Chapter 123

Chapter 123

"We'll talk about marriage later," Du Henbie said calmly. "I don't have that intention yet either."

He Lansi smiled without responding, simply taking two glasses of red wine and handing one to him. "Cheers."

Du Henbie clinked glasses with him.

Tian Ruan watched them, baffled by how effortlessly composed they both seemed. Was it all an act, or had pretenses turned real? Despite their intimate relationship, neither seemed particularly invested.

Was one a romance expert, the other a playboy?

Tian Ruan studied them—one refined and handsome, wearing gold-rimmed glasses that embodied "elegance"; the other beautiful and alluring, his curved eyes like a fox spirit from legend.

...Honestly, they really did look good together.

Yet something was missing. Perhaps lust came before love. Though they had plenty to talk about, their personalities made it hard for them to truly touch each other's souls.

Tian Ruan got a vibe of something shaky, as if to confirm this feeling, He Lansi's gaze suddenly paused.

By the piano at the corner of the banquet hall, a graceful woman in a cyan peony-patterned qipao had slipped in unnoticed, holding a pipa and playing, drawing stares and admirers.

Tian Ruan suddenly remembered seeing her at an auction before. She wasn’t classically beautiful, but her aura radiated old-world charm, as if she’d stepped out of a century-old painting, exuding classical Chinese artistry.

She was He Lansi’s ex-girlfriend.

Tian Ruan: "...Isn’t this the Holly Group’s annual party?"

A board member nearby laughed. "The PR department hired performers from an opera troupe for entertainment. This lady is a top pipa player—she charges a pretty penny."

He Lansi kept a straight face as he quickly averted his gaze.

Du Henbie smirked. "Not saying hi to an old flame?"

"My old friend bids farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower, descending to Yangzhou amid spring’s blossoms," He Lansi quoted poetically. "No old friends left—just ghosts."

After the He family’s collapse and bankruptcy, the cutthroat business world left all his past connections—whether genuine or not—vanished into thin air. No one reached out.

Even his parents had disappeared to the other side of the world, leaving only his gravely ill grandfather in the hospital, while his cousin snatched up the last of the family assets.

He Lansi had no old friends left—only enemies and new acquaintances.

The pipa piece wowed the crowd, earning thunderous applause. Du Henbie clapped lightly. "Gorgeous playing."

He Lansi followed suit with a few polite claps. The woman, preparing to leave, suddenly spotted her long-lost "ex-boyfriend"—still just as dazzling in the crowd.

After a moment’s hesitation, she approached with her pipa, asking softly, "He Lansi, it’s been a while."

He Lansi smiled warmly. "Long time no see, Huang Li."

Her name sounded like "oriole," and her voice was indeed sweet and melodious. Tian Ruan mused, happily crunching on watermelon.

*Crunch crunch—*

"So, how’ve you been?" Huang Li’s gaze was full of things left unsaid, every gesture picture-perfect.

Suddenly, Tian Ruan understood why He Lansi had once loved this woman.

He Lansi replied, "Can’t complain. You?"

Huang Li smiled faintly, "I'm married. How about you?"

He Lansi hesitated slightly, "Oh, I'm not." He pulled Du Henbie closer. "But I've had a few girlfriends and boyfriends. This is my current boyfriend."

Huang Li looked at Du Henbie in surprise. The man was polished and dashing. She nodded. "Hello. I was He Lansi's college classmate."

*Crunch crunch*—Tian Ruan nosily crunched on watermelon.

Du Henbie extended his hand with effortless composure, giving hers a light shake. "Hello, I'm He Lansi's boyfriend, Du Henbie."

Huang Li nodded. "Nice name."

"Miss Huang's name is just as elegant."

The three stood in awkward silence.

Huang Li said, "I’ve moved on from college."

He Lansi replied, "I haven’t."

Huang Li froze.

"Why did you return to Su City?"

"My husband is here..."

"Still cheating?"

"..."

"Sorry, I overstepped. Whether you cheat now has nothing to do with me."

