Chapter 42: Mutual Respect

Lu Qingyue knew she was still watching her, so she calmly turned her head away, ignoring the unfriendly gaze.

The game of Dou Dizhu soon began.

Lu Qingyue was more or less familiar with the rules. She squeezed in next to Cheng Xingye, watching him play his hand.

He didn't have much luck in the first round; though he had both jokers, the rest of his cards were low, not even a single two. So the landlord position was snatched away by Chen Shujie.

Cheng Xingye's playing style was simple and decisive, almost never hesitating. Lu Qingyue watched as he played down to just eight cards left, yet he still hadn't played his pair of jokers.

Just then, the player before him threw out a two.

Cheng Xingye was about to pass when the girl beside him suddenly grabbed his sleeve and whispered, urging him,

"Why not use your bomb on him now!"

Cheng Xingye, who had barely spoken throughout, lazily turned his head, gazing at her excited face, and feigned confusion, asking,

"Should I bomb?"

Lu Qingyue was too focused on his cards to notice the amusement and helplessness in his eyes. She leaned in even closer, her entire body almost pressed against his arm, and analyzed softly in his ear with utmost seriousness,

"If you bomb him, you'll still have 7, 8, 9, 10, J left. One single K remains. I think you should be able to win."

Cheng Xingye paused slightly, catching a faint whiff of her body wash—a crisp, tangy orange scent, fresh and sweet, mingled with a trace of youthful greenness.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he adjusted his cards and, giving in, followed her advice.

"Alright."

With that, he threw down the pair of jokers.

The player before him watched in disbelief as his two was bombed by a teammate, both of them being farmers.

"What the hell? Why bomb me?"

Cheng Xingye ignored him, tossing out a straight according to Lu Qingyue's suggestion.

Chen Shujie, the landlord, immediately jumped up in excitement.

"Bomb!"

He slammed four queens onto the coffee table.

Lu Qingyue was instantly stunned.

Another bomb?

Chen Shujie, brimming with cockiness, wiped out Cheng Xingye’s straight, then excitedly threw out a pair of jacks—no one could top that—then played a small card and won the game.

Seeing Chen Shujie’s smug face, the player from before was speechless.

"Come on! Xingye, aren’t you supposed to be good at counting cards? Not a single queen had been played, and you dared to bomb my two?"

Cheng Xingye shrugged helplessly, tilting his chin toward the girl beside him.

"She told me to do it."

His tone was uncharacteristically compliant, none of his usual airs.

The boy blinked in confusion, looking from Cheng Xingye to Lu Qingyue. For some inexplicable reason, he had the illusion that this typically aloof and difficult man was completely henpecked.

But the girl beside him looked all of sixteen or seventeen.

The boy wondered if he was losing his mind—how could someone like Cheng Xingye, so cold and unapproachable, actually listen to a teenage girl? Surely he was just teasing the kid.

He turned to the bewildered girl, feeling both exasperated and amused.

"Little sister, you’re no mascot. Clearly, Chen Shujie sent you to sabotage us!"

Lu Qingyue, knowing she was the reason they lost, mumbled an embarrassed apology.

"Sorry, brother!"

The boy wasn’t about to get upset over a card game, and seeing her cheeks flush, he waved his hand quickly.

"No worries, really!"

Then he called for Chen Shujie to reshuffle and deal again, but Cheng Xingye lazily pushed his cards aside, his voice cool.

"I’m done."

No one knew why he suddenly stopped playing, but Lu Qingyue sensed keenly that his mood had soured.

Was it because she’d made him lose? She felt a twinge of guilt.

With Cheng Xingye out, someone else quickly took his place.

Lu Qingyue hovered nearby for a while longer, engrossed in watching the game, and didn’t notice when Cheng Xingye slipped out of the living room.

A little later, she heard him calling from the kitchen.

"Lu Diandian, do you want orange juice or apple juice?"

