When President Liang heard Lu Feifei's complaints, and with everyone's attention already focused on him, he naturally remembered that he had been unreasonable first and prepared to leave this shameful woman behind.

Bai Xiujin spoke in a cold voice, "I don't think President Liang can leave yet. You were a bit offensive just now."

Mr. Liang, who thought that the young master of the Bai family would not embarrass himself in front of his mother's birthday banquet, quickly bowed to Qiao Yiming after hearing his words and left the banquet hall in a hurry.

After all, it was Bai Xiujin's mother's birthday banquet, so he didn't want to make things too ugly and just let it go.

Lu Feifei was surprised that the man had abandoned her and run away. She glared fiercely at Qiao Yiming. Because of the height difference, I could only look up at him slightly.

Qiao Yiming waved his hand innocently, "It's no use blaming me. Come to think of it, it was President Liang who poured it on your head! Oh dear, what should we do? You still have to go on stage."

She deliberately lowered her voice, her delicate tone mimicking the scene of her snuggling against President Liang earlier, aiming to infuriate people to no end.

Lu Feifei couldn't stand this and angrily raised her hand to slap her, but Bai Xiujin took a step forward and tightly gripped her wrist.

Qiao Yiming had already seen the flash of the lights inside the room and closed his eyes slightly.

Because she was restrained and unable to move, Qiao Yiming whispered in her ear, "Why are you so impatient? Feifei, it seems you've only learned part of it. The second half is, a woman living in the spotlight must always maintain perfection. Do you understand?"

He gestured for Lü Feifei to look to her right, her face displaying a stark contrast between an impeccable smile and an angry, ruthless expression.

She turned around and said, "Let go." Without waiting for Bai Xiujin, she left the spot where everyone was watching in a high-profile manner.

The edges of the suit jacket she wore were lifted by her brisk steps, like the exquisite armor of an invincible general.

Anna is well-liked in the industry, and she received a call from the media who were filming on site shortly afterward, which gave her some advance warning.

So Qiao Yiming wasn't surprised when he saw Anna's name appear on his phone.

Despite being mentally prepared, I was still scolded by Anna's excited voice, "Qiao Yiming! What is your status? What is President Liang's status? And that Lü Feifei is a million miles away from you. Do you have to settle scores now?! Take responsibility for your own mistakes. Lü Feifei was supposed to sing at the birthday banquet, but now she can't perform. You have to fill this hole yourself."

Anticipating her intention to whine and act coquettishly, Anna remained stern and unyielding. "The press release is ready, Princess. If you don't want to see a low-class trending topic like 'Empress Qiao vs. Lü Feifei' tonight, stay on set and don't give others anything to gossip about."

"Hmm... I understand." Knowing that there was no hope of refusing, Qiao Yiming had no choice but to agree.

She glared at Bai Xiujin, who was following behind her, feeling utterly aggrieved! Never mind! It's all his fault!

The person who planned the process was already extremely anxious because of this conflict, but unexpectedly, such a high-profile person was brought in, which can be considered a blessing in disguise.

Qiao Yiming had exceptional stage presence, but he refused to sing the song he had originally prepared.

They temporarily replaced the tune with a traditional Chinese style, but the people accompanying the performance had never practiced it before.

The planner is about to come up with another idea: should they have Qiao Yiming go up and sing a song? Although she herself seems to really think that's what she's planning.

Qiao Yiming is naturally sociable and has an outgoing personality. After jokingly giving his blessings on stage, he prepared to start singing a cappella.

But then the piano accompaniment suddenly began, and the traditional Chinese melody was softened by the piano into a somewhat melodious tune. Unlike plucked string instruments, which have such obvious breaks and transitions, it was actually quite harmonious.

She saw the man sitting at the piano, and was momentarily stunned, but still managed to catch up with the beginning of his beautiful singing.

The huge banquet hall fell silent as everyone listened to the gentle piano music and melodious singing, letting the original melody soothe their ears.

Bai's parents were also very surprised, as it seemed like they hadn't heard their son play the piano in a long time.

As the last note faded, the audience seemed still immersed in the moment. Someone started clapping, and then a round of applause broke out.

Qiao Yiming breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully he hadn't messed things up. As he stepped off the stage, he made eye contact with Bai Xiujin, who was getting up from the piano bench.

But he didn't stop and quickly walked out.

Standing outside on the terrace, Qiao Yiming unconsciously reached up and touched his waist, realizing that his dress didn't have pockets today.

In the banquet hall, many people joked with Bai's parents, "I think Xiu Jin is a good match for the Qiao family's youngest daughter."

"Hey, weren't they together before? Judging from their chemistry today, I thought they were rekindling their romance."

Bai's parents exchanged a glance, but did not reject everyone's blessings and jokes in front of them. They smiled and replied, "It's up to the young people to decide their own affairs."

It was still a bit chilly outside. After enjoying the cold wind for a while, Qiao Yiming decided to tell Qiao Yiyang that he had to go back first.

He was covered with that familiar coat again, and smelled that familiar men's scent. Qiao Yiming knew it was Bai Xiujin without even turning around.

Finally, she got a little annoyed. "Bai Xiujin, what exactly are you trying to do? Aren't you just trying to tell the whole world what kind of relationship we have?"

Qiao Yiming was always generous and cheerful, and Bai Xiujin could almost always see her with a smile on her face. This was the first time he had ever seen her angry.

Leaning against the stone railing beside her, he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't think that much about it, it just happened unconsciously."

...

"You... um, we broke up four years ago, Bai Xiujin. I remember you said back then that you had someone you liked, so don't tell me that after breaking up with me for so long, you just slept with someone in S country and fell in love with me, right?"

Whether it was his sudden apology or the pent-up frustration he'd had all day, Qiao Yiming felt a bit irritated.

The silence beside him made Qiao Yiming glance at him sideways, only to find that his gaze wasn't fixed on him, and his pensive expression suggested he was lost in thought.

Did I say something a bit too harsh? After all, he did help me out tonight, otherwise, even if Lu Feifei's slap hadn't landed on me, it would have caused quite a stir.

Thinking of this, she raised her hand and patted his shirt, which had become a little stiff from the wind, as if to comfort him. "Um, what I mean is, what happened that night was consensual. If you think of it as a romantic encounter, maybe... um..."

When Bai Xiujin heard the words "mutual consent" again, he couldn't hold back any longer. What else could that mouth possibly say?

His lips, chilled by the night wind, silenced her words. He didn't want to hear her say things like "it's all in the past," "forget it," or "we broke up," as if she were trying to distance herself from him.

He just couldn't understand how the little girl who clung to him four years ago, calling him Brother Bai and blushing as she called him Xiu Jin, had become someone who avoided him like the plague, and could even portray him as the protagonist of a one-night stand.