Yang Xinyu didn’t mind much when he somehow ended up with an extra person tagging along. After all, it was someone Ji Nian knew, and hey, one more person to wish him a happy birthday wasn’t bad.
Of course, the real clincher was when Wei Junze spotted the character on Yang Xinyu’s ita bag and casually mentioned that the manga artist was a friend of his—he could even get him a signed sketch.
"Bro, eat whatever you want later, just treat it like your own place. No need to hold back, hahaha!"
Before he knew it, Yang Xinyu had already slung an arm around Wei Junze’s shoulders. Wei Junze, taller, leaned down slightly to accommodate him, then turned his head to wink at Ji Nian behind them.
See? Handled.
Ji Nian gave him a thumbs-up. Impressive.
Honestly, when social butterfly Yang Xinyu teamed up with shameless Wei Junze, the two were practically a match made in heaven—
Ahem.
Better not say that out loud.
When they arrived at the venue, Yang Xinyu was immediately showered with confetti the moment he opened the door.
"Hahaha, scared me half to death!"
Xiang Wan giggled behind her hand at the sight of him covered in streamers, looking like some kind of shaggy monster.
Shen Qingtang, however, noticed the man standing behind Yang Xinyu—now casually picking stray bits of confetti from his hair with an air of indifference.
"Yang Xinyu, is this your friend?"
Shen Qingtang felt like she’d seen him somewhere before but couldn’t quite place him.
Yang Xinyu blinked in surprise. "Huh? You don’t know him?"
"This is Wei Junze. He’s a friend of… the boss."
"The boss?" Wei Junze raised an eyebrow at the title.
Just then, the "boss" herself arrived. "Why’s everyone blocking the door? Go on in."
Shen Qingtang narrowed her eyes at Ji Nian.
Ji Nian: "……"
Oh no. She’d forgotten to tell Shen Qingtang about Wei Junze coming over.
All because this guy had suddenly sent her his ID photo, distracting her from venting to Shen Qingtang.
She shot Wei Junze a glare.
Wei Junze, utterly unbothered, grinned. "Why the dirty look?"
He Xiang frowned slightly and unexpectedly spoke up. "Aren’t we going in?"
Ji Nian gave Wei Junze a behave yourself look before stepping inside.
Shen Qingtang watched the exchange.
Great.
Another one.
She glanced at Lu Jinghuai’s expression.
The "young prince" seemed as composed as ever. Noticing her gaze, he even tilted his head slightly, as if asking, Something wrong?
Shen Qingtang had to admit—Lu Jinghuai really lived up to his reputation as S High’s "saint."
Meanwhile, He Xiang might as well have I hate Wei Junze written across his forehead, his expression dark.
"Gu Xiuyuan said he’ll be late. Let’s start without him," Shen Qingtang announced, moving to Ji Nian’s side to grill her about Wei Junze.
Wei Junze, who’d been chatting with Yang Xinyu, suddenly turned around as if he had eyes on the back of his head. "Asking about me?"
Shen Qingtang smiled sweetly. "That’s right."
"I know everyone Ji Nian’s close to, but I’ve never heard her mention you."
Wei Junze didn’t seem to notice—or care about—the hostility in her tone.
These kids are so transparent, he mused.
But then his gaze flickered toward the striking golden-haired boy sitting quietly.
Him, though…
Wei Junze couldn’t read him at all.
Either he was a master at hiding his thoughts, or he genuinely didn’t care.
"Hey, Wei Junze, how did you meet the boss?" Yang Xinyu asked, still starry-eyed over the fact that his new friend knew his favorite manga artist.
Wei Junze leaned back on the sofa, sweeping his eyes over the group before answering lazily, "First time we met was in a practice room."
"But we got close when…"
He tilted his head, grinning. "…we were discussing marriage arrangements."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room shifted violently—like tossing a firecracker into a stagnant sewer.
Yang Xinyu’s eyes nearly popped out. "WHAT?! Marriage???"
He whipped his head toward Ji Nian, desperate for confirmation.
Ji Nian, mid-sip of her grape soda, choked so hard it nearly shot out her nose.
"That’s not—"
"I never agreed to it."
She turned to Shen Qingtang and emphasized, "My dad said he’d respect my choice."
"So."
"It’s true."
Lu Jinghuai, who hadn’t spoken a word since leaving school, finally broke his silence.
The party lights cast shifting colors over his face, making his expression unreadable for a moment.
"…Sort of."
Ji Nian had been about to deny it outright, but something in his gaze made her tell the truth instead.
Yang Qicheng gasped dramatically. "So, Wei Junze, you almost became my boss’s fiancé?!"
"But it didn’t happen," He Xiang said coldly.
Shen Qingtang shot Xiang Wan a look.
Xiang Wan promptly stomped on Yang Xinyu’s foot before he could say anything else.
Yang Xinyu, sensing the tension, clamped his mouth shut.
"Alright, today’s Yang Xinyu’s birthday. Let’s keep it light," Shen Qingtang said, standing to diffuse the situation. "And thank you for coming," she added politely, though every word subtly underscored Wei Junze’s outsider status.
Wei Junze caught the subtext. Normally, he’d have stormed off by now, but…
His eyes drifted back to Ji Nian, who looked faintly bewildered.
For her, he decided, I can play nice.
Gu Xiuyuan arrived late, just as they were singing "Happy Birthday."
Sharp as ever, he zeroed in on the redhead beside Yang Xinyu immediately.
"Wei Junze? What are you doing here?"
Surprisingly, he seemed to know Wei Junze too.
Wei Junze gave him a lazy wave.
Gu Xiuyuan glanced at Shen Qingtang, who signaled later with her eyes.
Suppressing his questions, he joined in singing for Yang Xinyu.
The birthday boy grinned ear to ear. "This is the best. Birthdays are the best."
Mid-song, Lu Jinghuai stood and slipped out of the room without a sound.
Ji Nian frowned, wondering what was wrong. Then she remembered her earlier suspicions—and suddenly, his subdued mood made sense.
Absently, she tugged at her hair.
"I’m going to the restroom."
Gu Xiuyuan and Wei Junze were playing pool nearby, looking oddly familiar with each other.
He Xiang lingered in the shadows, silent.
Ji Nian leaned toward Shen Qingtang, who was clapping along as Yang Xinyu belted out, "Youth fears no winter, lifting eyes to blazing sun."
"I’ll be right back."
"Mm, go ahead."
Ji Nian found Lu Jinghuai almost immediately in the lobby.
A well-dressed but clearly drunk man stood in front of him, apparently mistaking him for a girl.
Ji Nian strode over and fixed the man with a cold stare. "Problem?"
The drunkard sobered up a little under her glare.
"…Nah."
Still dazed, he was quickly ushered away by staff. "Sir, you’re in the wrong area."
Once they were alone, Ji Nian sat beside Lu Jinghuai.
After a pause, she asked softly, "A-Huai, what’s wrong?"
Hearing Ji Nian's voice, Lu Jinghuai finally showed a slight reaction, turning his head to look at her.
Only then did Ji Nian notice that the corners of his eyes seemed slightly red, as if he had been crying.
"You've been watching him all day today."
Wei Junze?
Ji Nian instinctively wanted to refute—how could it be called "watching him"? She was clearly keeping an eye on him.
Then she heard Lu Jinghuai ask her in a calm, quiet voice, "Why were your eyes fixed on him the whole time?"
"Is he better-looking than me?"
