Rise

Tang Bingyao woke up early the next morning. A ray of sun was shining in her face, something was smelling delicious, and she had a throbbing headache. “Uch…” she groaned as she pulled the blanket over her head. “Stupid sun. Too bright.” She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sledgehammer that was slamming against her head. The soft, warm bed almost made that happen. “Mm-hmm…” But then her stomach responded to the food she could smell. She opened her eyes and complained, “Too early…”

“Eh?” Tang Bingyao yelped. Her eyes snapped open completely and she pushed the blanket away. “Where am I?” She looked around the room, panicking. This isn’t my bed. Uhmm… Where am I? Where, where… “Ughh.” She rubbed her head painfully. Why does my head hurt so much? What happened? Did someone hit me? Did I get kidnapped!? “Ugh. It hurts so much.” She closed her eyes again and rested her head back on the pillow. “Ahh, so nice and soft.”

Tang Bingyao pulled on the blanket and curled up underneath. What happened last night? It was… Friday? Her eyes shot open again. It was my birthday! Birthday party. We went to the restaurant… Food… It was a blur in her mind. There wasn’t a cohesive story, only random tidbits of information. And every time that she tried to tie them all together, her headache got worse. She groaned and mumbled, “Never drinking again. Mhm.”

We had a few drinks after dinner. I think… Did the guys play a game? I sat, somewhere? Tang Bingyao was trying very hard to remember the events leading up to her waking up in a strange room. They all went home, I remember that. Except for… Her eyes suddenly went wide. Something very specific came back to her. I went home with him. He brought me home. And then I stopped him and I… I… She was breathing quickly, worried, nearly hyperventilating. I told him that I lo… lov…

It was that exact thought that jogged the last bit of Tang Bingyao’s memory. A realization that gave her a fresh wave of relaxation. I never said the full sentence. I passed out. I didn’t say it! I didn’t say it! She took the first deep, long breath of the morning. The headache suddenly didn’t feel all that bad anymore and she even managed a small smile. It’d have been way too embarrassing if I did tell him… But I held myself back. BunBun is the right one for him, and not me. My body shut itself down before I could do something stupid. Mhm, good.

Tang Bingyao needed a couple more minutes to convince herself that she really hadn’t said the words and that that was for the best. But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered about that particular part of the night. I passed out. And then I remember an apartment… A girl… Su Xue? Am I at his place? Is this… She pushed the covers off and looked around the room again. I’ve seen this room before. This is Su Xue’s room! I’ve seen it on the stream before! She smiled in relief. I wasn’t kidnapped.

The strong smell of food reached Tang Bingyao’s nose again, now grabbing her full attention. She glanced at the door and then down at her clothes. W-what am I wearing!? These aren’t mine! She pulled at the pink pyjamas she was wearing. They were exactly the type of pyjamas she never bought. It was pink with a large drawing on it. She twisted her head to get a better look at it. Jinx? Is this a Jinx pyjamas? She chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking around the room. I can’t go out looking like this. What if Lin Feng sees me in this? Uh-uh. Where are my clothes?

Tang Bingyao got up and searched around the room, but the only clothes she found were those in Su Xue’s closet. Can’t put those on without asking. That’d be rude. Hmm… She grimaced, considered, then slipped into a pair of slippers and carefully opened the door, peeking around the corner. No one here. What is smelling so good anyway? She sniffed and searched around the hallway. Is someone making breakfast? Does Lin Feng cook?

Uch, my head. Tang Bingyao painfully rubbed her head, groans coming from both her mouth and stomach. She looked back into the room and then out into the hallway again. Do I…? Hmm… Maybe there’s an aspirin for my head. Mhm. I’ll go and see. She pushed the door open and walked down the hallway, following the smell of scrambled egg and bacon. It led her to the kitchen, where she found Su Xue toasting some bread.