Song Yan sat down beside An Xiaoning and took the initiative to break the ice. “Nice to meet you, Ms. An. I’m Song Yan, I often read about you on the news. I’m so envious of you.”
“Thank you, there’s nothing about me to be envious of. Look at yourself, you’re the hottest A-lister right now. I heard the television dramas you starred in have even been broadcasted overseas and received high viewership and ratings,” An Xiaoning complimented smilingly.
“Well, to me, a woman’s only truly successful if she manages to capture the heart of the person she loves. That’s something far greater than an established career,” Song Yan answered, appearing a little shy.
“If a woman doesn’t have a successful career, for how long can she make a man stay in love with her?” An Xiaoning said in disagreement.
“In my case, forever,” Jin Qingyan interjected.
His sudden uncalled-for opinion interrupted their conversation.
“This is exactly why I’m so envious of you, Ms. An. You’re so fortunate,” Song Yan said with a chuckle.
An Xiaoning responded with a courteous smile. After all, others were not aware of the trials and tribulations she had gone through.
Although he had indeed brought her an abundance of happiness and bliss, she had also suffered a great deal of torment because of him.
Indeed, Heaven is fair — win some, lose some.
An Xiaoning had fully accepted that fact.
The crowded room was filled with warmth from the heater as they gathered around the hotpot for a sumptuous meal.
Ling Ciye remained rather quiet and did nothing except request for Mei Yangyang to help him to the food throughout the entire meal.
Mei Yangyang had no choice but to abide by his instruction. Unsure of how she should address him, she simply said, “Honey, tuck in.”
“I want some too, scoop some into my bowl,” said Long Tianze, handing her his bowl.
“Okay, here’s yours,” said Mei Yangyang as she scooped some food for him.
Holding a pair of chopsticks in her hand, Song Yan appeared to be rather upset and frustrated.
She began to wonder why she had been so insistent on tagging along, as she could not help but feel like her presence was redundant.
“Shall we play a game?” Song Yan suggested.
“What game?” asked Long Tianze.
A smile formed on Song Yan’s face as she answered, “Let’s turn off the lights and play a round of Scissors, Paper, Stone to decide who gets to be blindfolded. I know it may seem childish, but I think it’d be fun to play once in a while.”
No one responded except Ling Ciye, who finally spoke up. “Let’s go ahead then,” he agreed.
Long Tianze glanced at Ling Ciye and understood his intentions right away. He then stood up and began clapping his hands excitedly. “Now that we’re done eating to our hearts’ content, let’s play some games.”
Everyone rose from their seats to play a round of Scissors, Paper, Stone. Having lost the first round, Mei Yangyang had to wear a blindfold and guess who the person in front of her was. The area of guessing was restricted to the teapoy.
Once the lights were off, Mei Yangyang raised her hands in the air and began to touch the things around her while moving towards the window. Shortly after taking a few steps, she tripped over a small stool and fell onto the ground, causing her to wince in pain.
“Yangyang, are you alright?” Long Tianze asked worriedly.
“I’m fine.” After hearing Long Tianze’s voice, she quickly stood up and walked towards him.
Soon, a familiar scent wafted up to her nose and a smile formed on her face as she reached a hand out to touch Long Tianze.
She traced his eyes, nose, and lips with her hands.
It was him all right.
“I caught one, it’s Tianze,” Mei Yangyang exclaimed as she removed her blindfold.
“You wouldn’t have found me if I didn’t speak up. Little lass, I let you find me on purpose.”
“Well, you were the one who wanted to speak up. Let’s restart the game,” Mei Yangyang said triumphantly.
The lights were switched on again and the second round of Scissors, Paper, Stone commenced. Jin Qingyan never expected himself to be playing such a childish game, which he absolutely could not stand.
However, he decided to carry on and accompany An Xiaoning upon noticing how happy she was.
In the second round, it was Song Yan’s turn to wear the blindfold.
Once again, the lights were switched off.
Minding her steps along the way, Song Yan moved forward slowly and soon got hold of the long curtain, after which she managed to touch a body.
Ling Ciye remained still and allowed her to move her hand about his body.
All of a sudden, he grabbed onto Song Yan’s hand, causing her heart to pound rapidly when she realized who it was. Before she could even make a sound, he surged forward to plant a deep, passionate kiss on her lips.
She could never forget the all-too-familiar scent that was unique to him.
After less than a minute, he quickly moved away from her and whispered softly, “Seems like my kiss still never fails to get you enamored.”
Song Yan turned as pale as a sheet, though he could not see it since the room was pitch dark.
She did not deny that the sudden kiss from him had shocked her out of her senses and caused her mind to go blank.
When the lights were on again, all eyes were fixed on the two of them.
For the rest of the game, Song Yan could not bring herself to focus as she sank deep into a trance.
