Faced with such an almost offensive interrogation, He Linxi didn't move, merely letting her fingers, carrying the faint scent of fruit wine, dangle before his eyes.
After a long moment, he finally spoke in a flat tone. "…At least I wouldn't have one foot in two boats."
"He actually… never had one foot in two boats either." Xu Yumo pouted. The alcohol had numbed her brain, and she instinctively continued to defend Zhou Shiye out of habit.
He Linxi's brows furrowed slightly, the warmth in his eyes chilling by several degrees in an instant, and his tone carried a hint of displeasure. "Since he's so great, then why did you break up with him?"
"Break up?"
Xu Yumo froze for a moment, then as if she had heard something utterly absurd, she burst into a self-deprecating laugh, her thin shoulders trembling faintly with the force of it.
"I was never even with him in the first place. Where would I find a breakup to have?"
Her smile gradually stiffened under the dim, hazy lights. The brightness in her eyes extinguished bit by bit, finally dissolving into a pool of shattered watery traces.
"In his eyes, I'm just a friend who comes whenever called, obedient and understanding." She slowly lowered her head, tears falling like beads from a broken string, each one landing in the empty glass with a soft splash, her voice so hoarse it was barely audible. "I… I never even had the qualification to be his girlfriend…"
After finishing that last half-sentence, as if she had exhausted every ounce of strength in her body, she collapsed directly onto the bar counter and went completely still.
The bar's resident singer was still humming a folk song in a low voice, the lighting dim and ambiguous, the clinking of glasses sporadic and scattered.
He Linxi stared at her gently rising and falling shoulders for a long time, his gaze gradually sinking.
He rose to settle the bill, took his jacket from the back of the chair, and gently draped it over her. Then he carefully gathered her up, half-supporting and half-carrying her out of the bar, and tucked her into the car parked on the street.
Xu Yumo sank limply into the leather passenger seat, her long hair slightly disheveled, her fair cheeks flushed crimson from the alcohol.
He Linxi leaned down, bracing one hand on the edge of the seat back, and reached for the seatbelt to buckle her in when Xu Yumo suddenly stirred restlessly.
Her brows knitted tightly, and a few slurred murmurs spilled from her rosy lips. "Zhou Shiye… you… bastard…"
He Linxi's motion of fastening the seatbelt halted abruptly.
He turned his head, his dark gaze sweeping inch by inch over that wine-flushed little face, his voice low and raspy. "Look carefully. Who am I?"
Xu Yumo drowsily pried open a sliver of her eyes, staring at the refined face so close before her, her unfocused pupils slowly sharpening.
After a moment, she suddenly let out a silly giggle.
"He Linxi… you really are… a bit more handsome."
As she spoke, the soft fragrance of fruit wine on her breath spilled out, all of it washing over the side of his neck.
He Linxi's gaze darkened abruptly. He stared hard at that utterly defenseless little face, his Adam's apple rolling involuntarily.
A moment later, he squeezed his eyes shut, drew in a deep breath of cold air, and yanked the buckle into place with force.
Click.
The crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed through the cramped, sealed cabin, carrying even a hint of suppressed ferocity.
Startled by the noise, Xu Yumo shrank her neck, like a frightened kitten, and finally settled down completely, her head tilting to the side as she fell into a deep sleep.
The dim yellow streetlights cast mottled, dappled tree shadows across the old residential complex. The dark gray Aston Martin slowly came to a stop at the entrance of Anheli.
He Linxi turned sideways and gently patted Xu Yumo's shoulder. "Wake up. Xu Yumo, which building do you live in?"
Xu Yumo mumbled something, blearily opening her eyes, staring vacantly at the car ceiling for a moment before spitting out a few slurred words. "Building 10… Room 502."
The complex's driveway was narrow and difficult to navigate, with electric scooters parked haphazardly on both sides, and the building numbers were hard to make out. He Linxi didn't drive past two buildings before simply killing the engine and unbuckling his seatbelt.
