Beside the little pond in Zhong Xuezhi's courtyard stood two low tables and several lounge chairs. The two men reclined in their chairs, each holding a ceramic wine cup.
Mu Yi lowered his eyes. Seeing the clear, vivid red wine in his cup, he guessed, "Peach blossom wine?"
Zhong Xuezhi shook his head. "It's Insect Awakening right now, when the body's metabolism gradually speeds up."
"You need to focus on supporting the spleen and stomach, promoting fluid production, and moistening the lungs. Sweet is better than sour, so this is Thunberg Spirea Wine."
After hearing that, Mu Yi felt that describing Zhong Xuezhi as meticulous and refined about his daily life no longer did him justice. He deserved to be called a top-tier lifestyle expert.
The top-tier lifestyle expert spoke again, urging him, "Try it. I brewed it late last spring, so the flavor should have settled nicely by now."
Mu Yi lowered his head and took a sip of Thunberg Spirea Wine.
The wine was indeed sweet on the tongue, clean and refreshing, with a soft, smooth body. Its floral fragrance and wine aroma were beautifully balanced, too.
It was no worse than those private reserves worth hundreds of thousands.
Mu Yi couldn't resist another sip. After licking away the lingering sweetness between his teeth, he asked curiously, "Did you brew this yourself?"
"Yes." Zhong Xuezhi nodded. "It wasn't distilled, but I used purification leaf to concentrate the alcohol. Doesn't taste weak, does it?"
"Not at all. It's just right." Mu Yi tipped his head back and drained the Thunberg Spirea Wine in his cup.
"Hey!" Startled, Zhong Xuezhi hurriedly cautioned him, "This wine is pretty strong. Take it easy."
Mu Yi paid that no mind and reached out to refill his cup. "If you're afraid of getting drunk, you might as well drink plain water."
Helpless, Zhong Xuezhi waved an arm at their surroundings. "Doesn't a setting like this deserve to be savored slowly, along with the wine?"
Mu Yi swirled his cup and smiled. "Sorry, I'm just an uncultured guy. All this atmosphere and scenery-I can't come up with any delicate way to appreciate it."
With that, he reached a hand toward Zhong Xuezhi, who was reclining beside him, and beckoned with his fingers. "Give me your tail."
Zhong Xuezhi: "..."
After a moment of silence, Zhong Xuezhi obediently offered his tail, wrapping it twice around Mu Yi's arm of his own accord.
Mu Yi played with the fluffy tip between his fingers. His drinking slowed noticeably, and he looked much more relaxed and leisurely.
Spring brought a considerable difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. The night was slightly chilly, but the mellow, sweet wine warmed his stomach and left his whole body comfortably warm.
Besides, owing to the unusual properties of his pheromones, Mu Yi's temperature usually shot up after drinking, turning him into a high-powered human furnace.
With his tail resting against Mu Yi's arm, Zhong Xuezhi could naturally feel the heat radiating from him.
He turned sideways and asked, "Drunk already?"
Mu Yi shook his head. "No. Not even close."
Despite his words, a flush had already risen to his face, and his eyes had lost much of their clarity.
Mu Yi had inherited his mother's rather delicate alcohol tolerance.
That, however, did nothing to stop him from drinking hard, downing one cup after another.
Zhong Xuezhi tried to dissuade him, but when that failed, he left him alone and drank at his own unhurried pace.
He alternated between admiring the flowers and savoring the wine, humming a little tune whenever the mood struck.
Suddenly, Mu Yi tugged on his tail and said, slightly dazed, "What are you humming? Even the pigs in the Dread Gloom Forest have better rhythm."
Zhong Xuezhi was immediately at a loss for words. His musical abilities really were lacking.
After a brief silence, he said, "Why don't you give us a tune, then?"
Normally, Mu Yi certainly wouldn't have wanted to hum anything, but being drunk had put him in much higher spirits.
"Fine, I will."
Mu Yi set down his cup and rested his hand on his bent knee instead, tapping his fingers with a steady rhythm.
