Chapter 18 What do you know about the aroma of wine, you idiot?
Xing Ze's questioning voice quickly dissipated in this small space.
Mu Tingyu clenched the crumpled paper in her hand and forced a smile, "Because Stone's father invited me to drink, I felt embarrassed to refuse."
Xing Ze did not utter a word.
"Oh, right, where did you put that osmanthus wine? I want to try it..."
Xing Ze's face was expressionless: "No more drinking tonight."
Mu Tingyu looked at him ingratiatingly: "Then you should try some, I won't drink it. You didn't secretly drink it behind my back, did you?"
Xing Ze stared at her silently for two seconds, then got up and took out a wine jar containing osmanthus wine from the cupboard.
Upon opening the lid, a sweet and rich osmanthus fragrance instantly fills the air, as if the sweet and warm aroma of osmanthus flowers smelled while passing by a tree has been concentrated tenfold and then blended into the wine, releasing a highly penetrating and mature aroma.
Mu Tingyu brought the jar close to her mouth and sniffed it several times: "It smells so good!"
Xing Ze took a glass and used a long spoon to scoop out half a glass.
Mu Tingyu quickly suggested, "How about... scoop out a little more?"
Xing Ze glanced at her, scooped up another spoonful, then resealed the wine jar and put it back in the cupboard.
Mu Tingyu watched with longing eyes.
The liquor in the glass emitted an enticing aroma; compared to the diluted liquor she had drunk that evening, it was practically nectar.
She held the wine glass and sniffed it, then was quickly tapped on the head.
Xing Ze reached for the glass and said coolly, "Don't you dislike drinking?"
"This smells so sweet, it must be a beverage, right? How could it be alcohol?"
Mu Tingyu squinted her eyes, smiled sweetly, and reached out to grab it.
Xing Ze waved his hand and said, "Get up, let's go upstairs."
"Huh, huh?" Mu Tingyu looked at him blankly: "Aren't you... not going to drink anymore?"
"Let's drink on the balcony."
As Mu Tingyu watched him walk out, he picked up his glass and took a sip. She quickly stood up, leaning on the table, and asked, "Was it good?"
Xing Ze stood at the door waiting for her: "It's alright."
"How can it be okay?" Mu Tingyu didn't dare to walk fast, and slowly moved her feet to the door, then stretched out her hand: "Can't you drink it? Let, let me try it."
Xing Ze withdrew his hand expressionlessly and turned off the light with a "snap".
The small light at the door was off, and the room instantly became pitch black.
"Oh!" Mu Tingyu exclaimed in surprise, "It's getting dark!"
She sensed that the person beside her hadn't left and was still standing there, so she reached out to touch them, shouting, "I can't see! I'm blind! Where are you?"
After groping around haphazardly for a while, he bumped into a solid, scorching wall.
A sudden thought flashed through Mu Tingyu's mind, and she felt that this scene seemed familiar.
It felt like stepping into a time machine, going back to the first day I arrived here.
The room on the third floor was also pitch black at that time. Xing Ze came over to help her, and she touched his chest in the same way.
In her memory, both of them let go very quickly, and then Xing Ze turned on the light and reprimanded her with a cold expression.
She flinched and instinctively withdrew her hand.
As she shrank halfway, a burning hot hand reached out and gripped her wrist tightly.
She instinctively tried to move, but found she couldn't.
—Then, she smelled the fragrance of osmanthus wine.
Unlike the rich aroma of a freshly opened wine jar or a glass of wine, this was a light fragrance with a slightly warm and gentle scent that lingered around her nose.
Just as she was about to examine it closely, the fragrance vanished in the next second, dissipating into the air.
She moved her fingers with a hint of regret and heard Xing Ze's slightly hoarse voice.
"Walk."
Mu Tingyu responded and obediently followed behind him, blinking her eyes in the darkness.
Xing Ze led her to the second floor, turned on the hallway light, but did not let go of her, pulling her straight up to the third floor.
