Drifting on a String - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Everyone clapped and hooted. The friend next to No. 7 even stood up, clapping, and pulled out his chair. "Junior, come over here, come over here. Take this seat."

No. 7 was embarrassed. He frowned with a "tsk" and shot back at his friend, "What are you doing?"

Chen Piaopiao glanced at Tao Jin. Tao Jin was looking down at her phone, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly with the mood, as if she were smiling.

But her eyelashes were lowered, obscuring the look in her eyes.

The jeering was relentless. Chen Piaopiao took a deep breath, stood up, and said, "Senior, I like you."

Tao Jin stopped blinking. She set her phone on the table and lifted her gaze to Chen Piaopiao.

Chen Piaopiao's breath caught, and her heart tightened. As Tao Jin stared at her, her palms began to sweat, and she discreetly wiped them on the tablecloth.

"Is that it? Piaopiao, your acting isn't up to par," the Glasses Vice President joked. "You need more practice."

The group laughed too. No. 7's face was flushed bright red. "Okay, okay, okay, that's enough, that's enough. Don't make things hard for the junior."

"Sit down, sit down, sit down."

He was so nervous he was repeating everything three times.

The students laughed again. "Looks like someone's taking it seriously. Why else would your face be so red?"

"Get lost." The senior's composure broke. He ducked his head and stuffed a mouthful of food into his mouth.

Chen Piaopiao sat down and calmly ate her food. After picking up a braised meatball, she saw Tao Jin reach out, turn the lazy Susan, and also pick up a meatball—the one right next to the one Chen Piaopiao had just taken.

In the next round, the Glasses Vice President finally drew the "King" card. She had clearly been plotting this for a while and announced, overjoyed, "Number 3 will ask Number 13 a truth question!"

Everyone started murmuring and asking around for the numbers. Number 3 was a new junior who had just joined the club and played a supporting role in the musical.

And Number 13…

Tao Jin swallowed a sip of alcohol, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and said, "That's me."

A second of silence was followed by an even bigger cheer, voicing the hidden meaning for all the juniors—they had finally gotten Tao Jin.

Chen Piaopiao's heart dropped. She looked at Number 3. A fuse was sizzling, about to be lit.

It was as if this game had been created just to corner Tao Jin. Students on both sides eagerly started coaching Number 3. Some ran to her ear to whisper secrets, while others made "psst psst" sounds, motioning for her to look at her phone.

The junior's face turned red before she even asked. She fidgeted awkwardly for a while before finally clearing her throat. "Um, Senior."

"Yes?" Tao Jin smiled.

The junior smiled too, covering her mouth. "They told me to ask you… what's your ideal type?"

She was embarrassed. After asking, she crossed her arms and frantically covered her face.

"Ooh!"

"Nice one!"

"Alright, you, the innocent-looking junior!"

Applause erupted, and everyone treated her with the respect due to a hero.

"Oh, my, my, my." The Glasses Vice President waved her hands at Tao Jin. "I really didn't know it was you, I really didn't."

Tao Jin smiled faintly. She first thought about it seriously, then said to the junior, "Honestly, anything is fine. It depends on the connection, on fate."

…

A faint stir went through the crowd. It was clear that everyone was unsatisfied with this evasive answer, yet Tao Jin was so sincere that she made everyone believe she was telling the truth.

Chen Piaopiao's suspended heart was gently carried back down. She picked at a hole in the tablecloth, remembering that when she had roast duck with Tao Jin, there had also been a hole burned by a cigarette on the table.

The others were getting ready for the next round, but they suddenly heard Tao Jin speak.

"Did you pick that hole out?"

Chen Piaopiao looked up. Tao Jin was looking at the hole curiously.

"It was burned by a cigarette. It was already here. Why would I have picked it?" Chen Piaopiao was a little slow to react. She lifted the tablecloth to show her the ring of brownish-gray scorch marks around it.

"Oh," Tao Jin nodded and smiled. "I thought you were unsatisfied with my answer and wanted to damage the table and chairs so I'd have to pay for it."

The others laughed at this joke and started pestering the Vice President about how much the prize money was.

But Chen Piaopiao and Tao Jin looked at each other, slowly blinking.

I am unsatisfied.

How could I be satisfied?

Only if you said your ideal type was Chen Piaopiao would I be satisfied.

Tao Jin looked at her, reached for her glass, and took a sip of alcohol.

Chen Piaopiao also took a sip.

Both of their gazes shifted.

The exchange of glances was brief, but it started a fire in Chen Piaopiao's heart. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or something else, but her inner desires began to stir, growing wicked claws and fangs.

Especially amidst the decadent scene of flashing lights and flowing wine, reason was hypnotized, selfish motives were ripened, and her unwillingness and rebellious streak grew wildly.

