Chapter 13

“Qiao Qiao, I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but I thought this necklace really suits you. Happy birthday.” Zhou Yue handed over the gift.

He had specially dressed up today, even styled his hair. He looked much more mature.

Jiang Qiao hadn’t invited him, but it’s hard to turn away someone who comes with a smile—and a gift, no less.

Oh, and right, this guy still got scammed out of 43 yuan by her.

Jiang Qiao smiled. “Thanks.” Poor sucker.

Zhou Yue smiled even more gently. “No need to thank me. As long as you like it.”

The two chatted happily. They were a perfect-looking pair—handsome and pretty. Someone nearby couldn’t take it anymore.

One of Peng Yang’s friends grabbed his arm as he fumed. “Hey, today’s Jiang Qiao’s birthday. If you cause trouble now, she might never talk to you again.”

“I—” Peng Yang was boiling inside. “Damn it…”

Where the hell did this pretty boy pop out from?

Watching Zhou Yue fawning over Jiang Qiao, something in Peng Yang’s brain snapped.

Since the day Jiang Qiao made her relationship public, she had blocked him—and she still hadn’t taken him off the blacklist.

Could it be that this was her boyfriend?

“Birthday girl, come play a game!” someone shouted.

The private room was spacious. Some people were singing, others dancing. A group of ten or so had cleared a space in the center and placed an empty wine bottle on the floor.

Zhou Yue didn’t miss a chance to stay close to Jiang Qiao and followed her over. “What game is this?”

A sarcastic male voice chimed in, “Truth or dare. You in or not?”

His tone was openly hostile.

Zhou Yue looked over—it was someone he didn’t know. But the way the guy was eyeing Jiang Qiao made it clear where the hostility came from.

Jiang Qiao glanced at Zhou Yue, then at Peng Yang. She kept a straight face, but inside she was cackling:
[Hahaha! Did you see that? That’s the power of your big sister’s charm!]

She didn’t even say a word, and now two hot-blooded guys were fighting over her.

[Psycho.] 166 muttered under its breath.

Jiang Qiao was thoroughly enjoying the drama and didn’t stop Zhou Yue from sitting beside her. Peng Yang, seeing that, purposely switched seats with someone and sat on her other side.

Now the scene looked quite amusing: Jiang Qiao in the middle, one warm and cheerful handsome guy on one side, and one roguish and cocky guy on the other.

There was a brief silence, then the room got lively again. Love triangles always made for the best gossip—especially during a game like “Truth or Dare.” Delicious drama!

“Okay, okay! I’ll spin the bottle!” Ye Qingqing enthusiastically took on the honored task, giving Jiang Qiao a playful wink.

Jiang Qiao found it funny deep down, but on the surface, she kept up her act of looking distracted and lovesick over Lu Xun.

Peng Yang’s luck was awful. First spin—it landed on him.

“Truth or dare?” Ye Qingqing asked.

“Truth,” Peng Yang replied.

“Is someone you like here right now?”

Peng Yang answered honestly, “Yes.”

Everyone gasped in unison and turned their eyes to Jiang Qiao—only to find her absentmindedly staring at her phone, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

Peng Yang’s face turned dark.

They played several more rounds, but the bottle never landed on Jiang Qiao. The private room was heated, and she felt a little stuffy. She mumbled something about getting some fresh air, ignored everyone’s chatter, and opened the door.

The room connected to a hallway that led to a wide-open balcony. From this angle, you could overlook half of the City—blinking neon lights, crisscrossing streets, and dazzling car headlights.

Jiang Qiao closed her eyes. The cold wind brushed her cheeks, but inside, she felt so calm, not even a ripple of emotion.

Footsteps sounded behind her. She opened her eyes, quickly pushing down her emotions and putting back on her usual “Jiang Qiao” expression.

The person came up and stood beside her, carrying a faint scent of alcohol. Jiang Qiao teased, “What, did Peng Yang force you to drink?”

Zhou Yue played the victim and nodded, “Yeah. Your friend wouldn’t let me leave unless I drank.”

“I don’t think I ever did anything to your friend. Why’s he so hostile toward me?”

“He’s not my friend,” Jiang Qiao said flatly, not playing along.

Zhou Yue didn’t give up. “Qiao Qiao, do you know why he’s targeting me?”

“Don’t want to know.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t know—she just didn’t want to know.

Zhou Yue was momentarily speechless. Failing to steer the conversation toward a confession left him frustrated, like things were slipping out of his control.

But rather than being upset, what rose in him more strongly was a surge of possessiveness and unwillingness to lose.

“Qiao Qiao, I really like you. Will you consider giving me a chance?”

The sudden confession didn’t surprise Jiang Qiao. She glanced at him calmly. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Lu Xun?” Zhou Yue’s expression turned disdainful. “I thought you were just messing around.”

Jiang Qiao was about to refute him, but a warning tone from the system rang in her mind—and in the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a sliver of fabric sticking out from behind the wall.

She retracted her gaze from that piece of clothing and looked back at Zhou Yue’s gentle, sunlit face. She smiled and replied, “Yeah, just messing around. His face really hits all my weak spots.”

“Then you—”

“But I’m not done playing yet.” Jiang Qiao cut him off. “If you don’t mind, you can be a backup.”

The young lady didn’t disappoint—insulting two people in one sentence. Zhou Yue’s face instantly darkened. He was still young and couldn’t hide his emotions. His smile froze. “So, when do you think you’ll be done playing?”

A shadow flickered at the corner of the wall. The piece of fabric disappeared. Zhou Yue was still waiting for her reply, but Jiang Qiao suddenly lost all patience. “What’s it to you?”

With that, she turned around and walked away without a second glance.

Back in the private room, she didn’t rejoin the game. Instead, she sat on the couch eating cake absentmindedly. Zhou Yue, bruised in pride, didn’t return. Peng Yang perked up and came over pretending to care, only to be snapped at by Jiang Qiao—he stormed off too.

By 9:30 p.m., most of the guests had left. Only Ye Qingqing and Jiang Qiao remained.

“Qiao’er, how about I sleep over at your place tonight?”

Ye Qingqing had grown up with her, and for as long as she could remember, she was the one always accompanying Jiang Qiao on her birthday—because Jiang Qiao’s parents were always too busy. Too busy even to come home for her birthday, only ever sending a gift by mail.

But this year was supposed to be different. Jiang Qiao had a boyfriend now. Yet even he wasn’t there for her.

Ye Qingqing’s concern and sympathy were written all over her face. Jiang Qiao found it amusing. “No need. Auntie’s called you several times already. You’d better head home.”

Ye Qingqing hesitated but eventually gave in to the barrage of calls from her parents. After a few more reminders to call her if anything happened, she left.

The night was cool and quiet. Streetlights glowed dimly, and tree shadows stretched across the ground like monsters in the dark.

Lu Xun walked slowly, eyes downcast, his emotions unreadable.

A beautifully wrapped gift box hung from his bicycle’s handlebars. He stared at it for a moment, then stopped by a trash can as he passed—and threw it in.