He Siyu's mind seemed to "ding" for a moment, freezing for three seconds.
The next instant, without hesitation, he cupped her face and kissed her.
In the small lounge, Ji Yan was frantic: "Oh no, oh no! Sang Ning is being targeted again. This time the rumors are even worse. Why do these petty people keep spreading lies about her?"
Gu Xingchen couldn't help but doubt, "Could it be... not a rumor this time?"
"No way! Sang Ning and He Siyu barely even talk!" Ji Yan declared firmly.
If anything, she’d find it more believable if it were about Sang Ning and Pei Songhan.
"These people are just trying the same old tricks—they want to ruin Sang Ning’s reputation!" Ji Yan fumed.
Gu Xingchen clicked his tongue, thinking her reasoning made sense.
He took a sip of his wine and reassured her, "Relax, Third He isn’t someone to mess with. If it’s fake, he won’t let it slide—"
Before he could finish, everyone in the lounge suddenly gasped. Meng Lai beside him exclaimed, "Holy shit!"
Ji Yan looked up and also covered her mouth in shock. "Holy shit!"
"What’s the big deal?" Gu Xingchen lazily turned his head—only to see two figures kissing on the empty garden balcony outside the glass doors.
He spat out his wine, bending over in a coughing fit.
Pei Songhan watched the scene outside, his gaze gradually dimming before he finally lowered his eyes.
On the balcony, Sang Ning loosened her grip on his shirt and tilted her head slightly. He reluctantly opened his eyes, then kissed the corner of her lips again.
His dark eyes locked onto hers, the usual laziness in his gaze now replaced with rare brilliance. His hand slid from her face to her waist, his deep voice unable to hide his delight.
"Aren’t you afraid of being seen?"
Sang Ning didn’t look back inside, her ears already tinged pink. "You’re asking me after kissing me?"
He suppressed a smirk. "Oh, I forgot earlier."
Holding her hand, he pulled open the glass door and walked straight in.
The entire room was still in shock. Only when they entered did people hastily make way, staring as if witnessing a horror movie.
Gu Xingchen and the others were dumbfounded.
"He… He Shao, what’s this about?"
He Siyu tightened his grip on Sang Ning’s hand, his tone casual. "Let me introduce you—my girlfriend."
His gaze swept over the stunned faces before lingering on Pei Songhan, sharpening imperceptibly.
Pei Songhan’s expression stiffened as he watched Sang Ning calmly let He Siyu hold her hand, his fingers tightening around his glass.
Everyone: ???
Ji Yan finally snapped out of it. "Sang Ning, your boyfriend is He Siyu?!"
Gu Xingchen also regained his senses. "Holy shit! Your girlfriend is Nan Sangning?!"
"You two—this is too much! How come none of us knew you were together?!" Meng Lai and the others chimed in.
He Siyu’s lips curved slightly, his tone indifferent. "Who I date is none of your damn business."
Meng Lai couldn’t resist asking, "Was it Nan Sangning who dumped you last time?"
"..."
He Siyu’s casual expression darkened, the smile on his lips turning icy.
Gu Xingchen hurriedly intervened. "Why bring that up on such a happy occasion? Come on, let’s toast—congrats on finally blooming, you old iron tree!"
Meng Lai, unnerved by He Siyu’s glare, quickly changed the subject. "Congrats! Hope we get to drink at your wedding soon, haha!"
The words "wedding wine" reached He Siyu’s ears. His brow lifted, his mood visibly improving as he casually picked up a glass and clinked it with theirs.
Ji Yan immediately pulled Sang Ning aside.
"What’s going on?! You and He Siyu are together?! You two barely even talk!"
Sang Ning held her hand. "Sorry, we haven’t been together long. I wanted to wait until things were stable before telling everyone."
Ji Yan glanced back, then lowered her voice. "Damn, girl. You actually bagged He Siyu? Did you really dump him before?"
Sang Ning: "..."
She swallowed. "We just had a fight."
"Tsk tsk tsk, impressive! I’m officially in awe of you, Sang Ning!"
Ji Yan’s excitement quickly overshadowed her anger as she chattered on. "No wonder you two were always at the same gatherings! How did I not notice?!"
Sang Ning’s phone lit up again. She glanced down, her brow furrowing slightly.
Ji Yan noticed. "What’s up? Your family must be freaking out. Who even leaked this? After the Pei Songhan incident, and now this—and it’s actually true! How are you going to handle it?"
Sang Ning’s eyes cooled. "It’ll be handled."
She turned to see He Siyu approaching. He naturally took her hand. "Let’s go."
Sang Ning nodded and said to Ji Yan, "I’ll head out first. See you tomorrow."
Ji Yan stared blankly as she watched them leave hand in hand.
Gu Xingchen shook his head. "I still can’t believe they’re together."
Ji Yan asked, "Why?"
Gu Xingchen frowned, thinking for half a minute. "Do these two even seem like they’d match?"
"Not at all!" everyone chorused.
He Siyu’s rebellious, untamed temper was well-known among his childhood friends.
As for Nan Sangning—she was the epitome of grace and tradition, the kind of woman Old Madam He would adore. But for her to also catch He Siyu’s eye?
Gu Xingchen sighed. "Third He suddenly falling in love is terrifying. It’s downright unbelievable."
He turned to Pei Songhan. "Right, Songhan?"
Pei Songhan’s expression was cold. He drained his glass in one go, set it down on the bar, and left without a word.
Gu Xingchen blinked. What was his problem?
Ji Yan stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, Sang Ning and Pei Songhan would’ve made way more sense."
Gu Xingchen suddenly jolted, his eyes widening in realization.
—
The driver pulled up outside the club. He Siyu led Sang Ning into the car, settling in the back seat.
Sang Ning glanced at her still-ringing phone and said to He Siyu, "I need to go home for a bit."
He rubbed his thumb over her hand. "I’ll go with you."
She declined, hanging up the call. Her lowered eyes were frosty. "No, I’ll handle it myself."
He frowned slightly.
She met his gaze. "Some things, I need to deal with personally."
He tightened his grip on her hand, his throat bobbing. "Then in a couple of days… come with me to see Grandma?"
After a pause, she nodded. "Okay."
His lips curved, his mood uncharacteristically bright.
The car stopped outside the Nan residence. Sang Ning opened the door to leave.
He caught her wrist. "You’re really going alone?"
"My family’s been pressuring me," she said, turning to go.
He didn’t let go. "If anything happens, call me."
"I will." She nodded.
Only then did he release her.
She got out of the car and headed straight back to the Nan residence.
He watched her retreating figure, his brow slightly furrowed. After a moment’s thought, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
“President He,” Assistant Yan greeted. “I was just about to contact you—there’s breaking news—”
“I already know,” He Siyu said coldly. “Issue a statement directly from the Huiyao official account.”
“To debunk the rumors?”
His lips curved faintly as he watched Sang Ning’s hurried disappearance into the distance. “To make it official.”
Assistant Yan: ???
He averted his gaze, his expression turning icy again. “And sue every last one of those rumor-mongers while you’re at it!”
