[You’re hopeless]

It was really quite fair.

At least, Chen Zemian thought it was fair. The clear and bright wind of rule of law had even reached male-oriented web novels. This was great; he was saved! From now on, he wouldn’t have to worry about his transmigration being exposed and getting caught for human experimentation in a lab, or being secretly killed by the male lead for offending Lu Zhuonian.

Chen Zemian felt reborn, refreshed, and in such a good mood that everything looked pleasing, even greeting Liu Yuebo with a smile.

Liu Yuebo politely declined Chen Zhe’s pleasantries, as the man was clearly unstable. Last time, before he poured coffee on his head, Chen Zhe was also all smiles. Looking back now, it was clearly that despicable ‘I can’t help but smile thinking about what I’m about to do’ expression.

Today was Xiao Kesong’s birthday party. Liu Yuebo didn’t want to see Chen Zhe and initially refused to come, but the Xiao and Liu families were negotiating a major project. To show sincerity, his family ignored Liu Yuebo’s resistance, not only insisting he come but even having his elder brother escort him.

The moment he entered the banquet hall, Liu Yuebo saw Chen Zhe’s annoying face.

Chen Zhe wore a silver-grey suit with a matching vertical-striped satin shirt underneath. The top two buttons were undone, loosely fastened, revealing a large expanse of his pale neck. A blue-black tie dangled from his long neck, clearly put on just as he entered. This casual, unruly, playboy look was strikingly different from the overall atmosphere of the banquet, making it hard not to notice him.

High-society banquets were social events where male and female guests dressed formally, adorned with jewels and pearls, enjoying luxurious food and drink. Though seemingly relaxed and casual on the surface, they had specific unwritten rules and principles. Everyone had their place, and their attire, speech, and conduct were all by the book, confined within an unspoken framework, with no one overstepping the boundaries. Just like Liu Yuebo himself, even if he didn’t want to attend Xiao Kesong’s birthday banquet, he had to. Not only did he have to come, but he also had to put on a cheerful smile, as if sincerely wishing Young Master Xiao a happy birthday.

‘This is so damn annoying. I really want to blow this place up.’

Liu Yuebo picked up a glass of champagne, found a moment when Chen Zhe wasn’t looking, and clinked glasses with Xiao Kesong, successfully completing his task. Then he retreated to a corner to “act self-isolated.” It wasn’t really acting; he truly felt self-isolated at the moment. He had lost so much face in front of all his friends in the circle; the photos of him with coffee all over his head were still circulating wildly in various WeChat groups. Anyone in his shoes would want to bang their head against a wall.

Liu Yuebo not only wanted to bang his head against a wall but also wanted to ram his head into Chen Zhe and kill him. Especially Chen Zhe, who was now beaming, delighted about who-knew-what.

“So happy? Did you strike it rich?”

Xiao Kesong shared Liu Yuebo’s confusion. He asked Chen Zemian, “Or did you win the lottery?”

Chen Zemian raised his stemmed glass in a toast. “It’s Young Master Xiao’s twentieth birthday today. Shouldn’t I be happy?”

Xiao Kesong narrowed his eyes. “Chen Zhe, I’m finding you very dishonest now. You’re spouting nonsense as soon as you open your mouth.”

“Has he ever been honest?” Lu Zhuonian swirled his wine glass. He wasn’t looking at anyone when he spoke but had his eyes lowered, as if meticulously judging the wine’s legs. He said nonchalantly, “Xiao Kesong, you’re not very good at reading people.”

Ye Chen turned his head to glance at Lu Zhuonian but remained silent.

Xiao Kesong also looked at Lu Zhuonian, surprised. “Do you know what’s going on?”

Lu Zhuonian put down his wine glass, stating concisely, “He got into a fight with Xu Shaoyang a few days ago and made a fortune.”

The remark had no subject, but Xiao Kesong and Ye Chen both knew he was talking about Chen Zhe, so they simultaneously looked at Chen Zhe.

Xiao Kesong sighed softly. “You got into a fight again?”

Chen Zemian met their gazes and said with curiosity, “Why does it always have to be me? It could have been Young Master Lu who fought.”

“Impossible,” Ye Chen said.

Xiao Kesong also said, “Zhuonian never fights with people.” Even if someone truly angered him, he’d send his bodyguards to fight; he would absolutely never do it himself.

“Really?” Chen Zemian asked, surprised. “You young masters can’t all have never been in a fight, can you?”

‘Are they that noble? No wonder they’re so fragile.’

But Ye Chen and Xiao Kesong both said, “We have.”

Chen Zemian was a little lost, confused. “So, only Young Master Lu hasn’t fought? Why?”

