Spring Night Kiss.

Xu Zhouye chuckled softly and followed.

Nie Yuhuai paused for a moment, then followed.

Lu Yanbai looked at the suddenly appearing person, a little confused. He scratched his head and asked blankly, "What's going on?"

The uninvited Nie Yuhuai remained calm, extending his hand and speaking in a composed tone: "Nie Yuhuai."

Lu Yanbai still didn't understand, and reached out to shake his hand: "Lu Yanbai."

"When I met your brother last month, he mentioned you. I heard it's your birthday today, so I came uninvited. Please forgive me."

"Mr. Nie, you're too kind. Since you're here, please have a seat."

Xu Wanran huddled in the corner of the sofa, hugging a cushion, her eyes darting around.

Song Qingjia had no time to care about them anymore. She leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes. The effects of the alcohol hadn't worn off yet, and her temples were throbbing.

Xu Zhouye sat down next to her, and his hand wandered over to her again.

Nie Yuhuai sat on the single sofa to her right, his gaze fixed intently on her.

What a headache!

The fruit platter was pushed over, and Xu Zhouye took a strawberry and held it to Song Qingjia's lips: "Eat some fruit to sober up."

Before Song Qingjia could speak, Nie Yuhuai's voice came from the right: "She doesn't like strawberries."

Xu Zhouye paused, then looked up.

"I've never eaten it since I was a child," the other person added casually.

From childhood...

Xu Zhouye pondered the meaning behind those two words, discerning a hint of provocation, and laughed in anger.

"What does she like to eat?"

Nie Yuhuai didn't say anything, but simply picked out a piece of honeydew melon from the fruit plate and handed it to Song Qingjia.

Xu Wanran gasped and exchanged a glance with Lu Yanbai, both of them reading a hint of anticipation in each other's eyes.

She coughed lightly and turned her face away.

At the eye of the storm, Song Qingjia didn't accept any fruit from anyone, but instead reached out and grabbed a grape, popping it into her mouth.

The atmosphere was a bit tense.

As the host, Lu Yanbai decided to personally step in to lighten the mood.

He picked up his glass, cleared his throat, and said, "Mr. Nie, I heard you've been busy with that project in the south of the city lately? My brother mentioned it briefly, saying it's going to be developed into something like... a digital economy industrial park?"

Nie Yuhuai withdrew his gaze from Song Qingjia and turned to Lu Yanbai, his expression softening somewhat: "Yes, the first phase of the project will start next year, and I will need to trouble your brother to put in more effort then."

"Haha, no problem, no problem," Lu Yanbai laughed.

Xu Zhouye leaned back on the sofa, his fingers casually twirling a strand of Song Qingjia's hair that was hanging down.

Hearing this, he scoffed and interjected, "Industrial park? That sounds pretty boring."

Lu Yan rolled her eyes at him: "Isn't your car boring?"

He turned his head and deliberately threw the topic back to Nie Yuhuai: "Mr. Nie, do you know F1? Look, this is the current driver, he has a terrible temper."

Nie Yuhuai: "I watch it occasionally." He paused, "It's driving quite well."

Driving well?

Lu Yanbai laughed inwardly. He, Xu Zhouye, had finally come to this day, being praised for his good performance by an outsider.

Xu Zhouye's lips twitched slightly: "Mr. Nie is usually busy, but he still finds time to watch the game. That's rare."

Nie Yuhuai then looked at Song Qingjia.

The girl seemed indifferent, propping her head up with her hand and looking unfocused, lost in thought.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense again.

Lu Yanbai's mind raced, and he awkwardly changed the subject: "By the way, Lao Xu, where's your first stop this season? Melbourne or somewhere? I'll come cheer you on."

"casual."

Xu Zhouye's attention wasn't on him at all. He lowered his head, leaned close to Song Qingjia's ear, and whispered, "Sleepy?"

Song Qingjia tilted her head, their noses almost touching: "What do you think?"

Xu Zhouye raised an eyebrow.

Song Qingjia had already stood up: "You guys drink slowly, I'm going to the terrace for some fresh air."

She turned and left, and for a moment no one called out to her.

Nie Yuhuai's fingers paused on the wine glass for a moment, but ultimately did not move.

