It was indeed quite fair.
At least, Chen Zemian thought so
The clear, bright wind of the rule of law had even blown into men’s novels.
Great — he was saved.
From then on, he no longer had to worry about his time travel being exposed, being taken to a laboratory for human experimentation, or being secretly killed by the male protagonist for offending Lu Zhuonian.
Chen Zemian felt like he had been reborn — refreshed and in a great mood. Everything seemed pleasing, and even Liu Yuebo was in a good mood.
Liu Yuebo, however, declined Chen Zhe’s friendly approach. After all, this man wasn’t mentally stable — last time, he had smiled before pouring coffee on his head.
Looking back now, it had clearly been a despicable expression, like: “I can’t help laughing when I think about what I’m going to do next.”
Today was Xiao Kesong’s birthday party. Liu Yuebo didn’t want to see Chen Zhe and hadn’t wanted to attend, but the Xiao and Liu families were negotiating a major project. To show sincerity, his family ignored his objections and not only insisted he go, but also had his eldest brother force him to attend.
As soon as he entered the banquet hall, Liu Yuebo saw Chen Zhe’s irritating face.
Chen Zhe was wearing a silver-gray suit, paired with a vertically striped satin shirt in the same shade. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a wide expanse of his snow-white neck. A blue-black tie hung loosely around his slender neck, clearly thrown on only after arriving.
His carefree, unruly appearance stood out starkly from the atmosphere of the banquet — it was hard not to notice him.
Banquets held by wealthy families were social occasions. Guests, both men and women, dressed formally. The room glittered with precious stones and fine jewelry. Lavish food was served. While it might seem casual and relaxed on the surface, strict, unwritten rules governed everything. Everyone had a role to play, and their dress, speech, and behavior were all carefully controlled. No one overstepped their boundaries.
Just like Liu Yuebo — no matter how much he didn’t want to attend Xiao Kesong’s birthday party, he had to. Not only that, he had to put on a cheerful smile, as if sincerely wishing the Xiao family’s young master a happy birthday.
It was so fucking annoying. He really wanted to blow the place up.
Liu Yuebo picked up a glass of champagne, found the right moment when Chen Zhe wasn’t around, clinked glasses with Xiao Kesong to fulfill his duty, and then retreated to a corner, pretending to be autistic.
Actually, he wasn’t pretending. He really felt autistic now.
He had embarrassed himself in front of everyone in their social circle. The photo of him with coffee stains all over his head was still circulating in various WeChat groups. Anyone would want to bang their head against the wall.
Liu Yuebo didn’t just want to bang his head — he wanted to kill Chen Zhe with it.
Especially since Chen Zhe was now in high spirits, looking inexplicably pleased.
“You look so happy — did you get rich?”
Xiao Kesong shared the same suspicion. He asked Chen Zemian, “Or did you win the lottery?”
Chen Zemian raised his glass and said with a toast, “Our Young Master Xiao is celebrating his 20th birthday today. Shouldn’t I be happy?”
Xiao Kesong narrowed his eyes. “Chen Zhe, I feel like you’re not being honest. You’re just spouting nonsense.”
“Has he ever been honest?” Lu Zhuonian said as he swirled his wine glass. He didn’t look at anyone, his eyes lowered as if focusing on the wine’s texture against the glass wall. He added casually, “Xiao Kesong, you’re not very good at judging people.”
Ye Chen turned to glance at Lu Zhuonian but said nothing.
Xiao Kesong looked at Lu Zhuonian in surprise. “You know what happened?”
Lu Zhuonian put down his wine glass and replied succinctly, “He had a fight with Xu Shaoyang a few days ago and made a fortune.”
There was no subject in the sentence, but both Xiao Kesong and Ye Chen knew he was talking about Chen Zhe. They turned to look at him at the same time.
Xiao Kesong sighed softly. “Why are you fighting again?”
Chen Zemian met their gazes and asked curiously, “Why does it have to be me? Maybe it was Young Master Lu.”
Ye Chen: “Impossible.”
Xiao Kesong echoed, “Zhuonian doesn’t fight.”
Even if he were provoked, he’d have his bodyguards do it. He would never fight personally.
Chen Zemian looked surprised. “Really? None of you young masters have ever fought?”
So noble. No wonder they’re so fragile.
Ye Chen and Xiao Kesong replied in unison: “We have.”
Chen Zemian was a little confused. “So only Young Master Lu hasn’t fought? Why?”
Lu Zhuonian and Ye Chen remained silent.
Xiao Kesong said, “He’s sick.”
?
Sick?
