Caught Red-Handed by Her Dear Big Brother

She had been caught red-handed by her dear big brother while out on a date with Ye Mingchen, making her look even more ungrateful and unreasonable for what had happened that day.

She slowly stood up and put on an awkward smile. "Brother, what a coincidence. You're here for dinner too," she greeted him quietly.

It wasn't a coincidence, actually. That afternoon, Ye Mingchen had posted a landscape photo on Moments, and Qiao Ruhai had seen it and guessed that he must be with Shen Xixi.

Shen Heng had happened to be beside him, so Qiao Ruhai had told him about it.

By evening, Ye Mingchen had shared a photo of Tianyun Tower, and Qiao Ruhai had guessed again.

He had still been with Shen Heng at the time, and they had been nearby, so he had taken the opportunity to ask, "Want to go join the fun and see if I guessed right?"

Shen Heng had fallen silent for a moment before calmly replying, "Sure, let's go take a look."

Shen Heng was indeed a little curious. If Chu Tianqing really was on a date with Ye Mingchen, how would she face him?

She was the one who had been unwilling, she was the one who had cried, and now she was the one with Ye Mingchen, smiling so brightly.

He had originally felt a little guilty, but now all he felt was a stifled anger lodged in his chest, neither rising nor falling, leaving him terribly uncomfortable.

Seeing that they knew each other, the waiter thoughtfully asked if they wanted to sit together. After receiving an affirmative answer, he quickly brought over two chairs.

At the square table for four, Chu Tianqing and Ye Mingchen sat facing each other, while Shen Heng and Qiao Ruhai sat on either side.

Qiao Ruhai took the initiative to introduce himself, and Chu Tianqing greeted him, formally making the acquaintance of the Hong Kong Iron Triangle.

Chu Tianqing searched Shen Xixi's memories and discovered that Qiao Ruhai was no ordinary man either. He came from a distinguished family, and while his family's wealth alone could not compare with the Shen family's or the Ye family's, it had a greater reputation, and its standing in Hong Kong society was no lower than the Shen family's.

Sure enough, rich people only hung out with other rich people. They had common ground with one another, and the barriers between classes and social circles were hard to break.

Chu Tianqing didn't dare speak carelessly and silently listened to them chat.

Ye Mingchen was very talkative, while Qiao Ruhai was mild-mannered and skilled at joining in and echoing others. Only Shen Heng said nothing, his eyes lowered as he concentrated on eating and drinking.

Chu Tianqing stole glances at him from time to time, her mind too preoccupied to taste the food. She agonized over the question again and again: should she play ostrich and pretend nothing had happened, or apologize openly to her dear big brother and clear the air?

Alas, life is so hard.

When dinner ended, Ye Mingchen saw that it was still early and excitedly suggested finding somewhere else to have some fun.

Chu Tianqing wanted to decline, but before she could speak, Shen Heng said, "Sure, let's go spend some time at Minghua Club."

After hearing him say that, how could Chu Tianqing dare make her dear big brother lose face? She had no choice but to go with them.

Chu Tianqing knew of Minghua Club. It was a long-established entertainment venue in Jincheng, formerly called a nightclub, which had evolved with the times and changed its name to a club.

The big boss behind it was said to be a brother on good terms with Shen Yunsheng. Those messy things were gone now, and its three main businesses were drinking, dancing, and playing cards.

Shen Xixi thought the place was old-fashioned and didn't like coming here for fun, but it was popular with the bosses and was a good place to discuss business.

Shen Xixi had never been here, which meant it was Chu Tianqing's first visit too.

As soon as she entered, she looked around. It certainly had a sense of history. No, it should be called a retro style.

There was a walnut-paneled corridor, bronze wall lamps, a thick carpet, and jazz drifting out when a door was pushed open. Onstage, a beauty in a fringed dress was singing and dancing.

They didn't book a private room, instead picking a random spot by the dance floor.

