CHAPTER 90: GETTING YU XI DRUNK

Yu Xi sat stiffly while Jian Ci fussed over the placement, taking far too long to mark the spot. Jian Wei’s patience snapped. He stepped forward, voice clipped. "Let me do it."

Jian Ci bristled. "No, I can do it."

"At this rate, you won’t leave my lab fast enough. Let me do it," Jian Wei insisted.

Reluctantly, Jian Ci got up, and Jian Wei slid into the chair, pulling on gloves with practiced ease. As expected of someone who handled needles regularly, he was much faster. With a swift motion, he pierced Yu Xi’s ear and slipped in the earring. "Is it just one ear you want pierced?"

Yu Xi nodded. "Yeah."

"Done. Now get lost," Jian Wei said flatly.

Jian Ci began packing away the tools, muttering with exaggerated dramatics, "Why are you so mean to me? I am your beloved little brother."

Jian Wei tsked, waving his hand dismissively. "Beloved where? Shoo, shoo, out of my lab."

Just then, Jian Rui appeared at the door, his expression calm but his words carrying weight. "Yu Xi, your results are out on the portal. Do you want to see them?"

Jian Ci’s eyes lit up immediately. He turned to Yu Xi with a wide smile. "You want to see?"

Yu Xi nodded. "Sure."

The three of them gathered around Jian Rui, who activated his floating screen. Jian Wei pretended he wasn’t interested, but curiosity tugged at him, and soon he stepped closer too. They waited as the portal loaded, the screen flickering before revealing the homepage. Right there, without even needing to log in, the top three scorers were displayed.

Yu Xi’s face was plastered across the screen—number one.

Jian Ci grabbed Yu Xi by the shoulders, shaking him with unrestrained excitement. "You did it! You are a genius!"

Yu Xi was startled, but his lips curved into a smile. Compliments from Jian Ci always made him happy, no matter how chaotic they came.

"Let’s see the detailed report," Jian Ci said eagerly.

For that, they needed to log in. Jian Rui typed in the credentials with practiced ease, and the report unfolded in detail across the glowing screen, numbers and accolades shining like proof of Yu Xi’s brilliance.

Jian Wei leaned back, his eyes widening as he looked at the glowing report on the floating screen. "Wow, Yu Xi, you are incredible."

Jian Rui’s gaze softened with admiration, his voice steady but filled with respect. "Truly impressive."

Jian Ci, however, was practically bouncing where he stood. "Let’s celebrate! Little Xi, let’s go open an expensive bottle of wine."

Jian Rui nodded. "It’s worth celebrating."

Even Jian Wei agreed, his usual sternness easing. "You worked extremely hard. It’s only natural to celebrate."

Yu Xi tried to protest, but the three brothers were relentless. This time, they didn’t let him slip away. He was talked into drinking, and at first, he managed well—using his psychic powers to dull the edge of intoxication. But soon, the alcohol seeped past his defenses, leaving him buzzed, his steps unsteady, his balance faltering.

Jian Ci was the main culprit, pouring generously and watching with gleeful curiosity. He wanted to see what Yu Xi would be like drunk, so he only took a few sips himself, waiting eagerly. Jian Ci was the fun drunk, laughing at everything. Jian Wei was the talkative drunk, recounting old stories with too much detail. Jian Rui, predictably, was the fall-asleep type, nodding off in his chair.

Jian Ci had expected Yu Xi to loosen up, maybe become talkative or mischievous. But Yu Xi surprised them all. He sat there chilled, even more silent than usual, responding only with the occasional "hm" or "mm" when spoken to. His calmness was almost comical, a quiet contrast to the chaos around him.

Jian Ci found the whole situation very interesting, almost amusing in its own way. Yu Xi, usually so composed, was now nodding off like a child after too much sugar. Later in the evening, Jian Rui noticed Yu Xi’s head drooping and pushed his chair back, ready to take him upstairs. But Jian Ci immediately jumped in, his voice loud and eager. "I will do it, I will do it!"

Jian Wei raised a brow, unimpressed. "Why are you yelling? It’s not like someone is fighting you."

Ignoring him, Jian Ci slipped an arm around Yu Xi and coaxed him up. "Let’s go," he said softly. Yu Xi leaned his entire weight against him, his body heavy with exhaustion. Jian Ci steadied him, adjusting his grip as they swayed slightly on their way to the stairs.

Jian Wei watched their retreating figures, his tone skeptical. "Are you sure you can still trust them together?"

Jian Rui hesitated before answering, "Yeah..." but his voice lacked conviction.

Jian Ci guided Yu Xi into the bedroom, lowering him carefully onto the bed. Yu Xi lay down, his cheeks flushed red, one arm moving clumsily before settling across his forehead.

"I will get you something to sober up," Jian Ci promised, brushing a stray lock of hair from Yu Xi’s temple.

"Mm," Yu Xi murmured faintly, eyes half-closed.

Jian Ci lingered for a moment, watching him, before turning to walk out.

The bedroom was dim, shadows pooling in the corners, the faint glow of Yu Xi’s communicator casting fractured light across the sheets.

He lay sprawled, drunk and dazed, his vision blurred as he tried to swipe through the floating screen. His intention was simple he wanted to message Jian Ci, to tell him to bring snacks, but his finger slipped, pressing the wrong app.

Music flowed into the room. It was soft, lilting, a melody he knew too well—the song his mother used to sing and dance to when they were trapped in the cell. In that abyss of cold stone and silence, her voice had been the only warmth, the fragile bloom of a flower that never had the chance to live.

Yu Xi had searched for that song on Starnet, found it buried deep in archives, and now it played again, wrapping around him like a memory too vivid to ignore.

Yu Xi struggled to get up. He swayed, unsteady, but the music pulled him forward, guiding his steps. Slowly, he began to move, mimicking her motions. His mother had danced with grace, each gesture flowing like water, each turn a quiet defiance against despair.

Yu Xi’s movements were clumsy, blurred by intoxication, yet there was sincerity in them. His arms lifted, his body swayed, and for a fleeting moment, he felt her presence beside him—her resilience, her love, her unyielding spirit echoing through the melody. It was not perfect, but it was his way of keeping her alive.