Free Web NovelChapter 161: Chapter 161: The Brick
Su Li sighed. "I can cross it myself. I didn’t get a single speck of mud on me."
She really didn’t know what to make of this Tang Yuanxiao.
To say he wasn’t drunk, well, he definitely was. But he wasn’t dead drunk, either. Judging by his appearance and the way he walked, he was perfectly steady. Only when he spoke could you tell something was off.
Since Su Li had crossed the puddle by herself, Tang Yuanxiao continued the rest of the way carrying Little Tang Mo on his back, remaining sullenly silent.
After a few minutes of walking, Su Li heard Tang Yuanxiao muttering something.
She furrowed her brow and tried to listen.
"...Even my supervisor gave Aunt Chang a piggyback ride, but I’ve never carried you. You’re about to not be my wife anymore, and you still won’t let me carry you..."
Su Li: "..."
Looking at Tang Yuanxiao’s seemingly safest yet most dangerous state, and thinking about the intentions she had sensed, Su Li didn’t want him coming to her place.
"Tang Yuanxiao, this inn is pretty nice. You should stay..."
Su Li wanted Tang Yuanxiao to stay at the inn, but unfortunately, he cut her off before she could finish.
"Not staying at the inn."
After saying that, he quickened his pace, rushing toward Su Li’s home.
"If you’re not staying at the inn, you can’t possibly stay at my place."
Su Li hurried after him.
"I’m not staying at your place. You don’t need to worry about me," Tang Yuanxiao quickly replied.
"Then where are you staying?" Su Li was puzzled.
"Not at the inn, and not at your place. Don’t worry, I’m just taking you home."
Tang Yuanxiao was true to his word. He escorted Su Li and Little Tang Mo to the door, set Little Tang Mo down, and then stood still.
"Good night, Momo."
Su Li, her face full of suspicion, closed the door.
"Mom, where is Dad going to sleep?" Little Tang Mo was a little worried about Tang Yuanxiao.
"I don’t know either." Su Li frowned.
"I’m a little worried." Little Tang Mo’s brow furrowed too. He already thought Tang Yuanxiao was a bit dense, and a drunk Tang Yuanxiao was even denser.
Su Li felt uneasy as well.
Tang Yuanxiao looked normal, but he was genuinely drunk. Leaving a drunk person outside just didn’t feel safe.
’He could get robbed, or tricked and led away by someone. You never know.’
"Little Mo, wait here at home for five minutes. I’m going to go get your dad a room."
Little Tang Mo shook his head. "I’ll go with you. I’m worried about you."
Fine. Little Tang Mo was worried about Su Li, and Su Li truly didn’t dare let Little Tang Mo out of her sight.
The two of them had been inside for less than two minutes before they decided to open the door again.
But the moment they opened it, they were both struck speechless. "..."
Tang Yuanxiao was standing ramrod straight in front of the door, not having moved an inch from where he was before.
Seeing them open the door, he even looked puzzled. "What’s wrong?"
"Dad, why are you still here?" Little Tang Mo voiced Su Li’s thoughts.
"I’m guarding the door for you," Tang Yuanxiao said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He then told Little Tang Mo to go back inside. "Hurry back in and sleep tight. Don’t be afraid."
As he spoke, Tang Yuanxiao started to close the door.
Su Li pressed her forehead and blocked the door.
"Tang Yuanxiao, are you sober? Who am I?"
Tang Yuanxiao’s face hardened. "Su Li, I’m not drunk."
"I am Tang Yuanxiao. Today we celebrated you getting into university and hosted a banquet... I remember everything clearly. I’m not drunk."
Tang Yuanxiao tried to close the door again. "I’ll guard the door well. I won’t let any bad guys or men in. You two sleep peacefully."
With a CLICK, the door was shut in Su Li’s face from the outside.
Su Li: "..."
She was starting to suspect that Tang Yuanxiao was faking being drunk.
’Let’s see if you’re really drunk or just faking it. See if you can actually stand guard outside all night.’
Su Li took Little Tang Mo to wash up. After they were done, they played for a while and chatted a bit.
When Little Tang Mo started yawning, Su Li checked the time, thought for a moment, and quietly opened the door again.
She peeked through the crack in the door and met Tang Yuanxiao’s gaze head-on.
Tang Yuanxiao was exactly the same as before, completely unchanged.
Su Li: "...!!!"
