SH – Chapter 26

Yun Chu never expected Jian You to actually take her home.

And she’d left First Encounter with Jian You’s arm around her waist. The manager stood at the door, a gossipy look on his face, wanting to approach but not daring to. He could only obediently open the door and hand Jian You her car keys, hesitating before saying, “Our boss…”

“Is drunk,” Jian You said. After a pause, she asked, “Do you know where she lives? Can you take her home?”

Yun Chu leaned against Jian You’s shoulder. !

She shot the manager a look.

The manager said, “I can’t, I’m about to get off work.”

Jian You: “Hm?”

The manager: “Taking the boss home after hours is overtime. I don’t do overtime, no matter how much you pay.”

Jian You was silent for a moment before saying nonchalantly, “You have a good company culture.”

Yun Chu secretly gave the manager a thumbs-up.

She was too “drunk” to walk, and Jian You couldn’t get an address out of her. With no other choice, Jian You stuffed her into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. The wipers swept the rain from the windshield, only for new drops to fall. Through the wipers’ swing, the neon lights shone with a brilliant, blurry glow.

Yun Chu was secretly delighted. It was all thanks to her good acting; her portrayal of a drunk person was more than convincing. She’d even fooled the best director.

So she leaned into it even more.

Jian You turned onto the main road and asked her, “Which home are we going to?”

She mumbled, “Mmm…”

Jian You: “How about I take you to your grandma’s house?”

She mumbled, “Mmm-mmm…”

Jian You: “What if they don’t let us in? Should Wen Yi and I just hang you over the wall?”

She whimpered, “Wuwuwu…”

Don’t be so cruel, Teacher Jian T_T

The light ahead was red, and Jian You slowly stopped the car. She seemed to understand Yun Chu’s resistance. A hint of a smile appeared in her eyes, vanishing in an instant. She said, “My house only has two bedrooms. One for Wen Yi, and one for me.”

Yun Chu’s eyes widened slightly.

No way, no way, right? She just wanted to get into the house and use the opportunity to get a little closer to Jian You. She hadn’t planned on going straight to bed with her on the first try!

Jian You: “You can sleep on the sofa.”

Yun Chu: “…” Oh.

Jian You added, “But the sofa is Ludeng’s territory.”

Yun Chu stammered, “Ludeng is?”

Jian You: “My cat.”

Yun Chu: “…”

Great. She was going to spend a wonderful night with a cat.

Jian You: “Ludeng doesn’t like to sleep with others.”

Yun Chu: “?”

So it wasn’t about spending a wonderful night together, but about fighting a life-or-death battle with a kitten for the right to sleep on the sofa.

The more Yun Chu thought about it, the more wronged she felt. She stammered pitifully, “There’s no way I can win against a kitten.”

The light turned green.

Jian You stepped on the gas and replied, “Why?”

Yun Chu argued with her very seriously, “Kittens are so cute, how could I bear to fight with him?” She sighed and said, “Don’t worry, Teacher Jian. I’ll just sleep on the floor.”

She hummed in agreement, closed her eyes, and muttered, “The floor is fine.”

The rain was still falling, fine and fast. The car couldn’t enter the historic district, so they had to park on the side of the road. Jian You backed the car into a parking spot, changed back into her high heels, stepped onto the wet asphalt, and opened an umbrella as she walked around to the passenger side.

Yun Chu thought, The rain is coming down so hard. Jian You’s home in Qingyao Alley was in the center of the district. The lanes and alleys were a complex maze, and they had to cross several bridges. It would be difficult to walk while pretending to be drunk and having Jian You support her. So she unbuckled her seatbelt herself and said in a slurred voice, “I… I’m much better. I can walk on my own.”

“Are you sure?” Jian You asked.

“I think… so.”

Never mind just walking; right now she was so elated she wished she could sprint right to Jian You’s door and then run two laps around the alley to burn off her excess energy.