Thus, she decided to go sit on the couch instead and remained seated after chugging two glasses of wine.
Mei Yangyang had been observing her throughout. She began to wonder what happened between Ling Ciye and Song Yan upon noticing that they seemed to look rather upset.
Mei Yangyang was constantly ill at ease as she simply could not hold it in any longer. Thus, she finally caved into temptation and pulled An Xiaoning aside to tell the latter about the secret she had just found out from Long Tianze.
An Xiaoning was the last one to find out about the secret, which shocked her greatly. She finally understood why Song Yan was so insistent on tagging along.
However, she was in no place to poke her nose into others’ business.
Everyone was in high spirits after the games and karaoke session, which lasted ’til almost ten o’clock before they decided to call it a day.
Jin Qingyan left together with An Xiaoning while the four of them remained.
Being the lofty and arrogant woman she was, Song Yan decided to take leave out of her own accord together with her assistant and bodyguards.
The remaining three could finally drop the pretense and be themselves.
“Why do I have a feeling that you two still have feelings for each other? You even kissed her just now. I saw everything,” Long Tianze said to Ling Ciye.
Evading his question, Ling Ciye quickly took his leave. “I’ll get going.”
“Did you hurt yourself when you fell just now?” Long Tianze asked Mei Yangyang, who was beside him.
Leaning her head against his chest, Mei Yangyang answered, “No, I’m fine. Mr. Long, what are your thoughts on watching me act as a couple with your best friend?”
“It’s fortunate that it’s my best friend. Otherwise, I would murder you two.”
“Hmph, really?” asked Mei Yangyang as she sat up straight to look at him.
“Of course.”
Mei Yangyang took a look at the time and said, “Send me home now, it’s getting late.”
“Don’t go home tonight, let’s spend the night together,” Long Tianze suggested.
“No, I want to go home, hurry up.”
“Alright, got it, Baby.” Long Tianze reluctantly exited Black Genie Bar while holding onto her hand.
They were then greeted with the sight of Ling Ciye pulling Song Yan into a car as soon as they stepped out of the bar.
That speed, aura, and expression…
Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Long Tianze remarked, “I knew it. I know what he’s thinking.”
“I don’t buy it. Tell me then, what is he thinking?”
“You really want to know? But I’m not telling you.”
“I bet you don’t even know.”
“Ah, you know me best,” said Long Tianze as he held her hand up to kiss it.
Song Yan sat down beside An Xiaoning and took the initiative to break the ice. “Nice to meet you, Ms. An. I’m Song Yan, I often read about you on the news. I’m so envious of you.”
“Thank you, there’s nothing about me to be envious of. Look at yourself, you’re the hottest A-lister right now. I heard the television dramas you starred in have even been broadcasted overseas and received high viewership and ratings,” An Xiaoning complimented smilingly.
“Well, to me, a woman’s only truly successful if she manages to capture the heart of the person she loves. That’s something far greater than an established career,” Song Yan answered, appearing a little shy.
“If a woman doesn’t have a successful career, for how long can she make a man stay in love with her?” An Xiaoning said in disagreement.
“In my case, forever,” Jin Qingyan interjected.
His sudden uncalled-for opinion interrupted their conversation.
“This is exactly why I’m so envious of you, Ms. An. You’re so fortunate,” Song Yan said with a chuckle.
An Xiaoning responded with a courteous smile. After all, others were not aware of the trials and tribulations she had gone through.
Although he had indeed brought her an abundance of happiness and bliss, she had also suffered a great deal of torment because of him.
Indeed, Heaven is fair — win some, lose some.
An Xiaoning had fully accepted that fact.
The crowded room was filled with warmth from the heater as they gathered around the hotpot for a sumptuous meal.
Ling Ciye remained rather quiet and did nothing except request for Mei Yangyang to help him to the food throughout the entire meal.
Mei Yangyang had no choice but to abide by his instruction. Unsure of how she should address him, she simply said, “Honey, tuck in.”
“I want some too, scoop some into my bowl,” said Long Tianze, handing her his bowl.
“Okay, here’s yours,” said Mei Yangyang as she scooped some food for him.
Holding a pair of chopsticks in her hand, Song Yan appeared to be rather upset and frustrated.
She began to wonder why she had been so insistent on tagging along, as she could not help but feel like her presence was redundant.
“Shall we play a game?” Song Yan suggested.
“What game?” asked Long Tianze.
A smile formed on Song Yan’s face as she answered, “Let’s turn off the lights and play a round of Scissors, Paper, Stone to decide who gets to be blindfolded. I know it may seem childish, but I think it’d be fun to play once in a while.”
No one responded except Ling Ciye, who finally spoke up. “Let’s go ahead then,” he agreed.
