Chapter 591

After Murong Qing explained things to Hongdou pouted angrily and questioned Si Ming, "Xiao Ming, did you lie to me?"

"I'm not lying to you. A birthday is just the host treating everyone to cake for free and celebrating getting another year older, right? It's basically like a buffet where you can eat cake for free just by saying 'Happy Birthday.' Even if you don't bring a gift, do you think the host will kick you out? Does she have no shame?"

Ke Chajing said, "No matter how you look at it, it's you who's even more shameless for not bringing a gift."

Si Ming ignored him and continued, "Ultimately, this is a psychological game. If you feel embarrassed to come empty-handed and bring a gift, you've essentially lost the game. As long as you're determined and never compromise, even if you suffer scorn from others, you'll be the winner. This is actually a test of your Martial Dao Will."

"Oh, I see." Hongdou exclaimed in sudden realization.

Murong Qing sighed and corrected, "That's not true at all. You only fool Hongdou because she's easy to fool. You can't fool anyone else with these words."

Chen Shimi laughed arrogantly, "As expected of my good friend and formidable rival, you are not afraid of worldly opinions and stick to your own will. What a strong mind you have. I can't afford to lose to you by too much."

Nie Wanzhi took out a small notebook and, while taking notes, exclaimed, "As expected of Si, she can even connect this to martial arts practice at a time like this. No wonder her martial arts skills are unfathomable."

Clearly, more than one person was fooled.

"Actually, the gift I bought was a pair, so I can give one to you, Hongdou."

Hao Shuai, with a fawning smile, squeezed forward and flattered Hongdou, saying, "Yesterday when I went to the shopping street to pick out a gift, I saw quite a few nice things. Plus, I have a bit of a problem with making decisions, so it took me a long time to finally choose this pair of jade yin-yang fish. Although the price isn't particularly expensive, it's guaranteed to be a high-quality item. Besides being decorative, it also has a hidden mechanism that, when pressed, will cause the yin and yang to switch. For Yuezheng, no matter how valuable the item is, she doesn't care about it. So, it's this kind of little trinket that will satisfy her more."

Hongdou tilted her head and thought for a while before asking, "You said you've seen a lot of nice things, why don't you buy them all?"

Hao Shuai never expected the other person to have such a surprising way of thinking, and awkwardly replied, "Because I didn't have enough money with me at the time, I was a little short on cash, so I could only buy one..."

Hongdou blinked and asked, "So it's not that you have trouble making decisions, it's because you don't have money."

"..."

The Hao Shuai ship was sunk.

Not long after, the group was driven to the Leyao Lineage's large villa. It was a large house by the sea with a private garden and a coastal area that was restricted to outsiders. The area was over 1,000 square meters, and there were servants and butlers to clean it. It looked very impressive.

However, only Hao Shuai showed shock. The others were either thick-skinned, had seen it before, or were emotionally reserved; they all acted as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. This made Hao Shuai stand out as the most unusual one, leading him to wonder if he was overreacting.

After getting out of the car, Hao Shuai looked around and found his classmate Nie Wanzhi staring blankly at the courtyard. Through their time together in club activities, he knew that this classmate was by no means the "fiercest and most vicious" person in the rumors. In some ways, she was actually quite easy to get along with. She would occasionally do some things that showed a lack of common sense, but if you looked at it from another angle, you would find her behavior quite cute.

So he approached and struck up a conversation. "It's really surprising, isn't it? The lives of the rich are unimaginable. If I could own a villa like that, my life would be perfect. I'd wake up laughing in my dreams. What more could I ask for? Everyone's such a fake. If you're surprised, just show it. No one will look down on you for it. The most important thing in life is to be honest with yourself. Why do you have to pretend you're rich too? Isn't that exhausting?"

"In the past, my family also had a resort this big, where the whole family would go together in the summer..."

