Lend Me Your Shoulder - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

There was a heavy silence in the car.

Lu Yanbai started to seriously question whether the world he was living in was even real.

…

The man who had just been all over him—touching him however he pleased—was now acting like nothing had happened. He calmly reached for his seatbelt, reclined in his seat, and with his eyes closed, drifted off to sleep, as though the earlier chaos had never existed.

Lu Yanbai: ……

He couldn’t help but wonder: had life been too easy for him up until now? Was that why fate had decided to throw someone like her into the mix?

Because when it came to her, the usually unflappable Lu Yanbai found himself completely out of his depth.

With a sigh, he started the engine and drove into the night.

—

Xu Yeyu was woken up by Xiang Wei’s stare.

She sensed a pair of eyes on her, and as she blinked awake—still foggy-headed—the first thing she saw was Xiang Wei’s face inches from hers.

She jolted, immediately sobered up from the shock, and instinctively pulled back.

“…What are you doing?”

Xiang Wei shoved something under her nose—it looked like a paper tube stuffed with tissues.

“…What is that?”

“Microphone,” he said, completely serious.

“…”

“Excuse me,” Xiang Wei said, holding the tissue roll like a mic. “Yesterday, didn’t Miss Ye Xixi swear off drinking unless it was a life-or-death situation, claiming to be as pure as a saint? Then how come I saw you stumbling drunk, being carried into a hotel by Professor Lu the very next second?”

Xu Yeyu paused for a moment.

“…Wait. I got drunk yesterday?!”

Xiang Wei rolled his eyes so hard it was almost audible. “What did you think happened? You ascended to immortality and are halfway through your heavenly tribulation?”

Xu Yeyu pressed her temples, trying to remember. “But I swear I remember just sitting there, chatting like normal…”

“Oh really?” Xiang Wei deadpanned. “Then what were you talking about?”

“…I don’t remember.”

“Wow. And you say you weren’t drunk? You should go on a pilgrimage to the West.”

Xiang Wei raised the “mic” again. “Second question: Why the hell did you drink like that last night?”

“I was doing a project with Professor Lu and ran into him at the hotel. He brought me along to a team dinner, and I had to meet the other project leads. It felt awkward to decline, so I just… powered through.”

Xiang Wei gave her a mock round of applause. “What a noble sacrifice. You really drank for the greater good. I’m moved. Should I set up a donation link for you?”

“No need,” Xu Yeyu deadpanned. “I already own the most precious treasure—Lu Yanbai himself.”

Xiang Wei gagged, clutching his stomach. “Disgusting.”

Xu Yeyu groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Drinking was a mistake. A huge mistake.”

Then she suddenly looked up again. “Wait. I didn’t do anything too stupid last night, did I?!”

Xiang Wei looked thoughtful.

“How would I know? I wasn’t there with you.”

“But… Professor Lu helped me. You saw it, right? Did I do anything embarrassing?”

Xiang Wei thought for a second. “Nothing too crazy…”

Xu Yeyu exhaled in relief.

“…Unless you count pulling on his clothes and saying you were cold and wanted to borrow them.”

“…”

“Or grabbing his jacket and demanding he say thank you at the door.”

“Okay, that’s enough—”

“Oh! And when you leaned against the wall, all tipsy and dramatic, and said you wanted to give him 99 kisses—”

“STOP!”

Xiang Wei stood there grinning like he’d just dropped the mic.

“Xiang Wei,” Xu Yeyu said, headache returning full force. “Are you some kind of divine punishment sent here to end me?”

“You wanna know how you kissed him?” Xiang Wei leaned on the doorframe, blew a kiss, and said in a syrupy voice, “I~ love~ you~.”

Then he straightened up again. “You kept doing that. About twenty times. Honestly, if I hadn’t dragged you away, Lu Yanbai might’ve had a breakdown.”

Xu Yeyu slumped into the corner of the couch, eyes squeezed shut in misery.

She could practically see the scene playing out, and it was just… too much.

She muttered, defeated, “Xiang Wei… tell me, how am I supposed to go on?”

“No clue. Ask Wang Feng,” he shrugged.

“….”

“Oh, and by the way,” Xiang Wei pointed at the chair, “that’s the coat you yanked off him yesterday. The one you made him say thank you for.”

Xu Yeyu sighed like someone who’d seen a hundred lifetimes, walked over, picked up the coat, and sniffed it.

It still smelled like alcohol. She could vividly imagine herself wrestling it off him.

“Didn’t expect to be doing laundry for him again so soon,” she muttered.

“That’s not your biggest issue,” Xiang Wei said dryly. “You should be thinking about how to face the poor man you traumatized.”

—

The jacket was clean and dry by the weekend.

Lu Yanbai had a Saturday make-up class, and Xu Yeyu went to his office—no more wandering the streets, no more buying Yakult just to kill time.

One bad experience was enough.

She used to think Lu Yanbai lived in his office. Turns out, he had his own life too.

Still, now that she thought about it—she wasn’t drunk when she went to buy that Yakult, right?

