Chapter 89: KTV
An Han was always extremely cautious around Su Peng and Long Xing.
Forget about being “fed” or treated, even the smallest act of kindness from them would instantly make him alert, worried that they might suddenly do something he couldn’t accept.
He focused on eating his cake, completely ignoring Su Peng’s awkwardness beside him. In fact, he even hoped that his attitude would make Su Peng’s affection toward him go down.
But it didn’t.
Soon, the dishes were served one after another, and as the drinks kept flowing, the atmosphere at the table grew livelier.
An Han stayed self-controlled the whole time. After nearly half an hour, he had only drunk half a bottle of beer.
To his left sat Su Peng, whose affection level toward him was over 90. To his right sat Long Xing, whose affection was in the 80s. With two guys who both had suspicious intentions sitting on either side, An Han didn’t dare to drink too much.
Even if he didn’t get completely drunk, alcohol still affected judgment. Who knew what these two might try if he let his guard down? Surrounded by men, he had to stay sharp.
Finally, the main dish, grilled fish, was served.
The mood became even more cheerful, but An Han looked a little worried as he asked Long Xing, “How much did this meal cost?”
“Just a few hundred yuan, I think,” Long Xing said casually as he stood up to pick up a piece of fish.
But An Han could clearly see his expression twitch slightly, as if the price pained him a bit.
“Then let’s split the bill evenly,” An Han suggested.
They were all students. He couldn’t take advantage of Long Xing too much, especially since his gift was just a cheap item worth a few dozen yuan.
“It’s fine,” Long Xing refused generously.
“Brother Long, splitting the bill’s fine,” Chen Junjie added, trying to make it easier for him. “How about you pay for the KTV instead?”
“Well… okay then.”
Yeah, this guy really cared about saving face. Even if he ran out of his monthly allowance, he would rather skip meals than call home for money, and he would never borrow from or mooch off his dormmates.
Dinner went smoothly, and nothing strange happened. Afterward, the five of them ordered two rides to the nearest KTV.
An Han didn’t really like KTVs. He wasn’t into singing, and he didn’t enjoy loud, noisy places. The flashing lights inside always made him feel uncomfortable. But tonight, he was here with a purpose.
He sat down on a small sofa right away, thinking about how to make Long Xing dislike him, without completely ruining his birthday. Just giving him a super girly gift probably wasn’t enough.
“Xiao Han, I don’t think we’ve ever heard you sing before?”
Not long after they sat down, Long Xing came over with a microphone in hand.
An Han looked up and smiled sweetly. Long Xing froze for a moment, then watched as An Han picked up the gift bag and placed it on the table with a cheerful grin.
“Brother Long, want to open it?”
“It’s not some prank toy, right?” Long Xing asked cautiously, he had heard about the time An Han used a fake cockroach to scare Su Peng.
“How could it be? It’s your birthday, okay?”
Su Peng and Chen Junjie leaned closer too, curious to see what kind of mysterious gift An Han had been hiding for days.
“Then… I’ll open it?”
“Go ahead.”
As Long Xing reached for the bag, An Han picked up a beer bottle and took two big gulps. Maybe pretending to be drunk could also make Long Xing dislike him?
He had a good tolerance for alcohol, it was hard for him to actually get drunk.
But acting drunk? That was easy.
Long Xing had no idea that An Han was still secretly scheming. Looking rather excited, he opened the bag and pulled out a box.
“The wrapping’s pretty neat,” he said with a smile.
He looked at the gift, wrapped in a box with ribbons tied into a butterfly-shaped bow, and felt his anticipation grow even stronger. Could it be a ring or necklace, some kind of love token?
Even though he knew that was unlikely, the thought still popped into his head.
“Hurry up, open it and see what it is!” urged Chen Junjie.
Even Wang Sheng, who usually stayed quiet, leaned forward to take a look.
It felt like opening a loot box in a game, Long Xing’s hands were trembling slightly as he untied the bow and carefully lifted the lid of the box.
Inside, a pink thermos cup quietly rested.
The next second, once everyone saw what it was, the room burst into laughter. An Han raised his phone, recording the moment everyone laughed at Long Xing.
“Brother Long! It’s pink! Haha, it actually suits you!” Chen Junjie teased loudly.
Su Peng turned his head away, trying to hold back his laughter. He knew it, An Han definitely had something mischievous in mind.
Long Xing, completely caught off guard, stared blankly at the thermos. Then, stiffly turning his neck, he looked at An Han.
Keeping a straight face, An Han quickly explained, just in case he got punched.
“I noticed you always buy water whenever you go to the gym. I thought it’d be better if you just filled a thermos in the dorm and brought it with you.”
“It’s just that they ran out of other colors, so only the pink one was left.”
Was he angry? He had to be angry, right?
For someone like Long Xing, who cared so much about saving face, this must have been humiliating, being embarrassed like this on his own birthday! Even if he didn’t yell, he must be upset inside.
After staring in silence for a long while, Long Xing suddenly smiled again. He picked up the thermos and examined it carefully, then smiled at An Han and said, “Thanks. I really like it.”
(Come on! Don’t bottle it up!)
(You can’t seriously like that thing!)
An Han couldn’t believe his temper was that good, to be able to laugh it off even now.
Then the system’s notification appeared: [Long Xing’s affection for you +3]
“???”
What the hell? You actually liked it? Do you seriously have a thing for pink, girly stuff?
He looked at Long Xing’s genuinely happy face. It didn’t seem fake at all and the system message proved it was real.
Could it be that as long as the gift came from me, you’d be happy no matter what it was?
“An Han! If you couldn’t find a good one, you should’ve gone to a few more shops,” Chen Junjie said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood in case Long Xing got angry. “You have to take a penalty drink! Down the whole bottle!”
“Sure!”
Perfect, Chen Junjie’s words fit exactly into An Han’s plan. He had been looking for a reason to drink more so he could carry out his next move.
He immediately grabbed a bottle of beer, opened it, and tilted his head back to drink. But before the liquid touched his lips, the bottle was suddenly taken from his hand.
He looked to the side in surprise. Su Peng was frowning, holding the bottle.
“I’ll split it with you. Drinking too much isn’t good.”
“You don’t trust my alcohol tolerance? Who was the one I drank under the table last National Day?” An Han shot back without hesitation. “You threw up everywhere, and I was the one who cleaned it up!”
Snatching the bottle back, he raised it again and gulped it all down in one go. He drank too fast and couldn’t help but let out a small burp. Thinking he looked cool, he wiped the corner of his mouth and squinted his eyes slightly, his cheeks were already turning red.
“Alright, alright,” said Long Xing, who wasn’t angry at all. Seeing how An Han was pushing himself, he quickly comforted him, “Really, I like it. I actually needed a new thermos.”
“It’s fine. I can drink a lot. It’s your birthday, as long as you’re happy!”
An Han grabbed two bottles from the table and shoved one into Long Xing’s hands. “You like drinking, right? I’ll drink with you!”
“An Han?” Su Peng immediately sensed something was off.
He guessed that An Han was planning to get Long Xing drunk, maybe to make him do something embarrassing.
He had seen An Han’s little schemes and pranks before… and he had also seen how well An Han could hold his liquor.