Part 2
Shen Bei stopped in his tracks, impatient to open the gift. He pulled out a rotating music box.
Bai Sinian: …
Was he serious with this outdated thing? Bai Sinian used to give these to girls in elementary school. You wind it up, let go, and the raised bumps on the cylinder pluck the metal teeth to make sound. The better ones might have a little figurine spinning and dancing.
Shen Bei was a young master from a super wealthy family. How did Cui Yeyi think of giving a ten-yuan item?!
Unexpectedly, Shen Bei was super happy. “It’s so pretty! The music sounds so good! Thank you, Yeyi-ge!”
Bai Sinian: …
This kid was really easy to please.
Fan Hongyi gave a bracelet engraved with the pinyin of Shen Bei’s name. Bai Sinian felt a lingering fearāthankfully it was engraved “shenbei” and not the abbreviation “SB” (a common insult).
Compared to these, his gift was extremely presentable!
“Xiao Bei, this is a Q-version character design I specially commissioned for you guys, made into keychains. One for each person.” Bai Sinian took out four keychains from his bag and distributed them.
Shen Bei joyfully accepted his Q-version keychain, eyes sparkling. “Wow, is this me? So cute!”
Cui Yeyi scoffed. “Tch, who calls themselves cute?”
Shen Bei blushed and explained, “IāI meant the little figure.”
Cui Yeyi: “That little figure is you, so you’re saying you’re cute!”
Shen Bei got anxious. “No, IāI meant it, not me.”
Bai Sinian rubbed his temples. “Cui Yeyi, stop teasing him.”
“This is a gift from both Bian Rui and me!” Bai Sinian added.
Cui Yeyi, who had been enjoying teasing Shen Bei, flattened the corners of his mouth upon hearing this. “What? You two gave a gift together? What’s your relationship? Only married couples give one gift together.”
Bian Rui shot him a cold glance. “You have a problem with that?”
Fan Hongyi shook his head, looking helpless.
Afraid they would argue again, Bai Sinian quickly changed the subject. “These Q-version figures can be used for merchandise when everyone gets famous later. For now, we’ll enjoy them ourselves! By the way, Xiao Bei, let’s go inside, let’s not stand in the yard.”
“Mm, everyone come in!” Shen Bei happily carried his gift bags, clutching the keychain tightly, leading the way.
Bai Sinian deliberately walked between Cui Yeyi and Bian Rui to prevent another bickering match.
Walking into the villa, the interior was decorated both exquisitely and elegantly. Golden balloons and ribbons floated in the air. There weren’t many guests, but each was a carefully selected close friend or relative, dressed in splendid clothes, faces full of smiles.
“My brother saved a separate table for us, over here.”
There were only three tables in total. One was for their group of classmates, while the other two were for Lu Ming’s friends and several important business partnersāthey seemed to be using the opportunity to discuss cooperation.
Their table was laden with exquisite cakes and a variety of delicacies, each dish emitting a tempting aroma.
Before long, the family’s nanny pushed out a five-layer cake. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood up to sing the birthday song for Shen Bei.
Shen Bei’s face turned beet red. Being the focus of the entire room made him nervous and shy. He finally breathed a sigh of relief after the song ended and he made his wish.
“Such a big cake, we definitely can’t finish it. If only we could use it for a food fight,” Cui Yeyi muttered to himself.
Bai Sinian whispered, “Restrain your brain!”
Just then, a girl arrived late at the door. She had her hair down, wore a pink knee-length dress, and seemed to find her family, sitting down at another table.
Bai Sinian glanced over inadvertently and was surprised to find the girl staring straight at Cui Yeyi.
Bai Sinian looked back at Cui Yeyi and found that Cui Yeyi was looking at her too.
Damn it. This guy was absolutely thinking about early romance again!
Alarm bells rang in Bai Sinian’s mind.
“Where is the restroom on the first floor?”
