Chapter 28: Dream or Illusion

“You can’t even drink, yet you drink so much.”

It was that same familiar, gentle voice. Guan Ju'er suddenly stood up and walked toward Qin Hao. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she stood on her tiptoes until her face was almost pressed against his, and let out a drunken hiccup.

“I only had a little bit. See? Just one glass.”

Seeing Guan Ju'er swaying, looking as if she might collapse at any moment, Qin Hao reached out to steady her arm and asked irritably, “Where’s your bag? I’ll take you home.”

Guan Ju'er pointed at a chair. “It’s right there.”

As Qin Hao stepped forward to take the bag, one of the male classmates spoke up, sounding displeased.

“Wait, who are you? Why are you just taking Guan Ju'er away? Can't you see we're having a class reunion?”

“Yeah, you can't just take her. Guan Ju'er is this drunk; what if something happens to her?”

Qin Hao swept a glance over them.

“I know you guys are trying to liven up the atmosphere for your reunion, but that’s no excuse to pressure a girl into drinking. You’re all adults; you should know that if an accident happens while drinking at a table, the people pressuring others to drink are liable for civil damages.”

The young men and women who had just graduated were instantly intimidated by Qin Hao's aura, and none of them dared to utter another word.

Carrying the bag in one hand and supporting Guan Ju'er with the other, Qin Hao walked out of the restaurant.

Sensing footsteps behind him, Qin Hao turned around to find Senior Brother Lin following them.

Senior Brother Lin immediately said, “I need to make sure Guan Ju'er is safely delivered to her residence.”

【Ding! Task updated. Senior Brother Lin's wish: He dreams of marrying someone like Guan Ju'er. Task reward: 6 Luck Points.】

Qin Hao cursed the damn task under his breath and rejected it outright.

He looked back at Senior Brother Lin. How should he put it? Aside from being unremarkable in appearance, Senior Brother Lin actually had decent qualities. However, just as Guan Ju'er had thought, he didn't love Guan Ju'er herself, but rather her various attributes—if there were no fish, he'd settle for shrimp.

Life with such a man would be stable, but it would also easily become tedious.

“If I were you, I’d take out my phone and snap a photo. That way, if something happens to Guan Ju'er in the future, you'll have evidence.”

Senior Brother Lin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took out his phone and snapped a photo of Qin Hao and Guan Ju'er. Once he finished, Qin Hao helped Guan Ju'er into the car.

Watching the taillights of the Audi Q7 fade into the distance, Senior Brother Lin looked at the photo in his hand and couldn't help but sigh. The two of them actually looked quite well-matched.

Along the way, perhaps because the alcohol was starting to take effect, Guan Ju'er turned into a little chatterbox while lying in the passenger seat.

“Why do you only appear in my dreams and when I'm drunk? But I guess that's fine too...”

“Hmph, you men... you say you like gentle and virtuous women, but in your hearts, you're thinking about those slutty, wild ones. You're so hypocritical!”

Qin Hao couldn't help but chuckle inwardly; this girl was quite cute when she was drunk.

Finally arriving at the underground garage of Joy Song, Qin Hao parked the car. Just as he was helping Guan Ju'er down from the passenger seat, she lost her footing and tumbled into his arms.

Guan Ju'er giggled and even reached out to pinch Qin Hao's cheek.

“This dream feels so real.”

“Too bad it's fake.”

“Since it's fake, does that mean I can do whatever I want without being caught?”

Then, Guan Ju'er stood on her tiptoes and gave Qin Hao a fleeting, butterfly-like kiss on the lips, even smacking her lips afterward.

“As expected, everything in literature is fake. Kissing isn't even that soul-stirring.”

Damn, he had been ambushed. Once Qin Hao reacted, he reached out and pinched both of Guan Ju'er's cheeks between his thumb and forefinger.

Guan Ju'er's mouth parted slightly. Before she could react, a wave of numbness washed over her entire body. The sensation was completely different from the stimulation of alcohol, yet it left her more intoxicated than any strong liquor.

After a long while, Guan Ju'er was finally forced to pull away because she couldn't catch her breath. She heard Qin Hao say in a dead serious tone

“That is what you call a kiss.”

Guan Ju'er had no memory of what happened next. By the time she woke up again, it was already night.

Guan Ju'er found herself lying in her room in 2202. Startled, she checked herself and found that although her clothes were a bit disheveled, they were still intact, which allowed her to breathe a secret sigh of relief.

“Serves you right for showing off,” Guan Ju'er muttered to herself, rubbing her throbbing head.

But then she remembered that "dream" from just now.

“Sigh, if only it hadn't been a dream, how wonderful would that have been?”

Feeling thirsty, Guan Ju'er went to the living room for water. As soon as she stepped out, Qiu Yingying heard the noise, came out of her room, and grabbed her.

“Guan Guan, how are you? Do you feel unwell? Do you feel like throwing up?”

Guan Ju'er gave Qiu Yingying a grateful hug. “Yingying, thank you. I'm okay. Actually, I only had one beer.”

When Guan Ju'er let go, Qiu Yingying patted her chest. “You have no idea, I was scared to death. I thought something had happened to you. When my brother brought you back...”

Guan Ju'er's head went *buzz*, exploding instantly. She had no idea what Qiu Yingying was saying after that.

After finally regaining her senses, Guan Ju'er asked nervously, “You said... Qiu Yan brought me back?”

“Yeah! You were acting all drunk back then. Look, you were just lying on the sofa, refusing to move no matter what. In the end, my brother had to carry you into your room.”

Only one thought raced through Guan Ju'er's mind: *I'm doomed.*

Her undignified behavior had been witnessed by the person she liked; this was a total social death scene.

Wait, that meant what she had done before wasn't a dream—it was all real. Qin Hao had taken her home, and then in the underground garage, the two of them had kissed...

“Guan Guan, are you even listening to me?” Qiu Yingying pushed her, her face full of worry.

Guan Ju'er looked utterly despondent as she slumped onto the sofa. She had actually taken the initiative to kiss Qin Hao.

According to the education she had received since childhood, a girl should be reserved and ladylike, but today, she was neither.

Guan Ju'er felt as if her world were collapsing.

*He won't hate me, will he?*

*Will he think I'm a particularly loose girl?*

*How am I supposed to face him in the future? This is too embarrassing.*

Guan Ju'er said to Qiu Yingying with a look of utter despair, “Yingying, tell me... I'm dreaming, right? Like in *Inception*? I haven't actually woken up yet, right?”

Qiu Yingying looked bewildered. “Guan Guan, what's wrong with you? Did the alcohol make you lose your mind? Should I have my brother take you to the hospital for a check-up?”

“No! I'm perfectly fine!” Guan Ju'er nearly jumped off the sofa.

“Are you really okay?”

“Mhm.” Guan Ju'er nodded solemnly, then returned to her room with a long face and buried her head under the covers.

“Waaaah~~~ I can't show my face to anyone ever again!”

Perhaps due to the lingering effects of the alcohol, Guan Ju'er fell asleep again quite quickly. In her dreams, she returned to the underground garage—the same scene, the same person.

For a moment, she couldn't tell which was the dream and which was reality.