Song Ranran drank more than half a whole case of beer. By the end, she was completely out of it, swaying unsteadily even while walking.
Gu Qingyue and Xu Youning only drank a few symbolic sips with her. After all, they could not all end up drunk. They took a taxi back to school. It took the two of them an enormous effort to finally haul Song Ranran back to the dormitory.
Xu Youning collapsed into a chair, picked up her water cup, and gulped down big mouthfuls. After finishing more than half the cup and resting for a while, she finally felt like she had come back to life.
Looking at Song Ranran lying unconscious on the bed, she said, “She looks pretty slim. How does she get so heavy when she’s drunk?”
“She’s got something weighing on her mind. From the looks of it, she hasn’t let him go at all.” Gu Qingyue felt hot and unzipped her jacket, fanning herself with her hand. Her fair little face was flushed red.
“Sigh.” Xu Youning let out a helpless sigh and looked at Gu Qingyue.
“Yueyue, it’s so late. Why don’t you stay in the dorm tonight?”
It really was unsafe for a girl to take a taxi alone late at night.“It’s fine. Someone’s coming to pick me up.” Thinking of Shang Yuze, the corners of Gu Qingyue’s lips curved into an uncontrollable, sweet smile.
On the way back to school earlier, Shang Yuze had messaged her to ask when she would be back. Seeing her shy, lovestruck expression, Xu Youning teased with a grin, “I have to say, your husband is really considerate.”
Gu Qingyue felt embarrassed by that comment. Luckily her face was already red, otherwise she would have been mercilessly mocked by this so-called friend. She quickly changed the subject.
“Good thing you don’t have a first class tomorrow morning. Otherwise, with how drunk she is, she definitely wouldn’t be able to get up.”
Thinking of Song Ranran drowning her sorrows earlier, Xu Youning’s brows knitted tightly. “She’s like this. Is there really nothing we can do to help her?”
Gu Qingyue thought for a moment and shook her head. “This is between the two of them. If we interfere on our own, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
“That’s true. But the way Han Xiao looks at Ranran, it’s obvious he still has feelings. They clearly still care about each other. Why won’t they just say it?” Xu Youning could not understand it at all.
Gu Qingyue’s eyes flickered, her glassy gaze rippling like autumn water. “Because they care too much, they hesitate.”
Xu Youning leaned back against the chair, tilting her head to stare at the ceiling. “Love really gives people a headache. It makes you worry about gains and losses.”She hoped she would never have to taste the bitterness of love in her lifetime.
Gu Qingyue took out her phone to check the time. Figuring Shang Yuze would arrive soon, she stood up and calmly zipped her jacket back up. “If anything happens tonight, remember to call me. I live pretty close now. It’s only a ten-minute drive.”
Preparing a gift for Shang Yuze was meant to be a surprise, so she left the yarn and knitting tools she bought in the dorm.
Xu Youning said, “Be careful on the way.” The moonlight was cool like water. The cold wind was sharp and biting. Streetlights on both sides lit up, casting a silvery glow across the ground.
Near the school gate, four male students walked in while chatting and laughing. One of them spotted Gu Qingyue and nudged the person beside him with his shoulder.
Zhou Xuyang’s ears turned red at the tips. He stepped forward to greet her, his smile shy. “What a coincidence.”
Gu Qingyue nodded indifferently.His three roommates quickly left the area. Zhou Xuyang racked his brain for something to say. “It’s almost a dorm curfew. You’re still heading out?”
“I’ve moved out.” Gu Qingyue lifted her leg and walked toward the exit.
Zhou Xuyang was surprised and hurried after her. “When did that happen?”
Once outside the school gate, the night was dark and heavy, filled with the noise of traffic. Gu Qingyue stood by the roadside and parted her red lips slightly. “Half a month ago.”
Zhou Xuyang’s gaze dimmed, but hope quickly flared again. “It’s so late. It’s not safe for a girl to be alone. How about I walk you back?”
Before Gu Qingyue could refuse, a limited-edition black Bentley pulled up beside them.The driver’s window slowly rolled down. The man’s profile, half bathed in light, carried a trace of chill. His phoenix eyes were deep and unfathomable.
His gaze swept over Gu Qingyue and Zhou Xuyang. When he spoke, his voice was as cool and distant as the night itself.
“Yueyue, get in. We’re going home.”Seeing the man inside the car, a smile immediately bloomed on Gu Qingyue’s previously indifferent face.
“I’m leaving first.” After saying that to Zhou Xuyang, she did not look back again. She pulled open the passenger door and sat inside.
Zhou Xuyang naturally noticed Shang Yuze as well.
Although he did not recognize Shang Yuze, he recognized the car. There was only one like it in the world. It had been bought by a mysterious tycoon the moment it was released.Could this man be that mysterious tycoon?
Zhou Xuyang glanced into the car a few more times.
Shang Yuze did not look at him. His cool, pale fingers rested on the steering wheel. An intimidating sense of distance always surrounded him. Every movement carried an innate elegance and composure. With each gesture, the powerful aura of someone in a superior position was unmistakable.
Gu Qingyue was usually very low-key at school. How had she come to know someone so formidable?
Judging by his age, he seemed a bit older than them. Could he be a relative?
Just as Gu Qingyue closed the car door, the man beside her leaned over. That crisp, cool scent wrapped around her first. She turned her head and met Shang Yuze’s gaze.
His eyes were exceptionally beautiful. Perfect phoenix eyes, long and smooth in shape, hooked at the inner corners and slightly upturned at the outer corners. The subtle lift at the ends formed a unique curve. The dark color at the bottom of his eyes was rich and deep, with the occasional flash of light like a shooting star streaking across the sky.
His lashes were black and long. His nose bridge was high and straight. His thin lips were sensual. His skin was extremely fair, flawless to perfection.
The space inside the car was already narrow. Even the moving air seemed to thin out. The quiet environment heightened every sense.They were very close. Gu Qingyue could even feel his breath brushing against her face, ticklish, as if something were tugging at her heart.
There was a click. The sound of a seatbelt buckle locking into place. Gu Qingyue’s thoughts snapped back at once. So Shang Yuze had just been fastening her seatbelt.
She had ridden in Shang Yuze’s car so many times. When had she ever forgotten to put on her seatbelt? This was honestly a bit unnecessary.
Shang Yuze straightened up. As the window rolled up, he glanced outside. Zhou Xuyang’s fingers, hanging at his side, unconsciously clenched. He stood there in shock, the emotions in his eyes shattered and dim.
The car sped away, stirring up a gust of cold wind. Zhou Xuyang only felt his limbs grow cold. The air he breathed into his lungs seemed to turn into invisible blades of ice. A sharp, astringent pain pierced his chest.
That level of intimacy earlier made it impossible for him to convince himself they were just relatives. And the look that man had given him just now was icy and piercing, making his skin crawl. The night was heavy. The frigid air wrapped around him completely, leaving his whole body cold as ice.