Thinking about it this way, it really does make sense.
Chu Yan glanced in the direction of the still chaotic engagement banquet stage: “If the goal was to humiliate the Qin and Han families and make them lose face, why not cause a scene when most of the guests, especially those of our status, had already arrived? Wouldn’t that have had a much greater impact?”
If the commotion had happened then, it would have been far harder for the Qin and Han families to suppress the scandal.
Xu Yi’an nodded in understanding, then shook his head: “It seems the troublemaker this time had some luck and a bit of cleverness, but ultimately lacked the sophistication to pull off something truly impressive!” The two exchanged a glance and instinctively walked in another direction, deciding not to linger and watch the Qin and Han families’ humiliation any longer.
After all, if the two families lost their temper and lashed out in embarrassment, they might drag bystanders into the mess. While the Xu family’s status meant the Qin and Han families wouldn’t dare provoke them lightly, it still wouldn’t be wise to leave a bad impression just for the sake of watching a spectacle. And honestly, offending the Qin and Han families over such a trivial matter simply wasn’t worth it.
The two strolled leisurely to a slightly secluded corner, only to run into Li Yao, who was fuming like a pufferfish, Li Hui—who, despite his low spirits, was still trying to comfort his brother—and Lu Hanling, who was watching the drama (scratch that) mediating the situation. Chu Yan and Xu Yi’an exchanged another glance: So… were they supposed to leave again?
Before they could retreat, however, Li Hui spotted them: “Yi’an, Chu Yan, you’re here too.”
Xu Yi’an chuckled awkwardly: “Yeah, we just arrived and noticed some commotion in the main hall. Didn’t want to get involved, so we decided to take a walk instead.”
At the mention of the disturbance, Li Hui couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. He pulled out a photo sent to him by someone who had arrived early and managed to snap a picture of the troublemaker, showing it to Xu Yi’an and Chu Yan. The woman in the photo wore a server’s uniform—stunningly beautiful with an enviable figure, but her expression was wild and deranged. Their reactions differed—
Chu Yan looked somewhat bewildered, as this was his first time seeing the woman, while Xu Yi’an’s face twisted in disgust. Though her outfit was different and the photo’s quality was poor, the incident had happened not long ago, and Xu Yi’an had an excellent memory. The woman’s expression carried a certain “unforgettable” quality that made it easy for him to recognize her.
Xu Yi’an rolled his eyes and said disdainfully, “So after striking out with me, she went after Qin Ze next?”
Remembering Chu Yan was beside him and not wanting his beloved to misunderstand, Xu Yi’an quickly grabbed Chu Yan’s hand to explain: “A few days ago, when you were working late, I went out to get you dinner. Before I’d driven far, this woman suddenly jumped in front of my car, dressed provocatively with this seductive look, acting like we had some kind of history…”
At this point, Xu Yi’an couldn’t help rolling his eyes again, venting to his sweetheart: “I’ve been single my whole life—and gay at that. What could possibly happen between me and a woman? Besides, I came out to my family ages ago. If my parents—especially my mom—found out I, a man who likes men, was ‘corrupting’ some girl, my dad would break my legs!”
No helping it—his mother held the most authority in their household. If she discovered he’d led a girl on despite being gay, she’d be furious. And if his mother was angry, his father would happily break his legs to appease her.
A total simp for his wife. Well, actually, his older brother was the same. Tsk, the “wife-worshipping” trait really ran in their family.
Chu Yan, who had initially felt a pang of discomfort hearing about the woman trying to seduce his boyfriend, quickly calmed down. It made sense—someone as exceptional as Xu Yi’an would naturally attract all kinds of admirers. Though his boyfriend was younger, Chu Yan trusted his feelings and loyalty.
Squeezing Xu Yi’an’s hand lightly, Chu Yan smiled softly: “I know. I trust you.”
Xu Yi’an hugged Chu Yan tightly, radiating pink bubbles and an overwhelmingly sweet aura, making the three single men nearby (one of whom was still pursuing his own crush) itch to set them on fire.
Fortunately, they were all mature, self-disciplined men, so they settled for rolling their eyes at Xu Yi’an’s shamelessness and mentally cursing him.
Lu Hanling spread his hands and shrugged, correcting a detail in Xu Yi’an’s account: “Yi’an, you got one thing wrong—that woman tried to seduce me after you and before Qin Ze.” He then briefly recounted the incident at the earlier banquet.
After hearing it, Xu Yi’an shook his head: “Tsk tsk tsk, this woman really has… some nerve.” Him, Lu Hanling, Qin Ze—none of them were easy targets. Yet she’d gone after all three, likely hoping to manipulate them while also cozying up to wealthy older men for favors.
Running into all three of them in such a short time and attempting to seduce each—she had luck and some cunning, but she was still too green and weak. Xu Yi’an couldn’t even be bothered to engage with someone so delusional; it’d only lower his standards.
Sighing, Xu Yi’an gave Li Hui a sympathetic look and patted his shoulder: “Ah, Hui… you’ve got to move on. The world’s big—you’ll find the right person eventually.”
Li Hui was kind and gentle. Even after Han Siyu betrayed him and they broke up, he’d preserved her dignity in front of their friends, never exposing her fully and even defending her at times.
Because of this, Xu Yi’an and Chu Yan only knew Li Hui had a less-than-ideal ex. It wasn’t until now that they realized the deranged woman causing the scene was Han Siyu—Li Hui’s former girlfriend.
Having an ex like that, who embodied the word “unmentionable,” made it hard not to pity Li Hui.
Li Hui’s lips twitched. Though they’d broken up and though the current Siyu left him speechless, she was still someone he’d once cared for. His pride had allowed him to walk away from the failed relationship with his head held high, but he couldn’t bring himself to ignore or endorse harsh words about her.
Han Siyu might have scorned their past, but Li Hui refused to stoop to her level.
If you dislike someone, why become just as bad as them?
“The Siyu from before… wasn’t like this. She used to be kind, cheerful, and full of passion. But then… something happened in her family. She took leave for a while, saying she needed to go home. When she came back, she’d changed.” Li Hui sounded guilty, as if he blamed himself for not noticing sooner.
Li Hui felt that if he’d paid more attention to her instead of focusing solely on work and studies, if he’d guided and cared for her more, maybe she wouldn’t have turned out this way.
“Ah, Hui…” Li Yao sighed helplessly. His younger brother carried too much responsibility, always trying to shoulder everything alone.
Lu Hanling slung an arm around Li Hui’s shoulders: “Hui, you can’t think like that. Maybe you share some blame, but the real fault lies with whoever caused her to become like this.”
With a playful grin, Lu Hanling added: “We can’t let trash like that dump their mess on you!”
Li Hui couldn’t help laughing at Lu Hanling’s antics. Even when making silly faces, Lu Hanling’s handsome features shone through, making even his goofiness charming.
“Thank you,” Li Hui said, gazing at Lu Hanling’s face. Unbeknownst to him, ripples stirred in his heart.
“Hey, no need to be so formal with me!” Lu Hanling teased, blowing him a playful kiss and winking. He wasn’t foolish enough to openly flirt with Li Hui in front of Li Yao—that’d just invite trouble. Lu Hanling prided himself on not being that dumb.
Yet despite the joking nature of Lu Hanling’s actions, Li Hui’s heartbeat betrayed an unusual rhythm.
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