Chapter 110: Drunk

The air around him was thick with the smell of alcohol. Ying Huai half-propped himself on the table with one hand, eyes slightly closed, and after a long while finally managed to suppress the urge to retch.

"Hey, Teacher Ying, why aren't you drinking anymore?"

Ying Huai had barely managed to exhale a breath of stale air when a greasy voice came from beside him.

Ying Huai's brow furrowed slightly.

His mind was still foggy. He instinctively turned his head, only to hear the person beside him press closer, unrelenting, and continue speaking with a laugh.

"The last item hasn't been revealed yet—Teacher Ying isn't going to give up now, is he?"

The man said with a grin: "Didn't we agree that today we'd drink together until we couldn't anymore?"

A teasing note crept into the man's voice as his hand gradually crept onto Ying Huai's shoulder.

"I remember Teacher Ying claiming he could hold his liquor through a thousand cups...the rumors aren't all lies, are they?"

The man leaned close to Ying Huai's ear and said softly: "Lying comes with...punishment."

The man's voice was clearly ill-intentioned. The clammy touch from his shoulder made the nausea Ying Huai had just managed to suppress surge back up.

Ying Huai closed his eyes briefly and let out a silent, derisive laugh.

—It was just a stomachache. It wasn't like he couldn't drink anymore.

He took a deep breath and swatted the man's hand away. He had just been about to turn his head when, the next second, he heard a pained yelp from the man beside him.

"Hey, who—? What are you grabbing me for? Let go of me..."

The man turned around irritably, but the next instant his tone suddenly wavered.

"H-how is it you..."

Ying Huai was confused by the sudden shift in his tone.

He instinctively tried to turn around, but the stomach pain he had just managed to suppress suddenly began churning again.

The moment Ying Huai moved, his face went white from the pain.

He could only stay perfectly still, maintaining the somewhat awkward posture of bowing his head and pressing his abdomen, struggling to regulate his breathing.

The two people nearby seemed to exchange a few words. The fat-headed, big-eared merchant seemed to hurriedly reply a few times, and then footsteps gradually receded.

Ying Huai finally managed to spare a few threads of attention from the dense pain in his stomach.

But he still didn't dare make any sudden movements. He half-propped himself against the table and turned his head slightly, letting out a light laugh.

"Thanks for what you did just now, but are you alright yourself..."

Before he could finish, a familiar voice suddenly reached him: "Ying Huai."

Ying Huai's voice cut off abruptly.

His body instantly stiffened. After a few seconds of silence, he turned back with a complicated expression.

Meeting the familiar figure before him, he finally couldn't hold back a sigh.

"...It's been a long time, Liang Shining."

Liang Shining said nothing, only looking at him with lowered eyes and a faintly furrowed brow.

Ying Huai's heart was a complicated mix of feelings.

This was the first time they had come face to face again since the incident with the crossover singer between him and Liang Shining.

Ying Huai's first instinct was to leave directly, but the man had just helped him, and doing so would really be...too impolite.

—Ying Huai didn't consider himself the type to—

He could only barely suppress the subtle feelings in his heart and force another smile at Liang Shining.

"Mr. Liang, how have you been lately? It's been a while..."

Before he could finish, Liang Shining cut him off directly.

"Why are you here?"

Liang Shining frowned at the person before him, his tone somewhat unfriendly.

This was a relatively niche auction. The items were niche, and the rules of the auction weren't exactly...open and transparent.

Liang Shining looked at the person whose complexion was clearly poor, his frown deepening.

Ying Huai had no idea what Liang Shining was so anxious about.

He inevitably frowned as well, but immediately raised a smile again.

"Of course I came here for something. If Mr. Liang has things to attend to, why don't you go take care of them first? If not, then let me leave—I have my own things to do..."

As Ying Huai spoke, he tried to push himself up from the table, but the next second his body uncontrollably stiffened for a moment.

He silently sat back down, hunched over and pressing his stomach: "...You go attend to your things first. It won't be too late for me to take care of mine a little later..."

Liang Shining frowned at the pale-faced person before him, his brow furrowing even more.

