The moment Duan Yibo saw Qin Yaoyao, he stopped in his tracks and gave Xiao Yanzhi a strange look.
"Damn it, who the hell is this?"
The Duan family dotes on Duan Yibo so much that he's impulsive by nature. He's always been blunt with his words. With a disappointed look on his face, he said, "Didn't we agree before that you'd bring Jiang Li here for my birthday?"
It was obvious that Duan Yibo was extremely unhappy about Xiao Yanzhi bringing Qin Yaoyao here.
As soon as he finished speaking, the private room fell silent. Qin Yaoyao, who had been shy just now, also stiffened. Biting her lips uneasily, she tugged at Xiao Yanzhi's sleeve.
Xiao Yanzhi looked nonchalant. He just gently patted Qin Yaoyao to soothe her and then said calmly to Duan Yibo, "Everyone here today for your birthday is a close friend. Why would I bring her?"
Duan Yibo wasn't polite either. "Isn't Jiang Li a close friend?"
Frowning, he angrily was about to call Jiang Li, saying that he wanted to invite her over.
Xiao Yanzhi's expression remained unchanged, but his eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
Qin Yaoyao was sitting very close to Xiao Yanzhi and could easily observe the change in his expression.
She could tell that Xiao Yanzhi didn't look happy when Jiang Li was mentioned.
She lowered her eyes and whispered, "A Yan, it seems that Young Master Duan doesn't really want to see me. You should have brought Sister Jiang Li. She's more suitable than me."
Xiao Yanzhi reached out and pushed the fruit plate filled with fresh strawberries in front of her. His long and slender fingers tapped the edge of the plate. "Who he wants to see has nothing to do with me."
"I brought you here. Just sit quietly and don't be afraid of anyone." His tone was lazy and casual. His eyes casually glanced in Duan Yibo's direction.
Only then did Qin Yaoyao look up and show a harmless smile. She picked up a strawberry and put it in her mouth.
The juice of the bitten strawberry slid into her mouth. It was sweet and fragrant.
As Qin Yaoyao ate, she couldn't help but secretly look at Xiao Yanzhi.
His cold and hard side profile was perfectly shaped. The noble air between his eyebrows was also captivating. Just one look at him made her heart flutter.
The look of disgust on Duan Yibo's face just now made her feel a little uncomfortable. But then she remembered Xiao Yanzhi's answer, and her mood improved a lot.
So what if Jiang Li was well - known, capable, and popular? Right now, the one Xiao Yanzhi liked was still her, Qin Yaoyao.
As long as she had Xiao Yanzhi, who else mattered?
Duan Yibo walked to a quiet corner. He opened Jiang Li's chat window on his phone and made a video call.
On this side, Jiang Li had just finished filming. She was hesitating whether to call Xiao Yanzhi to ask about the situation when Duan Yibo's video call popped up.
"Jiang Li, where are you?" Duan Yibo's unruly face suddenly appeared on the screen. He was wearing a colorful birthday hat that didn't fit properly. It was quite funny.
Jiang Li had just finished work. The tiredness in her eyes quickly disappeared. She showed a polite and proper smile to the camera. "Sorry, Young Master Duan. I had a scene to film today. Should I still make it in time if I rush over now?"
"Hurry up. Everyone's here. We're just waiting for you. You'll have to punish yourself with three drinks when you come."
Duan Yibo didn't care. He said carelessly, "I don't know what's going on today. Xiao Yanzhi brought some unknown woman here. She just sits there quietly. It's so boring."
Hearing this, Jiang Li unconsciously curled her fingers.
"Has Xiao Yanzhi already arrived?"
Duan Yibo didn't think much. He directly switched the video to the rear - camera mode and aimed it at Xiao Yanzhi and Qin Yaoyao sitting not far away.
The two were sitting very close. Just then, they could see Qin Yaoyao eating strawberries while looking up and smiling at Xiao Yanzhi.
The scene looked quite nice.
"Yeah, he's been here for a while. The two of them always huddle together and whisper. I don't know what they have to talk about."
Duan Yibo was straightforward and didn't think before he spoke. "If someone didn't know, they'd think these two were in a relationship."
The moment he said it, he realized something. He slapped his forehead hard. "Wait a minute, Jiang Li. Isn't A Yan dating you? Why did he bring another woman here?"
Now, even though Duan Yibo was slow - witted, he realized that something was wrong. Looking a bit embarrassed, he said, "That... he couldn't have cheated on you, could he?"
Saying "cheated" was actually a bit far - fetched. In their circle, it was common for men to have many female companions. It was just that Duan Yibo had a good relationship with Jiang Li, so he sided with her.
Before Jiang Li could answer, Xiao Yanzhi had already walked straight over. His face showed no emotion. "You're overthinking it. We've never been together."
After saying that, the video call was cut off.
Jiang Li looked at the cold and stern face of the man that flashed by on her phone and pursed her lips.
She probably wouldn't go to the birthday celebration tonight.
Although she wouldn't be there in person, the gift and her good wishes should still be sent.
She told Xiaoye to send the gift she had prepared in advance. She edited the blessing message on her phone several times and only sent it after making sure it was appropriate.
Duan Yibo didn't ask her again why she didn't come.
This was also within Jiang Li's expectation.
Duan Yibo was straightforward but not stupid. Xiao Yanzhi's attitude was so obvious. If she deliberately showed up at the gathering to spoil everyone's mood, it would be completely unnecessary.
She wasn't going to do that.
"Sister Jiang Li, why aren't you going to Young Master Duan's place?"
After Xiaoye made the arrangements, she curiously turned around from the front - passenger seat and asked, "Young Master Duan seems to like you quite a lot. If you don't go, he'll be unhappy, right?"
Jiang Li rubbed her temples and didn't answer.
She wanted to say that it was very likely that Young Master Duan liked her because of Xiao Yanzhi.
She believed that it wouldn't be long before Qin Yaoyao would also get along well with them.
...
In the private room, Duan Yibo was still a bit unhappy. But the Duan family didn't dare to provoke the Xiao family. So even if he was angry, he had to hold it in and couldn't lose his temper randomly.
Noticing Duan Yibo's bad mood, Xiao Yanzhi took a sip from his wine glass and said calmly, "So many people are here to celebrate your birthday, but you're wearing a sour face. Who are you dissatisfied with?"
Duan Yibo glanced at Qin Yaoyao, who had been keeping her head down. His voice was full of disdain. "A Yan still remembers that it's my birthday today. It was supposed to be a happy occasion."
"As a result, you brought a date who can't say a word. What's the point?"
Duan Yibo had been very patient, but the words he said were still full of gunpowder, as if he was about to start an argument.
All the people there were acquaintances. Seeing the situation, they quickly tried to smooth things over. "Come on, Young Master Duan. It's your birthday today. Don't be unhappy."
"Don't blame the little girl for being quiet. Well - behaved and innocent girls are usually shy. She'll talk more once she gets familiar with everyone."
"A Yan sees you as a brother. Isn't this just that he just got a new girlfriend and is eager to bring her here for you to take a look?"