Birthday Banquet 4

The system spoke up then. [The third member of F4 has appeared. Host, please be aware that it would be best to prevent the male lead from coming into direct contact with him.]

Jimo: ...

Could you have warned me any later? System, you really are getting more and more unreliable.

The system went back to playing dead. Jimo knew it could hear him, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with it now. He would find time to have a proper talk with it later.

The crowd parted of its own accord, everyone's eyes fixed on Song Wenxi.

"Oh my god, he really came back." Someone had already started whispering.

"Yeah, the ticket was worth every bit of the 5,000 Alliance Currency I paid for it."

Everyone had the same thought: the rumor was actually true. Song Wenxi had really come back!

Song Wenxi walked over unhurriedly, a faint smile in his eyes. He opened his arms and said to He Zhenglin, "Long time no see."

"Haha, it really has been a long time, Old Song." He Zhenglin laughed heartily, hugged him, and patted him twice.

The two quickly pulled apart.

He Zhenglin raised an eyebrow. "Where's my gift from across the ocean?"

Song Wenxi took out an elegant black box and handed it to him. "I had it ready ages ago. Happy birthday."

He Zhenglin accepted the gift with a smile and pointed behind him. Song Wenxi turned to see Ke Yueyi walking over.

"Yi!" He gave Ke Yueyi an equally enthusiastic hug.

Ke Yueyi asked, "How long are you staying this time?"

"I'm not leaving again."

Once the three had finished catching up, Song Wenxi turned his gaze to the conspicuous cake in the hall.

"The cake hasn't been cut yet." He put down what he was holding and called to everyone, "Come on, let's have some cake first. Why is everyone just standing around?"

He picked up another cake knife, as though he hadn't noticed the tense atmosphere.

He looked around, passed over the conspicuous bunny girl, and handed the knife to the attendant nearest him. "Could you help us cut the cake?" he asked gently.

"Ah, sure, sure." The special-class student froze, then came to his senses, his face reddening slightly.

Huang Zhenghao frowned at the sight and glanced at He Zhenglin. When he saw that He Zhenglin gave him no instructions, he had no choice but to suppress the urge to intervene.

The special-class student kept his eyes lowered and accepted the knife with his head bowed. Even after cutting a slice of cake and handing it over, he didn't dare look up at Song Wenxi again.

"Thank you."

Song Wenxi thanked him gently and handed the cake to He Zhenglin. "Birthday boy, here, have the first slice."

He Zhenglin gave Song Wenxi a punch in the chest, neither too hard nor too soft. "Yi, look at him. Old Song is addicted to being the good guy! He's only just come back and he's already ruining everyone's game."

Despite what he said, He Zhenglin took the cake and ate a bite to oblige him.

Only then did the atmosphere in the hall begin to liven up. The special-class student helped cut the cake, some people carried plates, and others handed out the slices. For the moment, the mood looked fairly good.

Jimo took it all in. This Song Wenxi really was just as the book described him, always acting as a peacemaker whenever relations among them grew tense.

But in any case, with three members of F4 present at once, this was no place to linger. While no one was paying them any attention...

Jimo said, "Let's go."

But after he spoke, he found that Jiang Wangshu hadn't reacted at all and was looking straight ahead.

Jimo followed his gaze to Song Wenxi, and his heart sank.

Wait, no way?!

Song Wenxi's only been out here for a little while and casually helped someone with one little thing, and he's already attracted the male lead that easily?

Song Wenxi's halo is ridiculous!

Isn't this just like the original story again, with the two of them taking a liking to each other?

Cut it off. I have to cut the red thread between these two!

Chop it up and feed it to the dogs.

So Jimo took action. He raised a hand and covered Jiang Wangshu's eyes.

"Don't look. There's nothing worth seeing."

"Uh..."

The calm voice sounded beside his ear. Jimo's voice was as clean as his scent, making people want to draw close. Jiang Wangshu's cheeks reddened slightly, and he obediently agreed.

He had actually just been spacing out and hadn't been looking at anyone.

A few people nearby were chatting, but their gazes kept drifting over from time to time, so they naturally saw what happened.

Chen Ziwu gripped his glass, unaware of the jealousy burning in his eyes. He had clearly warned this special-class student to stay away from Jimo. If Jimo stood up for him on an occasion like this, he would only be dragged down with him.

Ke Yueyi frowned even more deeply, staring at them with a cold expression.

He Zhenglin paused and followed his gaze, only to see Jimo pulling the special-class student slowly backward, trying to sneak out through the small door.

He snorted and called out, "You two by the main door, where are you going?"

His shout drew everyone's attention back to them.

Jimo stopped and turned to look at him expressionlessly.

He Zhenglin said, "If you come to my birthday banquet and leave without having a slice of cake, people will think I was a poor host when word gets out."

