60 5.6

A moment after downing the glass that Shui Re Dian had handed to him, Chen Yu's vision blurred and his temperature rose, so that he reflexively loosened his necktie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Although he was slightly surprised, not having expected this body to be quite so weak, he tried to focus, since he wanted to know what the protagonist was so smug about.

What Chen Yu hadn't realized, however, was that the original owner hadn't avoided alcohol to prevent himself from exhibiting common, run-of-the-mill embarrassing conduct. Rather, it was because, while he couldn't remember his escapades when he sobered up, he had heard that he tended to change personalities completely once he drank—whereas he normally maintained a terse, expressionless mask, the intoxicated Xiang Kai would turn into an incredibly sticky, sensitive type, and exposing this loose behavior was what constituted the entirety of Guo Ziyue's scheme.

Due to this unforeseen quirk, Chen Yu watched, somewhat troubled, as his arms rose of their own volition to cling to Shui Re Dian, the person who happened to be closest to him.

While Shui Re Dian was startled at the abrupt hug, he didn't resist, especially after he looked down. From that flushed, befuddled face, he understood right away that Xiang Kai must be drunk; the boy was young after all, this could well be his first little outing. Amused, the actor touched the boy's red cheeks, asking in a warm voice, "Xiang Kai, are you all right?"

Chen Yu frowned. He'd been prepared, but Xiang Kai's reaction to alcohol was just too bizarre. He was decidedly not as all right as he wished he was, nor did he have much recourse unless he wasted the system's cheat.

Once he arrived in a mission world, Chen Yu inherited many of the original owner's personality traits, and, of course, he took on any and all of the body's physical attributes. This was why he tended to naturally follow the character's identity settings, such as Shao Li's musicality and Jin Yongguang's battle mania, and also why his golden finger was useful—basically, Chen Yu's soul couldn't directly influence the body's quality.

Therefore, despite having some consciousness left, Chen Yu's soul was absolutely dominated by his tipsy shell, so that in every way that mattered, he was currently genuinely drunk. In his muddled state, the tall form of Shui Re Dian appeared somewhat like that of the person he'd been seeking, and, combined with the intimacy of their positions, he instinctively responded, "En, gege..."

The Sun Ri who had been irritably moving forward to tear Xiang Kai away froze at this form of address. That wasn't right, that boy shouldn't be calling anyone else 'gege.' When had this damn pest gotten so close to his baby? But when he aimed his furious eyes at Shui Re Dian, the man looked stunned as well, with a hint of glee.

At this stupid expression, Sun Ri realized that Xiang Kai must have made a lapse in judgment due to the alcohol, they had never actually gotten that affectionate with each other. As he breathed a sigh of relief, however, Sun Ri confusedly wondered why he'd intuitively claimed a monopoly on the term 'gege.' Kai hadn't called him that before, in fact he hadn't called him anything before...Even if he could put that aside, why had he referred to Xiang Kai as his baby, when he'd secretly been using the endearment 'doll' in his mind?

Because Sun Ri was mulling over this issue and Shui Re Dian was floating happily in his fantasies, the group was silent for a few beats. The hush was only broken when, impatient at being neglected, Chen Yu rubbed his heated face against Shui Re Dian's chest and mumbled, "Gege, it's hot, so uncomfortable...help me cool off."

With these provocative words, the Shui Re Dian who had just recovered from his shock at his sudden blessings was struck again, he rushed to answer, "Okay, okay, gege will help you, okay?"

But listening again, Chen Yu realized that this voice wasn't right. He shook his head confusedly. Zhao Cui usually sounded better, more attractive...Was this not his lover? Bewildered, he raised his glazed eyes to look around at the crowded room, searching for a familiar figure. When he spotted another man who seemed to be the right size, he pushed Shui Re Dian away and stumbled toward the stranger.

Guo Ziyue, who'd been quietly observing Xiang Kai's actions from the side with a concerned expression, snickered, this was exactly what he'd predicted would happen. The last time he'd seen a drunk Xiang Kai, the unrelentingly curt man had become astonishingly receptive. Not only had he been willing to accompany anyone anywhere, his attention span had also been reduced to a few seconds at best.

