Chapter 10 — I Want to Act Cute with Youe

About fifteen minutes later, the sound of footsteps gradually approached the table where Bai Henan was sitting, clicking with each step.

"Henan!" Someone called out his name. He quickly turned his head and saw a beautiful girl standing behind him, her face full of worry.

Ji Yuntong was dressed in clothes that allowed easy movement. The short sleeves were covered with a bit of dirt, paired with clean, loose pants and canvas shoes. In her rush, she had only managed to change into these pants, and her face was makeup-free. But even without makeup, she still exuded an unreachable kind of beauty.

She hurried over to Bai Henan, slightly leaned forward, and placed her hands on his cheeks, carefully examining his expression.

Bai Henan pretended to be drunk and uncomfortable, leaning his head into Ji Yuntong's arms and wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her tightly, giving her no chance to escape, murmuring in a slurred voice: "Tongtong, you're here…"

Hearing him call her "Tongtong" again, Ji Yuntong's cheeks flushed with a hint of pink, and she muttered in a frustrated whisper: "I'm your older sister! Why do you keep calling me by my nickname?"

Bai Henan pretended not to hear, still acting drunk, saying: "Got it, Tongtong."

Gao Yue, who was watching this scene, was utterly stunned. He thought to himself, This guy would throw away all his pride for love.

He quickly composed himself and smiled at Ji Yuntong, saying: "Hello, sister. I'm Gao Yue, Henan's boss and friend. We came here to celebrate Henan starting his job today, but he accidentally drank too much. I checked his phone and saw you were pinned at the top, so I immediately called you. Please take him home."

Ji Yuntong sighed helplessly, looked down at Bai Henan who was still clinging to her without wanting to move, and gave a couple of pats on his back, speaking with some exasperation: "Get up, I'll take you home."

But Bai Henan grew even bolder, leaning entirely against her and dragging his words out: "I don't want to go, I'm so dizzy…"

"How can I take you home like this?" Ji Yuntong frowned, trying to straighten him up, only to find that he was clinging to her like an octopus.

Gao Yue couldn't stand it anymore and laughed: "Sister, Henan is just pretending. He barely drank any, he's not really drunk."

Ji Yuntong, upon hearing this, immediately glared at the person in her arms: "Bai Henan!"

Realizing he had been caught, Bai Henan froze for a moment, then resigned himself and stayed in her arms, still holding onto her: "Tongtong, I really feel dizzy…"

"Let go!" She gritted her teeth.

"Nope." He said stubbornly.

Gao Yue rested his chin on his hand and watched the exchange with interest, saying with a smirk: "Henan, you're a grown man, and you're letting your sister take you home? Don't you feel ashamed?"

"Nope," Bai Henan said, pulling her even closer. "This is just an intimate interaction between family."

Ji Yuntong took a deep breath, mentally telling herself to stay calm. She then decisively pinched Bai Henan's side—

"Ah—!" Bai Henan jolted, finally letting go and allowing her to pull away from him.

Ji Yuntong shot him a glare and turned to Gao Yue: "Thanks for notifying me, I'll take him now."

Gao Yue waved his hand with a smile: "No problem, take care of him."

It was at that moment that Bai Henan realized he was really going to be taken away. Seeing the opportunity slipping away, he immediately exaggerated, holding his forehead: "Ugh, still so dizzy…"

Ji Yuntong ignored him and directly grabbed his collar, pulling him up.

Bai Henan: "…"

Gao Yue couldn't help but clap his hands: "Sister, you're so impressive."

Ji Yuntong couldn't be bothered to pay attention to these two immature men, so she just grabbed Bai Henan's collar with one hand, held his arm with the other, and forced him to walk out without looking back.

Bai Henan, half-dragged and half-carried, couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction.

Bai Henan was half-dragged by Ji Yuntong out of the lounge. The cool night breeze made his "drunkenness" ease slightly.

"Stand still, don't move," Ji Yuntong said, holding him with a hint of impatience in her voice.

Bai Henan leaned on her, his tone lazy: "Tongtong, I really feel a bit dizzy, my head's heavy and my legs are weak…"

"You were just clinging to me so tightly," Ji Yuntong shot him a cold glance, too lazy to expose his act, and directly led him to her car, opening the passenger seat door.

"Get in the car," she said in a tone that brooked no refusal.

Bai Henan grinned with a mischievous look but still obediently bent down and sat in the car. Once settled, he slowly patted the driver's seat: "Sister, hurry up and get in."

Ji Yuntong rolled her eyes, went around to the driver's seat, started the car, and asked, "Where do you live? The address?"

Bai Henan lazily gave her a string of numbers.

She input the address into the GPS, and the car drove down the street in the night.

"What's going on with you today?" Ji Yuntong glanced at him, her brows furrowing slightly. "I've never seen you so drunk before."

