After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 35

Tao Ran and Xu Jiali met at the school gate.

While riding the subway, Xu Jiali showed Tao Ran Zhao Kaiyun’s handwritten apology letter and the video. Tao Ran took a brief glance at the letter, where Zhao Kaiyun roughly described his actions, but he did not click on the apology video. He had no desire to see that disgusting face.

However, the massive reversal in Zhao Kaiyun’s attitude struck Tao Ran as very strange. “Why did he suddenly apologize?”

Xu Jiali shook his head. “I’m not quite sure either. But I heard he took over a week off and only returned to school today. As soon as he got back, he submitted the letter and video to the school.”

“I can’t think of any reason other than him being possessed.”

Tao Ran and Xu Jiali arrived at Jiangnan Love. Since they had initially started the part-time job with the goal of earning enough for the compensation, both had signed a one-month contract with the bar. Although the debt was cleared, they still had to finish out the month’s work.

Upon reaching the staff room, they ran into their colleague, Xiao Zhang, who had just finished changing.

Xiao Zhang greeted them with a smile. “You guys are here.” Since there was no one else in the room, he chatted with them. “I just saw the manager sign several more waiters.”

Tao Ran and Xu Jiali exchanged a glance, their faces lit with pleasant surprise. “Really? That’s great!”

This was the second bit of good news after the cancellation of the compensation. Previously, because the bar was constantly short-staffed, the women were worked like men and the men were worked like beasts. After a full day, everyone was exhausted to the point of daze. With new waiters coming in, Tao Ran and Xu Jiali’s daytime shifts likely wouldn’t be so packed anymore.

As 10:00 PM approached, a group of staff members prepared for the shift change. Tony, the bartender, suddenly called out to Tao Ran and Xu Jiali as they were heading toward the staff room.

“Hey, kids,” Tony invited them. “I just used some leftover ingredients to mix a new drink. Do you two want to try it?”

Tony was the most popular bartender at the bar. He often took advantage of the manager’s absence to improvise drinks and let them have a taste.

The two readily nodded. “Sure, sure!”

After finishing the drink Tony mixed, the two prepared to head back to the staff room. The hallway was quiet, with the ceiling lights glowing dimly.

A dull thud against the wall sounded from behind. Xu Jiali turned around and found that Tao Ran had stumbled and hit the wall. Tao Ran’s snow-white cheeks were flushed with a layer of crimson, likely radiating heat. He foolishly pressed his cheek against the wall in an attempt to cool down.

“Tao Ran? Tao Ran?” Xu Jiali pulled on Tao Ran’s arm, calling him softly. “What’s wrong?”

Tao Ran felt his head becoming light, and his thoughts were sluggish. Hearing Xu Jiali speak to him, it took a long time for him to react. He managed to say, “I am fine.”

Tao Ran’s speech had become somewhat slurred and sticky. His dark, bright pupils were slightly unfocused, and his expression looked dazed.

“Tao Ran, you…” Xu Jiali found it unbelievable. He lightly patted Tao Ran’s face. “You couldn’t be drunk, could you?”

That mixed drink contained alcohol, but the proof was very low. Combined with other mixers and ice, the final product barely had any kick. Tao Ran actually managed to get drunk on that?

Seeing double of Xu Jiali in front of him, Tao Ran shook his head. “I’m not drunk.”

“I’m asking you, how many is this?” Xu Jiali held up two fingers.

Tao Ran blinked, staring intently at Xu Jiali’s fingers for nearly a minute. Then, his delicate brows knitted together in a struggle, as if he were solving a high-difficulty calculus problem.

“It’s too hard. I don’t know.” He truly seemed stumped by the “problem.” His voice trailed off unconsciously at the end of his sentence, the corners of his eyes drooped, and a layer of moisture quickly welled up in his eyes. He looked utterly aggrieved, as if he might burst into tears the next second.

Seeing this, Xu Jiali immediately lowered his hand and patted his back comfortingly. “Okay, okay, if it’s hard, we won’t do it.” He then made a judgment call. “Good boy, you are definitely drunk.”

“But it’s clock-out time now. Let’s go back to the staff room, pack up, and then we can go back to school to rest,” Xu Jiali asked. “Does that sound good?”

It took Tao Ran some time to process this sentence as well, then he nodded. “Okay.”

“Right, good.” Xu Jiali gripped Tao Ran’s shoulders with both hands and turned him around like he was coaxing a child. “Come on, let’s walk this way.”

