NASAY CH 21

Luo Xing lowered his head, his mind full of images of Huo Xingzhou being drunk.

 Would he sleep quietly, or would he continue teasing and causing trouble like usual?

His heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat.

“You…” 

Luo Xing lifted his head and found that Huo Xingzhou was resting his chin on his hand, watching him. Luo Xing froze, momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Huo Xingzhou’s lips curved into a teasing smile. 

“If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you?”

“You…”

“Tell me the truth. Are you always secretly watching me?”

Being caught red-handed, Luo Xing’s heart tightened, and he stuttered, 

“Who… who’s secretly watching you?!”

Huo Xingzhou leaned closer, his breath almost intertwining with Luo Xing’s. His voice dropped to a whisper beside his ear.

 “Really not?”

“Of course not…”

“Last time during the break, when I brought you soup, you touched my hand and stared at me for a long time,” 

Huo Xingzhou chuckled softly, his voice deep and captivating, sending a jolt straight to Luo Xing’s heart. He watched as Luo Xing’s pale face turned red in an instant, stumbling over his words in denial.

“I—I didn’t stare at you! You were asleep, and I was just worried your phone might fall to the ground!”

As Huo Xingzhou leaned closer, Luo Xing, who was already seated near the wall, was trapped with nowhere to retreat. His face flushed as he tried to avoid Huo Xingzhou’s gaze. 

“Really… really didn’t look at you!”

Huo Xingzhou watched his flustered expression, noting how his ears turned red as he tried to dodge. His chest rose and fell in panic, and just when Luo Xing looked like he couldn’t handle it anymore, Huo Xingzhou finally let him go. 

“I’m just teasing you.”

Luo Xing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Huo Xingzhou would back away, but instead, he leaned even closer. Luo Xing’s heart skipped a beat.

 “W-what now?”

Huo Xingzhou raised his hand and pinched Luo Xing’s chin, tilting it slightly to examine his face. 

Thinking about how Luo Xing always disappeared for a night every break, Huo Xingzhou couldn’t help but feel concerned.

Although Luo Xing hadn’t come back injured recently, Huo Xingzhou couldn’t shake off the worry that the injuries might not be visible.

Luo Xing tried to hide it from everyone, but Huo Xingzhou noticed, and he couldn’t just ignore it. Until he found out the truth, he wouldn’t allow Luo Xing to get hurt again—especially not under his watch.

“Are you coming to Feng Jia’s birthday party?”

Luo Xing initially wanted to decline. He wasn’t familiar with those people and had never attended anyone’s birthday party before. 

The idea made him a bit resistant.

But then he thought about Huo Xingzhou getting drunk and possibly being taken away by someone else, like Ye Qiaoqiao, and the thought made his chest ache like it was being pricked by needles.

After a brief inner struggle, he nodded.

Selfish or not, it didn’t matter—he didn’t want anyone else to take Huo Xingzhou away.

The class bell rang.

Huo Xingzhou returned to his seat calmly. He appeared to be listening to the lesson, but in truth, his thoughts were elsewhere. His usual rebellious expression softened as a gentle look flickered in his eyes.

***

Senior year students spent their days drowning in endless exams. For both top students and underachievers, life wasn’t too bad. But for those who were mediocre, it was downright painful.

Every day, the classroom was filled with anguished cries—complaints about the mountain of papers, groans over difficult test questions.

Luo Xing gently tapped on Huo Xingzhou’s desk while he was playing a game and handed him a note. Huo Xingzhou glanced at it.

“What should I get for Feng Jia’s birthday?”

Huo Xingzhou thought for a moment. He was about to say something but stopped, then grabbed the pen from Luo Xing’s hand. He wrote a few words under the question and pushed the note back.

Luo Xing looked at the aggressive, bold handwriting, touched it with his fingers, and thought about his suggestion. He asked in a small voice,

 “Is this really okay?”

“Trust me.”

Luo Xing pressed the note and nodded, “Okay!”

After their Friday afternoon class ended, several of them walked toward the school gate together.

Ye Qiaoqiao said.

 “You guys go ahead. I’ll be there later tonight.”

Huo Xingzhou nodded and kept walking.

Luo Xing stood in place, watching her quickly walk toward the boy they had played basketball with that day. 

She walked backward, stepping on the patterned tiles on the ground in front of him.

The backlit light outlined her figure in a soft glow. Even though her face wasn’t visible, her joy was evident. She really liked that boy.

“Luo Xing.”

Huo Xingzhou turned and called him. Luo Xing snapped back to reality. Not wanting him to see Ye Qiaoqiao and the boy being close, he instinctively grabbed Huo Xingzhou’s hand, turned around, and walked quickly.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing…”

At 7 p.m., Ye Qiaoqiao arrived on time. She had changed out of her school uniform and was wearing a floral cotton-linen dress. Smiling, she handed a gift to Feng Jia. 

