Drunk

"I already told you he's my hubby. Why are you still asking? You're so silly." Something about those words tickled Shen Zeyu, and he started laughing before Lu Cizhou could even react.

Lu Cizhou frowned slightly. He had never imagined Shen Zeyu would be like this when drunk—picking fights, talking nonstop, and, most importantly, trusting people so easily.

When Lu Cizhou said nothing, Shen Zeyu reached out and poked his cheek again. "Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"

Too angry to speak, Lu Cizhou put Shen Zeyu in the back seat and buckled him in before finally saying, "Be good. Stop making a fuss."

Then he opened the car door, and soon the car began moving.

Shen Zeyu was unhappy to hear that. "Who are you calling a fuss?" He tugged at the seat belt holding him in place. "This feels awful."

"Stop pulling."

Shen Zeyu paused, his voice turning soft and wheedling. "Then talk to me?"

Lu Cizhou sighed helplessly. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Why didn't you keep asking me why I called my hubby a heartless demon king?"

Although he knew why Shen Zeyu had described him that way, all he could do now was humor him. "Why?"

That question got Shen Zeyu going. Indignation filled his face. "Because he makes me exercise every single day. I don't like it at all, and he watches me every day, too."

Perhaps he got so worked up as he spoke that he forgot he was in a car. He suddenly sat up, and his head hit the roof with a thunk.

"Ow." Shen Zeyu clutched his head and whimpered.

A smile crept onto Lu Cizhou's face at the sight. How had a little alcohol seemingly made this man lose his brain?

Shen Zeyu kept complaining that his head hurt. Lu Cizhou soothed him while picking up speed, and they soon arrived home.

After parking, Lu Cizhou got out, lifted Shen Zeyu from the back seat, and carried him inside.

At the sight of him, Shen Zeyu lifted his head and tearfully complained, "My head hurts so much. Boo-hoo. Am I going to die soon?"

Lu Cizhou had no idea how he had reached that conclusion, but there was no reasoning with a drunk. "No," he reassured him.

Only then did Shen Zeyu relax. As soon as they entered the Lu residence, Lu Cizhou instructed the butler to prepare a bowl of sobering soup and bring it straight to the bedroom once it was ready.

The moment Lu Cizhou put him on the bed, Shen Zeyu started fussing again, insisting he wanted a shower and reaching to take off his clothes.

Lu Cizhou quickly stopped him. "Wait until you've had the sobering soup." Otherwise, he was afraid Shen Zeyu might have an accident in the shower.

But Shen Zeyu didn't appreciate his concern. No matter how much he had fussed on the way home, the man before him had never gotten angry, making him feel that this man would indulge him no matter what he did.

"No, no! I want a shower now!" Shen Zeyu sounded as though he was throwing a tantrum.

Lu Cizhou pressed a hand to his forehead, raised his voice a little, and called him by his full name.

Shen Zeyu immediately stopped moving. His clear, bright eyes turned toward Lu Cizhou as he said aggrievedly, "You're snapping at me."

"I'm not." Lu Cizhou lowered his voice a little.

"You actually snapped at me." This time, disbelief colored his voice.

Feeling that he couldn't reason with a drunk, Lu Cizhou could only give in and let him shower first.

Only then did Shen Zeyu stop dwelling on Lu Cizhou's tone. He picked up his clothes and staggered toward the bathroom.

Lu Cizhou followed him the entire way, afraid he might trip and fall.

Once Shen Zeyu had made it safely into the bathroom, Lu Cizhou reminded him from outside to be careful.

"I know, I know," came Shen Zeyu's faint reply.

To prevent any accidents, Lu Cizhou stayed right outside the bathroom door.

A clatter came from inside as something fell. Lu Cizhou knocked and called Shen Zeyu's name, but there was no answer. In his panic, he grabbed a key and opened the door.

When he went in and saw the scene inside, Lu Cizhou's breathing instinctively grew heavier.

Shen Zeyu stood beneath the showerhead, glistening droplets washing over his body and trailing down his back to an intimate place. The moment Lu Cizhou saw it, he hurriedly turned his head away.

Hearing the noise, Shen Zeyu turned around and asked curiously, "Why did you come in?"

Lu Cizhou's breathing was a little unsteady. "I heard a noise out-outside and thought something had happened to you."

"Oh, I accidentally knocked over the body wash." Still muddleheaded, Shen Zeyu was completely oblivious to the situation. He even asked foolishly, "Then can you help me shower? I don't feel like doing it myself."

"Wash yourself," Lu Cizhou said in a fluster. Without waiting for Shen Zeyu's answer, he hurried out.

Only after leaving did Lu Cizhou feel some of the heat fade from his face. Hearing the intermittent splashing inside, he recalled what he had just seen again—that fair skin...

To drive the image from his mind, Lu Cizhou took out his phone and began reading financial news.

A little while later, a sound came from the bathroom.

When Shen Zeyu emerged, Lu Cizhou felt all that news reading had been for nothing. Shen Zeyu hadn't put on his pajamas; he had come out wrapped in nothing but a bath towel.

His cheeks were flushed from the steam, his collarbones peeked out, and his straight legs weren't fully covered.

Every detail assaulted Lu Cizhou's senses. He closed his eyes briefly, his voice carrying a hint of restraint. "Why did you come out without getting dressed?"

Shen Zeyu said aggrievedly, "I don't want to. Clothes feel uncomfortable."

This time, Lu Cizhou refused to indulge him and insisted that Shen Zeyu get dressed.

"There. I'm dressed." His voice was quiet, as though he had suffered some terrible injustice.

"Drink the sobering soup," Lu Cizhou said.

"It's hooot," Shen Zeyu drawled.

He hadn't even touched it. What utter nonsense. "Hurry up and drink it, or it'll get cold." Lu Cizhou's tone grew firmer.

Perhaps realizing that it was good for him, Shen Zeyu didn't take issue with Lu Cizhou's tone this time. He obediently accepted the bowl and began drinking.

Once he finished, Shen Zeyu mumbled, "Want to sleep."

"No. You can't sleep until your hair is dry." Seeing how obediently he had drunk the soup, Lu Cizhou softened his tone.

Sensing the change in Lu Cizhou's voice, Shen Zeyu began pushing his luck again. "Then will you dry it for me?" he asked in a sweet, clingy voice.

Lu Cizhou, who had only just managed to calm down, heard Shen Zeyu wheedling again: ...

"You really are the death of me. Sit still." He turned to get the hair dryer.

Watching Lu Cizhou walk away, Shen Zeyu broke into a happy smile.

After plugging it in, Lu Cizhou began gently drying Shen Zeyu's hair.

The gentle touch on his head gradually made Shen Zeyu sleepy, but before drifting off, he still struggled to say sweetly, "Lu Cizhou, you're so nice."

Lu Cizhou's voice came from above him. "You recognize me now?"

When no answer came for a long time, Lu Cizhou leaned forward to look and discovered that Shen Zeyu had already fallen asleep.

[It seems I have someone willing to dry my hair for me now, too.]

Was that... his last thought before falling asleep?

How could someone be moved just because another person dried his hair?

At that thought, Lu Cizhou's heart softened. He turned the hair dryer down a setting, his movements growing ever gentler. Only after drying every strand did he carry Shen Zeyu onto the bed to sleep.