The atmosphere in the car was tense. Neither Qi Jianyi nor the twins made any attempt to start a conversation. Qi Jinlu and Qi Jinli didn't know how to initiate a dialogue with their sister, while Qi Jianyi was too absorbed in her thoughts to engage with them as she drove.
She stopped at the red light and began tapping her hand on the steering before turning to Qi Jinlu who was sitting at the passenger seat, "Have you prepared a gift for Zejin?"
Qi Jinlu nodded like a bird pecking, "Yes, Jinli and I already bought it yesterday."
Hearing their answers, Qi Jianyi nodded but said nothing, remaining absorbed in her own thoughts. She was about to meet the legendary main protagonists, Xia Ning and He Zeqing. The thought of encountering those two infuriating individuals made Qi Jianyi want to smack them from behind.
Finally, she would meet the main characters that gave her blood pressure when she was reading the novel.
Qi Jinlu looked at Qi Jianyi with a wary eyes, not understanding why his sister agreed with their mother. He didn't really hide his stare and succeeded to draw his sister's attention.
"What's wrong?" Qi Jianyi asked as she pressed the gas pedal as soon as the light turned green.
Qi Jinlu shook his head, "Nothing."
Qi Jianyi glanced at her brothers from the car mirror and said nothing. Since Qi Jinlu refused to say what's on his mind, Qi Jianli would act as if she knows nothing.
After all, she doesn't have any plans to mend the broken relationship between them.
…
"Qi Jianyi, you're late!" Qi Jianyi closed her eyes for a while after hearing the sharp voice greeting her.
"I got stuck in a traffic jam, not my fault." Without any guilty conscience, she quickly threw the blame towards the traffic. It wasn't like Ling Xi would investigate the truth.
Hearing her nonsense answer, Ling Xi rolled her eyes. She noticed the two teenagers behind Qi Jianyi and gasped in disbelief.
"Wow, you come with your little brothers?" Ling Xi asked, still gasping.
Qi Jianyi elbowed her friend to stop acting dramatically, "We are heading to the same place anyway, so I took them with me."
"But you never took your brothers anywhere!" Ling Xi claimed loudly, not caring if the twins heard her.
"I didn't have any reason to take them with me before, didn't I?" Qi Jianyi looked at Ling Xi with accusing eyes. After all, the original Qi Jianyi loves to go to bars and clubs. So it's impossible to bring her teen brothers with her.
Understood the meaning in Qi Jianyi's eyes, Ling Xi quickly nodded, "Yes, yes. They are too young to follow you."
Qi Jinlu and Qi Jinli looked at the two women with confusing eyes. They have no idea what his sister and her friends were talking about.
"Ehem, it's nothing. You should go and greet your cousin. Go." Qi Jianyi covered her reaction with a cough and waved her hand, instructed the brothers to go play without her as if they were seven years old.
Qi Jinlu nodded and left with Qi Jinli without saying anything.
"You don't hate them anymore?" Ling Xi asked with a confused expression. She knew how much Qi Jianyi hated her brothers. So the sight of them standing beside each other was very weird.
Qi Jianyi shrugged her shoulders, not caring, "I don't know."
Seeing how Qi Jianyi evaded from talking about her brothers, Ling Xi closed her mouth and ended the topic. After all, it was not a normal topic to talk about.
"Where's Zejin?" Qi Jianyi asked, eyes looking around for the birthday boy. She wants to give her wish and gift before running away from the party.
Ling Xi pointed her fingers to a man in white suit at the centre of the room. Looking from a distance, the young man who had become an adult today looked a little bit mature although there's still a lot of immaturity on his face.
The young man was He Zejin, the younger brother of the male lead. Unlike his older brother, He Zejin was a generous man who loved to smile and laugh. He possessed everything one could desire in terms of appearance, personality, and family background. A man like him should have shone like a star. Unfortunately, he was always overshadowed by comparisons to his brother.
Everything he did, everything he achieved would be compared with his dignified and competent brother, He Zeqing. Despite being the favourite of others, He Zejin lacked the respect and coldness that He Zeqing's has.
When Qi Jianyi read the novel, she once thought that if He Zejin was born first, he would be the spotlight wherever he goes. Not inferior to anyone.
"Let's go and say hi first." Qi Jianyi pulled Ling Xi with her and walked towards the main character of the event. She observed how He Zejin smiled and laughed with anyone who came up to him. The never ending cheerful energy made Qi Jianyi respect the young man even more.
Qi Jianyi stood behind He Zejin and waited for an opportunity to say her wish, "He Zejin, happy birthday."
He Zejin turned around after he heard the sudden wishes behind him. The soft eyes opened widely in surprise upon seeing the woman that stood before him.
"Cousin Jianyi, you came?" He Zejin questioned, eyes full of wonder.
As far as he knew, this older cousin of his never attended his birthday party. Usually, his aunt's family would send the twins as their representative to attend the party.
Qi Jianyi nodded reluctantly. If she could, she also wouldn't appear here. But, who made her guilty? She have no choice but to attend or else, Ling Xi would not shut her mouth.
"Hm, I have nothing else to do so I decided to stop by with the twins. I've already put your gift at the table. Zejin, you can continue talking with your friends, I'll go get something to eat." Qi Jianyi waved to He Zejin and hastened her pace towards the dining table full of food.
Unbeknownst to Qi Jianyi, instead of talking with his friends, He Zejin was more interested in talking to his cold and arrogant cousin. This cousin of his always looked at him with boring eyes. They never talked to each other despite the numerous times He Zejin tried to start a conversation with her.
He only had a brother and was once very jealous of the twins for having an older sister. However, growing up watching and experiencing it himself on how cold Qi Jianyi could be made he realised his brother was far better. At least, he would not be ignored.
He Zejin rubbed the back of his head awkwardly before following Qi Jianyi's footsteps, "Cousin, is there anything you would like to eat but not available? Tell me, I will ask the chef to cook some for you."
Qi Jianyi glanced at the birthday boy weirdly and shook her head, "Don't bother, I can eat anything."