Chapter 331: Doing Tai Chi?

Chapter 331: Chapter 331: Doing Tai Chi?

Cynthia Whittaker frowned and swayed. "Say what? I didn’t say anything..." Her gaze was hazy, her mind in a fog.

Perhaps it was Cynthia Whittaker’s influence, but Lily Hart—who was usually a quiet drunk—started to act strangely. She inexplicably stood up, swayed on her feet, and started practicing tai chi, pulling Cynthia Whittaker in with her.

"Come on! Let’s get some exercise!" Lily Hart shouted.

The two stood facing each other. Their eyes met, and as if telepathically linked, they simultaneously squatted into a horse stance. Their hands, which had been hanging at their sides, drifted upward.

Lily Hart’s form was decent enough, but Cynthia Whittaker was just clumsily mimicking her. Everyone else stared, dumbfounded.

’Why on earth were they doing tai chi all of a sudden?’

Sue Sutton tried to pull Cynthia Whittaker away but was shoved aside. "Go away!" Cynthia declared indignantly. "I want to learn tai chi!"

Lily Hart also bellowed, her voice booming with energy, "Quick, join us! Let’s! Do! Tai! Chi!"

Frost Shaw and the others were speechless.

’He knew nothing good would come from letting Lily Hart get drunk.’

He shot Sue Sutton a look, and they moved to pull Cynthia Whittaker and Lily Hart away, respectively. However, both were pushed back, and neither dared to use brute force.

Lily Hart squinted at Frost Shaw. "Come on, do tai chi."

She reached out to pull him in, but Frost Shaw dodged. With flushed cheeks and dazed eyes, Lily Hart planted her hands on her hips and snapped, "What are you dodging for! Get over here right now!"

She pointed to a spot for him. Seeing no way out, Frost Shaw had no choice but to comply, obediently standing where she indicated.

"Now that’s more like it," Lily Hart cooed, stroking her chin. Her gaze drifted to Seth, who was closest. She staggered over and grabbed him.

Lily Hart giggled. "You come too." Her smile was radiant, her eyes crinkling into crescents. She was flushed and warm all over, like a honey peach.

Seth found it impossible to refuse Lily Hart like this, so he obediently let her pull him over and place him next to Frost Shaw.

One by one, she pulled everyone else over and lined them up. Though her body swayed and she couldn’t walk in a straight line, she miraculously never fell.

Lily Hart stood before the group and slurred, "Okay, copy me!"

It was a bizarre scene: a group of people doing tai chi in a room thick with the smell of hot pot, all of them fumbling about like clumsy penguins.

Owen Warren couldn’t take it anymore. Thinking the whole thing was idiotic, he decided to just stand still. But he was immediately caught by the "discipline monitor," Cynthia Whittaker, who promptly tattled on him.

"Lily—HIC—he’s not listening! He’s not doing tai chi!"

"Let me see who it is!" Lily Hart, unsteady on her feet, nearly tripped over herself, making Frost Shaw’s heart skip a beat. She turned around with a frown.

Her gaze locked onto Owen Warren. "So you’re not listening, huh? Get moving, now!"

Owen Warren put his hands on his hips in frustration, but he was helpless. Roman Rowe chuckled beside him. "Just get on with it, man. Don’t piss off Boss Hart."

He then lowered his voice, "Just humor her and get it over with, or this will never end."

Owen Warren reluctantly moved his feet shoulder-width apart and squatted into a horse stance. "Fine, I’m doing it! Happy now?!"

Lily Hart nodded in solemn agreement. "Mmm... that’s more like it."

She then turned around again, standing at the front to demonstrate the tai chi moves. The poses were already a bit ethereal by nature, but her drunken state made them look utterly ridiculous.

Everyone did their best to suppress their laughter as they followed along.

After they finally managed to muddle through that segment, Lily Hart, dizzy and on the verge of collapsing, plopped down onto a chair. She waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, dismissed!"

Her words were a muddled slur.

