Chapter 7: The Female Lead Appears

Liu Jinghao, the male protagonist’s childhood friend, didn’t throw a big birthday party for himself. Instead, he invited a few friends from the circle to casually gather, and the venue was chosen at the bar he owned.

After getting out of the car, Jin Yue realized that dusk had fallen. Just then, a light breeze blew by, and she suddenly felt a bit cold, instinctively shrinking her body.

A black suit jacket was draped over her shoulders. “Cold?” Qi Bei lowered his gaze and looked at her with concern in his eyes.

“No, I’m fine. I don’t need this.”

She said, then pushed the jacket back to Qi Bei. She was joking—wearing it inside would be an invitation for gossip.

Seeing that Qi Bei’s expression was unchanged, Jin Yue quickly changed the subject. “Let’s go in, quickly. If we’re too late, it’ll be awkward,” she said, walking forward.

Qi Bei held the jacket, took a long stride, and caught up, then wrapped his arm around her. “Since you don’t want to wear it, you can hide from the wind in my arms.”

Entering like this would be a problem. There was a chance they might run into the female lead right away. He needed to come up with a plan.

He had an idea.

Looking at the door to the private room ahead, Jin Yue suddenly spoke, “Wait! I suddenly need to use the bathroom! You go ahead; I’ll join you in a bit.”

“Are you nervous?” Qi Bei asked.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m shy. You go in first, I promise I’ll go in soon!” Jin Yue widened her eyes and looked at Qi Bei with a pleading expression, showing vulnerability. She knew when to show weakness and when to be flexible.

Her big, dark eyes shimmered like stars, as if they could draw you in. She tilted her head to look at him, her little hand tightly clutching his jacket as though afraid he might refuse.

She really did look like a little cat, and Qi Bei couldn’t help but be drawn in, staring at her. His gaze was deep and unreadable, and he didn’t speak for a while.

“I really need to go! I’ll come in later, I’m not lying!” To make sure Qi Bei would agree, Jin Yue even swore.

Qi Bei raised an eyebrow and laughed, flicking her on the forehead. “Hurry up, go on, I know you won’t run away.”

She actually had plans to sneak away, didn’t she?

**At the private room.**

Qi Bei lazily leaned back on the couch, his eyes dark and profound, his nose sharp, with defined features. Although he appeared gentle, there was always a faint air of aloofness about him.

Many women were staring in his direction, whispering among themselves or gazing intently, but no one dared approach.

“I heard you’ve suddenly had a breakthrough recently. Why didn’t you bring someone along to have fun?” A man beside him teased. This man was the host of today’s birthday party—Liu Jinghao.

“Or is it just for fun?”

Hearing this, Qi Bei wiped the smile from his face, turned his head to look at Liu Jinghao, and his words were cold: “Haozi, don’t talk like that again in the future. She’s shy, so don’t tease her when she comes in. If you scare her off, I’ll hold you responsible.”

“Stop trying to scare me. How would I dare to provoke her?” Liu Jinghao looked thoughtfully at Qi Bei. This guy had seen all kinds of women, so why was he suddenly so concerned about one woman?

He suddenly became very curious about the person.

“Brother Bei, you’re finally back.” When he regained his focus, a woman was already standing in front of Qi Bei.

The woman was wearing a red dress, with a graceful figure. Her appearance was charming, and she exuded a bold, beautiful aura.

Qi Bei raised his gaze and carefully examined the woman in front of him. His voice was warm as he spoke: “Su Chenxi?”

“Yes, it’s me. Don’t you remember me, Brother Bei? I used to follow you around and play when we were kids,” Su Chenxi said, her smile stiffening as she realized he didn’t remember her.

When they were younger, she had often been by his side, and among all the girls, only she had caught his attention. She thought that perhaps she was special to him, but now, it seemed that he had forgotten all about her.

Her family had suddenly moved away back then, and she hadn’t had time to say goodbye to him. When she returned to A City, she found out that he had already gone abroad.

Ever since he went abroad, she had been waiting for his return.

She even heard from friends that he hadn’t been with any other women during this time. She was overjoyed, thinking that he had been waiting for her too. But now, everything felt like a lie.

“Oh, it’s you. Long time no see. Did your brother come along?” Qi Bei asked casually.

“He’s on a business trip and didn’t come today,” Su Chenxi replied.

“Alright, Haozi, take good care of her. I’ll be out for a bit,” Qi Bei said to Liu Jinghao.

The little guy wouldn’t really run off, would he? He was too mischievous. Qi Bei grabbed his phone, preparing to go out and find him.

Su Chenxi wanted to follow him, but Liu Jinghao suddenly started talking to her.

After all, he was the birthday boy today, and it wouldn’t be polite to ignore him. She sat down and chatted with him, but her eyes kept drifting in the direction of Qi Bei.

**Meanwhile, in the bathroom.**

Jin Yue had been lingering in the bathroom for quite a while. She couldn’t hold it anymore and finally came out.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Qi Bei lazily leaning against the hallway. She walked towards him, and as she got closer, he pulled her into his arms and began walking toward the private room, speaking as he walked: “If you don’t come out soon, I’ll go in and drag you out.”

His large handheld her tightly, and Jin Yue couldn’t escape. With no other choice, she gave up her little plans and decided to follow him back.

Just as Qi Bei walked out of the private room, everyone showed an expression of disappointment, thinking that he was leaving for some reason.

But to their surprise, only a few minutes later, he returned—with a woman in his arms.

The crowd immediately began to gossip.

Jin Yue could only hope the female lead hadn’t arrived yet, as she didn’t want to be a stumbling block in her eyes.

“Hey, little sister-in-law’s here, welcome!”

Jin Yue glanced over and saw the man sitting on the sofa. He had a flirtatious look, his expression charming and seemingly full of romantic intent. This must be Liu Jinghao.

And the beautiful woman next to him—wasn’t that the female lead?!

Why did she just give her a hateful glare?

It couldn’t be, could it?

After all, in the novel, the female lead, though stunning, had been overly protected by her family, and her personality was rather innocent. She couldn’t see through the true nature of the malicious female antagonist, and always defended her, until she was kidnapped and realized the truth.

She had been heartbroken, like someone who had been betrayed, and couldn’t eat. This made the male lead even more resentful of the evil female antagonist.