Su Qing lowered her head and placed the piece of meat in the corner of her bowl, refusing to eat it, making the atmosphere awkward. She glanced at Lu Xiu as if to say, "Don't serve me anymore."
Lu Xiu pretended not to notice and proceeded to serve Su Qing another dish, intentionally so.
Feeling annoyed, she silently finished the food he served, though she wasn't hungry. She didn't even finish the rice in her bowl and felt bloated.
Jiang Yuanzhou coughed a couple of times, sensing the tension between them growing. Finally, he broke the silence, "Hey, why don't you introduce her?"
At last, he asked.
Lu Xiu paused with his chopsticks and put him down, raising an eyebrow. His voice carried a hint of recklessness, "Why should I? Don't pretend."
People like Jiang Yuanzhou were not very restrained in their speech, and no one could control them. Most of the time, they used vulgar language.
Seeing Lu Xiu through his disguise, he also stopped pretending and passed him a "you know me" expression.
They barely touched the food on the table. Suddenly, there was a clink as chopsticks hit the table. Chen Yun elegantly took out a tissue and wiped her mouth.
After a while, she spoke up, "It's my birthday the day after tomorrow. I invite you all to join me."
Chen Yun's eyes passed over Su Qing and lingered on Lu Xiu, her intention clear: she wanted to invite them, but Su Qing wasn't worthy.
Su Qing didn't care. She had seen plenty of people like her and had no relationship with them. On the contrary, the farther away she stayed, the better.
There was silence at the table for a moment. Even Jiang Yuanzhou, who usually liked to organize gatherings, didn't know what to say. Seeing the atmosphere growing more awkward, he touched his chin and exchanged a glance with Lu Xiu, indicating, "Let's leave them to it."
Song Yunchen also remained silent. They had only known each other for a few days, and he didn't particularly like her anyway.
Chen Yun looked at her target, Lu Xiu, who seemed to be lost in thought. Through the halo of light, she could see him staring at Su Qing intently, his expression tender. She tightened her grip under the table, her long nails digging into her flesh, forcing herself to calm down.
She cleared her throat and turned to Lu Xiu, asking, "Lu Xiu, I invite you to my birthday party. We haven't seen each other in years, right? You should at least attend my birthday."
Lu Xiu finally reacted, albeit slightly. He shifted his posture and crossed his arms, saying, "Your birthday? Am I hearing correctly?"
Chen Yun's smile hung on her lips, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"What's it to me?" Lu Xiu then opened his mouth, his expression indifferent, his sarcastic nature showing.
A thought flashed through Chen Yun's mind, and then she tilted her head, her eyes falling on the white figure opposite. She lowered her voice slightly, "Qingqing, you must come to my birthday, okay?"
Su Qing couldn't help but furrow her brows. After two seconds of refusal, she said, "I'm busy."
Her voice was faint, with a hint of firmness. Chen Yun looked at the gentle-looking girl opposite her, surprised by her blunt refusal.
She showed a hint of disgust, which quickly disappeared. She'd talk to her mom about it later, but she probably wouldn't be able to change anything. Lu Xiu's fearless temperament was something not everyone could handle.
But she believed she had the ability to control him.
They finished eating.
A cheerful ringtone broke the silence. Chen Yun picked up her trendy black shoulder bag from the chair next to her and checked her phone.
Su Qing's mind went blank as she heard the conversation on the other end. Chen Yun responded, "Hmm, just wait at the entrance."
Her voice was indifferent, as if she were an unimportant person. She hung up after speaking.
"My dad is here to pick me up." Her voice returned to its usual softness.
"Your dad is so free, picking you up and dropping you off." Jiang Yuanzhou remarked.
"Of course, but he's not my real dad. He's just trying to please me, after all, not everyone can enter my house." She smirked, looking indifferent as she put her phone back in her bag.
They walked to the entrance.
It was raining outside, and Su Qing hadn't brought an umbrella. She didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, Lu Xiu took off his coat and put it over Su Qing's head, saying softly, "Can you run?"
A shadow fell over Su Qing's head. She was stunned for a second before coming to her senses. She nodded numbly and ran towards the car, the rain blocked by the black coat.
They disappeared into the rain, leaving Jiang Yuanzhou and Song Yunchen facing each other.
They got in the car.
Lu Xiu's shoulder was slightly wet from the rain. Su Qing glanced at him and thanked him, "Thank you."
Lu Xiu lifted his eyelids, looking at her, his voice hoarse, "If you thank me again, do you believe I'll kiss you?"
Su Qing's gaze faltered. He was serious, she knew it.
The car drove on, and Su Qing's mind was filled with the scene just now. She hadn't expected it to happen so coincidentally. But now it made sense—this was why he came to find her, to please someone else. It was disgusting.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind: if Chen Yun wanted Lu Xiu so badly, then I won't let you have him forever.
This thought made her feel a little frightened. How could she bear to use him like this?
She finally understood. In the end, she was the most pitiful one, with no close friends, no relatives, and ultimately losing a lot.
Why did those who were clearly in the wrong live so well? Thinking of this, her eyes reddened slightly, with traces of bloodshot.