Ye Shishi let out a contemptuous sneer. “If you set up Gu Wan’er, you’re also damaging your own reputation. You think you can just leave after that? That’s way too easy for you.”
The meal had gone on for about two hours. Yu Xiaoduo had done a great job keeping the two men company on Gu Wan’er’s behalf, and he’d certainly put away his fair share of alcohol—though not nearly as much as yesterday, when he’d drunk himself into a complete stupor. At least this time, he was still conscious, since he was in his own body.
As for Lu Zhengzhi and Fu Quan, Yu Xiaoduo had managed to get them to drink quite a bit too—so much that they ended up throwing up and passing out cold on the table. In the end, they had to be picked up by their drivers.
“Pretty impressive drinker, huh?” Gu Wan’er patted Yu Xiaoduo on the shoulder.
Yu Xiaoduo shrugged. “Ah, it’s nothing.” But no sooner had he said that than he felt a violent churning in his stomach. He dashed off to the restroom and threw up. Hey, he’d taken down two guys—surely a little puke session wasn’t too much to ask for?
While Yu Xiaoduo was busy throwing up, Gu Wan’er went to settle the bill. But the waiter didn’t dare take her money—the manager had given strict orders.
Gu Wan’er felt helpless. It seemed like she owed Sister Bai more and more by the day.
“Come on, give me a hand,” Yu Xiaoduo called out as he staggered through the door, waving for help. It had definitely been too long since he’d drunk this much—he was actually feeling a little dizzy.
Gu Wan’er was speechless. She walked over and steadied him. “And here I thought you could really hold your liquor.”
“Back in the day, I took on five guys in a drinking contest and sent every single one of them to the hospital,” he boasted, patting his belly before letting out a boozy burp that nearly made Gu Wan’er gag. “But hey, a man’s got to know when to accept his age.”
Left with no other choice, Gu Wan’er half-carried, half-dragged Yu Xiaoduo’s bulky frame toward the parking lot. The guy was built like an ox. She opened the back door of the car and shoved him inside, already drenched in sweat from the effort.
Looking at the now-unconscious Yu Xiaoduo, she gave his backside a firm smack—a little act of petty revenge.
Even in his sleep, Yu Xiaoduo reached back and rubbed his butt, mumbling groggily, “Who’s hitting this young master’s butt? Looking for trouble?”
“Hmph, ‘young master,’ my foot.” Gu Wan’er shut the door and got into the driver’s seat, rolling down all the windows to let in some fresh air.
The drive back was quiet. Gu Wan’er parked the car next to Fatty’s vehicle and glanced at Yu Xiaoduo passed out in the back. She was seriously tempted to just leave him there.
Ah, forget it. What a hard life—she was stuck playing corpse-hauler again.
Hoisting Yu Xiaoduo along, Gu Wan’er stepped into the elevator, and she even felt like her cold was getting better.
When she finally reached the front door, she punched in the code and let herself in. The moment she stepped inside, she nearly blurted out “Mom” and “Dad.”
“Uncle, Auntie.”
The two elders, who had been lounging on the sofa binge-watching a drama, looked up in surprise. Tang Ling hurried over—but when she saw Gu Wan’er hauling her son, her expression turned peculiar, a mix of exasperation and disappointment.
“Old Yu, come give me a hand!”
“Coming, coming!” Yu Taiduo rushed over and steadied his son. This brat actually managed to get himself wasted—what an embarrassment to the Yu family name.
Gu Wan’er let out a sigh of relief and explained, “We were just having dinner together, and he had a bit too much to drink.”
“Wan’er, you must be exhausted! Come sit down and rest. Let me get you some tea,” Tang Ling said warmly.
“And I’ll cut you some fruit,” Yu Taiduo added.
Faced with such enthusiastic hospitality, Gu Wan’er had no choice but to sit down for a while.
She noticed that when it came to her, Uncle and Auntie couldn’t have been nicer—but when it came to Yu Xiaoduo, they were like completely different people. It was actually pretty amusing.