“Happy birthday!”

“Thanks, class president,” 

Feng Jia chuckled, taking the gift. Then he waved at Huo Xingzhou. 

“See that? The class president is so thoughtful. Haven’t seen you bring me a gift.”

“Didn’t I give you something?” 

Huo Xingzhou glanced at him, smirking coldly. 

“Where’s my phone? Hand it over. I’m applying for a refund right now.”

Feng Jia instantly caved.

 “No, no, no! Just kidding! My bad!”

Huo Xingzhou leaned back like a king, stretched out his legs, and slapped the back of the chair with one hand. 

“Alright, if you’re really sincere, give me a run around the room, then kneel three times. One for thank you, one for an apology, and one for respect.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Get lost!” 

Feng Jia grabbed a small tangerine from the table and threw it at Huo Xingzhou. He caught it effortlessly, peeled it in a few seconds, and fed a piece to Luo Xing.

Luo Xing sat next to him, sitting upright with his back straight. He was tense and visibly uneasy. He had never attended such a gathering before, and everything felt foreign and overwhelming.

Everyone was chatting and having fun, but a cloud of awkwardness seemed to surround him alone, making him feel out of place.

So, this is what it’s like to hang out together. It felt completely different from being at school.

Huo Xingzhou sat down, reached for the kettle, and poured him some water. He leaned in slightly and asked in a low voice, 

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Luo Xing nodded. Since it was so noisy, he couldn’t clearly hear Huo Xingzhou’s voice amidst the chaos. He could only watch his lips move and unconsciously slowed down his own speech. 

“I’m fine. Just… a bit uncomfortable.”

“Mm, you’ll get used to it after coming out more often…”

“Xingzhou, how much are you planning to drink tonight?” 

someone interrupted before Huo Xingzhou could finish his sentence.

Liu Mengya walked over, casually flicking her long hair. Her short top just barely revealed her slender waist, with a glimpse of fair skin and her navel showing faintly.

Huo Xingzhou’s face remained cold, and he said nothing.

Liu Mengya’s gaze drifted toward Luo Xing, her toes subtly brushing against his foot as if by accident, only to quickly pull back in a seemingly startled manner.

Huo Xingzhou frowned, crossing his long legs in front of Luo Xing’s feet, blocking her. 

What’s she flirting for?

“Move aside and stop pretending,” 

Huo Xingzhou said flatly.

Liu Mengya’s smile stiffened. She lowered her voice. 

“I just wanted to say hello. I’ve heard Feng Jia talk about Luo Xing a lot—how good his grades are, how nice he is. It’s been two months since he transferred, and I haven’t—”

“You two have no connection. No need for pointless small talk.”

Huo Xingzhou didn’t spare her a single glance. Liu Mengya’s face turned pale, her eyes reddened with embarrassment as she bit her lip and stared at her toes for a long time before turning to leave.

Luo Xing blinked, still a little dazed. 

“You really don’t like her?”

Huo Xingzhou glanced at him. 

“Do you like her?”

Luo Xing froze, shaking his head. 

“No, I don’t… I don’t even know her.”

Satisfied, Huo Xingzhou leaned in close, whispering in his ear, 

“Her name’s Liu Mengya. She spends all day clinging to Feng Jia, treating him like a personal servant and credit card. She never rejects him or accepts him—just keeps him hanging. Every time Feng Jia wants to give up, she throws him a little hope to reel him back in. She’s got him wrapped around her finger.”

Luo Xing’s eyes widened in shock. Instinctively, he glanced at Liu Mengya, who was sitting quietly at the table, lost in thought.

No way…

“What are you two whispering about?” 

Feng Jia came over with a glass of alcohol, stuffing it into Luo Xing’s hand without waiting for a response.

 “We’re from the same class and even the same dorm. Let’s toast to fate!”

Luo Xing hesitated. It was Feng Jia’s birthday, and since he had been invited, he felt it would be rude to refuse.

But… he’d never drunk alcohol before. He didn’t know how he’d react if he got drunk. What if he said something he shouldn’t? Or revealed something he’d been hiding… something different from others?

Luo Xing glanced nervously at the room full of cheerful classmates. He’d never participated in such a gathering before and had never had so many friends. He didn’t want to lose this moment.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand to accept the glass. But just as his fingers touched it, it was taken away.

“Underage kids shouldn’t be drinking,” 

Huo Xingzhou said as he half-rose, grabbing a bottle of milk from the girls’ side. He poured half a cup and switched it with the alcohol in Luo Xing’s hand. 

“Drink this.”

Feng Jia protested, 

“Hey, hey, no way! I know you can’t handle even one drink, but we don’t know Luo Xing’s tolerance yet! What’s wrong with drinking a little underage? Even our class president isn’t of age!”

Since it was Feng Jia’s birthday, Huo Xingzhou couldn’t publicly embarrass him. He chuckled mockingly. 

