Wen Tingxue wasn't sure when he'd done it.
But she clearly remembered there wasn't one when they first added each other.
It hadn't been there for a long time, it seemed... after Tong Jiayi said those things to her?
Wen Tingxue searched her memory and confirmed it was around that time.
Because everyone was talking about the story between him and Tong Jiayi then.
And she, due to various things, had been avoiding him.
Though it wasn't long, the memory was vivid.
She hadn't expected...
He had secretly done this...
Was he trying to appease her then?
Too bad she hadn't chatted with him at all, and of course, she hadn't noticed.
And yet he had remained silent...
He could really hold back.
Wen Tingxue looked at the line of small text and suddenly remembered what Hao Luoluo had said—
"Compared to the passionate and unrestrained red rose, the white rose is indeed more suitable for you."
Indeed.
Both were quite reserved.
Wen Tingxue collected her thoughts and began to ask about the main matter.
But the message she sent received no reply for a long time.
She couldn't help but send another message to ask.
After a long while, when she was almost falling asleep, he sent a voice message.
"Is this how you ask for favors?"
His tone was lazy, with a hint of low huskiness.
It didn't sound angry, more like sulky...
"Pfft."
Wen Tingxue couldn't help but laugh, collapsing onto the bed.
Hahahaha!
She had finally waited for the day he sulked!
It was truly a case of heaven rewarding the persistent... oh wait, she still needed something from him.
She couldn't get happy too soon.
Wen Tingxue quickly sat up, cleared her throat, and intended to send a cooing voice message.
To smooth things over with charm.
To avoid being controlled by him and doing embarrassing things.
Unfortunately.
Before she could send the voice message, he initiated a video call.
Caught off guard, she accepted.
Then, the young man on screen narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Your face is so red, what were you doing?"
He leaned against the balcony, the dark night behind him, and a wisp of white smoke rose from his fingertips.
His tone became even more indifferent.
Wen Tingxue was mesmerized by his beauty and, on an impulse, said:
"I missed you."
"Oh?"
The young man's lips immediately curved upwards, and he flicked the ash from his cigarette, in a good mood.
"Your mouth is so sweet, what do you want your big brother to help you with?"
"..."
It sounded like she had an ulterior motive.
Wen Tingxue pouted unhappily.
"What type of girl does Brother Achen like?"
Yu Wenli glanced at her and remained silent.
Wen Tingxue's breath hitched for two seconds, and she sheepishly explained.
"Qiao Xixi asked me to ask, she really likes Brother Achen."
"Oh."
Yu Wenli took a drag from his cigarette, his posture languid.
His half-closed eyes were veiled by the smoke, his expression unreadable.
He could make someone's heart flutter even through the screen.
Wen Tingxue couldn't figure out his attitude, and she couldn't not help Qiao Xixi, so she softly urged him.
"What type do you like?"
Yu Wenli looked down and flicked the ash. "I don't know."
"You don't know?!"
How could he not know?
"Didn't you grow up together? Qiao Xixi also said you were relatives."
Wen Tingxue didn't believe it. Her already flushed face turned even redder with anxiety.
Yu Wenli raised his eyelids, his gaze lightly sweeping over her. "I really don't know."
Before she could press further, he added, "He's never dated, and there have been no girls around him."
"Ah?"
Wen Tingxue was a little stunned.
With Mu Chen's excellent qualities, he actually...
May 10th, Jiangcheng Grand Hotel.
Xing Jiahe's eighteenth birthday, the event was grandly organized.
The entire seventh floor was booked.
But Xing Jiahe didn't seem happy.
At least when Wen Tingxue and the others arrived, he stood beside his parents, a frown on his face.
Xing's father and mother, however, were beaming.
Especially after seeing Yu Wenli, Mu Chen, and Chi Zerui.
Their expressions were like they had seen the God of Wealth.
"You're finally here, Little He has been looking forward to it for a long time."
Mother Xing ignored everyone else, focusing her attention only on Yu Wenli and the other two.
Wen Tingxue and Xu Kexin stood awkwardly to the side.
You Gou smirked, remaining silent.
Father Xing looked around behind them and asked with some regret.
"Don't Mr. Chi and the two CEOs have time to come?"
They had already sent invitations.
Chi Zerui said indifferently, "My uncle has something to do today, so he sent me with a gift."
Xing's father and mother followed his gaze.
There were already many gifts on the table, but what Chi Ye gave would undoubtedly be the best.
An expensive grand piano was placed conspicuously by the table, drawing countless glances.
Xing's father and mother's faces instantly lit up, their smiles stretching from ear to ear.
Xing Jiahe gave Xu Kexin a stiff smile.
He looked somewhat embarrassed and somewhat disheartened.
Xu Kexin, however, remained calm. "Happy birthday."
She had made a handmade dreamcatcher.
"I hope your wishes come true soon."
While looking up his information, she had incidentally noted his birthday.
The dreamcatcher had been made a long time ago.
She just hadn't expected to give it to him in person.
Looking at the dreamcatcher made with peacock feathers in the girl's hand, Xing Jiahe's lips finally curved into a smile.
He was happier than receiving the piano. "Thank you."
He accepted it with both hands.
Mother Xing heard the commotion, glanced back, and her expression was disdainful.
What is this?
A worthless trinket.