Nie Wanzhi sighed, snapped out of her reverie, and said to Hao Shuai, "I'm sorry, I was distracted just now and didn't hear you clearly. What did you want to say to me?"

"There's nothing there! I was just talking to myself!"

Hao Shuai quickly distanced himself. He suddenly realized that the girls in this club didn't seem to be normal, or rather, the people in the club were all abnormal. As a college boy who was just an ordinary guy except for his unusual hair color, he felt immense pressure being stuck in the middle.

"Sure enough, I still prefer the kind of pretty, ordinary girl... If she's also gentle, good at housework, has a bigger bust, knows how to care for others, can cook, and doesn't waste money, then that kind of ordinary girl is pretty much perfect."

Led by the butler, the group walked into the house and arrived at a beach that had been decorated in a festive style.

"Huh, are we the only guests?"

Si Ming looked around, but the beach was deserted, without a single person in sight.

The butler replied respectfully, "Yes, you are the only guests who have made reservations. The two young ladies have instructed you not to be shy and to make yourselves at home, so please enjoy yourselves to the fullest."

Si Ming pushed up his non-existent glasses and struck a detective's deduction pose. "It's obvious, there's only one truth—this guy has no friends."

Who says they don't have friends?

Yuezheng Yao, dressed in a bright red gown, slowly descended the steps. Upon closer inspection, her ample bosom and cleavage were partially exposed, her delicate collarbones were exquisite, and a silk sash and a lucky charm pendant were lightly tied around her waist.

A red dress can easily give the impression of being too flamboyant, but on Yuezheng Yao, it accentuates a noble yet unpretentious air.

"I didn't invite anyone because I wanted a quiet birthday celebration. Otherwise, there would be fans, celebrities, high-ranking officials, martial artists... you name it, there would be enough to fill an entire martial arts dojo. They would all be eager to attend my birthday party, but I was just too lazy to invite them. So you should cherish this opportunity."

Si Ming countered, "Are those people you're talking about really your friends?"

"At least they want to be my friends," Yuezheng Yao said irritably.

Then she held out her hand and said, "What about a gift? You didn't bring anything, did you? Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm the kind of host who kicks out guests who dare to leave without a gift. As for face, I don't care."

"How could that be? Do I look like someone who doesn't even know basic etiquette? When attending someone's birthday party, of course you should bring a birthday present; that's common sense. So I brought a gift with a lot of sentiment."

Si Ming spoke shamelessly, completely forgetting what she had just said.

Upon hearing this, Hongdou, who was not far away, immediately widened her eyes and shot Si Ming a look that said, "Xiao Ming, you traitor!"

Si Ming reached into his pocket, pulled out a crumpled bird feather, placed it in Yuezheng Yao's palm, and said with deep emotion, "A gift of a goose feather from afar is a small gift but carries great meaning."

"Where's the sentiment in this? You might as well not have sent anything at all! You've traveled a thousand miles, more like a thousand meters! And what kind of goose feather is this? It's clearly a chicken feather. Do you think I can't recognize it?"

Amidst the stunned expressions of the others Yuezheng Yao made three consecutive sarcastic remarks, but in the end, she still collected the goose feather instead of throwing it away.

"Geese are harder to find than chickens, so please be more understanding."

"Alright, butler, see them out." Yuezheng Yao gave the order to leave without hesitation.

However, the old housekeeper just chuckled and didn't actually chase them away. Instead, he showed a look of relief, as if he were seeing the child finally make a friend, radiating happiness.

"It's quite lively here. Looks like all the guests have arrived. Aren't you going to give us an introduction?"

At this moment, Yuezheng Qiong came out of the room. She was wearing casual clothes and hadn't changed into a gorgeous dress like her sister. However, she had put on some light makeup, which was a little different from her usual style.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Hao Shuai exclaimed in surprise, "There are actually two Yuezheng!"

Ke Chajing smacked him on the head and scolded, "Idiot, they're definitely twins."