He pushed the door open, walked around to the passenger side, and lifted Xu Yumo into his arms, carrying her steadily toward the depths of the complex.
The night wind seeped through the gaps between the old buildings, carrying the bone-piercing chill of winter. Xu Yumo seemed to feel cold, her body unconsciously burrowing closer into his broad chest that radiated warmth.
He Linxi glanced down at her scrunched-up little face and tightened his arms.
Arriving at the base of Building 10, He Linxi looked up and scanned. Bright light shone through the window on the fifth floor.
He paused mid-step. He had been racking his brain over how to fish the keys out of her, but seeing the light on now, his heart relaxed somewhat.
It seemed she had a roommate. That saved him the trouble of overstepping boundaries.
He carried Xu Yumo up to the fifth floor. Both hands were occupied, so he could only turn sideways and use his elbow to knock a few moderately firm thuds against the rusty security door.
The dull thumping echoed through the silent corridor.
Within moments, hurried footsteps sounded from inside, followed by the turning of the lock.
The door swung inward, and the cold air of the stairwell collided head-on with the warmth of the apartment, stirring up a gust of turbulent airflow at the doorway.
When He Linxi saw the face behind the door, his originally calm gaze seemed to be covered with a layer of ice and snow, suddenly turning cold to the extreme.
Zhou Shiye was standing at the entrance, still clutching his phone.
His face was already gloomy, but when he saw He Linxi and the unconscious Xu Yumo in his arms, he froze completely as if struck by lightning.
Their eyes met.
The narrow doorway fell into a deathly silence, as if the air had solidified into a solid mass.
"Excuse me."
He Linxi looked down at him from above, breaking the deadlock coldly.
Zhou Shiye stared at him intently, only reacting after a moment from the familiar timbre of his voice, frowning in annoyance: "The one who answered the phone last night… was you?!"
"Mm." He Linxi admitted without any pretense of concealment, only urging coldly: "Move aside. Can't you see she's this drunk?"
Zhou Shiye had a fire burning in his chest. Instead of stepping back, he stepped forward to block the door completely, reaching out to take her: "Give her to me! I'll take care of her."
But He Linxi sidestepped to avoid his touch, his pitch-black gaze meeting his eyes directly, his tone flat yet carrying deadly pressure: "Are you her boyfriend?"
Zhou Shiye's outstretched hand froze mid-air, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty: "…No."
"Since you're not, I can't hand her over to you." He Linxi's voice was calm as still water. "A man and a woman alone together—it's not safe."
"You're insane!" Zhou Shiye was so infuriated by his sanctimonious demeanor that he laughed in anger, lowering his voice to curse: "She and I grew up together—over twenty years of friendship. Who are you to worry about this? What are you to her anyway?!"
He Linxi lowered his gaze slightly, glancing at Xu Yumo, who was furrowing her brows slightly due to the argument.
When he raised his head again, a hint of mockery curled at the corner of his lips, and he said lightly: "She was willing to let me answer her phone last night. You tell me—what am I to her?"
Zhou Shiye was completely choked by those words. His face flushed an iron-gray, his chest heaving violently, yet he couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
He Linxi didn't waste any more words with him. He directly turned sideways, bumping past his shoulder, and walked into the house with an air of entitlement.
He went straight to the living room, bent down, and gently and steadily placed Xu Yumo on the sofa.
Zhou Shiye followed with clenched teeth. Looking at her face, flushed with alcohol and sleeping restlessly, he said irritably: "How did she end up drinking like this?"
He Linxi straightened up, swept a cold glance at him, and countered: "What do you think?"
Before Zhou Shiye could flare up, He Linxi continued in the manner of a master of the house giving orders: "Go pour her a glass of warm water, or brew a cup of tea to sober her up."
Zhou Shiye wanted to curse back, but when he looked down and saw Xu Yumo's fragile, uncomfortable appearance, he could only take a deep breath. Suppressing the fury that had nowhere to go, he turned and headed to the kitchen.
