Chapter 20 – Let’s Go Together

In any case, this wedding, which both main characters were reluctant to have, ended smoothly.

Li Ting watched as Xu Ji drank one glass after another, whether it was foreign, liquor, wine, or mixed. Glass after glass, there was no break, and he even helped Li Ting take many of his.

But in the end, Xu Ji still remained clear-headed. He stood steadily, walked straight, and showed no signs of being affected at all.

Li Ting couldn’t help but mutter, how much can this guy drink…? It looked like a lethal amount of alcohol, and if it were an ordinary person, they probably would have passed out after just a third of it.

As the hosts, they couldn’t leave before the guests. Only after the venue cleared out, did Xu Ji turn to Li Ting and say, “I apologize for kissing you earlier without your consent.”

So you’re capable of apologizing too, Li Ting’s eyes curved into a gentle arc, “It’s alright, getting kissed by you isn’t a loss.”

Xu Ji didn’t reply. He closed his eyes, rested his head against the back of the chair, and casually bent his long legs, loosening his body.

Li Ting’s tolerance for alcohol was indeed not very good. Even with just beer, drinking quickly would make him dizzy, and he easily turns red. At this moment, his cheeks were flushed, and his gaze was smoldering.

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Nk Mkdt ypjle, “Gal usw eawdj?”

Dw Kk eked’v srld bkp lulp, bl alrzkle, “Ls.”

Nk Mkdt, obs bye kdkvkyzzu qlzv ekggu, oyp qllzkdt clvvla dso. Tl pxkzle yde vlyple, “Yu bwpcyde kp iwkvl psxlvbkdt, bwb?”

Dw Kk qwaasole bkp caso, pllxkdtzu vaukdt vs pwrralpp vbl watl vs hsxkv. Gqvla y xsxldv sq alzklq, bl pyke, “R’x yzalyeu qllzkdt dywplswp. Rq usw pyu vbyv ytykd, R xktbv ynvwyzzu vbaso wr.”

Nk Mkdt ypjle, “Jwv R vbswtbv usw olald’v eawdj?”

Dw Kk zkqvle bkp lulzkep, bkp tygl nzlya, yde bl nypv y tzydnl yv Nk Mkdt. “R’x dsv eawdj, cwv R oypd’v lmynvzu eakdjkdt oyvla lkvbla.”

Dw Kk’p ryaldvp bye zlqv qkapv, pyukdt vblu oswze zlyhl vbl eakhla qsa Dw Kk, cwv bl elnzkdle.

With only the waitstaff cleaning around them, Li Ting asked, “Why did you help me take the alcohol?”

Xu Ji was puzzled, “You can’t even drink, and if I didn’t help you, did you want the bride to faint in front of everyone? Nowadays, the internet is very developed; this would definitely become a trending topic.”

Li Ting: “…”

With thoughts of the other person having helped him take a considerable amount of alcohol, Li Ting said with a good temper, “I didn’t say I can’t drink.”

Xu Ji became even more puzzled. “You can drink?”

“What I mean is,” Li Ting stared at Xu Ji’s face, “I didn’t say I can’t drink, so how did you know?”

Under normal circumstances, Xu Ji might not have bothered to respond, but perhaps the alcohol had slightly numbed his senses, he replied, “I could tell.”

However, none of the people standing beside Li Ting at the time, including his and Xu Ji’s parents, noticed anything. Moreover, he felt that he hadn’t shown any signs at all. He didn’t stutter, and he had been walking steadily.

Just like he had been pretending to be obedient all those 19 years, and no one had ever suspected anything was amiss. Sometimes, even he himself became confused, wondering what his true self was really like.

Yet Xu Ji had only met him a few times and was firmly convinced that he was pretending, even finding his expression disgusting.

How was he able to tell?

Li Ting was curious, so he asked this question out loud.

Xu Ji had already closed his eyes again. The overhead light cast a shadow under his prominent nose, and his thin lips were slightly pursed, giving no indication that he intended to respond.

Li Ting waited for a while, suspecting that Xu Ji might have fallen asleep. He called out, “Xu Ji.”

“Mn,” Xu Ji replied. He stood up without any stumbling and said, “My designated driver has arrived.”

Li Ting asked, “So, you were waiting here for the designated driver?”

Xu Ji replied with another “Mn.”

