Bai Shurou left.
The birthday party soon became lively again.
Amid everyone’s blessings, Zhao Xin put on her crown, closed her eyes to make a wish, and blew out the candles.
Zhu Liuyue stood not far away, humming “Happy Birthday” under her breath.
Xiao Qitang quietly edged a little closer, pretending to turn his head casually.
Then he moved a little closer again and very deliberately lowered his gaze to stare at the tips of his shoes.
“Did you sleep funny and get a stiff neck?” Zhu Liuyue asked. The moment she turned sideways, she saw Xiao Qitang’s strange behavior.
Xiao Qitang immediately snapped to attention, straightening his back and standing ramrod straight.
Awkwardly, he said, “Sorry about that. Bai Shurou was brought here by me. Her mother is friends with my mom, so…”
Zhu Liuyue interrupted him in a natural tone. “What are you apologizing for? She’s part of this social circle too.”
“Besides, I don’t like Ye Yunjin.”
Xiao Qitang nodded and echoed, “Oh, you don’t like Ye Yunjin.”
Three seconds later, he finally processed what she had said.
His voice rose slightly.
“What?! You don’t like Ye Yunjin?” The corners of his lips rose uncontrollably.
Zhu Liuyue tilted her head slightly and fixed her clear, almond-shaped eyes on him.
She stared until Xiao Qitang began to feel a little embarrassed.
He puffed out his chest.
Proudly, he said, “What? Did you suddenly realize your ex-boyfriend is handsome and regret breaking up with me?”
“Not at all! I was just thinking that my ex-boyfriend’s brain doesn’t look capable of writing songs.” Zhu Liuyue spoke slowly and unhurriedly. “He even looks a little stupid.”
Xiao Qitang was furious. “You can question my looks, but you can’t question my talent for songwriting!”
Zhu Liuyue searched her memories.
At last, she remembered.
“Oh, what was the name of the song you wrote for me again?”
Xiao Qitang answered with solemn emphasis, “My Little Moon.”
Zhu Liuyue commented, “It sounds like a nursery rhyme.”
Xiao Qitang took another blow to the chest.
That had been his proudest work.
After that, he never wrote another song for an ex-girlfriend.
After breaking up with Zhu Liuyue, he had remained single. When friends in their circle asked why he was no longer dating, he would say that relationships were pointless.
In reality, he simply couldn’t get over the hurt.
He had done nothing wrong. He hadn’t cheated, hadn’t betrayed her, hadn’t made any mistakes, and hadn’t manipulated her. Yet, for no apparent reason, she had broken up with him.
He had remained hung up on it ever since.
Xiao Qitang was about to say something else when he saw Ye Yunjin pushing through the crowd toward them.
After all, he had no legitimate standing here, so he felt somewhat guilty.
Zhu Liuyue, however, tugged at his sleeve, the corners of her lips curling upward.
“Why are you running?”
Her voice held a smile, and there was a hint of teasing in her tone.
“Right. Why am I running?” Xiao Qitang repeated.
He hadn’t done anything wrong.
He was merely standing here chatting with his ex-girlfriend. Why did seeing Ye Yunjin make him feel so guilty, as though a lover had just run into the other lover’s husband?
Yet when Ye Yunjin gave him a faint smile, Xiao Qitang still couldn’t stop feeling uneasy.
Fortunately, Ye Yunjin quickly turned his attention to Zhu Liuyue and said, “Liuyue, my parents have invited you to the Ye residence for dinner tomorrow.”
Zhu Liuyue nodded. “Sure.”
Ye Yunjin still seemed to want to say something else, but his gaze drifted to the side.
Xiao Qitang, however, seemed incapable of reading the room. As an ex-boyfriend, he was being exceptionally shameless and inconsiderate.
He remained rooted at Zhu Liuyue’s side without moving an inch.
He even had the nerve to ask, “Liuyue, can I take you to lunch tomorrow?”
Ye Yunjin was well-mannered.
Ye Yunche, however, clearly was not.
