She Comes Into My Dreams Every Night - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Misconduct Under the Influence of Alcohol

Standing in front of the refrigerator, Su Huaiwang finally felt panicked.

Her hand paused on the fridge door, her head unconsciously turning toward the vast darkness outside the window.

It was this inexplicable darkness that had made her invite Lin Jue into her home.

She was going to spend the night with Lin Jue… Su Huaiwang quickly slammed the brakes on her increasingly inappropriate imagination.

No, not spending the night together, just staying over. She had prepared a room for Lin Jue on the second floor.

But at least for now, Lin Jue was in her room, had already showered, and was in pajamas, waiting for her to return.

Su Huaiwang felt like her feet were rooted to the spot in front of the fridge; she didn’t want to move an inch.

A meow suddenly sounded. Su Huaiwang looked up to see Mimi perched on a high shelf not far from her.

The cat raised its paw to groom itself, its intermittent gaze seeming to ask why she hadn’t gone back yet.

Su Huaiwang conceded defeat, reached into the fridge for the wine, grabbed some snacks, and walked back to her room with discouraged steps.

Lin Jue had been waiting for her for a long time, sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow. Hearing the door open, she tilted her head to look at her:

“What did you bring?”

Su Huaiwang instinctively held up the wine in her hand:

“Do you drink?”

She then remembered she hadn’t asked if Lin Jue drank, so she quickly added:

“It’s fine if you don’t. I just planned to have a little myself.”

She needed a drink to numb her brain, otherwise, she couldn’t easily get through this night.

Lin Jue didn’t say yes or no, but instead asked her: “Is the alcohol content high?”

Su Huaiwang shook her head: “It’s not very high, around ten-something percent. Just a sweet drink.”

She didn’t drink often. This wine was actually what Lin Jue had brought before; it was for parties and didn’t have a high alcohol content.

“Then I’ll have some too.” Unexpectedly, Lin Jue agreed readily.

Although Su Huaiwang was slightly surprised, she still said, “Then I’ll go get the glasses.”

By the time the clear wine was poured into the glasses, everything was set up.

The dimly lit room, the snacks and drinks placed on the bed table, the movie waiting to be played on the big screen, and the cats and dogs lying drowsily under the bed.

For Su Huaiwang, this was the safest environment she was most familiar with and enjoyed.

The nervousness and apprehension receded slightly. Su Huaiwang raised her wine glass and clinked it against Lin Jue’s.

She flashed a slightly shy smile: “Cheers?”

“Cheers.” Lin Jue also smiled.

The movie began. Su Huaiwang had chosen the film this time. Lin Jue had no particular preference for movies, so Su Huaiwang picked a film she had long wanted to watch.

Contrary to her demure appearance, Su Huaiwang preferred disaster movies, particularly enjoying apocalyptic films where all order was destroyed. Therefore, a newly released disaster film was now playing on the big screen.

The spectacle of magnificent special effects washed over her. Su Huaiwang quickly became engrossed, drinking her wine glass after glass, occasionally pouring some for Lin Jue.

Lin Jue wasn’t very interested in the film, but she watched it attentively nonetheless, though her attention would occasionally wander to Su Huaiwang.

Halfway through the movie, the wine bottle was empty. Su Huaiwang vigorously shook the bottle a couple of times, frowning in dissatisfaction, and stood up:

“I’ll go get another bottle—”

“I’ll go with you,” Lin Jue suggested.

Su Huaiwang pondered for a moment, but her brain was already a bit sluggish and couldn’t think of a reason not to. So, she comfortably gave Lin Jue a task:

“Great, grab some more snacks too.”

She pointed to the pile of empty bags on the table.

They paused the movie, opened the door, and walked out. The dogs on the floor lazily raised their heads but, for some reason, didn’t follow.

Reaching the kitchen, Su Huaiwang opened the fridge door and chatted as she handed items to Lin Jue: “This flavor is delicious. You should try this one; it’s sweet.”

“I will.” Lin Jue held the wine, looking docile, her large eyes fixed on Su Huaiwang pleadingly.

“Oh, and this!” Su Huaiwang’s voice suddenly became excited, seemingly having spotted something.

She reached into the fridge and rummaged for a while, pulling out a bag of braised duck parts: “I just bought this today! We should totally devour this tonight! It goes perfectly with wine! I’ve been craving it for ages!”

“Then why didn’t you bring it out earlier?” Lin Jue was curious.

At the question, Su Huaiwang was momentarily speechless. She then scratched her head awkwardly: “It smells a bit strong, and… well, it’s a bit messy to eat…”

She couldn’t decide whether she wanted to preserve her own image or respect Lin Jue’s, so Su Huaiwang internally debated with herself and ultimately didn’t bring it out.

“So, do you want some?” She poked Lin Jue, asking cautiously yet expectantly.

“Of course.” Lin Jue smiled radiantly, making Su Huaiwang feel a little lightheaded, as if she were floating on a cloud.

Did I drink too much? she thought secretly, but quickly dismissed the possibility, happily carrying the wine back to the room.

Different colored wines were served again. Whether intentional or not, the distance between the two narrowed, their arms occasionally touching.