Lu Qingyue looked up in surprise, realizing she hadn’t had anything to drink since arriving and was indeed a bit thirsty.

She immediately raised her hand high. "Orange juice!"

Cheng Xingye glanced at her impassively. "Come get it yourself."

With that, he turned and walked into the kitchen.

As the youngest present, it would be improper for Cheng Xingye to serve her juice, so she quickly followed after him.

The Cheng family kitchen was semi-open, with the island bar and fridge separating it slightly from the living room.

When Lu Qingyue arrived, Cheng Xingye was opening the fridge to get her some orange juice.

The moment the fridge door swung open, her gaze was drawn in.

Unlike most households, his fridge didn’t store vegetables but was instead lined up neatly with rows of beers from various English brands.

She stared at one can, trying to decipher the English label, when Cheng Xingye abruptly closed the fridge.

His slender fingers pressed on the can’s tab, and with a casual flick, the sweet and tangy aroma of orange juice filled the air.

He handed her the opened can, leaning against the marble countertop of the island, his tall frame blocking her in, and asked offhandedly,

"Do you call everyone ‘brother’?"

Lu Qingyue: "???"

She suddenly realized he had called her over to settle accounts.

She accepted the juice, sensing a certain sour undertone in his words, and deliberately blinked at him, answering his question with another,

"He’s older than me—what else should I call him if not ‘brother’?"

Cheng Xingye seemed stumped by her question.

He arched his brow lightly, pausing for a few seconds, his gaze locked on her sly little face, refusing to fall into her trap.

"You could just ignore him."

Lu Qingyue: "Huh? Wouldn’t that be rude?"

Everyone here was at least six years older than her; how could she not be respectful and polite?

Her answer actually made Cheng Xingye laugh in exasperation.

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was chatting in the living room and no one was paying attention to them, he reached out and pinched her plump cheek in dissatisfaction.

"When you called me ‘Sea King Brother’ at first, I didn’t see you being so polite!"

Her face was squished into an O, her soft lips opening and closing as she mumbled,

"I was just young and naive then!"

Cheng Xingye shot her a glance.

That had only been half a year ago.

This little rascal was truly adept at muddling the facts.

He lowered his eyes, staring unblinkingly at her lips, and suddenly felt a faint itch spread through his heart. The air between them seemed to grow thick with restless heat.

He didn’t even realize his gaze had darkened.

But Lu Qingyue thought he was upset she had offended him before, and immediately apologized loudly with impressive tact.

"Xingye! Xingye-ge! I know I was wrong! From now on, I’ll treat you with utmost respect—as if we were honored guests!"

Cheng Xingye: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched as he struggled not to laugh.

"Is that how you use that phrase? Did your PE teacher teach you Chinese?"

Of course Lu Qingyue knew that wasn’t the correct usage. She had never scored less than 120 in Chinese!

But she just wanted to see him look both amused and exasperated, finally left with no choice but to tolerate her.

She was about to say more when someone in the living room called Cheng Xingye’s name.

He turned; it was Chen Shujie announcing the arrival of the birthday cake, calling the birthday boy over to cut it.

Cheng Xingye walked toward the living room, Lu Qingyue trailing behind him with her orange juice, taking her place next to Lu Yi.

Within this circle, Cheng Xingye was the core. His arrival immediately livened up the room.

Chen Shujie cleared the central spot and beckoned him over, and soon the crowd swarmed around, encircling him layer upon layer.

Lu Qingyue stood at the very edge, her height limiting her view, most of the scene blocked from sight.

From a distance, she watched Cheng Xingye, surrounded like the moon among stars, socializing with ease. For the first time, she realized how different he was in this circle compared to how he behaved with her.

In front of others, even when joking or making small talk, he was always at ease, shining brightly.

By contrast, she felt utterly inconspicuous.

Just then, Lu Qingyue happened to glance up and spotted the beautiful girl who had earlier tried to swap seats with her—she had somehow managed to slip over to the center.