Of course, the celebration banquet didn't just end with dinner. After a few of the quieter members returned to their dorms, the ones who hadn't had enough fun decided to go to karaoke for a second round.

The KTV behind Snack Street was a regular haunt for this group of students. They expertly booked a room, planning to sing all night in the private booth.

No one was smoking, yet the smell of smoke was steeped into the seams of the sofa. A few people nearby were playing dice, the noisy clatter like a harmony to the song. The song's meaning was hazy, the intoxication was hazy. The lighting in the KTV was more ambiguous than a bar's—because it was dark enough that it seemed anything could be hidden, and because it had a grand, imposing screen, it seemed everything was perfectly innocent.

Chen Piaopiao didn't sing or play any games. She sat in the darkest corner of the sofa, drinking sip after sip.

She had never been drunk before, but that look from Tao Jin earlier was enough to convince her that Tao Jin was paying attention to her. So, if she got drunk, would Tao Jin take care of her?

The alcohol went down her throat, sharp and burning. She felt as if the cool liquid bypassed her stomach and went straight into her veins, seeping into every limb, like hundreds of little cold-blooded snakes had appeared inside her.

She watched coolly as Tao Jin talked to others and was occasionally pulled into a round or two of a game. Tao Jin didn't sing either. When pulled into conversation, she would just give a brief response, then look intently at the lyrics on the screen, making it hard to tell if she was actually listening.

One of the juniors was very playful and started singing that song, Getting Closer.

"I guess you want to get closer too~"

When they sang this line, they winked at Tao Jin. Tao Jin smiled, looking a little helpless.

Chen Piaopiao got another glass of alcohol and drank while playing on her phone.

Her thoughts began to drift. She wanted to get closer to her too. Not just get closer, but possess her, lick her, devour her.

She was an incredibly beautiful blue whale, perfectly at home in the ocean. Occasionally, you could see her surface, as if the creatures on land might receive her favor. But once she dove back into the sea, her immense and accommodating body would instantly fall silent.

Yet the ocean was boundless, rivaling the human imagination. Chen Piaopiao had to use all her strength to stop herself from thinking about it—about the places she couldn't see, in the depths of the ocean, and whether this graceful blue whale was dancing with the colorful creatures of the sea.

She thought she must be truly drunk. She didn't have the energy for any schemes, and even the singing sounded intermittent.

She blinked. It was probably very late. The microphone had been put down, and the screen played a lonely instrumental track. Some people were drunk, others were asleep, slumped over the dark sofa like small, rolling sand dunes.

But she couldn't see Tao Jin and didn't know if she had gone to the restroom.

Chen Piaopiao wanted to stand up and follow her to the restroom, but she had no strength. She took heavy breaths, letting her drowsy head fall back against the sofa. Her hands lay limply at her sides; she wanted to fall asleep too.

Even more, she wanted Tao Jin to hold her.

So this was what being drunk was like—a daze. Her soul was imprisoned by alcohol, sitting alone on a high platform, hugging its knees, as if in an ice cave. If only someone would come and save her, she would offer up everything.

The gods heard her lonely prayer.

She heard soft footsteps, and then she was pulled into an embrace she had long coveted. A fresh scent enveloped her. It was magical; even the smell of alcohol and smoke was driven away. It was so comfortable, more comfortable than she had imagined. Her arms were soft, even her heartbeat was soft. Her skin was so delicate that the moment you touched it, you'd get goosebumps. No wonder even cats wanted to rub against her.

Cool and refreshing, Tao Jin.

Tao Jin reached out, gently lifting Chen Piaopiao's head and placing it on her own shoulder. Chen Piaopiao slid down limply, her head coming to rest beside Tao Jin's collarbone.

She drew a heavy breath. Her mind felt like it had been struck. She wanted to say something, but her tongue was so heavy she couldn't lift it.

She leaned limply against Tao Jin, using all her strength to lift her hand and wrap it around her waist.

"Drunk?" Tao Jin lowered her head and asked, her breath brushing against Chen Piaopiao's forehead.

But to her, Tao Jin's breath was clearly at the tip of her nose, by her brow, in any place that resembled an invitation, carrying her soft murmur.

A sudden sense of grievance washed over Chen Piaopiao. She looked at Tao Jin with a burning gaze and wrapped her arms around her neck.

Maybe I should just offend her this once, she thought. Trying to guess her feelings is exhausting. If she's really annoyed with me, then we can just go our separate ways and never see each other again.

So she lifted her chin and pressed a kiss to the lips that were inches away. They were cooler than she'd imagined, and softer too, with the faint taste of alcohol and the sweetness of watermelon.

Chen Piaopiao's heart sank, as if she'd been shoved into the sea.

But the next second, she opened her eyes slightly, and her numb heart was salvaged from the depths.

Because Tao Jin was cupping her face, tilting her head slightly, and starting to kiss her back.

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