"I can drink …" Xiang Yu unsteadily lifted his cup and pushed it into Xin Lan’s face. "At least as much as you!"

Xin Lan peered over the rim of the cup and his lips curled up. "That one is empty."

"Ah?" Xiang Yu took the cup back and stared into it. It seemed … he was right. It was empty. He pushed it back at Xin Lan. "Then … let’s fill it again!"

"The jar is also empty."

"Then let’s open another one! I can still drink!"

Xin Lan looked from the cup to Xiang Yu’s face and raised his brows. Excuse him for having an opinion on this but this fallen god didn’t look like he could take even another sip, not to mention half a jar. His eyes had already turned misty as if he would cry the next moment and his cheeks were flushed red.

"I can!"

The cup was shoved closer and Xin Lan finally gave in with a sigh. He pushed Xiang Yu’s hand away, pulled another jar of wine over and opened the lid. "Don’t you dare complain afterward." He poured both Xiang Yu and himself another cup and put the jar back down.

Xiang Yu didn’t think of complaining at all. He raised his cup with a bright smile and stared at the translucent liquid.

Xin Lan shook his head with another sigh and sipped his own wine. What a waste. If he couldn’t drink anymore, he shouldn’t have taken another cup. He quietly downed the rest of the wine and picked up the jar again.

Seeing that Xin Lan was almost a cup ahead, Xiang Yu tilted his head back and emptied his cup in one gulp. Then he pushed it back at the dragon next to him, blinking his limpid eyes.

"Oh. So you really finished drinking that." Xin Lan poured himself another cup but didn’t move to do the same for Xiang Yu. Instead, he leaned back and just raised his cup. Mn, it would be best if this guy just collapsed already. Then he could enjoy his wine in solitude. What was with this unintended drinking competition? Did he need to compare himself with a fallen god?

That guy might have forgotten but he was fully aware that the body of a god wouldn’t age anymore after their fall no matter what they did. This guy … could hardly be considered an adult. What had given him the idea that he could drink as much as him?

Xiang Yu put his cup down with a huff and reached over, grabbing Xin Lan’s cup.

"What are you —"

Xiang Yu wrested the cup out of his hands and turned away, quietly sipping the wine.

Xin Lan’s brows twitched. "That’s my cup."

"Then you can have mine."

"That —" Xin Lan took a deep breath and clenched his fists a few times to make sure he wouldn’t try to strangle his unwelcome guest. This was just … a child throwing a tantrum. He picked a clean cup from the side and poured himself another drink.

Xiang Yu finally peered over his shoulder. He couldn’t help but inch closer to Xin Lan and stare at the cup in his hands before turning to the one in his own hands and finally the last one on the table. "Why are there three cups now?" He wouldn’t be seeing double, would he? Already? Then … what about him?

He glanced back at Xin Lan’s face but there was no change in his expression compared to usual. He didn’t seem intoxicated at all. Or maybe … He put down his cup and reached for the mask that covered half of Xin Lan’s face.

The dragon angrily swatted his hands away. "What do you think you’re doing?!"

"I want to see how you look when you’re drunk."

"How do you want to see? I’m not drunk."

"I’m not drunk either!" Xiang Yu straightened up only to sway on the seat.

Xin Lan sighed and poured another round, very conscientiously filling up all three cups. Whichever Xiang Yu decided to pick up, he would have at least one to himself, wouldn’t he? That fallen god shouldn’t be able to hog all three to himself.

Xiang Yu leaned closer to the table and peered at the cups. Which one was the fake one? He didn’t want to give the fake dragon any excuse to laugh at him just because he tried to pick up an illusion.

Xin Lan’s lips already twitched at the sight. How did this guy still dare to pretend he wasn’t drunk? He shook his head and picked up the third cup, quietly enjoying himself. Mn, if this happened again, he would just take out the strong wine and get this guy unconscious in three cups.

Xiang Yu finally picked up the cup he had stolen from Xin Lan. His face lit up when he managed to touch the cup. So that one had been real! He really had such good eyes!

