Chapter 01

Late July, when the summer heat is unbearable.

A small party was being held at the Yan family manor. The poolside was brightly lit, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.

In the living room of the villa in the center, a guy with a perm sprayed out a mouthful of beer and stood up: "What?! Second brother, you're no longer single?"

Sitting opposite him, Yan Sui leaned back on the sofa. "Yeah, it took me half a year to finally get Chang Ke to agree to be with me."

He looked somewhat smug, but after speaking, he shyly touched the tip of his nose.

"You've been chasing us for half a year? You've kept it a secret really well, we haven't heard a thing in the past six months."

Liu Cong, sporting a perm, turned his head and first asked Xu Bin beside him, "Third brother, did you notice?"

Xu Bin shook his head and shrugged.

Liu Cong then looked at the black-haired boy sitting in the corner and asked, "Fourth Brother, you and Second Brother are the closest, you know that?"

Yu Li, whose name was called, snapped out of her daze and shook her head with a smile.

He only found out yesterday.

Upon seeing this, Liu Cong exchanged a glance with Xu Bin beside him, then charged towards Yan Sui with bared teeth and claws.

"You rascal, you've kept this from your brother for so long!"

Yan Sui laughed and dodged their hands: "Isn't it true that we're together and I'll announce it to you right away?"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Save your energy for the party."

In the corner of the sofa, Yu Li quietly watched the three of them playfully bickering.

Under the bright lights, however, the smile on his lips was somewhat bitter.

Yu Li has had a crush on Yan Sui for three years.

His roommate, Yan Sui, came from a very good family, was very handsome, and had a cheerful personality. Countless people in the school liked him.

But Yu Li liked Yan Sui not because of those external conditions, but because Yan Sui treated him very well and took good care of him.

In terms of studies, Yan Sui could always find the materials Yu Li needed immediately; in terms of life, Yan Sui would always subtly help him when he saw that Yu Li's family was in dire straits; when Yu Li was sick, Yan Sui would also notice immediately and accompany him to the hospital in the middle of the night to watch over him while he received an IV drip.

With such a wonderful banquet, it's impossible for Yu Li not to be tempted.

For the past three years, Yu Li has kept her feelings hidden.

Now that Yan Sui has a girlfriend, it seems that his subtle affection for her must come to an end.

Yu Li lowered her eyes and looked at the can of beer in front of her.

He had never drunk alcohol, but he knew that many people drown their sorrows in alcohol when they were troubled.

He now inexplicably wants to try it out and see if it's true.

Yu Li reached out and picked up the can of beer. Just as she opened it, she heard the sound of the villa door being opened.

The three people who were playing around stopped and looked towards the door at the same time.

A tall, imposing figure strode in, his leather shoes clicking on the marble tiles.

He was wearing a sharp black suit, and his hair, which had been styled with hair gel, had become a little loose after a day, with a strand hanging down from his forehead.

A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat atop his high, straight nose, but they couldn't hide his sharp, indifferent gaze.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes casually swept over the four people in the living room. When they passed over Yu Li, Yu Li's heart raced with nervousness, and her fingers tightened around the beer can.

Under that gaze, Yan Sui quickly stood up straight: "Brother!"

Liu Cong and Xu Bin quickly steadied themselves and greeted him, "Good evening, big brother."

Yu Li held a beer, glanced timidly at Yan Sui's brother, Yan Shiting, and then quickly lowered her eyes again.

His voice was soft, yet clear enough: "Brother Yan."

"Mm." Yan Shiting nodded.

He parted his thin lips slightly, his voice icy: "Hold a party?"

Yan Sui stepped forward, beaming: "Yes, it's my singles party."

He thought for a moment and explained, "Brother, we'll go play by the pool later. Don't worry, we won't disturb you."

Yan Shiting didn't speak. He just frowned and glanced at the beer on the table, his gaze finally settling on the can of beer that Yu Li had just opened.

"Drink less alcohol."

He uttered those words without any emotion and then walked upstairs.

Yan Sui smiled and said, "I know, brother."

Only after Yan Shiting's figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs did Yu Li's heart slowly settle back down.

Liu Cong and Xu Bin let out exaggerated long breaths, as if they were deflated balloons.