Chen Zemian was momentarily unsure whether Xiao Kesong was joking or serious.
He instinctively glanced at Lu Zhuonian. Though silent, his clear eyes clearly conveyed his doubt — What’s wrong with you?
Lu Zhuonian acted as if he hadn’t noticed. He calmly took a sip of wine.
Ye Chen cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Let’s talk about Chen Zhe’s fight.”
At the mention of that, Xiao Kesong sighed again.
He really treated Chen Zhe like a younger brother. All the worry he hadn’t felt in the first half of his life had now been spent on him.
How can you possibly make a fortune by fighting? Other than getting compensation for injuries, he really couldn’t think of anything else. He looked Chen Zemian over but saw no signs of injury. The guy looked full of life — it clearly wasn’t anything serious.
“Aren’t you working at the shooting range these days?”
Xiao Kesong asked Chen Zemian first, but without waiting for an answer, he turned to Lu Zhuonian, tone not accusatory, but a little displeased. “How could he get beaten up right under your nose?”
Chen Zemian was about to explain, but before he could open his mouth, Lu Zhuonian replied first.
He didn’t refute or defend himself. He simply responded in a mild tone: “I didn’t see it at the time. I’ll keep a closer eye next time.”
Chen Zemian “…”
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow subtly. This time, he didn’t look at Lu Zhuonian but observed Chen Zemian’s reaction instead.
Chen Zemian tilted his head, looking innocent.
“…”
Ye Chen let out a soft “tsk,” retracted his gaze slowly, and glanced at Lu Zhuonian with a faint smile.
Lu Zhuonian responded calmly, “Is there a problem?”
“No problem,” Xiao Kesong replied, unaware of the undercurrents flowing beneath the surface. He was still focused on Lu Zhuonian’s promise to keep a closer eye on Chen Zhe. “You should take better care of him. Chen Zhe has a gentle personality and is easily bullied.”
Chen Zemian protested, “I’m not — ”
Xiao Kesong cut him off mid-sentence. “You’re fine. I wasn’t talking about you. What’s with you? You used to be good at reading people’s expressions, but now you act like some brute. You’re getting worse. Wouldn’t you at least hide if someone came to pick a fight?”
Chen Zemian had no temper when it came to Xiao Kesong and listened obediently with his head down. “Oh.”
Xiao Kesong grew angrier the more he spoke, especially when he thought about how Xu Shaoyang knew he was protecting Chen Zhe yet still dared to repeatedly cause trouble for him. It was as if he didn’t take Xiao Kesong seriously at all. Furious, he added, “Don’t feel wronged. Next time I see Xu Shaoyang, I’ll beat him up for you.”
Chen Zemian replied, “Forget it.”
Xu Shaoyang had already broken three ribs and hadn’t even been discharged from the hospital yet. If Xiao Kesong beat him up again, that’d just be too pitiful.
Chen Zemian’s remaining conscience got the better of him, and he advised again, “Don’t go looking for him, Mr. Xiao. I already accepted compensation from his family and signed a settlement agreement.”
Xiao Kesong was indignant. “He should’ve been arrested and thrown in jail for a few days. Why the hell did you settle?”
Chen Zemian touched his nose guiltily and said vaguely, “If it were you, you’d forgive him too.”
Lu Zhuonian couldn’t help laughing and coughed lightly to hide his smile.
Ye Chen had sensed something was off ever since the topic came up. Now that he knew the full story, he couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Chen Zemian say, “If it were you, you’d forgive him too.”
Xiao Kesong really had the temper of a pampered rich young master. When he got angry, he didn’t care about consequences — he’d even slap a passing dog. So when he heard Ye Chen’s soft chuckle, he shot him a glare and said, “Ye Chen, you’re so cold-blooded. Chen Zhe is suffering, and you can still laugh?”
Ye Chen “…”
Chen Zemian had no idea how things had escalated to this point. He’d meant to explain from the very beginning that Xiao Kesong had misunderstood, but somehow he kept dragging it out and now didn’t know how to clarify.
It had all gone off track the moment Lu Zhuonian made that inexplicable remark.
Xiao Kesong is definitely going to kill me once he finds out the truth.
Definitely.
Chen Zemian lifted his head discreetly and glared at Lu Zhuonian in secret.
But Lu Zhuonian caught him in the act.
Chen Zemian hadn’t expected him to be watching. His heart skipped a beat. Then he reminded himself this was a law-abiding society. He silently recited the core socialist values to give himself courage and continued to glare at Lu Zhuonian with all the boldness he could muster.
