Chapter 44

The next day, Wen Ci was woken up by the alarm.

She hadn’t slept enough and had drunk alcohol, so she didn’t immediately regain full consciousness. With her eyes half-closed, she stared at the small gap in the curtains that hadn’t been properly drawn and spaced out for a while.

Outside the window, it was pitch black, and the sky hadn’t yet brightened.

There was a warm male arm draped over her waist, holding her in a familiar embrace. Wen Ci closed her eyes again, trying to recall last night through the haze of sleep. Had she slept at Zhou Wu’s place? She remembered they were playing Truth or Dare, then she invited Zhou Wu to the private room for a kiss. Zhou Wu took her to a hotel room, and then… wait.

A nerve in her body jolted slightly, and Wen Ci suddenly opened her eyes wide.

-“What are you enjoying? Is it because I was your first?”

-“Mm.”

-“Teacher Wen, do you carry protection?”

-“I always bring it when I meet you.”

-“Do you prefer Xiang Wenwen or Zhou Wu?”

-“Zhou Wu.”

The last line replayed in Wen Ci’s mind several times, each time Zhou Wu’s tone different.

“…”

Her eyes glowed faintly in the dark. She was awake now, but her brain felt even more muddled.

The alarm went off again—Wen Ci had been so tired earlier that she hadn’t set it correctly, and her phone kept repeating the alert.

She turned it off almost immediately, her hand moving so fast it left a blur.

A pale arm remained outside the blanket for nearly half a minute, and Wen Ci only came back to her senses when her arm started to ache, taking a deep breath.

Her mind was overloaded, and Wen Ci couldn’t handle all the information. She steadied herself and decided to make a run for it.

She turned and, using the faint hallway light, sneaked a glance at Zhou Wu to confirm he was still asleep. She carefully tried to lift the arm resting on her waist, but it was too heavy to move.

Wen Ci persisted, took hold of his fingers, and slowly moved them off, finally managing to break free.

She tiptoed out of bed, groping in the dark for her clothes. In her rush, she struggled to get her bra on properly.

Once she was fully dressed, Wen Ci grabbed her phone and started to leave. As she passed the end of the bed, she saw the two condom wrappers Zhou Wu had left on the floor, not properly disposed of the night before. She paused, bent down to pick them up, and was about to toss them into the trash when—

There was a click.

The lights in the room suddenly flashed on.

Wen Ci froze.

Zhou Wu had turned over, and the arm that had been on her waist earlier stretched out of the blanket, draping lifelessly across the pillow. His voice was hoarse: “Teacher Wen.”

“…”

“What’s with setting the alarm for 5:30?”

“…” Wen Ci bent down, still holding the condom wrappers in her hand. Though she looked like she was still there, she had actually been trying to leave for a while. “…Sorry.”

Zhou Wu hadn’t gotten enough sleep. He lazily looked at her with half-closed eyes: “Where are you going?”

“Back home,” Wen Ci replied. “I need to get back before my parents wake up, so I set the alarm before leaving last night.”

Zhou Wu closed his eyes and mumbled, still looking like he hadn’t fully woken up.

Wen Ci threw the wrappers into the trash and, flustered, said, “Then, I’ll leave now…”

“What time do your parents wake up?” Zhou Wu asked with his eyes still closed.

“…Around seven.”

“That’s fine, we have time for breakfast. Let’s eat together.” Zhou Wu slowly propped himself up and gestured toward the couch, giving Wen Ci no room to refuse. “Help me throw these clothes in the laundry, Teacher Wen.”

After a quick wash-up, they walked to the elevator.

Wen Ci stood straight, eyes forward, and hadn’t dared to look at Zhou Wu since he woke up.

The hotel was empty at this early hour, the corridor silent.

Wen Ci fidgeted with her hands in front of her, feeling like she wanted to die.

She vowed never to drink again. Why was she like this after drinking? Calling Zhou Wu into a little room, doing this and that… What’s the difference between her and a female pervert?! She didn’t even lock her mouth; she answered whatever Zhou Wu asked.

And… why did Zhou Wu ask her that question? Had she shown some kind of weakness?

But after Zhou Wu woke up, he didn’t bring up last night at all.

Could it be that Zhou Wu got drunk too and forgot? It wasn’t impossible. He had drunk a lot too last night. Maybe that’s why he asked her like that.