“What about me?” Li Ting found this a bit absurd. He had thought Xu Ji stayed because he wasn’t feeling well and had kindly decided to stay with him.

Xu Ji looked at him for a moment, then slowly took out his phone and said, “I’ll call a ride for you.”

Li Ting: “…”

On the day their wedding ended, the newlyweds, who had been so sweet just moments ago, got into separate cars and returned to their respective homes.

If this dramatic scene were to be witnessed by someone, Xu Chengyue would probably explode in anger once again.

Alcohol is a very magical thing; it tastes bad but can be addictive. Just a little can numb your taste buds and rationality, tempting you to consume more. It sends false signals to your brain, making you believe you can handle more. However, once you cross the line and consume too much, alcohol slowly rises and evaporates, entering your bloodstream and spreading throughout your body until it saturates you, engulfing your consciousness.

After drinking frequently, Xu Ji had a clear understanding of his own state. He knew at what point he would feel nothing, at what point he would start to get dizzy, and at what point he would definitely become drunk.

At this moment, he was in a state where his limbs felt a bit sluggish, but his mind was still very clear. It might be hard for anyone to believe, but he could even outdrink Xu Chengyue, a seasoned socialite in his fifties who had experienced all kinds of social gatherings. This was all trained by his immature years.

It was also during those times that he developed stomach problems.

Shuffling in his slippers, he moved slowly and knelt in front of the toilet. He inserted two fingers deep into his throat and triggered a gag reflex.

“Ugh, urp—,” his stomach convulsed, and he dug his nails into the edge of the toilet bowl, causing them to turn white. The hair on his temples was wet with sweat, and his physiological tears slightly moistened his eyelashes.

After he finished vomiting, Xu Ji stood up and rinsed his mouth. He then prepared a glass of honey water for himself.

Letting the alcohol settle in the stomach for too long will lead to even more discomfort when waking up, while vomiting it out will only be unpleasant for a while.

Xu Ji cleared his throat, feeling like he had just scratched it with his nails. It had been a long time since he had drank this much, and he had even become somewhat unaccustomed to doing this.

He slept for a full 10 hours and began packing his things after having lunch.

Tomorrow, they were about to set off for Altay. Clean clothes were neatly packed in vacuum bags, and each layer of the suitcase was carefully organized by category.

Ji Chi had once complained, saying that he could pull out 100 vacuum bags from his suitcase.

The next day, early in the morning, Ji Chi and Ji Fangchi arrived at his doorstep, planning to have lunch nearby before heading to the airport, then arriving in Altay just in the evening after a four-hour journey.

“Xu Ji-ge!” Ji Fangchi was very excited and immediately opened his backpack, showing off his new snowboard. “Check out the board I just bought!”

Xu Ji said, “Doesn’t that mean you need to break it in? Don’t just be focused on falling.”

Ji Fangchi exclaimed angrily, “Ge!”

Unexpectedly, as he was rummaging through his bag, he suddenly exclaimed, “Oh shit!”

Xu Ji and Ji Chi, who were in the process of moving things outside, glanced at him. Ji Fangchi wore a mournful expression and said, “I forgot to bring my goggles!”

Ji Chi immediately reached out to twist his younger brother’s ear and said, “I told you to double-check if you had everything, and you just wouldn’t!”

The two brothers’ homes were quite far from this place, and the reason they had gathered at Xu Ji’s house first was because it was close to the airport.

“There’s no other way,” Ji Chi said, “We’ll have to buy one when we get to the ski resort.”

Ji Fangchi lamented, “The ones at the ski resort aren’t cool! I still have to take photos to show my classmates!”

Xu Ji said, “I’ll lend you one.”

Ji Fangchi’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Ge! You are my actual brother! I want the laser one!”

To his friends, Xu Ji had always been generous and kind-hearted. He agreed, saying, “Sure.”

Ten minutes later, Xu Ji came out expressionlessly. He remembered that he had mistakenly thought Li Ting wasn’t staying over there, so he had moved some of the equipment back, and he hadn’t had a chance to bring it back yet.

The nearest place to buy goggles was farther than the seaside, so Xu Ji suggested, “Let’s pack up and go get it together. I’ll drive over, make a stop there, and then we can head straight to the airport.”

“Isn’t that where your wife is staying?” Ji Chi asked. “It’ll feel so awkward if we run into him.”