He couldn't stop his voice from going cold: "What are you planning to do if you leave? Go back to drinking with those people? Is your body something you want to ruin that badly?"

Liang Shining didn't notice the smile gradually fading from Ying Huai's lips, and his own voice grew increasingly urgent.

"Don't you know your own body's condition? And you still came to a place like this."

Liang Shining gritted his teeth: "If you don't even cherish your own body, then everything I did just now driving that person away was all for nothing..."

"I don't think I asked you to help me."

Ying Huai suddenly cut him off softly.

Liang Shining's voice stopped short.

A flash of anger crossed his face: "You..."

"Or—" Ying Huai didn't wait for him to speak and continued on his own.

"Taking a step back...what position are you speaking to me from right now, Liang Shining?"

Liang Shining's expression instantly froze.

Ying Huai maintained his half-leaning posture against the table, looked up at Liang Shining, and curved his lips slightly.

"Are you criticizing me? Lecturing me? As a stranger?"

Liang Shining barely managed to collect himself.

Only now did he belatedly realize what he had said in his moment of urgency.

A rare flicker of irritation rose in Liang Shining's heart.

He had clearly been so panicked when he saw Ying Huai lying motionless on the table that he hadn't cared about anything.

But now, the words on his lips somehow took on a different meaning.

Liang Shining's hand hanging at his side slowly clenched.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and said in a low voice: "No, I wasn't trying to lecture you. I just wanted to..."

His words stalled halfway, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

But fortunately, Ying Huai didn't seem to mind.

He suddenly braced himself against the table and stood up, in one motion drawing close to Liang Shining.

The distance between them was extremely close, their breaths almost instantly mingling. Liang Shining's expression froze at the same time.

His face heated up almost uncontrollably, and he abruptly turned his head away: "What are you doing..."

"Nothing." Ying Huai tilted his head and smiled lightly.

"I just wanted Mr. Liang to explain—what exactly did you mean just now?"

Ying Huai stared at the person before him and said softly: "If it wasn't criticism...then was it concern?"

The moment his words fell, he saw Liang Shining blurt out in near panic.

"No!"

Liang Shining suddenly raised his head: "I said, I was just trying to remind you..."

A barely concealed flash of disappointment crossed Ying Huai's face.

He stared at Liang Shining for a few seconds, lowered his eyes, and suddenly let out a soft sigh.

"Alright. I understand."

His forward-leaning body slowly straightened. He took a swaying step back and nearly stumbled into the chair.

Liang Shining instinctively reached out to steady him.

But his fingers only trembled for a moment before he suddenly seemed to realize something and quickly withdrew his hand.

Ying Huai didn't notice Liang Shining's reaction.

He half-leaned back in the seat, pressed his brow, took a breath, and stood up again.

"Then Mr. Liang, please go ahead with your business. I have things to do, so I'll be leaving first."

As he spoke, he turned to the side, but the next second felt a slight grip on his wrist.

"Where are you going?" Liang Shining instinctively reached out to stop him.

The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the person beside him raise a hand and directly break free of his grip.

"What I do doesn't need Mr. Liang's concern, does it?"

Ying Huai turned his head and unhurriedly rubbed his own wrist, smiling faintly.

"Didn't Mr. Liang just say...you were only trying to remind me?"

Ying Huai glanced at him: "Now that the reminder is done, am I not allowed to leave?"

Liang Shining's expression darkened, but he still gritted his teeth and said: "Didn't you hear what I said just now..."

"Reminding me is Mr. Liang's right. Whether I listen to that reminder is my choice."

Ying Huai covered his lips and coughed lightly, his voice still carrying a smile.

Seeing that Liang Shining still wanted to speak, he cut him off first.

"After all, to me right now, Mr. Liang is just a stranger."

"My mother taught me from a young age not to listen to strangers, didn't she?"

Liang Shining's expression instantly went cold.

Ying Huai didn't care.

He looked at Liang Shining, released his wrist, slightly lowered his head, and slowly made a gesture of bowing.

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Liang. I'll be going now."

Liang Shining felt a surge of frustration stuck in his chest.

