Chapter 45

On the day Tang Mingxi got engaged, the Ningcheng social circle went wild with rumors. No one had expected him to marry a man—and that his grandfather had arranged the engagement himself.

He Ling's hand slowly curled, his fingers clenching against his palm. "He got engaged to a man?"

"Yeah. Some unknown poor brat. No one had even heard of where he came from, yet he became the Tang Family's son-in-law. In less than a year, both Mingheng and Huanyu fell under his control."

"If you ask me, Tang Mingxi would've been better off marrying you than that wet-behind-the-ears brat. Ling, I think Tang Mingxi still likes you. I heard from his cousin that when he found out you were coming back, he even picked out a gift especially for you."

He Ling's expression had already darkened, but when he heard that Tang Mingxi had chosen a gift for him, it eased slightly.

"Don't joke about that. It'll cause trouble for Mingxi."

The classmates failed to notice He Ling's mood and continued chatting among themselves.

"Still, no one can stand Tang Mingxi's temper. He's arrogant, spoiled, and spends money like water. Other than his brother, who could afford to keep him?"

"Yeah. Good thing Ling didn't get together with him back then. If he really became our 'sister-in-law,' that would've been unbearable."

"He's got nothing besides a pretty face."

"A man can't make a living on his face alone. You've got to look at Ling—without making a sound, he became one of Henglong's executives. That's a height many people can't reach even after struggling for half their lives."

The chatter gradually faded away. They seemed to have entered a private room, and there was no more sound.

Tang Mingxi came out of the restroom and immediately grumbled as he sat down. "You have no idea how creepy the restroom lighting is. It made my face look deathly pale."

When he looked up and saw Ye Heng's expression, he froze slightly.

Why did the male lead look unhappy?

No way. Did something happen while he was in the restroom?

Tang Mingxi looked around but saw no suspicious figures.

"Are you done eating?" Ye Heng said coldly. "If you are, let's go."

"Hey, wait." Tang Mingxi hurriedly got to his feet.

Ye Heng was tall with long legs. Leaving those words behind with a cold expression, he strode toward the elevator by the entrance.

Tang Mingxi had no idea why Ye Heng was giving him the cold shoulder. By the time he caught up to the elevator, that dog of a man had actually gone down without waiting for him!

???

Tang Mingxi was utterly baffled.

The elevator numbers slowly ticked down from the fourth floor to the first.

With a ding, the elevator doors opened.

The evening breeze from the Cang River brushed across Ye Heng's face. He seemed to snap out of it only then, realizing what he had done.

Why had he gotten so angry after hearing what He Ling and his friends said?

It felt like some foreign object was lodged in his chest, making him restless with nowhere to vent it.

Ye Heng began to examine himself. He had never felt this way before.

If, half a year ago, while concealing his edge and accumulating strength, he had indeed been putting on an act while dealing with Tang Mingxi—

Then the shift in his feelings just now had far exceeded his expectations.

Ye Heng had nearly forgotten the vague impression Tang Family's second young master had left on him when they first met.

All that remained was Tang Mingxi—the one with bizarre thought processes, who loved saving face and was spoiled and delicate.

Had he really been like that before?

Ye Heng's gaze gradually deepened.

"Ye Heng!"

Tang Mingxi ran down from upstairs, slightly out of breath.

At that moment, he regretted padding his shoes with two layers of height-increasing insoles. Running in them was practically like walking on stilts, okay? qvq.

Tang Mingxi felt as though he was wearing a pair of high heels.

And he sincerely admired girls who could wear high heels all day. Why had such torturous things even been invented? qvq!!

Ye Heng turned around and saw Tang Mingxi carrying a cake box.

"You bought a cake?"

"Of course you buy a cake for a birthday. It's to celebrate becoming an adult." Tang Mingxi gave a dry laugh. "I even bought you some children's clothes. No need to thank me."

Ye Heng's gaze fell on the cake. For some reason, the sourness that had inexplicably risen in his chest vanished in an instant.

Tang Mingxi stood still, merely lifting the cake and giving it a little shake.

His expression seemed to say: Why aren't you hurrying up and carrying this for me, young master?

"I'm tired from walking.

I need to rest for a while."

Tang Mingxi bent over halfway and pounded his legs, shooting Ye Heng a haughty look. Clearly, he was blaming him for walking too fast earlier.

Ten minutes later, he sat on a bench in a nearby park, hugging Ye Heng's cake and resting his feet on Ye Heng's thighs without the slightest guilt as he waited for the male lead to massage his legs.

Ah, there were fewer and fewer days left when he could order the male lead around like this. He had to cherish them properly :)

Tang Mingxi checked his watch. It was already nine thirty at night.

He hurriedly opened the cake in his hands, and the scent of cream rushed toward him.

"We haven't had the cake yet. Hurry up and make a wish."

Tang Mingxi put his feet down, then placed the cake on his lap and ceremoniously inserted the candles shaped like the number "18."

"Oh no, there's no lighter!" Tang Mingxi hurriedly said, "I'll go borrow one."

But just as he was about to rise from the bench, Ye Heng pulled him back.

"Where are you going to borrow a lighter?"

"In the park." Tang Mingxi looked confused. "When I came earlier, I saw a bunch of men smoking over by the woods."

Ye Heng stared at Tang Mingxi's innocent, bewildered expression and paused.

"Do you know that parks are famous in gay circles?"

"Gay?"

"Same-sex dating."

What kind of dating? Tang Mingxi thought expressionlessly. It couldn't possibly just mean pure friendship between men, could it?

Ye Heng explained flatly, "The ones by the woods with cigarettes in their mouths are waiting to hook up. If someone takes a fancy to them, they go over and ask to borrow a lighter, which means they're inviting them to spend the night together. Are you sure you still want to borrow one?"

Tang Mingxi immediately became obedient and shook his head like a rattle. "I won't borrow one. qvq."

Why did this Qidian male lead know so much? :)

"Then what do we do? How are we supposed to light the candles without fire?" Tang Mingxi silently looked at him. "Do you know how to make fire by rubbing sticks together?"

"No." Ye Heng seemed so irritated by his wildly imaginative train of thought that he laughed. "But I know how to use Alipay."

A minute later, Ye Heng returned from the convenience store with a lighter and successfully lit the candles for "18."

For a moment, he felt somewhat lost. Since he had fled all the way to Ningcheng with his younger sister, no one had celebrated his birthday for him in two years.

Tang Mingxi urged him beside his ear, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and make a wish!"

"I don't have any wishes."

Huh??

Shouldn't it be something like, I want to build my own business empire, I want to control the lifeline of the global economy?

Seeing that Ye Heng would not make a wish, Tang Mingxi spoke before him. "Since you don't have any wishes, I'll make two for you."

"I hope Tang Mingxi gets rich!"

"I hope Tang Mingxi stays handsome forever!"

"Weren't you making wishes for me?" Ye Heng added coolly.

Tang Mingxi: "."

"Hurry up and blow out the candles."

In the second he lowered his head, Ye Heng still made a wish in his heart.

Though he had never believed in such things.

He hoped next year's birthday would be the same as this year's.

The instant the candles went out, Tang Mingxi's almond-shaped eyes, reflecting the candlelight, unexpectedly met Ye Heng's gaze.

Like a candle flame, his heartbeat flickered for an instant.

After blowing out the candles, Tang Family's second young master refused to cooperate anymore.

There were too many mosquitoes in the park. He felt like he had become a human blood bag, constantly urging Ye Heng to hurry home.

Ye Heng had only just stood up with the cake when Tang Mingxi suddenly