FIO CH22

Chapter 22: He’s Drunk, Will You Pick Him Up?

The annual meeting hall was bustling with activity, a sea of people.

Lu Fangchi had never been one to enjoy the hustle and bustle. Coupled with the fact that he hadn’t rested well the night before, he took the opportunity to slip away after delivering a few remarks on stage.

He opened the car door, got into the driver’s seat, loosened his tie, twisted open the cap of a bottle of mineral water, and took a couple of sips. He then took out his phone and scrolled through it, noticing a message from Zhou Zheng sent an hour ago.

Xiao Zhou Zhou: The celebration banquet, will be late getting back.

It was normal. With the annual vacation approaching, it was either the annual meeting or the celebration banquet.

Lu Fangchi turned off the lock screen, placed his hand on his neck, and twisted it in all directions, feeling a bit sore.

Before he could fully relieve the tension, his phone rang with a piano version of instrumental music. He glanced down and saw it was Xiao Liu calling.

“Can you hear me?” The other end was noisy, with Xiao Liu’s voice mingled with music and chatter.

“Go ahead,” Lu Fangchi responded.

“Zhou Zheng is drunk. Will you come pick him up?” Xiao Liu got straight to the point.

Glancing at the top right corner of the screen, he thought, drunk at nine?

“Send me the location, I’ll be there now,” Lu Fangchi said.

Xiao Liu: “Alright, I’ll send it to you on WeChat.” And then hung up the phone.

Five seconds later, his phone “ding-dong”ed, and a WeChat message popped up—Room 305, inch305.

Lu Fangchi: 1.

He navigated to the location, stepped on the gas, and drove towards the destination.

It wasn’t far, about six or seven kilometers, a trip that would take less than twenty minutes.

After parking his car, Lu Fangchi didn’t get out but sent a message to Xiao Liu: I’m here, bring him out.

The KTV was filled with cacophonous music. Lu Fangchi’s ears couldn’t bear the noise, and he didn’t really want to go inside.

After waiting for five or six minutes without a reply, he called Xiao Liu.

“Beep… beep… I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is currently not available. Please try again later, sorry…”

Alright, probably too engrossed in the fun to hear.

Lu Fangchi got out of the car and walked to the entrance. As soon as he stepped in, a waiter greeted him: “Hello, do you have a reservation?”

Lu Fangchi nodded, “305.”

“Alright, this way, please,” the waiter stepped aside and gestured for Lu Fangchi to go first.

Walking down a long corridor, with blue and purple lighting underfoot, he arrived at the door of Room 305. The waiter opened the door for him.

It was better than he had imagined. There were about a dozen people in the room, but they weren’t dancing wildly. They were gathered around the table playing games, with no one singing. The background music was soothing and pleasant.

As the door opened, everyone looked up, their gazes focusing on Lu Fangchi.

Wow, the beauty was truly legendary. Broad-shouldered and small-headed, he stood at the door like a bjd doll, with a black overcoat outlining his upright figure and an aloof, ethereal demeanor.

It was Xiao Liu who first got up and greeted him. He walked up to Lu Fangchi and led him in, “Come in and have some fun.”

Lu Fangchi just wanted to pick up Zhou Zheng and leave, but he didn’t want to embarrass Xiao Liu in public, so he followed him into the room. Alright, he would sit for a few minutes and then leave.

Xiao Liu led Lu Fangchi to the farthest seat, next to Zhou Zheng.

Seeing Zhou Zheng half-reclining on the sofa, Lu Fangchi raised his eyebrows slightly.

The alpha’s look today was quite unusual. With a 3-7 parting, he was wearing a… well, a somewhat gaudy red shirt with a logo pattern on the fabric. The lower half of the shirt was tucked into his suit pants, with only the bottom button fastened, revealing a black undershirt. He also wore a decorative necklace with two interlocking rings around his neck.

Probably due to the alcohol, Zhou Zheng was relaxed and casually leaning on the sofa with his legs slightly apart. His cheeks had a light pink hue, his eyes sparkled under the blue-purple ambient lighting, and his plump, rosy lips curved into a heart shape with a smile, revealing his white teeth: “You’re here.”

