Chapter 62: Lin Tong’s Birthday

After ending the call with You Chong, Lin Hexi sat still, clutching his phone, staring at the ground in a moment of distraction.

He was the one who spoke the words that angered the other party, and he was the one who initiated the argument. It seemed that in the days to come, You Chong would probably not contact him for a long time.

Even though it was You Chong who easily drew out the hidden delusions buried deep in his heart, and not Lin Hexi himself. But since You Chong didn’t have that kind of interest in him, it was best to end things early.

If it weren’t for that kiss last night, he might still be able to keep playing dumb in front of You Chong, pretending to be oblivious to his own feelings for him. At least until the other party got a girlfriend.

It was that kiss from You Chong that made it impossible for him to keep avoiding, and he no longer wanted to continue avoiding.

He built countless mental defenses for himself, repeatedly hinting and telling himself that gradually distancing himself from You Chong through arguing was the right choice.

Yet, his heart was still filled with frustration and restlessness, even to the point of feeling the urge to go out to a bar and drink.

However, at this time of day, the bars around the university town weren’t open for business yet.

Lin Hexi could only reluctantly give up on that idea and opened his phone to order takeout.

Before he could place the order, a new call came in.

Seeing Mrs. Lin’s name displayed on the caller ID, Lin Hexi finally couldn’t hold back any longer and showed a look of annoyance as he stared at the phone screen.

Mrs. Lin informed him over the phone to return to the Lin residence on time tomorrow night to attend Lin Tong’s birthday dinner.

Her intention behind this was merely to play the role of a qualified and loving mother in the eyes of Lin Yuanwei and others.

In his current foul mood, Lin Hexi didn’t want to waste any more effort pretending to be courteous with her. He replied coldly, “I have classes tomorrow night.”

Mrs. Lin’s voice remained calm and unhurried, but it carried a hint of firmness: “Take a leave and come back.”

Lin Hexi responded, “It’s been difficult to get leave recently.”

Mrs. Lin didn’t say much, just let out a light laugh, her tone composed as she reminded him, “Have you been away from home for too long and forgotten who gave you the opportunity to attend university in the first place?”

Lin Hexi didn’t respond.

If he continued to talk back, he could more or less guess what she would say next.

The Lin family had the power to get him into university, and they could just as easily arrange for his withdrawal before he received his diploma.

Mrs. Lin stopped there and didn’t say more. Before hanging up, she simply said, “Don’t be late.”

The phone quickly returned to the takeout order page. Lin Hexi lowered his gaze to the screen, his expression calm and indifferent.

Without waiting for tomorrow evening, he packed his things and went back to the Lin residence half an hour later.

Although the International College and the main campus’s College of Polytechnic Institute weren’t adjacent, and the chances of running into someone on campus were negligible, Lin Hexi still decided to take the initiative to reduce that probability to zero.

Weighing the pros and cons between going back to the Lin residence early to face those people or staying on campus and constantly worrying about running into You Chong, Lin Hexi would rather choose the former.

At least for the next two days, he didn’t want to see You Chong again.

Lin Hexi left in a hurry, so he didn’t know that You Chong had come downstairs to look for him as soon as he got back.

And he forgot one thing.

You Chong would definitely be on the guest list for Lin Tong’s birthday banquet.

Every year, Lin Tong’s birthday dinner wasn’t just a celebration—it was also an important event for the Lin family to consolidate and expand their connections within the upper circles.

The guest list for the banquet included not only the elites and dignitaries from the upper class but also Lin Tong’s classmates, who came from prominent families.

All day long, Mrs. Lin was downstairs directing the servants to arrange the banquet hall. People delivering ingredients and items were coming and going through the front door, and Lin Tong was downstairs picking out a suit to wear for the dinner. Everyone was so busy that their feet barely touched the ground.

Yet all of this had nothing to do with Lin Hexi, who stayed shut in his bedroom.

After lunchtime, someone came upstairs to bring Lin Hexi a suit.

As in previous years, what they brought was once again the leftover clothes and pants that Lin Tong had chosen not to wear, with sizes that didn’t quite fit Lin Hexi’s own measurements.

Since starting university, Lin Hexi had grown particularly fast. In previous years, his height wasn’t much different from Lin Tong’s, so the suits tailored to Lin Tong’s measurements still fit him. However, over the past two years, he had gradually grown much taller than Lin Tong.

Lin Hexi took the suit, turned around, and closed the bedroom door. He casually tossed the suit into the corner of the sofa and didn’t glance at it again.

There were still several hours before the dinner party, so Lin Hexi drew the curtains tightly and lay back on his bed, planning to take a nap.

Soon, the bedroom door was knocked on again.

Lin Hexi got out of bed to open the door. The aunt who had brought the clothes earlier had returned. While standing outside the door, she said in a flat tone, “Madam is looking for you.”

