: "I don't know."
Xing Ze asked, "How much did you drink?"
"Half a bowl of baijiu, half a bowl." Mu Tingyu stretched out her two hands, making a circle about the size of a bowl. "That's about the size."
Xing Ze forced a smile and said coolly, "With such a low alcohol tolerance, you still try to drink? Is it even tasty?"
"It doesn't taste good." Mu Tingyu reached out and tugged at his sleeve again. "It tastes really, really bad. Osmanthus wine is definitely better."
I was still thinking about osmanthus wine.
Xing Ze grabbed her wrist and freed his clothes from her grasp: "Can you walk?"
"I feel a little dizzy." Mu Tingyu tilted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling.
Xing Ze squinted, reached out and poked her forehead, asking, "Do you want me to carry you?"
Mu Tingyu staggered slightly from the poking, but still smiled and said, "No, I can walk by myself."
Xing Ze: "......"
"You think you can just walk away?" He grabbed her hand and put it on his shoulder, then turned around and squatted down. "Get on."
Mu Tingyu looked down at Xing Ze's broad, reassuring back and whispered, "Then I won't be polite."
Xing Ze: "Tsk."
She gave a small cheer, hooked her arms around his neck, and climbed onto his back, even trying to rub against him a little higher.
The girl's breath drew near in an instant, and Xing Ze stiffened, feeling her soft body pressed tightly against his back, even shifting restlessly.
His throat tightened, and his tone unusually tinged with annoyance: "Lie still and don't move!"
Mu Tingyu stopped moving and obediently replied, "Okay."
Xing Ze hooked his arm around her knee and stood up.
Mu Tingyu felt like she was rising into the air, which made her extremely excited. She put her hands on Xing Ze's shoulders, swung her legs, and wanted to go even higher.
Just as Xing Ze was about to issue a warning, he saw her raise an arm, like a queen who looked down on everyone and dominated the world, and say in a cold and noble manner: "Let's go."
"......"
Mu Tingyu became unusually restless after getting drunk, while Xing Ze walked steadily, but she talked a lot.
"shake!"
"They're walking too slowly!"
"Are you going to throw my shoes off...?"
Xing Ze ignored her and deliberately remained silent.
Mu Tingyu talked to herself for a while, then fell silent.
She placed her hand on Xing Ze's shoulder, feeling the warmth emanating from him, and gently shook her head.
No, my head feels heavier and heavier...
Her neck was so sore... she couldn't hold on any longer...
With broad, sturdy shoulders right in front of her, she felt that hesitating for even a second would be a disservice to herself. She immediately touched them with affection and then rested her head against them with a clear conscience.
Leaning against it wasn't enough; it complained the muscles were too hard, so it rubbed its head from side to side for a while before finally finding a suitable spot in the back of its shoulder. Satisfied, it smacked its lips and stopped moving.
Warm breath sprayed on her neck, and the girl had a faint fragrance, a mixture of shower gel, sunshine, sea breeze and her unique scent.
Xing Ze's back muscles tensed as he turned his head to look at her fluffy hair and smooth, white forehead, letting out a helpless sigh.
He finally reached the door, stopped, squatted down, and shouted behind him, "Drunkard, get down."
Mu Tingyu: "Snoring."
Xing Ze: "......"
He lowered his voice and threatened, "Are you coming down or not?"
Mu Tingyu: "I'm asleep."
Xing Ze had no choice but to patiently coax her, "Come down first, I'll go make you some hangover soup."
"I won't drink it, it tastes awful, I won't drink it." Mu Tingyu rubbed her head against his shoulder.
"Refusing to get down? Who was it that just said they didn't want to be carried?"
"I can't hear what you're saying."
Xing Ze and she remained locked in a stalemate for a while. She refused to get down no matter what he said, and her legs kept moving around on his waist.
He had no choice but to carry her into the house and into the kitchen.
Mu Tingyu propped her head up and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
"To make a hangover soup for some drunkard."
"Who?! Who are you cooking for?!"
Xing Ze: "......"
He will never let this person drink alcohol again.
He walked to the stool, turned his head and whispered, "I've let go, stand still."
"?!" Mu Tingyu felt the support on her legs suddenly loosen, and her feet slid down instantly due to gravity, falling to the ground with a thud.
She clung to Xing Ze's shoulder, feeling her legs go weak, and slumped down.
Xing Ze quickly grabbed her and pressed her down onto the stool.
He lowered his head and commanded, "Sit still."
Mu Tingyu lowered her head and nodded.
He breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief and walked to the kitchen counter.
