Studying Is Such A Damn Thing - Chapter 7

The amusement park trip ended on a bit of a… complicated note for both You Cheche and Qi Yuan, all thanks to that bet.

“You okay, Cheche?” Shen Yiyi asked, patting You Cheche on the back to help him catch his breath. “Ugh… I’m fine…” he managed to choke out.

“Are we heading to the KTV now?”

“Yeah, I’m calling a car,” Song Chaolian said coldly. Seeing this, Qi Yuan pulled out his phone and started playing games again.

As for Tang Yuwei and Li Yuyu? They were tucked away under a tree, chatting and laughing together.

“Alright, the car is here. Qi Yuan, go grab Tang and Xiaoyu,” Song commanded.

“On it!” Qi Yuan turned toward the tree and shouted, “Hey! You two under the tree! The car’s here! Let’s move!” The pair heard him and walked over.

Once they were in the car, You Cheche and Qi Yuan started bickering again about today’s bet. “I won!”

“Puh-lease! You Cheche, where’s your shame? I clearly won! Weren’t you the one holding my hand?”

“I don’t care! I won!”

Qi Yuan rolled his eyes, finally nodding in defeat. “Fine, fine, you won. You won, okay?”

“That’s more like it,” You Cheche said, satisfied. With a smirk on his lips, he turned back to chat with Shen Yiyi.

They arrived at the KTV a short while later. “What’s the room number?” You Cheche asked. Shen Yiyi checked her phone. “Oh, it’s… 520…”

“Oho? 520? That’s some top tier luck right there,” Qi Yuan piped up. He threw an arm around Song Chaolian’s shoulder, giving him a teasing look. “Wow, Yiyi, being so proactive today?”

Song Chaolian’s eyes flickered, but he stayed silent, simply rolling his eyes at Qi Yuan. “Get lost.”

“Oh…” Qi Yuan muttered, slightly dejected. He rubbed the tip of his nose, popped a mint into his mouth, and went quiet.

Once they entered the room, the chaos resumed. Qi Yuan marched up to the screen and picked, of all things, “Die for Love.” He sang his heart out, sounding like a widower who had lost the love of his life. You Cheche’s lip twitched as he watched, his glasses nearly sliding off from the sheer awkwardness.

“Want to play High-Low?” Shen Yiyi asked Song Chaolian, holding up the dice. Song Chaolian looked at her and gave a cold smirk. “Bring it.”

You Cheche watched from the side, once again finding himself hopelessly shipping them.

“I got a six.”

“Sorry, I got a ten. Drink up.”

“Heh, fine.” Shen Yiyi tilted her head back and downed a glass. “Again!”

The dice rattled loudly in the cup. She revealed them: “Twelve! Drink!”

“I’ll drink.” Song Chaolian took the glass Shen Yiyi had just used, filled it to the brim with beer, and downed it in one go. Shen Yiyi’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, suddenly feeling like her throat was dry and a bit tight.

“Keep going! Eight! Your turn!”

Song Chaolian curled his lip slightly. “Eleven.”

Shen Yiyi’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you cheating?”

“Nope. Drink up.”

Before long, Shen Yiyi was tipsy. Meanwhile, You Cheche and Qi Yuan were having the time of their lives with the karaoke.

“Ah! My friend! Put your hands up! Let’s get hype!”

“Woooo! Come on, my Che! Sing it!”

“Your expression is louder than a friend’s ambiguity… Your turn!”

“The title of loneliness, the sweet reproach”

***

“Next song!”

“Ah, Yuan! Our chemistry is incredible!”

“Let’s go!”

“I want to see you, I only want to see you, from the future to the past, I only want to see you~”

“Crossing thousands of timelines to find each other in the crowd”

“Wow~ You’ve been possessed by David Tao! Looking good, buddy!” You Cheche cheered, forgetting to pick up his line. Qi Yuan caught it for him, seemingly lost in the music, gazing intensely at You Cheche.

“Using all my logic and schemes to deduce love, the most difficult riddle to solve.  I wonder if you’re like me, waiting for a ‘Yes, I do”

You Cheche and Qi Yuan locked eyes from a short distance away. The world seemed to shrink until only Qi Yuan’s voice and his soulful, tender gaze remained. You Cheche’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, sinking into a pool of unexpected warmth.