Watching his younger sister go to the movies and have dinner with another man, Song Mianfeng’s feelings were somewhat complicated.

Back in the car, he called Lu Yin Zhen.

Lu Yin Zhen answered quickly, and in the background, there was the melodious sound of opera music, accompanied by string instruments, quite pleasant to the ears.

Even more pleasant was the soft laughter that came from the other end of the phone, suppressing the gradually fading laughter, calling him “Mianfeng.”

Lu Yin Zhen always knew how to say his name in a pleasant way.

His ears felt a bit warm at Lu Yin Zhen’s words. “Are you at Mingyue Tower?”

Lu Yin Zhen responded with a “yes.” He probably had left his seat and found a quiet place to take the call. The sound of the opera music became faint and muffled, making it hard to distinguish. “Why did you suddenly call me?”

They didn’t often talk on the phone; most of the time, they communicated through WeChat. Text messages and spoken words conveyed different tones. Many people thought that text lacked warmth, but Lu Yin Zhen believed that text was the warmest thing.

Whether someone was being casual or serious, it was all hidden within seemingly cold text.

Casual meant only discussing matters when necessary and avoiding contact otherwise.

But being serious meant meticulously choosing each word, reviewing the chat history repeatedly after sending a message, wondering if one’s own words were lacking.

Of course, voices also held warmth.

When he saw the incoming call, he couldn’t help but smile. The warmth in the voice touched his ears and spread through his veins and bones.

Song Mianfeng himself was warmth, the warmth entrusted by his whole heart.

But unfortunately, someone was entirely unaware and kept fueling the fire.

He said, “I suddenly wanted to call you.”

Song Mianfeng fell silent for a moment before saying, “I just dropped Zhanyue off at the movies with her neighbor.”

“It seems like he likes Zhanyue and is quite direct about it,” Song Mianfeng said, “He’s just average-looking, about my height, not as handsome as me. I don’t know what he does for a living, didn’t see a car, his fashion sense is decent, quite polite, but nothing else stands out for now.”

“But I think Zhanyue probably has a good impression of him,” Song Mianfeng sighed softly, “She just hasn’t realized it herself.”

Song Zhanyue worked as a psychologist, but in her personal life, she was extremely oblivious to matters of the heart. It seemed like she had devoted all her energy to her work. In her free time, she liked to be alone and didn’t enjoy socializing much. She didn’t have many friends.

When it came to interests, she only enjoyed various horror and mystery novels. In her mind, her brother was her only thought when going out… Otherwise, she wouldn’t still be single.

And since Song Zhanyue was willing to go to the movies and have dinner with Mu Zanglin, it meant she had a good impression of him.

The more Song Mianfeng thought about it, the more he found Mu Zanglin displeasing.

Clearly, there were just some signs of interest from Mu Zanglin, but it made him itch to squash those signs.

Lu Yin Zhen listened quietly as he criticized and complained, hearing something else in his words.

“For such a good girl like Zhanyue, isn’t it normal for someone to like her and pursue her?” Lu Yin Zhen smiled, “Your sister hasn’t even started dating, and you’re already reluctant?”

“I am quite reluctant,” Song Mianfeng sighed softly, “They’re not even together yet, and I’m already worried about what if he doesn’t treat Zhanyue well, what if he makes her sad?”

He had pampered his sister since childhood, and suddenly, she was going to belong to someone else’s family. Just thinking about it, Song Mianfeng couldn’t bear it.

Lu Yin Zhen still smiled, but it was a light smile, and his tone was light, “Perhaps you can ask Zhanyue this question.”

“She must have also been reluctant when it came to me. She must have thought about it too. What if we’re together and I treat you poorly, what if I make you sad?”

Song Mianfeng’s brows relaxed, and he asked softly, “will you?”

Lu Yin Zhen answered without answering, “I will treat you well.”

If someone genuinely liked another person, how could they bear to treat them poorly, how could they make them sad?

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, then a slow, gentle laughter came through.

Song Mianfeng said, “Wait for me, I’ll come to find you.”

The thought of seeing Lu Yin Zhen crossed his mind, and Song Mianfeng acted on it. However, he didn’t anticipate that his father, Song Shaochen, who was bored at home, would also come out to listen to music…

And he happened to be sitting at the same table as Lu Yin Zhen…

Song Mianfeng stood at the staircase landing for a while before forcing himself to walk over.

Actually, Song Shaochen had only been sitting there for a few minutes. Lu Yin Zhen hadn’t expected him to come to Mingyue Tower either. He was considering whether to inform Song Mianfeng… but then Song Mianfeng arrived.

Lu Yin Zhen gave Song Mianfeng a helpless look.

Seeing his son, Song Shaochen’s gaze swept over, and he smiled, “Finished dropping off Zhanyue?”

Song Mianfeng stood properly and replied, “Yes.”

Song Shaochen didn’t ask him why he came to Mingyue Tower after dropping someone off. He just said, “Sit,” and turned back to the stage, continuing to listen to the music.

Only then did Song Mianfeng sit down beside Lu Yin Zhen, murmuring quietly, “Why is my dad here too…”

Lu Yin Zhen poured him a cup of tea, feeling a bit uneasy, and lowered his voice, “Uncle also just arrived.”