Or maybe Zhou Wu had the kind of constitution where he’d forget everything after drinking and waking up…

Wen Ci’s mind was in turmoil, and she comforted herself anxiously, trying to calm down.

Zhou Wu took half a step behind her, his hands in his pockets, looking down at the back of her head, which seemed both guilty and stubborn. He called out, “Wen Ci.”

Wen Ci immediately replied, “Hm? What? I drank too much last night, and now I don’t remember anything.”

“Your bra isn’t on properly.”

“…”

Wen Ci stiffly adjusted her bra straps, planning to head downstairs. She didn’t want to take the stairs, nor the elevator.

Just as the elevator was about to arrive, Wen Ci hadn’t had time to relax when two familiar voices echoed from the other end of the corridor.

“Dou Yiqing, are you okay? Setting an alarm for 5:30? Do you know the last time I got up this early?”

“I’ve been getting up at 5:30 since school.”

“School hasn’t started yet!”

“School’s starting soon. Can’t I get used to it early?”

“Then just go back to sleep, why leave at six?”

“Am I sick? Why would I sleep at your place instead of home?… By the way, did Zhou Wu take Wen Ci home last night?”

“Yeah, where else would he have taken her? Zhou Wu messaged me about it.”

“I was worried she’d get home and her parents would find out. She talks a lot when she’s drunk. By the way, did you notice something strange between Wen Ci and Zhou Wu last night?”

“No, really? Was there?” After a brief pause, the voice spoke again, lowering the volume. Unfortunately, the hotel corridor was empty and quiet, so the guests there could still vaguely hear. “Alright, Dou Yiqing, stop talking about other things. Uh, by the way… how was I last night?”

“Terrible.”

“Huh? You’re just being stubborn, you still called like that even though it was terrible. I…” Qin Yun took a turn and saw the two people standing by the elevator, his voice abruptly stopped.

Eight pairs of eyes met.

The hallway fell into complete silence.

Ding! The elevator door slid open but closed slowly again since no one was boarding.

The four of them stared at each other. They didn’t know how long they had been standing there until someone finally broke the silence.

Qin Yun’s mind flashed through a hundred questions, recalling the ambiguous things Zhou Wu had said to him earlier. He turned toward Wen Ci and couldn’t help but curse himself internally. All his thoughts boiled down to one phrase: “Good morning.”

Zhou Wu responded indifferently, “Good morning.”

Wen Ci: “…”

Dou Yiqing: “…”

Qin Yun cleared his throat. “Where are you going?”

Zhou Wu: “To have breakfast.”

Qin Yun: “Oh, we’re going to eat breakfast too. How about we go together?”

Zhou Wu: “Sure.”

—-

The hotel was across from a Cantonese dim sum restaurant, semi-self-service, where the dishes were picked up from a counter.

The two men took the menu and went to get food, leaving Wen Ci and Dou Yiqing at the table.

“Stop covering it.” Dou Yiqing crossed her arms and spoke up.

“…” Wen Ci resignedly lowered her hand.

Seeing the familiar kiss marks on Wen Ci’s collarbone, Dou Yiqing closed her eyes, feeling like her worldview had collapsed.

—-

In the past, Dou Yiqing had suspected many of Wen Ci’s male classmates as potential hook-up partners, even considered Xiang Wenwen, but never Zhou Wu. After all, they didn’t seem like people from the same world. Dou Yiqing tried to recall how much interaction they had in high school, but she couldn’t remember much, especially after Zhou Wu went to the U.S. after graduation.

So when she saw Zhou Wu holding Wen Ci yesterday, she just thought it was a bit strange.

Now, with the truth revealed, Dou Yiqing couldn’t help but think back to the time when she left Binhai a while ago…

She didn’t want to think about it too much.

“Last night…” Dou Yiqing paused to confirm, “He didn’t take you away when you were drunk, did he?”

Wen Ci, who had been looking down like a timid quail, immediately sat up straight and clarified, “No, no! It was me who called him over when I was drunk!”

Dou Yiqing remained silent for a few seconds. “You’re pretty proud of yourself.”

“…Sorry.” Wen Ci asked, “So what about you and Qin Yun?”

“It doesn’t matter. We drank and slept together.” Dou Yiqing frowned, still in disbelief, and propped her elbow on Wen Ci’s chair, her face full of surprise. “The person you like is actually Zhou Wu?!”

