Yonghe Road

Chapter 13 Birthday
Xie Anmin felt complicated as he unexpectedly met his fans in a small county town.

When people face their admirers, they will feel happy in their hearts no matter what. This is human vanity.

This also led to Xie Anmin being unable to concentrate on her jealousy and envy when she saw Zhong Ziqi being so attentive to An Hongdou. She even paid for a dinner for him at a beef hotpot restaurant in the city.

Wang Zian rushed to pay the bill, but Xie Anmin refused.

Zhong Ziqi had no change in his pocket, so he could only watch helplessly as two wealthy individuals jostled for position at the cash register. The two men were vying for the money, and inevitably there was physical friction. It was unclear who grabbed the other's hand first, but the two hands met, and Wang Zian blushed.

An Hongdou sat at the table with her hands on her cheeks, watching the scene and giggling.

Zhong Ziqi found that the look in her eyes when she looked at Xie Anmin was brighter than when she looked at him.

"Hongdou, are you full?" Zhong Ziqi picked up the ladle, scooped up a piece of steak from the bottom of the hot pot, and put it in An Hongdou's bowl, trying to divert her attention.

An Hongdou's gaze seemed to be fixed on Xie Anmin with needles, and she said with a silly smile, "Ziqi, isn't it a coincidence that my last name is the same as my idol's name?"

Zhong Ziqi put down his ladle awkwardly and snorted, "Humph, your last name is Wang Zian, what does that mean?"

An Hongdou retracted her gaze and cast it on Zhong Ziqi's face like an X-ray. She keenly sensed something and chuckled again, saying, "Ziqi, are you jealous? Jealous of Wang Zian?"

"cut."

"You won't be jealous of Xie Anmin, will you?"

Zhong Ziqi said nothing.

An Hongdou had a curious look on her face, and her voice became higher and higher, becoming shrill. "Why? She's my idol. She's a great writer, an idol to many people, and she's also a great beauty. Don't you like her?"

"I like you." Zhong Ziqi was a little annoyed.

An Hongdou was not happy about this, but continued to ask: "Haven't you read her book?"

Then he sighed: "Alas, you athletes just don't like reading. Do you know how people describe you athletes? Strong limbs, simple minds..."

Xie Anmin, who had successfully snatched the favor from Wang Zian and paid the bill, felt instantly relaxed and refreshed when he heard An Hongdou's words.

She walked back to her seat with a cheerful face and said to Zhong Ziqi, "Hey, Boss Zhong, aren't you going to invite your girlfriend to sing at KTV?"

Zhong Ziqi's face looked very ugly. He put his hands into his trouser pockets, but the middle finger of his right hand actually slipped out from the bottom of the pocket and touched the skin of his thigh. The fingertips were so cold that he shivered.

Damn hotpot restaurant, the air conditioning is too low.

"Singing at KTV, great, great," An Hongdou clapped her hands excitedly. "Ziqi, let's go sing. I've only read Xie Anmin's books, but I've never heard him sing."

"I'll sing for you tonight. You choose the songs and I sing them." When Xie Anmin said this, there was a mischievous look in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, like a talented man flirting with Qiuxiang, which made An Hongdou almost want to call him husband. It turns out that husband is not a gender, but an attitude.

"Okay, okay, that's great, thank you Anmin, Ziqi, let's go sing." An Hongdou pulled Zhong Ziqi's hand out of his trouser pocket and shook it enthusiastically.

The index finger left the thigh, leaving only a hint of coolness on the skin, like a slowly dissipating ripple, dissipating the abrupt touch bit by bit.

An Hongdou kept calling out "Zi Qi," but Zhong Zi Qi remained silent, like a proud and flourishing canna that suddenly drooped. Money makes people confident, but it also makes people feel inferior.

Wang Zian stood beside Zhong Ziqi with understanding and said, "Are you all full? If you are, I will invite you to sing." Zhong Ziqi looked up and met Wang Zian's eyes, and his heart felt warm.

So, Zhong Ziqi took Wang Zian's arm, An Hongdou took Xie Anmin's arm, and the four of them took a Didi and went straight to the KTV from the hot pot restaurant.

The car's interior was dimly lit, and soft music played, creating a stark contrast to the bustling city nightlife. The cityscape outside the car window resembled a flowing painting, neon lights flickering, shops lining the streets ablaze with light, and the sounds of laughter and singing from a karaoke bar wafted faintly in the distance.

An Hongdou sat next to Xie Anmin, her heart pounding with excitement.

Wuwuwu, this is her idol! She could actually be so close to her idol. She was so excited that she wanted to cry. She muttered, "Xie Anmin, you know, I grew up reading your books..."

Xie Anmin turned her head and glanced at her. The dim light in the car hid her displeasure.

Haha, is she very old?
Zhong Ziqi, who was sitting in the back seat with them, naturally could not notice the change in Xie Anmin's expression. However, Wang Zian, who was in the passenger seat, turned his head and saw that Xie Anmin was sitting by the window and had turned his head to the outside.

In my ears, Zhong Ziqi asked innocently: "Hongdou, how old are you?"

"Eighteen." An Hongdou's voice was crisp and tender, like the tip of a spring bamboo shoot just breaking through the soil, which would break with a light pinch.

Zhong Ziqi pinched An Hongdou's cheek and asked, "You're only eighteen, why haven't you studied yet?"

"Just like you, simple-minded and strong-limbed." An Hongdou giggled.

"I finished high school and went to a sports college." Zhong Ziqi was not convinced.

An Hongdou said nonchalantly, "Oh, I didn't go to high school. I went to a vocational school, but I've already graduated."

"Now that I'm eighteen, it's not illegal for me to date you, right?"

"You still want to do something illegal?"

The whole carriage was filled with An Hongdou's giggling laughter. The sound was young, crisp, and like the tips of spring bamboo shoots, which would break when pinched. To Xie Anmin's ears, it was extremely noisy.

"You're so noisy! I won't sing for you later," Xie Anmin said suddenly with a stern face. She was even startled after saying this. This was her true feelings towards her. She hated this girl. She hated that she was so young, only eighteen, while she was already thirty. A woman in her thirties standing on the street wouldn't be rushed over by a gym boy asking for her WeChat, right?
Xie Anmin moved his butt towards the car window, away from An Hongdou, not wanting to have any physical contact with her.

And she even leaned over and said, "Xie Anmin, can I order a foreign song later?"

"No." Xie Anmin refused directly, his disgust and dissatisfaction no longer under control.

Fortunately, the car arrived at the door of the KTV.

The moment he opened the door, the strong rhythm of music and colorful lighting effects pulled Xie Anmin out of his negative emotions.

When we arrived at the reserved private room, the latest popular MV was playing on the screen. The waiter had already placed several plates of exquisite snacks and beer, as well as a cake, on the table.

"Whose birthday is it?" An Hongdou and Xie Anmin asked in unison.

Zhong Ziqi looked at Wang Zian, who then looked at Xie Anmin. He picked up the microphone from the coffee table and handed it to him, saying, "It's my birthday today. Miss Xie, can you sing a song for me?"

(End of this chapter)