Su Xianyan never really liked occasions like this. Familiar faces and strangers alike drank together as if they were lifelong friends. He wore a polite smile, but felt little inside.
He stayed upstairs, partly because he was worried about Cheng Simian, and partly because he had no interest in rejoining the lively crowd below.
After standing in the hallway for a while, he noticed the room had grown so quiet it felt empty. Thinking she had fallen asleep, he pushed the door open to take a look.
The bed was empty.
Su Xianyan frowned slightly and stepped into the room.
“Cheng Simian?”
No response.
His heart tightened. Just as he was about to knock on the bathroom door, he spotted a figure curled up on the carpet near the door.
Cheng Simian was sitting on the rug behind the door, wearing a slightly oversized dress. Her head was lowered, and she seemed to be muttering to herself about something.
Su Xianyan squatted down in front of her and asked softly, “Why are you sitting on the floor?”
Cheng Simian slowly lifted her head. Her flushed face carried the rosy glow of alcohol. Tilting her head, she looked at him in a dazed way and said, “Su Xianyan? They finally let you in. Just now, some women kept trying to take off my clothes. I didn’t like it.”
Hearing this, Su Xianyan felt his heart soften slightly. His voice grew even gentler. “You weren’t careful and fell into the water. Of course they needed to change your clothes.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose…” Cheng Simian puffed out her cheeks. “I only wanted to drink a little at first. But then I realized… it tasted pretty good.”
“You’re not allowed to do that again.”
“Mhm. I won’t.” Cheng Simian reached out and grabbed Su Xianyan’s hand. On his right wrist was the bracelet she had given him. She stared at it, transfixed, and murmured, “It’s really pretty…”
Su Xianyan didn’t catch what she said. He pulled her up by the hand. “You’ve had too much to drink. Go lie down on the bed and sleep. When you wake up, we’ll go home.”
“I don’t want to sleep.” Cheng Simian suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head against his chest. In a small voice, she said, “They said I’m drunk and need to rest, but I’m not drunk.”
Su Xianyan stiffened slightly. He placed his hands on her shoulders. After hesitating, he still pushed her away. “You really are drunk.”
“I’m not!” Cheng Simian looked up at him, clearly annoyed. “I’m very clear-headed. I remember everything. I fell into the water, you jumped in to save me, and I even kissed you! Right?!”
“……”
“I wasn’t drunk. I knew it was you, that’s why I kissed you.” Cheng Simian smiled, her eyes shining like they were filled with stars. “Su Xianyan, do you know why I kissed you?”
“Cheng Simian…”
“Shh! Don’t talk.” She swayed slightly, barely steady on her feet. “Let me say it. I really, really like you—not the kind of like I have for my uncle or Cha Yiguan. It’s the kind where a woman loves a man.”
Su Xianyan’s gaze darkened. Even though he had long known this, hearing it spoken aloud like this still caught him off guard. What unsettled him even more was that within his momentary shock, emotions surfaced that shouldn’t have been there.
It was absurd—but he knew they existed.
Her liking him made him… happy.
Yet Su Xianyan, who had long seen through the cold realities of life, could not respond the way Cheng Simian did—declaring affection as simply as speaking it. The gulf between them might be wider than he imagined. He was already mature, while she was still a girl not yet eighteen. He didn’t know how much childishness and dependency were mixed into her feelings, nor how long such emotions could last.
“Cheng Simian, you’re still young.”
“I’m not young! I’m almost an adult!” Cheng Simian frowned in displeasure. “And whether I like you has nothing to do with how old I am.”
Su Xianyan sighed softly. “You’re only sixteen.”
“That’s just eight years younger than you.” Cheng Simian giggled. “Are you scared? Don’t be—eight years isn’t that big a generation gap.”
Su Xianyan pressed his lips together and patted her head. “Wait until you grow up. For now… don’t talk about liking someone.”
The smile on Cheng Simian’s face slowly faded. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes. “I can listen to you about everything else—but not about not liking you. That’s not negotiable.”
The guests at the villa didn’t start leaving until after midnight.
When Cheng Qin saw Su Xianyan, he quickly asked, “How is she? Didn’t cause you trouble, did she?”
Su Xianyan thought of her bold confession, then looked at his friend Cheng Qin. A strange feeling stirred inside him. “She’s fine. She’s already asleep.”
After saying all that, she’d passed out immediately and couldn’t be woken up at all—and she still claimed she wasn’t drunk. She was drunk out of her mind.
“Alright, we’re about done here too. Let’s head back,” Cheng Qin said while calling a car. “I’ll carry her downstairs.”
“I’ll help.” Cha Yiguan followed him upstairs.
After seeing off the last group of guests, Cai Xinyuan walked up to Su Xianyan. “You’re very different with her.”
Su Xianyan turned to look at her.
Cai Xinyuan smiled faintly. “Aren’t you? At least, I’ve never seen you so nervous over anyone else.”
Su Xianyan showed little reaction. “She’s Cheng Qin’s niece.”
“That relationship alone wouldn’t make you act like this.” Cai Xinyuan sighed softly. “Xianyan, you know it, don’t you? That girl likes you.”
