The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 317: Birthday Party with Undercurrents
August 18th is Gu Li’s birthday, a day that many people will never forget.

A lot happened on this day last year.

For example, the Scottish independence referendum has entered a white-hot stage, the United Nations investigation team on chemical weapons attacks has arrived in Syria, ISIS is approaching the Iraqi Kurdish Autonomous Region, the Middle East anti-terrorism is about to enter a new stage, the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland has erupted, and my country's quantum communication technology has made significant progress...

Gu Li’s biological mother is really amazing. When she gave birth to her more than 20 years ago, she actually chose such an awesome day.

However, just like the saying that children should not be given too awesome names, otherwise they may not be able to control their influence and cause trouble, Gu Li who was born on this day was destined to have a bad life in the future.

Just like on this day last year, she carefully prepared her birthday dinner and invited her relatives, friends and family business partners.

The lively scene can be described as brothers on both sides of the Shenjiang River, and harmony is the most important thing in the seven districts!
However, she was destined to be unable to suppress this awesome day.

Gu Li was eating steak and chatting when suddenly her best friend washed her hair with Lafite!

The fact that she slept with her best friend's ex-boyfriend was exposed, her best friend's boyfriend left her after washing her hair, and another best friend Tang Wanru had a big fight with her because she had good intentions but ended up doing something wrong. Then, when she was walking on the streets of Shanghai with the smell of alcohol and a drowned chicken, she suddenly received news that her own father had been in a car accident...

Friendship, love, family, on her birthday last year, no, it was those few hours at night, all of them left her in an instant.

In comparison, the fact that one of her friends openly announced that he had cheated on her at the dinner party that day, and the big fight with her other good friend Lin Xiao, seemed insignificant.

Who could be more miserable than her?

So, after what happened last year, none of Gu Li’s friends mentioned celebrating her birthday this year. What if something weird happened again? Would Gu Li still be alive?

But... Gu Li has always been a woman who doesn't believe in evil. Although she doesn't have the fate of a queen, she has always had the queen's disease. On her birthday this year, she will still drink and chat as usual!
August 2015, 8, Tuesday, the weather was clear in the evening with a gentle breeze.

The back garden of the garden house in Sinan Mansion has been decorated with great efforts by Gu Li since he moved in. From top to bottom, blue snow flowers, agapanthus, and purple-leafed globe amaranth are the main flowers, and the trellises are laid downwards, turning the back garden into a kingdom of cool blue and purple colors.

And here at this moment, Gu Li’s birthday party this year is being held as scheduled.

Although it was called a banquet, Gu Li did not hold a grand ceremony. He just invited all his friends to have dinner together at Sinan Mansion.

After all, her father passed away on this day last year. How could she handle it?
Speaking of which, today is not only Gu Li’s birthday, but also Gu Yansheng’s death anniversary.

……

The people at tonight's banquet are the same as last year, except for one more person, Gu Li's younger brother Gu Zhun. At first glance, one would think that not only was nothing wrong with Gu Li's family, but there was even a new addition!
However, although the scene of this garden dinner looked very lively, it seemed to be mixed with some strange taste.

"What's wrong, everyone? Judging from your expressions, do you think that the birthday cake that will be pushed up later will not have candles on it, but incense sticks?"

The birthday boy, Gu Li, who was sitting in the main seat, suddenly spoke at this time, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Beside Jian Xi, Lin Xiao held his hand and whispered, "Jian Xi, do you think Gu Li is really okay?"

"I don't know, but no one should pour wine on her head this year."

After everyone looked at him, Gu Li slowly picked up the knife and fork and began to cut the steak, then slowly said: "Don't worry, I took Gu Zhun to pay my respects to my father early this morning."

Gu Li picked up the glass of wine in front of him, looked at everyone and smiled, "I should have been sad this morning. Now that my friends are gathered together, shouldn't I be happy?"

In the eyes of everyone, except for this day last year and Gu Yuan's engagement ceremony, Gu Li has never looked embarrassed. It seems that no matter how big the problem is, she will not be depressed or sad.

Just like now, on this day which is both her birthday and her father's death anniversary, she can say these words calmly.

No matter what they felt in their hearts, everyone raised their glasses, looked at each other and smiled and said, "Happy birthday!"

Yes, the sad things have passed. People cannot be trapped in sad memories forever. They always need to look forward. Since Gu Li has expressed this, how can bystanders like them spoil the fun?

The haze was swept away, and the liveliness that was not seen at last year's birthday party appeared at this year's party.

But, something still seems to be wrong?

For example, Tang Wanru, who always had a good appetite, didn't eat much at this moment. She kept glancing at Jian Xi, Lin Xiao and Nan Xiang who were sitting opposite her.

Wei Hai, who was sitting next to her, would occasionally look at Nan Xiang opposite him.

The reason why Gu Li invited Wei Hai this year was that she also wanted to help her best friend, but it was not a forced matchmaking like last year.

