Drunk
632 Words
The entire day passed with no sign of Pei Lichuan. Xia Qiao had her meals alone and grew increasingly anxious. After a full day of rest, she felt much better, and the morning's anger had dissipated. She knew Pei Lichuan had a bad temper, and she had to learn to let his words go in one ear and out the other.
"Pei Lichuan?" Xia Qiao searched the mansion and, following Qin's suggestion, took the elevator to the basement.
"Pei Lichuan? Are you here?"
This was Xia Qiao's first time on the basement level. The unfamiliar darkness made her feel uneasy. Xia Qiao was actually quite afraid of the dark. She found the wall and eventually located the light switch.
The lights flickered on, revealing Pei Lichuan sprawled on a dark-patterned sofa, his arm covering his forehead, seemingly annoyed by the light.
Xia Qiao hurried over. The basement and tables were littered with empty bottles, and the strong smell of alcohol filled the air. Pei Lichuan's pale face was tinged with a reddish hue, and his collar was stained with red and yellow wine stains. His chest was damp.
"How much did you drink?" Xia Qiao sighed and muttered, her lips pursed.
She crouched down and gently tapped Pei Lichuan's face. "Pei Lichuan! Pei Lichuan, wake up... Wake up..."
"I’ll help you back to your room to sleep."
Pei Lichuan squinted, slightly opening one eye to look at Xia Qiao with a dazed expression. After a moment, he pushed her hand away. "Go away!"
His voice was even lower and rougher due to the alcohol. Pei Lichuan was drunk, and with the air conditioning blasting, he was likely to catch a cold if he stayed here.
Xia Qiao was the only one around to care for him. If he fell ill, it would be her who suffered the consequences. Thinking about this, she pressed on his shoulder and shook him. "Pei Lichuan, stop being stubborn. Let me help you back to your room."
"Stubborn? Xia Moser... you’re getting more and more audacious!" Pei Lichuan swatted Xia Qiao's hands away.
Xia Qiao, bent over, was thrown off balance and bumped her face into his chin. The pain made her see stars.
"Pei Lichuan..."
"Ugh!" The impact made Pei Lichuan grunt in pain, and he became somewhat more alert.
With a cold grunt, Pei Lichuan's hand moved to her back, while the other supported the sofa. He rolled over and pinned her forcefully onto the sofa.
Her lower back was half pressed into the sofa, the other half hanging off it.
The heavy weight on her chest made it hard for her to breathe.
Pei Lichuan’s long fingers, icy cold, traced her jawline.
His face was obscured by shadows, and his voice was laced with coldness. "Xia Moser, you must be very unwilling to marry me. I heard you were in a relationship with someone from the Ye family while studying in France. What happens to that man now that you’re married to me?"
The alcohol made his voice unstable, shifting from inexplicable anger to familiar scorn.
"Although, it probably doesn’t matter to you. A Ye Shaohua is nothing. You managed to attract Fu Cheng so quickly after arriving in the mansion. You’ve got some skills!"
The mention of Ye Shaohua made Xia Qiao’s face turn pale. Ye Shaohua was her sister Xia Moser’s boyfriend; it had nothing to do with her, though she had once been moved by him.
As for Fu Cheng, Xia Qiao thought the matter had been resolved earlier, but Pei Lichuan’s drunken state and his rehashing of the issue made her wonder how long he would hold a grudge.
Xia Qiao took a deep breath. "Pei Lichuan, let me go!"
Pei Lichuan, however, seemed not to hear. His long fingers...
- Writer
