At the end of the month, there was a rainstorm, and after the rain, May turned into June.

On June 1st, it was Song Mianfeng’s birthday.

Song Mianfeng had many friends, from all corners of the country, but there were only a few who would gather for meals and drinks on special occasions.

The chosen venue was a self-service hot pot KTV. When Song Mianfeng pushed open the door, a group of people were already singing. Mei Siye held the microphone and, upon seeing a new face brought by Song Mianfeng, without paying much attention, changed the lyrics of the song to “People say that in the depths of a hundred flowers, there lives—Song ge.” The tone was as soft as it could be, quite cheesy.

Wang Letian threw a peanut at him. 

Fu Qingshan, sitting on the sofa, chuckled. “Siye, tone it down, there are family members here.”

Mei Siye finally took a serious look at the person Song Mianfeng brought. He looked quite handsome, wearing a light blue shirt, standing next to Song Mianfeng, they looked matched.

Wu An poured a glass of wine and handed it to Song Mianfeng. “You’re late, Song’er.”

Song Mianfeng admitted his fault and downed the drink, then proceeded to introduce the person to Lu Yin Zhen.

“Wu An, college classmate, now a director,” Song Mianfeng said. “This restaurant is his.”

“That one sitting over there is Wang Letian, college classmate and roommate, also a photographer.” Song Mianfeng paused for a moment, then chuckled somewhat ambiguously. “The one singing, Mei Siye, is Wang Letian’s boyfriend.”

Wang Letian stared at Lu Yin Zhen for a while, suddenly remembering something. “Hey, aren’t you that… that model…”

Lu Yin Zhen didn’t quite catch on to the term “model,” but still nodded and said, “Lu Yin Zhen.”

Even with a simple introduction.

Mei Siye also found Lu Yin Zhen familiar. “Didn’t Song’er post photos on his social media? Were you together then?”

“What photos?” Wu An asked. “Why haven’t I seen them?”

“Just recently,” Wang Letian said, taking out his phone and scrolling back on Song Mianfeng’s social media. “Those photos were so good, and the person in them looked just as good. Damn, why can’t I find such a good-looking partner?”

Mei Siye raised an eyebrow and pinched him.

Wang Letian hissed and quickly apologized. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make a scene.”

Watching the two of them, Song Mianfeng chuckled and briefly explained to Lu Yin Zhen, “It was posted on social media when we went back to my former school. Wang Letian thought you were a model I found somewhere.”

Lu Yin Zhen made a sound of acknowledgment, indicating that he understood.

Fu Qingshan raised his glass to Lu Yin Zhen with a smile. “Mr. Lu, nice to see you again.”

Among the people in the room, besides Song Mianfeng, Fu Qingshan, who he had only met once, was actually the person he knew best. Lu Yin Zhen smiled and said, “Just call me by my name.”

Once everyone was gathered, they shifted from the KTV to the hot pot table. Sitting around the table, they all knew Song Mianfeng’s preferences. The dishes were divided between spicy and clear broth, and they didn’t shy away from any alcohol, mixing white and beer together.

Before they started eating, Song Mianfeng opened a bottle and poured some for everyone, finally relieving Lu Yin Zhen’s tension.

While not wanting to embarrass Lu Yin Zhen, they could still tease Song Mianfeng.

During breaks when the food was cooking, they egged Song Mianfeng on to open the gifts.

The gifts were piled up on an empty chair nearby, ranging from large to small, beautifully wrapped, but no one knew what was inside.

They were all close friends, and Song Mianfeng knew they wouldn’t give him anything fancy. It could be anything from a pile of condoms to lubricant… They weren’t asking him to open the gifts; they were clearly waiting to laugh at him.

Wu An chuckled, “Open them up, what are you afraid of? Afraid we put something obscene inside?”

Mei Siye always enjoyed stirring up trouble, joining in with, “You don’t have to open ours, but what about Lu Yin Zhen’s? You’ve brought him here, what’s the point of hiding the gift?”

Song Mianfeng took a sip of wine and shook his head, “It’s not me who’s hiding it.”

He was also curious about what Lu Yin Zhen would give him, but he hadn’t received Lu Yin Zhen’s gift yet today, so there must be other plans.

Originally, Lu Yin Zhen intended to give it to him privately, but now that he was singled out, he generously took out the gift.