It was cold and raining, so there weren’t many people in the scenic area. Even the shopkeepers were listless, closing up if they could. Only a few quiet bars were lit with an ambiguous glow, where a house singer was playing guitar and singing.

Yun Chu recognized the song. “It’s ‘Words Can’t Express’.”

She stopped walking and nudged Jian You’s shoulder. “Let’s listen till the end, okay?”

Jian You didn’t speak, which was a silent agreement.

The singer’s voice didn’t sound very old, as if he’d just gone through puberty. Much of his enunciation had a unique, youthful quality. “We’re like we’re separated by a pane of glass / I can see you but I can’t touch you / Even though I’m only a few millimeters away from you…”

“I can’t convey myself / Where do I begin / How do I translate ‘I love you’,” Yun Chu hummed along. Rain fell into the puddles at her feet. She smelled Jian You’s perfume—a sweet plum scent, cool and refreshing yet a little cloying. Mingling with the rain, she said softly, “Teacher Jian.”

“…Mm.”

“This song is beautiful.”

“Mm.”

“…”

“It would be perfect for a movie about unrequited love,” Jian You added.

Yun Chu laughed and stepped into the rain. “Then you’ll have to put my name in the ‘inspiration’ credits.”

Jian You followed with the umbrella. “If such a credit exists.”

---

Jian You had messaged Wen Yi before they arrived, asking her to prepare some tomato juice to help sober up. Wen Yi didn’t ask any questions, but she was worried Jian You might be too drunk to take care of herself, so she didn’t go to bed after making the juice.

She waited and waited, and finally, Jian You arrived with the “drunk” Yun Chu.

“It’s Xiao Chu.” Wen Yi took her from Jian You’s arms and settled her on the sofa, then hurriedly poured a glass of tomato juice and pressed it into Yun Chu’s hands. “How did you get this drunk?”

Yun Chu’s face flushed when she drank, so her rosy cheeks were very convincing.

Jian You’s arms suddenly felt empty. She stood there for a moment, feeling a bit unused to it. Wen Yi really is better at taking care of people, she thought. The moment Yun Chu sat down, she became docile. No more muttering or mumbling. She lowered her eyes and drank the tomato juice, looking very well-behaved.

A stranger had come into the house. Ludeng, who had been having a great time playing with Liuyue, dove behind the curtains, leaving only his tail twitching outside, deluding himself into thinking he couldn’t be seen.

Liuyue, on the other hand, trotted over and circled excitedly at Jian You’s feet.

Once, when Jian You hadn’t been home for a long time, the little Samoyed had grown up fast, turning from a small fluffball into a big one. He had been so excited to see her that he’d knocked her completely to the ground, nearly breaking her back. After that, Jian You had “sternly” educated Liuyue, making him deeply aware of his own size and weight. So Liuyue no longer pounced on her, but would just wag his tail furiously.

Jian You crouched down to hug him. Over his head, she saw Yun Chu obediently finish the tomato juice and say to Wen Yi, “Thank you.”

Wen Yi asked with concern, “Why did you drink so much?”

Yun Chu just smiled.

Wen Yi fretted, “Can you still climb the wall when you’re this drunk?”

Yun Chu: “…”

She couldn’t smile anymore.

“She’s sleeping here tonight.” Jian You ruffled Liuyue’s head, as if saying it casually. She lowered her head to look Liuyue in the eye and asked him, “How about we let her sleep in your bed, and you can sleep with me?”

Liuyue: “Woof woof woof!”

His tail wagged like a tornado.

Jian You smiled, stood up, and asked Yun Chu, “Feeling better?”

Yun Chu’s face fell. She had clearly taken Jian You’s last sentence seriously. “I’m not sleeping in a dog bed…”

Jian You: “…If you’re feeling better, come upstairs with me.”

With that, she started toward the stairs. She walked slowly and heard Yun Chu get up, her footsteps light. Then they paused, and she heard Yun Chu’s hushed voice, “You’re Liuyue, right? I’m not sleeping in your bed, so you can stop wagging your tail.”