Lu Fangchi was struck by his gaze, his heart skipping a beat.

Seeing no reaction from Lu Fangchi, the alpha reached out and pulled his wrist, pulling him to sit next to him.

Zhou Zheng’s seat was slightly tilted forward, with his chin resting on Lu Fangchi’s shoulder as he mumbled, “Let me lean on you, I’m dizzy.”

The breath he exhaled while speaking was tantalizing, and Lu Fangchi glanced over to see Zhou Zheng’s soft-looking lips beneath his prominent nose.

Lu Fangchi had always thought his lips were attractive, and the full shape added a touch of pure desire to Zhou Zheng’s otherwise rugged features.

Wait, why did Zhou Zheng seem like a male model?

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Lu Fangchi shrugged his shoulders, trying to change the position.

In the end, it was Xiao Liu who rescued him. He shook the dice, making a clattering sound, “Keep going, Mr. Lu, why don’t you join us?”

Zhou Zheng sat up straight and shook the dice cup twice.

Lu Fangchi glanced at the table; they were playing a bluffing game, with the punishment for losing being truth or dare.

This game was scarier than just drinking. Lu Fangchi couldn’t afford to play and shook his head with a smile.

Most people in the room had had a bit to drink, and the slight intoxication didn’t care about Lu Fangchi’s status, starting to urge him, “That won’t do. If you’re here, you have to play. If not, let Mr. Zhou play on your behalf.”

One person started the commotion, and the others followed suit. Lu Fangchi couldn’t refuse the enthusiastic invitation and had no choice but to reluctantly agree to play a couple of rounds.

Zhou Zheng’s lips approached Lu Fangchi’s ear again, “How good are you at this game?”

Lu Fangchi’s nape tingled, and he honestly replied, “Average.” He subtly moved to the side.

But Zhou Zheng was like a piece of sticky plaster. For every inch Lu Fangchi moved, he moved an inch closer. Their knees touched, their arms brushed against each other. Lu Fangchi frowned at him, and he responded with a silly smile, which only added to the irritation.

Under Zhou Zheng’s persistent disturbance, Lu Fangchi’s performance was a failure. Usually, it was a matter of luck; if he was lucky, he lost less, and if unlucky, he lost more.

Today, it was a case of extremely bad luck. Lu Fangchi was losing ground, and Zhou Zheng, also drunk and muddled, was losing miserably as well.

The double punishment fell on Zhou Zheng, and he always chose truth.

Human nature is gossipy, and most questions revolved around romantic life.

“What are your criteria for choosing a partner?”

Zhou Zheng’s gaze roamed over Lu Fangchi’s body, scanning up and down: “Good-looking, long legs, programmer, twenty-eight, alpha…”

The characteristics were too obvious, and Lu Fangchi’s face heated up. He reached around to Zhou Zheng’s waist and pinched him.

The pain made Zhou Zheng stop speaking, and he looked at Lu Fangchi with a hint of grievance, pursing his lips.

Lu Fangchi smiled at him with narrowed eyes, indicating that there was no need to be so specific.

In the dim environment, no one noticed their small actions. Everyone was eager to ask the next question.

Something more exciting: “When was the last time you kissed?”

Zhou Zheng, having lost his memory, could only answer with a recent time frame: “Anyway, not within the past three months.”

Tsk, boring.

It was a close relationship, and Xiao Liu dared to ask, pushing his glasses up his nose with a mischievous smile, “Still a virgin?”

Whoa, everyone’s mouths half-opened, and their gazes fell on Zhou Zheng, including Lu Fangchi.

To be honest, he also felt a bit curious. Perhaps it was human’s dark curiosity.

Zhou Zheng’s face and earlobes visibly flushed red, his lips twitched, and he resignedly reached for the alcohol, refusing to answer the question.

Xiao Liu, crafty as ever, pressed his hand over the rim of the wine glass first, not allowing him to drink. If he couldn’t drink, he had to answer.

Zhou Zheng stared at Xiao Liu in a standoff for a while, and finally cursed, “You son of a gun, I lost my memory, how am I supposed to know!”

Ah, right. He got away with it.