"Phew—Second brother, your eldest brother is terrifying."

“Every time I see him, I don’t dare to breathe.”

"Is this the aura of a domineering CEO?"

Yan Sui scratched the back of his head. "No, my older brother is a really nice guy."

Liu Cong teased, "Then when you saw him, your first reaction was still so strong."

"Conditioned reflex, conditioned reflex."

Yan Sui waved and said, "Let's go, let's go to the pool."

Today, Yan Sui is hosting a singles party, and the main venue is right by the pool.

However, after his three roommates arrived, he gathered them in the living room and officially announced that he was no longer single.

Liu Cong stepped forward and put his arm around Yan Sui's shoulder, saying excitedly, "Your sister-in-law is over by the pool, right? Tell us about her later."

"Of course."

Yan Sui turned to look at Yu Li: "Little Fish, hurry up and follow."

Yu Li's body stiffened. He put down the can of beer in his hand, got up, and followed the three of them.

*

By the pool, Yu Li sat at a bar, her gaze falling on Yan Sui, who was in the center of the crowd.

At this moment, Yan Sui and his girlfriend were holding hands, greeting each other's friends one by one.

Yu Li, who is currently Yan Sui's best friend, has already met his girlfriend.

Yan Sui's girlfriend is Xu Changke, the daughter of the Xu family. She is very beautiful and has a generous and gentle personality.

The moment Yu Li saw her, she thought that someone like her was a perfect match for Yan Sui.

Lost in thought, someone sat down next to Yu Li.

"Hey, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Are you Yan Sui's roommate?" the man said, resting his chin on his right hand with interest.

Yu Li snapped out of her daze and turned to look at the person who had come in.

The man raised an eyebrow, wore a black silk shirt, and had the top two buttons undone, revealing a necklace pendant; he had the air of a dashing playboy.

After glancing at it, Yu Li looked away and said, "Yes."

The man raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you attend a banquet at the Yan family's house before?"

Yu Li nodded and hummed in agreement.

He didn't pay much attention to people, but the man wasn't annoyed. "Then we probably met once at a banquet. I'm Yan Sui's childhood friend, Shen Rui."

"I just saw that Yan Sui was taking good care of you; you two seem to have a good relationship."

Yu Li replied, "It's alright."

Seeing his indifference, Shen Rui chuckled and said nothing more.

Yu Li then looked at Yan Sui.

Over there, Xu Changke suddenly covered her face shyly and leaned on Yan Sui's shoulder, apparently because of something her friend said.

Yan Sui was half-holding her, in a very tender way.

Yu Li understood that Yan Sui must really like this daughter of the Xu family.

He knew Yan Sui well and knew that Yan Sui had been pursuing Xu Changke for more than half a year, but why hadn't he revealed a single word about it?

—Because the Xu family's social standing is not as high as the Yan family's, Yan Sui is worried that if the process is too ostentatious and the result is not good, Xu Changke will definitely be gossiped about.

From the very beginning, he cherished Xu Changke.

Watching the loving couple, Yu Li finally looked away.

It's time for him to let go of his feelings.

"They are a perfect match, a match made in heaven," Shen Rui suddenly exclaimed beside him.

Yu Li looked at him.

Shen Rui withdrew his gaze from Yan Sui and smiled, "Yan Sui and Xu Changke, aren't they?"

Yu Li felt a bitter taste in his throat.

But he nodded nonetheless: "Yes."

Several bottles of alcohol were placed on one side of the bar, including beer, red wine, and champagne.

Yu Li suddenly remembered the bottle of beer she had just opened but hadn't drunk yet.

He still wanted to see if alcohol could drown his sorrows, so he reached for a bottle of beer.

Seeing this, Shen Rui grabbed his wrist. "Want to drink? What's so great about beer?"

Whether it was Yu Li's imagination or not, he seemed to feel the other person's fingers rubbing against his wrist twice.

Fortunately, Shen Rui quickly withdrew his hand and said very politely, "You don't seem to drink much. If you want to try it, it's best not to drink beer, it's very hard to drink."

He smiled and said, "There's someone mixing drinks over there. I'll go get you one."

"No……"

Shen Rui was unusually enthusiastic.

Yu Li simply couldn't handle such an enthusiastic person. Before she could even finish saying no, the man had already walked towards the group of bartenders.