They hadn’t arranged to meet with Song Shaochen in advance, and Song Mianfeng had impulsively come to find him. It was just a coincidence that they ran into each other like this.

But fortunately, Song Shaochen wasn’t the type to tease the younger generation. Although it was a bit uncomfortable to have an elder sitting there, the atmosphere wasn’t particularly awkward.

Song Mianfeng didn’t have anything particular to discuss with Lu Yin Zhen, and now that Song Shaochen was sitting there, he had even less reason to stay. So he sat quietly, listening to the music, not causing any trouble.

It was Lu Yin Zhen who couldn’t calm down. It wasn’t easy to talk in front of Song Shaochen, so he lightly tapped Song Mianfeng’s hand with his fingers.

Song Mianfeng turned his head to look at him, a bit puzzled.

Lu Yin Zhen reached out his hand, palm facing up.

Song Mianfeng blinked, then imitated him, spreading out his palm.

Lu Yin Zhen’s fingertips landed on his palm, slowly writing words, horizontal and vertical, somewhat tickling.

Their little movements were all hidden under the table, but Song Mianfeng still glanced nervously at Song Shaochen before lowering his gaze and touching his own palm.

Lu Yin Zhen wrote two words, “Birthday gift.”

Probably something Song Zhanyue told him.

Song Mianfeng didn’t find it strange, but he couldn’t quite explain the feeling in his heart.

The older one gets, the less they care about birthdays and gifts. It’s not like it’s a milestone year. In past years, it was just having a meal with family and friends, and it was over. Now, with Lu Yin Zhen bringing it up like this, he suddenly felt unexpectedly eager for his birthday this year.

Lu Yin Zhen wrote again, “I don’t know what you like.”

Song Mianfeng felt like laughing. He held Lu Yin Zhen’s hand back, lowered his head slightly, and wrote a word very seriously.

“You.”

Lu Yin Zhen held his fingertips and pinched them.

With a slightly furrowed brow, it seemed like he was presented with a problem.

Song Mianfeng couldn’t help but chuckle softly. But then, fearing that Song Shaochen might notice something, he quickly picked up his tea, took a sip, and covered the curve of his lips.

But the amusement in his eyes was too obvious. Song Shaochen, catching a glimpse of it, couldn’t help but shake his head, feeling both pleased and nostalgic at the antics of his son.

“…

That night, when he returned home, Song Mianfeng sent a WeChat message to Fu Qingshan.

Normally, Song Mianfeng didn’t often contact Fu Qingshan without reason, and Fu Qingshan was also busy with work. The fact that their friendship could last for so many years was quite a miracle.

After half a day with no response on WeChat, Song Mianfeng thought that Fu Qingshan probably hadn’t finished work yet, so he went to take a shower first.

When he came out of the shower and saw a missed call, he casually wiped his still damp hair with a towel and then returned the call.

After a couple of rings, the call connected, and Fu Qingshan’s voice came through, “Why suddenly think of caring about me?”

Song Mianfeng asked him when he would finish work. Fu Qingshan naturally thought of Song Mianfeng mentioning treating him to a meal after finishing work, and then he thought of the hidden relationship between him and Lu Yin Zhen. Unable to resist, he teased Song Mianfeng.

Song Mianfeng touched the water droplets that had dripped onto his neck and clicked his tongue lightly, “First of next month. Call Ledian and the others and let’s have a get-together.”

Fu Qingshan chuckled, “I remember. I’m almost done filming my scenes. Should wrap up by the end of the month.”

Fu Qingshan claimed to have two male leads roles, but in reality, his role could only be considered as the second male lead. Also, because He Chengyun’s filming habits involved shooting important scenes first, his scenes were almost finished. By the end of the month, they would be done, just in time for Song Mianfeng’s birthday.

“Okay,” Song Mianfeng said. “Let’s set it for the evening of the first.”

Among his friends, Fu Qingshan had the busiest schedule and was the hardest to pin down. Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to ask half a month in advance.

Fu Qingshan made a sound of agreement, deliberately lowering his voice a bit, “Are you and Lu Yin Zhen actually together?”

“Not yet, just a thin layer of window paper.” Song Mianfeng paused for a moment before continuing, “I was thinking of confessing on my birthday, but I haven’t figured out how to say it yet.”

As he spoke, he expressed his willingness to wait for Lu Yin Zhen to tell him everything, but at the same time, he wanted to define their relationship, making it seem like he was pressuring Lu Yin Zhen…

How to confess was also a problem.

He wasn’t the type to show off. He was almost twenty-eight years old, and he couldn’t bring himself to do something stupid like holding roses and a microphone in a crowd, shouting “I love you.” After much consideration, he couldn’t figure out how to express his feelings.

It was annoying.

“You don’t necessarily have to say it on your birthday,” Fu Qingshan said. When even Fu Qingshan, who usually joked around a lot, couldn’t make up his mind, he put aside his teasing and advised him seriously, “Confessing is about timing, location, and the people involved. You never know, one day you might feel like the weather’s nice, you’re in a good mood, and that phrase ‘Let’s be together’ just slips out.”

Fu Qingshan made sense, and Song Mianfeng was always easy-going. He smiled and decided not to dwell on it anymore.

Let things happen naturally, Song Mianfeng thought. It’s already summer, so isn’t any good weather day fine?