Halfway through the meal, Xu Kexin received a work call.
Fearing she would disturb others, she specifically went to the corridor to take it.
When she hung up, she heard sounds not far away and her feet involuntarily led her there.
"You, why the long face? Who are you showing it to?"
Mother Xing's tone was sharp, her words practically spitting fire.
"Your father and I spent so much money to host this birthday banquet, all for the sake of meeting more people!
"And you, you acted as if your parents had died the whole time, like everyone owed you money? You..."
As she spoke, she raised her hand to strike him, but remembering it was his birthday, she restrained herself.
Xing Jiahe stood in the corner with a placid expression. No matter what Mother Xing said or did, he remained unmoved.
Father Xing took a puff of his cigarette and commanded, "I don't care what your thoughts are.
"That girl is unacceptable. Her father is a scoundrel, and her mother is dead.
"She has no family background, no connections. Your mother and I will absolutely not agree.
"If you want to play around, we don't mind, but if you want a long-term relationship with her.
"I'm telling you, give up on that idea early."
"Impossible."
Xing Jiahe said without looking up, "I don't care about anything else, but on this matter, I won't listen to you."
His voice was not loud, but his tone was resolute.
Clearly, there was no room for negotiation.
Mother Xing's temper flared instantly, "Xing Jiahe!"
She angrily poked Xing Jiahe's shoulder and scolded:
"I carried you for ten months and almost died, and this is how you repay me?!"
At the mention of this, the young man's coldness softened.
He lowered his eyes wearily, "Mom..."
"Don't call me Mom."
Mother Xing withdrew her hand and said without compromise:
"I don't have a disobedient son like you.
"Your father and I were poor from the start. Every penny we earned was spent on you.
"Do you think you played the piano since you were little because our family was rich?
"That was money your father and I saved bit by bit by living frugally!
"Now you have made something of yourself, you've met three good brothers and brought our family a lot of business.
"But don't forget, you wouldn't have met them if your father and I hadn't endured hardship.
"If you still care about your parents, you'd better be obedient, marry a wealthy and influential woman, and stay away from that dregs."
Father Xing nodded, "Yes, Xiao He, your mother and I worked tirelessly to raise you.
"We just hope you can bring honor to our Xing family. You can't let down your mother and me.
"For you, we've endured all sorts of hardships and difficulties over the years.
"Even now that our conditions are better, Mom and Dad will still give you the best things. You can't be unfilial."
The eighteenth birthday banquet, frankly speaking, was a matchmaking event organized by his parents for him.
Xing Jiahe detested it, but he had no choice.
His parents used their debt of birth and nurturing to blackmail him, leaving him with no right to refuse.
After a perfunctory nod, the two left, satisfied.
Xing Jiahe stood in place, feeling a sense of aimless confusion.
Xu Kexin, who had accidentally witnessed the awkward scene, was about to slip away when her phone suddenly rang.
She hastily hung up, and the young man was already standing in front of her.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
Xu Kexin held her phone, thought for a moment, and then asked, "What are the plans for later?"
"I don't know."
He replied.
His tone was listless.
Xu Kexin suggested, "Then let's go to the amusement park?"
Xing Jiahe looked down at her, his emotions unclear.
"I'm eighteen."
"I'm an adult, so I can't go to the amusement park?" Xu Kexin smiled.
Her eyes curved like crescents.
Xing Jiahe was stunned for a moment. "Okay."
The group had a very happy time at the amusement park.
Xing Jiahe was especially happy.
He hadn't expected that his first visit to an amusement park would be on his eighteenth birthday.
Tired, he returned home. His parents were sitting in the living room, counting money and opening gifts, their smiles more radiant than the ones they gave him.
Xing Jiahe suddenly felt less happy and threw himself onto the bed.
He stared blankly at the chandelier on the ceiling.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a WeChat message came in.
It was from Xu Kexin, a short and concise message.
"Keigo Higashino wrote in 'Shōsei': 'Everyone wants to be born into a good family, but they can't choose their parents. Whatever cards you're dealt, you just have to play them as best you can.'
I just saw this and thought it was good, so I'm sharing it with you."
Xing Jiahe stared at the explanation in the latter half of the sentence and smiled silently.
He didn't believe she had just seen it, but he believed she wanted to share it with him.
At the same time, at Mu Corporation.
The continuous overtime had made Wen Zhong'en miss his daughter terribly.
So, he specifically brought her over to keep an eye on her, which gave him more motivation for work.
Wen Tingxue had nothing to do, so she spent more time with him.
But after finishing her homework, her father was still busy, and she didn't want to disturb him.
So she took her tablet to draw, as there wasn't much else to do.
When President Mu pushed the door open, Wen Tingxue had just finished drawing a mermaid and obediently said:
"Hello, Uncle."
President Mu then noticed her and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh? Little girl, why have you come over today?"
Wen Zhong'en looked up and rubbed his temples wearily, complaining:
"It's all your fault for pushing this project. I haven't seen my daughter for half a month."
President Mu smiled obsequiously, "Yes, yes, it's my fault, my fault. When the project is over, I'll give you a long vacation."
He said, putting down the documents in his hand.
"Finish this and take your daughter home quickly. It's getting late."
Wen Zhong'en nodded, and President Mu turned to leave.
He happened to glimpse the drawing on the tablet, and his steps suddenly halted.