“Fine. I’ll drink this for him.”

Feng Jia didn’t stop him. After Huo Xingzhou finished the drink, Feng Jia grinned and pressed on. 

“You drank it, sure. But what does that have to do with Luo Xing? You can’t represent him!”

Li Lefan joined in, grabbing Feng Jia’s arm and egging him on. 

“Exactly! Who do you think you are, trying to speak for him? Let him drink himself!”

“Yeah! He has to drink himself!”

Huo Xingzhou shot them a sharp look, instantly silencing them. He turned to Luo Xing and asked softly, 

“Can I represent you?”

Feng Jia and Li Lefan both turned to stare at him. The noise and laughter around him were so loud that Luo Xing couldn’t make out anything clearly. 

Flustered, he nodded slightly. Huo Xingzhou pressed his hand on Luo Xing’s shoulder and shot Feng Jia a sideways glance.

 “You heard that.”

Feng Jia reluctantly let it go, making Huo Xingzhou drink a few more glasses before moving on to pester someone else with a bottle of alcohol.

Huo Xingzhou sat back down. Remembering that his alcohol tolerance was quite low, Luo Xing grew worried and handed him his bottle of milk. 

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” 

Huo Xingzhou replied, taking the milk. Seeing that Luo Xing hadn’t touched it, he took two sips himself before putting it down. 

He leaned over Luo Xing to grab a plate of strawberries, his upper body brushing against him with a faint smell of alcohol and the soft scent of laundry detergent. 

Luo Xing, feeling uncomfortable, shifted slightly to the side.

Noticing Luo Xing’s reddened face and slightly heavier breathing, Huo Xingzhou set the strawberries down and touched his forehead.

 When he couldn’t tell if he had a fever, he leaned closer, gently pressing his forehead against Luo Xing’s.

 “Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m… I’m okay,” 

Luo Xing stammered, trapped in his arms, not daring to move. The faint alcohol scent tangled around his face, making his breathing quicken as he tightened his grip on Huo Xingzhou’s shirt.

Huo Xingzhou chuckled, picked up a strawberry, and removed the stem before feeding it to Luo Xing. After Luo Xing ate it, he said softly,

 “This is how birthday parties usually are—very lively. If you’re not used to it, I’ll take you home.”

Luo Xing swallowed the strawberry and quickly said, 

“No, it’s fine. I’m not… uncomfortable. Actually, seeing how close you all are, it’s really enviable. I’m happy to be here.”

As he spoke, his eyes revealed deep envy, as though he had never experienced this kind of bond or gathering before.

A simple high school party—a common occurrence for others—was something he had never had?

Huo Xingzhou felt a sudden tightness in his chest, a mix of sorrow and heartache. He reached out to pinch Luo Xing’s cheek, then grabbed a wine glass from nearby, holding it up to Luo Xing’s lips. 

They were sitting in a corner, away from the crowd, where no one was paying attention.

Trapping Luo Xing between himself and the wall, Huo Xingzhou whispered in a coaxing tone, 

“Want to give it a try?”

Luo Xing hesitated. He wanted to, but he was afraid he wouldn’t handle it well.

“Just a little. It’s not strong,” 

Huo Xingzhou said, tilting the glass so that the cold rim pressed against Luo Xing’s lips.

The icy glass and the faint smell of alcohol made Luo Xing glance up uncertainly.

 “Then… I’ll try a little?”

“Mm.” Huo Xingzhou raised the glass higher, letting a small amount of wine flow into Luo Xing’s mouth.

As soon as the wine touched his tongue, Luo Xing choked violently. He pushed against Huo Xingzhou’s chest, turning his head to the side, coughing and gasping for air.

Huo Xingzhou patted his back, chuckling softly. He picked up a strawberry and fed it to him again. 

“How was it?”

Luo Xing swallowed the strawberry and whispered, 

“It’s so bitter… and spicy.”

Huo Xingzhou smiled, gently pulling him upright. He turned the table to pick out some food for Luo Xing, watching him eat.

 The rest of the group continued their noisy antics, occasionally shouting and laughing.

Luo Xing thought to himself, In the past seventeen years, I never had any friends and never knew what it felt like to laugh and joke around with others like this.

Though the noise was overwhelming, and he couldn’t catch what everyone was saying, the feeling was indescribable.

It’s really nice.

If only… I could always stay with Huo Xingzhou like this.

“Hey, hey, drinking by itself is boring! Let’s do something fun!” 

Li Lefan, clearly tipsy, climbed onto a chair and pointed randomly at the table.

A kettle was accidentally kicked off the table. Huo Xingzhou reacted quickly, pulling Luo Xing into his arms, not even looking at the kettle as it hit the ground. He frowned and asked, 

“Did it burn you?”

Luo Xing, still shaken, took a deep breath and shook his head. 

“No, I’m fine.”