Chapter 10: Brother Ye, It Hurts So Much

The atmosphere at the dinner table did not become tense because of Deling’s presence; on the contrary, it quickly grew lively.

“Come, come, come! Zi Gui is back from his studies. Let’s all raise our glasses and celebrate,” Lu Feng said, lifting his cup first and signaling to the others.

Everyone raised their glasses in response.

Ye Hongxiao stopped Song Zigu from pouring wine, saying, “You’re drinking juice.”

“Just a little,” Song Zigu replied with a coquettish pout. “I promise I won’t get drunk.”

Then, shifting his tone, he turned to Deling. “Besides, wouldn’t it be a shame not to have some wine on an occasion like this? Right, Sister Deling?” He pressed the bottle’s mouth against his own glass, which was also touching hers, and slowly filled it up.

Deling wanted to stop him but it was too late. She merely gave the glass a cold, steady look but did not move.

As she remained still, Song Zigu held up his glass, waiting. The others also lifted their cups, their expressions varied as they watched.

She glanced at Song Zigu. His face still wore a bright smile, but his eyes betrayed a gleam of schadenfreude.

“I’m not feeling well today…”

Before she finished, Qin Sheng interrupted from across the table, “If you’re unwell, don’t drink. You don’t look so good.”

“What kind of nonsense is that, Qin Sheng? Whether she drinks or not is none of your business,” Lu Feng, the big mouth, chimed in again. Deling had always found his loose tongue irritating since their days together with Ye Hongxiao. Years later, he was still the same annoyance.

Hearing Qin Sheng defend Deling, Ye Hongxiao’s brows knitted almost imperceptibly. “Alright then, are you all just bored or what?” He glanced at Deling and muttered, “Such a mood-killer!”

Seeing Ye Hongxiao’s displeasure, Song Zigu quickly shifted his expression to one of feigned grievance. “Brother Ye, did I go too far? I just wanted to get close to Sister Deling.”

“That’s none of your concern,” Ye Hongxiao said coldly, his gaze distant as he looked toward Deling. “A killjoy is a killjoy wherever they go.”

Deling gripped the edge of her chair tightly beneath the table, trying to soothe the overwhelming ache in her heart with physical pain, but it was futile—the bitterness surged anew.

Though she sat just a breath away from Ye Hongxiao, it felt as if a thousand mountains and rivers lay between them.

Near her ear came Song Zigu’s low voice of apology: “Sister Deling, it’s all my fault. I didn’t realize you weren’t feeling well and made everyone unhappy. Please don’t blame me, okay?”

Ha.

Deling thought bitterly—it’s all just pretending. Who wouldn’t?

When she lifted her head again, her expression was back to normal, smiling as she said, “Blame me, then. For your big happy homecoming, it’s only right to have a drink. Here’s to you!”

Song Zigu masked the victorious glint in his eyes, stood up, and smiled brightly. “Then I’ll drink to that first. Thanks to all of you brothers for hosting this welcome party tonight.”

The others at the table rose in unison, but Ye Hongxiao didn’t move until he saw Deling stand. He then lazily got up and downed his drink in one gulp.

As the others tilted their heads back to drink, Deling suddenly stumbled. Her body swayed, and a full glass of wine spilled onto Song Zigu’s delicate silk cheongsam.

“Sorry, Zi Gui. I’m a bit dizzy and couldn’t hold it steady.”

Flustered, Deling quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe Song Zigu’s dress but accidentally knocked over the entire bottle of wine in front of her. The bottle shattered loudly at their feet.

Song Zigu let out a sharp scream and threw herself into Ye Hongxiao’s arms.

“Brother Ye, it hurts so much.”