She clearly remembered picking it up. So where did it go?

She looked at her empty hands, puzzled. If it wasn’t left on the table or in the fridge… did she accidentally give it to Lu Yanbai?

Nah. Couldn’t be.

…Except, yes—she had. Last night, after rambling a bunch of nonsense, she’d shoved it into his hands and said something like “Raise it well.”

—

When she arrived at the office, only one person was inside—not Lu Yanbai, but Banna.

The moment Banna saw her, her whole posture changed—like a porcupine ready to strike.

“What are you doing here?”

At dinner, Banna had kept her act together. Even in the car, she’d held back. But now that it was just the two of them, her hostility came out full force.

Xu Yeyu had no idea what she’d done to earn so much venom. It’s not like they were rivals in love or anything. She was just a student.

Xu Yeyu raised an eyebrow and casually said, “You know there’s surveillance in here, right?”

Banna immediately hesitated. Her glare faded a bit, and she glanced around, clearly trying to spot a camera.

“…Where?”

Xu Yeyu smiled. “Just joking. Trying to lighten the mood.”

Banna’s expression darkened again. Her gaze landed on the coat in Xu Yeyu’s arms. “What’s that got to do with Lu Yanbai?”

“Oh, this?” Xu Yeyu said breezily. “Exactly what it looks like.”

“You better not be getting ideas. You’re just a student. Don’t use that identity to climb. I can’t stand girls who don’t know their place.”

“Don’t worry,” Xu Yeyu said with a sweet smile. “I’m not climbing. We’re already at eye level.”

“You—!”

Honestly, arguing with a bestselling author who specialized in twists and reversals was not a battle Banna was going to win.

Just then, the door opened.

Xu Yeyu turned. Lu Yanbai walked in.

Please don’t make a scene, she thought. That would be way too melodramatic.

“Lu Yanbai! Look at your student!”

…Well, so much for that hope.

Thankfully, Lu Yanbai didn’t take the bait. He glanced at Banna, his tone neutral. “Is there something you need?”

He didn’t question anything. Didn’t react. Just… moved on.

Xu Yeyu couldn’t hold back a snort-laugh. “Sorry,” she said with a grin. “That felt like something straight out of magical realism.”

Lu Yanbai glanced at her, didn’t ask, and simply said, “Did you bring your workbook?”

“Yup.” She handed it over, then added, “Oh, your jacket—here. Sorry about last night.”

Banna looked like she’d swallowed a lemon.

Lu Yanbai paused slightly when he saw the coat but quickly took it, lowering his head to hide whatever flickered across his face.

“Take out your book,” he said calmly. “Do ten exercises.”

Xu Yeyu sat down without a word.

—

Later, Banna brought up a lost flash drive. She’d used it during a presentation and left it behind. Now it was gone.

“Did you take it?” she asked Xu Yeyu directly.

Before Xu Yeyu could reply, Lu Yanbai cut in: “It wasn’t her. Ask someone else.”

The topic died there. Banna left soon after.

—

Once they were alone, Xu Yeyu looked up. “She doesn’t actually think I took it, does she?”

“You wouldn’t,” Lu Yanbai said.

“You know me better than I know myself?” Xu Yeyu smiled. “I was drunk. I don’t even remember.”

His hand paused on the printer.

“But I don’t think I took anything. Nothing fell out when I did laundry—just your coat. And I’m not that interested in flash drives. I think even drunk me knew not to touch it.”

She tilted her head. “Professor, do you think people say things when they’re drunk that they didn’t mean? Or maybe things they’ve been hiding?”

Lu Yanbai’s eyes dimmed. He thought about what happened in the car.

Had she been speaking from her heart, or was it just alcohol talking?

Xu Yeyu opened her mouth again. “So, if I—”

“Focus on the questions,” he interrupted quickly, rubbing his temples.

“Oh. Okay.”

—

That night, Xu Yeyu was still wondering if Banna ever found the flash drive.

While shopping at the supermarket with Xiang Wei, she absentmindedly picked up another pack of Yakult gummies.

Xiang Wei waved a hand in front of her face. “Hey. Earth to Xu Yeyu.”

“Huh? Oh. Nothing. Just thinking.”

She tossed the gummies in the cart.

And the next day, she brought them with her to tutoring.

—

At the end of the session, Lu Yanbai offered to walk her back. But the street near her apartment was under construction—cars couldn’t get through.

“I’ll walk from here,” Xu Yeyu said. “It’s really close.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” he asked, frowning.

“It’s fine. I’ll text when I get home.”

He glanced toward the bar nearby, where people were… clearly making transactions of a certain kind.

Xu Yeyu followed his gaze—and suddenly remembered.

“Oh!”

She startled him. Flushed and flustered, she fumbled through her bag, then quickly pressed something into his hand and ran off.

Lu Yanbai looked down.

It was… a pack of Yakult gummies.

He stared at the gummies.

Then at the bar.

Then back at the gummies.

“…Was that… a transaction?”