They all have hidden attributes!

Chapter 168: No Communication Possible

The pure white snowflakes fell from the night sky, fluttering and swirling endlessly.

Through a layer of clean, bright glass, the temperature under the warm lights of the penthouse apartment was two degrees lower than that of a snowy night in Tokyo.

Uesugi Maya stood up, her hands gripping the table, her fingers tightly clutching the wrinkled red tablecloth. She looked down at Ritsuki with a gaze as sharp as a knife.

Uesugi Maya's expression was indescribably unpleasant, while Tachibana Yuki was the complete opposite. She elegantly sipped her black tea, a smile playing on her innocent face.

The impending conflict between the two completely extinguished the festive atmosphere. Takahashi Makoto sat between them, slowly cutting his veal steak with a knife, thinking to himself that he couldn't let the two of them continue like this.

They argue as soon as they meet, and the one caught in the middle suffers the most.

We must find out about their past as soon as possible.

Misunderstandings can be verified, problems can be resolved, and communication can solve many problems, as long as you still consider the other person important.

"A-Ye, what were your plans for tonight?"

Makoto Takahashi forked a slice of veal steak and offered it to Yuki Tachimi's lips, then turned to Maya Uesugi with a calm gaze: "I remember you mentioned going to Tokyo Tower and a bar?"

"You want to be with her? I don't agree." Uesugi Maya frowned, cutting him off as if she had foreseen his next words.

Yuki Tachibana chewed on the beef in his mouth, squinted his eyes, and looked at Maya Uesugi with a mocking gaze.

"Are you going to give me a gift that I can't show to others?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"No."

"Going to a love hotel?"

"No."

"Sit down and talk slowly."

At his signal, Uesugi Maya sat back down in her chair, her expression softening slightly, but her gaze toward Tachibana Yuki remained sharp.

She crossed her arms, her back ramrod straight, her demeanor imposing: "I don't want to see her."

"Didn't you bring this trouble upon yourself?"

Makoto Takahashi let out a helpless sigh. Hearing this, Maya Uesugi opened her mouth as if to say something, but then pressed her lips down and remained silent.

That's the truth. If she hadn't answered Takahashi Makoto's call without permission, and as long as they weren't actually going to a love hotel, Tachimi Yuki wouldn't have cared that the two of them were sneaking out together.

Reason tells Maya Uesugi that she should pay the price for her willfulness without complaint and not put Makoto Takahashi in a difficult position.

But at this moment, a sliver of expectation welled up in my heart. If he could show me some favoritism, I would surely experience a warmth I had never felt before.

Maya Uesugi calmly considered whether she should bury this expectation. Her caramel-colored eyes, reflecting Makoto Takahashi's figure, shimmered with complex light.

Makoto Takahashi picked up the strawberry cake that Jun Shiraishi had prepared, forked off a piece of the nicely arranged strawberry, cream, and cake, and put it in his mouth. He then turned to look at Yuki Tachimi and said while eating:

"How about we let it go this time?"

"No, that won't work."

"I'll ask for leave from the college tomorrow and have a whole day to spend with you."

"Then let's start from midnight."

Takahashi Makoto felt a long-lost sense of fatigue as Tachibana Yuki persisted in his pursuit.

My head is throbbing.

It was Christmas, and we worked so hard to adjust the schedule so that everyone could have a happy holiday, but then this unexpected thing happened.

“Go straight to my apartment. I’ll be back at midnight.” Takahashi Makoto said this, which was undoubtedly biased.

After all, what Tachimi Yuki wanted was not to stay overnight, but to ruin Uesugi Maya's date and teach her a lesson, and Takahashi Makoto was undoubtedly protecting Uesugi Maya.

Reading his intentions, Shiraishi Junko looked at Uesugi Maya in confusion, unable to understand why. Kashima Reiko also looked up at Takahashi Makoto.

"Makoto?" Tachikami Yuki's smile froze on his face.

From the moment they met, Makoto Takahashi had been trying to foster a harmonious atmosphere. In the past, he would have tried his best to resolve any conflicts between them.

Today, his attitude suddenly changed, and he clearly favored Uesugi Maya, which made Tachibana Yuki subconsciously think that he had done something wrong, and his eyes were uneasy.

It couldn't possibly be that he actually fell in love with Uesugi Maya and planned to abandon her.

Of everyone present, only Uesugi Maya was in a good mood.

This was the first time Takahashi Makoto had shown such favoritism towards her.

A clear statement, a gentle tone, and in an instant, an incredible emotion bursts forth from the depths of the heart.

Gazing at the blurry lights of Tokyo Tower and the falling snowflakes, Maya Uesugi felt an urge to share everything she had experienced since birth with him.

"Makoto, why?" Tachimi Yuki asked Takahashi Makoto with a puzzled look on his face.

"It was my fault."

