Bian Yiqiu’s assumption was correct—Fatty’s birthday would definitely have Ke Mingxuan attending. Since Ruan Chengjie had dropped off Bian Yiqiu first, he arrived a little late and was immediately caught by Li Ze, who punished him with three shots.

“President Ruan is busier than the Prime Minister, and eight times out of ten, he can’t even make time for people. The only reason he’s here today is because the birthday boy has some real pull,” Li Ze said, holding a wine glass in one hand and a bottle in the other, pouring generously, filling it to the brim with alcohol.

“Don’t mention it—just stepped on the scale this morning, and I’ve gained another ten pounds,” Fatty said proudly, patting the flesh on his stomach with a satisfied grin.

“You must have gained those ten pounds in your face, right? Otherwise, how could you have managed to get President Ruan here?” Lin Jiayan, sitting across from them, chimed in, flashing a smile at Ruan Chengjie, who was being forced to drink.

Three shots of 40% XO in a large glass, and Ruan Chengjie didn’t even flinch. He wiped his mouth, pulled out the chair, and sat next to Fatty. “It’s Fatty’s birthday today, everything else can wait.”

“That’s the spirit.” Fatty patted Ruan Chengjie on the shoulder, signaling the waiter to bring the food. Then, he stood up and looked around at the group of brothers. “Today’s my thirtieth birthday. Whether you drove or not, toss your car keys aside. No one’s leaving until they’ve had their fill.”

“Let’s eat first, then we’ll head to VITA. I’ll cover all the drinks. Have as much as you want, no rush.” VITA was a KTV owned by Fang Rui.

Fatty quickly asked, “Can I have a few bottles of your prized Louis XIII?”

Fang Rui smiled at him. “Today, you’re the guest of honor. Don’t just ask for Louis XIII—if you want Louis XV, I’ll get it for you too.”

“Alright, that’s what I call brotherhood.” Fatty then turned to Ke Mingxuan, who had been quiet the whole time, sitting next to Fang Rui. “Young Master Ke, what’s with the silence today? Doesn’t seem like your style.”

Ke Mingxuan lazily leaned back in his chair. Hearing this, he raised his glass and gave a toast to Fatty. “Wishing you prosperity as vast as the East Sea, and longevity like the South Mountain. May the money you earn be as plentiful as the flesh on your body, no matter how you spend it, it only increases.”

“I love hearing that!” Fatty raised his glass and downed it in one go. “To put it simply, that’s longevity and wealth flowing in endlessly, right?”

Ke Mingxuan curved his lips into a smile. “You really do have some culture.”

“Speaking of culture… where’s Mr. Chu? He’s the most cultured among us,” Fatty said, looking around.

“Even if you’re the birthday star today, you can’t badmouth me behind my back.”

As the saying goes, “Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.” Just as Fatty finished speaking, Chu Yi, whom he had just mentioned, walked in through the door, immediately drawing the attention of the crowd.

“President Ruan was ten minutes late and had three drinks. Shouldn’t you at least double that to make it fair?”

“Doubling it still isn’t enough. You’ve got to account for the time you missed last time with the off-road trip as well.”

“Chu Yi, your obsession with looks over friendship is getting out of hand. Are you planning to settle down for good with that little handsome guy, Lu?”

“When are you going to bring him out for us to have a look? We want to see what kind of person could make the noble Mr. Chu fall so completely head over heels.”

Chu Yi smiled bitterly. “Can you all spare me? Once I’ve got him, I’ll definitely bring him out for the brothers to meet.”

Fatty shouted, “What the hell? It’s been half a year and you still haven’t won him over? What kind of vision is that? With someone as dazzling as Chu Yi, how could anyone not grab him right away?”

“This is my fault. It was almost working out, but I messed it up and scared the kid away.” Ke Mingxuan said, pouring two glasses of wine and handing one to Chu Yi. “Here, this drink is my way of apologizing.”

“Young Master Ke, that’s where you’re wrong. Even if Lu Xiao is your favorite fresh-faced guy, you can’t just openly steal from your brothers’ plates.”

“A dog can’t spit out ivory. What nonsense are you talking? If I ever had any improper thoughts about Lu Xiao, wouldn’t Chu Yi be the first to stab me in the back?”

Chu Yi looked at him seriously. “If stabbing you twice could make Lu Xiao come back obediently, I’d really do it.”

Ke Mingxuan cursed under his breath, “I really underestimated how much you prioritize romance over friendship.”

The group continued to chat, laugh, eat, and drink. Dishes came one after another, and bottles of XO were emptied one after another. By not even ten o’clock, they had already finished four or five bottles.

