Chapter 36: Anniversary Party

Lin Hexi lowered his head and pulled out his phone, only to realize that it had already run out of battery and shut off.

The tension that had been tightly wound in his heart relaxed, and he gradually regained his composure. He couldn’t help but smile wryly, “I was still waiting for your call.”

The two of them returned to the car parked on the opposite side of the road. You Chong found a bottle of water in the car and handed it to him.

As if suddenly realizing that he hadn’t drunk water in a long time, Lin Hexi licked his lips, took the bottle, and twisted the cap.

The slight resistance he had expected didn’t happen, and he paused slightly, “Did you drink from this?”

You Chong raised his eyebrows ever so slightly at the words, “This is the only bottle I’ve drunk from in the car. You don’t have to drink directly from it.”

Lin Hexi didn’t say anything. He simply pressed his lips directly to the mouth of the bottle and tilted his head back to drink the water.

The one who felt strangely uncomfortable ended up being You Chong himself.

His gaze involuntarily fixed on Lin Hexi’s slightly parted lips as they held the bottle. He noticed how Lin Hexi’s lips, initially dry and chapped, became hydrated and full, even reflecting a faint sheen under the light. You Chong squinted his eyes slightly in thought.

After finishing the water, the two of them sat back in the car. You Chong drove to the dormitory building and called Yang Juan to bring the dog down.

After picking up the Alaskan, they drove back to Chengnan Community.

On the way, You Chong told Lin Hexi about Zhou Xuan running into Ning Nan. Lin Hexi listened silently from start to finish, and he quickly understood that Ning Nan wasn’t targeting You Chong’s dog but rather coming for him. Although his expression remained unchanged, a cold glint gradually surfaced in his eyes.

After getting out of the car, You Chong first took the dog home. Lin Hexi returned to his place to gather the dog food and other supplies, then brought them upstairs to You Chong.

Having driven over from home in the evening, neither of them had eaten yet. You Chong ordered a double portion of takeout and suggested that Lin Hexi have dinner before heading back.

Finally, feeling the delayed onset of hunger in his stomach, Lin Hexi agreed.

He sat on the sofa, nearly dozing off while waiting for the food to arrive. When dinner was delivered, Lin Hexi casually ate enough to fill his stomach, then went downstairs to go home, take a shower, and sleep.

The seventh day of the holiday was spent resting indoors, regaining his energy. Starting from the eighth day, he resumed the monotonous and tedious routine of attending classes and checking in on time.

Lin Hexi blocked all of Ning Nan’s contact information on his phone. Even when they had required classes together, he completely ignored Ning Nan. Since that day, he hadn’t been seen coming or going with Ning Nan at school.

It became evident to all their classmates that the two had completely fallen out.

As You Chong had predicted, Lin Hexi wasn’t the type to take a loss without reason. Ning Nan had repeatedly pushed his limits, and Lin Hexi wasn’t someone without a temper.

Of course, he didn’t plan to seek out Ning Nan; instead, he was waiting for Ning Nan to come to him.

Clearly, the incident where Ning Nan tried to take the dog but was intercepted halfway by Zhou Xuan wasn’t enough to calm Ning Nan’s vengeful heart. Even if Lin Hexi didn’t seek out Ning Nan, Ning Nan would find a way to trip him up, until his anger was fully vented.

Ning Nan indeed still harbored resentment and anger toward Lin Hexi.

First, Lin Hexi had flirted with his girlfriend, then deliberately ignored his messages, and on top of that, Ning Nan unexpectedly discovered that Lin Hexi was helping You Chong walk his dog. Ning Nan even suspected that Lin Hexi had already cozied up to You Chong and Zhou Xuan, which was why he was so eager to cut ties with him.

Everyone at school knew that the people around You Chong and Zhou Xuan were mostly young men from powerful backgrounds, and it was well-known that Zhou Xuan had a strong disdain for the presence of illegitimate children.

However, now Lin Hexi had become the exception that made them see him differently. Despite also being an illegitimate child, Lin Hexi always seemed to outshine Ning Nan in every way. This made Ning Nan gnash his teeth in hatred.

He had people secretly watching Lin Hexi, just waiting to catch him doing something incriminating. But before he could gather any dirt, a better opportunity presented itself.

The invitation for the fifth-anniversary party of the Week Eight bar, was sent via text message to all its members.