“……”
Seeing his silent, indifferent expression, Cai Xinyuan felt even more certain—and the certainty made her heart ache. “She likes you. If you didn’t feel anything, with your personality, you would’ve pushed her away. Even if not harshly, you’d at least keep your distance. But you didn’t. You even indulged her more. Xianyan, you also—”
“Xinyuan.” Su Xianyan cut her off, his gaze steady. “She’s still young.”
Cai Xinyuan smiled without a sound. “So that’s your concern?”
Su Xianyan looked away and said calmly, “Don’t bring this up again.”
“I really envy her,” Cai Xinyuan said, forcing herself to appear relaxed. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. Just like your concern—she’s still a child, after all. Who knows how long this kind of liking will last.”
Su Xianyan frowned slightly.
Cai Xinyuan glanced at him. “Then… I’ll go first.”
Su Xianyan nodded silently.
Cai Xinyuan left.
Su Xianyan didn’t go upstairs. He stood by the stairway, listening to the voices of Cha Yiguan and Cheng Qin upstairs.
He stood there quietly, while Cheng Simian’s resolute declaration of affection lingered in his ears.
Not pushing away someone who liked him. Indulging her. Pampering her.
Su Xianyan—did you really know what you were thinking?
He gave a bitter smile.
Perhaps even he hadn’t realized it himself—that little girl had, without a sound, openly and unavoidably stepped into his heart.
But at the very least…
He should wait until she grew up.
The next morning, Cheng Simian climbed out of bed. Sunlight poured in through the window, dazzling her eyes so much that she could barely open them.
“Hiss… that hurts.” She pressed her temples, unable to suppress the throbbing inside her head. “Did I… get drunk yesterday?”
She got out of bed, dragging her bunny slippers as she lazily shuffled toward the bathroom outside.
“Morning, Mianmian, you’re up?” Cha Yiguan had just finished washing up. Still in his pajamas, he greeted her casually. Seeing her frown, he stepped closer and felt her forehead. “You fell straight into the water last night. You don’t have a fever, do you?”
Cheng Simian froze. “Water…?”
“What, blacked out?” Cha Yiguan looked at her with obvious amusement. “You were the center of attention last night. Not only did you get drunk, you even dove into the pool. Good thing Xianyan reacted fast and jumped in to pull you out. Oh—and I’d advise you to brace yourself. Your uncle already has a whole lecture prepared.”
Water…
A vague scene suddenly surfaced in Cheng Simian’s mind. She remembered struggling, unable to breathe, then seeing Su Xianyan—and after that… nothing. No, wait. She vaguely recalled someone trying to take off her clothes. Several women. Extremely annoying. She had even made a big fuss about wanting to find Su Xianyan. Yes, that part was real. But after that… did Su Xianyan actually come?
Cheng Simian slapped her head hard. “This is so annoying! Why can’t I remember anything?!”
“It’s fine. Just a blackout.” Cha Yiguan shrugged. “You’ll just get scolded by your uncle later, that’s all.”
Ignoring him, Cheng Simian glanced down at the clothes she was wearing. “These clothes are…”
“Probably Xinyuan’s,” Cha Yiguan said. “She and a few girls changed your clothes for you last night.”
“Oh.”
“Alright, go brush your teeth.” Cha Yiguan patted her shoulder. “Your uncle’s making breakfast today. Come down soon.”
“Got it.” Still pressing her temples, Cheng Simian was about to enter the bathroom when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw Su Xianyan, fully dressed, coming out of his room.
“Morning!” Cheng Simian waved. “I heard you saved me yesterday. Thanks!”
She noticed that Su Xianyan’s expression toward her was a little strange, but it only lasted a moment before he returned to normal. He said, “Let this be the last time. Understood?”
“Understood. I’ll never secretly drink again.” Cheng Simian still felt shaken. “I almost drank myself to death.”
“Mm.” Su Xianyan nodded and went downstairs.
Watching his back, Cheng Simian leaned over toward Cha Yiguan, lowering her voice mysteriously. “Hey, don’t you think something feels off?”
“What?”
“Su Xianyan. He didn’t even lecture me. I drank alcohol and fell into the pool, and all he said was ‘don’t do it again.’” No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t add up. She finally asked, “Did he already scold me last night?”
“How would I know?” Cha Yiguan said. “He was the one taking care of you all night. Cheng Qin and I were busy having fun.” He flicked her forehead. “Besides, what—do you have a masochistic streak? Was Cheng Qin yelling at you not enough? You want Xianyan to join in too?”
Cheng Simian shot him a glare. “Forget it. What would you know.”
Cha Yiguan scoffed. “Hey—you—”
Bang!
Cheng Simian slammed the bathroom door shut.
By the time Cha Yiguan went downstairs, Su Xianyan was already seated in the dining room, eating the breakfast Cheng Qin had made. He sat down beside him and muttered while eating, “That brat—such a bad temper.”
Su Xianyan glanced at him. “What happened?”
“Nothing! Where’s Cheng Qin?”
“Probably still in his room.”
“I need to talk to him properly about what happened with Mianmian yesterday. We need to handle it seriously. Scolding her probably won’t work—I think we should cut her allowance.” Cha Yiguan kept rambling on.
Su Xianyan gave a casual “mm,” though he wasn’t really listening. What he was thinking about was how Cheng Simian had greeted him earlier…
That girl—looks like she’s forgotten everything completely.