“Why are you here?” Bo Xinghang suddenly stood up. His movement was so abrupt that the boys grabbing meat paused and looked up at him.
He met their gaze, hesitated for a few seconds, then realized he was acting too excited and sat back down.
The sports rep, who hadn’t seen Doctor Ji, asked with a blush, “What’s wrong? Who’s here?”
“Nothing.” Bo Xinghang glanced at the sports rep and shook his head.
This behavior was nothing special—just an ordinary question and answer. But to Ji Wenzhen, it seemed as intimate as a couple whispering, which made it particularly eye-catching.
With a cold expression, Ji Wenzhen walked over to the table where Bo Xinghang was sitting.
Xu Yi, sharp-eyed, had already spotted Doctor Ji as soon as Bo Xinghang spoke. He was sitting next to Bo Xinghang and, very conscientiously, stood up to give Doctor Ji his seat.
His eyes darted between the two of them, and he said cheerfully, “Doctor Ji! You can sit here.”
“Doctor?! He’s actually a doctor?!”
“Huh? Where did a doctor come from in a hot pot restaurant?”
“…No.” A few girls pointed at Doctor Ji and rolled their eyes at the boys busy with the hot pot, explaining, “We’re just surprised that Bo Xinghang’s brother is a doctor.”
After finishing, one of them added with no hint of a lady-like demeanor, “Damn… and he’s a doctor too, even more handsome.”
Doctor Ji sat down beside Bo Xinghang, who lowered his head and asked, “Why are you here?”
Ji Wenzhen kept a cold expression on his face, his eyes not looking at Bo Xinghang but instead at someone nearby… the sports rep?
Fuck.
Why was he talking to him while looking at someone else?
Bo Xinghang was instantly annoyed. He tapped the porcelain bowl with a metal spoon and spoke fiercely, “Doctor Ji, I’m the one talking to you. What are you looking at?”
It was as if he were protecting a cub.
“I’m looking at the person next to you,” Doctor Ji replied, his tone equally unfriendly.
“Why are you looking at the sports rep?”
“Oh, the sports rep.” Doctor Ji tapped his fingers on the table, increasing the rhythm, though his tone remained calm. “Doesn’t really seem like someone who exercises, but she’s quite cute.”
“……”
Two kings faced off in a jealousy match, the atmosphere tense and ready to explode.
The sports rep blushed deeply when she heard Doctor Ji compliment her. Feeling shy, she glanced at Bo Xinghang’s face. Having received approval from his big brother, she was particularly happy.
Who knew Bo Xinghang would suddenly stand up, look at Doctor Ji with a cold smile, and say, “Oh, if you like her so much, why don’t you sit next to her?”
After saying this, he tried to walk over to Xu Yi’s side, but Ji Wenzhen grabbed him with one hand. He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. “What?”
Ji Wenzhen had grabbed him reflexively, but after a moment, he understood what the young man’s words meant and was speechless. He gave an apologetic glance to the sports rep, turned around, and held Bo Xinghang’s wrist. The joints were thin and white, leaving red marks with just a gentle grip. After lingering for a few seconds, he released his hold, afraid of hurting him.
Who knew such a seemingly fragile body could beat people so ruthlessly?
He said, “I prefer to be by your side.”
Doctor Ji’s voice was cold but gentle, his tone laced with a subtle affection. He leaned forward slightly, his indifferent monolid eyes lifting as he gazed at Bo Xinghang.
Bo Xinghang swore that no one could resist Doctor Ji like this.
Bo Xinghang hesitated for just a second on whether to leave or stay, then gave in and sat back down.
“This pot of food is ready to eat! Hurry up and eat—I’ll go get the waiter to bring the beer.”
Hearing this, Bo Xinghang acted as if nothing had happened, quietly picking up his food and eating obediently.
The beer arrived quickly—three whole boxes.
The students at the Provincial Experimental School always wanted to drink alcohol, but their heavy study schedules never gave them the opportunity. Today was a good day. Even if they drank too much, they didn’t have to wake up early to finish homework tomorrow, so everyone was excited.
But three boxes were too much. Watching the waiter bring them over repeatedly, some people were dumbfounded. “Damn, this much? Can we really finish it…”
“Only three boxes?” Xu Yi was in the spotlight at this moment, having spent a lot of time in bars and handling small gatherings with ease. “You can look down on me, but how can you look down on my Hang-ge?”
Loud.
That was a compliment hidden in his words.
With that, the large group of people looked at Bo Xinghang with a hint of admiration in their eyes.
Bo Xinghang was picking up food when several hands holding drinks blocked his way, chanting, “Hang-ge! If you drink this, we’ll all get into 985 universities!”
“Hang-ge! To achieve great grades, you have to down it in one go!”
“Hang-ge! We all consider you a brother. We apologize for that misunderstanding before. We were wrong. Let’s drink this glass and stay friends!”
Bo Xinghang: “……?”
What kind of strange stuff was this?
He looked at the drinks lined up in front of him, didn’t say anything to refuse, and reached for a glass. Just as he was about to raise it to his mouth, Doctor Ji’s hand stopped him.
“A minor shouldn’t be drinking.”
After years of encouraging people to drink as a job, Bo Xinghang had never encountered something like this. He wanted to laugh and said, “I’m almost an adult.”