Lu Zhuonian looked back indifferently. His expression was perfectly serious, but Chen Zemian could tell at a glance — he was doing it on purpose.
This Lu Zhuonian really calculated every step.
He’d deliberately allowed Xiao Kesong to misunderstand — not just to prove Chen Zemian’s innocence in front of him, but to plant a ticking trust bomb between the two of them. And Lu Zhuonian held the fuse.
Chen Zemian had said one word too slowly and unknowingly walked right into the trap, giving Lu Zhuonian a powerful piece of leverage for free.
What a scheming villain.
Too! Damn! Evil! It’s done!
Chen Zemian narrowed his eyes.
Lu Zhuonian raised his glass and took a sip as if nothing had happened.
Chen Zemian wanted to keep glaring, but Xiao Kesong suddenly patted him.
Xiao Kesong looked at Chen Zemian, then at Lu Zhuonian. “What are you two doing, flirting with each other?”
Ye Chen rubbed his temples. “The guests are all here, Kesong. Why don’t you go out?”
Xiao Kesong had finally escaped to the lounge for a breather and didn’t want to go back to socializing. “My parents are outside, and most people didn’t even come for me.”
“Let’s go take a look,” Ye Chen said, standing up and finishing the red wine in his glass. “I’ll go with you.”
Knowing he couldn’t hide any longer, Xiao Kesong sighed and stood up. “Don’t leave afterward. I booked a spot on the top floor of Fanlou. We’ll continue the party there once this is over.”
Fanlou was a notorious symbol of wealth in Beijing — a high-end business club that offered fine dining, live music, hot springs, chess and cards, board games, billiards, bars, and other luxury entertainment. The costs were astronomical. The top three floors required membership, with annual fees reaching seven figures. Only the elite walked through its doors.
“No one else has been invited — just the four of us,” Xiao Kesong said. “You’re all playing with me. It’s my birthday, so I get the final say.”
When the other three agreed, Xiao Kesong cheered up a little and straightened his collar in front of the mirror.
The mirror, mounted by the door, happened to reflect the back of Chen Zemian’s head.
Xiao Kesong glanced over and noticed his hair had changed color.
He turned around and asked, “Why is your hair black now? It actually looks pretty good.”
Chen Zemian was speechless. “I’ve been dyeing it this way for almost a month. Bro, do you even look at me?”
“You’re not a beauty. Why should I look at you?” Xiao Kesong walked over and studied the hair closely, picking up a strand and twisting it. “Your hair grows so fast. Is this black tea dye? It looks great. I’m going to try it one day.”
Lu Zhuonian, listening to their conversation, paused for a few seconds where they touched — not clear whether he was looking at Xiao Kesong’s hand or at Chen Zemian’s hair.
Chen Zemian didn’t notice. He leaned back in the chair, relaxing his spine, and looked up at Xiao Kesong. “It depends on the face. I’d look good even with mint green hair. Tony said so.”
Xiao Kesong laughed and scolded him. “Get out of here. Your brother’s face is handsome as hell too. There’s no hair color I can’t pull off.”
Chen Zemian started to dig a trap. “Then can you pull off mint green?”
Xiao Kesong almost fell for it. “What does mint green even look like?”
Chen Zemian immediately pulled out his phone to search. Xiao Kesong half-squatted and leaned over to see, his chin nearly resting on Chen Zemian’s shoulder.
Lu Zhuonian put down his wine glass. The bottom of the crystal glass tapped the marble tabletop with a crisp clink, neither too soft nor too loud.
Chen Zemian was still giggling, encouraging Xiao Kesong to try the color, and didn’t notice anything.
But Xiao Kesong did. He looked up at Lu Zhuonian in surprise. After all, Lu Zhuonian was always meticulous with his manners. The idea that he’d accidentally knock something over was nearly unthinkable.
Ye Chen called out from the doorway, “Can you leave already?”
Xiao Kesong, too eager to dwell on it, casually ruffled Chen Zemian’s hair before heading out. “You’d look even better if you dyed it pink.”
Ye Chen didn’t say anything until they stepped out of the lounge. Then he sighed softly.
Xiao Kesong asked, “It’s my birthday. Why are you sighing?”
Ye Chen’s expression didn’t change much. “I don’t want to ruin your birthday, but you’re really too dumb.”
Xiao Kesong snorted and laughed, his tone both scornful and oddly confident. “You just want to say Chen Zhe was tricking me into dyeing my hair green. I figured that out a while ago. That’s why I tricked him into dyeing it pink instead. Genius, right?”
Ye Chen looked at him for two seconds. “You’re hopeless.”
*****
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Author: LazyHermitGal
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