Tao Ran softly agreed. “Okay.”

Although Tao Ran couldn’t hold his liquor, he seemed to be a “quiet drunk.” When intoxicated, he remained peaceful. He would answer whatever he was asked and do whatever he was told. Aside from being a bit slow to react, he didn’t seem much different from his usual self. Xu Jiali had originally been worried about how to transport a drunk person back to school, but now it seemed there was no need to worry.

However, facts proved he had thought everything was too simple.

The two returned to the staff room. Xu Jiali asked Tao Ran, “Do you remember which locker your clothes are in?”

Tao Ran’s eyes grew hazy again. Xu Jiali figured as much, so he told him, “Your clothes are in locker 54. Go open the locker, take off your work clothes, change back into the clothes you wore today, and then fold your work clothes and put them back.”

After saying that, he felt it was too much to expect a drunk Tao Ran to fold clothes, so he added, “Actually, don’t worry about folding them. Just leave them there after you change, and I’ll fold them for you later. Understand?”

“Oh, oh.” Tao Ran’s gaze was blank. Xu Jiali couldn’t tell if he understood or not, but two seconds later, he saw Tao Ran turn toward locker 54. He figured Tao Ran had understood.

Xu Jiali stopped watching him. He opened his own locker, took out his clothes, and removed his work shirt. Just as he was about to pull on his hoodie, a loud clat came from behind.

Xu Jiali jumped and hurriedly turned around to check. The usually quiet and obedient Tao Ran had suddenly erupted with a burst of strength. With a fierce look and gritted teeth, he slammed his fist into the locker door. The metal door rattled precariously from the sudden blow.

“My goodness, what is wrong with you?” Xu Jiali rushed over to stop him.

Tao Ran pointed at the locker door to complain. “It keeps getting in my way when I try to get my things.”

Xu Jiali realized what was happening. That locker door could only open 90 degrees, and the storage space inside was quite deep. When leaning in to grab things, one often got bumped by the poorly designed door. He had heard countless colleagues complain about its inconvenient design.

But he hadn’t expected Tao Ran to become so irritable when drunk, delivering a lethal strike to the “trash locker” right away. However, he couldn’t let him keep hitting it. If he broke bar property, he’d have to pay. Not wanting Tao Ran to face a new debt right after escaping the last one, Xu Jiali quickly pulled him aside. “Okay, okay, don’t move. I’ll get your clothes for you. Just put them on properly, okay?”

After taking his clothes, Tao Ran silently put them on. But Xu Jiali still didn’t feel at ease. The incident made him realize that while a drunk Tao Ran appeared quiet on the surface, he was actually a latent danger. So, he quickly finished changing while keeping a close eye on him.

Fortunately, Tao Ran didn’t cause any more trouble. Once they had packed their things and put on their backpacks, they left Jiangnan Love together. Winter was approaching, and the night wind was chilly. However, because there were several bars in the area, the streets were still busy.

After walking along the street for about fifteen minutes, they finally reached the subway entrance. Just as they were about to enter, Xu Jiali stopped in his tracks and slapped his forehead. He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have left his headphones in the locker. Everyone in their dorm was very considerate; they never played audio through speakers. Without headphones, he wouldn’t be able to survive in the dorm.

Just thinking about the situation made Xu Jiali inexplicably anxious. He looked at Tao Ran. “Tao Ran, I left my headphones at the bar. I need to go back and get them.”

Tao Ran stared at Xu Jiali with unfocused eyes and nodded. “Mm.”

Xu Jiali felt a bit uneasy. “Do you want to come back with me?”

“Go back…?” Tao Ran’s head was foggy, and his gaze drifted. Suddenly, he frowned and shook his head. “No.”

“Fine then.” Xu Jiali led Tao Ran to a public bench near the subway entrance and had him sit down. “Just sit here and wait for me. I’ll run back and get them. It’ll be very quick, okay?”

Tao Ran nodded once.

“Make sure you don’t wander off!” Xu Jiali felt like a worried parent. He added, “If a stranger talks to you, don’t answer them and stay away from them, okay?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I’m really going then.” Xu Jiali finally felt somewhat at ease and turned to run back toward the bar.

Tao Ran sat on the bench, his mind a complete mess. He tried hard to push through the thick fog in front of his eyes, but his nerves throbbed. He could only let his consciousness sink bit by bit into the alcohol.