But Ji Wenzhen was firm and took the drink away. “Almost an adult doesn’t count.”
What’s this all about?
This was an attempt to stop him from drinking.
After Ji Wenzhen had drunk who-knows-how-many glasses of alcohol, Bo Xinghang started to panic. He remembered how Doctor Ji had avoided alcohol when they first met, and now he was drinking one glass after another as if his life depended on it.
Bo Xinghang could handle his liquor well, and even when drunk, he had no side effects. A good night’s sleep and he was fine. But he didn’t know if Doctor Ji was the same and was worried about potential side effects.
“Doctor Ji, stop drinking.”
Bo Xinghang, looking tense, grabbed Doctor Ji’s hand, but Doctor Ji caught his hand back and gently squeezed his palm.
“… It’s fine.”
Doctor Ji spoke clearly, and his cool white skin showed no trace of a drunken flush. Bo Xinghang felt slightly relieved and believed him.
But in reality, believing anything Doctor Ji said was a mistake.
The entire class stayed at the hot pot restaurant until late into the night. They went in while it was still daylight and came out when it was dark. No one knew what time it was, but they didn’t have to wake up early the next day.
Xu Yi, who had been bragging earlier, was the most drunk. Two relatively sober boys were supporting him, one on each side, as he wobbled unsteadily.
Squinting his eyes, Xu Yi turned his head and raised his arm to point at Bo Xinghang. Leaning in close to the person beside him, reeking of alcohol, he asked, “Do you… do you know who this guy is?”
The person next to him hadn’t drunk much, but his reactions were still a bit slow. After thinking for a long time, he replied, “…Oh, I know, Bo Xinghang!”
“Wrong!!”
Xu Yi had anticipated this answer and was very pleased with himself. He tilted his head to the other side and cheekily revealed, “He is my buddy—! Hahaha!”
Crazy.
“Wrong.” Ji Wenzhen’s loose hair fell across his forehead, obscuring his black eyes. He whispered, “He’s not yours.”
His voice was too quiet for Bo Xinghang to hear.
Xu Yi kept rambling on and pointed at the two of them. “Do you know who that handsome guy next to him is!”
“Uh—?” The two boys were stumped and couldn’t answer.
Xu Yi felt even more triumphant. “Ha—his status is awesome! The only one! Pay attention to my keywords! He’s the only one who can keep my buddy in check!”
The two guys nodded with a vague understanding. “Oh—”
Oh, my ass.
But he had to admit, it was quite accurate.
Bo Xinghang nodded in acknowledgment.
Thanks to Doctor Ji, Bo Xinghang didn’t drink a single drop of alcohol. At the back of the group, he calmly led Doctor Ji by the hand and complained silently.
Doctor Ji claimed he wasn’t drunk and walked steadily. But if you watched closely, you’d notice that he hesitated with every step, staring at the path ahead as if mapping it out in his mind, and then stepping forward decisively.
Then he repeated the process over and over again.
To others, it looked like a handsome sloth moving in slow motion.
“How about…” Bo Xinghang hesitated for a moment before reaching out to Doctor Ji’s face and waving his hand. “I support you?”
“Support me?” Doctor Ji’s voice was deep and calm, like the gentle ripples of a lake. “Oh.”
Doctor Ji obediently raised his hand and held Bo Xinghang’s.
…Held it.
Bo Xinghang stared at their tightly held hands and reminded him, “Doctor Ji… I’m supposed to be supporting you.”
What’s with the hand-holding?
…Although he liked it a lot.
Ji Wenzhen frowned slightly, seemingly not understanding Bo Xinghang’s words. He tightened his grip on his hand and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“No.” Bo Xinghang replied without any reservations, “Just like this, it’s perfect.”
“…Oh.”
Doctor Ji didn’t blush when he was drunk, and his behavior seemed perfectly normal. However, some small actions occasionally gave him away.
His drunken state was surprisingly cute and unexpectedly obedient.
He listened to everything and responded to everything.
Bo Xinghang shamelessly held Doctor Ji’s hand with glee, thinking he would make sure all future drinking opportunities went to Doctor Ji so he could take advantage of the situation.
Bo Xinghang asked him, “Doctor Ji, do you black out when you get drunk?”
Ji Wenzhen furrowed his brows as if trying to understand the question. After a long time, he said, “Yes.”
“Oh.” Bo Xinghang was overjoyed. How could Doctor Ji be so cute when he was drunk? He held his hand obediently and answered his questions earnestly.
Bo Xinghang held back his laughter, trying to keep his tone normal. “How do you know you black out?”
Ji Wenzhen pondered this for a while. He took his time with each response, just as he did with walking, carefully considering each answer until he was certain before he spoke.
Cautious and prudent.
This question seemed difficult, and Doctor Ji mulled it over for a long time without answering. He really didn’t know how he knew he blacked out.
This question was too hard.
Ji Wenzhen lowered his eyes in frustration.
Bo Xinghang struggled to contain his laughter and decided to ask him another question.
In early April, the snow had already melted. With the arrival of a few rain showers and the slow emergence of spring, every plant brimmed with life, quietly sprouting from the soil. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, they grew with abandon.
“Um… Doctor Ji, do you like me?”