With an empty stomach, Ruan Chengjie had downed three large glasses. As the alcohol started to hit him, he used the excuse of needing the restroom to splash some cold water and sober up. When he came out, he saw Ke Mingxuan leaning against the doorframe, smoking, clearly waiting for him.

Everyone was clever, and Ruan Chengjie naturally knew why Ke Mingxuan was waiting there, but he pretended not to notice and casually walked over, asking, “Had too much to drink?”

“Not really, this amount of alcohol can’t take me down.” Ke Mingxuan took a deep drag of his cigarette, maintaining his position leaning against the doorframe, then got straight to the point without any small talk, “Stay away from Bian Yiqiu.”

Ruan Chengjie hadn’t expected him to be so direct, so he responded without hesitation, “And what gives you the right to tell me that?”

“Friends.”

“Friends? My friend, or his friend?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Of course, there is,” Ruan Chengjie smiled, “If it’s my friend, I’d thank you, but whether I stay away from him or not is my business. If it’s his friend, then I have to give you a rather hurtful answer. Bian Yiqiu said he has nothing to do with you. Who he wants to be friends with is none of your concern.”

The second half of Ruan Chengjie’s words really enraged Young Master Ke, whose temper was already quite short. If it weren’t for the years of friendship, his clenched fist, already poised, would have been thrown at him by now.

“No matter what he says, my relationship with him is far more intimate than you can imagine. I’m only reminding you because we’re friends. I know what you want to do, but Bian Yiqiu is not someone you can just play with.”

“Who told you I’m just playing around? If Chu Yi can settle down for that young man named Lu, why can’t I?”

Ke Mingxuan scoffed as if he’d heard the biggest joke: “Don’t tell me you’re actually in love with Bian Yiqiu.”

Ruan Chengjie retorted, “What’s wrong with that?”

Ke Mingxuan didn’t answer the question, because he didn’t believe for a second that Ruan Chengjie could genuinely have feelings for Bian Yiqiu. However, that eye-catching LaFerrari was certainly a big gesture. Ruan Chengjie had gone to great lengths to buy the car, and if he had no interest in Bian Yiqiu, he wouldn’t have so easily given it away.

Perhaps it was the alcohol getting to him, but Ke Mingxuan started to feel a slight headache.

Having known Ruan Chengjie for over twenty years, Ke Mingxuan knew very well what kind of person he was. For him to give up on something he had set his sights on was no easy feat, especially when it came to someone like Bian Yiqiu…

Ke Mingxuan was about to say something else, but then he saw Lin Jiayan’s figure appear at the end of the hallway, slowly walking toward them.

“Talking by the bathroom door? You two really know how to make it interesting,” Lin Jiayan remarked before looking at Ke Mingxuan. “Not too drunk, are you?”

Ke Mingxuan didn’t respond, but Ruan Chengjie, with a meaningful smile, curled the corner of his lips. “Such an interesting spot, I’ll leave it to you guys.” Without another word, he turned and left the restroom.

Watching Ruan Chengjie’s back, Ke Mingxuan felt a surge of frustration. No longer in the mood to deal with Lin Jiayan, he turned to leave, but Lin Jiayan grabbed his arm.

‘Why are you avoiding me when you see me?’

Ke Mingxuan shrugged off his hand, not bothering with even the most basic pleasantries.

‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist hitting you.'”

“Hitting me? Who was it that told me you were just playing with someone named Bian? Who was it that said you were just messing around with him for novelty’s sake? What, did you end up developing feelings after fucking him a few times?”

“Lin Jiayan,” Ke Mingxuan turned around, pointing at Lin Jiayan’s nose. He paused for a long time before continuing, “If it weren’t for Uncle Lin, with all the things you’ve done, I should’ve cut ties with you a thousand years ago.”

After saying that, Ke Mingxuan didn’t look at him again, turning on his heel and striding out, but he wasn’t heading toward the private room.

Lin Jiayan bit his lip, his eyes glaring at Ke Mingxuan. He forced a smile from his handsome, beautiful face, a grimace that looked more like crying than laughing.

——–

Bian Yiqiu and Ruan Chengjie had spent the afternoon betting on horses at an equestrian field in the suburbs. Bian Yiqiu even joined in and ran a few laps himself. Exhausted, he returned to the club, threw himself into the private room, and slept through the rest of the day.

In his hazy state, Bian Yiqiu felt someone approach him. Reflexively, his muscles tensed up, and just as he was about to react, he caught a faintly familiar scent. The fragrance of sandalwood mixed with cedar, steady and cold, completely different from the domineering and flamboyant attitude that person usually displayed. But this scent instantly put him at ease, and he relaxed, sinking back into a deep, sweet dream.

