Chapter 123: Envy
The room, with its whirring heater, was as warm as spring. The takeout they had ordered covered the entire table, exuding a fragrant steam. A few opened bottles of wine were placed in the center of the table, and the room was filled with the lively and comfortable atmosphere of a party.
Su Yu held the wine and filled everyone’s glasses one by one. He skipped over the expectant An Zhi and stopped in front of Xia Qian Ge. He hesitated for a moment and asked, “Can you drink? If you don’t like it, you can have orange juice with An Zhi.”
“I can drink a little. It’s okay.”
Xia Qian Ge smiled and indicated that she could accept it, handing her glass to Su Yu.
“Alright then. It’s a party, so it’s okay to drink a little.”
Su Yu deliberately added more juice to the wine, diluting its taste.
“Hey, what about me? What about me?” An Zhi grabbed Su Yu’s wrist, not giving up, and held up her finger to emphasize, “Just one cup… let me have a taste.”
“No. Sister Hong specifically called me before we came. It’s good enough that I let you out. Drinking? Don’t even think about it.”
Su Yu refused outright and put the wine away.
“But I’m already eighteen.” An Zhi emphasized loudly, still not giving up.
“Sister Hong clearly said you’re still a few months away…”
“Haha…” Xia Qian Ge, caught in the middle, laughed. She spoke up for An Zhi. “It’s okay to drink a little, right? She’ll be fine when she wakes up tomorrow.”
“Yes, yes. Sister is so nice. What’s wrong with drinking a little?”
An Zhi immediately took advantage of the situation and leaned on Xia Qian Ge’s shoulder, acting like a fox borrowing the tiger’s might. “It’s not often that we get to go out.”
“Su Yu, just let An Zhi have a little. It’s okay. Just don’t tell your Sister Hong.” Lu Siyuan also chimed in. “If An Zhi is curious, let her drink. She won’t pester you for more after one sip.”
“Sigh… I didn’t pour the wine. I don’t know anything.”
Su Yu shrugged helplessly and had to pour a little for An Zhi. He looked at An Zhi’s smug face and emphasized, “Take a small sip first, or you won’t be able to handle it.”
He also poured a lot for himself, stopping only when the wine reached the halfway mark of his glass. He suddenly felt like drinking.
“Are you going to drink that much? It’s better to drink less for your health.”
Xia Qian Ge looked at the wine in Su Yu’s glass. She tilted her head and looked at him, a smile on her lips. “Are you in a bad mood today? You seemed a little down when I saw you at the door.”
“Huh? No… no.” Su Yu’s heart suddenly beat faster, but he suppressed it and smiled calmly. “Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night? I probably look a little tired.”
“I see. Then… you can go to bed early later. Don’t stay up late anymore.” Xia Qian Ge nodded in understanding.
“Cough cough… it’s so bad, so bitter.”
Xia Qian Ge turned around at the sound. On the other side, An Zhi was choking on the strong taste of the wine. Her small face was flushed red, and she was coughing violently. She patted An Zhi’s back and comforted her in a low voice. She even went to the kitchen to get some warm water for An Zhi to rinse her mouth, asking about her condition with great concern.
Su Yu watched Xia Qian Ge’s busy figure in a daze. He felt that the girl was becoming more and more like the one in his memory. With the bright light, he finally noticed that Xia Qian Ge was wearing heavy eyeliner today, the corners of her eyes drawn high and sharp. The bright and deep eyeshadow made the corners of her eyes even more alluring.
“Here’s a tissue…”
“Thank you.”
He grabbed a tissue from the table and handed it to Xia Qian Ge. The girl took it and smiled at him. Under her mature makeup, her round lips were outlined with a full lip line, the bright red color making her lips exude a sexy allure that was hard to resist.
Su Yu turned his head away with a grunt, deliberately using his bangs to cover his eyes. He had been suffering from insomnia for several hours last night and had only fallen asleep at four or five in the morning, waking up at seven or eight. But the inexplicable annoyance was like the fine sand falling in an hourglass, accumulating at the bottom, yet so heavy that it couldn’t be turned over again, to reset everything to zero.
He drank more than half a glass of wine in one gulp, as if to quench his thirst, or to vent.
An Zhi was still complaining that she would never drink again, and the joke she had made caused a burst of laughter at the table. Chu Feng took the opportunity to kick Su Yu’s ankle, signaling him to start the plan they had prepared.
Su Yu understood. He secretly took out a large bouquet of roses that had been prepared on the side. This was the surprise Lu Siyuan had prepared for Tang Xin.
He patted Xia Qian Ge’s shoulder and handed her the flowers from behind. A large bouquet of ninety-nine roses was held in his palm. The bright red petals were still covered with water droplets, looking delicate and beautiful. He could even vaguely smell the faint fragrance of the petals.
“Give this to Lu Siyuan from under the table. It’s for Tang Xin.”
Xia Qian Ge stared at the bouquet in the boy’s hand. She covered her chest, as if to suppress the wild pounding of her heart. The boy’s words faintly reached her ears, and the misunderstanding was cleared up in a moment. Her fantasy had not even taken shape before it shattered into a void of foam and dissipated. But the surging blood in her body was still raging, watering the dark thoughts to grow and spread.
Dissolve… the foam rose in the wine.
Her mind was a muddle for a moment. The images that flashed in her mind brought a deep sense of guilt, yet it also made her excited and restless.
“Qian Ge? What’s wrong?”
Su Yu bent down slightly and looked at Xia Qian Ge’s lowered eyes. He only saw a vast expanse of indifferent darkness, like a desolate and corrupt wasteland, without a trace of emotion growing in her eyes. He thought it was because the girl didn’t like to drink. “If you can’t drink…”
“It’s nothing. I just had a sudden pain in my chest. I’ll just drink less then.”
Xia Qian Ge’s dark pupils were filled with the bouquet of red roses. She looked up and smiled brightly. She took the flowers from Su Yu’s hand and gently reminded him, “You too. If you’re sleepy… you can go back to your room and sleep early.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
The roses were finally passed to Lu Siyuan from under the table. He took them out from behind Tang Xin while she was playing on her phone and handed them to her, looking at her with deep affection. “Xinxin, Merry Christmas.”
The room instantly erupted in a chorus of teasing. They all looked at the two protagonists with ambiguous gazes. Tang Xin, who was usually very generous, also blushed and covered her mouth, looking flustered. She took the bouquet in a daze, still in disbelief.
“Lu Siyuan, you… you didn’t tell me anything. I thought it was just a party today. You little punk… you scared me to death.”
Tang Xin complained, but the smile on her face never stopped. She brought her face closer to the flowers and smelled them, saying happily that they were so fragrant. Happiness overflowed in her eyes, turning into a deep kiss on Lu Siyuan’s lips.
An Zhi led the applause, and everyone looked at the couple, Lu Siyuan and Tang Xin, with blessings. The festive atmosphere became even warmer.
Xia Qian Ge also looked at the two of them kissing deeply, a hint of envy in her dark eyes. She quietly turned her head and looked at the boy, staring at his thin lips, which were pursed into a smile. Desire stirred, and she licked her lips, making her bright red lips even more moist and alluring.
