Chapter 23 – Hangover
Bai Jinyan’s fingertips suddenly curled up, and his pupils darkened for a moment. The voice on the other end of the phone became suddenly quiet. Qiao Huaiyao lowered his eyes, still feeling a bit bewildered, but Bai Jinyan’s silence made him feel wronged. “Why are you ignoring me?” he asked.
“I’m not,” Bai Jinyan finally found his voice after a moment of silence. He softly replied, “I’m not ignoring you.”
Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips and gave a dissatisfied hum. He muttered something under his breath, but Bai Jinyan couldn’t hear him through the phone.
Bai Jinyan coaxed the drunken Qiao Huaiyao, recalling that Qiao Huaiyao had messaged him earlier about attending a class gathering. He casually asked, “Where are you now? Are you in the dorm?”
“I’m not in the dorm,” Qiao Huaiyao honestly replied, “I’m… I don’t know where I am.”
On the other end, Qiu Shufeng, who was standing by the roadside, said, “He’s near Shengduo Hotel.”
Qiao Huaiyao repeated, “Near Shengduo Hotel.”
Bai Jinyan heard a voice coming from Qiao Huaiyao’s side and asked, “Is someone with you?”
“Yeah,” Qiao Huaiyao replied softly, but Bai Jinyan could still recognize the voice, “It’s Qiu Shufeng.”
Just as he finished speaking, Qiu Shufeng’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and raised an eyebrow, looking at Qiao Huaiyao. His brother was still on the phone with him, so why was he calling him separately?
With doubts in his mind, he answered, “Hello?”
Bai Jinyan’s voice came faintly from the other end, “Could you do me a favor? I’ll have the driver pick him up.”
“No problem, it’s what classmates do for each other,” Qiu Shufeng replied. “I’ll send you the exact location. It’s a bit tricky to find around here, and the driver might have some trouble.”
He opened a chat app and sent his location to Bai Jinyan. Seeing that Qiao Huaiyao was busy talking to his brother, Qiu Shufeng decided to wait by the side.
As Qiao Huaiyao kept talking on the phone, his speech became slurred due to the alcohol. Unaware of his own condition, he felt his thoughts were clear. He rarely video called or made phone calls with Bai Jinyan; most of their communication was through messaging. But now, being tipsy, he felt like there were endless things to say on the phone.
Soon, the driver arrived. Qiu Shufeng opened the car door and reminded Qiao Huaiyao, “Be careful and take your time.”
Qiao Huaiyao adjusted his coat, blinked his eyes lightly, and said in a muffled voice, “Class monitor, you should go back. The gathering hasn’t ended yet.”
He didn’t want to disrupt the event by leaving early. Qiu Shufeng was a bit concerned, as he didn’t think it was safe for a tipsy person to be alone, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Qiao Huaiyao nodded. Besides, he wasn’t alone, “There’s a driver with me.”
“Okay…” Qiu Shufeng pondered for a moment. He had to stay to pay his share of the bill for the gathering; otherwise, he would have to pay upfront for everyone. Some of his dorm mates weren’t well-off, so he didn’t want to burden them. “Contact me if you need anything, feel free to call anytime.”
“Sure,” Qiao Huaiyao replied casually, “Thanks.”
“Come on, don’t be so polite,” Qiu Shufeng smiled, waved, and closed the car door.
The cold wind blew on Qiao Huaiyao for a while, dissipating some of his drunkenness. Feeling drowsy, he went back to chatting with Bai Jinyan on the phone. He gazed outside, and his eyes were drawn to the bright moon in the sky.
He murmured, “Brother… The moon looks exceptionally bright tonight.”
Bai Jinyan followed suit, “Indeed, it’s beautiful.”
Qiao Huaiyao squinted, tilting his head to the left, trying to see it more clearly, “And there are two more… or is it three, or four?”
Bai Jinyan remained composed, “Quite a few, they must look lovely together.”
Qiao Huaiyao replied heavily, “Yes, very… very… very beautiful.”
The scenery outside the car window rapidly receded, and the greenery on the roadside became a blur of green shadows. Qiao Huaiyao blinked and lazily nodded along, his speech becoming even more indistinct.
Noticing Qiao Huaiyao’s change, Bai Jinyan realized he was probably feeling sleepy. He asked, “Huaiyao, have you reached the dorm?”
With a sneeze, Qiao Huaiyao answered in a sluggish tone, “Not… not yet, but I can see the dormitory building.”
“Okay, go back to the dorm and rest early,” Bai Jinyan advised.
“I don’t want to rest,” Qiao Huaiyao murmured, “My head hurts. I want to talk to my brother, don’t want to rest.”
Bai Jinyan patiently coaxed him, “Sleep early today, and tomorrow, I’ll prepare a surprise for you, okay?”
“Um…” Qiao Huaiyao hesitated, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to sleep yet. The car stopped in front of the teaching building, but he didn’t want to rest. Reluctantly, he got out of the car by himself.
The single rooms in the dormitory were all equipped with elevators. Qiao Huaiyao returned to his room, where the lights were off, and he crawled onto his bed. As soon as he touched the pillow, he instinctively closed his eyes.
Memories of the hangover played in his mind like a slideshow, replaying his actions and words from the previous day. Bai Jinyan’s comforting tone and his inconsistent words echoed in his ears.
And that sentence…
The memories of the hangover came rushing back, like a slideshow, one frame after another, replaying his actions and words from the previous day. Bai Jinyan’s soothing tone and his incoherent words were lingering in his ears.
But most importantly… those things he did while hungover were far from ordinary, but, but… that sentence!