Chapter 110: A Drunken An Yuan
"Chengcheng, how much did you get from the red envelope?"
"One yuan."
"Wow, your luck is really something..."
Chen Cheng’s mother and aunt were enthusiastically participating in the Spring Festival red envelope game, but she just couldn't understand the excitement over getting a few yuan.
If someone dropped a penny on the ground in real life, hardly anyone would bother bending down to pick it up.
She continued peeling her crab while casually watching the TV program, occasionally glancing at An Yuan, who was drinking with her father.
More than half of that 200ml of baijiu was already gone. A flush from the alcohol had spread across An Yuan’s face, and his eyes were starting to look unfocused. Thankfully, he had prepared beforehand by eating a lot to line his stomach. Otherwise, he’d probably be completely knocked out by now.
"Come on, cheers."
Her father grinned, clinking his glass against An Yuan’s before taking a small sip. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed the bottle and filled An Yuan’s cup again.
"Drink slowly, let’s enjoy tonight."
Seriously?! He’s still pouring more?!
Uncle, aren’t you going to say something? Auntie?
Chen Cheng anxiously glanced at her uncle and auntie, hoping someone would step in. But An Yuan’s father was already half-drunk himself, deep in conversation with her father. An Yuan’s mother was too focused on grabbing red envelopes and had completely forgotten about her son.
So... was she the only one here worried about An Yuan drinking too much? The only one who actually cared about him?!
"Chengcheng! Your uncle just sent a big red envelope in the group chat! Hurry and grab it before it’s gone!"
Her mother’s urgent call immediately caught her attention.
"How much is in it?!" Chen Cheng’s eyes lit up. She didn’t even have time to wipe her hands, dropping the crab and scrambling for her phone.
"I got seven yuan!"
"Here we go, here we go! Oh wow, twenty!"
Chen Cheng had incredible luck this time, getting the biggest share of the red envelope. The whole family group chat erupted, with aunts and uncles jokingly demanding that she send a red envelope in return.
After thinking about it, she stingily sent a ten-yuan red envelope, saving the other ten for snacks tomorrow.
More importantly, she didn’t have her bank card linked to WeChat, so even if she wanted to send more, she couldn't.
With her full attention now on the family group chat, her phone sat right next to her, and her eyes stayed glued to the screen, ready to snatch up any new red envelopes that popped up.
As for An Yuan...
She glanced up at him again, he was barely holding on, his head drooping as if he could pass out any second.
"Come on, one more drink. If you can’t even handle this much, how are you going to manage social events in the future?" Her father said with a sly smirk, raising his cup.
An Yuan’s pupils were almost unfocused at this point. He was so out of it he couldn’t even grab his cup properly, his hand swiping at the air like he was seeing double. He looked like he could fall asleep at any moment.
"Dad!"
Chen Cheng finally lost her patience. "He clearly can’t drink anymore! Why are you still forcing him?!"
Her father gave her a side glance. "It’s New Year’s. What’s wrong with having a few drinks?"
"I’m fine... I’m not drunk yet..." An Yuan mumbled, he shook his head, still insisting he wasn't drunk.
"You are not drinking any more!"
Chen Cheng stood up and leaned over to grab the cup from in front of An Yuan, shooting her father an irritated glare.
Her father sighed and didn’t argue, simply turning back to his own drinks and conversation with An Yuan’s father.
"Unbelievable..."
Chen Cheng rolled her eyes at him in frustration.
"Oh wow, look at that!"
"Such a good girlfriend~"
"She’s never been this protective over us before."
"She’s acting like a little wife taking care of her husband~"
Her mom and auntie, watching the whole thing unfold, couldn’t resist teasing her.
It was only then that Chen Cheng realized how obvious she had been. Embarrassment flooded her, her cheeks turning bright red. She pressed her lips together, trying to maintain her composure, then stood up and walked behind An Yuan.
"I’m taking him to his room to rest."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
An Yuan’s mother and father were all smiles, while her father stared at her with a resentful look, and her mother just sighed and shook her head.
Bracing herself against the judgmental gazes of the elders, Chen Cheng tried to pull An Yuan up from his chair.
"An Yuan, get up."
"Huh? Oh... okay."
Still half-dazed, An Yuan pushed himself up from the table, and Chen Cheng immediately wrapped her arm around his to steady his swaying body.
"Careful..."
Ignoring the gazes and opinions of the elders, she lowered her head, slipped under An Yuan's arm, and carefully helped him up.
Wow, he’s heavy... Did he gain weight or something?
Chen Cheng could feel his full weight leaning on her, making it almost impossible to lift her feet. She had to inch forward with great effort. Luckily, despite being drunk, An Yuan still had a bit of awareness. He used one hand to support himself against the wall, staggering along as best as he could.
Slowly, they made it to the bedroom. The moment An Yuan saw the bed, his legs completely gave out, and he collapsed onto it, dragging Chen Cheng down with him.
"Ah!"
She hit the bed hard, her head spinning for a moment.
Shaking it off, she struggled to push An Yuan’s half-slumped body off of her. Catching her breath, she stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the drunken mess sprawled on the bed.
Now what?
She had taken care of a drunk An Yuan before, but now she was older, and as a girl, she just wasn’t strong enough to handle his weight like before.
"Hey! Wake up!"
"Mmgh..."
"You said you're not drunk? Look at the state you're in." Chen Cheng complained, "How do you get this wasted from just a couple of shots of baijiu? All because you wanted to act tough in front of my dad."
"I wanted… to make him happy... Then… he wouldn’t… stop us from being together~"
An Yuan’s voice was weak and slurred, his words coming in strange pauses.
"What’s there to appease him for? He’s just making things difficult for you on purpose! Didn’t you notice he barely drank anything himself?"
Chen Cheng took a deep breath, then stepped forward to remove An Yuan’s shoes. She turned him over so he could lie flat on the bed.
"Just go to sleep already!"
She felt like she was taking care of a kid. She pulled the blanket over him, plugged in his phone to charge, then ran out to grab a cup of water and set it on the bedside table.
"Leaving already?"
An Yuan, his eyes half-open, watched Chen Cheng's figure busy taking care of him beside him. "Wife~"
"Don’t call me that! What if my parents hear you?"
"Kiss me."
Ugh, how is he still acting spoiled at his age? But it was kind of cute.
Chen Cheng hesitated, then took small, quick steps to the bedroom door, peeked out to check on the elders who were enthusiastically grabbing red envelopes in the living room, and only then breathed a sigh of relief before returning to the bedside.
No one will see this, right?
Wait, hold on! My whole family is out there, and here I am flirting with An Yuan in a bedroom?
The door was only half-closed. She didn’t dare shut it completely for fear of making noise and giving her parents the wrong idea.
"You reek of alcohol..."
Chen Cheng grumbled, her face flushed with guilty embarrassment. She leaned down and gave An Yuan a quick peck on the lips.
"There, happy new—Mmph!"
Before she could finish, An Yuan suddenly reached up, wrapping one arm around her waist while his other hand pressed against the back of her head.
She struggled, pounding her fists against his chest, but within moments, her strength melted away. Her body softened, her eyes glazed over, and by the time he finally let go, she collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.
"You... you stupid!"
Flustered, she glanced toward the door, wiped her lips, and quickly smoothed out her wrinkled dress, trying to regain her composure.
Hopefully, my parents didn’t notice anything...
"Chengzi~ sleep with me~" An Yuan started acting spoiled again.
"Get lost!"