Even though Song Wenxi had interrupted earlier, He Zhenglin didn't look inclined to let them go.

Ke Yueyi walked over and glanced at Jimo's shoulder, pressed against the other man's. His gaze darkened. "Let's go back to the private room first."

After he spoke, the other two came over as well. He Zhenglin agreed, then said, "The bunny girl stays."

The moment he finished, Jimo refused. "No, he's coming with me!"

He Zhenglin frowned, his expression turning completely grim.

"Don't think I really won't lay a hand on you just because Yi is here! If you've got the guts, try taking him out of here. I won't even stop you."

Their eyes met, and it was as though their gazes were already fighting.

Song Wenxi looked from one of them to another. "Could someone be kind enough to introduce them to me?"

He Zhenglin paused, then pointed casually. "This nouveau riche and his special-class student friend."

It was as good as saying nothing. Apart from Song Wenxi, who looked thoughtful, no one present paid it any mind.

His gaze settled on the bunny girl, and only when he went closer did he realize the person was a man. But he had seen plenty of that abroad and thought nothing of it.

More importantly, letting the standoff continue wasn't a solution. From their conversation, Song Wenxi could roughly make out the relationships between them.

So he suggested, "Why don't you both stay? Aren't there more activities or games later? How about you play for a while, and then we'll let you go?"

When Song Wenxi finished, no one responded.

He glanced at his two brothers beside him and understood. Song Wenxi could tell that Jimo was the one in charge of the pair, so he addressed him. "You there... classmate Nouveau? What do you think? Once it's over, I'll make sure you're allowed to go back."

Ignoring the strange form of address, Jimo narrowed his eyes. "What game?"

Ever since what happened at the horse ranch, he had become particularly sensitive to the word "game."

"Anything goes. There's a game box over there. To keep things fair, you can draw from it yourself. Don't worry, we won't cheat."

Song Wenxi wore a sincere smile as he spoke, and with his scholarly appearance, he looked very convincing.

But Jimo knew he was just a milder version of He Zhenglin.

It sounded as though he was considering their interests, but what he said was entirely in F4's favor. Wasn't playing games He Zhenglin's ultimate reason for keeping them here too?

Still, Jimo understood. It wasn't hard to tell who mattered more between someone he had just met and childhood friends he had grown up with.

Jimo added, "If we win, you have to let us leave immediately."

"All right."

"And I need a set of brand-new, comfortable clothes."

As soon as he said it, Ke Yueyi frowned.

He Zhenglin was impatient. "Why the hell do you have so many demands? Are you playing or not?"

Song Wenxi glanced at the bunny girl, who had been silent the whole time, and nodded. "I'll have the butler find some for you."

He Zhenglin pointed to the private room upstairs. Not bothering to say anything else, he walked off first. "Let's go upstairs. It's too noisy here."

Song Wenxi followed close behind.

A moment later, the butler came over with a set of clothes.

"Xiao Shu, go change first. I'll wait for you here."

Jiang Wangshu said, "Okay."

Jimo watched him leave. When he looked away, he found that Ke Yueyi hadn't gone upstairs yet.

"Brother, aren't you going up first?"

Ke Yueyi watched him quietly, sharpness hidden in his gaze. He said coldly, "I gave you my clothes, not for you to put them on another man."

?

Jimo thought that although Ke Yueyi was quite annoying, he had the highest task completion rate of them all. He hadn't had the slightest interest in the male lead.

"I left my down jacket in your lounge."

Jimo reminded him. It wasn't as though he had asked to wear Ke Yueyi's clothes; the down jacket was actually warmer.

This time, Ke Yueyi said nothing. He simply grabbed Jimo's hand and pulled him upstairs.

Jimo struggled but couldn't break free. He wasn't interested in giving everyone free entertainment in public, either.

"Let go," he said in a low voice. "I can walk by myself!"

Ke Yueyi paused, glanced back, and let go.

Jimo had been right. Although the people in the hall appeared to be eating and drinking here and there, their gazes had remained fixed on them.

Only when the two disappeared at the top of the stairs did they look away.

A moment later, Jiang Wangshu returned after changing, but there was no one by the stairs.

Li Shuangjian passed by with a plate and told him, "I just saw them all go upstairs."

"Okay, thank you."

Jiang Wangshu lowered his eyes and stood there for a while before heading upstairs.

The private room was dimly lit. They were already gathered around the round table, with an empty seat beside Jimo.

Jiang Wangshu walked over.

There was a box on the round table. Jimo reached in, pulled one out, and handed it to the staff member beside him.

When it was opened, they saw the words written on it.

"Truth or dare."

"Huh?"

He Zhenglin looked at the staff member as if to ask whether he was joking. "Who put in this stupid, boring game that only elementary school kids play?"

The staff member explained patiently, "Young Master He, this isn't ordinary truth or dare. It's a card game in the box."

"Oh? Let's hear it."