Long Tianze glanced at Ling Ciye and understood his intentions right away. He then stood up and began clapping his hands excitedly. “Now that we’re done eating to our hearts’ content, let’s play some games.”
Everyone rose from their seats to play a round of Scissors, Paper, Stone. Having lost the first round, Mei Yangyang had to wear a blindfold and guess who the person in front of her was. The area of guessing was restricted to the teapoy.
Once the lights were off, Mei Yangyang raised her hands in the air and began to touch the things around her while moving towards the window. Shortly after taking a few steps, she tripped over a small stool and fell onto the ground, causing her to wince in pain.
“Yangyang, are you alright?” Long Tianze asked worriedly.
“I’m fine.” After hearing Long Tianze’s voice, she quickly stood up and walked towards him.
Soon, a familiar scent wafted up to her nose and a smile formed on her face as she reached a hand out to touch Long Tianze.
She traced his eyes, nose, and lips with her hands.
It was him all right.
“I caught one, it’s Tianze,” Mei Yangyang exclaimed as she removed her blindfold.
“You wouldn’t have found me if I didn’t speak up. Little lass, I let you find me on purpose.”
“Well, you were the one who wanted to speak up. Let’s restart the game,” Mei Yangyang said triumphantly.
The lights were switched on again and the second round of Scissors, Paper, Stone commenced. Jin Qingyan never expected himself to be playing such a childish game, which he absolutely could not stand.
However, he decided to carry on and accompany An Xiaoning upon noticing how happy she was.
In the second round, it was Song Yan’s turn to wear the blindfold.
Once again, the lights were switched off.
Minding her steps along the way, Song Yan moved forward slowly and soon got hold of the long curtain, after which she managed to touch a body.
Ling Ciye remained still and allowed her to move her hand about his body.
All of a sudden, he grabbed onto Song Yan’s hand, causing her heart to pound rapidly when she realized who it was. Before she could even make a sound, he surged forward to plant a deep, passionate kiss on her lips.
She could never forget the all-too-familiar scent that was unique to him.
After less than a minute, he quickly moved away from her and whispered softly, “Seems like my kiss still never fails to get you enamored.”
Song Yan turned as pale as a sheet, though he could not see it since the room was pitch dark.
She did not deny that the sudden kiss from him had shocked her out of her senses and caused her mind to go blank.
When the lights were on again, all eyes were fixed on the two of them.
For the rest of the game, Song Yan could not bring herself to focus as she sank deep into a trance.
Thus, she decided to go sit on the couch instead and remained seated after chugging two glasses of wine.
Mei Yangyang had been observing her throughout. She began to wonder what happened between Ling Ciye and Song Yan upon noticing that they seemed to look rather upset.
Mei Yangyang was constantly ill at ease as she simply could not hold it in any longer. Thus, she finally caved into temptation and pulled An Xiaoning aside to tell the latter about the secret she had just found out from Long Tianze.
An Xiaoning was the last one to find out about the secret, which shocked her greatly. She finally understood why Song Yan was so insistent on tagging along.
However, she was in no place to poke her nose into others’ business.
Everyone was in high spirits after the games and karaoke session, which lasted ’til almost ten o’clock before they decided to call it a day.
Jin Qingyan left together with An Xiaoning while the four of them remained.
Being the lofty and arrogant woman she was, Song Yan decided to take leave out of her own accord together with her assistant and bodyguards.
The remaining three could finally drop the pretense and be themselves.
“Why do I have a feeling that you two still have feelings for each other? You even kissed her just now. I saw everything,” Long Tianze said to Ling Ciye.
Evading his question, Ling Ciye quickly took his leave. “I’ll get going.”
“Did you hurt yourself when you fell just now?” Long Tianze asked Mei Yangyang, who was beside him.
Leaning her head against his chest, Mei Yangyang answered, “No, I’m fine. Mr. Long, what are your thoughts on watching me act as a couple with your best friend?”
“It’s fortunate that it’s my best friend. Otherwise, I would murder you two.”
“Hmph, really?” asked Mei Yangyang as she sat up straight to look at him.
“Of course.”
Mei Yangyang took a look at the time and said, “Send me home now, it’s getting late.”
“Don’t go home tonight, let’s spend the night together,” Long Tianze suggested.
“No, I want to go home, hurry up.”
“Alright, got it, Baby.” Long Tianze reluctantly exited Black Genie Bar while holding onto her hand.
They were then greeted with the sight of Ling Ciye pulling Song Yan into a car as soon as they stepped out of the bar.
That speed, aura, and expression…
Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Long Tianze remarked, “I knew it. I know what he’s thinking.”
“I don’t buy it. Tell me then, what is he thinking?”
“You really want to know? But I’m not telling you.”
“I bet you don’t even know.”
“Ah, you know me best,” said Long Tianze as he held her hand up to kiss it.
