Of course, that wasn’t the end. The fall continued.

"Xinyu, you don’t usually drink?"

"Mm…" Xinyu pressed her lips together. "I’ve barely touched alcohol. I rarely eat out with friends—just cafeteria meals at school."

"So I thought all beer tasted the same…"

"I see." Chen Yuzhe nodded gravely. "Aren’t you worried about getting drunk tonight?"

"Mm…" Xinyu’s face flushed with embarrassment. She lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"If… if I did get drunk, would you walk me home, senior?"

*Tch. A trap question.* Chen Yuzhe sighed inwardly.

"I’d love to, but I doubt you’d let me."

Xinyu glanced up—only to find Chen Yuzhe deliberately looking away. Her shoulders slumped. Silence settled.

*He’s right.*

Xinyu had only been teasing. She always drank carefully, stopping the moment dizziness crept in. Even if truly drunk, she’d never let him see her home.

*That place… he should never know it exists.*

Chen Yuzhe knew better than to push. Dropping favor points this fast felt cruel. Gentler methods existed. He also knew her question was just a girl’s hopeful whim—a craving for his "yes."

"Anyway," he said, draining his glass and staring at the lemon slice floating in the dregs, "Bro Jing only brought enough for one or two small cups each. Not enough to get anyone drunk."

"Alcohol’s a good thing for me," he continued slowly. "But not for others. When you’re wasted, you ruin things. People have no brains around alcohol."

"Why’s it good for you, senior?" Xinyu blinked.

"Me?" Chen Yuzhe gave a bitter chuckle. "Probably because I’m hard to get drunk."

Truth was, his tolerance wasn’t a blessing. He’d sampled every liquor—baijiu took over two *jin* to floor him. Combined with his naturally steady demeanor, he stayed clear-headed while others unraveled.

He’d grown used to the spectacle: raw, ugly truths spilling from drunken lips. Watching them say and do what they’d never dare sober, he’d just scoff.

Who knew what ridiculous creature they became when wasted? Chen Yuzhe didn’t want to see. But he always did.

So unless he had an agenda, drinking was just performance. For himself? Fruit beer beat regular any day.

Though if you wanted to pry secrets loose… a strong liver was a powerful weapon.

"I rarely drink to blackout," he murmured, gaze drifting into the distance. "Unless I’m alone. Then… sometimes it’s nice to feel drunk."

Xinyu’s eyes flickered over him.

*In that moment… senior became a stranger.*

A quiet melancholy wrapped around him, distant and untouchable. Like trying to grasp smoke.

*Why?* Her eyebrows dipped. *Why does he feel so far away when he’s right beside me?*

She could see his profile. Lean closer, and she might hear his heartbeat.

"Se—" Xinyu started, but the words vanished before reaching her lips.

*Unspoken. Unsayable.*

Chen Yuzhe turned. "Hmm?"

"Nothing." She forced a smile and fell silent.

*Better to stay quiet. Better than lies.*

She shouldn’t have hoped from the start. Someone like her? Unworthy of him. His mere friendship was grace enough.

Watching from afar was fine. Like passing the campus flowerbeds and spotting a stray cat.

You knew it would bolt if you approached—yet you inched closer anyway, hoping just to brush its fur.

But the cat would only give you a cold stare before walking away.

Xinyu’s chest tightened. She bit her lip, staring blankly at her drink.

—

Just then, Chen Yuzhe spotted two figures entering the door.

A man and a woman. Familiar backs.

His eyes narrowed sharply.