He sat up straight again but had to grab onto the table with one hand. Only when he was sure that he wouldn’t fall to the ground did he raise the cup to his lips. He very slowly sipped the liquor to make sure he didn’t spill anything. He couldn’t let that fake dragon pretend that he had lost just because he spilled a bit. No way …

Xin Lan already put down his cup and reached for the jar. When he glanced over to judge whether he had to put up with Xiang Yu for longer … his pupils constricted. Just what … was happening there? Xiang Yu had let go of the table and was holding the cup with two hands, his lips were pursed as if he wanted to inhale the liquor instead of drinking it and his pair of normally bright eyes had misted over so much that tears were slowly gathering at the corners.

Xin Lan couldn’t help but lean over to take a closer look. This was … somewhat cute. Especially since a certain someone had stopped moving altogether. He just sat there, pouting into his cup.

Xin Lan licked his lips and reached over. His hand clasped around Xiang Yu’s jaw, startling him awake.

Those dazed eyes blinked rapidly a few times before they managed to focus on Xin Lan … or at least somewhere on his face. "I … I can still drink!"

"Then what is the wine still doing in your cup? Come, come, drink up. I want to refill!"

Xiang Yu turned to stare into his cup. Uh? How come there was still wine in there? He tilted his head but his head was wrested back into position by Xin Lan.

"You’re supposed to drink it, not admire how it sparkles in the moonlight."

"Oh." Xiang Yu nodded and pursed his lips again, finally drinking the wine. Or, well, part of it. The other half splashed on Xin Lan’s hand.

Xin Lan awkwardly pulled it back and dried it off on his sleeve. Well, that was his own fault. Why had he held onto him while forcing him to drink? He took the cup from Xiang Yu and handed him the one that had still stood on the table. "Here."

"You’re … really fast." Xiang Yu didn’t question it further though. He just tilted his head back and let the wine run down his throat. His aim had diminished though. A drop escaped from his lips and trickled down past his jaw, slowly making its way down his neck only to vanish in his robe.

Xin Lan poured himself a cup and gulped it down in a hurry. Damn. Was the wine getting to him? He hadn’t really thought … that that looked enticing right now, had he? No, no, that couldn’t be. Even if he shifted his affections from his Master to somebody else in the future, he wouldn’t shift them to a fallen god. He wasn’t an idiot.

Something poked his arm, pulling him out of his thoughts. Xin Lan looked down and found the rim of a cup pressed against it. Lifting his gaze a little, he found the limpid eyes of Xiang Yu peering at something above his head.

Xin Lan blindly grabbed the jar and refilled all three cups. He suddenly felt a sense of urgency. He needed to get this guy drunk soon or things might turn for the worse. He definitely couldn’t risk anything with this person.

Xiang Yu didn’t manage to lift the cup this time. How could he do so? It had gotten stuck to that fake dragon. Mn, probably … He had probably done that on purpose. He was trying to defeat him with unfair means! But he wouldn’t give up so soon!

Xiang Yu kept the cup stuck to Xin Lan’s arm and shifted back on his seat, leaning his head forward before he put his lips to the rim of the cup again.

Xin Lan watched in horror how a certain someone very cutely sipped at his wine even though his expression screamed 'I’m in a bad mood and it’s your fault!' Xin Lan picked up his cup and drowned the content. Today, it might be better if he got himself drunk too. Then he could pretend all of this had only been because of the alcohol. He wasn’t lacking in taste that much.

Xiang Yu tugged at his sleeve. "Another … another jar …" His voice was already slurred, making it difficult to understand what he was saying.

Xin Lan unceremoniously picked up the third cup he had filled before and moved to pour the wine into the cup Xiang Yu still pressed against his arm. Before he could get close enough, a certain fallen god craned his neck and bit into the cup.

"Fuck! Are you a dog?!"

Xiang Yu didn’t see anything wrong with his behavior. He didn’t have a hand free. What else could he do but bite the cup? It was all the fake dragon’s fault! Why wasn’t he coming closer with the cup?

Xin Lan didn’t think of doing that. Instead, he even tried to take the cup away, making Xiang Yu shift closer to him. He furrowed his brows. This guy …

Xiang Yu looked up angrily. He grumbled something but with the cup still between his teeth, Xin Lan had no idea just what curse had been hurled at him.

"You let go."

"Ngh!" Xiang Yu’s head shifted around, making his hair flop up and down.

Xin Lan let go of the cup as if he had been burned.