And everyone knew that Wei Hai had broken up with his ex-girlfriend a long time ago, and they were still friends this year, so there shouldn't be any problem inviting him this year... That's what Gu Li thought.

"Wanru, why are you staring at us when you're not eating your food?"

At this time, Lin Xiao, who was sitting next to Jian Xi, asked curiously.

"Ah? I...I haven't had a good appetite lately."

Tang Wanru laughed dryly, picked up the wine, took a sip, and then retracted her gaze.

Jian Xi helped Lin Xiao cut the steak and said with a smile: "Maybe the sour smell of our love has affected her?"

"What are you talking about!"

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes at him and swapped the plate of peeled shrimps in front of him with the steak in front of Jian Xi. Tang Wanru, who was sitting opposite him, lowered her face, and the corners of her mouth twitched when she heard Jian Xi's words.

Many days have passed, and she will never forget the scene she saw that night.

Now hearing Jian Xi say such things, she cursed in her heart that he was a complete scumbag!

Although for a long time, because of Lin Xiao, she and Gu Li had been wondering whether there was something going on between Nan Xiang and Jian Xi.

But it was just a suspicion, or even just a faint thought. It was mostly because Lin Xiao had been testing Nan Xiang, and she and Gu Li were just watching the fun.

And as Lin Xiao gradually let go of his doubts and stopped confronting Nan Xiang openly or secretly, she and Gu Li no longer kept that suspicion in mind.

But that night, she hid in the corner of the wall on the street and saw with her own eyes that under the lights of the distant intersection, her best friend was kissing the man of her other best friend!
It turns out that my suspicions all along were true!
It turns out that Nan Xiang and Jian Xi are really together!
Moreover, in addition to seeing this picture, she also heard more things...

"Tang Wanru, what's wrong with you?"

Gu Li's voice rang out, and Tang Wanru's body couldn't help but tremble when she heard it. Then she said with that smile that was uglier than crying:
"Nothing, just these few days... I haven't been feeling well."

"Will you still eat cake later?"

“Eat, of course!” Tang Wanru adjusted her breathing and tried to make her smile more naturally. “Happy birthday, of course I have to eat birthday cake!”

Hearing Tang Wanru say that she could still eat, Gu Li felt relieved. As long as she could still eat, it proved that it was no big deal.

Just after Tang Wanru said this with a smile, she couldn't help but turn her gaze to the three people opposite her. However, when she looked at Jian Xi, the man who was drinking suddenly stretched out his hand and waved at her.

"..."

The smile on Tang Wanru's face froze instantly, and she quickly lowered her head and started eating her food.

"Jian Xi, why are you waving?" Lin Xiao asked curiously.

"Nothing? I saw Tang Wanru kept looking at us, and I thought she didn't recognize us." Jian Xi took back his hand, and then continued with a smile, "Or maybe she thought we were too far away from her, and was afraid that she couldn't see clearly, so she waved to say hello."

"Just eat yours, what are you talking about!" Lin Xiao scolded, then picked up the shrimp and stuffed it into Jian Xi's mouth.

After hearing the dog man's meaningful words, Tang Wanru suddenly felt that she could not eat any of the dishes on the table tonight.

Logically speaking, after knowing someone's secret, they should be the target of manipulation, such as Nan Xiang and Jian Xi. But all this is also based on the degree of care after the secret is exposed.

Nan Xiang naturally cared about it, so she was afraid of being exposed and being controlled, but Jian Xi...

This kind of affair was exposed, and it wasn't the first time that this bastard had seen it. What was he afraid of? It wasn't like he hadn't seen Tang Wanru hiding that night.

Maybe if he was exposed earlier, he could feel more relaxed.

But for Tang Wanru, things were not so easy.

What is the most difficult thing for a whistleblower?
It's not that the secret cannot be told, but that the people involved in the secret know that she was the one who informed on the secret. It's like a rat in the gutter that is suddenly dug out and exposed to the sun. The slightest disturbance will scare the informer into a state of panic.

Like Judas and Jesus...

Of course, Jian Xi is not that great, but by the same token, the informant is most afraid of others knowing that it was him who informed the secret.

At first, Tang Wanru told Nan Xiang about Gu Li and Xi Cheng, but Gu Li didn't know. Later, she told Jian Xi about Lin Xiao, but Lin Xiao didn't know either. Then, she told the people sent by Yuan Yi about Gu Li, but Gu Li still didn't know. She also told Wei Hai about Nan Xiang, but Nan Xiang didn't know either...

But now, Jian Xi knew everything whether she said it or not, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

Just when Tang Wanru was in a dilemma, Nan Xiang, who had been eating silently on the other side of Lin Xiao, suddenly raised her glass and stood up.

"Gu Li!"

Nan Xiang's movements instantly attracted everyone's attention, especially on this special day, on this special occasion, and with this opening move... it immediately reminded everyone of something that was still fresh in their memory.