Lu Zhuonian and Ye Chen remained silent.

Xiao Kesong said, “He’s sick.”

“?”

‘Sick?’

Hearing that out of nowhere, Chen Zemian wasn’t sure if Xiao Kesong was joking or serious. He instinctively looked at Lu Zhuonian. Though he said nothing, his clear gaze precisely conveyed his question: ‘What kind of sickness do you have?’

Lu Zhuonian acted as if he hadn’t heard, calmly taking a sip from his wine glass.

Ye Chen cleared his throat, changing the subject. “Let’s talk about Chen Zhe’s fight instead.”

Talking about Chen Zhe’s fights always made Xiao Kesong sigh. He truly treated Chen Zhe like a younger brother, worrying about him more than he had about anything in the first half of his life.

“How can getting into a fight also make you rich?” Besides compensation for injuries, Xiao Kesong couldn’t think of anything else. He looked Chen Zemian over, unable to spot any injuries for now. He seemed lively and energetic, so it probably wasn’t anything serious.

“Aren’t you working at the shooting range these days?” Xiao Kesong first asked Chen Zemian, and without waiting for an answer, turned to ask Lu Zhuonian. His tone wasn’t exactly accusatory, but there was a hint of displeasure. “How did he get beaten right under your nose?”

Chen Zemian was about to explain what happened, but before he could speak, Lu Zhuonian already had. Lu Zhuonian neither refuted nor explained, merely responded faintly, “I didn’t see it at the time. I’ll keep a tighter watch in the future.”

Chen Zemian: “…”

Ye Chen’s eyebrow arched to a barely perceptible degree. This time, he didn’t look at Lu Zhuonian but at Chen Zemian’s expression.

Chen Zemian tilted his head innocently.

“…”

Ye Chen let out a very soft ‘tsk,’ slowly withdrew his gaze, and glanced at Lu Zhuonian with a half-smile.

“Is there a problem?” Lu Zhuonian said flatly.

“No problem at all,” Xiao Kesong, completely unaware of the subtle undercurrents, was still focused on Lu Zhuonian’s comment about keeping a tighter watch on Chen Zhe. He agreed. “You should definitely look after him more. Chen Zhe has a soft personality; he’s easily bullied.”

“I’m not…” Chen Zemian protested.

Xiao Kesong cut him off before he could finish. “You’re not what? I didn’t say you were, did I? What’s wrong with you? You used to be so good at reading people. Now you’re like a brute, going backward in life. Can’t you just hide when someone comes looking for trouble?”

Chen Zemian had no temper with Xiao Kesong and obediently bowed his head to receive the lecture. “Oh.”

The more Xiao Kesong spoke, the angrier he became, especially thinking that Xu Shaoyang, despite knowing Xiao Kesong protected Chen Zhe, still dared to repeatedly cause trouble for him. It was as if Xu Shaoyang didn’t even regard him, Xiao Kesong, at all. He grew even more frustrated and said indignantly, “Don’t feel wronged. Next time we see Xu Shaoyang, I’ll beat him up for you.”

“Forget it,” Chen Zemian said. Xu Shaoyang had broken three ribs and still hadn’t been discharged. If Xiao Kesong went and beat him up again, he’d be truly unlucky. Chen Zemian’s lingering conscience acted up, and he added another piece of advice. “Don’t look for him, Young Master Xiao. I’ve already taken their family’s money and signed the reconciliation agreement.”

Xiao Kesong was indignant. “He should’ve been arrested and locked up for a few days! Why sign a reconciliation agreement with him?!”

Chen Zemian touched his nose guiltily, saying ambiguously, “If it were you, you’d forgive him too.”

Lu Zhuonian suppressed a laugh, lightly clearing his throat to hide his amusement.

Ever since the topic came up, Ye Chen had vaguely felt something was off. Now that he had clarified the whole situation, hearing Chen Zemian say, “If it were you, you’d forgive him too,” he also found it very funny and couldn’t help but let out a low laugh.

Xiao Kesong truly had a young master’s temper. When he got angry, he didn’t care about anything; even passing dogs would get two slaps. Hearing Ye Chen’s low laugh, he immediately cast a displeased sidelong glance. “Ye Chen, you’re truly heartless. Chen Zhe is so miserable, and you can still laugh?”

Ye Chen: “…”

Chen Zemian didn’t know why things had escalated to this point. He had intended to explain from the very first second Xiao Kesong misunderstood, but somehow, the longer it dragged on, the less he knew what to say. It all went sideways from Lu Zhuonian’s inexplicable remark.

Xiao Kesong would absolutely pound himself to death if he ever knew the truth. He definitely would.