Xu Ji said, “It’s okay, he’s not at home.”

Just as Li Ting had just stepped out of the room to fetch some water, he heard someone pressing the keypad lock outside the door. Thinking it might be some mischievous kids playing a prank, he was about to open the door when he was startled to find Xu Ji staring straight at him, catching him completely off guard.

Xu Ji was equally stunned, and both of them stood there, each holding onto one side of the door handle, locking eyes in dismay.

Li Ting was still wearing cotton pajamas, and his hair was uncombed, with the ends sticking up. After he snapped out of it, he stepped aside and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Xu Ji said, “Just here to grab something real quick and then we’ll leave.”

Along the way here, Ji Fangchi’s little mind had already imagined a thousand and eighty scenarios about Xu Ji’s “he’s not at home” statement, and ultimately discarding a thousand and seventy-nine of them.

He was convinced that the last time he caught his sister-in-law cheating wasn’t the first time! Xu Ji-ge must have known about his sister-in-law’s infidelity and how much he loved to play for a long time! Otherwise, why would he say such a thing!

In any case, when Xu Ji came out with the goggles, the first thing he heard was Ji Fangchi’s enthusiastic voice, “Sister-in-law! Come with us! To Altay in Xinjiang!”

Xu Ji: “…?”

Li Ting: “…?”

In fact, Li Ting should have been very busy at this time, with a pile of messes waiting for him to clean up. However, the original shareholders and key employees of the company had recently started a heated dispute, which left him feeling frustrated. He decided he might as well wait until they finished arguing before making any decisions.

Ji Fangchi’s face was stifled red, and he said, “Yes, let’s go together!”

He thought to himself that if Xu Ji-ge really likes sister-in-law, he should keep a close eye on him at all times. They were going skiing for not just one month but two, and during those two months, his sister-in-law could certainly get someone else pregnant! When that time comes, Xu Ji-ge will undoubtedly be busy sorting things out for the aftermath while feeling down.

Moreover, Xu Ji, as a person, wouldn’t show it even if he was feeling down.

No! Thinking about this, Ji Fangchi’s determination to bring Li Ting along grew stronger. He repeated firmly, “Together- ouch!”

Ji Chi reached out and smacked his younger brother’s head from behind. “What’s your problem?”

Li Ting smiled and thought to himself that since he had nothing better to do at home anyway, going out with Xu Ji could be quite interesting. He glanced at Xu Ji with a playful look and said, “Well, I don’t really mind, but I’m not sure about what your brother…”

“No,” Xu Ji replied.

Ji Fangchi was getting so frustrated that tears were welling up in his eyes. He wanted to shout at Xu Ji, Ge, you need to be a bit more selfish! Don’t always think about accommodating others!

Xu Ji furrowed his brow and asked, “What’s going on, exactly?”

Ji Chi took out his phone and typed a message to Xu Ji: Maybe this kid has been bewitched by his beauty again? Didn’t he blush when he saw him before?

That did seem to happen, Xu Ji’s forehead twitched, “We’re going skiing, and Li Ting doesn’t know how to ski. What would he come along for?”

Ji Fangchi enjoyed skiing very much, but for the sake of his brother’s happiness, he was willing to sacrifice his own skiing time. “I can teach him…”

Xu Ji felt a headache and said, “Don’t fuss.”

Ji Fangchi, who had just turned legal-aged, deployed the most effective attack for his age. He threw his backpack aside and declared, “If sister-in-law doesn’t go, then I won’t go either!”

Xu Ji was now 27 years old, a full 9 years older than Ji Fangchi. When they first met, Ji Fangchi was just 14 years old, and Xu Ji had treated him like a real younger brother.

Ji Chi, the actual older brother, remained indifferent, “Then don’t go. Your Xu Ji-ge and I can have some quality time together. Perfect, might actually be better without someone slowing us back.”

Ji Fangchi pouted and looked at Xu Ji. He was already feeling aggrieved, yet his own brother just had to say that, so the corners of his eyes turned red.

Xu Ji closed his eyes for a moment and then said, “We’ve already bought our plane tickets. How about next time, okay?”

Li Ting had been observing Xu Ji’s changing expressions from start to finish, from irritation to absurdity, and finally, to helplessness.

He let out an amused chuckle, shook his phone, and said, “Is it the 3:45 PM flight? There are still tickets available, I can buy one now.”