"What is it now?" Tang Yuanxiao frowned.
"You... why are you still here?" Su Li was the one who should be frowning. ’Is he here to stand guard duty?!’
"I... can’t I be here?" Seeing Su Li’s unhappy expression, a flicker of guilt crossed Tang Yuanxiao’s face.
The next second, Tang Yuanxiao explained with a wooden face.
"I’m just standing guard for you so you can sleep without worry. I won’t go in."
Su Li was now certain that Tang Yuanxiao was truly drunk. It’s just that his drunken behavior was a little different from most people’s.
"It’s very safe here. You don’t have to go to the trouble of standing guard. Hurry up and find a place to rest."
"I’m not tired, and it’s no trouble. Standing guard or doing surveillance is much more tiring than this. You should go to sleep."
Tang Yuanxiao tried to close the door again.
Su Li stopped him. "Tang Yuanxiao..."
Tang Yuanxiao’s face tensed. "Su Li, I won’t do anything."
"Mom, let Dad in. It’s getting cold outside," Little Tang Mo said, peeking his head out.
Su Li sighed. "Tang Yuanxiao, come in. You can stand guard inside."
Tang Yuanxiao shook his head vehemently.
"I’m not going in. I’m a man. We’re about to get a divorce. I can’t take advantage of you." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Su Li: "..."
After much persuasion, and with Little Tang Mo dragging him, Tang Yuanxiao finally entered the house.
But once inside, he wouldn’t go to sleep. He wanted to stand guard inside the house now.
Little Tang Mo had to ’scold’ him for a bit before he finally agreed to sleep instead of standing.
He was going to sleep, yes, but he refused to sleep on Little Tang Mo’s bed. He insisted on sleeping in the living room.
"To protect you from the living room!"
Tang Yuanxiao sat down on the sofa and didn’t move, instructing Su Li.
"Lock your door. Make sure you lock it... just in case..."
’What if I go in?’
Ten Su Lis would be no match for him.
Tang Yuanxiao repeated again, "I can’t take advantage of you."
Su Li: "..." frёeωebɳovel.com
Helpless, Su Li and Little Tang Mo could only go to bed.
Before she closed the door, Tang Yuanxiao called out to her again.
Tang Yuanxiao got up and grabbed a brick from the windowsill, handing it to Su Li.
"Put this by your bed. I... if I go in, you hit me with it. Hit me hard."
Su Li: "..."
Tang Yuanxiao avoided Su Li’s gaze, insisting on pushing the brick into her hands.
"I... I..."
He stammered for a long time, unable to form a sentence, not daring to look at Su Li.
There was a fire burning inside his body, and it blazed hotter the closer he got to Su Li.
His heart was moved, his desire stirred. On normal days, he could restrain himself, but after drinking, he found it hard to control his emotions.
Tang Yuanxiao was lucid, yet also muddled.
He couldn’t bear to leave Su Li, which was why he wanted to guard her even from behind a closed door.
But he also knew he couldn’t do this, so he was desperately holding himself back.
The fire in the depths of Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes burned fiercely.
But Su Li’s previous guardedness dissipated because of the brick in her hand.
’Tang Yuanxiao... he’s so restrained even when he’s drunk.’
Her heart filled with complex emotions. She glanced at Tang Yuanxiao’s hands, clenched into tight fists at his sides, murmured a soft reply, and entered her room with the brick, locking the door securely.
She wasn’t some naive little girl; she understood Tang Yuanxiao’s state.
’Staying out of his sight is the kindest thing I can do for him right now.’
After Su Li left, Tang Yuanxiao heard the lock click and let out a huge sigh of relief.
He unclenched his hands; his palms were drenched in sweat.
He sat on the sofa, staring at the door to Su Li’s room, his gaze deep and glinting like a wolf’s.
It was as if his gaze could pierce through the room’s door, which seemed as thin as paper to him.
After drinking several glasses of water, Tang Yuanxiao finally lay down. Once he was lying down, he could no longer fight off the effects of the alcohol and fell asleep.
The next day, Tang Yuanxiao awoke to the sound of Little Tang Mo’s stifled giggles.
The moment Tang Yuanxiao became fully conscious, his eyes snapped open. There wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in them, only a sharp alertness.
He only relaxed after seeing Little Tang Mo. Then came the throbbing headache of a hangover.
Along with the headache, the memories of last night came flooding back.