With the force tugging from the other side suddenly gone, the cup rebounded and smacked against the fallen god’s nose.

"Ow!" Tears shot into Xiang Yu’s eyes and he spat the cup out, pouring the wine over Xin Lan’s sleeve. Before Xin Lan could react, Xiang Yu instinctively let go of the other cup, adding to the mess on the sleeve. He reached up and covered his nose. "Ow …"

Xin Lan who had just wanted to yell at him, bit his words back and awkwardly cleared his throat. He was still a respected senior of the dragon race. He wouldn’t let anybody say that he was bullying a kid! "There, there. It’s alright."

Xiang Yu sobbed and continued to hold his nose with one hand while he reached out with the other one to grab onto the dry part of Xin Lan’s sleeve. "Mean!"

Xin Lan nodded. "Yes, yes, I’m mean. Stop crying now." He raised his hand but hesitated. Uh … What now? In the end, he still patted Xiang Yu’s head. Mn. He patted his head again and Xiang Yu finally let go of his nose.

He leaned forward until his forehead touched Xin Lan’s shoulder and stayed like that.

Xin Lan rubbed his back. "Better now?"

Xiang Yu didn’t answer. He rubbed his forehead against Xin Lan’s shoulder and sniffed. "You smell nice."

Xin Lan grabbed his head and pulled it up, peering into Xiang Yu’s eyes. They were completely unfocused. This fallen god had finally had enough. "Alright, I think we’ve drunk enough. Let’s stop here."

"No! I can … I can … still …"

"Yes, yes, you can. But I can’t. So let me bring you inside."

"Mn …" Xiang Yu moved his head around in an attempt on nodding.

Xin Lan’s lips quivered. This guy …

"You’re allowed."

"Allowed? What do you mean?"

"You’re allowed to …" He furrowed his brows and stared at Xin Lan’s chin. "To … to marry me!"

Xin Lan coughed. "What?!"

Xiang Yu frowned. What was he coughing for? Interrupting all his important thoughts like that. Now, he’d … he’d have to … repeat. What had he said? He tilted his head to the side. The fake dragon wanted to bring him away. Mn … That was … alright. He should tell him. His head tilted to the other side. "I’ll allow you … to carry me." With that, he hugged Xin Lan’s neck as tight as he could in his intoxicated state.

Xin Lan still heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, that had just been a slip of the tongue. He didn’t want this guy to get any ideas. "Well, if you’re allowing me so graciously, then I guess I should use the opportunity." He picked Xiang Yu up and carried him into the palace, finally putting him down on the bed in one of the guest rooms. Ah, finally. Now he could go back out and enjoy a few cups in solitude.

He wanted to get up and leave but a certain someone still clung to his neck. Xin Lan’s brows twitched. He reached behind him and tried to loosen those fingers. Unfortunately, Xiang Yu had interlaced them quite securely. Xin Lan sighed and finally just pulled those arms over his head and let them drop onto Xiang Yu’s body.

The fallen god grumbled and finally, those fingers let go of each other. He turned onto his side, squinting his eyes at the unfamiliar surrounding.

Xin Lan couldn’t help but smile. "You’re rather cute when you’re drunk."

Those hands shot up and grabbed his lapel and Xiang Yu pulled himself up until his face was directly in front of Xin Lan’s. His eyes had widened as if he was trying to scare him. "I’m always cute!"

Xin Lan opened his lips but before he could retort, Xiang Yu’s eyes rolled back and he fell onto the bed, finally unconscious.

Xin Lan gulped and stared at the fallen god in front of him. He couldn’t help but reach out and nudge him. "Heh. Are you … are you really unconscious now?" He frowned. "You wouldn’t try to give me a scare again, would you?"

Xiang Yu still didn’t react. He just breathed evenly and his lips slowly curved into a smile as if he was having a very pleasant dream.

Xin Lan sighed. It seemed he had been thinking too much. He turned away but finally remembered that he couldn’t let him lie there like that. He sighed again, picked up the blanket and covered Xiang Yu with it, turning him onto his side while he was at it. "Alright, goodnight then." He said so but in fact, he didn’t turn away but continued to look at Xiang Yu’s face. In the end, he leaned down and his lips brushed the corner of the fallen god’s mouth.

Only then did he leave the room and returned to drink alone in the pavilion.