Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

"I took it from my dad's liquor cabinet, and brought it here especially to make you look good."

"You're such a rip-off!"

"Then I won't take it next time?"

"Next time, just give it to me directly. Don't waste it by letting them drink it."

"Hehe...Okay!"

Zhao Yanxi was amused by Ding Heng, but then she began to think seriously about what else was in her wine cabinet.

It seems that there are several bottles of wine that have been there since she can remember.

My dad hasn't drunk it; he probably doesn't like it...

Soon, Xie Baoyang returned with a decanter and small white wine glasses. He carefully opened a bottle of Moutai and gave each of the boys who could drink a small cup.

Just as Ding Heng raised his hand to say he would drive, a slender hand reached out and steadily took the cup of wine from him.

"He's driving, I'll take his place."

"oh--!!!"

Another burst of boos erupted, enough to lift the roof off.

Ding Heng didn't stop him, but asked in a low voice, "Have you been drinking?"

Zhao Yanxi shook her head, looking at the clear liquid in the glass, and said in a relaxed tone, "No, but there's always a first time for everything."

Her tone was calm, with a slightly trembling, alluring quality at the end, but the hand holding the wine glass was visibly trembling.

Excitement? Or fear?

Ding Heng couldn't guess what Zhao Yanxi was thinking at that moment, nor did he have any intention of stopping her.

He silently watched as she raised her glass, tilted her head back, and swallowed her first sip of strong liquor.

The spicy liquid slid down my throat, bringing a burning sensation.

Zhao Yanxi tried hard to maintain her expression, but the tears that welled up instantly and her brows that furrowed suddenly betrayed her.

Ding Heng asked with concern, "How is it?"

She quickly grabbed a few bites of cold food to suppress her urge, forcing a smile as she said, "It's alright..."

The party continued, but Zhao Yanxi wasn't the only one who couldn't drink alcohol.

For a group of young people who are experiencing strong liquor for the first time, this "adult experience" is not pleasant.

After a few rounds of drinks, people began to turn pale, covering their mouths and rushing to the restroom, perhaps with traces of dishevelment still lingering on their lips when they returned.

Ding Heng noticed that Zhao Yanxi was putting on a brave face.

She drank most of the cup of wine. Although she didn't vomit, her condition visibly deteriorated. Her originally fair cheeks were now flushed with an intoxicating blush that spread all the way to her ears and neck.

Those bright, lively eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, their gaze unfocused and difficult to concentrate.

She stopped talking much, only occasionally laughing absentmindedly. Her body grew weaker and weaker until she finally lost all strength and collapsed into Ding Heng's arms.

Silver strands of hair clung messily to his sweaty forehead, and his breath, carrying the warm scent of alcohol, brushed against the man's neck.

Her arms were softly wrapped around Ding Heng's arms, and her body temperature was alarmingly high even through the thin fabric of her clothes.

Because of the posture, the neckline of the loose sports jacket was askew, revealing a delicate collarbone on one side and a soft, curved shadow below.

A classmate handed Ding Heng a cigarette. Ding Heng took it, thanked him, but simply placed it on the table in front of him without touching it.

In her dazed state, Zhao Yanxi seemed to have seen some novel toy. She reached out, picked up the cigarette, held it up to her eyes, and examined it with her blurry, drunken gaze.

"You...don't smoke?"

She mumbled incoherently and tilted her head to look at Ding Heng.

I don't smoke much.

Ding Heng tried to take the cigarette back from her hand, but Zhao Yanxi pulled her hand away and pouted mischievously.

"So, should we smoke or not?"

"The last time I drew a lottery ticket was before the college entrance exam, and I was under a lot of pressure."

"And... what about the time before that?"

Zhao Yanxi continued to press for answers, her eyes unfocused yet persistent.

Ding Heng did not reply.

Zhao Yanxi suddenly laughed, her laughter tinged with drunken abandon.

She imitated the way her father smoked in her memory, clumsily putting the filter into her rosy lips, and then picked up a lighter from the table.

"Snapped."

A flame shot up, and Zhao Yanxi leaned over to light it, then took a deep breath.

"Cough cough! Cough cough cough—"

The thick smoke rushed into her throat, causing her to cough violently and her eyes to water.

Ding Heng reached out and took the cigarette directly from her lips, then stubbed it out on the table.

"Don't learn this."

"Hmm... I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say."

Zhao Yanxi, drunk, leaned further into Ding Heng's arms, wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her burning cheeks in his shoulder, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"It's just the first time... I always want to try it..."

