Spring Night Kiss.

7 PM, Lanting.

The detached house is nestled deep in a bamboo forest, with two lanterns at the entrance, keeping a low profile. But once you push the door open, it's a completely different world.

The interior features dark wood decor, dim lighting, a wall-to-wall collection of liquor behind the bar, and a four-piece band softly singing folk songs in a corner.

The second-floor terrace faces the lake, and the evening breeze flows through it.

Xu Zhouye walked in with his arm around Song Qingjia's waist, and whispered in her ear, "They're all unimportant friends. You can talk to them if you want, or ignore them if you don't."

Song Qingjia slapped his hand away: "I don't really want to talk to you right now."

Xu Zhouye pulled her closer, holding her even tighter, and shamelessly said, "That won't do, I have to deal with it."

Song Qingjia ignored the scoundrel and walked straight inside.

Several people were already seated on the terrace. Lu Yanbai was the first to stand up. Next to him sat a young girl with her hair in a bun, who looked like she had just come of age.

"Coming, coming, please have a seat." Lu Yanbai smiled and waved.

Song Qingjia nodded and sat down to the side. When she looked up, she met a pair of bright eyes that were staring intently at her.

Xu Zhouye naturally noticed it too, glancing at the owner of those eyes and saying in a warning tone, "Take your eyes off yourself."

The girl wasn't angry at being told off; she replied sweetly, "I wasn't looking at you; I was looking at the pretty lady."

Beautiful older sister Song Qingjia: "..."

Lu Yanbai introduced her: "This is Xu Wanran, Lao Xu's cousin. She just returned from London."

So it's my cousin. No wonder she sounded so familiar.

"Hello, sister! Just call me Ranran." The little girl had a very sweet tongue. "You're even prettier than I imagined."

Song Qingjia: "...Thank you, you look beautiful too."

Xu Wanran smiled coyly, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

"Brother, what's wrong with that thing on your lip?"

Xu Zhouye picked up his water glass, took a sip, and didn't reply.

Lu Yanbai chuckled: "It looks like a tooth mark."

Someone nearby chimed in, "Brother Ye, who bit this?"

Someone else chimed in, "Is that even a question?"

Xu Wanran covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes sparkling. Her gaze swept over Song Qingjia for a moment before returning to her own.

Song Qingjia remained expressionless, picked up the bottle on the table, and poured herself a glass of whiskey. The ice cubes clinked as she tilted her head back and took a large gulp.

Xu Zhouye frowned: "Your allergy has just subsided, so drink less."

Song Qingjia glanced at him but didn't say anything, but Xu Zhouye understood. She was saying that he was being long-winded.

Okay, he shut up.

Although they didn't stop her anymore, they instructed the waiter to bring over a lower-alcohol drink that was more suitable for women.

Seeing this, Xu Wanran raised her wine glass to cover her mouth and whispered to Lu Yanbai, "When did my brother become so fussy?"

Lu Yanbai replied softly, "That's what a simp is like."

Xu Wanran laughed uncontrollably and moved closer to Song Qingjia: "Sister, what do you do for a living?"

Lu Yanbai quickly answered, "A Pingtan performer, who sings exceptionally well."

Song Qingjia paused, thinking, "So what if he's a Pingtan performer? It's not like I'm wrong."

Xu Wanran became interested: "Really? Where are you singing? I also learned the pipa when I was a child, but I gave it up later."

"Yunqing Pingtan Hall".

"Then I'll definitely go listen another day," the little girl said. "I'll bring you a big bouquet of flowers then."

Xu Zhouye glanced at her again, and she awkwardly shut her mouth, picking up her wine glass. Just as she was about to drink, her good brother snatched the glass away.

A glass of juice was shoved into my hand.

Children are not allowed to drink alcohol.

Xu Wanran: "..."

He can't control his girlfriend, so he tries to control her younger sister. How pathetic.

Seeing this, Lu Yanbai quickly raised his glass: "Alright, alright, it's my birthday today, let's have a toast."

Everyone raised their glasses, the clinking of the glass creating a crisp sound.

The band changed to a different song; the male vocals were languid, like being wrapped in velvet. Song Qingjia leaned back on the sofa, turning her head to look at the lake outside the terrace.

The evening breeze blew her stray hairs and brushed against the arm of the man beside her.

Xu Zhouye tilted his head and leaned closer to her: "What are you looking at?"

Song Qingjia didn't turn around: "Lake."

"Is it pretty?"

"good."

Xu Zhouye paused, then lowered his voice even further: "Are you in a bad mood?"

Song Qingjia finally turned around, raising an eyebrow: "Yes, I'm in a bad mood. How does Young Master Xu plan to coax me?"

She was in a bad mood from the moment she received Cheng Yizhen's call, even though she pretended not to care, she was ultimately just deceiving herself.

She wanted to numb herself with alcohol, but the person next door wouldn't let her have her way.

Song Qingjia tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass. It was sweet, like fruit juice, but lacked that pungent, headstrong flavor. It was rather dull.

Xu Zhouye frowned, then suddenly stood up: "Wait for me."

He walked to the bar, said a few words to the bartender, who nodded and took a bottle of liquor from the shelf.

Xu Zhouye took it, personally picked up a wine glass, poured some wine, then picked up a small knife next to him, peeled a piece of orange peel, twisted it at the rim of the glass, and the peel oil splashed into the wine, releasing the orange aroma.

He returned with the wine glass and handed it to Song Qingjia.

"What's this?" Song Qingjia looked down and smelled it.

"Single malt, eighteen years old." Xu Zhouye leaned back on the sofa, tilting his head to look at her. "Didn't you want something stronger?"

Song Qingjia reached out to take it, but the other person blocked her.

He made a three-point agreement with her: "Just this one cup."

Song Qingjia didn't respond, but reached out and snatched it, drinking it all in one gulp. The liquor rolled over his tongue, hot and spicy, carrying the scent of sea breeze and moss, burning all the way to his stomach.

The movement was too fast; Xu Zhouye didn't have time to stop it.

His expression changed: "I told you to drink, but I didn't tell you to drink like this!"

After gulping down a glass of strong liquor, Song Qingjia couldn't help but close her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, there was a thin layer of moisture in her eyes.

"Xu Zhouye, are you yelling at me?" she asked, tilting her head back.

"I……"

I should have said something harsh to her, told her she shouldn't drink like that, but seeing her misty eyes, all my anger vanished.

Xu Zhouye took the cup from her hand, pressed her head against his chest, touched her forehead, and sighed, "Are you dizzy?"

Song Qingjia felt fine, but it might be because the effects of the alcohol hadn't yet taken hold.

She struggled out of his arms again: "I'm not dizzy, don't touch me."

Xu Wanran and Lu Yanbai watched with great interest and started making a bet.

Xu Wanran said, "Oh no, my brother is definitely going to be angry."

Lu Yanbai scoffed, "He's angry? Impossible. I bet you, your brother can't do anything about her."

"That's not necessarily true." Xu Wanran raised an eyebrow. "My brother has a terrible temper; otherwise, how could he turn all the women who admire him into his haters?"

Lu Yanbai scoffed: "Things are different now. He's just a sycophant."

Xu Wanran naturally didn't believe it, but the next second, her cousin, who was known as the number one cold-hearted person in the capital, was coaxing the girl beside him in a humble voice.

When the other person remained unmoved, he went to the bar and personally mixed a drink, handing it to them.

Xu Wanran: "..."

Lu Yanbai said calmly, "I knew it. How can a dog outmaneuver its master?"