“Xiao Ran baby?” A male voice, coarse in timbre but soft and delicate in tone, suddenly sounded from above.

Tao Ran’s reaction was a beat slow. He slowly lifted his head. His vision was blurry and hazy; he couldn’t recognize the person in front of him. It looked like a stranger’s face. Tao Ran immediately felt panicked, suddenly remembering Xu Jiali’s instruction—don’t talk to strangers.

So, he warily shifted back a bit, moving away from the person. But his light body suddenly felt out of control. Tao Ran wobbled, feeling like he might fall off the chair the next second.

The man across from him let out a squeal and held him steady just in time. “Oh my, baby, you have to be careful!”

The stranger’s sudden proximity and the fact that he was holding his arm made Tao Ran’s alarm bells go off. His small face flushed with a crimson hue of anger. He glared at the person and slapped their arm. “Who are you! Don’t touch me!”

A loud slap rang out.

“Ouch, that hurts! Why did you hit me?” The man shivered and quickly retracted his hand, finding a red handprint appearing on his arm. Looking at Tao Ran’s fierce action, he sensed something was wrong. He asked, “Xiao Ran, are you drunk? Don’t you recognize me?”

Hearing this, Tao Ran was stunned for a moment, and his stagnant eyes regained a flicker of clarity.

Jiang Zhao and several friends stepped out of a bar. One of his friends called out to him, “Jiang Zhao, Qi Yuxiao didn’t come tonight because he had things to do, so you don’t have a ride.”

Jiang Zhao: “It’s still early, the subway is still running. I’ll just take the subway.”

Friends: “Alright, see you next time then.”

“I’m really leaving now.” Xu Jiali finally felt at ease, turning to run back toward the bar in the opposite direction.

Tao Ran sat on the bench, his mind a complete chaos. He tried hard to push through the thick fog covering his eyes, but his nerves throbbed with a sharp pain. He could only let his consciousness drift away, sinking bit by bit into the alcohol.

“Xiao Ran baby?” A male voice, coarse in timbre but soft and delicate in tone, suddenly sounded from above.

Tao Ran’s reaction was a beat slow. He slowly lifted his head. His vision was blurry and hazy; he could not recognize the person in front of him. It looked like a stranger’s face. Tao Ran immediately felt panicked, suddenly remembering Xu Jiali’s instruction not to talk to strangers.

Consequently, he warily shifted back a bit, moving away from the person. But his light body suddenly felt out of control. Tao Ran wobbled, feeling like he might fall off the chair the next second.

The man across from him let out a high-pitched squeal and held him steady just in time. “Oh my, baby, you have to be careful!”

The stranger’s sudden proximity and the fact that he was holding his arm made Tao Ran’s alarm bells go off. His small face flushed with a crimson hue of anger. He glared at the person and slapped their arm. “Who are you! Do not touch me!”

A loud slap rang out.

“Ouch, that hurts! Why did you hit me?” The man shivered and quickly retracted his hand, finding a red handprint appearing on his arm. Looking at Tao Ran’s fierce action, he sensed something was wrong. He asked, “Xiao Ran, are you drunk? Do you not recognize me?”

Hearing this, Tao Ran was stunned for a moment, and his stagnant eyes regained a flicker of clarity.

Jiang Zhao and several friends stepped out of a bar. One of his friends called out to him, “Jiang Zhao, Qi Yuxiao did not come tonight because he had things to do, so you do not have a ride.”

Jiang Zhao replied, “It is still early, and the subway is still running. I will just take the subway.”

“Alright, see you next time then,” his friends said.

“Yeah.” Jiang Zhao said goodbye to his friends and turned toward the traffic light, intending to cross the street. The bar where they gathered was only a few dozen meters away from a subway entrance.

Jiang Zhao crossed the zebra crossing and walked toward the nearby subway entrance. The scene at the entrance gradually became clear. He lifted his head and squinted, his footsteps coming to a sudden halt. He blinked in disbelief and looked again.

Why did the guy at the subway entrance look so much like Qi Yuxiao’s roommate, Tao Ran? He looked drunk, sitting on the bench by the entrance as if his soul had been sucked out.

Jiang Zhao was about to go over for a closer look when a stranger appeared. The man was broad and muscular with a buzz cut and a full beard; he did not look like a good person.

Then, Jiang Zhao saw the man approach Tao Ran with ill intent. Tao Ran was so startled he nearly fell, and the man took the opportunity to make physical contact. Tao Ran resisted fiercely and slapped him.

