Chapter 105: Slightly Tipsy
After Xiao Luohan blew out the candle, Jiang Xue personally cut the cake for her.
“Today is also your coming-of-age day…” Xiao Luohan still felt a little apologetic.
She had received many blessings today. Everyone had been very kind to her, whether it was the unfamiliar elders she had met at the birthday banquet or the Jiang family. Throughout the day, she felt warmth and care everywhere.
But this unprecedented outpouring of goodwill made her subconsciously apprehensive.
“But I think celebrating like this is more meaningful,” Jiang Xue said with a smile, handing her the slice of cake and adding a cherry on top. “And you’re already part of our family, and it happens to be your birthday, so we have to make up for all those years you missed out on ‘making a wish on a candle.'”
She celebrated her birthday every year, and even her coming-of-age party wasn’t that special to her.
Compared to a banquet at a hotel, she actually preferred inviting a few close friends to karaoke or an internet café, or just celebrating at home with a warm family dinner.
Unfortunately, coming-of-age parties were considered important by adults, and certain formalities had to be observed. Plus, she had also wanted to use the birthday banquet to pave the way for Xiao Luo’s future. In the end, this small, extra celebration was the most to her liking.
And how was this not “celebrating for herself”?
After hearing Jiang Xue’s explanation, Xiao Luohan held the plate of cake and asked, “Then can everyone have a piece of this cake?”
So everyone present received a slice of cake personally cut by the birthday girl.
The cake was light and not too sweet. Cheng Shizhu had deliberately used less cream and added a lot of diced fruit to the filling, so it wasn’t too rich even if you ate more.
“Ms. Wei and Ms. Jiang aren’t here,” Xiao Luohan said curiously while Jiang Mei was eating her cake. “Are they afraid that we’ll be too restrained if they’re present?”
“Something like that,” Jiang Mei replied. “After all, the birthday banquet at noon was more of an ‘adult event,’ and they knew A-Xue didn’t really enjoy it.”
So they deliberately didn’t attend the evening celebration at home, as a form of compensation.
“Now, only Sister Cheng is a true adult, and because of her role as a ‘housekeeper,’ she rarely interferes with our activities. And in their eyes, I’m just an ‘older sister,’ so I can still be considered a peer.”
After the cake was distributed, Sister Cheng brought out other dishes and desserts.
Jiang Mei also helped with the drinks, holding a bottle of cola and a bottle of wine.
Placing the cola beside Xie Xitong, she skillfully opened the wine bottle. “What do you want to drink? Uncle Seuss’s wine is quite mild, you can try it.”
“Th-Then I want to try some!” Jiang Xue immediately held out her empty glass, mustering her courage.
She had been hesitant to drink at noon, but now that they were home, she had to try it!
Jiang Mei poured her a small amount.
Jiang Xue took a sip, her eyes lighting up instantly. “It’s really good!!”
It was indeed mild, smooth, and the sweet and sour taste of grapes combined with the slight kick of alcohol danced on her taste buds, warming her stomach.
She wanted to help her uncle pick grapes during summer vacation again!
She couldn’t help but finish the rest in one gulp. When she handed the glass back to her older sister, Jiang Mei didn’t pour her any more.
“This wine is mild but can easily go to your head. A taste is enough.”
Jiang Xue: …
Her craving had been aroused, but she couldn’t have any more. Her older sister was being mean!
She mumbled an “oh,” obediently put down her glass, and listlessly picked at her food, occasionally glancing at the wine bottle, secretly making plans.
To ensure her plan’s success, she acted well-behaved throughout dinner.
Even Jiang Mei and Xiao Linghan were fooled. After dinner, Jiang Mei even placed the half-empty bottle of wine on the display shelf by the dining table, planning to finish it in the next two days.
After about three hours of waiting, when Sister Cheng and Cheng Shizhu finished cleaning and returned to their rooms, and Jiang Mei also went to her room to work, Jiang Xue tiptoed out of her room and quickly went downstairs, snatching the half bottle of wine.
Xiao Luohan was organizing materials, preparing to wash up and go to bed, when she saw Jiang Xue return with the wine bottle, looking around like a thief before closing the door.
“It’s really good! Do you want to try some?” she asked Xiao Luohan, taking out disposable cups.
Xiao Luohan hesitated for a moment, then removed the cork herself and, imitating the amount Jiang Mei had poured for Jiang Xue at dinner, poured a small amount for herself.
She had asked Dr. Qi a few days ago, and with her current health, she could have a little bit of mild, low-alcohol wine, just to taste it.
But as she took a small sip, she heard the glug-glug sound of pouring wine. Looking up, she saw that Jiang Xue had poured herself half a glass!
“I still want to test my alcohol tolerance,” Jiang Xue explained, meeting her gaze. “It tastes like a soft drink, so I dared to pour so much.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Xiao Luohan looked at her.
Jiang Xue wasn’t actually sure, and under Xiao Luohan’s gaze, she caved. “Th-Then I’ll just drink half of half a glass…”
She kept her word, even pouring the remaining portion into Xiao Luohan’s cup. After drinking a quarter of a glass, she rinsed her mouth, drank some warm water, and sat on the edge of the bed, nervously waiting for the effects.
