After Confessing To My Childhood Friend - Chapter 35
Chapter 35: A Little Drink
◎ Help Me Undress ◎
The lunch at the hot spring villa was fairly average—nothing particularly amazing, but overall, the taste was decent. After the meal, Chen Mengyin pulled Xie Zhirou along for a walk around the villa to help digest their food. As for what had happened earlier in the hot spring, she didn’t mention a word, afraid she might die from embarrassment. It was just too mortifying!
The courtyard was filled with green bamboo groves, artificial rock formations, and clear spring water—each step revealed a new scene, making the walk quite enjoyable.
Chen Mengyin also knew that several of the pools were stocked with koi fish—red, white, and speckled ones, all chubby and well-fed. Whenever she came in past years, she would ask a nearby staff member for some fish food and sit by the pond to feed them.
“There are fish over there—want to feed them?” Chen Mengyin stopped and looked toward the pond beyond the covered walkway.
Xie Zhirou followed her gaze and spotted a few vividly colored koi swimming freely in the clear water. “Sure.”
As usual, Chen Mengyin found a staff member and asked for a small bag of fish food. She and Xie Zhirou sat by the pond, tossing bits of food into the water. The surface rippled with waves as the koi gathered to eat.
“Zhirou, do you think if I made a wish to them, it would work?” The well-fed koi were swimming leisurely. Chen Mengyin playfully picked up a small stone and tossed it into the water, startling the fish into scattering.
Xie Zhirou stopped her from tossing more stones. “Even if it worked, your stones probably scared the magic away.”
Chen Mengyin stuck out her tongue and dropped the second stone she had picked up.
“I’ve actually made wishes here before, but they never came true,” she said as she dumped the remaining crumbs of fish food into the pond as compensation for scaring the fish. “But this year, some of those wishes did come true.”
To be in the same class as Zhirou.
To sit next to her.
To be with her.
Those wishes had all come true in Yonghuai’s hottest summer.
Xie Zhirou didn’t ask what those wishes were. Some questions don’t need to be asked—the answer is already clear.
They wandered through various courtyards of different sizes until they got tired. Then Chen Mengyin took Xie Zhirou to the recreation area, which had a game room, KTV, a full range of board games, a room lined with massage chairs, and even a sauna. Chen Mengyin saw several people coming out of the sauna flushed and drenched in sweat.
The recreation area was crowded with both adults and children. Kids’ shrill voices mixed with adult shouting, and broken high notes occasionally floated out from the KTV rooms—it was all quite lively.
Xie Zhirou didn’t like noisy places. As soon as she stepped in, she frowned with a trace of irritation between her brows.
Chen Mengyin grabbed a small plate of fruit and two drinks from the service counter. “Let’s go to the massage chair room. Once the door’s closed, it’s quiet.”
She led Xie Zhirou into a dimly lit room and closed the door behind them, immediately shutting out the noise. The space became calm and still.
“Let’s lie down and watch a movie. The selection here is pretty good.” Chen Mengyin pulled out the little table, placed the fruit and drinks on it, and adjusted the screen above the massage chairs. They each laid back and browsed for a film.
Chen Mengyin selected the latest Doraemon movie. Though there was no sound, she still found it enjoyable.
Xie Zhirou didn’t have anything specific she wanted to watch, so she followed Chen Mengyin’s lead and watched Doraemon and Nobita on their otherworldly adventures.
In the dim room, with silent film playing and gentle massage vibrations, both girls gradually fell asleep.
By the time they woke up, it was already evening. Chen Mengyin yawned, rubbed her eyes, and sat up. Doraemon and Nobita’s adventure had long ended. She closed the video app and turned off the screen.
“That was a long nap,” she mumbled, her whole body sore. “Feels like I got beat up by that massage chair. I probably won’t sleep tonight. Let’s head back to the room. We’ll have dinner in the courtyard, not the restaurant with everyone else.”
“Okay.” Xie Zhirou rotated her stiff neck, which cracked audibly from lying down all afternoon.
Dinner was more lavish than lunch and tasted much better.
Yonghuai, being near the river and close to the coast, had fresh and affordable seafood—even in winter, you could get tasty crab, though it wasn’t as plump as in summer or fall.
Chen Mengyin picked out a bowl of snowy white crab meat and, instead of eating it herself, placed it in the middle of the table and asked Xie Zhirou to try it.
After tasting it, Xie Zhirou praised her for doing a great job. Chen Mengyin’s smile was so wide it could barely be contained.
