Chapter 45 - 44: Carrying Her Upstairs

Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Carrying Her Upstairs

Xiao Ran’s gut told him she was just moping about what happened during the day.

After all, it was her own sister. Anyone would feel awful after a fight like that.

The girl looked at the message from Xiao Ran but didn’t reply.

Her heart was still in turmoil.

It felt as if a heavy stone was lodged in her chest. She desperately wanted to dislodge it but had no idea how.

The harder she struggled, the more exhausted she grew in mind and body.

At this thought, she glanced toward the refrigerator.

’They say drinking helps you forget your troubles... Maybe I should have a little.’

’I’m all alone anyway. I’ll just have a little and then go upstairs.’

The girl got up. Not even bothering with slippers, she walked barefoot toward the refrigerator.

She grabbed the two leftover bottles of beer from their celebration of Xiao Ran’s divorce, slid open the balcony door, and stepped outside.

The summer night’s breeze was cool and carried waves of humidity.

The girl tilted her head back, her beautiful eyes gazing toward the sky.

The stars weren’t very bright tonight. The night sky was pitch-black, as if a veil had been drawn over it. There was little light to be seen, except for a single, particularly bright star that seemed lonely.

She stared blankly at that lone star, popped the tab on her can, and took a sip.

The liquid was icy cold.

She took another drink, and the icy sensation gradually became familiar.

...

Meanwhile, after sensing that the girl was unhappy, Xiao Ran just picked at his food. When he felt enough time had passed, he made an excuse about having something to attend to and took a taxi home.

The moment he got out of the cab, he hurried toward home.

Xiao Ran’s apartment was in the middle of the complex. Perhaps because he had been drinking, the gentle breeze now gave him a slight headache.

He squinted and looked up at his building. His apartment was on the top floor, and it was completely dark.

His brow twitched. ’Yan Xici must be asleep by now.’

With this in mind, he unconsciously slowed his steps.

A wave of relief washed over him.

He entered the stairwell, climbed to the fourth floor, and expertly punched in the passcode. Pulling the door open, he stepped inside and headed for the coffee table in the dim moonlight, intending to pour himself some water.

To his surprise, as he drew near, he saw the girl sound asleep on the sofa.

It was a rather embarrassing sight, truth be told.

In her dejected state, the girl had completely forgotten about her pathetic alcohol tolerance. She had naively planned to just sit on the sofa for a while, but ended up falling fast asleep instead.

And so she had slept right up until this moment. After such an agonizing day, she was sleeping incredibly deeply, not even dreaming.

Silvery moonlight spilled freely across the girl’s body.

It perfectly accentuated her already outstanding figure. Her naturally warm, fair skin now appeared like cool, pale porcelain in the glow.

Her long, straight legs and dainty feet were particularly breathtaking—a sight so beautiful it was hard to look away.

Xiao Ran, however, was in no mood to appreciate the sight.

He sighed, walked to her side, and perched on the edge of the coffee table across from her. He reached out and gave her a gentle push.

She was sleeping soundly, her head casually pillowed on her slender arm, half of which was dangling off the sofa.

Her pretty face was squished against her arm, causing one cheek to puff out in an incredibly cute way.

Xiao Ran watched her with a helpless expression.

’This girl... she’s such a handful.’

’What’s the big idea, sleeping on the sofa?’

"Xici, wake up," Xiao Ran called.

To say the alcohol-numbed girl was unresponsive would be an understatement—she was practically dead to the world.

This started to worry Xiao Ran, so he pushed harder. Still no reaction.

Looking at the soundly sleeping girl, Xiao Ran sighed in resignation. ’To be honest, I really don’t want to carry her upstairs.’

’After all, I’ve had a few drinks myself, and I feel completely drained. But I can’t just let her sleep on the sofa, especially with her injured leg. What if she gets a stiff neck too?’

At this thought, Xiao Ran pursed his lips.

’Fine, I’ll just carry her up...’

He bent down, slid one arm under the crook of the girl’s knees and the other directly under her neck, then straightened up.

It was, to be honest, quite an effort.

It wasn’t that the girl was heavy.

The main issue was the alcohol he’d drunk, which had left his nerves feeling half-numb. Carrying someone in such a condition was genuinely exhausting.

The girl in his arms, in contrast, was completely limp, her outer arm now hanging down loosely.

Xiao Ran turned and headed for the stairs.

The lights were off to begin with, and on top of that, he was carrying a grown woman in his arms.

He couldn’t see his feet at all. He missed the very first step; his ankle twisted, his leg slipped, and his knee instantly slammed onto the step.

In that instant, a piercing pain shot up his leg, making Xiao Ran hiss through his teeth.

"Hss—"

The stumble had brought their faces so close they were almost touching. From this distance, Xiao Ran could even smell her warm, alcohol-tinged breath.

He frowned, looking at the sleeping girl in his arms. ’Good grief, she was drinking.’

’Just how upset must she have been?’

The thought made his heart ache for her.

’Oh well,’ he thought. ’I’ll make sure to comfort her properly tomorrow.’

He mustered his strength, stood up, and, enduring the pain, forced himself to carry the girl up the stairs.

It was a flight of nineteen steps to the second floor.

He didn’t let out a long sigh of relief until he reached the door to the girl’s bedroom.

Guided by the faint moonlight, he entered the girl’s room and carefully placed her on the bed.

Perhaps sensing the softness of her own bed, she subconsciously hugged the Hello Kitty plushie at her side, one restless leg hooking over it.

Then she smacked her lips a few times and drifted back into a sweet sleep.

Xiao Ran looked at the way she was sleeping and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’She’s still such a child.’

Still concerned, he pulled the nearby pink summer blanket over her, then stood up and left the room.

Back on the first floor, he went ahead and turned on the lights to check his knee.

Just as he thought, he’d scraped off a bit of skin.

It was nothing serious, though.

He suddenly wanted to laugh, remembering how Yan Xici had just injured herself a couple of days ago.

’What kind of fate was it that made even injuries contagious between them?’

’And on the right leg, too.’

After drinking some water, Xiao Ran went back to his own bedroom. Once he’d changed into his pajamas, he finally lay down on his bed, ready to sleep.

Remembering that the girl had said she wanted a hanging chair, he picked up the phone from his bedside, opened Jingdong, and started to browse.

’I can’t sleep anyway,’ he thought. ’Might as well order it now. If it arrives tomorrow, she can use it right away. It’ll be a nice surprise.’

’Maybe seeing the hanging chair will cheer her up.’