Chapter 73: This Is Not Mine

A kiss was out of the question.

Lu Qingyue’s heart was pounding so fiercely it felt as if it might burst; her whole body stiffened where she stood. Meanwhile, the instigator was utterly unhurried, lips curled in a leisurely smile, eyes glimmering with amusement as his gaze drifted—seemingly by chance—over her crimson, delicate lips.

The others, seeing the situation, chose not to press a young girl. They teased a bit, then let matters rest, allowing him to slip by unscathed.

Cheng Xingye calmly withdrew his hand and settled back into his seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the person to his right was still watching him. He turned, meeting the gaze without shying away, lips lifting in an innocent smile as he feigned confusion.

“Brother, what is it now?”

Lu Yi’s lips curled in a half-smile, but his reply was blunt: “Don’t call me brother. If you must call someone, call me father.”

He hadn’t acknowledged this man as his brother-in-law, so he had no business calling him brother. If he truly craved kinship, he could come and be his son instead.

The one being treated as a son wasn’t perturbed; his voice was unhurried and meaningful: “How could that work? Wouldn’t that muddle the generations?”

Lu Yi snorted coldly and looked away, as indifferent as if the person beside him were a stranger.

After a few rounds of games, night had grown late. Yet no one seemed eager to leave; they simply changed venues and continued with new games.

Lu Qingyue went to the bar for water. Before she’d finished her drink, Li Jing—who had spent the evening with Xu Qian—approached her, offering a friendly reminder: “Little sister, Cheng Xingye is upstairs, apparently looking for you.”

Though she’d rarely interacted with Li Jing, Lu Qingyue’s guard was up. She replied calmly, took her glass, and returned to the living room, only to find that Cheng Xingye was indeed nowhere to be seen.

The sound of cards being played drifted from upstairs. Lu Qingyue glanced up the staircase and saw vague silhouettes, among them possibly Chen Shujie.

Without much thought, she ascended the stairs.

Chen Shujie was engrossed in his card game. Seeing her, he was surprised: “Dian Dian, is something wrong?”

Lu Qingyue asked, “Is Xingye up here?”

Chen Shujie realized, “You’re looking for Cheng Xingye!”

He glanced around, found no sign of him, and scratched his head in confusion: “He was just here... maybe he went out to the balcony for a smoke?”

At the end of the second-floor corridor was a small terrace.

Lu Qingyue thanked him and walked toward the balcony.

The lights outside weren’t on; the glass door was slightly ajar. Through it, two shadowy figures could be seen, leaning against the railing, deep in conversation.

Lu Qingyue quickly recognized the taller one as Cheng Xingye.

The person beside him was a bit shorter, though high heels lent her an equally formidable presence.

Lu Qingyue hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but just as she turned to leave, she heard a familiar voice, quiet and low: “I’ve kept this for over ten years. Now, it’s finally time to return it to you.”

Instinctively, Lu Qingyue held her breath and looked toward the sound.

Outside, moonlight gleamed with clarity; the stillness of night carried a lingering, gentle charm.

She saw him raise his hand, opening his palm to reveal a small object that briefly flashed in the light. From her distance, she couldn’t discern what it was.

Ye Zixuan took the item from his hand.

The person outside the door’s breath caught.

A sea breeze carried the faint, salty tang of ocean water.

Lu Qingyue quietly retreated two steps, making no sound, then swiftly turned and left.

Bathed in moonlight, Ye Zixuan examined the pendant carefully.

On the silver pendant was engraved a tiny “Y,” likely the initial of a name. Years of preservation had left their traces on its surface.

Once she had identified it, she looked up, calm and certain: “This isn’t mine.”

...

Downstairs remained lively; someone had turned on the home karaoke system and was howling into the microphone.

Lu Qingyue didn't see Lu Yi, so she went outside to search in the small garden.

The shadows of trees blocked the moonlight, scattering fragments of light across the ground.

Lu Qingyue wandered aimlessly, still seeing no sign of him. She pulled out her phone to call him and ask his whereabouts.

