The two suites on the top floor of the Platinum Hotel were separated by a wall; one side was brightly lit, the other dimly lit and desolate.
Duan Yiheng couldn't stay in his room any longer, so he grabbed a cigarette and a lighter and left. Meanwhile, Lin Xi and Duan Mingxuan entered their room. Since Lin Xi had agreed to attend Duan Mingxuan's birthday party, she naturally wore the dress he had prepared—a white, strapless, simple style.
As soon as she entered, she attracted everyone's attention. Lin Xi was from the south; petite and with a gentle, sweet temperament, she easily evoked a man's protective instincts. When she wasn't smiling, her slightly aloof demeanor was like that of a pure, untouched jasmine.
Looking at the romantic decorations inside, Lin Xi paused. Duan Mingxuan noticed she hadn't followed and turned to walk over, his hand about to touch her, but Lin Xi subtly avoided it. Liang Yutong entered at that moment, easing Duan Mingxuan's slight embarrassment.
Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Liang Yutong. She recognized the men and women Duan Mingxuan had invited, but wasn't familiar with them. "You three, come in quickly! What are you standing in the doorway for?" Yu Lang called out.
Lin Xi saw the internet celebrity Xiao Qi beside him and was surprised that Yu Lang had taken a little longer to get a girlfriend this time. Lin Xi had just sat down when someone gently touched her arm. She turned her head, and Liang Yutong whispered to her, "This place is decorated like a dream, did Duan Mingxuan do it?"
Lin Xi nodded. "Why do you seem so distracted?" Liang Yutong frowned. "Today is your birthday, why aren't you with Duan Yiheng?" Lin Xi's eyes reddened for a moment upon hearing this, but Liang Yutong quickly pressed her hand down, stopping her questioning.
She knew Lin Xi too well. This demeanor definitely meant something was wrong. But Duan Mingxuan was still there, so she couldn't ask. "Come on, Lin Xi, happy birthday."
Yu Lang raised his glass. "Mingxuan prepared for today for a long time, and my girlfriend and I also helped with the decorations. We hope you like it." Lin Xi picked up her champagne and thanked him. Yu Lang chuckled, his eyes darting suggestively between her and Duan Mingxuan:
"I didn't do anything, it was all Mingxuan's doing." Liang Yutong sensed something was off and took out her phone to text Yu Lang: What are you two doing? Yu Lang smiled at her and replied: Mingxuan is going to confess, doesn't Lin Xi like him? Liang Yutong:
...Like my ass! Just as she was about to remind Lin Xi, someone started teasing—"Second Young Master really went to great lengths today, from flowers to lighting, from drinks to desserts...he checked every detail over and over again. Only childhood sweethearts get this kind of treatment."
"Second Young Master has always been good to Lin Xi, since childhood, you guys didn't know that, did you?" "Yeah, we went to the same school when we were kids. If anyone dared to look at Lin Xi for too long, he'd rush up at them, he was completely unreasonable."
"Yeah, speaking of which, I'm a little curious, how did you two break up in middle school?" Yu Lang clicked his tongue, hitting a nerve. My daughter, Lin Xi, is growing up. When she was fifteen or sixteen, she was frequently harassed, and Duan Mingxuan repeatedly fought for her.
Chen Baiwei transferred Lin Xi to another school in her third year of junior high. That's how Lin Xi met Chen Liangyi. Seeing Duan Mingxuan's displeasure, Yu Lang quickly said, "Didn't you have something to say to Lin Xi? Hurry up."
Lin Xi subconsciously looked at Duan Mingxuan. What did he want to say to her? The others echoed, and for a moment, the room was filled with ambiguous teasing. Duan Mingxuan stood up, his eyes showing a hint of expectation and joy as he looked at her.
Combined with the injuries on his face, Lin Xi only found it comical. Yu Lang had instructed beforehand that no one should ask about Duan Mingxuan's injuries, but since Duan Mingxuan had only ever fought for Lin Xi since childhood, they were used to it. Lin Xi sensed the subtle atmosphere and felt uneasy.
"Lin Xi, I—" "Sorry." Lin Xi stood up as Duan Mingxuan spoke, forcing a smile. "I suddenly feel a little unwell, I'll go out for a bit." Everyone was stunned, and the jeers stopped abruptly. Duan Mingxuan reached out to pull her: "Xiao Xi."
But it was too late. Lin Xi hadn't even grabbed her handbag and pushed open the door. Everyone exchanged glances, and Duan Mingxuan's face darkened. Liang Yutong wasn't surprised and turned to look at Duan Mingxuan: "Are you going to confess to Lin Xi?" Duan Mingxuan pursed his lips, tacitly agreeing.
"You're not even sure if she likes you, yet you're confessing?" Liang Yutong found it ridiculous. "And in front of so many people, are you confessing or just morally blackmailing her?" He even let his friends tease him about how good he had been to Lin Xi.
Liang Yutong was speechless. Duan Mingxuan stood there, his mind filled with the scene from yesterday at the entrance of the North District No. 1 Manor. Snow was falling heavily, and Duan Yiheng had forcibly kissed Lin Xi. What exactly was their relationship now? Why did Lin Xi spend three days alone with him at the manor?
He had been deliberately ignoring Duan Yiheng's words, "I'll let you in to see us whispering sweet nothings, sharing a bed," yet they were the clearest in his mind, something he didn't want to think about. "Aren't you going out to check?" Yu Lang asked Duan Mingxuan. Liang Yutong rolled her eyes at him:
"Sit down." Duan Mingxuan gritted his teeth, picked up a glass of champagne, downed it in one gulp, and then crushed the glass with his bare hands. Yu Lang was impressed. He called the butler to bring him medicine and then got up to shoo everyone else out: "Alright, alright, go back."
A perfectly good birthday party ended prematurely because of Lin Xi, leaving only Duan Mingxuan, Yu Lang, and Liang Yutong. Lin Xi hid at the emergency exit at the end of the corridor, and regretted it as soon as she entered.
A cold wind carrying the familiar smell of tobacco hit her face. Catching her breath, she hadn't expected to run into Duan Yiheng here. The temperature here was slightly lower, the lighting slightly dimmer.
Lin Xi looked up at him, noticing his tie was slightly loose, his smoking more aggressive than usual, and his usually meticulously styled hair was somewhat disheveled. The look in his eyes held a nonchalant danger, sending alarm bells ringing in Lin Xi's ears.
"You…" Lin Xi thought the person in front of her was a hallucination, "How did you get here?" The cigarette smoke, a crimson tinge, was extinguished in Duan Yiheng's palm. "You're crazy!" Lin Xi lunged at him, prying his hands away.
Sparks licked her skin, leaving burning, cracked wounds. Lin Xi's heart clenched, and she grabbed him, trying to run away: "Rinse it with cold water first." Duan Yiheng pulled her back, pinning her against the wall.
He couldn't feel the pain in his palms, because his heart had been utterly broken by the seemingly harmless woman before him. She broke up with him one minute, and the next she was in a hotel with Duan Mingxuan. She even deliberately chose her birthday. She was utterly heartless! "Go treat your wound first."
Lin Xi struggled to push him away, her eyes and nose reddening. "I'm begging you." Duan Yiheng laughed self-deprecatingly, a suppressed tremor in his throat: "Do you care?" "Doesn't it hurt?"
A wave of overwhelming pain washed over Lin Xi, and she shouted, pressing her hands against his chest.