I was up so late last night before I got home to sleep, so this time I didn't wake up early at all. I slept straight through until I woke up hungry around 11 a.m.

I cooked myself a nice meal, and after eating, I scrolled through my WeChat Moments for a while as usual.

A nine-grid post, Cheng Qicai could guess from the style that it was posted by Gu Liji without even seeing the name, and the content was about Gu Rongqi's birthday party today.

She noticed that the background wasn't the villa she'd visited last time; it looked even more opulent and didn't seem like a hotel. She guessed it was probably some kind of old house or mansion.

In the photo, Gu Rongqi is dressed in a sharp suit, his signature smiling face as he cuts a luxurious cake as tall as a person, surrounded by a crowd.

Looking at Gu Rongqi's smile in the photo, Cheng Qicai inexplicably felt that he wasn't particularly happy about his birthday, at least not with the radiant joy he had shown last night.

That smile comes to mind every time she thinks of it; she remembers it vividly.

Cheng Qicai liked Gu Liji's post and commented: "[The cake looks delicious! I want some!]"

Speaking of cake, she suddenly remembered her gift, the greeting card with stacks of blessings still inside.

Sigh! She originally planned to rewrite a proper one today, put it in, and then send it to Gu Rongqi's house via Flash Delivery, but she didn't expect it to be sent out right at midnight.

I was in such a rush that I forgot to take out the greeting card.

Never mind, she's already covered up all those exaggerated blessings, so they shouldn't be visible anymore.

...

Gu Liji felt a headache coming on whenever he heard those bosses coming to inquire about his brother's marriage.

Fortunately, he was a spoiled brat and not as outstanding as his brother, otherwise he would be annoyed to death by them introducing him to this daughter and that niece every day.

Listening to them praise how outstanding their daughter was, especially since he knew some of them who were similar to him, and hearing her parents describe her as someone rare in heaven, he wanted to laugh.

He secretly pursed his lips and opened his phone to take a look.

Upon seeing the pop-up comment, he took a closer look and was surprised to find it was from Cheng Qicai.

The thought of her complaining to his brother and getting scolded made him furious. He smirked and typed in response: [Want some?]

Below, an emoji that reads "Impossible, don't even think about it" was added.

Cheng Qicai scratched her head on the other end of the phone, wondering if she had offended him.

Thinking back to what happened yesterday, she felt that her good intentions had been wasted.

He should have been groped by that pervert yesterday!

After replying, Gu Liji put his phone back in his pocket. He had no interest in this unusual business gathering and looked around the hall.

He saw Lu Qi and Yun Suni not far away, whispering to each other, looking like an inseparable couple. His eyes stung, and his heart couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

He subconsciously stood up and took two steps toward them, but then, remembering his current miserable state, he stopped and sat back down dejectedly.

A boss who seemed to know him somewhat noticed him sitting with Lu Qi and started chatting with him, "Hey! Did you hear? Lu Qi is going to propose to that office worker next to him. That girl is so lucky..."

"What? A marriage proposal?" Gu Liji was struck dumb. "Who told you that?"

“My brother’s friend is Lu Qi’s friend. I heard that Lu Qi was asking those who were married at a gathering how they proposed.” Gu Liji was dizzy from this complicated relationship, but he still asked for the key information, “Who is that mutual friend?”

The person next to him thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be called Kong Wen."

Gu Liji knew this name; it was indeed Lu Qi's good friend. So it seemed that the news was probably true.

His mind went blank, and he wondered if it was really time for him to give up.

He picked up the lemonade from his desk and saw the ripples in the glass, realizing his hands were trembling.

She took a small sip, forcefully suppressing the sadness in her heart.

He took out his phone and, to divert his attention, started harassing Cheng Qicai again.

Did you know? Lu Qi has proposed...

Upon seeing this news, Cheng Qicai's eyes widened and she jumped up from the sofa.

A marriage proposal? Is he proposing?

Cheng Qicai bit her fingertip and paced back and forth in the living room, deep in thought. It seemed that the proposal in the book hadn't gone so smoothly.

Yes...it's when the female lead overheard the male lead's mother saying that she and the male lead weren't a good match, and then the female lead actually thought her parents were right, and then...

Is the breakup plot about to begin?

Cheng Qicai anxiously stared at the numbers in the input box: [Who told you this? Is this gossip authentic?]

Seeing that Gu Liji hadn't replied, her curiosity was piqued again, and she sent a message more than ten minutes later to ask.

That damn Gu Liji! He ran off after only saying half the story, leaving her, the little devil who hadn't even started eating, to miss out on the juicy gossip.

Gu Liji had just sent this gossip to Cheng Qicai when his father patted him on the shoulder, "Liji, there are fewer people now. It's still your brother's birthday, go and offer him a toast. Don't just sit there playing on your phone."

Upon hearing his father's words, Gu Liji put away his phone, picked up a glass of wine from the waiter's tray, and followed his parents to Gu Rongqi.

"Happy birthday, Rongqi!"

Happy birthday, brother!

"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt, and Liji." Gu Rongqi thanked them politely, and the three of them clinked glasses together.

Gu Qiran asked jokingly, "I just saw a lot of CEOs bringing their daughters to you to introduce them. Did you find one you like?"

Gu Rongqi shook his head and said with a smile, "This can't be rushed."

"That's true, but we can take it slow and see. There are a few pretty good girls among them..."

Gu Rongqi interrupted, saying with a hint of emphasis, "Uncle, I'm not in a hurry."

Seeing that Gu Rongqi didn't want to talk about this topic, Gu Qiran didn't want to make a fool of himself, so he made an excuse: "I'm going to talk to your parents for a while, and I won't get involved in your young people's affairs."

"Where..." Gu Rongqi denied, clinking glasses with Gu Qiran in farewell.

A slight vibration came from Gu Liji's pocket. Seeing that his parents had left, he took out his phone and replied to Cheng Qicai's message: [It's true, it's true, my friend said so].

[So, Brother Gu, have you given up?]

Seeing the heartbreaking question Cheng Qicai sent, he closed his eyes in anger. Did she think he wasn't miserable enough?

Although he was angry, he himself did not know the answer.

He was already on the verge of collapse, but now that Lu Qi has proposed, he will have completely lost.

Seeing Gu Liji's angry and frustrated expression, Gu Rongqi glanced at his phone and saw a familiar profile picture.

He took a sip of his champagne, lowered his eyes, and asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Cheng Qicai," Gu Liji replied casually, typing "Cheng Qicai" with six dots on the keyboard.

Gu Rongqi then asked, "What are you talking about?"

Seeing that Cheng Qicai hadn't replied to his message, he put away his phone and answered Gu Rongqi's question: "Nothing!"