The living room fell silent again.
He Linxi crouched on one knee in front of the sofa, moving very gently as he helped Xu Yumo out of her coat stained with the smell of alcohol, then reached out to smooth the stray strands of hair scattered across her forehead.
"I feel so awful…"
Between half-awake and half-asleep, Xu Yumo furrowed her brows tightly, waving her arms randomly before grabbing hold of He Linxi's hand.
He Linxi's fingertips trembled slightly, his gaze instantly softening, instinctively wanting to hold back.
But the next second, she mumbled uneasily again: "Shiye… I really feel so awful…"
He Linxi's expression stiffened, his half-closed hand stopping in place as if burned, the knuckles showing a stark, pale blue under the cold white light.
Zhou Shiye walked out of the kitchen carrying a cup of hot tea, and just as he reached the corner, he heard those words. His originally gloomy face instantly brightened, and a hint of undisguised mockery even hung at the corner of his mouth.
"Did you hear that? Momo called my name." Zhou Shiye walked to the sofa, bent down, and set the teacup on the coffee table with a soft clink. "Young Master He, you should save yourself the unnecessary concern."
He Linxi's eyelids drooped slightly as he withdrew his fingertips from Xu Yumo's grip, inch by inch.
He slowly straightened up, his cold, stern face revealing not a trace of embarrassment—only the tightly clenched fist hanging at his side betrayed the turmoil churning within.
Seeing that He Linxi no longer spoke, Zhou Shiye went ahead and pressed his advantage, leaning closer to Xu Yumo's side and delivering the final blow with deliberate weight.
"Still, I should thank you tonight for safely bringing my Momo back."
The word "my" was deliberately emphasized, carrying a grating declaration of ownership.
He Linxi's jaw tightened. He lifted his eyelids and looked straight at Zhou Shiye, his gaze as cold as a blade wrapped in ice, sending an inexplicable chill down the back of Zhou Shiye's head.
After a long moment, He Linxi squeezed out a flat response from the depths of his throat: "You're welcome."
Downstairs, He Linxi sat in the driver's seat and slammed the car door shut behind him with force.
"BANG—"
The engine erupted with a deafening roar as the Aston Martin tore through the thick night like an arrow released from its bow, finally screeching to a halt in front of a private club.
Pushing open the heavy soundproof double doors, the private room inside was a scene of decadent indulgence. Several people were gathered around a card table, expensive red wine lingering in crystal glasses nearby, the atmosphere lively.
Lu Wenjing heard the commotion, lifted his eyelids for a glance, then raised an eyebrow with amusement: "Oh? Isn't our busy man supposed to have plans tonight? What brings you to grace us with your presence now?"
He Linxi walked straight to the single sofa in the farthest corner and sat down, long legs crossed, his slender, well-defined fingers tugging irritably at his tie to loosen it. He sank into the shadow of the leather sofa, radiating a low-pressure aura that warned others to stay away.
Without even lifting his eyelids, he spoke in a deep, cold voice: "Just remembered I haven't made any money tonight, so I came back to see if you've gambled away what little you have left."
Lu Wenjing laughed in exasperation and tossed his cards onto the table: "Listen to that. Is that even something a person says? You're basically treating us brothers like ATMs."
"What, got a problem with that?" He Linxi lifted his eyes to look at him, the coldness in them so thick it wouldn't dissolve, as if wrapped in a layer of frost.
Only then did Lu Wenjing sense something off, quickly dropping his playful demeanor: "Wait, who pissed you off tonight?"
"Who could possibly piss me off?" He Linxi let out a scoff, lowered his head to pull out a cigarette, long lashes half-lowered, fingertip pressing on the lighter.
With a click, the blue flame illuminated his dark, unreadable face.
He slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke, his voice hidden behind the haze, soft and hoarse:
"Nothing's wrong."