Chapter 73: Brothers for Life
"An Yuan! Morning!"
Early in the morning, Chen Cheng was already full of energy, standing right outside An Yuan's apartment.
"Auntie! Good morning!"
"Good morning! An Yuan, hurry up! Can't you see she's waiting for you?"
An Yuan, still brushing his teeth, poked his head out of the bathroom and looked toward the doorway. Chen Cheng was peeking in, looking for him.
Their eyes met for a moment, but he quickly avoided her gaze, feeling a little guilty.
Did she forget what happened last night?
Knowing her, she should be acting all awkward and distant today, struggling to figure out how to talk to him, right?
"Chen Cheng, have you eaten breakfast? Want to come in and have some?"
"No time! I’ll just grab something on the way."
An Yuan quickly finished brushing his teeth, washed his face, grabbed his school bag, and walked out. "Mom, I'm leaving with Chen Cheng."
"Pay attention in class!"
"Got it!"
He put on his shoes and followed Chen Cheng downstairs. Feeling a bit uneasy, he sneaked a glance at her side profile. "You drank too much last night."
"Yeah, but I didn’t even have that much. My alcohol tolerance got worse! I barely had a few bottles before I felt dizzy and awful," she said cheerfully. "At least now I know if I can't sleep, I can just drink two or three bottles and get a nice tipsiness to help me doze off!"
"...Do you remember what happened?"
"Uh... I think you carried me back to my room?" Chen Cheng suddenly stiffened, turning her head to look at him suspiciously. "You didn’t try anything funny, did you?"
"Of course not!"
"Hmm, not so sure about that. You look pretty guilty."
An Yuan scoffed and turned the tables on her. "Me? Guilty? Shouldn't you be the guilty one? Last night, before you fell asleep, you were talking about feeling unsafe, being scared of—"
Chen Cheng's expression shifted from confusion to realization, then instantly turned bright red.
She leaped up and hooked her arm around An Yuan's neck, yelling in embarrassment, "Shut up! Don't say it! I'll beat you up!"
"Okay, okay! I won't say anything!"
An Yuan raised his hands in surrender.
Judging by her reaction, she had no idea he had kissed her forehead.
He let out a sigh of relief but couldn’t help eyeing her strangely.
No wonder she liked biting him all the time, was she trying to eat him or something? What kind of weird thought was that? Sure, he had the occasional impulse to just… take her for himself, but that didn’t mean he’d go around biting people.
Chen Cheng hurried ahead, not wanting him to see how red even her ears had gotten. Inside, she was freaking out.
"W-what you said… it sounded kinda like a confession."
She instinctively shook her head rapidly. "No way! That’s impossible! I don’t like men! I was just drunk and talking nonsense!"
"Alright then, if you say so."
An Yuan smiled knowingly. He was starting to figure her out. She probably had some feelings for him, but since she used to be a guy, she refused to admit it when sober.
To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about her either. Was it romantic? Or just years of close friendship mixed with an appreciation for her now beautiful appearance?
"Yup! So hurry up and forget everything about last night!"
When they reached the storage shed, Chen Cheng stepped aside and fidgeted with her nails.
An Yuan rolled out his bicycle and glanced at her. "You riding with me today?"
"Yeah."
She hopped onto the back seat and held onto the bike seat beneath her. After a brief hesitation, she looked at his back.
"Hold onto my waist, or you’ll fall."
"...Okay."
She finally reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, though she made sure not to press too close.
She realized that even though they had never officially confessed their feelings, their interactions had already become no different from a couple’s, especially after last weekend when they completely crossed the line... Surprisingly, she didn’t mind anymore. In fact, she even started looking forward to these moments. Sure, she still got embarrassed, but more than that, she enjoyed it and let herself get caught up in the feeling.
"The monthly exam is today."
"Oh, crap..."
The bad news snapped Chen Cheng out of her thoughts. She groaned dramatically, pressing her forehead against An Yuan’s back.
"Why is there another monthly exam?! How am I supposed to get through this? If I mess up again, the homeroom teacher is definitely calling my mom to tattle on me!"
"Ow, ow, stop headbutting me!"
"Let’s just fail together! You’re not allowed to do better than me!"
"Wait, didn’t you actually study this time? Why are you panicking?"
Chen Cheng let out a long sigh. "Even if I did pay attention in class, I have no idea how much I actually improved... Hopefully, a little? This is all your fault, you keep distracting me!"
"That only happens after school and during breaks!"
Even though it looked like Chen Cheng and An Yuan were always hanging out and never studying, in reality, it was just that studying felt so dull. To Chen Cheng, the days passed in a blur, and the only moments she really remembered were the ones spent with her friends.
"Let’s grab some breakfast first." An Yuan stopped in front of a small breakfast shop. "Might as well get something for our classmates too."
"Ugh... the exam..."
Still anxious, Chen Cheng mumbled under her breath as she followed him inside.
"Oyster pancakes, rice cakes, and a bowl of fried noodles?"
This place made great fried noodles. They were pre-cooked in a huge pot, had a nice dry, savory taste, and for just a few bucks, you could even get some bits of meat in them.
"Want something to drink?"
"Sweet soy milk."
Chen Cheng found a seat, wiped the slightly greasy table with a napkin, and then pulled out her textbook. She needed to cram while she could, especially for the classical Chinese poetry, those were basically free points, and she couldn’t afford to lose them.
"Such a hardworking young lady~ You’re in high school, right?"
"She is! And she’s so pretty, she could be a celebrity!"
Most of the other customers were elderly folks, and they whispered among themselves about Chen Cheng. She had sharp ears and caught every word, making her sit up a little straighter, secretly pleased.
The food arrived, and An Yuan sat down next to her with a bag of meat buns he had packed for their classmates.
"Last-minute studying, huh?"
"As long as it works!" Chen Cheng smirked, lowering her voice. "Besides, they were just complimenting me!"
"They’re probably just thinking about marrying you off to their son or grandson."
She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't your mother do the same?"
Putting her book away, she focused on finishing her breakfast as quickly as possible so she could get back to class and review more.
In just a few minutes, she had completely cleaned her plate. Even as she chewed the last bite, her cheeks still puffed out, she grabbed her school bag and hurried out of the shop with An Yuan.
Sitting on the back of An Yuan’s bike, Chen Cheng finally swallowed her food and asked, "What if I fail again?"
"Then just accept your fate and go home for a beating."
"Ugh! No way! My mom hasn’t hit me in years! My fragile heart won’t survive! I’m running away from home!"
"Are you a little kid?"
She whacked him on the back of the head again. An Yuan sighed, trying to comfort her. "Fine, if you’re about to get scolded, just come to my place. My mom will definitely cover for you."
"What should I doooo~"
"I’ll run away with you. Happy now?"
Hearing that, Chen Cheng finally felt at ease. "Now that’s more like it!"
"After all, we did promise to be together forever."
Her body stiffened, and her face instantly turned red. Embarrassed, she buried her face into his back and mumbled, "I mean... just as good brothers for life..."
She wasn’t sure if An Yuan actually meant it or if he was just teasing her.