Bai Henan tilted his head slightly, his gaze soft with a blurry smile, his voice hoarse: "Because I wanted to act cute with you."

Ji Yuntong froze, her heart skipping a beat before she came to her senses and slapped him lightly: "Stop with the sweet talk."

"I'm serious," Bai Henan laughed softly, his tone lazy. "Earlier Gao Yue said you were my pinned contact… I guess without realizing, I've already placed you in the most important spot."

Ji Yuntong was speechless for a moment, her gaze fleeting. She pressed her fingers to her temple: "…Stop saying nonsense, just sit still."

Bai Henan noticed her ears turning red and smiled even more, but this time he didn't continue teasing her. Instead, he leaned back in the seat, quietly gazing out the window.

The car fell silent, the atmosphere becoming subtly tense, as if unspoken emotions were circulating.

When the car finally stopped in front of his apartment, Ji Yuntong gently nudged Bai Henan: "We're here, get out."

Bai Henan didn't move, instead turning his head to focus on her: "Tongtong, I want you to help me get inside."

Ji Yuntong felt uncomfortable under his gaze and coughed lightly, avoiding his eyes: "…You can walk yourself."

Bai Henan lowered his gaze, acting disappointed, and the atmosphere suddenly took on a melancholic tone.

Ji Yuntong grew a bit irritated and finally gave in: "Fine, fine… I'll help you."

With that, she drove the car into the underground parking lot, parked, turned off the engine, and got out. She walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and looked at him helplessly: "Get out!"

Bai Henan maintained his "sad" expression but secretly grinned when Ji Yuntong wasn't looking.

Ji Yuntong ignored his exaggerated expression, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of the car.

"Let's go, stop pretending to be drunk," she said impatiently.

Bai Henan leaned on her, his steps unsteady as if he might fall at any moment.

"Tongtong…" he called out in a low, clingy voice.

"Stop calling me that, I'm your older sister," Ji Yuntong tightened her grip on his hand, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

They made their way to the elevator. Bai Henan leaned against the wall, and Ji Yuntong pressed the button for the floor.

Once the elevator doors closed, the space grew very quiet.

Suddenly, Bai Henan spoke: "Sister, will you always be by my side?"

Ji Yuntong froze, turned to look at him, and saw that he had lowered his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering slightly as if he was really contemplating this question.

"…What nonsense are you saying?" She avoided his gaze, "You're all grown up, you don't need me to take care of you all the time, right?"

Bai Henan looked up at her, a faint smile on his lips: "But I want you to take care of me."

Ji Yuntong was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond.

The elevator "dinged," breaking the silence, and the doors slowly opened.

"Let's go," Ji Yuntong said, no longer saying anything else, supporting Bai Henan as they walked out of the elevator and headed to his apartment door.

"What's the password?" she asked.

Bai Henan lazily leaned against the doorframe, stretching out the digits: "140513."

Ji Yuntong entered the code, and the door unlocked with a click. She pushed it open and led Bai Henan inside.

The room was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything. She immediately ordered: "Turn on the lights."

Bai Henan obediently reached out to press the switch on the wall, and the lights instantly brightened.

The apartment was decorated in a minimalist industrial style, everything neatly arranged, and fully equipped, yet it lacked any warmth. It looked just as stern and unapproachable as Bai Henan himself.

Ji Yuntong guided him to the living room, laid him on the couch, and straightened up, clapping her hands decisively: "Alright, I'm leaving."

Just as she turned, Bai Henan's low voice sounded behind her: "Sister… I'm in pain…" His tone held a bit of grievance, but not too much.

Ji Yuntong could tell he was faking it, but when she looked into his slightly tipsy eyes, she couldn't bring herself to turn and leave.

She paused for a few seconds, sighed, and asked: "Do you have any hangover medicine?"

Bai Henan noticed she hadn't left, his lips curling up slightly, but he still maintained his "pitiful" expression, murmuring: "No… I just moved in, haven't prepared anything…"

Ji Yuntong sighed helplessly and walked toward the kitchen, wondering if there was anything to help him sober up.

She opened the fridge, which was surprisingly empty, with only a few bottles of water and a couple of eggs—so clean, it looked brand new.

Ji Yuntong stared at it, dumbfounded. Could this guy really be surviving on just eggs every day?

She closed the fridge door, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow as she looked at the man lounging on the sofa. "Bai Heman, have you been living on eggs and water all this time?"

Leaning back on the sofa, Bai Heman smirked. "Not exactly. I occasionally order takeout."

"…" Ji Yuntong was speechless. She pressed her fingers to her forehead and said helplessly, "Fine, I'll go get something to help you sober up. You stay here and sit tight. Don't run off."

Bai Heman watched her retreating figure, his smile deepening as he lazily responded, "Okay, sister."