Tang Jingxue had accidentally ordered a set meal that came with a small bottle of soju. Xie Zhirou popped the cap and asked if Chen Mengyin wanted to try it.
Chen Mengyin was tempted. But she remembered getting knocked out by a single glass of Mojito last time and wasn’t sure if she could handle soju.
She glanced at Xie Zhirou across the table and recalled what Zhirou had promised her earlier. Her heart burned with anticipation. Maybe a bit of alcohol would give her the courage she needed.
“Okay, just a tiny bit,” she said, showing with her fingers how little she wanted.
Xie Zhirou poured barely a bottle cap’s worth into her glass—only to be met with Chen Mengyin’s protest that it wasn’t enough to even taste.
Xie Zhirou: …
With a sigh, she poured a bit more until Chen Mengyin called out, “Okay, that’s enough!”
“Cheers?” Chen Mengyin held up her glass.
They clinked glasses with a crisp sound. The clear soju shimmered under the light.
Chen Mengyin, an avid drama fan, mimicked how characters in martial arts shows drank—tilting her head back and downing the shot. She immediately teared up and coughed from the burning sensation.
“Wow, that’s spicy! Way spicier than hot pot,” she said, tongue out.
“You’re not supposed to chug soju your first time,” Xie Zhirou said, handing her coconut juice to wash out the taste.
After gulping down the juice, the burning eased a bit. “Why would anyone drink this stuff? It’s awful!”
Xie Zhirou took a small sip and looked at her as if to say, “Well, someone does.”
Chen Mengyin watched in shock as Xie Zhirou downed a whole cup in a few gulps. “Since when can you drink like that?!”
“Innate talent,” Xie Zhirou replied.
“Why not say it’s genetic…” Chen Mengyin grumbled while nibbling on steamed bass.
Xie Zhirou chuckled at her disgruntled face. “Maybe because everyone in my family drinks. I picked it up.”
Chen Mengyin reluctantly accepted the explanation and pushed her cup forward. “Fill me up. I’m not backing down.”
“You sure?” Xie Zhirou asked.
“Pour it!”
Having no choice, Xie Zhirou filled the little cup.
This time, Chen Mengyin took a smarter approach and sipped it slowly. It was still spicy, but more tolerable.
Little by little, the two of them finished the entire bottle. Xie Zhirou drank more and stayed mostly sober. Chen Mengyin, however, got tipsy after about a third. Her eyes were glassy, her cheeks flushed, and she clutched the bottle, giggling like a fool.
“Come on, let go,” Xie Zhirou coaxed gently. Drunk people were stubborn, but she still managed to get the bottle from her. She called staff to clean up and helped Chen Mengyin back to their room.
The soju was strong. Chen Mengyin had only ever had low-alcohol cocktails before, so after a few sips, she couldn’t tell up from down. She leaned on Xie Zhirou, barely able to walk.
Xie Zhirou sighed—she had hoped to see a tipsy Chen Mengyin, not one completely wasted.
Resigned, she hauled the little drunk over her shoulder. “Brush your teeth before bed.”
“No~ I’m not sleeping! You haven’t kept your promise yet…” Slurring, the little drunk still remembered what Xie Zhirou had promised.
“How about brushing first, then washing your face to sober up?” Xie Zhirou helped her into the bathroom.
Eyes dazed and movements clumsy, Chen Mengyin brushed her teeth and splashed her face with cold water.
The chill instantly cleared her foggy head. Leaning on the sink, droplets falling from her face, she whispered, “I guess I caused you trouble again…”
Xie Zhirou gently wiped the water off her face. “Not at all. I’m more than happy to deal with it.”
“I want to soak again—it helps me sleep.” Chen Mengyin said.
“Won’t you catch a cold?” Xie Zhirou worried about her getting chilled in the winter wind after drinking.
“Nope! My body’s strong—I won’t get sick!”
Before Xie Zhirou could argue, Chen Mengyin tottered off.
The little drunk didn’t fall—but she did start taking off her clothes.
Removing her turtleneck sweater was proving difficult. She raised her arms and tried several times, but failed. Frustrated, she yanked harder.
Xie Zhirou stopped her before she ruined the sweater. “Let me help.”
Suddenly docile, the little drunk sat down and raised her arms obediently.
After helping her out of the sweater, Chen Mengyin stared at Xie Zhirou with dazed eyes, driven by instinct more than thought.
“Help me undress,” she said.
“You sure?” Xie Zhirou raised an eyebrow.
“Mm-hmm. Hurry up!” Chen Mengyin urged.
Looking at her flushed face and hazy eyes, Xie Zhirou reached for her clothes…