It was a delicate black velvet box, palm-sized, easily mistaken for holding a ring or something.

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table, followed by a burst of laughter.

Wang Letian whistled, “Is this a proposal?”

Lu Yin Zhen actually got up, and Song Mianfeng quickly grabbed him, holding his wrist, his ears slightly red. “Why are you doing?”

Lu Yin Zhen smiled and placed the box in his hand. “Open it.”

Everyone was a bit more observant now, not urging or joking anymore, but all eyes were on the box in Song Mianfeng’s hand, making him even more embarrassed.

He felt a little uncomfortable and twiddled his fingers before finally opening the box.

Inside the exquisite little box lay a piece of jade, shaped like a longevity lock, flawless and smooth, like a white cloud, gently lingering on a black rope woven with red beads.

“Hotan jade?” Fu Qingshan’s family was in the jade business, so he recognized the rarity of this jade at a glance.

Song Mianfeng lightly furrowed his brows and closed the box.

Receiving such a gift, he was actually quite happy. He was happy that Lu Yin Zhen had given him something meaningful. But this gift was too precious, making him feel burdened.

Seeing that the atmosphere at the table was a bit off, Wu An quickly intervened, “Alright, let’s stop here, Song’er treasures it, just take a look and that’s it.”

Wang Letian grabbed a bottle of beer, knocked it against the edge of the table, popping off the cap, and filled a glass. “Come on, let’s keep drinking, it’s rare to get together, we must drink until we drop.”

It was Song Mianfeng’s birthday, so naturally, they took turns pouring him drinks in various ways, barely touching the food but drinking a lot of alcohol.

Although Lu Yin Zhen helped block some of the drinks, Song Mianfeng still got a little drunk. With the alcohol kicking in and the room feeling a bit stuffy, he made an excuse to go to the restroom for some fresh air.

After washing his face with cold water, he looked up and saw someone entering from the doorway. Song Mianfeng forgot to dry his face, and the water droplets rolled down his cheeks, slipping into his collar.

It felt a bit cold.

Lu Yin Zhen took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and calmly wiped Song Mianfeng’s face.

Song Mianfeng stared at his face with intense eyes, but his mind was slow to catch up.

Although Lu Yin Zhen had drunk only slightly more than him, he seemed unaffected at the moment. Song Mianfeng wondered if it was because of his high alcohol tolerance or strong self-control.

Curious, Song Mianfeng leaned closer and breathed softly in his ear before whispering in a husky voice, “Lu Yin Zhen, I think I’m a bit drunk.”

Song Mianfeng was the type who became quieter the more he drank. If he was truly drunk, he would become very well-behaved.

Having seen him truly drunk before, Lu Yin Zhen knew that Song Mianfeng was using the alcohol as an excuse to flirt. So, he remained calm and composed, asking, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Song Mianfeng gave a nonchalant “Mm.”

Lu Yin Zhen’s tone finally showed some fluctuation as he asked, “Stomachache?”

As he spoke, he reached out to support Song Mianfeng’s waist and gently touched his upper left abdomen.

Leaning against his shoulder, Song Mianfeng guided Lu Yin Zhen’s hand to his chest and, with a hint of ambiguity and a soft nasal tone, asked, “It hurts here. Would you like to massage it for me?”

He had never heard of anyone getting a heartache from drinking too much…

Feeling the strong heartbeat beneath his palm, Lu Yin Zhen felt like he could grasp that heart at any moment.

Lu Yin Zhen massaged his chest gently, with no hint of anything suggestive, but it still stirred up Song Mianfeng’s feelings.

As both were men, the changes in their bodies were too honest and straightforward. Lu Yin Zhen glanced at him, his eyes deep.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Song Mianfeng coughed lightly and shifted the topic, saying, “About that piece of jade…”

“I gave it to you, so keep it.”

Song Mianfeng was facing the mirror now. Lu Yin Zhen took out the box from his pocket, opened it, took out the jade, and reached around him to put it on his neck.

It seemed a bit crooked. Lowering his head, Lu Yin Zhen adjusted the white jade Longevity Lock and chuckled softly in his ear, “Compared to what you wanted from me, it’s not as precious.”

Song Mianfeng’s face… suddenly turned red.

Compared to Lu Yin Zhen, this piece of jade was indeed not as precious.