Jian You: “?”

Yun Chu: “You’re a big boy now, you have to learn to sleep by yourself. Don’t you dare follow us!”

Liuyue followed them anyway. Wagging his tail, he reached the bedroom door before either of them. He stood on his hind legs and pushed the door open with his paws. Jian You frowned slightly. “Liuyue!”

Liuyue immediately sat down to the side, looking at her with his big, watery eyes, his mouth open in a grin.

Yun Chu lunged forward with a cry, “Aaaah, what a cute doggy!”

She was instantly melted by the dog’s cuteness and was in no hurry to follow Jian You inside. She crouched next to Liuyue, petting him. Jian You walked straight into the walk-in closet, sliding the door open.

After a moment’s hesitation, she called out, “Yun Chu!”

Yun Chu, in the middle of happily petting the dog, answered, “What is it?”

Jian You: “Come in.”

“Is it urgent?” Yun Chu was reluctant to leave the doggy.

Jian You felt like a nerve in her head was about to snap. She closed her eyes and maintained her composure. “Very urgent.”

Yun Chu trotted in. “Coming!”

Jian You said, “Pick one yourself.”

Yun Chu looked around. “Whoa-”

Jian You’s walk-in closet was huge. It was filled with all sorts of styles for every season. There were enough styles of pajamas alone to open a small pajama shop. Jian You said, “I haven’t worn any of the ones that still have the tags on.”

She held back, but couldn’t resist. “Wear the third one from the left.”

It was a sapphire blue silk nightgown.

It would really complement Yun Chu’s skin tone.

Jian You added, “The underwear is in the third drawer on the left.”

Yun Chu panicked for a second, her face flushing. “Un-underwear?”

Jian You didn’t look at her. “They’re new.”

That was still way too much! Yun Chu’s face grew hotter. With a trembling hand, she opened the third drawer. Inside, they were folded neatly and tidily. There were all sorts of colors. The styles were all more or less the same, with a bit of lace trim.

It was easy to associate them with… ambiguous things.

Yun Chu swallowed nervously. Her heart was pounding out of control. Her brain had completely short-circuited. She stared for a long while, afraid Jian You would notice something was off, and quickly picked a random pair.

She clutched them in her palm.

Jian You said, “The bathroom is over there. Take a bath to clear your head.”

“Oh, okay.” Yun Chu scurried toward the bathroom like a flustered thief. She saw that the bathtub was already filled. The temperature-controlled water was perfect for a soak. She turned on the massage function, closed her eyes, and submerged herself in the steaming water.

---

In the walk-in closet.

Jian You was still standing in the same spot. After a while, she moved stiffly. She slowly walked to the wardrobe, glanced into the drawer, and then hurriedly pushed it shut.

She licked her dry lips and touched her slightly hot cheeks.

That was close. She had almost blushed.

Jian You walked out of the closet, and the light turned off automatically. The bedside lamp in the bedroom was on. Liuyue had already jumped onto the bed. Jian You lifted him off. “How dare you get on my bed without a bath?”

Liuyue: “Woof woof woof!”

Jian You stared at him and said softly, “You can after you’ve had a bath.”

Liuyue: “Whimper whimper whimper!”

Jian You let him go. “Go sleep downstairs. There’s no room for you on this bed tonight.”

Liuyue nuzzled against her, then ran downstairs. He must have met up with Ludeng halfway, because he started barking and chasing Ludeng. Another commotion erupted downstairs, and they could faintly hear Wen Yi shout, “Stop running around and knocking things over!”

Outside, the winter rain pattered down, making the atmosphere inside feel even warmer.

She sat on the bay window, quietly watching the winter rain. Her heart gradually calmed. But just then, the bathroom door was suddenly pulled open a crack, revealing half of Yun Chu’s pretty face. She said in a small voice, “Teacher Jian, I forgot to grab a towel.”

Jian You: “…”

Her inner peace was shattered.

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