People could never truly empathize with their former selves.
Ye Yunche certainly couldn’t empathize with the drunk version of himself from last night.
What on earth had he and Zhu Liuyue been babbling about? Honestly, when had Young Master Ye ever been so obsequious?
By dawn, he was sober.
And he felt as though his backbone had straightened again.
It had been his brother, Ye Yunjin, who came to pick him up last night. He had dropped Zhu Liuyue off first, then dragged the drunken Ye Yunche home.
Ye Yunche had forgotten what the two of them had spoken about quietly in the car, but they had looked like a perfect match—handsome man and beautiful woman.
Which only made him seem like a third wheel.
Whatever. Women would only slow down the speed at which he drew his sword. He might as well continue racing.
Once he was sober, he felt that he had matured.
Zhu Liuyue was captivating when she raced. When she wasn’t racing, though, she was nothing special.
With his mouth stubbornly set, Ye Yunche finished breakfast at home and went to the racing club.
As luck would have it, he ran into Zhao Wen.
The two of them looked a little awkward.
Ye Yunche asked, “About last night… I didn’t say anything ridiculous while I was drunk, did I?”
Zhao Wen shook his head. “No.” Then he asked, “I didn’t say anything incoherent either, did I?”
“No.”
“Oh, right. My younger sister, Zhao Xin, is having a birthday party. Here’s the invitation.”
“Okay.”
Their relationship had eased considerably.
…
Ever since that night of drinking, Ye Yunche had no idea whether it was because he felt too embarrassed, but he hadn’t shown his face for three days.
That was fine. There was no rush.
Ye Yunche had always had the mischievous temperament of a child. His current feelings were merely the beginning stages of interest and curiosity. How long could they possibly last?
What Zhu Liuyue wanted was for him to step into her trap one step at a time.
More than half of the second-generation heirs in their circle attended Zhao Xin’s birthday party.
Zhu Liuyue entered with Zhu Qi. After she handed Zhao Xin her birthday present, Zhao Xin happily thanked her.
Then she turned her attention to the flowers in Zhu Qi’s hands.
Her tone was full of disdain.
“Did Bai Shurou wrap these?”
Rumors traveled fastest among their social circle.
Everyone knew that Zhu Qi had gotten into a fight with Eldest Young Master Bai.
Zhu Qi shook his head. “I changed flower shops. I wrapped them myself.”
Zhao Xin gave an unimpressed hum and picked at the bouquet. “No wonder they’re so ugly. I was wondering. So you really did wrap them yourself.”
Though she said that, she still accepted the flowers.
Her best friend, Tan Zhi, revealed a mysterious smile from the side.
Zhao Xin went off to greet the other guests. Zhu Liuyue found a sofa in a corner and sat down, only to hear a commotion coming from nearby.
What was it this time?
They were truly haunting her.
That was the only way to describe it.
Xiao Qitang had arrived too, bringing a female companion—Bai Shurou.
Xiao Qitang and Bai Shurou.
It was difficult to imagine these two appearing together.
Zhao Xin was also stunned.
“Cousin, what did you bring her here for?”
Xiao Qitang looked rather helpless.
His mother and Bai Shurou’s mother had once been close friends. This time, after hearing that Bai Shurou had fallen so far that she didn’t even have a place to live or enough food to eat, his mother had taken pity on her.
She had given Bai Shurou one of the family’s smaller houses to live in and asked Xiao Qitang to take her out for a change of scenery.
For example, to Zhao Xin’s birthday party.
Everyone in their circle knew Miss Bai, but this was the first time they had seen her since the Bai family went bankrupt.
One by one, they gathered around her as if she were some kind of spectacle.
Bai Shurou was very proper. Even as Xiao Qitang’s companion, she did not take his arm.
Instead, she kept a distance of about an arm’s length between them.
She did not want to accept charity. But Aunt Wen had been her mother’s good friend, her brother was useless, and her father had disappeared. Bai Shurou could only accept this kindness.
She knew Xiao Qitang. He was the eccentric one in their circle—rather than take a respectable career path, he had insisted on going into the entertainment industry.