Chen Zemian subtly raised his head, secretly glaring at Lu Zhuonian. He was caught red-handed by Lu Zhuonian.

Chen Zemian hadn’t expected Lu Zhuonian to be looking at him, and his heart skipped a beat in fright. But then he remembered this was a society governed by law and immediately recited the socialist core values to himself for encouragement, boldly continuing to glare at Lu Zhuonian.

Lu Zhuonian stared back indifferently, his open demeanor seemingly incredibly serious, but Chen Zemian could tell at a glance that he was doing it on purpose. This Lu Zhuonian was truly calculating every step. He deliberately let Xiao Kesong misunderstand, superficially solidifying Chen Zemian’s harmless, easily-bullied image in front of Xiao Kesong. In reality, he was planting a trust bomb between the two of them, with the fuse held in Lu Zhuonian’s hand. Chen Zemian had merely been slow to speak a single sentence and had unknowingly fallen into a trap, handing over a massive leverage point to Lu Zhuonian for free.

A cunning villain.

‘Too! Detestable!’

Chen Zemian narrowed his eyes.

Lu Zhuonian raised his wine glass and took a sip as if nothing were amiss.

Chen Zemian wanted to keep glaring at Lu Zhuonian, but Xiao Kesong suddenly patted him. Xiao Kesong looked at Chen Zemian, then at Lu Zhuonian. “What are you two doing, exchanging glances?”

Ye Chen rubbed his temple. “Guests are all outside, Kesong. Aren’t you going out yet?”

Xiao Kesong had finally slipped into the lounge to get some peace and quiet and had no desire to go out and force smiles. “My mom and dad are both out there. Not many people are really here for me anyway.”

“Still, you should take a look,” Ye Chen stood up and drained the remaining red wine in his glass. “I’ll go with you.”

Xiao Kesong also knew he couldn’t hide any longer. He sighed and stood up, adjusting his collar in the mirror. The mirror was hung by the door, perfectly reflecting the back of Chen Zemian’s head. Xiao Kesong’s peripheral vision caught Chen Zemian, and he realized Chen Zemian’s hair color had changed.

Xiao Kesong turned around and asked Chen Zemian, “Your hair turned black? It looks pretty good.”

Chen Zemian was speechless. “It’s been dyed black for almost a month, bro. Don’t you ever look at me?”

“You’re not a pretty girl, why would I look at you for no reason?” Xiao Kesong walked over, observing Chen Zemian’s new hair color up close. He picked up a strand and twirled it. “I knew your hair couldn’t grow that fast. Is it dyed black tea? It’s cool. Maybe I’ll get this color dyed too someday.”

Lu Zhuonian listened to them talk, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on Xiao Kesong’s hand. He wasn’t sure if he was looking at Xiao Kesong’s hand or Chen Zemian’s hair.

Chen Zemian was completely unaware of this, relaxing his back against the chair and looking up at Xiao Kesong. “This depends on your face. Even if I dyed it mint green, it would look good. Tony the stylist said so.”

Xiao Kesong laughed and cursed, “Get lost! My face is deadly handsome too. What hair color can’t I pull off?”

Chen Zemian began digging a pit. “Then do you dare to pull off mint green?”

Xiao Kesong almost fell for it. “What kind of mint green?”

Chen Zemian immediately pulled out his phone to search for colors. Xiao Kesong half-crouched and leaned over to look, his chin almost resting on Chen Zemian’s shoulder.

Lu Zhuonian put down his wine glass, the crystal base clinking lightly against the marble tabletop.

Chen Zemian was still laughing and egging Xiao Kesong on about dyeing his hair, completely missing it. Xiao Kesong, however, heard it and looked up at Lu Zhuonian curiously. After all, Lu Zhuonian’s table manners were always impeccable; the chance of him accidentally clinking tableware was almost zero.

Ye Chen stood by the door, calling to Xiao Kesong, “Can you hurry up?”

Xiao Kesong’s hands were mischievous. Before leaving, he casually ruffled Chen Zemian’s hair. “Pink would look good on you.”

Ye Chen didn’t speak again until they walked out of the lounge, then he let out a long sigh.

“I’m celebrating my birthday here, why are you sighing?” Xiao Kesong asked.

Ye Chen’s expression was mostly flat. “I don’t want to say anything unpleasant on your birthday, but you’re truly too dense.”

Xiao Kesong snorted, his tone dismissive yet oddly confident. “You just want to say Chen Zhe was tricking me into dyeing my hair green, right? I already figured that out. I’m tricking him back into dyeing it pink. Pretty clever, huh?”

Ye Chen looked at Xiao Kesong for two seconds. “You’re hopeless.”