Accustomed to the attitude of the Lin family, Lin Hexi stepped out of the shadows of the doorway, closing the bedroom door behind him with a calm demeanor. He raised his eyes without a ripple of emotion and said, “Let’s go.”

The family driver was going to take Lin Tong to get styled, and Lin Hexi had to go along as well.

“There will be important guests at the banquet tonight, so no one in the family can make any mistakes,” Mrs. Lin said as her gaze slowly swept over everyone in the hall, finally landing on his tea-brown short hair. “Go and dye your hair back to black.”

Lin Hexi sat in the styling room until dusk.

Lin Tong’s styling was already done, and the driver took him back home early. Before leaving, the driver informed Lin Hexi that after his hair was dyed, he should take a taxi back to the Lin residence.

By the time he returned, Lin Tong’s birthday banquet was already at the entry stage.

The area outside the villa was filled with all kinds of luxury cars, making the taxi moving among them look especially out of place.

The Lin family members stood at the entrance with smiles on their faces, warmly greeting the distinguished guests, and the sound of laughter carried on the wind from afar.

Dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, Lin Hexi stood out conspicuously under the night lights. Lin Yuanwei glanced at him briefly, his expression darkening as he muttered in a low voice, “Didn’t I tell you not to go out today? What are you standing here for? Hurry up and go upstairs to change your clothes, and don’t use the front entrance.”

The other party didn’t even notice the change in his hair color.

Lin Hexi entered the Lin family villa through the back door, but instead of going upstairs to change, he walked straight into the banquet hall.

Lin Tong, who had been by the villa entrance, had also returned to the banquet hall, accompanied by a young boy dressed in luxurious attire, looking about sixteen or seventeen years old. Occasionally, when Lin Tong turned to speak to him, there was a subtle hint of caution and wariness in his expression.

Lin Hexi understood immediately that this young master and the people from his family who had come to the dinner were probably the important guests Mrs. Lin had mentioned.

Although he was annoyed by attending such banquets, he had no intention of causing trouble at the Lin residence. He deliberately kept his distance from where Lin Tong and the young master were standing and sat down in a corner.

He then saw Lin Tong settle the young master before being quickly called away by Lin Yuanwei.

Lin Hexi lowered his head and took out his phone to play with. It wasn’t long before he heard someone calling in his direction.

He looked up and saw the young master with an impatient expression, waving him over.

After glancing around at the attire of the guests in the banquet hall, Lin Hexi realized that the other likely mistook him for a servant. Maintaining a calm expression, Lin Hexi got up and walked toward the irritated young master.

The young master sat in his seat, waiting for Lin Hexi to approach, then pointed at the desserts and drinks in the buffet area behind him. “Go get me something to eat, and I want red wine too.”

Lin Hexi stood still, his gaze sweeping over the young master’s face, and said calmly, “You’re not old enough to drink alcohol.”

The young master’s brows furrowed with anger, and he cursed at him, “When I tell you to get it, you get it. Say one more word, and you can pack your things and get out of here right now.”

Though the young master didn’t look very old, he had clearly mastered the art of bullying and throwing around his authority, just like his elders.

Lin Hexi’s expression remained unchanged as he turned and walked towards the dessert and drink area. Following the young master’s instructions, he brought him some cake and red wine.

The young master reached out and grabbed the wine glass, about to take a sip.

As Lin Hexi turned to leave, he almost collided with a stranger, a young man who was approaching, accompanied by Lin Yuanwei, who was trailing behind with a flattering smile.

Lin Hexi quickly stopped in his tracks, but the man had already briskly stepped around him, directly snatching the wine glass from the young master’s hand. With a displeased expression, he said, “Didn’t I tell you not to sneak drinks?”

The young master, full of resentment, turned his anger towards Lin Hexi, who was still standing there, and shouted furiously, “He’s the one who brought me the red wine!”

The man turned his head, his sharp gaze sweeping towards Lin Hexi, his expression clearly showing misplaced anger.

Facing the man’s gaze directly, Lin Hexi furrowed his brows and was about to say something.

But Lin Yuanwei had already stepped in, his face darkening as he raised his hand and slapped Lin Hexi hard across the face. “You worthless brat! Who told you to take it upon yourself to serve alcohol?!”

The fierce slap came swiftly towards his face, and before Lin Hexi could dodge, someone suddenly yanked the back of his collar.

In the next second, Lin Hexi’s back abruptly crashed into the chest of the person behind him, and his heel stepped heavily on the other’s toes.

However, the person seemed unfazed, even raising his arm to wrap around Lin Hexi’s shoulders, pulling him completely into his own space.

Lin Yuanwei’s slap swept past Lin Hexi’s face, unexpectedly missing its target.

While holding Lin Hexi securely two steps away, You Chong looked up at Lin Yuanwei with a calm expression and said, “Good evening, Uncle Lin.”