This was my first time drinking alcohol, and also my first time smoking.

So what's next?

Zhao Yanxi tilted her head back, her burning lips almost touching Ding Heng's chin. Her misty eyes stared straight at him, swirling with the confusion of drunkenness.

She wrapped her arms around Ding Heng tighter, her breath sweet as orchids, making a bold suggestion.

"I'm drunk, please take me back to the hotel..."

Chapter 14: The "Suppressed" Girl

The dinner party ended close to 11 p.m.

Because of Zhao Yanxi's appearance, everyone tacitly declined Ding Heng's offer to drive them home, and instead, laughing and joking, they each took a taxi and left together.

Ding Heng helped Zhao Yanxi, who was clinging to him, up and carried the girl to the passenger seat.

He leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt, but as soon as his arm reached in front of her, Zhao Yanxi hugged him tightly instead.

The girl's soft body pressed tightly against him, and the warm scent of alcohol brushed against Ding Heng's ear.

Her voice was muffled yet coquettish and ingratiating: "I...didn't embarrass you today, did I, Brother Ding Heng..."

Ding Heng sighed and laughed.

Most men's requirements for women are actually nothing more than three things—beauty, obedience, and social skills.

Tonight, Zhao Yanxi almost perfected these three aspects.

Ding Heng patted Zhao Yanxi on the back and said in a gentler voice, "You did very well... Sit down, we're getting ready to go back."

Zhao Yanxi laughed again, not letting go but hugging him even tighter, rubbing her nose against Ding Heng's shoulder like a little kitten longing for its owner's scent.

"Then... you have to be gentle later... I, I'm terrified of pain... really!"

Ding Heng didn't continue the conversation. He used some force to finally "peel" Zhao Yanxi off him and place her in her seat.

During the process, his palm inevitably brushed against the girl's delicate skin and undulating curves. The touch made Ding Heng feel a surge of heat in his heart. After calming himself down, he clicked his hand and fastened her seatbelt.

I sat back in the driver's seat, closed the door, and the engine began to rumble.

Ding Heng turned his head to look at Zhao Yanxi, who was slumped in her seat, and casually said, "You're pretty tough. You were the only one in the whole place who didn't throw up."

A childlike, smug smile spread across Zhao Yanxi's face, her tongue tumbling out, "Hey...actually...this isn't my first time drinking...I've secretly drunk fruit wine before..."

She recalled it intermittently.

"It was... in our second year of high school, right? It was my classmate's birthday, and a few of us girls secretly went to a karaoke bar... and bought some fruit wine, and... a small bottle of beer..."

Seriously, it was just a tiny little bottle of beer, which we five or six people shared and finished.

Everyone was really happy at the time... We sang a lot of songs and whispered a lot of secrets... I felt... finally a bit like an 'adult'!

"Until I got home, my mom smelled alcohol on my school uniform..."

Zhao Yanxi's tone gradually became erratic, and she paused for a long time, so long that Ding Heng thought she had fallen asleep.

"Later, the classmate who took me to the karaoke bar was transferred to another class by my mom."

Ding Heng listened silently without interrupting, and steered the vehicle into the night traffic.

The city's neon lights cast shifting shadows on Zhao Yanxi's face through the car window.

She was completely lost in a hazy, half-awake state, her head tilted to the side, her gaze unfocused as she watched the lights rushing past the window. Suddenly, she asked a question in a soft voice, as if talking to herself.

"Ding Heng...do you understand that feeling...like having your own mother as your high school homeroom teacher?"

Whether you're going to school, leaving school, or on holidays, there will always be eyes watching you.

Skirts cannot be shorter than knee-length, hair cannot be dyed or permed, one cannot get too close to boys, one cannot read 'unnecessary books,' and one cannot do anything 'out of line' beyond her rules!

But as soon as the college entrance exam was over, she told me that she was an open-minded parent who respected my personal space and would no longer interfere in my adult life.

"Enlightened? Enlightened!"

"Hahaha……"

Zhao Yanxi chuckled softly, repeatedly uttering the word "enlightened," her laughter sounding hollow and desolate in the enclosed carriage.

Finally, unable to withstand the effects of alcohol and her emotions, her voice gradually weakened, replaced by steady breathing, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Ding Heng then picked up his phone, found Wenjing's WeChat, and made a voice call.

A quiet, timid voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello? Is...is something wrong?"

Ding Heng said succinctly, "Send me Zhao Yanxi's address."