She stayed until nearly 11:30 p.m., then decided it was time to head home.
“Wan’er, why don’t you just sleep over tonight? I’ve already cleaned up the guest room,” Tang Ling offered.
Yu Taiduo chimed in as well, “It’s so late, and it’s not safe for a girl to go home alone. Xiaoduo can’t take you, and it wouldn’t be proper for me to drive you either, right? Just treat this place as your own home and stay the night.”
If she hadn’t known them for a while, Gu Wan’er might’ve actually believed they were just being considerate. Clearly, this was all premeditated.
Still, it really was late, and going back alone did carry some risk.
After a bit of hesitation, Gu Wan’er decided to stay. Tang Ling was absolutely delighted—she laid out fresh towels and a new toothbrush, treating her like a daughter-in-law who’d come to visit.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoduo was still lying in bed, snoring like thunder—so loud you could hear it from outside the room.
—
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window and spilled across the living room floor. Gu Wan’er frowned and slowly opened her eyes. Why did her head hurt so much? Her mouth felt dry too. Staring up at the familiar ceiling, she froze for a second, then instinctively reached down to check.
Oh, for crying out loud—she was back in Yu Xiaoduo’s body again! Why, God?! Why do you always favor Yu Xiaoduo? When he’s in pain, you make me bear it—but when I’m suffering, you just stand by and do nothing. It’s not fair!
Her head felt like it was splitting open!
In the guest room, Yu Xiaoduo slowly opened his eyes. He blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, confused. Where was this? It wasn’t his room, and it wasn’t Gu Wan’er’s bedroom either.
Startled, he quickly crossed his arms over his chest. Looks like he’d swapped into Gu Wan’er’s body again.
Sitting up, he finally recognized the room—it was his own guest room.
Remembering that he’d gotten drunk last night and that Gu Wan’er had woken up in his body, Yu Xiaoduo couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. It seemed like she always ended up bearing the brunt of all the pain. What a tragic fate.
He slipped on a dress, tidied his long hair a little, and walked out of the bedroom. When he saw his mom in the kitchen, he almost accidentally called out to her.
“Wan’er, you’re up already?”
“Yeah, Auntie.”
“The weather’s lovely today. How about we head downstairs and grab some wontons for breakfast?”
Yu Xiaoduo sensed something was off. They ate breakfast at home every single day of the year—why the sudden change of plans?
“Sure.”
Tang Ling beamed with joy and quickly told Yu Taiduo to go wake up their son. That lazy brat—still not out of bed? His girlfriend was right here, and he couldn’t even bother to make a good impression.
Before long, a listless Gu Wan’er shuffled out of the room. When she saw herself standing there, she had the sudden urge to strangle the body in front of her. Yu Xiaoduo, I swear I must’ve owed you in a past life.
Seeing her son’s condition, Tang Ling went to fetch some hangover medicine.
Yu Xiaoduo walked over to Gu Wan’er. “You okay?”
“Do you have some kind of secret to controlling this swap? Why is it always me who has to suffer?” Gu Wan’er felt it was completely unfair—it defied all logic.
Yu Xiaoduo looked helpless. “Honestly, I really don’t. I have no idea either. There’s no pattern to these swaps—I swear, I’m not lying.”
Gu Wan’er didn’t even want to talk anymore. Just let me die in silence. Let it all end.
After taking the hangover medicine, she felt a little better—but her mood was still far from bright.
The four of them headed out together and walked to the community entrance. It was barely 7 a.m., and many elderly women were out doing their morning exercises. When they noticed the beautiful girl beside Tang Ling, they all did a double-take.
Yu Xiaoduo finally understood what his mom was up to.
Bragging.
Even Gu Wan’er, standing nearby, had figured out Auntie’s game. It was both amusing and exasperating.
“Tang Ling, is this your daughter-in-law?” A middle-aged woman walked over, curious.
Before Tang Ling could say anything, Yu Xiaoduo took the initiative, linking his arm with his mom’s. “Hello, Auntie Xu. I’m Xiaoduo’s girlfriend.”
