Chapter 12

7:00 AM (3)

Xu Muzi was, of course, unwilling to be carried.

She wasn’t some sack of potatoes, nor an old lady. She was still at a capable age; with a little help, she could definitely make it down by herself.

So, under Deng Yun’s teasing gaze, she let go of the hem of her down jacket she had been holding, pulled back the leg she had started to swing onto the window ledge, and said, “Then wait for me a moment.”

With that, she pulled the curtains shut with a swish.

When she reappeared, she had switched to a shorter down jacket.

She hadn’t changed her gloves, though. These were hand-knit mittens her father had bought for her, lined with plush for warmth. They might not be flexible for climbing, but the thick material would protect her hands.

Fortunately, she lived in a compact villa with a low ceiling. When her parents were decorating it, they’d felt disappointed about not being able to hang a grand chandelier due to the low ceiling.

With Deng Yun’s help, Xu Muzi managed—albeit slowly—to climb over the courtyard wall.

With him watching over her, she took a deep breath, let go of the railing, and jumped down to the cement ground outside the yard.

Xu Muzi turned back to look at her dark bedroom window, hardly believing she had actually pulled it off.

Truth be told, she was beyond excited, her whole body trembling slightly.

“So, it’s not that hard…”

Deng Yun gave her a thumbs-up and asked, “Have you ever drunk alcohol?”

“I tried a sip of beer foam when I was little. Does that count?”

“No, it doesn’t. Are you allergic to alcohol?”

Xu Muzi shook her head. “No, I was tested at the hospital. Alcohol isn’t on my list of allergens.”

“Just shrimp?”

Xu Muzi suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, recalling the time Deng Yun had helped her induce vomiting. She looked down at their shadows stretched long by the streetlights and listed a few more: “Also crabs, pineapples, kiwis…”

She didn’t ask where they were going to drink or how they would get there. She just kept listing her food allergies and brushed the dust off her clothes as she followed beside him.

A black sedan was parked by the roadside not far away. As Deng Yun walked around to the front, Xu Muzi followed him to the driver’s side door.

He looked at her in surprise and asked, “What? You want to drive?”

“…Is this your car?”

“Yup, hop in.”

“Oh.”

She walked around to the front of the car again and got in.

She’d never heard her parents mention that Deng Yun had a car, so she asked worriedly, “When did you get your license?”

“Yesterday.”

Xu Muzi had just fastened her seatbelt, then turned in alarm to see Deng Yun’s lips curved in a suspicious smile. She realized immediately that he was just messing with her.

A flurry of unspoken complaints filled her chest as she took a deep breath to hold them back.

Deng Yun chuckled, “Complaining about me in your head?”

“Why are you always so unserious?”

“Unserious? When have I been unserious?”

Xu Muzi didn’t answer.

In her head, she thought: You’ve already laughed at me twice, don’t think I haven’t noticed.

Outside, the night sky held half a moon, and among a few stars, an airplane slowly flew by.

The car left the villa district.

Deng Yun asked her, “Feeling better?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, since you’re not allergic to alcohol, I’ll take you to a bar.”

Xu Muzi, who always hesitated at the last moment of rebellion—like when she was at the Megalos shooting range about to choose a smoothbore gun—began to feel conflicted. “If—just if—I were allergic to alcohol and couldn’t drink, what would you do?”

“I’d take you to a bar that serves non-alcoholic mocktails.”

Xu Muzi thought Deng Yun was actually quite considerate.

She silently decided that even if he ended up drunk later, swaying, talking nonsense, and reeking of alcohol like her parents after a family dinner, she’d remember this favor and make sure to call a cab to get him home.

The streets were quiet, and the car’s heater filled the cabin with warmth.

Deng Yun gradually brought the car to a stop at a red light and asked, “Since there’s still some time left in the drive, want to take off your gloves and hat?”

Without any adults around, Deng Yun’s laid-back, “carefree” attitude came out completely.

Xu Muzi hadn’t spent much time alone with someone like Deng Yun before.

Compared to his vibe of being a “rebellious pro,” she felt like she was just a clueless newbie.

She explained irritably that she was wearing gloves to protect her hands when climbing through the window and jumping over the wall.

“Have you heard of dancers and pianists insuring their hands for huge sums?”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“I play the piano, so I have to protect my hands.”

“That’s wise.”

It was a nice comment, but coming from Deng Yun, it sounded a bit off.

Xu Muzi felt it was necessary to let her rebellious accomplice know that she had a few tricks up her sleeve too.

She told him she’d left a note on her bedroom door before sneaking out, saying she had trouble sleeping and only fell asleep at dawn, so there was no need to wake her for breakfast. She even locked her door from the inside after putting it up.

Deng Yun asked, “They don’t need to wake you for breakfast?”

“Yup.”

Feeling a bit proud, Xu Muzi said that at least until lunchtime tomorrow, no one would realize she wasn’t in her room.

Deng Yun laughed again, as if amused by something.

She had to admit that he looked pretty charming when he laughed, with a mischievous sort of carefree charm.

But Xu Muzi kept a straight face.

This was the third time he’d laughed at her.

She thought, maybe not; if he ends up drunk, I’ll just leave him by the roadside.

Deng Yun glanced over at her, smirked again.

He said, “Xu Muzi, you are really quite interesting.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“No, I’m serious.”

Xu Muzi replied unhappily, “That’s because you don’t know me. Many people think I’m incredibly boring.”

