Qin Xuanye closed his eyes, trying to control his emotions.
When he opened them again, his tone was calm as he said,
"No, it's a work matter. I need to step out to take a call."
This caught the attention of the Tao couple.
Jin Minjia scrutinized her biological daughter's fiancé and remarked,
"I heard you're a sophomore at Qinghe University..."
Qin Xuanye explained, "Professor Jin, I've been running my own business since my freshman year."
He then glanced at the others.
"My apologies, I must excuse myself for a moment."
Chen Ruanruan looked somewhat reluctantly at her boyfriend, but she knew it wouldn't be polite to follow him out at that moment.
Qin Xuanye took his phone to the end of the corridor and pressed the answer button.
From the other end of the line came the warm, familiar sounds of the private room—Chen Zhenye's hearty voice and Jin Minjia's occasional nitpicking remarks.
The caller ID showed — Tao Liuyue.
That's right.
After being abruptly dumped by his ex-girlfriend, Tao Liuyue, Qin Xuanye had wanted to call and demand an explanation.
Only to find himself completely blocked.
Countless calls and text messages he sent afterward vanished without a trace.
During that period, he drank like it was water, wallowing in a drunken stupor so pathetic that even his close friends couldn't bear to watch!
They urged him to just start dating someone new, believing it would help him forget that heartless girl, Tao Liuyue.
But he still couldn't forget her.
For a full six months, he was trapped alone in a fortress of his own making, unable to find a way out.
Until his family arranged a marriage alliance for him. At the time, his thinking was: since there's no love involved, it doesn't matter who he marries.
That's how he met Chen Ruanruan, a girl completely different from Tao Liuyue.
She was gentle and gracious, seemingly never harboring any negative emotions.
When he was in a bad mood, Chen Ruanruan would stay by his side.
Including during the most difficult times before he started his business, her presence was like a gentle spring breeze, subtle yet constant.
Tao Liuyue was different. Her personality was vivid, her likes and dislikes always on full display.
She would always order him around with an air of superiority, from the flavor of milk she wanted with her breakfast before morning classes to demanding he drive her after school to the intersection just one traffic light away from her home.
But... she was also so lively, chattering away as if forever brimming with energy.
Though her name was Liuyue (Glazed Moon), her vibrant spirit was more like a little sun.
Of course, when it came to the breakup,
she was utterly ruthless as well.
Qin Xuanye took a deep breath and was about to end the call.
Suddenly, the other party hung up first.
The next moment, the crisp sound of light, running footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Qin Xuanye looked up. Before he could clearly see the person approaching from the lit area ahead, a warm, soft body, carrying a faint scent of perfume, crashed squarely into his embrace.
Her hands familiarly wrapped around his lower back.
Her voice was sweet and clear.
"Ah Xuan, I missed you."
Qin Xuanye's mind went blank for a second.
When he regained his senses, he furiously pushed the girl in front of him away with force.
He reprimanded her coldly:
"Tao Liuyue, what are you doing? I am Chen Ruanruan's fiancé now."
Chen Liuyue wasn't angered by being pushed away. Still smiling, she revealed the little canine teeth at the corners of her lips.
She extended a slender, fair finger and wiggled it in front of him.
"First, I'm not called Tao Liuyue. Please call me Chen Liuyue, thank you."
"Secondly, since you don't want me to call you Ah Xuan."
"Then..." She paused, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Brother-in-law, I missed you."
She was the one who initiated the breakup back then.
She was also the one who suddenly disappeared.
Qin Xuanye never expected her to brazenly re-enter his life in this manner.
He frowned in disgust.
"Fine, Chen Liuyue!"
"If you had any sense of morality left, you should understand that we are over, completely and utterly."
"Now I am your sister's fiancé. You shouldn't be saying such ambiguous things to me."
Chen Liuyue didn't respond. Her gaze fixed intently on Qin Xuanye's sharply defined jawline and his extremely pale, thin lips.
They moved as he spoke.
They look like they'd be nice to kiss.
They had only kissed once, and just on the corner of the mouth, during their relationship.
It was, after all, an inexperienced romance.
Watching Qin Xuanye's lips still moving, Chen Liuyue didn't register a word he was saying.
What's all this blah blah blah? she thought to herself.
Taking him completely by surprise, she took a small half-step forward, rose on her tiptoes, and naturally wrapped one arm around his neck.
She kissed him forcefully.
His unfinished words were swallowed between their lips.
Qin Xuanye's body stiffened slightly, his pupils reflecting the girl's mischievously smiling expression in shock.
By the time his reason returned and he tried to push her away,
Chen Liuyue's other hand had already activated her phone's camera.
"Click—"
She even used the burst mode, instantly capturing two or three intimate kissing photos.
The two of them, a handsome man and a beautiful girl, with a perfect height difference, looked almost picturesque in the photos.
"Chen Liuyue!!!"
Qin Xuanye was truly angry now, shoving her away with force.
Chen Liuyue was pushed back two or three steps by the momentum, but a triumphant smile spread across her face.
"Brother-in-law, what is this 'sense of morality' you speak of?"
"I've never had such a thing."
"And besides, these photos turned out really well."
"Your lips too, they're just as soft as before."
Qin Xuanye, flushed with anger and shame, stared at her blankly, as if examining someone he had never truly known.
He paused, then said incredulously,
"Chen Liuyue, I feel like I never really knew you at all."
"You're doing this to get back at Ruanruan, aren't you?"
"Even though the baby mix-up was an accident, and both parties are innocent, you're resorting to underhanded methods, trying to..."
Chen Liuyue tilted her head, smiling innocently.
"Trying to what?"
Qin Xuanye gritted his teeth. "Trying to steal your sister's fiancé."
A smile remained on Chen Liuyue's face.
Her tone was light and breezy as she said,
"You're wrong."
"You were originally my boyfriend. What do you mean 'steal from sister'? You were mine from the start!"
Qin Xuanye stated emphatically, "Ex-boyfriend!"
Chen Liuyue wore a half-smile, propping her chin with her hand as if in thought.
After a long moment, she finally said,
"Then, brother-in-law, why didn't you tell everyone back in the private room just now? Why didn't you tell my sister that I'm your ex-girlfriend?"
"You know, relationships shouldn't have secrets."
"If Sister Ruanruan found out about this..." She flashed that villainous smirk again.
Qin Xuanye's expression changed drastically.
He stepped forward, wanting to snatch her phone, and said coldly,
"Ruanruan is a simple, kind-hearted girl. She's not like you."
"You can hurt me, but you can't hurt her."
"Otherwise, I will never forgive you!!!"
Chen Liuyue was faster. Before his hand could reach hers, she slipped the phone into the inner chest pocket of her jacket.
She even pointed at the spot.
She raised her eyebrows challengingly.
"Brother-in-law, dare you take it?"
Qin Xuanye's hand froze mid-air, a flash of embarrassment and fury crossing his fair-skinned face.