Xiao Luohan, frail since childhood, was strict about her dietary restrictions. After tasting the wine, she didn’t drink any more, blinking as she curiously observed Jiang Xue.
Perhaps because she had drunk so little, it was half an hour later that Jiang Xue finally felt a little dizzy.
“…My head feels heavy and dizzy, but my body feels light,” she seriously described her feelings to Xiao Luohan. “But I think my head might also float soon, it’s just not time yet.”
Xiao Luohan: …
It sounded like she was drunk.
She thought for a moment and held up three fingers. “What number is this?”
“Three,” Jiang Xue blurted out without hesitation, then pouted playfully. “I’m not drunk!”
“Since you’re not drunk, do you want more?” Xiao Luohan teased her.
Actually, even if A-Xue wanted more, she wouldn’t allow it.
Jiang Xue wasn’t tempted this time. Smelling the wine, she immediately moved away, shaking her head and waving her hands. “No, no! I’ve had enough!”
Xiao Luohan was amused by her reaction. She put down the disposable cup, walked over to Jiang Xue, cupped her face in her hands, and gently pinched her cheeks.
Her cheeks were indeed warmer than usual, and the texture felt different.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Xue narrowed her eyes at her, nuzzling her cheek against Xiao Luohan’s palm. “Is my face that fun to play with?”
…Like a bristling cat that still couldn’t resist rubbing against someone.
“Yes, you’re quite cute like this,” Xiao Luohan smiled, her gaze shifting to Jiang Xue’s slightly parted lips. “Can I have a taste?”
The cat turned its face away.
Xiao Luohan had only asked out of politeness. Whether Jiang Xue avoided it or not, she was going to try.
The slightly tipsy A-Xue was even more endearing.
She tried it standing up first, then, finding it a bit tiring after a few minutes, sat down next to Jiang Xue, practically pulling her into an embrace.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, the cat was soon “ruffled” by her petting, and instinctively put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her down so that they both fell onto the quilt.
Jiang Xue truly felt like her head was floating. She was trying to stay conscious, but Xiao Luo’s repeated attempts made her dizzy, her mind floating among the clouds, unable to come back down.
She couldn’t even remember what she had done “in the sky,” only vaguely recalling touching soft, smooth lips, the unease of not being grounded making her cling to them, her entire hand covering them.
Then her memory went blank, a blur.
It wasn’t until she regained consciousness, her vision clear, her hand steady as she picked up her phone, and the time displayed without double vision, that she realized it was already 5:30 AM.
After checking the time and looking around, noticing their unusual sleeping position, Jiang Xue almost screamed.
Had their progress… gone that far while she was drunk?!
Not noticing anything unusual about her body or hands, Jiang Xue became even more nervous.
She immediately got out of bed, checked all the opened tissue packets in the bedroom, and after confirming that none were missing, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, fortunately, then it should have just been the usual level of intimacy…
After confirming, she poured out the remaining half glass of wine, washed and discarded the disposable cup, then tiptoed downstairs, and while no one was around, returned the wine bottle with the cork tightly sealed.
After this incident, she wouldn’t dare drink casually anymore.
She wasn’t sure if it would affect her judgment, but the constant unease was truly overwhelming!
Xiao Luohan had a good dream.
She had transformed into a “demoness,” sitting in a desolate hall, swinging her bare feet and stroking her fluffy fox tail.
She saw A-Xi and Mei-jiejie enter the hall hand in hand and stand on the Dance Dance Revolution pads, starting to dance.
Accompanied by their unique dance moves, colorful musical notes floated upwards, and a Western magic circle appeared before her. Pointed, white cat ears emerged from the ground, and soon, their owner appeared in the magic circle, as if summoned by the dance.
At the same time, A-Xi and Mei-jiejie glowed, floating upwards and transforming into the English words “Good” and “Time,” circling around them before flying out of the hall.
Xiao Luohan looked down at the woman still sitting in the magic circle… no, the cat woman.
But before she could say anything, Jiang Xue, with pointed Maine Coon ears and a fluffy tail, walked towards her and wrapped herself around her like a snake.
They seemed to have spent a long time in that hall, the scenery outside the door changing from snow to a spring day with swallows flitting past. The originally cold hall also became warmer, with fresh flowers covered in dew, soft blankets, silent heaters, and… two bottles of red wine and a plate of fresh grapes.
After feeding Jiang Xue a grape, Xiao Luohan gestured towards the wine bottle, not bothering with a glass, removing the cork and drinking directly from the bottle.
“Don’t drink too much, it’s easy to get drunk!” Jiang Xue said worriedly, snatching the bottle and taking a large gulp, then burping, her cheeks quickly flushing.
As she became tipsy, the grapes she asked for unknowingly became something else.
Xiao Luohan not only didn’t mind, but also readily embraced her, patting her back encouragingly.
When she woke up and saw Jiang Xue, wrapped tightly in the quilt, staring intently at her, she even felt a little regretful.