Xu Zhouye glanced at him, scoffed, and stood up: "I'll go take a look."

Nie Yuhuai looked up: "She needs some peace and quiet."

"She'll tell me what she needs." Xu Zhouye stepped forward and followed.

A strong evening wind blew across the terrace. The lake was dark and murky, with only a few lights visible in the distance.

Song Qingjia stood in front of the glass railing, her hands on the metal handrail, letting the wind tousle her hair.

She heard footsteps behind her, but didn't turn around.

Xu Zhouye stared at the back of her head and said lazily, "Your brother seems to care about you quite a bit."

Song Qingjia didn't turn around: "His surname is Nie, my surname is Song, what kind of brother are we?"

"Then why is he so attentive to you?"

Song Qingjia chuckled softly, turned around, leaned against the railing, and looked up at him. Moonlight fell on his drunken eyes: "What you're after is none of your business."

Xu Zhouye stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly smiled, took a step forward, and encircled her between the railing and himself, placing his hands on the metal handrails on either side of her.

"Why can't we control that?"

Song Qingjia found it interesting and tilted her head to ask, "Then, in what capacity do you interfere?"

Xu Zhouye: "Not my boyfriend?"

Song Qingjia said without hesitation: "It's fake."

Xu Zhouye didn't say anything, but moved forward an inch.

Song Qingjia continued, "At most, it's just a matter of taking a nap together."

"Heh..." Xu Zhouye nodded. "Okay, it's because we slept together. As your first man, I want to ask, your good brother said you never eat strawberries since you were little, does he know that you like to snuggle into people's arms when you're drunk?"

Song Qingjia raised her hand, pressed her index finger against his chest, and pushed him away half an inch: "That was when I was drunk. You're sober now, don't get so close."

"You're drunk now." Xu Zhouye didn't let her push him away; instead, he took her hand, his fingertips tracing the back of her hand. "So, whose arms do you want to snuggle into now?"

Song Qingjia looked up at him, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved into a smile: "Anyway, it's not you."

Xu Zhouye's eyes dimmed.

He released her hands, instead gripping her waist and pulling her sharply towards him. Song Qingjia was caught off guard and bumped into his arms, feeling a sharp pain in her chest.

"Xu Zhouye, were you born in the Year of the Dog?"

"You decide."

The man's lips were pressed against her earlobe, his breath hot. He really was like a dog in heat, ready to pounce at any moment.

Song Qingjia reached out and brushed his lips: "Nie Yuhuai is still sitting inside. Are you sure you want to stay here?"

"What does it have to do with me that he's sitting here?" Xu Zhouye's lips slid from her earlobe to her cheekbone, almost brushing against it.

Song Qingjia's smile faded slightly: "It's none of your business. I just don't like being used as a pawn. Did you kiss me because you wanted to, or because he was there?"

Xu Zhouye smiled again.

"Baby, I want to kiss you because you're drunk tonight, and your blushing face looks beautiful."

"It has nothing to do with that man."

Song Qingjia looked at him for two seconds, then tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

"Then kiss me."

Xu Zhouye did not move.

She opened her eyes again: "You don't dare?"

The man smiled and lowered his head, his lips meeting his. It was a brief kiss; he quickly pulled away.

He released her lips and lowered his head to suckle hard on the side of her neck.

Song Qingjia didn't dodge; instead, she tilted her head to expose more of that side of her neck, her voice panting, "Keep it in, keep it deep, let him see."

Xu Zhouye did as she wished.

Inside the glass door, Lu Yanbai and Xu Wanran pressed their faces against the door panel, one on top of the other.

"What did you see?" Lu Yanbai asked.

"I can't see, it's too dark," Xu Wanran said on tiptoe. "But it doesn't seem like they're fighting."

Lu Yanbai breathed a sigh of relief.

Nie Yuhuai sat on the sofa, holding a wine glass, his gaze fixed on the terrace.

Two figures outside the glass door overlapped, their outlines blurred by the night and the evening breeze.

He put his wine glass on the table and stood up.

"Mr. Nie, are you leaving already?" Lu Yanbai turned to look at him.

Goodbye.

Nie Yuhuai picked up the coat draped over the sofa armrest, didn't glance at the terrace again, and strode out of the private room.