Chapter 39: Drunkenness

Su Nianmei’s foot was held firmly in Gu Xichao’s hand; his technique was skilful, and the pressure was just right. The comfort made Su Nianmei squint her eyes.

Once the pain eased, a tingling sensation began to emerge from the spot where the man held her foot, spreading throughout her body. She couldn’t help but shake her leg and said, “My foot doesn’t hurt anymore.”

She feigned an attempt to pull her foot back from Gu Xichao.

Gu Xichao glanced at Su Nianmei, noticing nothing unusual. Thinking her foot was fine, he released his grip and, with a serious expression, said, “Next time, pay attention while walking. Luckily, I was here this time; what would you have done if I hadn’t been?”

Su Nianmei’s earlier feelings of jealousy dissipated, but upon hearing Gu Xichao’s words, she felt a surge of indignation rising within her and retorted, “Without you, there’s still Xiaobao. Anyway…”

Before Su Nianmei could finish her sentence, Gu Xichao leaned closer, his beautiful phoenix eyes locked onto hers. His pupils were dark and glossy, like an enchanting spirit capable of ensnaring anyone’s heart. Just one glance was enough to pull her in, tempting her to finish, “Anyway, what?”

His warm breath brushed against Su Nianmei’s neck, causing her to feel a ticklish sensation.

Feeling a wave of heat, Su Nianmei pushed Gu Xichao away with her hand, though her strength was feeble. She braced herself against the table, pretending to stand up from her chair.

Gu Xichao didn’t mind her gentle resistance; he pulled Su Nianmei closer, turning swiftly to envelop her in his embrace.

In an instant, Su Nianmei’s arms grew weak. Her head bumped against Gu Xichao’s shoulder, with the man’s chest in front and the cold surface of the desk behind her.

The sound of their pounding heartbeats filled the air, making it hard to tell if it was her heart or Gu Xichao’s that was racing, each beat chaotic and disordered.

As she drew closer, the scent of the man enveloped her—subtle yet intoxicating, leaving her dizzy.

Despite still dwelling on her earlier displeasure, she didn’t want to succumb so easily to the man’s charm, striving to keep herself alert.

Su Nianmei found herself cornered against the desk, her back rubbing against a notebook, producing a soft “hiss” as the pages turned.

She licked her lips and poked Gu Xichao’s shoulder with her index finger. Her black-and-white eyes looked at him, carrying a hint of playful annoyance as she said, “Get up, I’m going to heat up your meal.”

Gu Xichao ignored her, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Anyway, what?”

Su Nianmei didn’t respond; instead, she raised her head and pinched Gu Xichao.

Gu Xichao leaned down, noticing Su Nianmei’s face was flushed. Unable to resist, he felt an urge to kiss her.

Feeling a sense of urgency at the look on Gu Xichao’s face, Su Nianmei instinctively turned her head away. His lips brushed against her cheek and landed on her neck.

A bone-deep tingling sensation coursed through her.

She stomped on Gu Xichao’s foot, causing him to wince and lift his arm. Seizing the opportunity, Su Nianmei quickly slipped out of his embrace.

She dashed to the kitchen, her face still flushed. Grasping the cool handle of a spoon, she finally let out a breath, feeling a sense of relief wash over her.

Deep down, she was still a bit angry, convinced she shouldn’t give in so easily.

Yet, she couldn’t quite articulate what she was angry about.

Her gaze fell on a vinegar bottle sitting on the cutting board, and she raised her hand to add a bit to the rice.

After heating the meal, she brought it into the living room.

The living room was dimly lit by a small lamp, casting a warm glow.

Gu Xichao sat in a shadowy corner and changed into loungewear. His figure was hazy in the light, revealing only his outline. He held a pocket watch against his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

Only then did she notice that his hair had grown a bit longer and that he appeared somewhat thinner.

Su Nianmei handed the chopsticks to him.

He seemed a bit sluggish as he accepted the chopsticks and muttered, “Thank you.”

Su Nianmei felt a bit distant, not quite knowing how to respond but too proud to back down. She grabbed a chair and sat in the farthest corner from Gu Xichao.

Noticing Gu Xichao didn’t make any move to eat, she prompted him again, “Why aren’t you eating?”

The person sitting in the chair was taken aback for a moment before picking up the chopsticks to take a bite.

At that moment, a sound echoed from the hallway.

Su Nianmei turned her head to look, and the light shone perfectly on the man’s head. Gu Xichao walked into the living room wearing a bathrobe, his hair damp. Water droplets trickled down his neck, and his robe hung loosely, exposing his collarbone, which gave off an air of restraint.

Su Nianmei nearly spat out the water she had just drunk.

She glanced back at the man seated in the chair.

With a “bang,” the overhead light was turned on.

The man set down his pocket watch and called out to Gu Xichao, “Brother.” Then he turned to Su Nianmei and greeted, “Sister-in-law, hello.”

His voice was soft and pleasant.

Gu Xichao sat beside Su Nianmei and naturally took her hand in his. He introduced, “This is my brother, Gu Baiting. He’s come to Kyoto to negotiate a business deal and will be staying at our house for a few days.”

Su Nianmei looked at Gu Xichao and then at the man sitting in the chair. Still in shock, she didn’t notice Gu Xichao discreetly holding her hand.