Then a low, faintly resonant hum slowly flowed from him.
Mu Yi's voice was distinctive, neither deep nor harsh, with a slight rasp. When he hummed earnestly, it was especially captivating.
Zhong Xuezhi's leopard ears twitched several times in succession, and he couldn't help closing his eyes to listen.
Professor Yin had loved music during her lifetime. Although he lacked talent, being around her had greatly refined his ear.
By any measure, Mu Yi's humming deserved full marks from him as a listener.
Unfortunately, Mu Yi's enthusiasm didn't last long. After finishing one tune, he refused to open his mouth again.
A little disappointed, Zhong Xuezhi opened his eyes and asked, "Did you study music formally? You sound very professional."
Mu Yi picked up his cup again and replied, "Of course."
He finished the last mouthful of Thunberg Spirea Wine in his cup, then stretched out fully on the lounge chair.
Lying there, he looked straight up at the starry sky and felt that it seemed far more dazzling here than back where he came from.
Venus shone brilliantly, and the Milky Way stretched out in splendor, glittering too brightly to gaze at for long.
Mu Yi slowly closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually steadied.
Zhong Xuezhi didn't disturb him, simply continuing to drink and admire the flowers in silence.
Only when the clock chimed nine that evening did Zhong Xuezhi clear away the cups on the table and prepare to head inside.
He bent down and patted Mu Yi, who was already fast asleep. "Hey, wake up for a moment. Go sleep inside."
Muddled by drink, Mu Yi had no desire to move. He waved a hand and said, "Leave me alone. I'm sleeping right here."
Of course, Zhong Xuezhi couldn't let him do that. He patted his face again and said, "Come on, wake up. It's only a few steps. You could find your way there with your eyes closed."
Mu Yi pretended not to hear and stubbornly stayed put in the lounge chair.
Zhong Xuezhi brought out his trump card. "If you sleep here, you won't get to touch my tail."
The effect was immediate. Mu Yi's eyes flew open, and he struggled to sit up.
Unfortunately, he had underestimated the strength of the Thunberg Spirea Wine. The moment his feet touched the ground, everything spun before his eyes.
Zhong Xuezhi reached out and caught him in time. "You're seriously drunk..."
Mu Yi let out a drunken hiccup. "Bullshit. I'm not drunk."
"Okay, okay, you're not drunk. You've just been hit with a debuff. How about I give you a speed boost?"
As he spoke, Zhong Xuezhi bent down, scooped Mu Yi up, tossed him into his arms, and jogged all the way upstairs with a rapid patter of footsteps.
Once inside the bedroom, Zhong Xuezhi tossed him onto the bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
When he came out again, Mu Yi was already sprawled out asleep. His overly loose pajamas had ridden up, exposing a stretch of lean, powerful waist.
Zhong Xuezhi climbed onto the bed and reached out to tug his hem down. As he straightened his clothes, the wound on Mu Yi's shoulder flickered in and out of view.
Unable to resist, Zhong Xuezhi pulled his collar open a little and lowered his eyes to examine that row of marks.
As he looked, he kept feeling as though something flashed through his mind, only to vanish so quickly that he couldn't grasp it.
Just as he was about to release Mu Yi's collar, a hand suddenly seized his wrist.
"What are you doing, sneaking around?" With his eyes half narrowed, Mu Yi tilted his head back to look at Zhong Xuezhi above him.
Zhong Xuezhi hastily grabbed a corner of the blanket. "Covering you up."
Mu Yi frowned and refused. "Don't. I'm roasting."
A moment later, he clung to Zhong Xuezhi's arm and said, his breath hot, "Bro, you're so cool. Let me use you to cool down."
As he spoke, he wrapped his arms and legs around Zhong Xuezhi, fitting himself against him without a single gap, like a master of tracing human outlines.
Even like that, he still managed to free two fingers to loop around Zhong Xuezhi's tail.
Zhong Xuezhi: "..."
[Note: Before transmigrating, Mu Yi was a music major-and a top student at that, haha!]
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