Ye Mingchen snapped his fingers, called over a waiter, and ordered four cocktails.

The cocktails arrived, and they had barely taken two sips when, just then, a song ended and a waltz began to play.

Ye Mingchen held out his hand in invitation. "Little Sister Xixi, let's have a dance."

Startled, Chu Tianqing instinctively glanced at Shen Heng. He was looking toward the stage and wasn't looking at her at all.

"All right. I'm not a very good dancer, so please forgive me," Chu Tianqing said, offering her hand. Ye Mingchen put an arm around her, and the two of them glided onto the dance floor.

"You dance very well," Ye Mingchen praised her with a smile. "There's no need to be modest."

Chu Tianqing smiled shyly. She was a little awkward at first, but as Shen Xixi's muscle memory awakened, she danced more and more skillfully and relaxed more and more.

After another spin, Chu Tianqing caught a scorching gaze out of the corner of her eye.

She felt it was Shen Heng and hurriedly turned her head to look, only to find that he was no longer in his seat.

Was it my imagination? Surely not.

When the song ended, Chu Tianqing used exhaustion as an excuse and returned to their seats with Ye Mingchen.

Pretending to be casual, she asked Qiao Ruhai, "Where's my brother?"

"He just said he was going out for a smoke," Qiao Ruhai replied.

Chu Tianqing nodded silently, thinking nothing was wrong. But after she had waited quite a while and Shen Heng still hadn't returned, her heart began to pound, and she grew restless.

If she hadn't seen wrong just now, that had indeed been her dear big brother's gaze, which meant he must be very angry.

No, I have to go out and look for him.

Chu Tianqing stood up and said to Ye Mingchen with a smile, "I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back in a bit."

Following the signs, she left the hall and made her way to the smoking room, only to find that Shen Heng wasn't inside.

Just as she was about to turn back, a figure passed by outside the corridor window. Chu Tianqing took a closer look. Who else could it be but her dear big brother?

The club had a small garden, and Shen Heng was outside smoking.

Chu Tianqing continued forward and pushed open the door at the end of the corridor. A gust of cold wind swept over her, making her shiver.

It was already late autumn, and the temperature outside at night was around ten degrees. With her legs bare, Chu Tianqing was really feeling it.

Even so, she didn't retreat. She wrapped her shawl tightly around herself, walked over along the gravel path, and called softly, "Brother."

Shen Heng turned to look at her. A layer of icy blue smoke hung in front of his face, making his expression hard to see. "Why did you come out?"

"I came to find you." Chu Tianqing stopped, lowered her eyes, and said awkwardly, "I think I owe you an apology and an explanation."

Shen Heng said nothing. He exhaled a mouthful of smoke, slowly walked over, and said without emotion, "Then go ahead."

Chu Tianqing faltered and quickly glanced up at him. This time, she was absolutely certain that he really was angry.

Nervous, she struggled for a long moment before squeezing out, "You know, the things I say are like farts. Don't take them seriously."

Shen Heng was so angry he almost laughed. He had scolded her several times, saying that the things she said were like farts, and now she actually dared use that excuse to brush him off. How had he never noticed before that her skin was this thick?

Annoyed, Shen Heng raised his hand without thinking and flicked her forehead.

"Ow!" Chu Tianqing covered her forehead, feeling as though her brains had been flicked right out. "That hurts so much! What are you doing? A gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands!"

Seeing her eyes turn red and her looking as though she was about to cry, Shen Heng asked hesitantly, "Did it really hurt?"

He actually hadn't used much force.

Chu Tianqing glanced at his hand. It was quite good-looking, with long, slender fingers and prominent knuckles. She hadn't expected it to be a lethal weapon too.

She glared at him angrily, no longer wanting to speak to him, and turned to go back.

Unexpectedly, her heel caught in a gap between the stones. Her foot twisted and her body tipped sideways, and just as she was about to fall flat on her face, she cried, "Eh, eh, eh? Quick, quick, catch me!"