“They’re foolish.”

The bar that Deng Yun led her to was located in a bustling alley off the main bar street.

As they walked into the alley, surrounded by a mix of popular music, Xu Muzi felt a bit anxious.

She had never been to a place like this before and worried she wouldn’t be able to relax.

Once they entered, she discovered that this bar wasn’t as chaotic as she had imagined.

The indoor lighting was dim, with each table adorned with kerosene lamp-style lights casting a warm yellow glow. A band was performing classic English oldies on stage, including “Lemon Tree.”

Xu Muzi followed Deng Yun to the bar and took a seat.

He seemed to be a regular; the bartender greeted him warmly.

“What will you have, the usual?”

After Deng Yun nodded, the bartender turned to Xu Muzi, “And what about you, miss? What would you like to drink?”

What could she… drink?

In her confusion, Xu Muzi heard Deng Yun asking the bartender, “Do you have a drink menu for beginners?”

The bartender snapped his fingers, “Got it.”

After Xu Muzi gave him a curious glance, Deng Yun changed his request: “Let me see that menu with low alcohol and high aesthetics.”

The bartender suppressed a laugh and complied, “The drinks with the lowest alcohol content and highest aesthetic appeal are right here.”

Xu Muzi, tense from holding her down jacket, hat, and gloves without a place to put them, gradually relaxed amidst their easy banter.

Everyone here was laid-back, and relaxation was contagious.

Just like the singer said before starting the next song:

Even if the world ends tomorrow, we won’t leave until we’re drunk tonight.

That night, Xu Muzi held a cocktail that presented a gradient resembling the sunset sky, relaxing every nerve to the upbeat music.

The classical piano pieces she practiced daily, along with her classmates’ evaluations of her, drifted away with the alcohol and the sound of music.

Feeling a bit tipsy, Xu Muzi asked Deng Yun if he wanted to toast.

Deng Yun lightly clinked his glass against her cocktail, “Here’s to you getting a good night’s sleep when you go back.”

She was momentarily taken aback, thanked him, and couldn’t help but call out, “Deng Yun.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you come here often?”

“Not too often, only when I’m tired of being at home. Why?”

Xu Muzi shook her head.

She heard Deng Yun humming along to the singer’s gentle melody, casual yet pleasing.

It was then she realized she had many curiosities about him.

Xu Muzi was curious about Deng Yun’s girlfriend;

Curious about whether he felt regret or indifference about missing the top score on the college entrance exam by just one point;

Curious about why he was different in front of elders…

A place where people could relax late at night easily breeds ambiguity.

Xu Muzi was beautiful and naturally attracted the attention of others.

On her way back from the restroom, she encountered someone trying to chat her up.

The guy asked if she wanted to drink together and have a chat.

Xu Muzi declined.

In her low moments, she felt lonely and thought running to a bar in the early hours was thrilling.

But she wouldn’t casually ally with just anyone.

Even as he persisted in trying to persuade her, she remained firm.

No strangers would do, only Deng Yun.

Deng Yun was indeed reliable, showing up at the right moment and gently pulling her closer by the shoulders.

Calmly, he addressed the guy trying to chat her up, “Sorry, she’s with me.”

The guy nodded regretfully, hesitated for a moment with his drink in front of them, then left.

There’s an old saying, “A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers.” Xu Muzi tried a low-alcohol cocktail, her confidence soaring, feeling that drinking wasn’t that big of a deal.

She felt bold and even tried Deng Yun’s drink, wincing at the bitter spiciness of the whiskey going down her throat.

Drinking isn’t something you master in one go.

Who doesn’t get drunk the first time they drink?

Xu Muzi wasn’t a natural when it came to alcohol, and before heading home, she ended up in a slightly embarrassing situation.

At this moment, around seven in the morning at the inn, they both simultaneously recalled Xu Muzi’s drunken antics.

Deng Yun was naturally smiling lightly, while Xu Muzi felt very regretful.

She shouldn’t have said that line that sparked unpleasant memories: “Didn’t you teach me how to drink?”

And some things seemed oddly timed, as if time were rewinding—

Eager to socialize, Xing Pengjie approached Xu Muzi and Deng Yun amidst the lively crowd, holding a half-finished hot drink.

“Hey, Xu Muzi…”

Xing Pengjie excitedly described the plans for a small get-together with new friends, mentioning that they intended to create a temporary chat group to order some beers, drinks, and snacks.

Participants were to gather around eight-thirty in the upstairs screening room, and the expenses could be shared equally, or those who drank more later could pay a higher proportion.

Xing Pengjie asked Xu Muzi, “We’re planning to play a few games first, are you coming?”

Having just worn a thick bathrobe and other clothes that were still damp from earlier, Xu Muzi intended to wash and dry them at the coin laundry.

The weather was cold and damp, and she didn’t want to keep troubling Xia Xia for a new bathrobe.

So, Xu Muzi turned to Xing Pengjie and said, “I’ll go upstairs to find you guys at eight-thirty.”

Xing Pengjie only wanted to hang out with Xu Muzi, but Deng Yun was sitting right next to them, and since this small gathering was among the inn’s guests, it wouldn’t feel right to exclude him.

“Um… brother, are you coming later?”

Deng Yun replied, “No, I’m a bit short on sleep.”

Xu Muzi walked to the elevator and pouted.

Fine, if he doesn’t want to come, then he doesn’t have to.