He watched Ying Huai's back, gritted his teeth, and in a fit of pique abruptly turned in the opposite direction.

·

Liang Shining saw Ying Huai again when the auction ended.

The auction was divided into three rounds. The first day featured only relatively ordinary items; the truly good ones were reserved for the final day.

Therefore, the first two days were basically an opportunity for these high-level dignitaries to exchange information...or exchange favors.

Liang Shining had heard about these things from his father as a child, so he was fairly familiar with them.

After leaving Ying Huai at the time, Liang Shining had almost immediately regretted it.

On the surface he pretended to be casual, but his gaze kept searching through the crowd.

When he spotted the person curled up on a sofa in a corner not far away, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Ying Huai didn't notice Liang Shining's gaze.

He was curled up in the corner of the sofa, wishing he could press his hand straight into his stomach.

His stomach felt as if a sharp knife were stabbing back and forth inside, the pain screaming at him.

Ying Huai pressed down harder without realizing it, then immediately let out a muffled groan, his body bending even further.

He waited a while for the dull ache to pass, then pulled medicine from his pocket and quickly popped it into his mouth. He checked his pulse and silently exhaled.

—Good, just a stomachache. His heart rate was still stable for now.

Ying Huai's vision went dark from the pain, but he curved his lips in a bitter smile.

—Should he call it...a blessing in disguise?

His heart problems hadn't been particularly severe these past few years, and combined with being 'taken care of' quite well by a certain person recently, he hadn't had an episode in nearly half a year.

—Otherwise he wouldn't have dared come here tonight to drink like this with people.

Ying Huai shook his head, driving out the thought that had unconsciously surfaced in his mind.

He sighed, and after a while still reached up to rub his chest.

Even so, the waves of dull, churning pain in his stomach made Ying Huai's previously stable heart begin to feel vaguely uncomfortable.

He rested a while longer, tried to straighten up again, and instantly went dizzy with pain.

—Not only that, even his heart had begun to beat rapidly.

Ying Huai obediently shrank back into the sofa, used the last bit of his strength to think for a moment, and realized that tonight he probably wouldn't be able to make it back to his room on his own.

Ying Huai let out a silent sigh.

He popped another pill into his mouth, took out his phone, and slowly scrolled through his contacts—but for a moment couldn't find anyone who could come pick him up.

Ying Huai was really starting to get a headache now.

He pressed his brow with a half-laugh, half-cry expression, briefly wondering how he'd ended up like this.

The conclusion he finally reached was.........

——It wasn't that there was no one he could call, but that whoever he called would definitely ask him a million questions, and the conversation would inevitably end up circling back to his health.

Ying Huai couldn't help but sigh again.

He scrolled through his phone screen again, and finally came to a slow stop on one name.

——Maybe he should just call his older brother.

Ying Huai pressed the corner of his eye and let out a small breath.

——Even though the possible consequence was being locked up at home by Ying Qi for a whole week, at least he'd survive.

Ying Huai took a deep breath, his finger pressed Ying Qi's number, but the next second suddenly thought of something.

——Wait.

If Ying Qi locked him up at home for a week, wouldn't he miss the auction on the third day?

Ying Huai abruptly hung up.

His emotions flared for a moment, and his stomach instantly churned.

Ying Huai let out a muffled groan, pressed his stomach hard, and the strength in his hand gave out for an instant—the phone dropped to the floor with a clatter.

His heart felt stuffy and uncomfortable too. Ying Huai unconsciously took small panting breaths, reaching out to grab the phone in front of him.

But whether from lack of oxygen or something else, the moment he stretched his hand out a little, his vision suddenly went black the next second.

His center of gravity shifted for an instant, and he plunged straight forward.

——It's over.

Ying Huai felt his body falling forward powerlessly, and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

——Given his current physical condition, if he fell straight to the ground like this, even if he didn't pass out, he'd need a long time to recover.

——Once someone found him passed out here and went through the trouble of contacting his older brother, it probably wouldn't be as simple as being locked up for a week.

Ying Huai, amid a wave of dizziness, tried his best to turn his body sideways, struggling to curl himself up.