Guo Ziyue had of course tried to approach him, but a higher-ranking person had snatched Xiang Kai that evening. It was a pity that because of his low status, Guo Ziyue had missed his chance to taste him then and Xiang Kai couldn't recall anything the day after. Moreover, since he'd been in love with him at that time, Guo Ziyue hadn't even considered blackmailing him for favors. Perhaps tonight, once his plan was successful, he could take some advantage...

Smirking at the possibility, Guo Ziyue eagerly stared at Sun Ri, waiting for him to get disgusted with the Xiang Kai who'd hugged one man then ran to another. This should be enough to repel Sun Ri, shouldn't it? Unfortunately, what he'd been anticipating didn't happen, because before Xiang Kai could get a few steps away, Sun Ri had already dragged him back and strongly clasped his arms around him, scolding, "Xiang Kai, be good, don't wander around everywhere."

Despite the tight embrace, Chen Yu didn't struggle to escape. En, that was more like it, this was the magnetic voice he was used to. Satisfied, he obediently leaned against Sun Ri's chest, idly appreciating the soothing vibrations when the man spoke again.

"Ziyue, it looks like Kai needs to rest, I'll settle him in and then come back." Although he was irritated with Guo Ziyue for forcing his doll to drink, Sun Ri performed this basic courtesy as Guo Ziyue's guardian then, without waiting for a reply, he lifted the youth up by his hips, looping the thin legs around his waist and holding that tender face against his neck.

On his way out of the lounge, he wordlessly walked past Shui Re Dian, cursing, hng, this idiot dared to hold his doll, he would repay him very well! While Sun Ri brushed by as if he didn't even notice Shui Re Dian's existence, the furious aura he emitted was enough that the poor man automatically stepped back, crying invisible tears.

With that scene, Shui Re Dian couldn't deny anymore that Sun Ri was pursuing Xiang Kai, nor could he deceive himself that he would ever measure up to that king. In his imagination, he boldly insisted that Xiang Kai was his plus-one, he should be the one taking care of him...trudging to the bar with his head drooping down, Shui Re Dian bemoaned that dreams were beautiful but reality was cruel.

By the time Guo Ziyue grasped that his plan had thoroughly failed, he was far too late to do anything. Sun Ri had long left, Xiang Kai had been taken away, and even Shui Re Dian had moved to join a group of his friends.

Clenching his fists, he suppressed his resentment and pasted on a smile, sitting on an empty couch and consoling himself with the thought that he might meet someone important while he was waiting for Sun Ri to return. As a novice actor, however, he had far too little standing, he wasn't worth speaking to if the king wasn't around him. Thus, he stewed alone for an hour, when Sun Ri still hadn't come back down. Instead, shortly thereafter, a text arrived stating that Sun Ri would stay at the hotel tonight, it was easy to guess what the man would be up to.

To relieve his frustration, Guo Ziyue opened up the string of conversations from his supporters, rereading his favorite new fan's messages. This 'Longing_for_the_Moon' ID had popped up a month ago and had posted flattering words almost every day since then. Guo Ziyue probably wouldn't have paid much attention, except that he'd received a photograph which, despite its low resolution, had been enough to convince him that the person was very much his type. From the instant he'd seen it, he'd been subtly more solicitous of the man's comments, and they had even exchanged private chat IDs. Hoping to receive some encouragement, he sent Longing_for_the_Moon a picture of his hand holding a drink and a moody question on why life was so hard.

---

Once he stepped out of the lounge, Sun Ri calmed down slightly, at least enough to cover Xiang Kai's head up with his suit jacket so that any gossipmongers wouldn't be able to involve him in their rumors.

Having ensured that only his little nose was peeking out, he strode to the front desk and swiftly seized the royal suite. Luckily, it was readily available, because although he should have appropriated Shui Re Dian's hotel room, he hadn't been able to bring himself to. Just the idea of Xiang Kai entering that place and being dirtied with what that space implied made his blood boil.

Nevertheless, in the end, everything had turned out well. Indeed, this arrangement could even help his case—the superior surroundings that he could afford might persuade Xiang Kai into understanding that this Sun Ri was a much better choice than that cheap Shui Re Dian.

Pleased by the thought, he carried the limp youth into the elevator and climbed to the top floor, enjoying the feeling of the boy's upturned butt in his grip and the hot breaths that landed steadily on his neck.

He smiled unconsciously. This was right, this was how things should be. They were the best together.