I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 31

Han Shutong looked at the person standing in front of her. Because of the alcohol, her eyes were hazy.

Dizzy and very cute.

Seeing this, Han Shutong made a decision in her heart, but hesitated before speaking it out.

After more than ten seconds, Han Shutong took a step toward Zhou Xi. They were now very close, only a single step apart.

The moment her eyes met Zhou Xi’s, Han Shutong slowly voiced the statement she had been hesitating over. “I am.”

Han Shutong’s voice was clear, distant, as if carried from an empty meadow. Coupled with Zhou Xi’s slightly dizzy head, she didn’t hear Han Shutong clearly at first. She stared blankly at Han Shutong, her eyes showing confusion.

“I am.”

Han Shutong had to repeat herself.

Zhou Xi suddenly smiled softly, her voice light. “You are what?”

Zhou Xi had already forgotten what she had asked moments before.

Han Shutong froze, pressing her lips together against a surge of bitterness.

She had forgotten. The person in front of her was a little drunkard now; she wouldn’t remember anything that was said.

“It’s nothing.” Han Shutong took Zhou Xi’s wrist. “Let’s go. Home.”

August had already turned to autumn, and the nighttime temperature had dropped. A sudden gust of wind blew, causing Zhou Xi, who was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, to shiver.

“Cold.”

Zhou Xi naturally linked her other arm around Han Shutong’s, instinctively seeking warmth, only to find that Han Shutong’s arm was also cold from the wind.

Zhou Xi squeezed Han Shutong’s arm slightly and looked up at her. “I’ll warm you up.”

Han Shutong didn’t speak. She just loosened her grip on Zhou Xi’s hand slightly, then tightened it again.

She was terrified that if she let go, Zhou Xi would no longer be beside her.

Half a minute later, the two reached the car. Han Shutong quickly opened the passenger door and said to the person still warming her arm, “You won’t be cold once you’re inside the car.”

“Okay.” Zhou Xi let go of her arm and slid into the car.

She’s so incredibly well-behaved.

Han Shutong thought.

Forty minutes later.

The car arrived downstairs at the residential complex. When Han Shutong turned to unbuckle the passenger’s seatbelt, she realized the person had fallen into a deep sleep.

Her head was turned toward the driver’s side, and Han Shutong could only see Zhou Xi’s profile.

Her sleeping face was serene, even more well-behaved than before.

“Teacher Zhou?”

Han Shutong called softly.

Seeing that her eyelashes didn’t even flutter, Han Shutong called out again. “Zhou Xi.”

Han Shutong called twice, but Zhou Xi showed no sign of waking up.

Han Shutong unbuckled her own seatbelt and slowly leaned toward Zhou Xi. She stopped about twenty centimeters away, intending to reach out, but her hand froze mid-air.

After a few seconds, Han Shutong’s stiff hand slowly extended to Zhou Xi’s face, gently brushing away the stray hair on her forehead, tracing Zhou Xi’s features with her gaze.

One minute, two minutes…

Five minutes later.

Under the dim light, in the quiet car, a faint, illusory voice suddenly sounded.

“I love you.”

The three words were very light, fleeting, as if they had never been spoken, as if someone else had said them.

The words she had hidden in her heart for years were finally spoken. Han Shutong couldn’t describe how she felt. She only felt an inexplicable sensation swelling up inside her.

Han Shutong withdrew her hand, licked her slightly dry lips, and didn’t know where to look. After glancing around, her gaze settled on the car window.

Her reflection was visible in the window.

Han Shutong saw it, and from the reflection, she saw her own… helplessness.

Was it helplessness?

Han Shutong didn’t know.

She didn’t know how to describe it.

This was the first time she had seen this side of herself.

Very unfamiliar.

But Han Shutong liked this version of herself.

A version of herself that was brave, dared to confess, and wasn’t afraid of rejection.

In fact, saying the words wasn’t particularly special. It was just…

…that she could hear her heart beating faster, like thunder. It was just that she could feel the blood surging through her body, and her body temperature rising.

…that she realized these three words weren’t difficult to say after all. The difficulty lay in saying them to a conscious Zhou Xi.

Han Shutong sat up straight, shifting her gaze from the car window to the steering wheel.

The parking lot was very quiet, and the car was also very quiet.

Han Shutong could even hear Zhou Xi’s shallow breathing.

The car suddenly felt a bit stuffy. Afraid that Zhou Xi might feel uncomfortable, Han Shutong cracked open a rear window slightly.

A gust of wind blew in, and the car no longer felt stuffy.

Han Shutong suddenly felt that perhaps she would find peace if she stepped outside the car.

Thirty minutes later, the ground fell away from under the sleeping Zhou Xi’s feet, jolting her awake from her dream.

Zhou Xi blinked. She found herself in an unfamiliar place. Looking to the left, she saw the car seat and realized she was in the car.

Zhou Xi recognized it as Han Shutong’s car. Why was she alone? Where did Han Shutong go?

A headache flared up. Zhou Xi held her head, unable to figure out why her head hurt. When the pain flared again, she remembered it was due to the alcohol.

Zhou Xi sat up and noticed a blanket covering her.

Zhou Xi smoothed the blanket; it was very soft and kept her warm.

Zhou Xi was about to fold the blanket when she looked up and saw the person leaning against the front of the car.