After Zhou Zheng said that, everyone stopped letting him choose truth in the following punishments, shouting, “Losing memory is a cheating tool! You say you don’t remember, and the game can’t be played! Switch to dare!”

“Switch to dare!”

“Switch to dare!”

Zhou Zheng, feeling a headache from all the commotion, nodded and agreed hastily, “Switch, switch, switch.”

“Last one, I’m not playing this damn game anymore.” He really couldn’t take it anymore.

The crowd, seeing that he was at his wit’s end, chose something simple: “Sing a song.”

Alright, that was doable. Zhou Zheng didn’t hesitate. Instead, he preened like a peacock and whispered into Lu Fangchi’s ear, “Listen, I’m going to show you something special.”

Lu Fangchi raised his hand to pinch his ear, which had been hot all night. What was wrong with him? His gaze followed Zhou Zheng as he got up and walked to the stage. He reached up and adjusted the microphone, his long legs drawing excessive attention. He smiled provocatively at himself.

“Ooh ooh ooh～……” Everyone formed their hands into the shape of microphones and cheered along.

As the accompaniment began, the lights gradually dimmed, and the flickering, pulsating mood lights shone on Zhou Zheng’s profile. His eyes, filled with a certain light, were fixed on Lu Fangchi. He slowly began to sing, “If you are the fireworks over the sea, I am the foam of the waves. At a certain moment, your light illuminates me. If you are the distant starry river, so dazzling it makes one want to cry, I am the eye that chases you. Always gazing at the night sky in lonely moments, I can follow behind you, like a shadow chasing light in a dream…”

This was the first time Lu Fangchi had seriously listened to Zhou Zheng sing; the birthday song last time didn’t really count.

The deep and pleasant voice floated into his ears, unexpectedly melodious. As the song reached its climax, an unknown emotion welled up in the alpha’s eyes. His voice caught on a certain word, resonating with Lu Fangchi’s heartbeat for a moment.

Zhou Zheng’s emotions were overflowing. He performed the sentimental love song to an eight out of ten, the lyrics stirring a hint of sourness in Lu Fangchi’s heart. By the end of the song, the atmosphere had dropped to an all-time low.

Lu Fangchi gathered his scattered thoughts and took the opportunity to lead Zhou Zheng away.

They made it out of the KTV in one go. The cold wind that greeted them outside cleared their minds a bit. Lu Fangchi slowed his pace and released Zhou Zheng’s wrist.

“Going back?” Lu Fangchi glanced at Zhou Zheng. Without the mood lighting, the alpha’s blush was even more pronounced, his drunken state evident.

Before Zhou Zheng could respond, Lu Fangchi asked again, “How much did you actually drink?”

Zhou Zheng chuckled foolishly and raised three fingers.

“Three bottles?” Lu Fangchi questioned.

“Three cups,” Zhou Zheng replied, his breath reeking of alcohol. His steps were unsteady, and he nearly missed a step going down the stairs.

Lu Fangchi quickly grabbed his arm, frowning, “If you can’t hold your drink, don’t drink.”

“Mm-hmm,” he nodded absentmindedly, looking docile.

Lu Fangchi escorted him to the car, pushed him inside, and then walked around to the driver’s seat.

“Seatbelt,” Lu Fangchi reminded.

Zhou Zheng ignored him, staring blankly at Lu Fangchi, unmoving.

Great, he was having a drunken moment. The good news was that he wasn’t being rowdy.

Lu Fangchi slightly leaned forward and reached over to fasten the seatbelt for the alpha, inadvertently revealing a bit of his shirt’s opening. He didn’t notice the deepening of the alpha’s gaze in that moment.

Zhou Zheng, who had decent drinking manners, remained quiet all the way home. Lu Fangchi urged him to take a shower first, and the alpha obediently did as told, like a puppet on strings.

After Zhou Zheng came out, it was Lu Fangchi’s turn. He planned to just rinse off quickly and then make a cup of honey water for the alpha to prevent a headache the next day.

Lu Fangchi changed into his pajamas and dried his hair with a towel until the ends were no longer dripping. Only then did he step out of the bathroom.

He didn’t see clearly, only feeling a flash before his eyes. The world spun around him, and when he came to his senses, he was already lying in bed.