Mu Tingyu clung to the escalator and refused to leave.
Although she was a little tipsy from drinking, she still remembered the time he gave her a cold warning.
Seeing him looking over, she asked righteously, "Didn't you forbid me from going up to the third floor?"
Xing Ze said helplessly, "Let it go."
"Really?" Mu Tingyu looked at him suspiciously. "This wasn't my own idea to go up. You invited me up. You can't scold me tomorrow."
"I won't scold you."
She cheered up and didn't need him to lead her anymore. She walked up the stairs on her own, tilting her head back like a landlord as she walked around the third floor. Finally, under Xing Ze's helpless gaze, she walked towards the storage room.
She turned on the light, and her expression instantly turned to surprise.
She pointed to the neatly stacked objects in the room and stammered, "The...the Snail Fairy has arrived?"
Xing Ze lightly patted her forehead: "Tian my foot, go inside."
Mu Tingyu spun around in a daze, feeling as if she had entered a completely unfamiliar territory: "You tidied it up yourself? No, where are those things on the ground? Where did the previous garbage and storage room go?"
Xing Ze: "......"
She then asked, "When did you get it done?"
Xing Ze paused for a moment: "...A few days ago, I think."
Mu Tingyu walked towards the balcony, asking without turning her head, "Why did you suddenly decide to get this sorted out? Why didn't you ask me for help?"
Xing Ze watched her retreating figure and replied softly, "It's too messy; you might trip over it."
“Yeah, I almost fell last time.” Mu Tingyu leaned back in the rocking chair without a care in the world and waved her hand. “Come on, come on, the moon is so beautiful.”
Xing Ze walked over with a glass in his hand, looking down at the unseemly person in the rocking chair: "Get up."
Mu Tingyu gripped the armrest of the rocking chair: "You're so stingy! I'm a guest!"
"A guest who eats and drinks for free?"
Mu Tingyu immediately shrank back into the recliner, feeling guilty, and muttered, "I didn't buy you wine."
Xing Ze smiled slightly: "It was a gift from the boss."
"I personally begged for it and carried it all the way back!" Mu Tingyu quickly declared loudly.
Xing Ze recalled how cautious she had been all afternoon, and his smile deepened. He dragged a chair out of the house.
Seeing that he didn't chase her away anymore, Mu Tingyu stretched out her legs with peace of mind, settled comfortably in the rocking chair, and looked up at the moon hanging in the sky.
Her slouching, lazy sitting posture was simply unbearable to look at. Xing Ze found it amusing, but he was too lazy to pay attention to her and just sat down and took a sip of wine.
The moon was round and bright white, and it didn't seem as unreachable as usual. It hung low in the dark blue sky, emitting a soft and cool halo, and the sea in the distance was shimmering in the light.
As Mu Tingyu listened to the soft lapping of the waves, her mind was a little hazy, but she still insisted on reaching out her hand: "Give me a sip."
"Who just said they weren't going to drink?"
"I don't know, who said that?"
"Let's drink again tomorrow."
I want to drink it now.
"no."
"OK."
Xing Ze looked at her: "Trying to cheat, huh?"
Mu Tingyu's head was tilted against the back of the chair, her snow-white neck exposed in the moonlight, the curve of her shoulders and neck was beautiful, like the wings of a bird.
His Adam's apple bobbed instantly, and then he heard her speak again, unwilling to give up: "I'll just take a sip, just a little bit."
Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of intoxication, and her beautiful eyes were slightly narrowed, with long, alluring corners.
Xing Ze's gaze swept to her tender, slightly glistening lips, paused for a moment, then he quickly looked away and handed her the wine glass: "Just one sip."
Hmm.
Mu Tingyu propped his head up.
She was practically begging him, and she agreed so quickly.
Afraid that the man might change his mind, she quickly grabbed the wine glass, lowered her head, and took a sip.
The next second, his eyes lit up.
It really tastes great! Although the alcohol flavor is much stronger when you drink it than when you smell it, the texture is very smooth. It warms your throat when you drink it and your mouth is full of osmanthus fragrance.
