It's not far from where we're going to eat.

It's less than a ten-minute walk there.

Once at the karaoke bar, Liu Xinze approached He Wenlin and asked with a smile, "Beautiful lady, what song do you want to sing? How about 'Can't Help Falling in Love'?"

“I know Jay Chou’s songs, I’ll sing ‘Seven Mile Fragrance’.” He Wenlin got up to select a song.

"What a coincidence, I also like his songs." Liu Xinze immediately selected several Jay Chou songs.

Then he picked up another microphone and handed it to He Wenlin.

After a ten-second intro, Liu Xinze also took the microphone and sang along with He Wenlin: "Outside the window..."

There were seven or eight people who came to play, and they were all karaoke enthusiasts. After they finished singing their song, they handed the microphone to others.

Liu Xinze sat down next to He Wenlin and poured her a drink.

That night, Liu Xinze clung to He Wenlin, asking her to sing, pouring her drinks, and serving her fruit and snacks. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was extremely attentive.

What does this mean? He Wenlin knows very well.

However, He Wenlin maintained a polite and distant demeanor throughout.

Later, He Shan played rock-paper-scissors and dice with them, getting quite drunk.

The others also had flushed faces from drinking.

Only He Wenlin did not drink a drop of alcohol.

"Mr. He, everyone else has drunk, but you're the only one who hasn't. Aren't you being disrespectful?"

"Exactly, if you're drunk, just find a hotel nearby, what's the big deal?"

"Come on, let's drink together."

"I can't drink, you guys drink. I like to sing, I'll sing."

He Wenlin got up to select songs, including songs by S.H.E., Jolin Tsai, and Zheng Yuan, selecting more than a dozen in one go.

"We'll sing later, for now..."

Liu Xinze pulled the man aside: "Wei-ge, let her sing, we'll do our own thing."

"You little rascal, you've been sticking to her all night, are you trying to woo her?"

Liu Xinze smiled and did not refute.

It was 12:30 a.m., and they still showed no signs of leaving.

He Wenlin wanted to go back, but she was a little worried about He Shan being alone.

She came today mainly to keep He Shan company.

It was past 1 a.m. when the event finally ended.

As they left the karaoke bar, Liu Xinze asked He Wenlin, "Linlin, where are you staying? It's so late, it's not very safe. How about I find you a hotel nearby and book it for you to stay there tonight, and go back tomorrow?"

"No need, thank you. I'm driving, there's less traffic at night, it won't take long to get home. Shanshan, what about you, are you going home?"

"Why go back? Wenbin is in so much pain. Shanshan, aren't you going to stay and take care of him?" Luo Wenbin agreed with Yang Wei and said meaningfully.

He Wenlin understood the girl instantly and could tell what he meant, but He Shan couldn't.

He Shan said in a serious tone, "We'll take him to the hotel first, and the two of you can stay in one room so you can look after each other."

“He’s a stinky man, I don’t want to share a room with him. If you’re worried, you can…”

The rest of the words didn't need to be explicitly stated; He Shan understood immediately and blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Luo Wenbin's friends chimed in, saying, "Don't worry about him. He has a girlfriend, so why should we bother with him?"

"That's right, let's ignore him."

"Let's go, let's ignore him."

Luo Wenbin put his hand on He Shan's shoulder, put his arm around her, and whispered something in her ear.

The two were whispering sweet nothings to each other.

He Wenlin could roughly guess what they were talking about; they were definitely trying to coax He Shan into going to the hotel with him.

Seven or eight minutes later, Luo Wenbin finally put his arm around her and walked over to He Wenlin.

"Go back and get some rest. I won't see you off. Be careful on your way back, see you tomorrow."

He Shan smiled, her eyes crinkling: "See you tomorrow."

As soon as He Wenlin drove away, Yang Wei patted Luo Wenbin on the shoulder and teased, "Brother, you're no good. It's the middle of the night, and you can't even keep your girlfriend."

"Are you going back or what? Should we find you a hotel nearby?" Luo Wenbin asked.

"No need, let's take a taxi back."

Liu Xinze: "Brother, I'll go with you."

"Alright, be careful on your way back." Luo Wenbin said, then got into the driver's seat.

He was still drunk when He Shan was there, but he's wide awake now.

Liu Xinze immediately got into the passenger seat.

In the car, Liu Xinze asked Luo Wenbin, "Is He Wenlin really that amazing?"

"She lives in the Biyuntang Villa, so do you think she's rich or not?"

Upon hearing about living in a villa, Liu Xinze felt an overwhelming surge of excitement.

Luo Wenbin added, "But this girl is shrewd. She started doing business in her teens and even got into Donghua University. She's incredibly clever. I doubt most people could handle her."

“Even strong women need the nourishment of love,” Liu Xinze said excitedly. “She’s busy with business and studies, so she’s probably never been in a relationship. If I make a move, I’ll definitely win her over easily.”

~

The next day, He Wenlin received a call from an unknown number when she got out of school at noon.

At this time, there were fewer telecom fraud cases, and private mobile phones also started to become more common around this time.

He Wenlin probably knew the person, so she accepted the call.

"Hello, who are you?"

"Mr. He, you really have a bad memory. We just met last night, and you don't even remember me today. I'm so heartbroken."

"Excuse me, may I ask who you are...?"

"Looks like I'll have to call you more often, so you won't forget my voice."

He Wenlin had already figured it out by now.

"Mr. Liu, is there something you need?"

"Don't call me Mr. Liu, that's too formal. Your childhood friend is me and my girlfriend, so we're practically family now. Call me Xinze, Aze, or Brother Aze, just don't call me Mr. Liu. If you want to call me Mr., don't add my surname, just add 'my family'."

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