But the expected pain didn't come. The instant before he hit the ground, Ying Huai felt himself suddenly caught by someone.

"Ying Huai?"

Rapid breathing came from above him. That person clearly thought he had passed out, and their voice was full of panic.

"How are you? Don't sleep, wake up......."

Ying Huai raised his head in a daze, and met Liang Shining's barely-concealed anxious expression.

Liang Shining met his half-open eyes, and his expression instantly froze.

"You're... still awake?"

Ying Huai nodded instinctively.

Liang Shining took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He helped Ying Huai slowly sit up, his expression somewhat ugly, but he didn't let go of the hand supporting Ying Huai in the end.

He seemed very familiar with Ying Huai's physical condition. He fumbled around and pulled several bottles of medicine straight from his pocket, then looked up at Ying Huai.

Ying Huai's eyes flickered, he looked away, and said softly: "........the orange one is fine."

The orange bottle was for stomach pain, the white bottle was for heart palpitations.

The labels on the bottles had all been torn off by Ying Huai, so Liang Shining shouldn't be able to tell what they were for.

——But Ying Huai still instinctively didn't want Liang Shining to discover his other abnormalities.

But the next second, Ying Huai watched Liang Shining pour out one pill from each of the white and orange bottles, take a cup of water, and place it directly in front of him.

Ying Huai: ?

He instinctively wanted to speak up and correct him, but looking up at Liang Shining's expression, the words at his mouth were instinctively swallowed back.

He hesitated, but in the end reached out and took the pills from Liang Shining's hand, swallowing them whole.

Liang Shining didn't speak either, just sat silently beside him, watching him.

After a while, Ying Huai finally couldn't hold back first.

"Okay, I'm fine now. It was just the stomach pain being a bit unbearable earlier, but it's much better now."

Ying Huai took a deep breath and spoke quickly.

He had gathered a bit of strength now, and leaning against the wall, shuffling along with rests in between, he should be able to make it back to his room.

He was speaking while trying to stand up, but the next second felt a strong force on his shoulder.

The little strength Ying Huai had gathered instantly scattered, and he sat back down with a thump.

"What are you doing?" Ying Huai raised his head in bewilderment.

The moment his words fell, he heard Liang Shining say in a low voice: "In your current state.......you can't go back to your room alone."

Ying Huai was baffled: "Why not? I'm not drunk, my mind is clear, sleeping alone won't make me choke to death........."

"What if you kill yourself from the pain?"

Liang Shining glanced at him, his gaze falling on the hand that had been pressing his abdomen without letting go.

Ying Huai: ???

He was almost driven to laugh in anger. He instantly removed his hand in defiance, but less than two seconds later couldn't help but press it back again.

"If I don't go back to my room, where do I go? Spend the night in the hall?"

Ying Huai took a deep breath to suppress the pain in his stomach, and raised his head through gritted teeth.

The stabbing pain in his stomach came in waves with almost no respite. Ying Huai's vision blurred from the pain, and he couldn't help but keep talking to distract himself.

"If I don't go back to my own room, then I go back with you......."

Before he could finish, he heard Liang Shining give a low "mm."

Ying Huai: ???

——For a moment he suspected he'd heard wrong.

He couldn't help but raise his head: "What did you say?"

Liang Shining didn't speak, just stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up and slowly extended his hand toward him.

Ying Huai raised his head in bewilderment: "What?"

"I'll help you back."

Liang Shining looked the person in front of him up and down, his tone pausing slightly: "Or do you think you can follow me back on your own right now?"

Ying Huai: ???

——He suspected he'd just been insulted.

"Why couldn't I........no, who said I was going back with you?"

Ying Huai was directly driven to laugh in anger.

He slapped Liang Shining's hand away and stood up, bracing himself against the wall beside him.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Liang, but I have my own room. If Mr. Liang is afraid of sleeping alone at night and wants company, you can holler in the hall in a bit. I won't be joining you, cough cough........"

Ying Huai hadn't said two sentences before he couldn't stop panting for breath, and had to bend over halfway, leaning against the wall.