There's no harm without comparison.
She contentedly squinted her eyes into slits, then picked up her wine glass to take another sip.
The next second, the wine glass flew into the air, and before she could react, she was flicked on the forehead.
Just one bite.
She covered her forehead and looked at him unwillingly. She saw Xing Ze standing beside her, tilting his head back and pouring all the wine in his glass into his mouth.
There was at least a quarter of the contents left in the glass, and the glass wasn't small, so one sip would probably take about an ounce.
She asked curiously, "Are you a good drinker?"
Xing Ze glanced down at her and said, "Not bad."
"How much is 'okay'?"
"Better than you."
Mu Tingyu looked at him speechlessly: "Aren't you childish?"
Xing Ze placed the cup on the armrest and chuckled softly.
Mu Tingyu, a wise man who doesn't hold grudges, raised his head again to look at the sky.
It wasn't summer yet, and the evening breeze was cool, gently blowing the strands of hair beside her ears.
Xing Ze asked her, "Are you cold?"
"It's not cold." Mu Tingyu smiled and shook her head, pointing to the moon and exclaiming, "It's so round."
"The moon is full, so I'll go home," she murmured softly, turning her head to ask Xing Ze, "Will you be going home for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Xing Ze replied, "I won't reply unless there's something wrong."
She made a "hmm" sound.
Are you going back?
"Hmm..." Mu Tingyu smiled, "Yes."
Xing Ze looked into her smiling eyes and asked, "Do your parents know you're here to teach in a rural area?"
Mu Tingyu was surprised that he would ask this question, and frowned helplessly: "I'm already twenty-five. I can decide for myself."
"I thought you were the kind of kid who had to report everything you did to your parents." Xing Ze glanced at her, his words carrying a hidden meaning. "Didn't you post on your WeChat Moments that you get scolded for eating junk food in the middle of the night?"
Mu Tingyu chuckled and quickly retorted, "You were peeking at my WeChat Moments!"
Xing Ze said calmly, "You reacted so quickly, you're not drunk? If you're not drunk, you're not allowed to sit in my rocking chair."
Mu Tingyu ignored him and reached out to tug at his sleeve: "Remember to come home for Mid-Autumn Festival this year!"
Xing Ze raised an eyebrow: "Why?"
"Why is there a reason?" Mu Tingyu looked at him strangely. "It's nice to get together with family."
Xing Ze recalled the few times he had sat at the same table with the old man for a meal, and each time it ended in chaos or arguments. He decided to forget about it; he wasn't at the point where he needed to torture himself.
Mu Tingyu stared at the moon, her eyes devoid of any light.
Xing Ze frowned slightly: "Are you sleepy?"
She rubbed her eyes: "A little."
"Then go to sleep."
She obediently stood up: "Okay."
Perhaps the hangover soup she drank earlier was working; she seemed to be able to walk steadily without anyone holding her hand.
Xing Ze watched her slowly walk down the wall, and followed her.
He escorted her to the second floor, watching her somewhat thin back, the question stuck in his throat.
I wanted to grab her wrist, look into her eyes, and ask her what had happened.
Why did you look so sad when you came back at night?
So much so that she revealed a vulnerable and dependent attitude she had never shown before, as if drawing warmth from him.
But she didn't want to say.
So this isn't like Yu Li's situation, where he asks and she seeks his help.
Or rather, he couldn't help her at all, so she didn't say anything.
—And he has no right or position to demand that she tell him.
Xing Ze stopped at the top of the stairs as usual and said, "Mu Tingyu."
Mu Tingyu turned her head in confusion, her eyes hazy and unfocused, as if she were extremely sleepy.
Xing Ze stared at her intently.
“The girl who called me today is my sister,” he began. “The ‘you girls’ in ‘you girls’ also refers to her.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Tingyu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."
Xing Ze watched her retreating figure and helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose.
What do you know, you idiot?
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