His muddled mind couldn’t even process who the person was, and yet he carelessly exposed his most defenseless side. If he had been fully awake, he would have realized how dangerous that was.

Unfortunately, Bian Yiqiu was so exhausted that he could hardly stay awake. What did it even mean to be awake? Was it something he could consume?

Seeing that he was sleeping so soundly, the person said nothing and simply turned around and left.

By the time Bian Yiqiu was woken up by the loud protest of his empty stomach, it was already well past ten at night.

Zuo Cheng sat on the sofa across from him, flipping through an old newspaper from who knows when to pass the time. He was wrapped in a blanket with the club’s logo, and the familiar scent had long since vanished, leaving no trace behind. The air in the room was so clean and pure, it was as though he had just dreamed of sandalwood and cedar.

He frowned, pulled the blanket off, and sat up from the sofa. As soon as his feet hit the floor, the sound of his phone ringing from his pocket startled him.

He took out his phone, saw the caller ID, and without hesitation, pressed the answer button. “Ke Mingxuan.”

On the other end of the phone, Ke Mingxuan didn’t expect him to pick up so quickly. In fact, he had thought that Bian Yiqiu wouldn’t answer the call at all, especially since after Bian Yiqiu had refused to go back to their old place, the two of them hadn’t really been in contact much.

“It’s me.” Ke Mingxuan stood outside the hotel, smoking. The cold northern wind howled as it swept by, scattering the smoke rings he exhaled in all directions.

“You came by earlier?” Bian Yiqiu recalled the day he returned from the off-road trip, when the scent of sandalwood mixed with cedar had been on the clothes he had given him.

“What?” The wind was too strong, and Ke Mingxuan didn’t hear him clearly.

“Nothing.” Actually, as soon as Bian Yiqiu asked, he regretted it, realizing it was a pointless and stupid question. If the person who had come was really Ke Mingxuan, with his terrible attitude, he definitely would have just kicked him awake instead of quietly leaving. “You need something?”

“Yes.” Ke Mingxuan’s two words, crisp and clear, cut through the freezing winter air like chunks of ice, devoid of any emotion. “The car that Ruan Chengjie gave you, did you take it?”

Bian Yiqiu’s first reaction upon hearing this was a stunned silence. His second reaction was confusion, and his third was to ask directly, “What does it have to do with you?”

“It has quite a bit to do with me,” Ke Mingxuan replied. “If you’ve taken it, return it to him.”

Perhaps it was because he was so used to giving orders, but when Ke Mingxuan spoke, there was an undeniable command in his voice that ignited the barely noticeable anger in Bian Yiqiu’s chest, making it flare up instantly. “Ke Mingxuan,” he snapped, “who do you think you are?”

“I’m sure you know exactly who I am. If you’ve forgotten, I wouldn’t mind reminding you,” Ke Mingxuan said, his words laced with double meaning.

Bian Yiqiu narrowed his eyes, lazily stretching out on the wide sofa as his body, still recovering from sleep, slowly came back to life. “Young Master Ke, you sound like you’re jealous,” he teased.

Zuo Cheng, holding the newspaper, froze, his hand trembling slightly as his eyes darted back and forth. He felt like he had just heard something important!

Then Bian Yiqiu heard Ke Mingxuan’s voice from the phone, “If I say I’m jealous, will you listen to me?”

Bian Yiqiu smirked nonchalantly. “Not so sure about that. Go ahead, tell me.”

Ke Mingxuan responded without hesitation. “Alright, I’m jealous. So, don’t take Ruan Chengjie’s car, and don’t get too close to him.”

“Hahahahaha…” Bian Yiqiu burst out laughing, as if he had just heard the funniest joke of the century. He couldn’t stop laughing.

Zuo Cheng couldn’t bear to watch and covered his face, wondering if he should call a private doctor to check if there was something wrong with the boss’s mental state.

Ke Mingxuan patiently listened to Bian Yiqiu’s laughter, finishing the cigarette in his hand. He flicked the glowing ember to the ground, crushing it underfoot. “Laugh all you want, but don’t forget what I said. Otherwise, you’ll learn the consequences of not listening.”

He hung up the phone without waiting for Bian Yiqiu’s response, shoved his cold hands into his coat pockets, and walked back toward the hotel room.

He took a few steps, then turned back, bent down to pick up the cigarette butt, and with a perfect arc, threw it straight into the nearby trash can.