As soon as the call began to dial, footsteps approached softly from behind.

She turned in surprise and found, unexpectedly, Xu Qian—who hadn’t spoken to her all evening.

Unsure why Xu Qian was here, Lu Qingyue’s first instinct was to avoid a direct encounter. She began to turn away, but Xu Qian’s gentle smile stopped her, seeming to express concern as she asked, “Why are you out here alone? Aren’t you with your Xingye?”

They stood separated by two or three meters.

On a summer night, the air was thick with restless silence, stirring irritation and unsettling nerves.

Lu Qingyue gazed at the smiling eyes before her; suppressed feelings suddenly found a vent.

She met Xu Qian’s gaze, steady and unyielding, her eyes devoid of emotion as she calmly inquired: “You told my brother about me having dinner with Cheng Xingye, and then contrived for me to witness that scene upstairs. What are you trying to achieve?”

Xu Qian was momentarily stunned, evidently not expecting Lu Qingyue to piece it all together so quickly.

A flicker of guilt crossed her heart, but she refused to lose face before a girl so much younger than herself. She quickly composed herself, feigning ignorance with a delicate smile: “What do you mean by that? I don’t understand.”

Lu Qingyue didn’t wish to waste words, so she got straight to the point: “I thought you were an adult, not someone so incapable of letting go. You like him, so you dig traps for me, hoping to see me quarrel with him and reap the benefits yourself?”

The words made Xu Qian flush with embarrassment, her lips tightening in anger. “Lu Qingyue! Don’t think that just because you’re Lu Yi’s sister, no one dares to put you in your place!”

With no one else present, she dropped the pretense, sneering bitterly: “Everyone here can see it—you’re just relying on your youth, pretending ignorance, shamelessly sticking to him!”

Lu Qingyue was utterly fed up with the mention of her age.

She’d heard it countless times growing up—“You’re still young, so everyone indulges you.”

But she neither needed nor wanted their indulgence.

She wasn’t ignorant. Her sense of security came from Cheng Xingye’s indulgence.

If he ever tired of her, she would leave of her own accord, without needing others to gossip about her supposedly chasing after him.

So Lu Qingyue raised her chin with composure, unmoved, and said, “You think this way because you can’t stick to him yourself, right?”

Xu Qian’s temper flared instantly. “How can you be so shameless at your age?!... Didn’t your family teach you what shame is?”

It was as if gasoline had been poured into the air, needing only a spark to ignite.

Lu Qingyue was about to retort when suddenly a hand gently grasped her arm. A cold voice sounded behind her: “If she was never taught, were you?”

Lu Qingyue froze.

Before she could turn around, someone pulled her firmly to their side in a protective gesture.

Xu Qian’s aggressive demeanor faded as soon as she saw Lu Yi.

She’d pursued him at the start of her freshman year, but after hearing about his close relationship with a girlfriend, she had given up and set her sights on Cheng Xingye instead.

Now, seeing him with a dark expression and unhesitatingly drawing Lu Qingyue to his side, her confidence faltered. Her lips moved as she struggled to find her voice: “That’s not what I meant....”

Lu Yi’s gaze was cold. “Then what did you mean?”

His protectiveness was unmistakable.

After all, he’d cared for his little sister since childhood. No matter how much he teased or scolded her, he wouldn’t allow anyone else to speak ill of her.

“I just...” Xu Qian tried to explain herself, but Lu Yi interrupted, icy and abrupt: “She has family; it’s not your place to discipline her.”

Lu Qingyue was slightly stunned.

She suddenly realized that, for all Lu Yi’s usual confrontational attitude, at this moment, he wasn’t so disagreeable after all.

Sweat broke out across Xu Qian’s brow; under Lu Yi’s pressuring gaze, she finally managed to apologize: “...I’m sorry.”

Lu Yi didn’t look at her, nor did he bother to accept or reject her apology. He simply raised his arm around Lu Qingyue’s shoulders and led her away without another glance.