GLIHBN Chapter 26
by VolareThat day when Chi Ye was moving out, he and Su Shi had a meal together at home. Chi Ye cooked, and the dishes were all Su Shi’s favorites.
This might have been the most silent meal they’d had together, with neither of them saying much.
After eating, Chi Ye washed the dishes, wiped them clean, and arranged them neatly.
Su Shi waited for him at the kitchen door to see him off.
As Chi Ye had said, he only had one bag when he came and went, the only difference being how full it was.
Su Shi felt a strange sense of melancholy, reminiscent of sending Su Qing abroad a few years ago. At the airport, Su Qing hugged his waist and cried her heart out, saying, “Brother, I don’t want to leave you.”
He had been used to being alone and free, then it became lively with two people, and now he was going back to being alone again.
Chi Ye had left many traces in this house: the thin blanket on the sofa, the open-mouthed doll on the entryway table specifically for holding keys, and the refrigerator magnets of various city buildings he had bought. But Chi Ye hadn’t bought anything for himself.
The car stopped downstairs at Chi Ye’s apartment building. Su Shi didn’t see any sign that he would be invited up, so he lowered the car window and took the initiative, “Aren’t you going to invite me up?”
Chi Ye stood outside the car window, looking down at Su Shi. “The place is still a mess, not cleaned up yet. Maybe next time.”
*Why move so urgently if it wasn’t cleaned up? Wasn’t there still a few days before school started?* Su Shi wanted to say this, but he swallowed the words back. Moving sooner or later was the same, there wasn’t much difference.
Su Shi forced a smile. “Okay, call me if you need any help.”
“Okay, goodbye Su Shi-ge.”
Su Shi was just about to step on the gas pedal, but suddenly remembered something. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. “Almost forgot.”
“What is it?”
Su Shi opened the trunk. “I bought you something, to congratulate you on moving to your new place.”
Chi Ye followed him and took a large bag from Su Shi. “So much?”
“Just some food and stuff for daily use, I just bought whatever.”
“Thank you.”
Su Shi quickly returned to the car, dropped a “I’m leaving then,” and drove away.
Soon it was the day of the celebration feast. Su Shi invited Chi Ye along.
Su Shi drove to pick up Chi Ye. Downstairs, he saw Chi Ye talking to a girl. Chi Ye quickly noticed his car, waved at him, said something to the girl, and then ran over.
Chi Ye got into the car and asked Su Shi, “Are you tired? Want me to drive?”
Su Shi was prone to drowsiness in the car. In the past, he would occasionally have Chi Ye act as the driver so he could doze off.
“No need, I’m not sleepy today.” Su Shi glanced in the direction Chi Ye had come from. The girl was still standing there, looking this way. “Who’s that?”
“A classmate.”
“Oh, she likes you?”
“No, she lives here too, just happened to bump into her.”
As someone who had been there, Su Shi knew that young men and women were most likely to spark love. “What’s wrong with that? You’re in college now, you can date.”
“I’m not dating.” Chi Ye said seriously.
*If I’m going to date, it will be with someone I like.*
Su Shi didn’t take it seriously, thinking he was just shy. “Okay, okay, no dating.”
With melodious music playing, Su Shi hummed along, appearing to be in a good mood.
Song Qingyan had booked the “Moon” private room at Fame Tower. The circular shape, coupled with the high-tech decorations, allowed you to see the starry sky when you looked up. Su Shi’s studio colleagues had already arrived and were on the open-air rooftop taking in the sights.
Although Fame Tower was a restaurant, it used most of its space for scenic viewing platforms.
Therefore, its expensiveness wasn’t just in the dishes, but also the added value of having the best viewing platform in West Hangzhou.
The number of tables they served each day was limited, with chefs from various countries who could customize dishes for guests. The main selling points were spending money, high class, and attracting many big online influencers and socialites.
“Teacher Su is here.” Little Jie was the first to see Su Shi, then noticed Chi Ye next to him. “Chi Ye, long time no see. Your school started?”
“Yes.”
Other colleagues also gathered around. Xu Huai said, “Teacher Su, thanks to you, we can finally experience the life of high-end people at Fame Tower.”
Su Shi smiled slightly. “Then have fun and eat a lot later.”
Everyone laughed. “No problem, we’ll eat until our bellies burst.”
The dishes had been pre-ordered. People gradually returned to the private room. Su Shi wasn’t a boss who put on airs. After saying a few casual words, everyone took their places and started eating.
A gathering wasn’t complete without drinking, and the liquor was Su Shi’s treasured collection from his office.
With clinking glasses and crisscrossing shadows, the delicious food captured everyone’s taste buds.
Song Qingyan pushed the door open, holding a glass of wine in his hand.
Su Shi was whispering to Chi Ye and didn’t notice him.
Little Jie stood up first, greeting with a smile, “Teacher Song.”
Su Shi didn’t like being called Su Zong, and had everyone call him Teacher Su. Song Qingyan was Su Shi’s good friend, so Little Jie naturally called him Teacher Song.
Song Qingyan had already walked in front of Su Shi, but Su Shi still hadn’t noticed.
Song Qingyan could only nudge him with his arm. “Hey, Su Shi.”
Su Shi and Chi Ye looked up at the same time. Su Shi recognized his good buddy, grinned, and pounced over to hug Song Qingyan’s waist. “Yan Yan, you’re here too today.”
Song Qingyan was taken aback. Su Shi’s face was flushed, showing he was drunk. It seemed he had drunk a lot, even though he didn’t have a high tolerance.
Song Qingyan was too lazy to bother with him and asked Chi Ye, “How much did he drink?”
Chi Ye held up three fingers. “Three glasses, maybe.”
“He can only handle two at most.” Song Qingyan picked up the wine bottle and clicked his tongue. “This wine has a strong kick, no wonder.”
Chi Ye hadn’t drunk much. Although not drunk, his face flushed easily, with two rosy clouds floating on his cheeks. “Then I’ll go buy some hangover medicine.”
“No need, you can send him back later and buy it on the way.”
After speaking, Song Qingyan pried Su Shi’s hands off his waist. “I’m leaving, I just came to take a look. Qiao Yu is waiting for me over there!”
Su Shi mumbled, “Putting romance before friendship.”
Chi Ye took a few breaths, trying to blow away the alcohol fumes.
The colleagues were still in high spirits, eating, drinking, and having fun. Su Shi was the only one who couldn’t handle his liquor.
Chi Ye called Little Jie over and said, “I’ll send Su Shi back first, he’s drunk.”
Little Jie said straightforwardly, “Okay, I’ll take care of things here.”
Chi Ye found a designated driver and sat in the back seat with Su Shi.
Su Shi was very well-behaved when drunk, not causing any trouble, but he talked a lot more, constantly pestering Chi Ye to talk.
Su Shi’s voice wasn’t loud, as if it had been soaked in red wine, his tone soft. “Chi Ye, I’ll tell you a secret.”
“What is it?” To accommodate Su Shi, Chi Ye deliberately lowered his voice by a few notches.
Su Shi leaned close to Chi Ye, resting his chin on his shoulder. His warm breath swept across Chi Ye’s ear, and his fingers gently touched his earlobe, softly saying, “Why are your ears so red?”
Chi Ye turned his head to look at him, feeling a sudden pang of panic, and asked again, “What’s the secret?”
Su Shi repeated, “Why are your ears so red?”
And so on, and so forth. Chi Ye never managed to get the secret out of Su Shi’s mouth.