Makoto Takahashi met her gaze, his tone slightly heavy: "I shouldn't have been so greedy as to expect everyone to celebrate the holiday together in harmony. Let's cancel tomorrow's Christmas party. I'll apologize to Hanori."

This is a signal, conveying that from now on, no matter who it is, I only want to be with them one-on-one.

Yukichi Tachibana clearly realized that something was about to change.

It seemed as if a thin film was emerging between their hearts.

"That's not how it is, Makoto."

Shiraishi Junko tugged at Takahashi Makoto's arm, raised her clear eyes, and said softly, "Reiko and I are very content with our current life, and you did nothing wrong in this matter."

“I do not accept it,” Kashima Reiko stated calmly.

Maya Uesugi also sensed Makoto Takahashi's weariness, and her joy was instantly extinguished.

Makoto Takahashi's emotions had always been stable, which made her forget how heavy things were at the beginning. It was only because of a momentary lapse in attention that he became depressed.

This is not the outcome anyone wanted.

Uesugi Maya quickly exchanged glances with Tachimi Yuki, and the two temporarily shook hands and made peace.

"Cheng-kun, is it because I didn't invite Xiaoye?"

Yuki Tachibana moved a chair closer and placed her hand on his lap: "Hmm~ It's okay if you don't like Christmas parties, we can do it tomorrow..."

She hadn't decided on her Christmas plans yet, so she looked up and glared at the culprit.

"I'm going to deliver a gift to Aunt Tatsumi," Maya Uesugi said calmly, indicating that the Christmas party must be held.

In any case, Christmas Eve has been ruined.

If we can't make up for it by tomorrow, it will only leave us with a terrible Christmas memory.

Makoto Takahashi's gaze swept over the group, noticing their varying degrees of worry, and he forced himself to stay alert: "I—"

Shiraishi Junka raised her index finger and placed it in front of his lips to interrupt him.

"Xiaoye, it's about time we went."

Tachibana Yuki stood up, and Uesugi Maya followed behind her with a strawberry cake. Kashima Reiko glanced at Shiraishi Junka and silently went to see the two off.

The stagnant air began to circulate again, and the quiet Christmas Eve was somewhat deserted, but fortunately the atmosphere was no longer oppressive.

"Were you hit hard?"

Shiraishi Junka reached out and hugged Takahashi Makoto, pulling his head towards her chest, her voice gentle:

"They've been so intense lately that they've forgotten that this is your first Christmas as well, yet you still have to consider everyone's feelings."

"I chose it myself."

Makoto Takahashi frowned, then looked up to find Junka Shiraishi staring at him, her wine-red eyes filled with affection and tenderness.

“Lengzi and I know that Cheng is a good person, which is why we cunningly forced our feelings on you, so we can’t blame you.”

The soft texture and sweet rose scent are captivating.

Makoto Takahashi's body visibly stiffened as he tried to regain control. When Junko Shiraishi noticed this, she hugged him tightly as if to accept him completely.

"I can't do anything else, Cheng."

She lowered her head, her long black hair falling onto Makoto Takahashi's neck, tickling him slightly: "I want to accept everything from Makoto. It's okay to be downcast. It hurts me to see you always putting on a brave face. You should rest when you're tired."

Makoto Takahashi closed his eyes blankly, his mood calming down, and a wonderful sense of healing spread deep in his chest.

Meanwhile, in the living room.

Maya Uesugi and Yuki Tatsumi sat facing each other on the sofas on either side of the coffee table.

Kashima Reiko brewed another pot of black tea, placed it between the two of them, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at Tachimi Yuki with her calm, emerald eyes:

"Miss, you've gotten a little carried away today."

If she had known when to quit while she was ahead, things wouldn't have escalated to this terrible state.

"Beggars will weave here."

Tachibana Yuki examined the left hand held up in front of him, nodded heavily, and said in a tone that lacked his usual affable manner: "Right away."

She knew she had overstepped her bounds today and silently reviewed her actions in her mind.

Disrupting Makoto Takahashi's original plans was by no means a good idea, but women in love sometimes lose their rationality.

Uesugi Maya was the same; she was momentarily blinded by her invincible status.

She crossed her legs, rested her chin on one hand, and quietly reflected on her actions until Kashima Reiko had walked away before speaking: "It was my fault today. Go back now."

"Since it's your fault, shouldn't you be the one who leaves, Xiaoye?"

Li Jianxing interlaced his fingers, tilted his head, and smiled:

"That's about enough. Do you really want to be inseparable from Cheng-kun every day? You understand, he can't be your neighbor, classmate, best friend, lover, father, and possession all at the same time."

"It was just a momentary lapse in concentration," Uesugi Maya calmly retorted.

"Isn't negligence precisely because it's unimportant?"

Tachikami picked up her black tea and blew away the rising steam: "You care more about your own feelings than his, which is why this happened."

"It was just an accident, and your question was equally stupid."

Uesugi Maya accepted her accusation and said coldly, "Being overly fixated on something because it's important ruins the festive mood."