A white, form-fitting short-sleeved shirt outlined the woman’s perfect figure. She wore a black baseball cap.

Although only her back was visible, Zhou Xi recognized Han Shutong immediately.

Zhou Xi tapped the car window and called out, “Shutong.”

Han Shutong turned around when she heard the tapping. Looking at the person smiling at her from inside the car, she asked, “Did you sleep well?”

Zhou Xi didn’t answer. Instead, she asked Han Shutong, “Why are you standing outside the car in this cold weather?”

Han Shutong opened the car door and said quietly, “I was afraid of disturbing your rest.”

“…”

Zhou Xi was momentarily speechless. So, the first thing Zhou Xi did after getting out of the car was to drape the blanket she had been holding over Han Shutong’s shoulders.

As she did so, she asked, “Did you go home and get this?”

“No, it was a spare in the car.”

Han Shutong tried to remove the blanket, but Zhou Xi stopped her.

Seeing Han Shutong stop her movement, Zhou Xi said, “Let’s go.”

Han Shutong hummed, still pulling at the blanket.

There were many people strolling downstairs in the complex now. If she were seen like this…

Han Shutong cared about her public image.

But even her strong public image couldn’t compete with Zhou Xi’s single sentence: “Wear it. Don’t catch a cold.”

Receiving Zhou Xi’s concern, Han Shutong wrapped the blanket tightly around herself, afraid it might fall off.

After taking two steps, they indeed encountered a few elderly residents walking. They found Han Shutong’s attire quite odd—a hat, sunglasses, a mask, and even a blanket draped around her, completely covered up. They couldn’t help but stare at Han Shutong several times.

Han Shutong felt the stares from the elderly residents and leaned closer to Zhou Xi.

Zhou Xi thought Han Shutong had something to tell her and turned to ask what was wrong, only to see the elderly residents nearby.

Zhou Xi instantly understood what was happening. She patted Han Shutong’s back and said to the woman who was still staring at them, “She caught a cold and isn’t fully recovered yet.”

The elderly women hadn’t expected Zhou Xi to speak to them. Seeing that the girl was quite pretty, they replied, “The temperature difference is large during the changing season. Take care.”

Zhou Xi smiled and nodded, saying she understood. The elderly residents then looked away.

Zhou Xi said to Han Shutong, “It’s fine now. They’re not looking anymore.”

Han Shutong was about to say thank you when she suddenly stopped. She looked at Zhou Xi and asked, “Did you sober up?”

“Mhm, a good sleep helped a lot.”

“Then did you…”

“Mhm?”

“Do you remember what happened?”

“Mhm…” Zhou Xi drew out the sound, running through the memories of the evening in her mind. She realized she couldn’t recall anything that happened from the time she got drunk until she woke up.

Zhou Xi made a sound of surprise, then cautiously asked, “Did I do anything strange?”

She couldn’t remember.

Han Shutong said, “No. You fell asleep as soon as you got in the car.”

“And before I got in the car?” Zhou Xi asked.

Han Shutong: “…”

Zhou Xi waited for a while but didn’t get a reply from Han Shutong. She figured Han Shutong found her question boring and didn’t ask again.

It wasn’t until they entered the elevator that Zhou Xi heard Han Shutong say, “Nothing happened then, either.”

“That’s good. I was so afraid I embarrassed myself while drunk.”

Han Shutong shook her head. “You didn’t.”

Zhou Xi said “Oh” and then remembered the other two. “By the way, did Xiao Bai take Sister Qiu home?”

“Mhm.”

Zhou Xi smiled. “It’s good that we live together. We can come back together.”

The elevator arrived. As they stepped out, Zhou Xi added, “But I’ll be moving out in two months. I won’t have the chance for Student Han to take me home anymore.”

The abruptness of the statement made Han Shutong’s already improving mood plummet to the bottom.

As Zhou Xi walked into the room and changed her shoes in the entryway, Han Shutong looked at the two pairs of slippers resting against each other on the shoe rack and spoke. “You… don’t have to move out.”

Zhou Xi picked up one of the pairs. “I can’t live with you forever.”

Han Shutong quickly asked, “Why not?”

“We’re just…” Zhou Xi stopped halfway through her sentence.

Han Shutong knew what Zhou Xi was about to say. She said quietly, “You were going to say we’re just a working partnership, right?”

Zhou Xi opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but Han Shutong had indeed said the words she hadn’t spoken.

Zhou Xi replied, “Yes.”

“…I understand.”

Han Shutong quickly changed her shoes, turned and walked past Zhou Xi. After two steps, Han Shutong paused, turned back, smiled at Zhou Xi, and said, “I’m going to take a shower and go to sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

By the time Zhou Xi spoke, Han Shutong had already turned and retreated into her bedroom.

Zhou Xi’s gaze lingered on Han Shutong’s closed door for a few seconds before she looked away. After bending down and putting away the shoes they had taken off, Zhou Xi entered her bedroom too.

After the two entered their rooms, Han Shutong’s bedroom door didn’t open again, except for the two times Zhou Xi briefly came out.

Zhou Xi finished washing up and lay in bed. Since she had slept in the car, Zhou Xi wasn’t sleepy at all now.

Zhou Xi thought about her conversation with Han Shutong while changing shoes. Han Shutong’s low-pressure aura as she walked past her flashed through her mind.

Was it because of the phrase ‘working partnership’?