ASSHKHME Chapter 71

Chapter 71 Unforgettable Tonight

Chen Zhuo’s alcohol tolerance is truly awful.

After getting himself hyped up, he completely disregards Xie Yu’s well-being, rolling over to the edge of the bed to sleep like a log.

Xie Yu is both annoyed and amused, but can’t really do anything to him. He can only take full advantage of Chen Zhuo while he’s passed out, then go take a shower.

When he comes out of the shower, Chen Zhuo is awake again.

With his messy, curly hair resembling a chicken coop, he sits cross-legged on the bed, staring at Xie Yu expectantly. “Xie Yu, I’m thirsty.”

Xie Yu twists open the cap of the half-empty bottle of mineral water on the bedside table and hands it to Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo doesn’t take it. “You weren’t like this just now, I want to drink hot water.”

The suppressed desires surge up again, Xie Yu’s Adam’s apple bobs. “You little devil, are you drunk or not?”

Chen Zhuo grabs the loosely tied belt of Xie Yu’s bathrobe, looks up at him, his eyes seeming to be covered with a thin layer of mist.

He mumbles, “Wooden pendant.”

Xie Yu’s face instantly flushes red, his eyes widen slightly, and he stares at Chen Zhuo in disbelief. “You…you’re too wild.”

Chen Zhuo doesn’t have much experience with arguing, and coupled with his drunken daze, his ability to engage in a war of words is really clumsy.

But Xie Yu is also an inexperienced kid who hasn’t seen much of the world. He quickly loses and waves the white flag.

Chen Zhuo uses the back of his hand to rub the corner of his lips, not even looking at Xie Yu, pulls back the covers, lies down, and mutters, “It’s cold in winter, I want to drink hot water.”

Xie Yu stands in place for a long time, unable to recover, rubbing his flushed cheeks.

Covering his face and looking through his fingers at the lump buried in the quilt, the heat on his face seems to flow out from between his fingers.

Oh my god, Chen Zhuo! This is too much!

Xie Yu can’t sleep, not sleepy at all, very awake, his mind replaying scenes like a movie.

In the second half of the night, Chen Zhuo wakes up and wants to drink water again.

Xie Yu is at a loss, Xie Yu is eager to try, Xie Yu gets slapped and disappointedly twists open the mineral water bottle cap for Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo “gulps down” most of the bottle, and Xie Yu helps him to the bathroom again, before he obediently shrinks into his arms.

Xie Yu gently pats Chen Zhuo’s back, forced by Chen Zhuo to sing a lullaby out of tune. “Sleep~ Sleep~ My dearest baby~ Husband’s hands gently rock you.”

“Wrong!” Chen Zhuo pokes his head out of his arms, correcting him. “It’s Mom’s hands!”

Xie Yu chuckles, lowers his head and kisses his eyes. “Alright, alright, Mom’s hands gently rock you~ Sleep, sleep~”

Xie Yu suddenly hears sobbing, and the “beautiful” singing voice stops.

He pulls Chen Zhuo’s wet face out of his arms. “What’s wrong? Zhuo, why are you crying? Did I sing too badly?”

Chen Zhuo sniffles, suppressing his sobs. “Wuwu, I miss my mom, I miss my mom…Xie Yu, I miss my mom and dad, I’ll never see them again, Xie Yu…”

Xie Yu is stunned for a moment, his thumb brushes across Chen Zhuo’s cheek, his heart aching fiercely. “Baby…”

Xie Yu doesn’t know how to comfort Chen Zhuo.

Over the past ten years, Chen Zhuo must have comforted himself countless times.

But in fact, no words or language can alleviate the pain of losing parents, and neither can time.

Xie Yu doesn’t say “Don’t cry, I’m here,” nor does he turn on the light, but gently hugs Chen Zhuo in his arms.

Like his mother used to coax him when he was little, he gently pats his back. “I love you, and I love you.”

Chen Zhuo’s sobs slowly stop, not knowing if he’s awake or drunk, he asks, choked up, “Xie Yu, will you always love me?”

Xie Yu kisses his wet eyelashes. “I will.”

Chen Zhuo randomly grabs something on the bed, not knowing whose clothes he’s grabbed, takes it and blows his nose. “What if you don’t love me one day, what will I do?”

Xie Yu sucks away the teardrops on his cheeks. “I said I’ll always love you, so there’s no possibility of not loving you.”

Chen Zhuo stubbornly says, “What if? I’m saying what if, what if there’s that what if, what will I do?”

Xie Yu says helplessly, “If there’s that what if…”

Before he can finish speaking, Chen Zhuo anxiously interrupts him. “See! You admitted it! There is that what if!”

Xie Yu helplessly admits defeat. “Chen Zhuo, why are you so annoying? Huh? Did you let your second personality out after getting drunk?”

Chen Zhuo suddenly pushes him away, shrinks to the edge of the bed, turns his back to Xie Yu, and says sadly, “Your parents will urge you to marry a wife, they won’t agree to you being with me…One day you really won’t love me, I hate you, Xie Yu.”

“I won’t marry someone else, you’re talking nonsense, what did I do? And you hate me?”

Xie Yu pokes Chen Zhuo’s shoulder. “You’re not even covering yourself with a blanket, aren’t you cold? Come into my arms.”

Chen Zhuo ignores him, wiping away tears on his own. “We’re only nineteen years old, life is still so long, you won’t always love me.”

Xie Yu directly pulls him back, holding him tightly in his arms, flicking his forehead. “So young, and you’ve already learned to slander people? They say people speak the truth when they’re drunk, baby, are you insecure?”

Chen Zhuo doesn’t say anything, tears flow down his cheeks onto Xie Yu’s arm, warm and salty.

Xie Yu touches Chen Zhuo’s hair, his voice patient and gentle in a way he doesn’t even realize himself. “When the time is right, I’ll tell my parents that we’re dating, don’t think of me as an irresponsible scumbag, I said I’m very loyal.”

Chen Zhuo says in a muffled voice with a nasal tone, “What if your parents don’t agree? Not many parents would agree, if they put pressure on you…”

Xie Yu holds his hand. “I was quite naughty when I was little, so my parents are quite accepting, but of course it’s possible they won’t agree, but the relationship is between us, who cares about them.”

Chen Zhuo feels much better, humming. “Sweet talk.”

Xie Yu says, “Every word is true.”

When Xie Yu wants to say something more, he finds that Chen Zhuo is already asleep, even snoring softly.

Xie Yu chuckles softly, murmuring, “You’re really annoying, Chen Zhuo.”

Xie Yu gently turns on a lamp, adjusting the brightness to the lowest setting.

The clothes Chen Zhuo used to blow his nose in were his innermost shirt. Xie Yu picks it up from the carpet, takes it to the bathroom and washes it by hand.

He washes it clean, uses it as a towel to wipe the face of the sleeping Chen Zhuo.

His eyelids are swollen from crying, and his face is covered in messy tear stains, looking so pitiful.

Xie Yu quietly looks at him for a while before wringing out the clothes again and hanging them where the air conditioner vent can blow on them.

He turns off the light, lies down, and pulls the person into his arms.

The scent of citrus mixed with the richness of red wine drifts into Xie Yu’s nose.

He says to himself, “Talking about the next life is too flashy and fake, I promise, in the remaining limited years of my life, I’ll love you every day.”

Xie Yu closes his eyes, brewing sleepiness, but opens them again half an hour later and whispers, “If there’s a next life, I’ll love you too.”