Huang Li bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears. "I hurt you back then, but you were too proud. You never asked what I wanted—you just pushed your expectations on me."

Tian Ruan, still munching watermelon, leaned between them. "What 'needs'? Were they *big*?"

Huang Li: "..."

He Lansi gave a tight smile and dragged Tian Ruan back. Just as Tian Ruan tried to resist, Du Henbie pinned him down, leaving him no choice but to keep eating watermelon.

Lu Qiuyan crunched his watermelon quietly beside them, unlike Tian Ruan, who wouldn't stop butting in.

Flushed with shame, Huang Li turned to go with her pipa, only for He Lansi to call out.

He Lansi said, "Don’t overthink it. What’s done is done. I wasn’t exactly a saint either, so you leaving was justified."

Huang Li said sorrowfully, "I’ve thought a lot about it since. Back then, you were too proud, and I was too timid—I couldn’t believe someone like you, a golden boy, would ever notice someone as ordinary as me. So I wanted to see if you really cared, I..."

"Honestly? I wasn’t that into you," He Lansi cut in, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Huang Li smiled bitterly. "I understand."

A watermelon seed clung to Tian Ruan’s lips as he chimed in like a matchmaker, "Nah, you don’t get it. He Lansi’s just afraid you’d cheat and drag him back in."

Huang Li: "..."

He Lansi: "Could you *not*?"

Tian Ruan: "You won’t say shit, so I do it for you, and you still scold me. Bro, defend me!"

Du Henbie gave no clear response, simply saying to Huang Li, "Take your time, Miss Huang. See you around."

Huang Li nodded and walked away slowly, hugging her pipa close.

This drama left Tian Ruan feeling unsatisfied. He had expected a love triangle—old flames clashing with a new boyfriend, while the jerk waffled between them.

“Didn’t know you had standards,” Tian Ruan remarked to He Lansi.

He Lansi chuckled. “My standard is that a good horse doesn’t graze on stale hay, especially not from seven or eight years back.”

Letting go easily—that was definitely He Lansi’s style.

Now the question was whether Du Henbie would become that ‘stale hay.’ Tian Ruan absolutely couldn’t let the couple he rooted for fall apart. Even if he hadn’t bet much on them from the start, Du Henbie was still his dirt-cheap big brother—family comes first. He had to help out somehow.

“My big brother’s better—he’s rich, he’s got free time, and he’s packing heat with skills to match,” Tian Ruan praised earnestly.

He Lansi smirked, glancing toward Du Henbie’s crotch. “Packing heat and knows how to use it.”

Du Henbie smiled politely. “As long as you like it.”

Pfft. Lu Qiuyan wasn’t having any of this—could they not subject a minor to adult talk?

Soon enough, Du Henbie was surrounded by people.

Wintergreen Group and the Du family hadn’t worked together before, so few knew that Tian Ruan was actually the youngest son of the Du family. Though Du Henbie wasn’t particularly well-known domestically, the guts he showed going head-to-head with Wintergreen over that state-owned enterprise deal were rare in the industry.

“President Du, do you train your skull to be iron?” one board member asked.

Du Henbie: “?”

Du Henbie laughed. “Not sure about my head being iron, but my little bro’s definitely solid.”

“Little brother?”

“Oh, Yu Jingmo’s wife.”

“!!”

Word got around fast at Wintergreen. They’d always assumed Tian Ruan came from an average background—a no-account climber who just happened to marry into Yu Jingmo’s world.

Turns out he was playing humble. Such a massive pedigree, yet not a whisper could be found.

The fact that he used the surname Tian instead of Du was probably just misdirection.

Suddenly, even without wearing Yu Jingmo’s sandalwood beads or enjoying his favor, Tian Ruan looked like a whole different person—this was clearly a power-couple arrangement.

After finishing his social rounds, Yu Jingmo held a quick ten-minute huddle with the executives.

He wore a custom silver-black suit, perfectly tailored to flatter his tall, lean frame. His ripped physique was hidden beneath smooth alpaca wool fabric.

