The Not-So-Sober Senior

"Cut it out."

She hissed under her breath before grabbing the cat by the scruff of its neck and lifting it up.

"Meow…"

The orange tabby blinked awake, instinctively trying to wriggle free, only to realize it couldn’t move at all. As it glanced around, it noticed it was no longer in the student council room but somewhere oddly familiar…

"Wait, the Archery Club?"

The cat stared at the equipment in the distance, utterly bewildered.

"Awake now?"

Ji Qingyi’s distinctively cold voice sent a shiver down the cat’s spine, making it jerk in surprise. Turning its head, it saw Ji Qingyi glaring down at it with icy eyes.

"Uh… President, why am I here?"

The cat was lost. It remembered being drugged in the student council room before blacking out. Now, it had woken up dangling mid-air in Ji Qingyi’s grip.

"I brought you back."

Ji Qingyi sighed at the clueless expression on the cat’s face before tossing it onto the table. "I’ve already sent the butler away."

"Got it."

Hearing this, the orange tabby leaped off the table. With no outsiders around, it landed on the floor with a soft thud, transforming back into human form.

However, his uniform was a mess—wrinkled and disheveled, as if he’d been manhandled by a crowd. Even his shirt underneath was crumpled, making him look thoroughly roughed up.

This was the aftermath of being… thoroughly harassed.

"Thanks, President."

Su Cheng’s first instinct was to bow his head in gratitude. He didn’t need to guess—Ji Qingyi must have heard the broadcast and rescued him from the student council.

"Why were you unconscious?"

Ji Qingyi frowned, her dark brows knitting together as she took in Su Cheng’s disheveled state.

"The student council secretary gave me catnip!"

The memory of what the secretary had done to him made Su Cheng grit his teeth. "I never expected the student council secretary to be such a split-personality freak."

"But she didn’t mean any harm."

Seeing the frosty look on Ji Qingyi’s face, Su Cheng quickly clarified. Then, checking the time and realizing class was about to start, he hurriedly excused himself. "I should get going."

He turned to leave, but Ji Qingyi suddenly called out, "Wait."

Su Cheng froze mid-step, glancing back in confusion.

To his surprise, she strode over, stopping right in front of him. Her obsidian-dark eyes locked onto his as she raised her hands and began smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes.

"You can’t go out looking like this," she murmured. "It’s embarrassing."

Her voice was as cool and detached as her icy demeanor, but to Su Cheng, it carried an unexpected warmth.

"Uh…"

Su Cheng stood there dumbly for a second before looking down at himself and letting out an awkward chuckle.

"Ahem."

Once satisfied, Ji Qingyi cleared her throat and stepped back, her expression as unreadable as ever. "Alright, go. You don’t want to be late."

"Right."

To Su Cheng, the intimacy of the gesture didn’t feel strange at all.

After all, just yesterday, Ji Qingyi had held him in her arms. So today, her fixing his clothes didn’t seem out of place.

Somehow, without realizing it, the distance between them had shrunk—perhaps because of last night. Either way, neither of them found this closeness the least bit odd.

So, the two of them walked side by side out of the Archery Club and headed toward the school building.

Since Su Cheng hadn’t eaten lunch or drunk any water, his mouth felt dry, and he absentmindedly licked his lips.

"If you're thirsty, drink something."

Ji Qingyi glanced at him, her gaze as calm as a lake, devoid of any hidden meaning.

"I’ll drink when we get back to the classroom."

Su Cheng looked around at the crowded path and refused. After all, the two of them already drew enough attention—pulling water out of his system in public wasn’t exactly convenient.

"Isn’t there a vending machine over there?"

Ji Qingyi tilted her chin slightly toward the right, where a row of vending machines stood, stocked with all kinds of drinks and snacks.

"No, it’s fine. I’ll drink later."

Su Cheng outright rejected the idea. He hadn’t forgotten the "White Tea Incident" from before—there was no way he’d shout "White Tea, come out!" in front of everyone now. That would be way too embarrassing.

"Suit yourself."

Ji Qingyi nodded and didn’t press further.

Soon after, they arrived inside the school building.

At the stairwell, they parted ways, and Su Cheng immediately picked up his pace, heading toward the girls’ locker room.

"Xu Tianyi, have you seen the class monitor?"

Su Cheng spotted Xu Tianyi, who had already changed, and approached her to ask.

"She’s still changing."

Xu Tianyi stopped to answer.

"What about Li Guanqi?"

"Haven’t seen her."

"Oh, thanks."

As for why he was heading to the girls’ locker room?

Because Ling Ning had asked to meet him during this afternoon’s P.E. class.

And if he wanted to skip, he needed to inform the class monitor.

Of course, he didn’t dare actually go inside.

Instead, he lingered around the corner, waiting for the monitor to come out.

But this area was… sensitive, to say the least. Su Cheng felt incredibly awkward, especially when the cheerful chatter of passing girls abruptly stopped the moment they noticed him.

After asking Xu Tianyi, he learned Li Guanqi wasn’t around—she must have already changed—so at least he didn’t have to worry about running into her.

Or so he thought—

"Su Cheng, what are you doing here?"

Just then, a trio of girls walked over, freshly changed—none other than Xuan Ying, Zhao Yan, and Li Guanqi.

Zhao Yan was the one who spoke. She wore a fitted athletic top that showed off her slender arms, paired with tiny shorts that accentuated her long, shapely legs, giving off an energetic vibe.

The other two were dressed similarly, though Li Guanqi’s gaze was fixed on him with an inexplicable hint of resentment. Had he done something to upset her again?

Was it his imagination?

It had to be!

He definitely hadn’t done anything to annoy Li Guanqi today!

