How I Accidentally Bent My Best Friend - Chapter 5

In her haste, Chen Yushu hadn’t changed out of the shorts she wore to shower. The direct contact of their skin was especially noticeable, and she could feel the heat radiating from Lu Wei’s face burning hot and incredibly soft.

“Lu Wei, let go. How am I supposed to walk like this?” Chen Yushu bent down to pry her hands away, only to be gripped even tighter. “If you don’t let go, I’m leaving you here!”

Lu Wei mumbled something, though it was unclear whether she understood. She wrapped her arms and legs around Chen Yushu like a koala clinging to a tree.

“You” Chen Yushu frowned, about to scold her, but when she looked down and saw Lu Wei’s half-lidded eyes and pouting lips, her heart softened instantly. “Lu Wei, let go. I’ll take you home,” she coaxed gently.

“Shu-Shu.” Lu Wei murmured, nuzzling her face against Chen Yushu’s leg. The high bridge of her nose brushed against her skin, tickling slightly, as she slurred, “Shu-Shu, why’d you take so long?”

Chen Yushu couldn’t help but smile, reaching out to tousle her hair. “Get up, or we won’t make it back later.” With that, she pulled Lu Wei to her feet.

The moment she stood, Lu Wei slumped against her.

Chen Yushu quickly steadied her by the waist, pulling her close. Lu Wei’s voluminous curls fluttered in the breeze, brushing against Chen Yushu’s face with each gust. The faint, distinctive scent that lingered in the air teased her senses, sending a tingling shiver down her spine.

Her neck stiffened slightly, and she instinctively turned her head away. Just then, Lu Wei suddenly tilted her head back, freeing one hand to tug at the hair tie at the back of her head, muttering, “Hot. Tie it.”

Chen Yushu glanced at the worn-out hair tie on Lu Wei’s wrist, its colorful threads frayed and unraveling in several places. If she remembered correctly, she had braided it for her back in middle school, when these handmade accessories were all the rage among girls. They were usually made as gifts for close friends.

Lu Wei had wanted one too. She’d bought the threads and tools, tossed them at Chen Yushu, and declared, “Everyone else has one. I want one too,” leaving her to weave it whenever she had time.

But Lu Wei had always had plenty of friends, she was never short of such things. Yet for some reason, she was fixated on the one Chen Yushu made, keeping it for years, even as it frayed with time.

A faint warmth stirred in Chen Yushu’s chest. She undid the tie, threading her fingers through the hair at Lu Wei’s nape, gathering it together before painstakingly winding the tie around it.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Wei looped her arms around Chen Yushu’s neck again, closing the distance between them. Through the thin layers of fabric, their body heat mingled, nearly indistinguishable.

By the time she finally secured the ponytail, Chen Yushu was slightly out of breath, a sheen of sweat glistening on her skin whether from exertion, the heat, or something else entirely, she couldn’t tell.

“There. Can we go now?” Chen Yushu gripped Lu Wei’s arm, putting a little distance between them.

Lu Wei nodded obediently. “Whatever Shu-Shu says.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Chen Yushu huffed, unable to resist the sarcastic edge in her voice. “First you say you’re not going, then you turn up anyway. Next time you get drunk, don’t call me. Whoever you drank with can take you home.”

Lu Wei blinked at her, confusion clouding her eyes as she scratched her head. “Huh?”

Biting back the urge to shove the evidence in her face, Chen Yushu muttered darkly, “I saw you. With that person. At the KTV. Don’t play dumb.”

Without realizing it, her tone had turned accusatory.

Lu Wei felt dizzy, her eyelids heavy as she struggled to focus on Chen Yushu’s lips moving incessantly, trying to make out the words. But gradually, Chen Yushu’s speech sped up, rapid as a machine gun, until all Lu Wei could see was a blur.

Frowning in displeasure, Lu Wei weakly raised her hand and pressed it against Chen Yushu’s lips, then leaned in until their foreheads touched.

As if under some spell, Chen Yushu’s voice abruptly stopped. Her pupils dilated as she stared at the face now inches from hers, her breath hitching.

The surroundings fell silent, their attention seized by each other’s breathing and the pounding of their own hearts.

Chen Yushu swallowed hard, tilting her head slightly to avoid direct eye contact. Yet, her peripheral vision betrayed her, drawn irresistibly to Lu Wei’s face, capturing even the tiniest details.

As Lu Wei’s breathing steadied, she seemed on the verge of sleep. Chen Yushu patted her cheek. “Time to go. Sleep when we get back.”

Roused, Lu Wei let out a groggy hum before tilting her head and resting it on Chen Yushu’s shoulder.

Glancing at the time and then at Lu Wei’s barely conscious state, Chen Yushu reconsidered. Going back to the dorm was out of the question, better to find a nearby hotel.

Decision made, she wrapped an arm around Lu Wei’s waist and guided her forward. But before they’d taken two steps, Lu Wei suddenly jolted awake, staggering back as if searching for something, bent at the waist.

“Hey, Lu Wei, what are you doing?” Chen Yushu called out, rushing to steady her before she toppled over. “If you keep acting drunk, don’t blame me for leaving you here!”

Lu Wei let out an indignant huff, still scanning the ground. “The sparkler, my sparkler Where did it go?”

Of course she was drunk and delusional!

Chen Yushu sighed, tightening her grip to drag Lu Wei along. But Lu Wei resisted, clinging to a tree and refusing to budge. Fed up, Chen Yushu gritted her teeth and snapped, “Lu Wei!”

Startled, Lu Wei turned to her, lips slowly puckering into a pout as she fixed Chen Yushu with a mix of hurt and resentment.

“Fine, fine. Look all you want. Let’s see how long it takes you to find it.” Chen Yushu rolled her eyes and leaned against the tree, watching Lu Wei’s antics with resignation.