Su Huaiwang tipped her head back, draining the wine in her glass. A restless urge surged for the umpteenth time. Steeling herself, she decided to rest her head on Lin Jue’s shoulder.

It’s nothing, she assured herself. She often did this with Tu Zhuozhuo. Having reached this level of intoxication, she started to selectively ignore the fact that she had never had a wet dream about Tu Zhuozhuo but had about the person she was now leaning on.

Drunk people often experience a sense of liberation called “let tomorrow’s self worry about it.” Su Huaiwang was no exception now.

Because of this, her behavior became increasingly bold. She even silently mouthed to Lin Jue, asking to be fed.

This would be completely unthinkable for a sober Su Huaiwang during the day.

And Lin Jue actually indulged her, not only shifting her posture to make Su Huaiwang more comfortable but also smilingly peeling and feeding her the snacks. Eventually, Lin Jue was even holding the wine glass for her.

Su Huaiwang only had to tilt her head and use eye signals, perhaps occasionally humming.

Su Huaiwang momentarily felt like she was living a life of utter pampering, her mind hazy, unsure of her whereabouts.

Lin Jue looked at the slightly unfocused woman on her shoulder out of the corner of her eye. The heat from the other person’s cheek was already seeping through her clothes onto her skin.

The movie was reaching its end. The protagonist returned to their destroyed, desolate hometown and cried heartbrokenly.

By this point, Su Huaiwang was too drunk to remember what “restraint” meant. She began to mumble:

“Home, is hometown that important? Is it? Huh? Do you like Minguan? Do you want to go back? If you want to go back, why did you leave? Huh? Why?”

Su Huaiwang’s speech was becoming disorganized, constantly repeating a few key phrases, a clear sign of intoxication.

She turned Lin Jue’s hands over in her palms, playing with them like a toy, then stopped to compare them seriously.

“How come your hand is a bit bigger than mine? Aren’t I taller than you?”

The fair hand before her had a beautiful bone structure, slender yet strong. Just touching it made her feel its dexterity.

“Move it.” Su Huaiwang pressed the base of the hand’s fingers with her thumb.

Lin Jue obediently wiggled her fingers, and Su Huaiwang smiled contentedly, lacing her fingers with Lin Jue’s as a reward.

“Where are you from?” Lin Jue, who had been silent, suddenly asked.

“Me? I’m from Sibei. Tu Zhuozhuo and I are from the same place. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

Sibei was the provincial capital, also Tu Zhuozhuo’s destination today.

But Lin Jue’s focus was clearly not on the city: “Known each other since childhood?”

“Mhm, mhm.” Remembering this past event, Su Huaiwang’s smile didn’t widen much, but her eyes crinkled with amusement: “You wouldn’t believe how willful she was as a kid, like a little princess, always getting what she wanted. One time…”

She paused, subtly sighing, her eyes opening slightly as she gazed at their loosely joined hands. She continued:

“…One time, she cried and insisted on coming with me. We two kids walked for over three kilometers, all the way to my house. She was exhausted, covered in sweat. Her driver was even more tired, following us at a snail’s pace the whole time.”

The recollection abruptly ended. The final shot of the movie concluded, and the credits and end song began to play simultaneously.

Su Huaiwang snapped back to reality, reaching out to turn off the TV, releasing Lin Jue’s hand, and unsteadily getting out of bed: “I’ll clean up…”

Lin Jue held her down: “I’ll take care of it. You should go brush your teeth and sleep.”

Su Huaiwang realized then that she was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.

Her sleep quality had been so good lately that she was accustomed to falling asleep before midnight. She felt sleepy the moment the hour arrived.

She yawned, didn’t refuse, and after saying thank you, stumbled into the bathroom.

Lin Jue was incredibly efficient at tidying up. By the time Su Huaiwang emerged from the bathroom, most of the mess was already cleaned up.

Only the bottle with a little wine remaining, for some reason, stood on the bedside table.

Su Huaiwang looked around. Lin Jue was nowhere in sight, but since a few things were left to clean, she would surely return.

A mix of slight guilt and much excitement, typical before doing something naughty, surged within her. She tiptoed to the wine bottle.

No need for a glass. She twisted the cap open and guzzled the wine straight from the bottle.

With the last bit of wine finished, a heat rose from her chest, which had just cooled down. Su Huaiwang wiped her mouth. She had brushed her teeth for nothing.

Placing the bottle down, she burrowed under the blankets, pulling the blanket up to cover the lower half of her flushed face, only revealing her restlessly darting eyes.

The guilt and excitement were amplified by the alcohol, evolving into a strange sensation under the thin air-conditioned blanket, charging wildly through her body.

Su Huaiwang felt an abnormal exhilaration, but she also somewhat enjoyed this feeling, so much so that her legs began to involuntarily clamp together.

The mere thought of what she was about to say to Lin Jue made her alcohol-numbed brain feel dizzy.

Footsteps approached, accompanied by the excited pattering of the dogs’ paws on the floor.

She seized the moment before the intoxication faded from her brain, while she still had the courage to speak her mind.

The instant Lin Jue opened the door and entered, Su Huaiwang looked at her, her voice small and muffled, slightly pitiful and slightly expectant, as she asked:

“Can you sleep with me tonight?”