Mo Liancheng and Qu Tan'er emerged just as the party was reaching its climax.
With numerous performances drawing to a close, Qu Ruhua played a final piece. However, compared to Mo Liancheng's impromptu performance, everyone felt it was a notch lower. (PS: Naturally, these people didn't know Mo Liancheng had cheated. That said, even without cheating, Mo Liancheng's skill at the guqin was still superior.)
Old Master Duan was cutting the birthday cake.
The first piece of cake...
Old Master Duan personally cut it and brought it over to Mo Liancheng, smiling as he said, "Young man, please. I'm very sorry for any neglect."
"You're too polite, Old Master," Mo Liancheng graciously accepted it. "Birthday cake? I've never actually had one before." He took a small bite and then nodded.
Taking a bite was the polite thing to do, after all.
Qu Tan'er also had a piece, and without reservation, she ate half of it.
Tonight, they had eaten too much. She felt quite full.
