Song Zhen's birthday party was held at Bo Yu Club.
This place was frequently visited by rich young people of Lin City. There were all kinds of entertainment one could think of.
In the private room on the second floor, a group of men and women were sitting at the table and playing games. The laughter and music were mixed together, making it very noisy.
They looked up as the door was pushed open.
Many people looked over at the same time, but Lin Jiao only had eyes for the man who told her twenty minutes ago that he was still working overtime.
The light and shadow blurred his handsome side profile. He was smiling, but no one could see the emotions hidden underneath that pair of eyes.
"Jiaojiao, come here." Gu Quan motioned her to come over.
He put his arm around her waist and did not explain why he told her he was working overtime over the phone. "Is it still raining outside?"
"Yes." Lin Jiao took a moment to suppress the feeling of frustration.
Then, she took out a birthday gift from her bag and handed it to Song Zhen. "Happy birthday."
"Sister Jiao is the best." Song Zhen smiled and glanced at Gu Quan. "Unlike some people who come without bringing anything."
Gu Quan chuckled. "Cut that crap." He looked at the wine on the table. "It's me who brought this wine. Do you have any idea how much it costs?"
"I can't drink. I just ate cephalosporin."
"Do you think I can be fooled that easily?"
"No, no." Song Zhen took a deep breath and finished the glass of wine. "If I pass out, you have to carry me to the hospital."
"Don't worry." Gu Quan filled his cup again.
After a while, the bottle was empty.
"Jiaojiao, do you want some mango?" Gu Quan forked a piece of mango and put it in Lin Jiao's mouth.
Mangoes were very sweet in this season.
However, Lin Jiao pushed away the mango without asking him if he remembered she was allergic to mango. "I ate too much tonight."
"I have some digestive pills here." Song Zhen took out a pill bottle from his pocket. "You'll feel better after taking three pills."
"Thank you." Lin Jiao glanced at the pills and swallowed them down in one go.
"Song Zhen, do you want to continue?" Gu Quan shook his glass, not sensing anything wrong with Lin Jiao.
"Wait for He Qi."
"How soon will he be here?"
"Another ten minutes." Song Zhen picked up the dice. "Sister Jiao, let's play two rounds?"
"I'm not very good at it."
"It's fine. It's not difficult."
Lin Jiao held the dice cup and leaned forward. A few strands of long hair brushed against the back of Gu Quan's hand, making it itch slightly.
He instinctively leaned toward her. "I'll teach you."
Playing dice required a certain amount of luck. Even if Lin Jiao learned it, she would inevitably lose a few rounds.
She wiped the wine off her lips. When she saw the lipstick stain on the tissue, she got up.
"Gu Quan, I'm going to the washroom."
"Okay."
Gu Quan shifted back to make it easier for her to go out. "The washroom is at the end of the corridor."
Lin Jiao nodded and opened the door to leave.
Not long after she left, He Qi appeared in the private room. After greeting the group of people, he sat beside Gu Quan.
"Brother Quan, isn't your sidekick here?" "Sidekick" was the nickname they gave Lin Jiao.
"Don't call her that." Gu Quan looked up and glared at him, but his tone did not sound angry.
"Sorry, I'm just used to it."
"It's not good if she heard it."
Song Zhen teased with a smile, "He Qi, what do you mean? Are you in love with her? Why do you care so much about Sister Jiao?"
"How is that possible?" He Qi snorted.
He touched his newly dyed red hair and thought of the message that person sent. After a long pause, he said, "Shall we go out and talk?"
"Sure." Gu Quan put down his glass.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Song Zhen stopped smiling and followed them to the open-air terrace.
He Qi handed two cigarettes to them and asked, "Brother Quan, what do you think of Lin Jiao?"
When Lin Jiao, who came back from the washroom, heard them talking about her, she stopped in her tracks.
She leaned against the wall and looked at Gu Quan expectantly and nervously, her palms sweating.
Gu Quan asked, "Why are you asking this?" He stood under the canopy, his reflection on the ground split into two by the light.
Through his voice alone, one couldn't tell his emotions.
"I'm just curious." He Qi unlocked his phone and thought for a moment before turning off the light.
Song Zhen smiled faintly. "Isn't Brother Quan's love towards Lin Jiao obvious? Why do you need to ask?"
"It's different. He never said it himself."
"What's there to say? Are you blind? Anyone with a pair of eyes can tell."
He Qi could not be bothered with him. "Brother Quan?" He turned around and grinned. "Tell us."
Gu Quan looked at the glamorous cityscape in the distance through the rain and fog, and that beautiful figure appeared in front of him again.
"Tell you what?" His voice was hoarse.
Lin Jiao did not understand why but for some reason, his figure seemed especially distant from her despite being only a few meters away.
She took a step forward and was about to walk over to wipe the water off his shoulder when she heard He Qi continue.
"Do you love her?"
"She loves me very much."
"I'm asking about whether you love her."
Gu Quan took a long pause. "Does it matter?" He put out the cigarette and smiled sorrowfully. "Lin Jiao is very good, but she can't replace her."
"Boom—"
Thunder rumbled.
Lin Jiao's mind was buzzing as she stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar man.
It was July, but she felt so cold that she was trembling. Even breathing became abnormally difficult.
Who was the 'she' Gu Quan talked about?'
Was there a third person in this relationship?
Lin Jiao did not dare to let her imagination go wild.
She bit her lower lip, using the pain to clear her head.
Sensing that they were about to return, Lin jiao ran away in a state of panic.
"Ouch…" Chu Yuzhou was bumped into by a woman who came out of nowhere. His forearm was even scratched by the metal thing on her bag.
"I'm sorry." Lin Jiao sobbed and apologized.
She held her painful left shoulder. Her grievance was suddenly aggrandized by the pain, and she burst out crying uncontrollably.
Before he could speak, she rushed downstairs with her head lowered.
When Chu Yuzhou saw tears streaming down her face, he was stunned.
"Yuzhou, are you alright?" His friend asked and looked in the direction he was looking, "Do you know that girl?"
"Yeah."
"An old flame?"
"Be careful with what you say, or you'll die very miserably!" Chu Yuzhou nudged him.
Without wiping his hands dry, he opened his contact list and dialed the first number. "Lin Jiao is crying…"