To her surprise, moments later, Lu Wei actually picked something up from the ground, murmuring, “Found it Ah, here it is.”

Curious, Chen Yushu stepped closer. “What is it? Let me see.”

“No.” Lu Wei clutched the object tighter, her expression wary.

Ignoring her, Chen Yushu reached into her arms and pulled out a piece of sugarcane?

For a moment, Chen Yushu was speechless. Spotting a nearby trash can, she marched over, ready to toss it in only for Lu Wei to intercept her.

Clutching the sugarcane desperately, Lu Wei whimpered, “Chen Yushu, how could you throw away the sparkler I gave you?”

“Sparkler my foot. If you want it, keep it. I don’t.”

Lu Wei huffed loudly, snatching the sugarcane back and cradling it like a treasure.

Chen Yushu stared at her, torn between irritation and amusement. “Can we go now?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Lu Wei slumped against her, boneless.

“Lu Wei! You’re doing this on purpose!”

“Ugh”

Finally at the hotel, Chen Yushu dumped Lu Wei onto the bed before collapsing beside her, utterly exhausted.

Suddenly, she felt this scene was incredibly familiar. She opened her eyes, tilted her head, and looked at Lu Wei’s profile. Hidden emotions, thread by thread, slowly welled up inside her.

The hotel’s air conditioning was strong, but Chen Yushu felt her cheeks burning uncontrollably. Dreams, reality countless images flashed through her mind unbidden.

Just then, Lu Wei let out a soft groan, her eyes flickering as if she were about to wake up.

Seeing this, Chen Yushu hurriedly averted her gaze, her breath nearly faltering.

A moment later, she heard Lu Wei suddenly speak: “I didn’t.”

“What?”

“I didn’t drink. Wen Yan tricked me.”

Hearing that name from Lu Wei’s lips, Chen Yushu’s heart gave an involuntary pang. Still, she feigned indifference and turned to ask, “Oh? What did she trick you into?”

“Tricked me tricked me into thinking it was juice. I only drank half a glass.”

Unable to stop herself from imagining the scene between the two of them, Chen Yushu’s jealousy flared up completely. “You went there yourself. Who’s to blame?”

“I had no idea she’d be there,” Lu Wei mumbled, sounding aggrieved.

“What do you mean?” Chen Yushu propped herself up and pressed further. “She didn’t invite you?”

Lu Wei hummed vaguely, her half-lidded eyes now nearly shut.

“Then how did you two ” Seeing this, Chen Yushu grew impatient and shook her shoulder. “Hey, Lu Wei, explain properly first.”

Lu Wei jolted awake, rubbing her eyes and forcing herself to stay alert. She blurted out in one go, “I was having dinner with friends and ran into her by chance. She insisted on dragging me out to have fun. I already have a low alcohol tolerance, and she kept pushing drinks on me.”

“Oh, so you do know you can’t hold your liquor.” Once she got the full story, the knot of frustration in Chen Yushu’s chest loosened considerably. Satisfied, she said, “Go back to sleep.”

But now Lu Wei was much more awake. She suddenly stared straight at Chen Yushu, her dark, bright eyes like gleaming obsidian deep and inscrutable.

“What?” Chen Yushu swallowed nervously, feeling exposed under that gaze.

“Chen Yushu, why do I feel like you’re acting like some neglected wife waiting at home? Hahahaha.”

Chen Yushu was startled at first, but realizing Lu Wei was teasing her, she grew annoyed and swatted at her. “Who’s a neglected wife? Who’s waiting at home?”

Lu Wei only laughed harder, clumsily grabbing her hand. “Alright, alright. Even if I fool around outside, even if I don’t like coming home, you’ll always be my first wife. No one else can”

“Who wants to be your first wife?” Chen Yushu immediately retorted in disgust. “Who do you think you are, some big shot?”

“Why so touchy?” Lu Wei giggled uncontrollably, rolling over to hug her. “Call you a neglected wife and you get mad.”

“Get lost!” Chen Yushu shoved her away. “Next time you go out fooling around, don’t call me. Let one of your other little wives take you home.”

“I don’t care. You’re one of my little wives too, I want you to take me home.” Lu Wei clung to her again, sticky as glue, impossible to shake off.

“Go away, stop messing around. It’s time to sleep.”

“Not sleeping. Need a shower.” As soon as she said it, Lu Wei sat up, squinting as she fumbled with the buttons on her top, completely forgetting she was wearing a strappy dress with no buttons at all.

Just as Chen Yushu was about to point it out, Lu Wei suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed it against her chest.

“Shushu, help me.”

An unusual soft sensation traveled swiftly from his palm to his brain. The next second, Chen Yushu jerked his hand back as if electrocuted, his entire body tingling with numbness.

“Shu-Shu?” Lu Wei turned her head in confusion, puzzled by his exaggerated reaction.

“Are you an idiot?” Chen Yushu spoke first, masking his flustered state. “Look for yourself, where are the buttons?”

Lu Wei lowered her head, let out an “oh” after seeing clearly, and immediately grabbed her clothes, ready to take them off.

“Wait!” Chen Yushu reacted swiftly, grabbing her wrist. “You’re just going to strip right here?”

Lu Wei blinked in bewilderment, not understanding what was wrong.

Drunk like a little baby, Chen Yushu sighed helplessly and stood up, pulling her toward the bathroom. The shower area was a small glass-enclosed space. “Here, wash in here. Hold onto this and keep steady.”

After giving instructions, Chen Yushu glanced back at her uneasily. Seeing she was standing relatively steady, he turned to leave.

Just as he pushed the door open, Lu Wei leaned against him, pressing her face against his back, her dangling fingers lightly brushing against his.

“Shu-Shu, help me wash, okay?”