She knew that Gu Xichao had a younger brother but had never met him before and was surprised by how similar they looked.

Now that the light was on, she could see some differences between the two. Gu Xichao appeared calm and composed, giving off a sense of security and detachment just by sitting there. In contrast, perhaps due to his experience in business, his brother seemed more approachable and easygoing.

Su Nianmei asked, “Are you twins?”

Gu Xichao tightened his grip on Su Nianmei’s hand and replied, “No, Boting is two years younger than me.”

Gu Baiting set down his chopsticks, looked up at his sister-in-law, and pulled out a small box from his pocket, handing it to Su Nianmei. “This is a belated wedding gift.”

Su Nianmei glanced at Gu Xichao, who nodded in encouragement.

Not wanting to appear shy, she accepted the box—inside was a beautifully crafted plum blossom watch. She said, “Thank you.”

Seeing that Gu Baiting had come over for a visit, Gu Xichao went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine. He also found some peanuts and other snacks to go with it and soon settled down to drink with Gu Baiting.

The two of them took turns sipping from their small cups, occasionally munching on snacks in between.

Sitting nearby, Su Nianmei felt tempted to join in. Her hand barely grazed the small cup when Gu Xichao snatched it away.

After their previous experience with drunkenness, Gu Xichao was genuinely worried about Su Nianmei drinking.

“Hey,” Su Nianmei said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Gu Xichao with a pitiful expression.

Gu Xichao downed his drink and poured a small cup of water for her instead. “Just smell it to satisfy your craving; you can’t drink alcohol.”

Gu Baiting, whose tolerance for alcohol wasn’t very high, started to ramble after a few drinks. Hearing Gu Xichao’s words, he laughed and said, “My sister-in-law isn’t a child, so why are you fussing so much, Brother?”

As soon as he finished, Gu Baiting received a sharp glare from Gu Xichao.

Unfazed, Gu Baiting moved closer to Su Nianmei and draped an arm around her shoulders. However, as soon as he did, Gu Xichao smacked his hand away.

Gu Baiting continued to mumble under his breath, unconcerned about appearances. He squatted next to Su Nianmei and began to chide Gu Xichao. “Sister-in-law, my eldest brother is getting older but seems to be regressing. He acts like an old man, always telling you what you can and can’t do. If you ask me, a man like that isn’t worth keeping around. Otherwise, you’ll be the one suffering later.”

Upon hearing this, Su Nianmei’s face turned red. She played along with Gu Baiting’s teasing but felt secretly delighted.

Gu Xichao’s expression grew colder as he sat beside them, while Gu Baiting remained blissfully unaware. He continued, “Sister-in-law, you’re too indulgent with my eldest brother. His cooking skills have gone downhill, too. The bowl of noodles I had just now tasted like you knocked over your family’s vinegar bottle—so sour that my teeth almost fell out! Honestly, what’s the use of a man like him?”

Gu Xichao glanced at Su Nianmei and then shot a look at Gu Baiting, asking darkly, “So what kind of man do you think is useful?”

Feeling a bit of danger in Gu Xichao’s tone, Gu Baiting shrank back, clinking his glass against Gu Xichao’s and shouting, “Drink!”

As the night deepened, Gu Baiting sat on the floor, clutching a bottle of alcohol and demanding to continue drinking with Gu Xichao.

Gu Xichao told Su Nianmei to go back to their room and sleep while he dragged Gu Baiting back to his own room.

Not long after Su Nianmei lay down, Gu Xichao squeezed in beside her.

The man reeked of alcohol as he turned and wrapped his arms around Su Nianmei’s waist.

She jolted in surprise.

His warm breath brushed against her ear as he said, “Wife.”

Just as Su Nianmei was about to kick him away, Gu Xichao snuggled closer, grabbing her hand and pressing it against his chest. “Wife, look, it’s beating. It beats for you.” He switched to a coaxing tone, saying, “Wife, I can’t live without you.”

As Su Nianmei’s hand was firmly held, she could hear Gu Xichao showering her with a string of cheesy pick-up lines, but she remained unresponsive.

Her eyes were fixed on Gu Xichao’s Adam’s apple, which bobbed gently in the moonlight.

Gu Xichao nestled against Su Nianmei’s neck, his stubble pricking her delicate skin, causing a slight itch. “Wife, I’ve missed you,” he murmured.

Su Nianmei pressed her chin against the top of his head, wanting to say something more.

She reached out to poke the back of his head, but there was no response.

Lowering her gaze, she noticed that the man beside her was sound asleep, his breathing steady.

So, he was drunk, after all?

She touched Gu Xichao’s Adam’s apple, hoping he had been speaking the truth.

—o—o—o—

In the morning, Ji Yuan arrived alone in Sujia Village. A few days earlier, Old Li had sent him some leads. Someone had mentioned that eighteen years ago, it was a soldier’s mother who took his sister away. That soldier was named Su Dazhuang, and he retired back then, returning to his hometown—Sujia Village.

Once Ji Yuan wrapped up his tasks, he hurried to Sujia Village without delay.

At around six or seven in the morning, the village was still quiet, with few people around.

Ji Yuan spotted a tall, thin student carrying a backpack and stopped him.

Su Huailin was hurrying to school when he heard a voice calling from behind. He turned to see a person in military uniform waving at him.

Unsure of what was happening, Su Huailin raised a hand to point at himself.