Bai Shurou had once looked down on Second Young Master Xiao’s behavior. She had never expected that one day she would need to borrow his status to maintain her own position.
The situation was truly both ironic and absurd.
Xiao Qitang lowered his voice and said to his cousin, “It’s a political assignment. My aunt—my mother—insisted on taking care of this orphan. Do me a favor, will you?”
Zhao Xin understood.
She also remembered that her aunt and Bai Shurou’s mother had apparently been quite close in the past.
Zhao Xin put on a fake smile. “Welcome, welcome.”
Bai Shurou’s smile was pale.
She was proud by nature. How could she fail to see the other woman’s insincerity and perfunctory welcome?
She tugged at the corner of her lips and said, “Happy birthday. I wrapped these flowers myself.”
Zhao Xin accepted them and casually placed them on the table. “Thanks.”
Bai Shurou forced a smile and found a secluded corner to sit in.
And, as fate would have it, she encountered Zhu Liuyue there.
The people around them all wore gleeful, gossiping expressions. After all, one was Eldest Master Ye’s first love, and the other was his fiancée. Everyone had long been waiting to see what sparks would fly when the two met.
No one had expected to witness such a scene at Zhao Xin’s birthday party.
They all widened their eyes.
What a coincidence.
The Ye family twins arrived at that very moment.
A look of excitement appeared on Zhao Xin’s face. She didn’t care at all whether her birthday party would be overshadowed. She was simply delighted to have some gossip to enjoy.
“Brother Yunjin, Brother Yunche, you can give me your gifts later. Go inside and take a look first.”
“Bai Shurou is here too, and she deliberately sat down beside Sister Liuyue. I don’t know whether she’s provoking her or what.”
Ye Yunjin frowned.
He had been avoiding contact with Bai Shurou these past few days. How was it that he could still run into her at Zhao Xin’s birthday party?
Zhao Xin pointed at the culprit nearby.
“He brought her.”
Xiao Qitang tugged at the corner of his lips.
On the one hand, he had no choice because his mother had ordered him to look after Bai Shurou. On the other, he had heard that Ye Yunjin would be attending too. Everyone knew that Bai Shurou was Eldest Master Ye’s first love.
He wanted to take the opportunity to watch the drama unfold. He was also secretly wondering whether he might get the chance to play the hero in front of his ex-girlfriend.
Thus, when the group marched over in a grand procession, they found that Bai Shurou and Zhu Liuyue were neither arguing nor making a scene.
The two were even chatting harmoniously about their experiences studying abroad.
Ye Yunjin: “…”
Ye Yunche: “…”
Xiao Qitang: “…”
Zhao Xin quickly rushed over to Zhu Liuyue’s side and lowered her voice. “Sister Liuyue, you didn’t suffer any mistreatment, did you?”
Zhu Liuyue shook her head.
Bai Shurou rose and nodded to the others.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well. I’ll be leaving first.”
Bai Shurou also inclined her head toward Xiao Qitang in a polite farewell. From beginning to end, she had stayed for less than ten minutes.
Zhao Xin and her best friend, Tan Zhi, exchanged looks.
“Isn’t she supposed to be a scheming bitch?”
Xiao Qitang guiltily rubbed his nose. His mother had told him to look after Bai Shurou, but she had left after only ten minutes at the party. He would probably be scolded when he got home.
Zhu Liuyue looked at the crowd gathering around her.
She spread her hands.
“She was a well-bred young lady who had spent more than twenty years in this circle, after all. Even if the Bai family went bankrupt, Bai Shurou still retained basic manners.”
“Our conversations don’t have to be limited to men.”
The legendary showdown of the century had not taken place.
Bai Shurou was a dignified person, and so was Zhu Liuyue. They didn’t discuss anything in depth, but a few words of casual conversation passed pleasantly enough.
Ye Yunjin pressed his lips together.
Then he turned his head and glanced at Bai Shurou’s departing figure.
He realized that he had once again taken things for granted.
At least in Zhu Liuyue’s eyes, he himself didn’t seem to be all that important.