I quickly took some ginger, washed and sliced it, put it in a pot, added water and brought it to a boil. Once the broth turned a light yellow color, I added the washed goji berries, cooked it for a while longer, and then turned off the heat.
There were no fresh lemons at home, and fearing that Mu Tingyu wouldn't drink it, he found some honey and added a few spoonfuls.
He ladled out the soup to cool and asked the person on the stool, "Did you eat your fill tonight? Would you like some porridge?"
Mu Tingyu placed both hands on her knees, her eyes wide open: "I want to eat dumplings."
Xing Ze replied coldly and ruthlessly, "No."
There was no sound from the person on the other end.
"..." Xing Ze spoke again, "You ran off before you even started making dumplings this afternoon, where are you going to get dumplings for you?"
Mu Tingyu's muffled voice came from behind: "I didn't talk to you."
He was almost laughing in anger. After wiping his hands clean, he walked over and looked down at her without saying a word.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Mu Tingyu tilted her head.
Xing Ze straightened his face: "...No whining allowed, I haven't settled accounts with you yet."
Mu Tingyu blinked: "What accounts?"
Xing Ze stared at those beautiful eyes for a while, then suddenly reached out and covered them.
His long eyelashes fluttered gently against his palm, and a certain part of his heart began to itch.
—I'll settle the score for you not reacting when you overheard me talking to a girl on the phone; I'll settle the score for you breaking your promise to have dinner at home tonight.
He looked at the girl with her head tilted back, obediently letting him do as he pleased, and helplessly curved his lips into a smile, his sharp eyebrows and eyes softening instantly.
He gently pushed her face away and said in a low voice, "I'll settle the score for you secretly drinking behind my back."
"That's easy!" Mu Tingyu said excitedly. "You should drink too! Osmanthus wine! Bring out osmanthus wine! I specially made this for you..."
Xing Ze raised an eyebrow: "Specially?"
“Specially…” Mu Tingyu’s tongue stammered, and her remaining rationality inexplicably returned, “…asking the boss for it to drink myself.”
"......"
Xing Ze: "Get up."
"?" Mu Tingyu was shocked and gripped the edge of the stool tightly. "Why? You won't even let me sit on this stool?"
Xing Ze: "Get up, or I'll beat you up."
"???"
His tone made it sound like he was about to physically punish her, and Mu Tingyu, intimidated by his intimidation, quickly confessed: "Wait, wait, actually, actually it was just...it was for you that I bought it..."
Xing Ze looked down at her.
"Really, really," Mu Tingyu reached out and tugged at his sleeve, muttering, "I don't like drinking at all, I only bought it because you like it."
After saying that, she looked a little proud and tilted her head back: "Are you happy? I heard from the boss that you asked him many times but couldn't get it!"
Xing Ze asked in a low voice, "How did you know I liked it?"
“Because you were clearly very happy when Sister Xiaoping said she would bring you wine!” Mu Tingyu gestured with her hands, her voice somewhat muffled. “That day, the day you caught me on the third floor and scolded me, do you remember?”
Xing Ze spoke with a deep gaze: "You were indeed eavesdropping on my phone call."
"?" Mu Tingyu protested, "Why are you here again? It's because Sister Xiaoping's voice is so energetic, it's practically bursting out of the receiver, I..."
"happy."
She stopped speaking and looked up blankly.
Xing Ze bent down and touched the top of her head. As if afraid she hadn't heard him, he repeated in an emphasizing tone, "Happy."
Xing Ze rarely expressed his emotions so directly, so much so that when Mu Tingyu met his gaze, she was caught off guard and felt a burning sensation from his eyes.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she quickly lowered her head: "As long as you're happy."
It's just a jar of wine, why are you making such a big deal out of it?
Xing Ze brought the hangover soup over and placed it on the table. The soup had cooled down a bit and was no longer so hot.
She leaned closer, sniffing with a hint of disgust: "Can I drink it later...?"
"No." Xing Ze sat at the table, staring at her with an unyielding expression. "Drink it while it's hot."
She pouted, pinched her nose, and took a sip.
"It doesn't taste good," she commented, frowning.
"Have a couple more sips, or you'll have a headache tomorrow."
She bent down again, forced herself to drink two sips, and then refused to touch it anymore.
Xing Ze sat quietly, watching her stick out her tongue and tear off a napkin.
He patiently waited for her to finish wiping her mouth, catch her breath, and look at him before speaking calmly.
"You just said you don't like drinking."
Mu Tingyu's hand froze.
"Then why did you drink tonight?"
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