Shen Xinghe was momentarily stunned.
Ever since they had confirmed their relationship, Yu Jinyao would come to the voice chat hall every time to pick him up from work.
That is, she would send gifts to let him clock out early.
He usually only needed to sing one or two songs for Jinjin, and the day’s work would be done.
“That kid Xingxing is just born lucky! No clocking out for you—work in my place!”
The host Zhiyu spoke in a lazy, suave, playboy voice, expressing intense envy, jealousy, and hatred.
His tone and content were fine, carrying the lively atmosphere unique to voice chat halls.
But Shen Xinghe’s internal alarm bells were ringing.
That covetous intent hidden beneath the lighthearted joke—he could faintly sense it.
Who wouldn’t want such a generous, adorable, and doting girlfriend?
In the work group chat, the boss told him to keep Jinjin there.
Shen Xinghe pretended not to see it, lowering his gaze as he parted his lips.
“Thank you, baby. Aww, looks like I get to clock out early again today.”
“Today Must Get Rich tips Whole Wheat Starry Moon Night (1000 diamonds) x10”
“Today Must Get Rich: Wishing you booming business—I’m taking Xingxing with me~”
Shen Xinghe obediently followed her out.
After the two left, the mic was quiet for a moment before the host snapped back to attention and continued welcoming the new sisters who came in.
After leaving [Evening Breeze Tales], Yu Jinyao thought today’s task was done.
She didn’t expect Shen Xinghe to still want to video call her.
They had just video called last night—he was being unusually clingy today.
But Yu Jinyao had school starting tomorrow and really didn’t have the energy to mess around with him, so she refused.
The young man obediently pressed “goodnight,” but his expression dimmed slightly.
For the umpteenth time, he opened Jinjin’s Moments.
Completely blank, only showing the last three days.
He could only tell from Jinjin’s voice that she wasn’t very old.
Even though she deliberately tried to put on a mature, sultry voice, she couldn’t hide her naturally sweet and soft tone.
She clearly had no bold intentions, yet she never refused his video call requests.
She spent money on him generously without restraint, yet she never proactively contacted him.
He had thought about leaving the voice chat hall, not letting them squeeze money out of Jinjin, but the way she was, he simply didn’t dare give up this job that suited him best.
What if she had no desire for him at all? What if she was just playing around…
What if, without his job, she would look down on him even more and treat him like a toy?
He couldn’t bear it.
He couldn’t afford to gamble.
Moonlight Bar—the young masters at the pinnacle of the Empire’s pyramid had booked out the entire venue.
When Wen Jiayan walked in, he saw only two people in the private booth, one sitting at the far left of the sofa, the other at the far right.
Each playing with their own phone.
He tossed his car keys to a guy with blue-dyed highlights.
“Booked a private booth and still bought out the whole place, why?” he said.
Xie Xifan caught the keys, kissed them in the air, and exclaimed dramatically: “Oh, baby! A day apart feels like three years!”
Only then did he bother answering Wen Jiayan’s question: “Of course, it’s to avoid getting photographed by fans. Even though Moonlight does a good job on that front, I can’t gamble my career on it!”
He was very handsome—a different kind of beauty entirely from Wen Jiayan.
A pair of peach-blossom eyes brimming with affection, a nose bridge that caught its own highlight under the bar’s lights, lips stained a beautiful color by the alcohol.
A stud in his right ear, a small square earring in his left, and the strands of hair falling over his forehead styled into perfect arcs—the whole package was a trendy flower boy.
“You still care about your career?”
Wen Jiayan let out a low laugh and sat down between the two.
He glanced at the man on the other side, hidden in the shadows, fiddling with his phone.
Frowning slightly.
“Still no news from Shen Xinghe?”
“No.”
A cold, distant voice came through, tinged with rare confusion.
The man lounged back against the sofa in a relaxed posture, two buttons of his shirt undone, revealing his chest.
It was a pose that invited imagination, yet his aura was indescribably cold, evoking the purest snow at a mountain peak.
But Wen Jiayan knew that among the people in their circle, each heart was darker than the last.
Xie Xifan spun the car keys idly and cut in: “The Shen family has been up to something weird lately. Shen Xinghe’s gone off the grid, and they don’t seem worried at all.”
“And you, Yu Shiyan—aren’t you the closest to Shen Xinghe? Why don’t you fly abroad to find him?”
“Who said I’m closest to him?”
The man cast a cold glance over.
In their circle, what closeness was there?
Just as the four great families—Yu, Wen, Shen, and Xie—jointly controlled the Empire’s economic and military lifelines.
As heirs of those families, they too gathered for profit and scattered when the profit ran dry.
Wen Jiayan’s voice was gentle, but his words were especially ruthless: “The Shen family isn’t worried. Maybe they’ve given up on Shen Xinghe. There’s no need for us to meddle in someone else’s family affairs.”
Xie Xifan looked at the indifferent Yu Shiyan, then at the smiling-tiger Wen Jiayan, and felt a chill run down his spine.
He silently scooted further away from them.
“Oh, you two are terrifying!”
Friends who grew up together, and they’d just abandon him like that.
But a moment later, he thought of something far more amusing: “Wen, didn’t you go to see your cousin? Did anything interesting happen while you were there?”
At the mention of this, Wen Jiayan’s mind unconsciously conjured the image of a young woman looking at him with a hint of anger in her eyes.
In truth, he hadn’t intended to make things difficult for that mother and daughter.
The accounts that needed settling had long been settled between the Wen and Yu families back then.
Even if he wanted revenge, there was no need to get his own hands dirty—too much trouble.
But the moment he opened the door and saw the young woman, he changed his mind.
“Wen, are you smiling? What are you so smug about?!”
Xie Xifan stared at him in surprise.
Even Yu Shiyan couldn’t help but look over.
Wen Jiayan often showed others a gentle smile, but his eyes were always distant, and the curve of his lips was meticulously crafted—like a mask.
But now, they were astonished to discover that there was actually a trace of genuine amusement in his eyes.
Though it vanished in an instant.
“I only made a trip to the Yu residence—what could possibly be interesting about that?”
He asked calmly in return.
But Xie Xifan stood up, circled around Wen Jiayan, and clicked his tongue with a shake of his head.
“No, something’s off. Your attitude is off.”
“I’ve seen your cousin Yu Mingyin around in social circles—she’s quite pretty, and quite proud too. But she’s your cousin, and it’s not like you’ve never met before…”
Xie Xifan mused: “I recall… the Yu family has two daughters, right? Yu Mingyin has a younger sister who attends Xingyao Academy!”
When he heard that Xie Xifan had actually deduced it down to Yu Jinyao, Wen Jiayan’s heart involuntarily sank.
Before he could react, he heard Xie Xifan exclaim again: “Hey? Yu, why are you making that disgusted face again? Do you know Yu Mingyin’s sister?”
Yu Shiyan, who usually showed no expression at all, actually let his emotions slip at the sound of that name!
Wen Jiayan heard his friend say in a disdainful, irritated tone: “I don’t know her, but we’ve crossed paths.”
“She’s Xia Muyan’s friend, yet behind Xia Muyan’s back, she secretly confessed to me.”