A moment later, Shen Rui brought over a cocktail with a pink and white gradient.

"Try it, it's sweet."

That glass of wine looked really nice, with bubbles on the sides and pink ice cubes at the bottom.

On such a sweltering summer night, it's tempting to drink.

The wine had already been brought over, and since he was Yan Sui's childhood friend, Yu Li really didn't know how to find a reason to refuse.

For him, refusing others is a difficult thing, let alone refusing someone he "knows".

He had no choice but to take it and taste it; as Shen Rui had said, it was indeed sweet.

"Is it good?" Shen Rui asked.

He was so enthusiastic, Yu Li couldn't very well ignore him any longer, so she nodded and said, "Thank you."

Shen Rui opened a bottle of beer and a bottle of champagne, saying, "Try these two drinks again and compare them. Don't they taste better than cocktails?"

Yu Li took a sip of each drink.

As Shen Rui said, beer and champagne don't taste as good as well-mixed cocktails.

But Yu Li didn't know that mixing drinks like this would make it very easy to get drunk, especially since it was his first time drinking.

Before she knew it, Yu Li felt a little dizzy.

His face was flushed, and the person in front of him was already appearing double.

Shen Rui was still bringing him more wine, saying, "Try this one too..."

Yu Li couldn't bring herself to refuse, so she took another sip.

In a semi-conscious state, he felt as if someone was watching him from behind.

He turned his head and saw only a terrace on the third floor of a villa in the distance, apart from the playful crowd.

But the terrace was clearly empty.

Perhaps he drank too much and was hallucinating.

Yu Li looked away and saw that Shen Rui had brought him another blue cocktail.

Yu Li frowned and said, "I think I'm drunk, I can't drink anymore."

“Drunk people always say they’re not drunk. You say you’re drunk, so it seems you’re not drunk yet.” Shen Rui smiled and handed over the glass of wine: “Just one last sip, have a taste.”

Yu Li pursed her lips and didn't take it.

Seeing this, Shen Rui didn't press him further and turned to look at Yan Sui and Xu Changke.

"Although they are all second-generation rich kids, Yan Sui is different from us. We haven't seen any women around him all these years."

"The fact that they're throwing such a big official announcement party shows they really love Xu Changke."

Yu Li felt a sharp pain in her heart from his words.

He still felt sad, apparently because he hadn't drunk enough and couldn't let go.

Yu Li bit her lip, suddenly grabbed the glass of wine from Shen Rui's hand, and drank it all in one gulp.

Shen Rui watched in surprise. As Yu Li finished drinking and swayed unsteadily, he leaned closer and whispered:

"Looks like I was right, you're the same kind of person as me."

Yu Li's mind was in turmoil: "Who is it?"

"People who like men."

Shen Rui smiled and said, "I can tell you like Yan Sui, right?"

A seemingly casual remark struck like a thunderclap.

Yu Li's mind cleared up instantly. He pushed Shen Rui away and said coldly, "I didn't."

After saying that, Yu Li ran towards the villa.

Behind him, Shen Rui looked at the empty wine glass, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

He glanced at Yu Li's retreating figure, then slowly followed after her.

They seemed determined to win.

In the bathroom on the first floor of the villa, Yu Li leaned against the sink, feeling dizzy, and shook her head.

He turned on the tap and washed his face, but his dizzy head didn't clear up much.

I still feel a bit feverish. Is this a reaction to being drunk? It's really awful.

Yu Li bit her lip, trying to clear her mind, and out of the corner of her eye saw that Shen Rui had also come to the restroom.

Shen Rui leaned against the door frame, his eyes lewdly sweeping over Yu Li: "Little beauty, we were talking, why are you running away?"

Yu Li's limbs felt weak and her mind was foggy; she couldn't concentrate on answering him.

He swayed slightly, and seeing this, Shen Rui stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and whispered in his ear, "I know you're feeling really bad right now. Do you want to come with me? I'll help you feel better..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cold voice came from not far away: "What are you doing?"

Startled, Shen Rui hurriedly released Yu Li and turned around to see Yan Shiting standing two meters away in the corridor, looking at him with a gloomy expression.

"Yan, Mr. Yan."