Lìngxiāo's eyes darted over him. His hands raised and then rested at the table, thinking if he should catch him or if he would just end up activating his dangerous abilities again.
His own body and mind were scaring him by that faint..unspoken warmth, the way his pulse pounded a little harder than usual.
"G..gōngzǐ..you.." Lìngxiāo didn't know what to say about it.
Perhaps he was commenting anything while his tongue was so loose right now, but the confusing fact was that alcohol squeezed out seventy percent of real human thoughts which they kept deeply hidden within themselves.
'But he is joking..right?'
'He planned the tea break here suddenly so..it matched coincidentally.'
'Of course he is saying anything. I am just an ordinary man who unexpectedly wore a piece of silk I barely thought of wearing.'
'Does he actually know what sirens are? They are..manipulative..and beauty was a mask. Do I look like this to him?'
But then his voice, even in his mind, seemed confused if he was right or wrong.
'No..well this is..a little like..manipulation to make him at my side and..take out deeper truths about the clan to be fully sure if it really was what I am recently feeling..'
'Am I being..cruel to think about things this way..?'
But then Chóng Fēi spoke more carelessly, mischievously, innocently. "I am also drinking an extra bottle you know, I never did before."
Lìngxiāo's eyes went wide.
'He really cannot drink more than a whole bottle yet he still—!'
He forgot about sitting. His legs felt like they had gone cold just by thinking about what strange things he would do now and how he would have to handle it all.
He stood up while his own head spun faintly and raised his hand towards Chóng Fēi to get the bottle. "G-gōngzǐ..why did you still drink while you cannot? What if you get..sick and vomit? Or worse?"
Chóng Fēi clicked his tongue, making faces, and didn't give the last remaining wine still in his bottle, hugging it instead.
"Ah, vomiting is for..poor people. They can't handle those luxurious pretty drinks in their stomach, that's why. But I am rich. So I will be fine~" He mumbled, batting his lashes dramatically at Lìngxiāo like he was requesting any fairy not to take away his blessings.
'What?!'
Lìngxiāo stared, arms crossed, his smile twitching.
'What kind of logic is he giving with that mind..?'
His own mind was a little threatening to lose control as strange thoughts came to his mind too. He didn't voice them aloud for not being totally drunk, but still a little unsteady.
'Am I poor then..that I feel like throwing up if I drink even a little?'
'But I have enough..I just..want to stay simple enough to leave things behind and keep moving casually..'
'No, no..what am I thinking?'
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Yet even this felt painful.
"You—cannot drink more, Gōngzǐ!" He quickly pulled the bottle away from Chóng Fēi's grip when he wasn't focused on it.
The move was as fast as he could right now.
But it still landed as a blow. So Chóng Fēi blinked at his empty hand. And then turned at him with that pout.
"Why..did you steal it, male siren? Your pirate king is not satisfied by it.." Chóng Fēi muttered, now sounding demanding like Lìngxiāo served him as his personal 'siren' or something.
Lìngxiāo kept getting amazed with every word this man spoke. He didn't know if he should laugh or be angry.
His dizzy mind raced to distract Chóng Fēi since it would be easy now. Within that, Chóng Fēi tried to take that bottle back, but he quickly handed it to the man like it was the only way to save himself—and him.
"Kindly hide it somewhere he cannot find.." He said to the man. "And..give another bottle of water."
The man nodded, holding back a smile, but it was more likely tender—like they were used to Chóng Fēi's presence here. And he was sure this time.
They actually were.
"I brought it yet I can't drink it? You could ask me if you wanted one~!" Chóng Fēi said, lying down on the long bench instead, now pointing at the stars. "This time..we would fly over there okay, cutie?~"
Lìngxiāo's jaw tightened, he facepalmed, looked elsewhere as if pretending not to know this man for this particular moment. His whole body felt like it was flushing and he wanted to disappear instead.
The way Chóng Fēi had started to address him now, while just a few days ago his face was something else. Those few men were literally already chuckling faintly in the background and pretending not to see their drama.
'What else was left calling me?? Darling perhaps?'
"Darling where are you!?" Chóng Fēi called right after it. "I am not going to leave you here!"