Seeing that his elder brother had gone inside and still hadn’t returned, he had run out of patience.
He kept telling himself that he wasn’t particularly interested in Zhu Liuyue. She was merely a girl who could race cars. There were plenty of girls who knew how to race—not just her.
But when he saw Xiao Qitang shamelessly lingering beside her while Zhu Liuyue made no attempt to drive him away, a ball of fire still rose in his chest.
He glanced at his elder brother, inwardly fuming at how hopeless he was.
If he were in his brother’s place, he would never allow an ex-boyfriend to flaunt himself like this!
“Xiao Qitang, have you no shame? You’re asking my sister-in-law out right in front of my big brother. Do you think everyone in the Ye family is dead?”
Ye Yunche had finally pushed his way over to them.
He bared his small canine teeth. His amber eyes, the same color as Ye Yunjin’s, glittered with a dangerous light.
Xiao Qitang felt guilty in front of Ye Yunjin.
But he felt no such guilt in front of Ye Yunche.
He smiled, looking completely at ease. “We’re all friends. What’s wrong with having lunch together? Besides, you’re just the younger brother. Aren’t you sticking your nose a little too far into this?”
Just the younger brother.
Just the younger brother.
Ye Yunche was so angry his teeth ached.
I don’t need you to remind me! I know Zhu Liuyue likes my big brother.
The jealousy in his heart was almost impossible to control.
Ye Yunche was a man with an extremely strong sense of pride, and he was awkward by nature. After finally mustering the courage to confess to Zhu Liuyue under the influence of alcohol, all he had received was an absolute rejection.
To keep himself from looking too pathetic, he had immediately brainwashed himself.
He told himself that he didn’t really like Zhu Liuyue that much. He only liked racing, and it just so happened that she could race too.
If he didn’t like her that much, then being rejected wouldn’t be quite so humiliating.
Even the fact that he had forced himself not to appear in front of Zhu Liuyue these past few days was for the sake of that ridiculous scrap of pride.
But today, Xiao Qitang had exposed him.
Ye Yunche was deeply annoyed.
Bang!
He swung a heavy punch.
Fortunately, Xiao Qitang had been prepared and dodged in time. Otherwise, his handsome face would have been ruined.
He still had several concerts coming up, after all.
Even so, everyone’s attention was drawn to them.
Zhao Xin and Zhu Qi hurried over with the others.
“Cousin, are you all right? He didn’t beat you to death, did he?” Zhao Xin asked worriedly.
After all, Ye Yunche had once been a notorious young bully in their social circle. Just ask around—who hadn’t been beaten up by Ye Yunche?
Her cousin might look tall and imposing, but he usually spent his time writing songs. He was more of a scholar than a fighter.
How could he possibly compete with someone like Ye Yunche, who was practically a military general?
Xiao Qitang took the opportunity to hide behind Zhu Liuyue.
Putting on an affectedly innocent tone, he said, “I don’t know what happened to Yunche. I only wanted to invite Liuyue to dinner, and he tried to hit me. He’s really frightening.”
Ye Yunjin’s temple throbbed.
When he saw Ye Yunche move as if he intended to lunge forward again, he grabbed him.
“Calm down.”
He said only those two words.
Ye Yunche’s emotions were affected by him and gradually settled.
The brothers understood each other with just one glance. Their bond went even deeper than that—they could sense each other’s emotions.
Today was Zhao Xin’s birthday.
Zhu Liuyue didn’t want things to escalate either, so she nodded at the Ye brothers and dragged Xiao Qitang away.
“I’ll handle this,” she said.
“Okay.”
The two brothers exchanged a glance, and Ye Yunjin nodded.
Ye Yunche was puzzled. “Brother, how can you let them be alone together?”
Ye Yunjin lowered his eyes, his tone calm. “She’ll handle it.”
A strange look flickered across Ye Yunche’s face.
He was no longer angry at Xiao Qitang.
He simply couldn’t stop himself from feeling bitter.
When had the two of them become so perfectly in sync?