His legs seemed endless, emphasizing his narrow waist and broad shoulders. The pointed tips of his handmade leather shoes caught the light with every step.

Whether sitting or standing, he could’ve stepped off a magazine cover. His jawline and nose formed a sharp, commanding angle—like precision-engineered art. One millimeter off either way and the effect would’ve been ruined. His presence had the room holding its breath until he moved beyond earshot.

Yu Jingmo’s gaze locked onto Tian Ruan, who was busy snooping around.

He said calmly, “That’s a wrap,” then closed the distance to where Tian Ruan stood.

Tian Ruan looked up. “Finished up?”

"Hmm." Yu Jingmo reached out to pluck a watermelon seed from his face, then took his hand and led him over to greet Du Henbie. "Where are my in-laws?"

Tian Ruan blurted out, "Dad threw out his back wiping his ass, and Mom's taking care of him."

"..."

Du Henbie: "You could’ve left out the details."

Yu Jingmo glanced around and noticed Yu Shang working the room, so he changed the subject. "What do you think about that project I mentioned earlier, President Du?"

Du Henbie gave a light chuckle. "All business, huh? Your offer still doesn’t cut it. Just because we're family doesn't mean I should work for free, right?"

Yu Jingmo: "Make it thirty million more."

Du Henbie held up one hand. "At least this much—still a family discount."

"Deal."

Du Henbie raised his red wine glass. "Cheers to working together."

Yu Jingmo picked up a flute of champagne and clinked glasses with him. "Cheers to working together."

The music from the speakers switched to something upbeat as the PR department’s host bounded onto the stage, hyping up the crowd. "What's a year-end celebration without some star power? Let's give a warm welcome to—"

He paused deliberately, drawing everyone's attention.

But these were seasoned members of the capitalist class—B-list celebs were old news to them. It wasn’t unusual to see stars at charity dinners or cocktail parties; nothing special.

"Yan XX!!" As soon as the host finished speaking, a fashionably dressed man with hair streaked red and gold descended the stairs. His carefully made-up face was undeniably handsome. He wore a sleeveless pullover sloppily printed with the English letters “MAD”—which at first glance read like “Damn.”

His tight pants featured flowing strips of ribbon below the thighs, giving him an ethereal flair. As he walked, he flirted openly with the crowd.

Surprisingly, a few people actually ate it up—at least the assistants, secretaries, and office staff who rarely got to see real stars were thrilled. "XX!"

Tian Ruan: "..."

When XX’s flirty gaze landed their way, his eyes twitched at the sight of Tian Ruan, causing him to trip and wipe out in a full split down the stairs.

Tian Ruan, confused but rolling with it, grabbed a handful of peanuts and tossed them over. "Happy New Year. No need to kowtow."

XX looked stunned, but bypassed Tian Ruan and locked eyes with Du Henbie.

Tian Ruan: "?"

Du Henbie: "Been a while, XX."

Tian Ruan: "!! What's the deal here?"

He Lansi smirked at Du Henbie. "Just shook off my ex, and now your ex shows up?"

Du Henbie clammed up.

The PR team didn’t dare say a word, just gaping in disbelief.

Everyone else: "???"

XX picked himself up clumsily, avoiding Du Henbie’s gaze. He recomposed himself and stepped up to the mic. "For those who don’t know me—"

Host: "Everyone knows you."

X’s face nearly contorted as he struggled to keep a straight expression. “Really? I’m that famous? I don’t pay much attention to this stuff—I had no idea.”

Tian Ruan silently watched X try to play it cool, but what really shocked him was the thought that Du Henbie actually dated X?

One piece of gossip died, only for another to pop up. Tian Ruan quickly squeezed himself between Du Henbie and He Lansi.

They both turned to look at him—only for Tian Ruan to be yanked away by Yu Jingmo the next second.

Yu Jingmo: “Stay in your lane. Just listen quietly.”

Tian Ruan nodded, grabbed another slice of watermelon, and looked expectantly at Du Henbie. “Big bro, I’m ready for the hot tea. Spill it.”

Du Henbie: “…”

Today just wasn’t his day.