Chapter 101: Are You Together with Cheng Xingye?

"Our little birthday star is here!" Chen Shujie, always quick to spot things, immediately shouted out teasingly.

The living room erupted in cheerful noise, everyone calling her over—the protagonist of today’s festivities.

Lu Qingyue, the star of the day, was not shy in the face of their teasing. She walked boldly and gracefully toward the crowd.

Among the guests today were both her friends and Lu Yi’s friends. The two groups differed in age by several years, and most of them were strangers to each other, so the sofa had naturally divided itself into two distinct camps.

Lu Qingyue gathered up her skirt as she slipped between the coffee table and knees, aiming to sit with her classmates.

But just as she passed a couple of people, her wrist was gently grasped.

Cheng Xingye shifted to the side, making room for her. He naturally held her hand and pulled her to sit next to him.

The sofa dipped slightly, and as Lu Qingyue landed, inertia tilted her toward him, her arm bumping against his chest.

He seemed completely unaware, releasing her wrist with casual indifference, and his arm rested naturally on the back of the sofa behind her.

He effortlessly drew out a private, intimate little space for her with his arm and chest.

Chen Shujie, seated opposite, witnessed the scene and immediately whistled with a flourish.

Lu Yi shot him a sharp look, making Chen Shujie choke back a hiccup—a strangled honk—before falling silent.

Forced to sit close to Cheng Xingye, Lu Qingyue’s pale, bare calf appeared from beneath her skirt, inadvertently brushing against the fabric of his trousers, sending a delicate, tingling sensation across her skin.

She looked up at him in surprise.

But he remained aloof, not even sparing her a glance, as if their closeness was a habit long established—natural and intimate.

From the moment she sat beside him, Lu Qingyue noticed an unfriendly gaze from across the room, subtle but persistent.

Yet it was her birthday, and she refused to let irrelevant people spoil her mood, so she simply ignored it.

After blowing out the candles and eating cake in the living room, everyone started playing games.

Lou Zhao shuffled the cards, grinning mischievously, his eyes darting toward the pair sitting together.

Chen Shujie, always quick on the uptake, caught the hint, pushed aside Lou Zhao’s hand ready to deal, and asked deliberately,

“Didn’t someone owe our birthday girl a passionate kiss last time?”

Lu Qingyue: “???”

She remembered last year, when she’d stolen a kiss from him as she made her decision. Her cheeks flushed crimson.

Damn! Why bring up such an embarrassing moment on her birthday?

Several people present had witnessed it, and now all eyes turned to Cheng Xingye, pressing him for answers,

"Cheng Xingye, be honest—did you ever pay her back?!"

Every eye gleamed with excitement and curiosity, gossiping intently.

Lu Qingyue was at the center of attention, frozen stiff. Her toes curled against the floor as her mind raced for an excuse to change the subject.

But the man beside her lazily lifted his eyelids and answered calmly,

“I paid her back.”

The words fell, and silence swept the room.

After several seconds, everyone snapped out of their shock.

"Paid back... you kissed her?!"

"When did that happen?! I didn’t see it!"

"I refuse to accept it! If I didn’t witness it, it doesn’t count!"

The uproar was deafening. Who would have thought that the usually cool and indifferent Cheng Xingye had secretly kissed the little birthday girl?

And not long ago, this rascal had openly admitted he was courting Lu Yi’s sister.

If Cheng Xingye—the campus heartthrob—really won her over, every person present today would have contributed to their union.

With that thought, the teasing grew even louder.

But as the commotion reached its peak, someone sensed something was wrong.

Turning around, they saw Lu Yi’s cold expression, his gaze deep and dangerous, silently surveying each instigator.

Everyone: “....”

Was he playing the role of the Grim Reaper?

Chen Shujie, the loudest, instantly fell silent, fearing for his life, and quickly jumped in to steer the topic away,

"It’s settled, it’s settled. Cheng’s business isn’t ours—Lou Zhao, deal the cards already, stop dawdling...."

Lou Zhao hurriedly complied, shifting gears and dealing the cards.

With both key instigators backing off, no one else dared stir up trouble, and the topic slipped away quietly.

Lu Qingyue breathed a sigh of relief. While everyone played Truth or Dare, she got up to use the restroom, hoping to calm her racing heart.

There were two restrooms downstairs.

Aside from the public one near the living room, there was another in the study.

With so many guests, the outer restroom was occupied, so Lu Qingyue walked down the corridor to use the one in the study.

Inside, she touched up her makeup, applying more lip color, then opened the door to leave.

She hadn’t expected to find Xu Qian standing calmly in the corridor, as if waiting for her.

Lu Qingyue glanced at her, unwilling to spark any conflict, and tried to pass by.

As their shoulders brushed, Xu Qian’s cold voice called out,

“Lu Qingyue.”

Lu Qingyue stopped.

The corridor glowed with wall lamps, warm light bathing their figures, a silent friction in the air.

Xu Qian, heels clicking, stepped forward, meeting her gaze at a measured distance, and bluntly asked,

“Are you together with Cheng Xingye?”

Lu Qingyue didn’t want to answer. She looked up at Xu Qian, responding calmly,

“Why do you care? What does it have to do with you?”

Xu Qian’s expression stiffened, but she quickly recovered, curling her lips in a nonchalant smile,

“It’s nothing to do with me. I’m just curious about what you’re thinking.”

She paused deliberately, then stabbed at Lu Qingyue’s heart,

“You know he was engaged, right? You don’t mind if he still harbors feelings for someone else?”

She nearly said the words “first love” outright.

Lu Qingyue understood her intent, refusing to fall into her trap. She stared back, unruffled,

“So you want to say he has a first love?”

Seeing Lu Qingyue’s guarded look, Xu Qian thought she’d struck a nerve. She smiled with deeper meaning,

“Ten years of longing—if that’s not a first love, what is?”

In the past, Lu Qingyue might have been wounded by the term.

But facing Xu Qian now, she couldn’t afford to be torn apart inside; she refused to let herself be pushed around. Her fighting spirit surged as she retorted,

“Don’t think you can disgust me with this ‘first love’ nonsense again! Cheng Xingye himself says it’s not true. Who are you to decide? And even if he did have a first love, it would only be me!”