Gu Wenxi swayed his legs on the rattan chair. He was still carelessly wearing big shorts, but at Du Yunyan’s request, he had sprayed a lot of floral water beforehand. Seeing the wine bottle and glass brought over by the other party, he raised his eyebrows, “Why so little?”

“I didn’t soak it for long, but it’s very strong.”

The bayberry juice didn’t seep in as strongly, and compared to the two times they drank before, the color was lighter, looking even more transparent.

“Just be careful not to get drunk.” Gu Wenxi took the glass containing nearly half a cup of wine.

The mist enveloped the area around the moon, emitting a hazy light, as if it was not hanging in the sky but just a reflection in the water.

Gu Wenxi didn’t rush to finish his drink too quickly. Sipping it slowly, the spicy taste mixed with fruity fragrance entered his throat, and he seemed to be transported back to the day they first met. Despite the twists and turns, it had only been half a year.

Du Yunyan poured another glass, and Gu Wenxi reminded him, “You shouldn’t drink too much, right?”

“I’m feeling good today,” he said.

He was the one who said it was strong, and he was the one who didn’t pay attention to controlling his alcohol intake. Gu Wenxi didn’t stop him and clinked his glass with his.

There was only a small round table between them. Under the illumination of the lamp and the moonlight, Du Yunyan’s profile showed soft contours. In Gu Wenxi’s eyes, there was a kind of captivating power emanating from him, not a paranoid and painful obsession, but a slight drunkenness. In this shallow intoxication, it seemed as if they had known each other for half their lives and loved each other for half their lives.

“What’s wrong?” Du Yunyan put down his glass because he felt Gu Wenxi staring at him, “Are you drunk?”

Gu Wenxi didn’t retract his gaze, smiling calmly, “I don’t get easily drunk.”

Indeed, his alcohol tolerance was relatively good. After sharing a small bottle of fruit wine, Du Yunyan’s face showed a familiar light blush.

“Back then, you were like this when you got drunk,” Gu Wenxi said.

“Back then?” Du Yunyan didn’t know what he was thinking, and suddenly laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“I remembered how clumsy you were before…” He choked on his laughter when he spoke.

“What about me?”

“Especially clumsy!” Du Yunyan might be drunk again, his words deviated from the normal track and headed in a strange direction.

“What are you talking about?” Gu Wenxi glanced at him and decided to go along with it, “How clumsy?”

“Well…” His elbow rested on the small table, his head leaning on his hand, swaying, “Anyway, much clumsier than me…”

Even boasting while mocking? It wasn’t cute at all. Gu Wenxi suppressed his anger and didn’t argue with the drunkard, “And then? Am I still clumsy?”

“And then…” Du Yunyan suddenly widened his half-closed eyes, “Under Teacher Du’s guidance, you’ve gotten better and better,” he said, stretching out his arm and rubbing Gu Wenxi’s face with a straight arm, “The pupil surpasses the master!”

“The pupil surpasses the master?” Gu Wenxi raised an eyebrow, amused.

He flicked away Du Yunyan’s hand. Just as romantic thoughts had sprung up in his mind, Du Yunyan’s drunken ramblings shattered them completely, leaving him no choice but to stand up, intending to drag him back to their room.

“Why are there so many stars… stars?” Du Yunyan looked up, feeling as though the sky was swaying and everything around him was constantly changing position.

“Because you’ve had too much to drink,” Gu Wenxi assisted him just like last time.

Luckily, they didn’t end up drunk together.

When Du Yunyan went back to the room and into the bathroom, Gu Wenxi pondered whether he should accompany him in, just in case he fell. But before he could decide, Du Yunyan had already dashed inside, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Gu Wenxi outside.

Cursing under his breath, Gu Wenxi waited for two minutes until Du Yunyan emerged from the bathroom, then complained, “Why did you rush to close the door?”

Du Yunyan looked at him perplexedly, tilting his head, then smiled after a moment, innocently asking, “Did you want to go to the bathroom with me?”

“I… I was afraid you’d fall!” Gu Wenxi stammered.

“Mm, I understand.” Du Yunyan propped himself up against Gu Wenxi’s arm and flopped onto the bed.

“Hey, are you really drunk?” Gu Wenxi couldn’t help but feel that the contrast in his behavior was too drastic, almost as if he’d been replaced, but his speech was still logical, leaving him suspicious.

“Mm?” Du Yunyan felt a bit hot and unbuttoned the top button of his pajamas. “I’m dizzy, but I recognize you.”

Gu Wenxi couldn’t believe it. “If you didn’t recognize me, I’d have to punch you!”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Du Yunyan replied confidently.

“Feeling quite self-assured, aren’t you?” Gu Wenxi chuckled, remembering their conversation the last time they were drunk. He pinched his waist. “Do you remember the last time I offered to help you clean up, and you refused?”

He furrowed his brows. “Did that happen?”

“Of course!” Gu Wenxi brought up the old issue. “You’re as guarded against me as against a thief!”

Turning over, Du Yunyan faced him and muttered, “Well, now that you’ve touched me all over, what else do you have to complain about…”

“You—acting as if you haven’t touched me!”

“Then why don’t you help me wipe now?” Du Yunyan unbuttoned two more buttons of his shirt. “I feel sticky on my back.”

“Really?”

“Mm.”

“Then you’d better stay still!” Gu Wenxi eagerly complied, gleefully preparing towels and warm water in the bathroom. While Du Yunyan lay comfortably on the bed, being wiped down, he hummed contentedly, resembling a lazy cat.

As he poured water, Gu Wenxi suddenly realized how he had been tricked into running around by Du Yunyan, who was still excited despite being drunk. But if he were completely sober, he wouldn’t have let himself be bossed around like this.

Returning to bed, Gu Wenxi arranged the mosquito net and lay down, only to find that Du Yunyan was still awake, staring at him with wide eyes, as if observing him for some scientific purpose.

Gu Wenxi cautiously asked, “What’s on your mind?”

Suddenly, Du Yunyan leaned over, cuddling up to his body. Gu Wenxi froze, afraid of an awkward situation arising. “What are you—”

Du Yunyan’s face held an unusual innocence, a kind of expression that didn’t seem to belong on his face, yet also seemed to have been hiding there all along.

“Gu Wenxi…” his pronunciation of the two words was very clear.

Gu Wenxi dared not move, only reaching out his left arm to hug him back, not daring to breathe too loudly, thinking he was about to say something profound. But after a long while with no movement, when he looked down, Du Yunyan had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.

What a waste of emotions.

Gu Wenxi slowly relaxed, but his mind was full of doubts: was he really drunk or not?

---

Under the influence of alcohol, Gu Wenxi slept deeply that night, but he was awakened early in the morning by Du Yunyan. Except for pre-arranged plans, Du Yunyan almost never woke him up early, so this time he still stubbornly tried to stay in bed.

“Gu Wenxi…” Du Yunyan called again, more serious than usual.

“What?” Gu Wenxi half-opened his eyes, feeling that Du Yunyan’s expression was much more serious than usual.

“Wake up,” Du Yunyan said urgently.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Wenxi asked.

“The Gu Corporation in S City, that’s your family’s, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

The Gu family business was large and well-known, and Du Yunyan and Gu Wenxi were in a romantic relationship, so it was impossible for him not to know.

“Is your father the chairman?”

“Yeah,” Gu Wenxi mumbled sleepily. “Do you want to know about my dad? I can tell you—”

“That’s not the issue,” Du Yunyan interrupted anxiously. “Wenxi, take a look at this news.” He handed his phone to Gu Wenxi.

As Gu Wenxi read the headline, his drowsiness vanished instantly.