Wen Ci’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly denied it. “No! It’s just a casual hookup!” She said the last two words in a very soft voice.

“I still don’t know you? You couldn’t sleep with someone you don’t like.” Dou Yiqing said incredulously. “When did you start liking him? How come I didn’t notice? You and Zhou Wu—”

Wen Ci quickly covered Dou Yiqing’s mouth.

Zhou Wu placed congee in front of Wen Ci. “What?”

Wen Ci winked at him, and Dou Yiqing rolled her eyes, muttering, “Nothing.”

Wen Ci had to rush home, so they finished breakfast quickly and left the restaurant.

Qin Yun’s car was borrowed by a friend last night, so the four of them had to squeeze into Zhou Wu’s car.

Zhou Wu was driving, Wen Ci was in the passenger seat, and the other two sat in the back, their voices never stopping since they got in.

“Qin Yun, the wine at your bar is fake, right?” Dou Yiqing rubbed her temples. “Why does my head hurt so much?”

Qin Yun was shocked. “Who’s trying to scam me, Dou Yiqing? The wine in my bar is more real than your teaching certificate! The last bottle of whiskey you drank last night cost 180,000! I gave it to you for free, and you still bite me back.”

“Oh, sleeping with me for one night is also 180,000.” Dou Yiqing said nonchalantly. “So we’re even.”

“???” Qin Yun found it ridiculous and almost laughed. “Dou Yiqing, don’t you have any shame? And you’re a teacher!”

Dou Yiqing: “Anyway, I’m not acknowledging that 180,000. You’re the one who poured the wine for me.”

Wen Ci had been tense all morning but couldn’t help laughing at their banter.

After laughing, she felt it wasn’t quite appropriate, so she held back, but her apple-shaped cheeks felt a little tight.

The back of her hand was touched lightly. Wen Ci looked up and saw Zhou Wu offering her a band-aid.

He was holding the steering wheel with one hand, looking rather indifferent, and his tone was lazy: “Cover your neck.”

Wen Ci looked at him. “Oh,” she said, taking the band-aid. At the red light, she leaned over to Zhou Wu and carefully placed the band-aid on the right side of his neck.

There was a long red scratch on the spot near Zhou Wu’s neck, a mark left by her last night.

Wen Ci gently touched it with her thumb and asked with guilt, “Is there another one? This one’s a bit small. Does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt. But I told you to cover your own neck,” Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you afraid your parents will see?”

“…”

The marks on her chest could be hidden by the collar, but the ones on her neck were a bit harder to hide. Wen Ci hesitated. “It’s fine. My parents aren’t awake yet. I’ll cover it with concealer when I get home.”

When the light turned green, Zhou Wu turned his face away and suddenly felt like laughing.

He had been quite annoyed, planning to have a good talk with Wen Ci during breakfast. But then these two people showed up, and now they were still chattering away in the backseat.

Now she felt it was whatever. After all, she was a small liar to begin with, and trying to smooth things over might not even work. Just now, in front of the elevator, all she did was call his name, and she had already denied everything three times.

Seeing the familiar street, Wen Ci unbuckled her seatbelt and said, “You can drop me off here, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Zhou Wu leisurely pulled over to the side, glanced at her, and casually asked, “By the way, do you prefer dogs or cats?”

With a “clink,” Wen Ci’s phone fell onto the car.

Her mind was a bit scattered as she bent down to pick it up, telling herself to respond the opposite way so that Zhou Wu wouldn’t take what was said last night seriously. When lying, one must stay calm, composed, and natural.

She looked up and met Zhou Wu’s dark eyes, which were the same as when he held her chin and kissed her last night, asking her whether she liked Zhou Wu or Xiang Wenwen. The gaze was filled with unmistakable ambiguity and probing. Each time she answered, Zhou Wu would lean down and kiss her once, as if satisfied, as if encouraging her.

Qin Yun, sitting in the backseat, heard it and was about to say, “Bro, why are you asking such a sudden question?” But he heard Wen Ci answer, “Dogs.”

As they neared the rush hour, a car behind honked, and Wen Ci tightened her grip on her phone. She realized what she had said, but it was too late to take it back. That would be too obvious, and she would be called a liar again.

Wen Ci’s ears turned red, and, giving up on saving face, she added in a small voice, “… I like Samoyeds.”

“Okay.” Those eyes smiled. Zhou Wu said, “Got it.”