Taking care of a drunk person is a real hassle, even when that person’s a beautiful woman.

Bai Ye brought Meijie home and tossed her onto the bed, but that didn’t mean she could finally rest.

Meijie wasn’t any more lucid once they got home, but she started vomiting and crying nonstop, so Bai Ye had to stay in the room and keep looking after her.

Strangely, Bai Ye thought she vaguely heard Meijie mutter things like “snob” and “fence-sitter.” But Meijie was so drunk that her words were impossible to make out, and Bai Ye couldn’t figure out what she was talking about.

Still, it was strange. Meijie was drunk out of her mind—were the people at the City Lord’s residence really fine with letting her go home alone? They could’ve at least sent a carriage or someone to escort her.

If Bai Ye hadn’t felt uneasy and gone out of her way to look for Meijie, wouldn’t she have spent the whole night sleeping on the street?

To put it more seriously, a girl passed out drunk on the street could easily have been “picked up” by someone.

Meijie had only moved out of the City Lord’s residence to live on her own. It wasn’t as if she had no family. Were they really fine with her coming home alone?

Bai Ye frowned. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. She really wanted to wake Meijie and ask what was going on. Had something happened between her and her family?

But Meijie was still drunk and couldn’t possibly answer her questions. This clearly wasn’t the time to press her for details.

“Forget it. I’ll ask her when she wakes up.”

Meijie spent the whole night drunk, and Bai Ye spent the whole night looking after her. She even changed her clothes and cleaned up her vomit. It wasn’t until the middle of the night that Meijie finally began to settle down.

But Bai Ye didn’t dare leave. She was afraid something might happen to Meijie while she was gone.

So she fetched a pillow and blanket from the guest room next door and spent the night sleeping on the sofa in Meijie’s room.

Thankfully, after Meijie threw up, her alcohol-numbed mind seemed to quiet down too. Nothing else happened that night, and Bai Ye could finally get some proper rest.

......

Meijie woke up the next morning. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying in her familiar room.

Her hangover gave Meijie a splitting headache. She couldn’t remember how she’d gotten home, only that she’d vaguely recalled passing out on the way.

“H-How did I get home?”

Meijie was a little confused. She lifted the covers to get up, then froze when she realized her clothes had been changed.

She’d been wearing the dress she’d put on for the banquet, but now she was in her pajamas.

There was no way Meijie, dead drunk and completely unconscious, had changed her own clothes. She was even more baffled now. Not only had she made it home safely, someone had changed her clothes too. What had happened?

“Who changed my clothes? Don’t tell me someone saw me naked. If it was a girl, I guess that’d be fine, but please don’t let it have been a man...”

Meijie looked around and spotted Bai Ye lying on the sofa, with a basin of water and a towel beside her.

Her hungover brain took a moment to catch up. Then Meijie pieced it together: while she’d been passed out drunk, Bai Ye had been taking care of her.

“Honestly, you had a bed. Why sleep here...?”

Meijie muttered under her breath. As she watched Bai Ye sleeping on the sofa, a warm feeling suddenly rose in her heart.

The house had a proper guest room, after all, with a full set of bedding. Bai Ye had no reason to sleep on the sofa.

Bai Ye had probably stayed there because she was worried something might happen to Meijie while she was drunk. That was why she’d kept watch over her from the sofa.

“You’re such a lovable idiot. You didn’t have to look after me...”

Meijie tiptoed over to Bai Ye. Looking at her pretty face, still a little weary, she felt touched—and, unexpectedly, a little heartache too.

Why was this girl so silly? Even if she’d left me alone, I would’ve been fine.

Seeing you like this, how could I bear to let go and hand you back to Her Majesty the Queen...?

As Meijie watched Bai Ye sleeping, her heart stirred. She brushed a strand of hair aside and slowly leaned toward Bai Ye’s cheek.

But before she could do it, Bai Ye’s soft hand suddenly came out of nowhere and grabbed Meijie by the chin.

“What are you doing?”

Bai Ye kept a straight face. Her soft, glistening lips formed the words in a chilly voice.

“Mmmph~ Wha’ are you doin’~?”

With Bai Ye pinching her chin, Meijie couldn’t get her words out clearly. Bai Ye could only let go first and hear what excuse she came up with.

“I-I wasn’t doing anything! I-I was just going to help pull the blanket over you!”

Meijie’s eyes darted around. She was clearly guilty.

“Oh, you were going to pull the blanket over me? Then why were your lips puckered as you leaned in?”

Bai Ye’s stare made Meijie feel uneasy. For a moment, she couldn’t think of a single excuse.

“I-I...”

Seeing Meijie like that, Bai Ye sighed and decided to stop giving her a hard time.

This girl was shameless. Even if she’d learned her lesson this time, she’d probably try it again sooner or later. Bai Ye couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.

“All right, stop making excuses. Don’t bother me unless you need something. You reek of booze!”

With that, Bai Ye pulled the blanket over her head.

Meijie was awake, but Bai Ye still hadn’t had enough sleep. Thanks to this girl, she was still groggy, and it looked like she’d need a little more rest to shake off the exhaustion.

“Hmph. You’re really no fun!”

Bai Ye’s voice drifted lazily out from under the blanket.

“Why should I care whether you think I’m cute?”

“Sure, sure. You only need to be cute for Her Majesty the Queen, right?”

“......”

There was a hint of jealousy in Meijie’s voice, but Bai Ye didn’t seem to notice. She rolled over, wrapped herself completely in the blanket, and ignored Meijie.