Especially Gu Li, who was exchanging glances with Gu Yuan, her face suddenly froze and she suddenly felt her scalp itchy.

She looked at Nan Xiang who stood up with her wine glass in hand, and for a moment she didn't know what to say or do.

"I'm sorry." Nan Xiang didn't come over, but just stood there and said, "Thank you."

After she finished speaking, she drank the wine in the glass, and finally looked at Gu Li and said, "Happy birthday!"

Seeing this scene, everyone's hearts finally settled down, and they understood what Nan Xiang meant. Especially Gu Li, who was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. After taking a sip of the wine, she smiled and said, "Thank you. You had to say all this. I can only laugh today."

In ancient times, people would give up military power over a cup of wine, and now people would give up washing their hair over a cup of wine.

Lin Xiao immediately spoke up to liven up the atmosphere and said, "Alright, alright, let's sing a birthday song. Come on, happy birthday to you..."

Under Lin Xiao's encouragement, the atmosphere that had just become dull became lively again. Everyone sang a birthday song for Gu Li together, but Tang Wanru still couldn't smile much. While she was singing, she looked at Nan Xiang with a cold look.

'Hypocritical man! Hypocritical woman! Poor Gu Li! Poor Lin Xiao!'

"Happy Birthday to you!"

When the birthday song ended, Tang Wanru stood up immediately.

At the birthday party tonight, everyone suddenly stood up one by one, attracting everyone's attention.

"Tang Wanru, do you want to say something too?" Jian Xi said with a smile.

"I……"

Tang Wanru opened her mouth and uttered a word with difficulty. Then she felt her mouth was as heavy as a thousand pounds. At this time, Gu Li said in advance: "Tang Wanru, let me make it clear first, you are not allowed to say anything sentimental. Everyone just have fun. This is my birthday, not to watch the Spring Festival Gala."

"..."

Looking at everyone's gaze, Tang Wanru hesitated for a few seconds, then covered her stomach and said, "My stomach feels uncomfortable. I need to go to the toilet."

"Damn it! If you want to go, just go. Why do you stand up and say this? Do you want to disgust us, or do you want someone to go with you?"

Gu Li rolled her eyes at her unhappily, and Tang Wanru laughed dryly, "No, I'll go by myself. I can go by myself."

"Hurry up, I'll wait for you to come back and cut the cake!"

After Tang Wanru left the table, Lin Xiao said to Jian Xi, "I feel like Wanru is a little weird today."

"A little bit." Jian Xi smiled and said, "Maybe you feel embarrassed sitting next to Wei Hai?"

After hearing this reason, Lin Xiao raised her eyebrows, feeling that it made some sense, but why did she feel like Wei Hai seemed to be looking at Nan Xiang from time to time tonight?

Just when Lin Xiao was thinking this, Nan Xiang next to him suddenly came over and said, "Lin Xiao, let me have a drink with you and Jian Xi."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao pulled Jian Xi's sleeve and said with a smile, "Okay."

Then she picked up her glass and was about to clink glasses with Nan Xiang when she said, "Wait, I have something to say."

"Anything?"

Lin Xiao was stunned, looked at her best friend's eyes and joked: "You are not going to say sorry or thank you to me, are you? You can't trick me into tears!"

"How come? Do we need this between us?"

Nan Xiang smiled and said, "I just want to say that I have something to give you."

"Give it to me? Why are you giving me a gift on Gu Li's birthday?"

"Oh, it's not really a gift." Nan Xiang blinked and whispered into her best friend's ear, "Didn't you ask me about underwear? I thought about it and decided to give you a set of pajamas."

"Pyjamas?" Lin Xiao asked in surprise, and his voice was heard directly by Jian Xi who was standing next to him.

Seeing this, Nan Xiang smiled and said, "Yes, I picked it especially for you."

Having said that, she looked up and glanced at Jian Xi behind Lin Xiao, and everything was self-explanatory.

The bad man immediately understood what was going on. After bringing Nan Xiang home that day, she didn't bring any other clothes. After taking a shower, she wore Lin Xiao's pajamas. Afterwards, she said she wanted to give her best friend a more tasteful one.

I didn't expect it to be prepared here.

Lin Xiao didn't understand, but since her best friend said so, she had no choice but to smile and clink glasses with him.

"Okay, I'll try again later. Thank you, Nan Xiang."

……

'I was wondering how I could be unlucky all the time, but this time my birthday was fine, wasn't it?'

Gu Li looked at the scene in front of him and thought secretly in his heart.

……

Tang Wanru, who had disappeared for half a day, finally prepared herself mentally in the toilet. After coming out, she walked towards the back garden. However, just as she turned the corner, she heard a familiar voice coming from the corner outside the window:

"Mom, I will take care of Gu Li's situation. I also hope this is your last condition..."

(End of this chapter)