DOUCH— I MEAN DUDE, THANKS. I was having a hard time "protecting" him from the girls. I thought I would be the one who fell but I didn't.

Xixi kept saying that his head and his stomach felt funny. I had to support him so I lingered my hand around him. But since he's super tall, I only could reach his back below the shoulders.

The girls were about to surround him after they saw him holding his head in pain. Fake fans.

But the apron guy suddenly appeared out of nowhere and snatched the annoyingly-too-loud mic from the PIC. "Anyone wants to drink the leftovers with me?" He's trying to look cool by smirking I want to puke---but I have to admit that it fit the situation.

"The party isn't over yet!" He yelled as he ran to the DJ table and started doing whatever he's doing there.

He  always seems like he wants to portray himself as the in-crowd, and lucky to him, his smug face, his douchebag attitude, his skill of drawing attention; support that.

"Li Zhenning! Li Zhenning! Li Zhenning! Li Zhenning!" People are cheering according to the beat for him. Ok, he looks quite entertaining from this side.

Thanks to him, most of the girls decided not to come to us but to him instead. Except a few, including the witch cousin.

---

"I'll bring him to the room." That's the cousin.

"No. Just join the others." I start walking with Xixi away from there.

But suddenly she grabs my arm, pretty hard, and yells, "I said, I'll bring him to the room!"

Which room, though? She's making me doubt her.

Now that I think about it, the girls standing in front of me are actually the witch cousin and her minions. It's possible, because it's only her that's been talking.

Wow, how to have minions?

I shake her grab off. "I'm giving you the easiest option. Why aren't you thankful for that?" I blurt.

She takes a deep breath in anger while she widens her eyes. I'm lowkey scared.

I usually start talking non-sense when I feel like I'm in danger. "You don't know how heavy this guy is, right? Come on. I told you I'm giving you the easiest option. Besides—"

"Leave me.. alone... Xiao Tong." He mutters.

I take a peek at his face.

I wet my lips, because I feel like I can relate to how uncomfortable he feels right now—hearing unnecessary bickerings from us in that state.

The witch is actually paralyzed and teary as she hears him saying that. I might feel the same way if I was in her shoes.

I puff my cheeks then quickly tell her, "Chill, I'm a good person. Enjoy the party, bye!"

---

After many tiring heavy slow steps, we're finally in front of his room—which also implies that we're in front of my room because they're next to each other.

"Where's your key?" I ask him.

"Pocket."

I start scanning his whole outfit with my hand while I gulp—come on, I'm touching the body of He Changxi here.

There are several pockets on his jacket and his pants.

"Which one?"

He slowly puts his hand into a certain pocket on the pants then pulls out a key. He tries to open his door's lock by himself, but he's failing because his hand is slightly trembling—or he just can't seem to find the hole.

I snatch the key then open the door properly.

---

I support him walk to his bed and just drop him there. There's even a sound from that. I feel bad. "Sorry, it's not that you're heavy but.. I'm just too weak." I mutter.

He actually chuckles to that.

I've finally realized that I dropped him too carelessly. He's now laying on the edge of his bed. I'm a little scared that he'll fall any minute.

"Can you move aside a little bit? This looks very uncomfortable." I help him move himself until his head can rest on the correct place; the pillow.

I sit on his bed, beside him.

"Hey, I haven't apologized for tonight." I press my lips. "Sorry that I made you have the same number with her. I stupidly thought it's going to lead you to a guy."

"I wonder, though, is she also annoying to you? That's why you seemed like you despise her? I initially thought that she must be at least good to you only."

He starts talking but weakly like he's whispering, "We're actually... not related. But we're cousin now."

"Uh, so you don't share the same blood?"

He slightly nods.

"I get it." My eyebrows flash. They don't share the same trait, aura, or even look. Wait, but it's normal for cousins not to share those. They're not siblings.

"I bet she actually likes you but you don't, right?" It's not a baseless assumption; remember who's this guy I'm talking to.

"But you probably think of her as only a relative... that's why."

"Or you also think that she's so ing scary." I add.

---

"OWW!" He punches my stomach. It's not hard but since I also did consume the ty drink, it's pretty sensitive.

"Ok ok, sorry that I mocked her—"

"Wait, is this only because I swore?" I sigh and roll my eyes. "Ughhh if something happens to me later just because you hit me for that reason, I'll—"

"Maybe it's time for me to leave."

But he stops me by pulling my arm to him, until I fall on his chest with my face being only a few centimeters away from his face.

My eyes start scanning—or enjoying—his whole face by themselves on this angle. I can't help it. What did He papa and He mama do to have this?

He looks extra alluring this time. For some reasons. Both of his eyes are hazy while they look at me; sometimes they close and they open—these happen very slowly.

They give me a certain soft feeling inside.

"Can you... stay?" He mumbles.

"Uh.." I brush his hand off of my arm. "I guess. But not like this—"

He suddenly moves to the side to give me a space beside him. He grabs my arm and pulls me to lay there.

I gulp.

It's ok, though. Just wake up early in the morning, casually walk to your room and everything will be back to normal.

He starts slipping his hands below and in front of my shoulders. He's like attempting to hug me from the side, but he's doing it too slowly that I feel... very uneasy.

There's this slight tingling sensation that arises from my feet to the area around my thighs and pelvis.

---

As he's able to "fully hug" me, he ends it by intertwining his fingers of both hands. Without letting me have some time to process any of that, he starts leaning into my neck. He's like nuzzling on it.

Something inside my heart is thumping so hard like it's trying to hurt me. The tingling sensation is not slight anymore.

I feel unnecessarily hot in this cold place.

"Aren't you.. hot right now?" I mutter as I try to grab his hand and release it from my shoulder.

He whispers, "No, don't leave... I don't feel well." His gentle voice and his breath on my neck are killing me. He tightens his grab even more and makes himself more comfortable in that position.

---

"Did you like it.. doing that with the guy..."

"Eh?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"You nearly won the first place."

So the douchebag and me, in my opinion, didn't actually eat the stick until the size that might bring us to win. But he was cunning enough that before he spits it he bit it a little bit more and that gave us the second place.

"Next time.. can't you do it... with me, instead?"

"What do you mean?" I gulp. This feels weird, by the way. "Besides, you knew it's randomized. We failed when we attempted to alter it, right?"

"Uhh I..." He starts mumbling things that sound unclear but enjoyable. I am creepy.

I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes then leave once he's fully asleep.