"Oh, are you here to ask the monitor for leave?"

Zhao Yan suddenly seemed to remember something and grinned.

"Yeah, Senior Ling Ning asked to meet him."

Xuan Ying chimed in, her eyes lingering on Su Cheng’s handsome face with a touch of infatuation.

"Ah…?"

Su Cheng froze, then guiltily glanced at Li Guanqi—he hadn’t told her about this.

"We can pass the message for you."

Then, Li Guanqi spoke up. Her tone was as flat as ever, her face as expressionless as usual, but for some reason, Su Cheng could just tell she was upset.

This left Su Cheng extremely embarrassed. Originally, this matter had been kept hidden from Li Guanqi, but now she had stumbled upon it directly. What a mess...

"Yeah, the class monitor is still inside changing clothes."

"We’ll go back and pass on the message for you."

After Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying finished speaking, they didn’t even wait for Su Cheng’s agreement before turning to head back to the changing room.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi remained expressionless as she stared at Su Cheng, her silent gaze speaking volumes.

"Um... I was just trying to help Senior Ling Ning with her strange symptoms," Su Cheng stammered, swallowing nervously.

"And skipping PE class yesterday—was that also to help with her symptoms?" Li Guanqi continued, her tone unreadable.

In the end, Su Cheng pulled her aside to a secluded corner and trotted out his pre-prepared excuse: "I wanted to get a certain item from her..."

Hearing this, Li Guanqi’s dark, ink-like eyes fixed on him, making Su Cheng inexplicably uneasy.

"As for what that item is... I’ll explain it to you tonight."

After a moment, Su Cheng averted his gaze, muttered the words, and then hurriedly turned to leave.

Watching Su Cheng’s flustered retreat, Li Guanqi stood silently for a long while before finally sighing and looking away.

The truth was, she already knew everything. But to avoid arousing Su Cheng’s suspicion, she had to play along with this act.

Yesterday, Su Cheng had received a reward—the ability to turn into a cat.

She knew that.

But at noon today, she had seen Hoshino Mirai.

In that instant, her mood had turned heavy.

Logically, the penguin incident should have been resolved, so there was no reason for Su Cheng to interact with those siblings again.

Yet, judging by the current situation, Su Cheng in his cat form had clearly already made contact with the Hoshino siblings.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to the student council office!

If it was a confession, what kind of attribute points would that grant?

But so far, Su Cheng didn’t seem to have undergone any changes.

This question weighed on her mind, making it impossible to rest. Of course, Gu Ruoxue had also noticed the issue.

Though she hadn’t said anything, this unexpected turn of events surely troubled her as well—she just didn’t show it on her face.

………………………………………………

In the afternoon, the sun hung high, casting golden rays over every corner of the campus, bathing everything in a warm glow.

Yet deep within a certain grove, it was dark and shadowed, as if veiled by storm clouds, exuding a chilling, oppressive air.

It was here, in the heart of the grove, that a poised and elegant young woman stood silently, fanning herself with a folding fan. Her gaze was fixed on the only path, as if waiting for something—or someone.

She was Ling Ning.

Yesterday, she could only recall drinking that bottle of water before losing consciousness. When she woke up, she was being helped to her feet by Su Cheng’s classmates, while Su Cheng himself had long since vanished.

What had happened in between remained a mystery to her, though she had a vague sense that she might have...

Later, she checked herself and breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Su Cheng had genuinely been trying to treat her.

Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, the treatment had failed—she had lost control.

The reason? She had used pain to resist the strange emotions, but after drinking the water, the pain vanished, leaving her unable to suppress them.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the depths of the grove, accompanied by the rustling of leaves.

Before the person even appeared, her cheeks began to flush a deep red, and she couldn't help but bite down on her soft, pink lips.

Even though she had anticipated this, facing her own reaction still left her feeling unbearably embarrassed.

The shadow slowly dispersed, and Su Cheng stepped forward, looking at Ling Ning with slight awkwardness as he greeted her, "Senior."

Ling Ning hid half her face behind a folding fan, giving a slight nod before retreating behind a large tree. From there, she asked, "Did something happen yesterday?"

Su Cheng paused, realizing she wanted to keep the tree between them as they spoke. He replied, "You lost control. I was afraid things might escalate, so I ran away."

"Then... do you still have a way to treat it?"

Ling Ning remained hidden behind the tree, her voice laced with shyness and fluster, yet still melodious to the ear.

"I think... if we make eye contact one more time, it might help you return to normal."

After hesitating for a moment, Su Cheng honestly shared his thoughts. He also wanted to test whether this method would work.

Eye contact required them to be close, and since they had no attempts left for the day, there would be no reward either.

So he figured, if this didn’t work, then it was simply fate.

"Alright."

Ling Ning was slightly taken aback by Su Cheng’s suggestion, but it made sense—after all, the one who tied the bell should untie it.

If eye contact had caused this, then ending it the same way was only logical. So she agreed without hesitation.

"Senior, should I come over, or...?"

Seeing her agreement, Su Cheng hesitated, leaving the decision to her.

"You come here."

Ling Ning’s voice sounded from behind the tree. Su Cheng nodded and began walking toward her.

When he reached her, he saw Ling Ning standing there, her face still shielded by the fan, revealing only her eyes—which held a faint red tint around the edges.

Su Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively slowed his steps.

"You... hurry..."

Her voice trembled slightly as she started to urge him, but then she suddenly stopped.

"Actually... maybe we shouldn’t do this."

Abruptly, she spoke again, her tone serious.

"Senior, are you... in your right mind?"

For a moment, Su Cheng wondered if she had lost control again.

"Since we’ve come this far, I might as well try this method. Who knows? It might cure it completely."