"I like you… and I love you too."

A hazy, drunken murmur—light as a feather—nearly swallowed by the private room’s clamor.

She hasn’t lost… She really hasn’t lost yet.

He likes *you*. Loves *you*. Not those sluts flaunting themselves before him all day.

Xia Qian Ge’s thick, curly lashes trembled. She hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, yet the thick blood surging through her fragile veins seemed to congeal into potent liquor, numbing every nerve.

She could no longer uphold the gentle, poised image of the Xia Qian Ge everyone knew. That single whispered murmur became a torrent, shattering years of carefully built defenses. Stripped bare, her vulgar, vicious soul lay exposed—and she welcomed it willingly.

Swallowing the saliva flooding her mouth, she knew her state was shameful. Yet she couldn’t suppress the frantic flutter in her chest. How much reason remains in veins swimming with alcohol? How could she possibly control herself?

It was cake—sweet, fragrant cake. Hadn’t she tasted it already on the bus? Just one tiny lick… and she was hooked. Addicted. Unforgettable.

Her lips twisted into something almost grotesque. She covered her face with trembling hands, like a destitute woman stripped naked and thrown into the street—arms crossed futilely over her chest, shielding the last shred of pathetic dignity.

"Huh? Xia Qian Ge? Still sober? Then let’s keep drinking!"

Chen Kai, slumped drunk on the floor moments ago, somehow dragged himself up. Bleary eyes squinted to slits. "Why’re you smiling like that? Something good happen?"

Xia Qian Ge stayed silent. Beneath her bangs, her eyes were dark ice—pure black pupils gleaming coldly. Slowly, her gaze shifted from Su Yu to Chen Kai.

Like a haunted midnight forest wreathed in soul-devouring mist, she held his stare. Impatient, she rose. With deceptively slender arms, she seized Chen Kai by the collar and dragged him single-handedly toward the restroom.

…

*Thud!*

Dumped onto the restroom floor, Chen Kai clutched the empty toilet paper bin like a lifeline and vomited violently.

Xia Qian Ge watched, kicked his blocking leg aside, and walked to the sink. She smoothed her messy bangs before the mirror.

Gently tucking stray strands, she watched the sickly flush recede from her cheeks like a tide. A sinister smile curled her lips at the gloomy, fierce girl in the glass—a sight that would startle any intruder.

…

Back in the lively private room, she slipped unnoticed beside Su Yu. He still lay slumped, his creamy pale profile half-visible. Calm washed over her. Tucked in the corner, only she and Su Yu sat together—the empty seat’s owner now snoring in the restroom.

Unseen, fleeting peace twisted into craving. Her fingertips trembled nearing his cheek, eyes dark with greedy, ambiguous longing.

It had been so long since the storm. She’d sat home, counting calendar days one by one. This summer stretched endlessly—she’d stared until her eyes ached, seeing no end.

The scorching sun burned everything to ash. Barefoot in a desert, each step searing hot sand. Lips parched, skin cracked—nearly dead. Then the party invitation appeared: an oasis.

Sweet water soaked her lungs. The moment she saw him, she felt reborn.

Her fingers hovered inches from his face. She dared not move closer. Fear gripped her—what if it was just a drunken murmur? Offering hope only to snatch it away, hurling her back into hell’s abyss.

"I love you too… don’t you know? I love you—your soul… your body. Every detail, down to the tiniest grain of sand."

Her words tumbled out flustered, like a love-struck teen caught off guard. A blush stained her cheeks.

"Talk to me? Huh? Say it again… say you love me." A delicate smile graced her lips. Her voice, soft and honeyed, melted bone.

But Su Yu slept on, oblivious to her feral display—a silent mockery. Pitiful. Pathetic.

Her smile froze. Shattered.

"Say it! Why won’t you say it?!"

A choked growl. Bloodshot veins spidered her eyes. Chest heaving, voice softening instantly. She shook her head frantically, murmuring like a scolded child—so pitiful you’d want to pat her head.

"I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. I… I just love you too much. Why Qingchuan? You knew I’d be in Jiangnan! Why can’t your eyes hold only me? Didn’t you say you loved me?"

Seeing Su Yu still dead to the world, she unraveled. A one-woman play. Excitement, rage, longing, viciousness, regret—flashing across her face.

Boldness grew. Testing… touching. Like a mouse creeping toward cream cake. Desire coiled like early-summer ivy, strangling reason until only raw craving remained—eyes dim, clouded.

She leaned closer, breath warm against his skin. Gentle as a breeze.

Just a fleeting touch—a dragonfly skimming water. Her tongue grazed the cream. Taste buds exploded. Softness shattered her composure. That deep, cloying sweetness made her heart tremble.

Ecstasy…

Her body shuddered, possessed. Intoxicating heat flooded down to aching, tingling depths.

Satisfaction bred emptiness. Emptiness bred madness. Lick begged bite. Bite begged union. Until body and soul fused as one.

Desire climbed—then Xia Qian Ge seized her own slender neck. Tight. Cutting off air. Veins bulged. Pupils rolled back. Strength vanished. She collapsed like a drunken wreck, pulling away.

Almost… an unforgivable mistake. Panting, she knew: he was both antidote and poison.

The pit of desire never fills. She’d only come to see him. To quench a thirst. Never expecting this.

Slumped on the floor like a junkie after a fix, only hollow silence remained. A whisper, barely audible:

"Why won’t you say it again? If you don’t… how can I ever say yes?"