Initially, Ning Nan was worried that Lin Hexi might not attend. But after learning that You Chong and Zhou Xuan would be there, he relaxed. Since those two were confirmed to go, Lin Hexi, eager to ingratiate himself with You Chong and Zhou Xuan, would have no choice but to attend.

Lin Hexi naturally planned to attend the fifth-anniversary party, but not because of You Chong—it was to proactively cooperate with Ning Nan.

It was only after arriving at the bar that he realized You Chong and his group of friends were also there.

The private rooms on the upper floor of the bar were closed, so all the party attendees were seated at shared tables in the downstairs lounge area. Lin Hexi, intending to keep an eye on Ning Nan, didn’t go over to talk to You Chong. Instead, he chose a spot in the corner with an excellent view.

His seat happened to be diagonally behind You Chong and his group, giving Lin Hexi a clear view of their every move.

There were about six or seven of them, and one seat on the sofa was still empty. Partway through, Zhou Xuan got up and left with his phone. Not long after, two girls in low-cut, spaghetti-strap dresses walked over, arm in arm, and stopped in front of You Chong.

It seemed they wanted to join their table. The girls’ eyes swept over the empty seat next to You Chong, and they softly asked if they could sit there.

One of the girls even used the excuse of talking to deliberately bend down in front of You Chong, revealing the deep cleavage just visible through her neckline. And her long, slender legs, exposed, were almost touching You Chong’s bent knees.

Lin Hexi observed this, and couldn’t help but judge in his mind that her figure and appearance were definitely the type most straight men would love. He suddenly felt a bit curious—what type of girl would You Chong, who insisted he was straight, actually like?

However, You Chong didn’t even lift his eyelid.

The girl, mistakenly thinking that his lack of reaction meant he was allowing her and her friend to stay, said something to the person sitting next to You Chong.

The music from the stage was a bit loud, so Lin Hexi couldn’t hear what was said, but he could guess from the way that person started to move aside that the young, attractive girl likely had her eyes on You Chong and wanted the person next to him to make room for them.

And indeed, that’s exactly what the person did.

The girl was about to pull her friend to sit down when You Chong finally lifted his head and uttered two words.

Lin Hexi squinted slightly, and based on the shape of You Chong’s lips, he deduced that the words were likely “someone’s there.”

The girl showed a look of disbelief.

You Chong seemed to chuckle and then said something else to her, raising his hand to point in the direction where Lin Hexi was seated.

Unsure if You Chong was pointing at him, Lin Hexi was momentarily taken aback.

The girl, talking to You Chong, instinctively turned around to look in his direction.

Lin Hexi quickly composed himself, letting his gaze pass nonchalantly over the girl’s pretty face before casually looking at You Chong.

Caught off guard, Lin Hexi unexpectedly met You Chong’s gaze as it swept in his direction.

Lin Hexi slowly blinked.

He then saw You Chong subtly curl his lips into a smile and gesture for him to come over.

Understanding You Chong’s intent, Lin Hexi raised his eyebrows slightly, stood up from his seat, and walked over as instructed.

Once Lin Hexi was close, You Chong, who was sitting on the sofa, reached out to grasp his wrist and pulled him to sit beside him. Then, You Chong released his grip on Lin Hexi’s wrist, only to place his hand on Lin Hexi’s shoulder.

Lin Hexi couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at him.

You Chong lifted his eyes, his expression remaining calm as he looked at the girl who was still standing in front of him and said, “I told you, this seat is taken.”

The girl, disappointed, withdrew her gaze from You Chong’s face and let it linger on Lin Hexi’s face for a few seconds.

After a brief moment, she smiled sweetly and addressed Lin Hexi, “Well then, little brother, is the seat next to you taken?”

Lin Hexi didn’t answer immediately; instead, he turned his head to look at You Chong.

You Chong shot him a warning glance.

Understanding the message, Lin Hexi curved his lips into a knowing smile and then gently pushed away the arm You Chong had draped over his shoulder.

You Chong’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, but he remained silent.

Lin Hexi, however, calmly leaned closer to You Chong, and without warning, wrapped his arms around You Chong’s arm, resting his head on You Chong’s shoulder. With a meaningful smile, he said, “Can’t you see if there’s anyone next to me, miss?”

You Chong, as if accustomed to such intimate gestures, remained completely unfazed, his expression unchanged.

The girl’s face immediately darkened, and she quickly grabbed her friend and turned to leave.