Li Jun climbed in after her. She held her nose slightly so she wouldn't get an inhalant high from all the Vodka he'd consumed. Chia-Hao handed a few bills to the driver and closed the door behind them, waving at Li Na as the taxi sped away.
"Xinyi district; First building," said Li Jun to the taxi driver.
She was about to correct Li Jun and give the taxi driver her address when Li Jun interrupted her. "You didn't come into The Club for a drink or to have a good time." He was staring at her clothes, his gaze drawn to the flesh of her knees, which was exposed beneath her ripped jeans.
"Unfortunate circumstances. I was at the wrong moment and at the wrong place."
He exhaled deeply, a smile flickering at the edges of his lips. "Nope," he said. "I'd say you've been extraordinarily fortunate. And now that I've seen you, I am so blessed and lucky."
She snorted and sighed. It was too late to ask the cabbie to turn around now; they were driving in the opposite direction. She was going to have to see to it that Li Jun made it inside safely before she could walk home. She shook her head and took a long sip from her bubble tea.
"You didn't call or text me to ask for the reason for my absence from class?" His eyes shifted to hers suspiciously. "Is that the reason you searched for me in the bar?"
"Of course not. I was on my way home from the office when I saw you through the opened door."
"You saw me and decided to come and talk to me?" He sounded surprised.
"No," Li Na answered, "I saw you and decided to come and fling your drunk ass away from the club so you could go home and sleep off your extremely drunk self"
"Does it matter to you if I'm extremely drunk?"
"Yes it matters, I only know few people in Taipei, and one of them is you, Li Jun. You are also my student."
"That's a shame, I felt I was more than your student. Tsk. I suppose Albert the chef is one of the few people you know."
Li Na gave him a dubious look but didn't say anything.
"Iris f**k*r."
She frowned. "Iris f**k*r? "Who are you referring to with that annoying nickname? "And who is Iris"
"hmph! You are my Iris. Who else is iris f**k*r but Albert" Li jun said grumpily.
"Why?"
"Because that's what he is, Professor Li Na. Or rather, what he hopes he will become. Over my dead body. You tell him that—Tell him that if he has any thoughts of stealing you from me, he does so at his own risk. You are my Blue Iris and no one is taking you from me."
Li Na raised an eyebrow in response to his bizarre and obviously stupid profanity, as well as the subsequent explanation. She compared the composed Li Jun to the drunken Li Jun and discovered that the drunk version is actually kind of cute. She also noticed that his drunkenness alternated between moments of complete clarity and total craziness.
Li Na observed, "I guess I'm not the only one who talks flowers when they're drunk."
They arrived at his apartment building shortly after, and the two of them exited the taxi together. Li Na didn't have to walk far to get home—only approximately four city blocks. She also didn't need to call for a taxi because she prefers to walk. So she smiled at Li Jun, wished him good night, and patted herself on the back for hurling a tall man out of the vehicle in such a professional manner. She then began the long, lonely walk home with her long-forgotten bubble tea.
He called after her, searching the pockets of his trousers and leaning awkwardly against a fake potted tree, "I can't find my keys."
"But, I've found my glasses and wallet!" He raised his black Prada eyeglasses and Italian leather wallet in the air.
Li Na closed her eyes and drew breath. She wanted to leave him there. She wanted to pass along the responsibility for his well-being to some other Good Samaritan, preferably, a passing homeless person or his neighbor. But when she looked over at Li Jun's confused face and saw him beginning to tilt to one side as if he was going to fall over and take the Innocent potted tree with him (a potted tree that had never harmed anyone), she knew that he needed her help. He was her student and have helped her own drunken ass home though her drunken state was not to this extent. And she knew in her heart that any act of charity, no matter how trivial, was never wasted.
With a sigh, she turned around and tossed her bubble-less bubble tea into the trash can.
"Let's go." She placed an arm around his waist, flinching slightly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze that was almost too friendly.
They tumbled into the lobby like a car that had lost control of its brakes, waving to the apartment porter, who knew Li Jun and buzzed them in. The alcohol seemed to hit Li Jun even harder as they got to the elevator. He stood with his eyes closed and his head drooping backward, frequently groaning. Li Na took advantage of the opportunity to check his pockets for his keys, which she located quickly and easily after snatching his expensive jacket from him.
"You picked me up, you naughty professor. Do you go home with men met in bars?"
Drunk Li Jun was an arsehole.
"I'm not picking you up, Li Jun. I'm dropping you off. And if you keep that up, I'm going to drop you and you will sleep outside your apartment for the night," Li Na muttered in a fit of anger.
It took her some minutes to find the key to his apartment, but once she did, she helped him in entering and removing the key from the lock. Her intention had been to leave him there, expecting he'd be alright on his own, but he began grumbling about being sick.
She then decided to stay long enough to get him to the bedroom and to see that he didn't throw up or choke on his puke. She put his keys and his Jacket in the drawer attached to the wall. And she quickly put her bag down and rolled up her shirt sleeve.
Li Jun was leaning up against the wall with his eyes closed, when Li Na pulled his arm around her shoulder and grabbed his waist again, trying to ease him down the hall.
"Come on, Li Jun."
"Where are you taking me?" He opened his eyes and looked around.
"To your bed."
Li Jun began to laugh. He planted his feet and leaned up against the wall, gazing down at her.
"What's so funny?"
"You, Professor," he breathed, his voice suddenly husky. "You're taking me to bed, but you haven't even kissed me yet. Don't you think we should start with kissing and maybe some cuddling on the couch for a few nights? Then work up to bed? I haven't even had a chance to hug you to my satisfaction, you naughty professor. "
Li Na was annoyed, particularly by the last remark. "You better stop calling me naughty professor. And, you dumbass, I'm not taking you to bed; I'm taking you to your room so you can sleep it off. Come on, now. And please, no more Jibberish talk."
"Kiss me, Li Na. Kiss me good night." Li Jun's eyes grew wide as he brought his face close to her. He dropped his voice to a low seductive whisper. "Then I'll go to bed like a good little boy. And maybe, if you're a very good professor, I'll let you join me and show you how my homework is done."
Li Na paused for a while to catch her breath. He didn't look drunk anymore. His gaze was stroking her, caressing her, and lingering for far longer than was appropriate on the expanse of her chest. He grinned at her and licked his lips before unconsciously running his fingers through his hair.