Sure enough, within a few minutes, Cui Yeyi asked Shen Bei.
Shen Bei pointed toward the exit to the back garden. “Over there.”
“I’m going to the bathroom.” Cui Yeyi got up and walked toward the back garden.
Bai Sinian observed the girl also heading toward the back garden. That wouldn’t do. Bai Sinian immediately sneaked after them.
Dishes were being served at that moment, fine cuisine arriving one after another, fragrant and inviting, but Bai Sinian had no time to enjoy the delicious food.
He strolled to the back garden, standing behind the door to observe the surroundings. The garden wasn’t very large, filled with blooming flowers, clustered together brilliantly.
Cui Yeyi and the girl were standing by the flower fence, backs to the door.
Cui Yeyi: “You’re Xiao Ni?”
Xiao Ni: “Yeah, how come you’re here? My dad just told me we were coming to a client’s house for dinner, so I tagged along! I didn’t expect to see you here!”
Cui Yeyi looked very happy. “What a coincidence. I was just planning to arrange a time for us to meet up (mianji). You look better than your photos.”
Xiao Ni seemed to like Cui Yeyi’s type too. “You’re handsomer than in the videos, too.”
Bai Sinian leaned against the wall. Listening to their conversation, he deduced they must be netizens who chatted passionately online and planned to meet.
Meeting at today’s birthday party counted as a successful meetup, seeing as both parties were quite satisfied.
This Cui Yeyi, he really wouldn’t listen!
Dating in high school would definitely leave a ‘black history.’ It was one thing to smear his own name, but dragging the band down was difficult to handle!
Bai Sinian truly felt like a disappointed parent.
Cui Yeyi: “When are you leaving?”
Xiao Ni: “I leave after the holiday.”
Cui Yeyi: “Are there no handsome guys at your school? You have to look for a boyfriend online?”
Xiao Ni: “My dad forced me to go to a normal university (teacher’s college). There aren’t many guys at school, and even fewer handsome ones.”
Bai Sinian: So she’s a college student. Has Cui Yeyi progressed to wanting a sister-brother romance?
Cui Yeyi: “Then I’ll take you out to play tomorrow. S Commercial City has a lot of good shops to browse, and the snacks are good too.”
Xiao Ni: “Great! So, do you want to be my boyfriend? I can come back to find you every weekend.”
Are young people this direct nowadays? Confirming the relationship on the first meeting?!
That absolutely won’t do! Cui Yeyi cannot act impulsively! Bai Sinian groaned inwardly. Once he tasted the sweetness of love, this kid would start dating incessantly, eventually leading to a scandal-ridden collapse.
At least he couldn’t date now!
Bai Sinian suddenly rushed to their side. “Cui Yeyi, didn’t you say you liked boys? You’re out here tricking girls again?”
Hearing this, the smile on Xiao Ni’s face gradually vanished.
Cui Yeyi took a deep breath. “Bai Sinian! What is wrong with you? You ruined my business like this last time too!”
“Xiao Ni, I don’t like boys, really! Listen to me explain!” Cui Yeyi was getting anxious.
Xiao Ni stood calmly to the side. “Then explain!”
Cui Yeyi inhaled and exhaled, then said, “He likes me! I have no feelings for him! I’m straight!”
Bai Sinian stayed silent, putting on a very aggrieved look. Cui Yeyi growled at him in a low voice, “Say something!”
“Miss, I hope you can keep this a secret for us.” Bai Sinian opened his mouth slightly, his voice very small.
Cui Yeyi looked like he couldn’t clear his name even if he jumped in the river. “What secret? Keep what secret? Where is the secret!”
He simply wanted to bang his head against the wall and die. Bai Sinian wasn’t usually like this! What was going on!
Seeing him agitated and flailing his arms, Xiao Ni didn’t want to provoke him further, so she simply said, “Then you guys talk first. We’ll contact each other later.”
“When is ‘later’? Hey, Xiao Ni, don’t go!”
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