Damn, that is definitely sexual harassment!

Suddenly remembering that Tao Ran and Qi Yuxiao were close, Jiang Zhao did not hesitate. He strode over aggressively. He grabbed the arm of the man trying to approach Tao Ran again, pulling him a step away with righteous indignation. “Hey! What do you think you are doing?!”

To his surprise, the man who looked like a thug let out a shriek. He flamboyantly fluttered a “lady-finger” gesture and protested in a high-pitched, delicate voice, “Oh my, why did another person come to grab my hand? It hurts, it hurts! Let go already!”

Jiang Zhao wondered, “How could such a deep, rough voice produce such dainty words?”

Jiang Zhao was so creeped out by the sound that he immediately dropped the man’s hand as if it were a hot potato. He turned to check on Tao Ran, but a sudden gust of wind preceded a crisp slap to his face.

The sting on his cheek left Jiang Zhao utterly stunned. His brain short-circuited. Wait, who just hit me?

In the next second, another familiar gust of wind brought a second slap to the other side of his face.

Jiang Zhao was confused. He looked in disbelief at the person who had just slapped him twice. Tao Ran was like a provoked little beast, spreading his arms to protect the man behind him who was twice his size, and staring at Jiang Zhao with a face full of suspicion. “What are you trying to do to Xiao Tian?!”

Jiang Zhao locked eyes with the man behind Tao Ran, his pupils shaking. Wait, Xiao Tian?

Ten minutes later, after a round of mutual identification.

“So you are Xiao Ran’s classmate. This is all just a misunderstanding,” the man named Xiao Tian explained with a smile. “I am Xiao Ran’s colleague. We work at the same bar. I am on the night shift tonight and just came out of the subway when I saw Xiao Ran sitting here. I wanted to come over and say hello, but he was so drunk he did not recognize me at first. I really was not trying to take advantage of him.”

Jiang Zhao looked at the man’s delicate mannerisms, which clashed violently with his appearance.

“I was worried about what to do with a drunk Xiao Ran all by himself, but fortunately I ran into you,” Xiao Tian said. “You should be headed back to school too, right? Why don’t you take him back with you?”

Before Jiang Zhao could speak, Xiao Tian let out another “oh my.” “My shift is about to start; I have to hurry. Goodbye, handsome! Goodbye, Xiao Ran!”

Xiao Tian waved at them, and Tao Ran, still not sober, waved back blankly. “Goodbye.”

Then he lifted his eyes and stared at Jiang Zhao in silence.

Jiang Zhao thought that handling a drunk person for no reason was a hassle.

Wait a minute. A lightbulb went off in Jiang Zhao’s head. He immediately switched to a friendly smile and politely helped Tao Ran back to the bench. “Come, come, Tao Ran, right? Take a rest first.”

Once Tao Ran was settled, Jiang Zhao immediately sent a message to Qi Yuxiao.

About ten minutes later, a low-profile black sports car cut through the thick night and pulled over at the curb. Qi Yuxiao opened the door and stepped out.

He walked over quickly, looking at Jiang Zhao and Tao Ran sitting in the cold wind. His brow furrowed. “How did you two end up together?”

“Damn, brother, you finally arrived!” Jiang Zhao felt like he was about to cry.

At the sound of the familiar, pleasant voice, Tao Ran’s foggy brain cleared for a moment. As if sensing something, he snapped his head up. His lips moved, and a spark of light appeared in his unfocused eyes. He whispered in a daze, “Qi, Qi Yuxiao.”

Qi Yuxiao looked over immediately. After several seconds of eye contact, he reached out his hand. Tao Ran stuck to him like a piece of glutinous rice, naturally hugging his arm.

On the other side, Jiang Zhao was still venting in Qi Yuxiao’s ear. “Do you know what I just saw? Do you know what I just experienced? Do you know what kind of grievance I just suffered?!”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Qi Yuxiao glanced at him irritably.

“Holy crap, have you been standing here this long and not seen it?!” Jiang Zhao shouted indignantly, pointing to his face, which bore a red handprint on each side. “Look! Your roommate just slapped me twice!”

Qi Yuxiao finally fixed his gaze on Jiang Zhao’s face. The two handprints were bright red; the force behind them clearly was not small. Tao Ran did this? At the thought, he frowned instantly.

Turning around, Qi Yuxiao took Tao Ran’s hand, spread his palm open, and asked softly with concern, “Does your hand hurt?”

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