The next second he felt a hand steadily grip his arm.

"I was wrong earlier."

Ying Huai was startled.

He hadn't expected Liang Shining to suddenly come out with such a sentence out of nowhere, and turned his head in confusion: "What did you say?"

Liang Shining ignored him, and continued on his own with his head lowered: "Your body is something I nursed back to health bit by bit."

"I can't just watch you......destroy everything I've done before."

Liang Shining looked up at Ying Huai, his voice carrying a barely perceptible anger and unwillingness.

"You can't just........trample everything I've done."

"You have to stay with me for these three days," Liang Shining gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "get your body better.......before you leave me."

Ying Huai's body trembled uncontrollably.

He didn't notice Liang Shining's unconsciously tensed body. With lowered eyes, he was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke softly.

"Then let go of me first."

Liang Shining's taut nerves froze.

He didn't react for a moment, and instinctively said: "What?"

Ying Huai turned to look at him, "I said, let go of my arm first, I can walk on my own."

He lowered his eyes and glanced at Liang Shining, a hint of playfulness appearing in his expression.

"Otherwise, with all this pulling and tugging in public, what would it look like?"

Liang Shining was stunned, unable to come back to himself.

It took him several seconds to realize that Ying Huai meant he agreed.

Liang Shining's eyes suddenly widened.

Ying Huai couldn't help the smile that crept into his eyes.

The next second, he heard Liang Shining suddenly say: "No."

Ying Huai: ?

"Walking back on your own in this state would be too much strain. With me supporting you, you'll be more comfortable." Liang Shining said in a muffled voice.

He couldn't help but grit his teeth: "Don't push your luck, Liang Shining, I'm warning you........."

Before he could finish, he felt Liang Shining's fingers supporting him tighten.

Immediately after, he heard Liang Shining's calm voice by his ear.

"Or, I could just carry you back right now."

Ying Huai: ??

"This would count as pushing my luck, wouldn't it?"

Liang Shining glanced up at him: "Teacher Ying can choose for himself."

Ying Huai: .........

He froze in place for a few seconds, then finally turned his head somewhat sullenly.

"Lead the way."

·

Liang Shining's room had only one bed.

Ying Huai didn't plan to be awkward about it either. The bed was big enough, and two grown men sharing one bed was nothing to be embarrassed about.

But Liang Shining insisted on not sleeping with him.

In the end, he even hid in the bathroom.

Ying Huai really didn't have the energy to argue with him anymore.

He was so tired at this point that he couldn't move even a little finger. He had originally planned to rest on the bed for a while and wait for Liang Shining to come out before washing up, but the moment he closed his eyes, he lost consciousness.

The hand resting on his abdomen slowly slid down, suddenly falling to the side of the bed, swaying weakly in the air.

When Liang Shining came out, the person on the bed seemed to be fast asleep.

He instinctively lightened his footsteps, checked that Ying Huai didn't have a fever, found a warm towel and helped him wipe down briefly.

When he touched Ying Huai's chest, he suddenly felt the person in front of him tremble slightly and let out a low moan, as if feeling some pain in his sleep.

Liang Shining's movements froze for a moment.

He stood in place with some trepidation, but saw that the person on the bed showed no signs of waking, and the slight furrow between his brows hadn't eased.

Liang Shining felt something was off, but Ying Huai had always kept his physical condition very secret. Even when Liang Shining had asked repeatedly, he only said it was a weak constitution and his heart and lungs weren't great.

Liang Shining didn't dare touch him anymore, just haphazardly wiped down his limbs.

Fortunately, Ying Huai didn't show any more signs of discomfort.

Liang Shining helped him cover himself with the blanket, then gently turned off the light.

He stood by the bed hesitating for a moment, but in the end slowly walked over to the sofa.

Liang Shining was tired today too. He hadn't been lying down for long before his consciousness gradually grew hazy.

But not long after, he suddenly heard the person on the bed begin to breathe more heavily.

Liang Shining suddenly sat up straight.

He turned on the bedside lamp with one hand.

"Ying Huai?"

What answered him was increasingly heavy panting.