All everyone knew was that the ordeal was finally over. One by one, they sank back into their seats, drained of energy. Frost Shaw went over to her, crouched down, and asked softly, "Ready to go to sleep?"

Now that the tai chi was over, Lily Hart reverted to her silent state. Propping her head in her hands, she nodded groggily. "Sleep."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sue Sutton, meanwhile, went to deal with Cynthia Whittaker. After some coaxing, she finally convinced Cynthia to go with her, and Cynthia even seemed to recognize who she was.

Lily Hart insisted on walking by herself, so the others could only hover nearby to keep her steady. Cynthia Whittaker, on the other hand, was being held up by Sue Sutton, draped over her like she had no bones.

Lily Hart had only drunk two bottles, but that was already her limit.

’Frost Shaw made a mental note. In the future, he’d keep her away from alcohol as much as possible. Even if she did drink, it had to be in moderation. Getting drunk every time... it was so bad for her body!’

He helped her all the way back to the RV. Seeing that, the others dispersed and returned to their respective shops.

Cynthia Whittaker, meanwhile, was helped back to the convenience store by Sue Sutton. Diana Sharp led the way so they wouldn’t get lost.

Once inside the room, Sue Sutton laid her on the bed and firmly grasped her flailing hands.

She took off Cynthia’s shoes and jacket, tucked her under the covers, and, after a look around, decided to wash her face.

She found the bathroom and tentatively turned the faucet. With a loud SPLASH, perfectly clear water gushed out.

Sue Sutton jumped in shock and quickly shut it off before carefully turning it back on again, just a crack.

She let the water flow slow to a trickle. She hadn’t expected there to be actual running water; back at the base, the faucets were purely for show.

After wetting a towel, Sue Sutton began to wipe Cynthia’s face and hands, but Cynthia petulantly tried to shake her off.

Patiently, Sue took her hand again and continued to wipe, her expression gentle. The frown she always wore slowly began to relax.

After she finished wiping Cynthia’s hands and face, Sue Sutton tucked the blanket around her and stood up to leave.

But Cynthia suddenly grabbed her wrist, murmuring, "Sue... are you leaving?"

A jolt went through Sue Sutton. She turned back to look at Cynthia in disbelief, unable to bring herself to pull her hand away.

...

「The next day.」

"Holy crap! What on earth did I do?" Lily Hart exclaimed in shock.

[You led everyone in a tai chi session,] the System replied, its tone calm and dismissive. [There’s a video. Want to see it?]

"No, thank you," Lily Hart said through gritted teeth, her lips twitching.

But it was no use; the video was already playing before her eyes. She watched herself with a dopey, giggling expression, her movements as clumsy as a child’s scrawl.

The others all wore looks of utter despair, yet they had no choice but to follow her lead. ’Oh, good heavens,’ Lily thought, ’I am absolutely never drinking again!’

Lily Hart swore a silent oath, then remembered why she had arranged the gathering.

’It was for Cynthia Whittaker and Sue Sutton!’

In the video, Cynthia Whittaker was also drunk. Sue Sutton was looking at her with a worried expression, but her body was honestly going through the tai chi motions.

She immediately called Cynthia Whittaker. "Hello? Cynthia, are you awake? Come on over for breakfast."

’Just testing the waters first.’

"Ahem, this is Sue Sutton. She’s still asleep—" a voice, both awkward and calm, replied from her Light Brain.

Lily Hart abruptly ended the call. The words echoed in her mind.

’She’s still sleeping? That was Sue Sutton? What does that mean?’

’Did Sue Sutton not go back to the base last night? Did she sleep right in Cynthia Whittaker’s room?’

’Two girls sleeping in the same bed is perfectly normal,’ Lily Hart tried to tell herself.

’If it weren’t *Cynthia Whittaker and Sue Sutton*, it would be as normal as could be!’

But now, she was extremely suspicious of their relationship... and extremely curious about what had happened between them in the past.

’Aaaargh, the curiosity is killing me!’