Chapter 95: She… Really Is Drunk!

They had once been three complete strangers, and now—they were a family.
The lively New Year’s Eve dinner unfolded in a warm and joyful atmosphere, full of laughter and light.

A table overflowing with delicious dishes, the cheerful broadcast of “Happy New Year!” playing from the radio, and the cozy warmth rising from the stove—all of it became the perfect patchwork of a happy evening.

Chu Yue glanced at Lu Yuanbao, whose little cheeks were flushed from eating, then looked at Lu Zhanlin beside her, who was gently placing food into her bowl.

Her smile was filled with a kind of sweetness she had never known before.

For someone who once thought even surviving was a luxury…
Who could’ve imagined that in another world, she would have a complete family, and be living such a peaceful and blissful life?

Truly… it was too good to be true.

Chu Yue picked up her glass and finished the last sip of rice wine in it.
The sweet and sour taste lingered on her tongue, leaving behind a fragrant warmth.

Lu Yuanbao had never eaten this much good food in one sitting before. A bite from here, a bite from there—every dish was delicious. He could eat whatever he wanted, however much he wanted. No one would scold him.
Because all this… was meant for him.

Don’t be fooled by how small he was—this kid could eat.

But even with that appetite, there was no way he could finish the entire table full of food. By the time he was only halfway through the meal, his belly was already bulging out—round and tight, with no room left for more.

Outside the house, the sky gradually darkened, and the sounds of firecrackers came and went intermittently.

Sometimes the booms came from within the courtyard, other times from the foot of the mountain.
Every now and then, brilliant fireworks would burst into the sky.

Lu Yuanbao had seen firecrackers before—but never fireworks.
This was his first time.

When those dazzling lights exploded across the night sky, Lu Yuanbao was utterly captivated.

He never imagined there could be something so breathtakingly beautiful in the world.

But the fireworks didn’t last long.
Each burst vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
And since they were inside the house, sometimes by the time they heard the sound and looked out the window, it was already too late to catch a glimpse.

Still, as he ate, Lu Yuanbao kept glancing toward the window, hoping to catch a lucky moment.

Seeing this, Chu Yue simply said to him,
“Yuanbao, go outside to the courtyard and watch.”

He could go outside?

Lu Yuanbao’s eyes lit up with excitement. He immediately hopped off his stool and exclaimed happily,
“I’ll go watch from the yard! If I see fireworks, I’ll call you guys right away!”

“Okay.”
Chu Yue nodded gently and watched as Yuanbao carefully wiped his little hands and joyfully skipped to the door.

The moment the door swung open, a cold gust of wind blew into the house—but it couldn’t scatter the cozy warmth that still lingered inside.

During all this, Lu Zhanlin’s gaze would occasionally drift toward Chu Yue.

Her cheeks were getting redder and redder—glowing with a peachy flush.

But Chu Yue’s redness wasn’t like Yuanbao’s.
Yuanbao was warm because he had eaten too much and was bundled up in a heated room. His warmth came from the outside in.

Chu Yue’s blush, though, came from within—from her body, her skin. It slowly spread across her face in a soft, seductive pink.

From the corners of her eyes to the curve of her smile, the peachy flush added a subtle allure to her usually clear and bright eyes.

Lu Zhanlin took all of this in silently.

His throat suddenly felt dry. He picked up his cup and took a sip—but the drink was rice wine.
The alcohol burned down his throat, searing through his chest, growing hotter and hotter.

His gaze deepened with every second.

Chu Yue, oblivious to her condition, was simply lost in the festive joy.
She sniffed the sweet, fragrant air and eyed the glass bottle of rice wine on the table.
She licked her lips, craving more, and reached for the bottle to pour herself another drink.

Just then, a large hand reached out and stopped her.

Lu Zhanlin said in a deep voice,
“You can’t drink anymore. Chu Yue, you’re drunk.”

Drunk? She was drunk?
No way.

Chu Yue was confident in her alcohol tolerance.
She could down even the strongest spirits without a problem—how could she possibly be drunk from a little rice wine?

She squinted her eyes into a smile at Lu Zhanlin and said,

“I’m not drunk. I still want another drink.”

Her gentle voice carried the sweet-and-sour aroma of rice wine, and under the soft, drawn-out tone was unmistakably the spoiled tenderness of a girl acting coy.

Chu Yue didn’t realize how coquettish she sounded, but Lu Zhanlin, who was completely sober, felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if something inside was trying to break free.

He reached out to hold Chu Yue’s arm, but froze halfway through the motion.

His whole body tensed.
In the end, he still held tightly to the rice wine bottle, unwilling to let go.

“No more.”

Lu Zhanlin couldn’t allow Chu Yue to get any more drunk.

Hearing that, Chu Yue was naturally unhappy. Her red lips pouted as she was about to protest—

Just then, Lu Yuanbao’s voice came from outside.

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

Lu Yuanbao rushed excitedly back into the room, beaming as he said to Chu Yue and Lu Zhanlin,

“Come outside quickly! It’s snowing!”

The excitement wasn’t just from Lu Yuanbao. From the courtyard, the faint voices of other neighbors could also be heard, echoing their shared delight.

Chu Yue’s interest was piqued the moment she heard it was snowing.

It was the first snowfall of the new year—she had to go out and see it.

She braced herself on the bench to stand, but the moment she moved, she was startled to find her arms soft and weak, with no strength at all. Even her legs were unsteady, barely able to support her.

On top of that, the lights swam before her eyes, her vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness hit her.

This—was the unmistakable physical response of being drunk.

She… was really drunk.

Chu Yue finally realized, belatedly, that although she could handle alcohol, the original owner of this body could not—this body had never even touched a drop. Even mildly alcoholic rice wine was enough to get her drunk.

Under Lu Yuanbao’s expectant gaze, Chu Yue could barely keep herself standing. She couldn’t take a step forward, swaying like she could fall at any moment.

Overindulgence leads to trouble.

Chu Yue frowned in frustration.

At that moment, Lu Zhanlin reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist. With nothing but the strength of his arm, he steadied her effortlessly. Then his arm tightened around her.

Chu Yue, too weak to resist, leaned forward and collapsed against his chest, the sweet, boozy scent clinging to her as she pressed into him.

Lu Zhanlin inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling with restraint, before he spoke in a low, husky voice:

“Let’s go out together.”

And so—

When Chu Yue left the room, it wasn’t on her own two feet. She was half-carried, half-held by Lu Zhanlin. As long as she followed his steps, she didn’t need to exert a single ounce of effort.

“It’s snow! It’s snowing!”

Lu Yuanbao stood in the center of the courtyard, looking up at the pitch-black sky. Under the dim light, snowflakes drifted gently from above as he shouted with glee.

The snow wasn’t as dazzling or grand as fireworks—but it had its own unique beauty.

Chu Yue’s vision was still a little hazy. When she looked up at the sky, the falling snow turned into countless twinkling lights in her eyes, like stars cascading from the heavens.

“So beautiful…”

It was the first snowfall of the new year.
As the old saying goes: A timely snow promises a good harvest.

Chu Yue looked up at the snow—
While Lu Zhanlin looked down at the woman in his arms.

Following her soft murmur, he echoed in a whisper,

“So beautiful…”