CH 3

It was a bit hot and Lin Zhixia was turned around several times before he finally arrived at the port where the cruise ship was docked. 

There were security guards maintaining order at the entrance to the port and the scene was much grander than Lin Zhixia had imagined.

When he arrived, night had fallen and the huge cruise ship was anchored in the port. It was  surrounded by flowers and balloons. The lights on the cruise ship were shining in all directions, bright and dazzling, like a palace. Faintly, he heard music, mixed with noisy conversations. It was very lively.

Lin Zhixia sent a message to Luo Qin but he never responded. Was Luo Qin even here?

He handed the invitation letter to the people who greeted the guests at the door and then boarded the cruise ship unimpeded.

There were several floors of the cruise ship. The decorations were very gorgeous and the whole ship was very crowded. Everyone wore luxurious attire, looking elegant and natural. Only Lin Zhixia was fidgeting in the first floor lobby. 

He should just go home and forget this. Thinking so, Lin Zhixia walked to the entrance. Suddenly, someone called him from behind. 

“Lin… Zhixia?”

Lin Zhixia turned around. A man in a black suit with a glass of red wine in his hand was staring at him. Seeing his face, the man showed a meaningful smile. 

“It’s really you, I thought I was wrong,” the man didn’t miss the doubt in Lin Zhixia’s eyes. He smiled and said, “It looks like you don’t remember me anymore. We met at your wedding with Luo Qin.”

It sounded like these two people should be familiar. Lin Zhixia relaxed and said to him, “I’m sorry.”

The corners of the man’s mouth raised. When he looked at Lin Zhixia, who was at a loss, he felt a sudden surge of dark pleasure in his heart. It seemed that Luo Qin was putting on a good show tonight. 

“Luo Qin is on the second floor. You can see him when you go up the stairs.”

Lin Zhixia suddenly smiled when he heard these words and he gratefully said to the man, “Thank you.”

The man was stunned for a moment, his expression a little unnatural. After the pause, he whispered a few words under his breath and left. 

Lin Zhixia listened to the man and went to the second floor. Sure enough, Luo Qin was standing not far away. Just as Lin Zhixia wanted to call out to him, he saw a man approaching Luo Qin from the side. Luo Qin smiled faintly when he saw him.

Luo Qin wore a light-colored, casual-style suit today with a white shirt and amber buttons. Lin Zhixia could see the vague details of embroidery on his cuffs. He looked elegant and noble. 

Lin Zhixia couldn’t see the other man’s face in detail but his side profile promised that his looks were superior. The picture the two men made standing together was very beautiful. 

Looking at them, Lin Zhixia felt a bit sad. Luo Qin had never smiled like that at him. 

He stepped forward and called to Luo Qin in a low voice. He turned his head and saw Lin Zhixia, looking surprised to see him. Lin Zhixia instantly realized that he had been fooled by Luo Yao.

“Zhixia…” The man standing with Luo Qin smiled and called out. The moment he saw his face, Lin Zhixia remembered that this person was Qiao Ruxu. He was the brother of tonight’s birthday girl, Qiao Mei. He was also the close childhood friend of Luo Qin. 

It was no surprise that Luo Qin would be so close to this man. As an easy going person, Lin Zhixia was comforted by this thought and the weight on his heart was lifted. 

He returned Qiao Ruxu’s greeting with a sincere smile, “Hello, this is a birthday gift I prepared. Please pass it on for me.” 

Qiao Ruxu glanced back at Luo Qin. Their eyes met and both of them were a little surprised and unsure of what to say. Qiao Ruxu stretched out his hand to accept the gift but in the next second, the gift box was snatched away. 

Qiao Mei, wearing a pink dress, unceremoniously took the box and began opening it. She tore the exquisite wrapping paper in half and then sneered at the necklace inside. 

“Oh…you’re giving me this kind of gift?” 

Lin Zhixia was stunned, not expecting Qiao Mei to be so impolite. He subconsciously looked at Luo Qin and found that Luo Qin was watching him but he didn’t step in to help Lin Zhixia. 

Lin Zhixia looked away in disappointment and Qiao Ruxu patted Qiao Mei’s head, “Is this how you should accept a gift? It’s from his heart.”

Qiao Mei rolled her eyes, “Who wants his heart?” 

“Okay, okay. I just saw that the celebrity you like is coming. Don’t you want to see them?” Qiao Ruxu pointed downstairs.

Qiao Mei immediately showed a surprised look, dropped the gift casually and then lifted her cumbersome skirt to rush downstairs. 

After she left, Qiao Ruxu apologized to Lin Zhixia, “I’m sorry, she was in a bad mood recently, so she spoke a little awkwardly. Just now, she disliked my gift as well.”

“It’s okay.” Lin Zhixia shook his head and picked up the gift. They stood in silence. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have wasted his money. Could it even be refunded?

It’s graceless to complain about a little girl but he really didn’t like Qiao Mei. There was no reason to treat guests like this because of a bad mood. 

Why had Lin Zhixia even come here? He was well dressed but he still felt ridiculous. 

Qiao Ruxu walked to Luo Qin’s side and took his arm, “Let’s go outside and enjoy some fresh air.”

Luo Qin whispered, “Wait a minute.”

He turned around and walked to Lin Zhixia. He took out a room key from his pocket and held it out. Lin Zhixia raised his head, his clear eyes looking at Luo Qin, dumbfounded. Luo Qin suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart. 

He suppressed the strange feeling and said impatiently, “This is the room key to my room on the third floor. If you feel uncomfortable, you can go there to rest.”

Lin Zhixia obediently accepted the card, and then smiled crookedly at Luo Qin. 

“Okay!” 

Luo Qin looked away uncomfortably and then walked to Qiao Ruxu’s side. Qiao Ruxu looked at him sideways but didn’t say anything. He looked back at Lin Zhixia and when their eyes met, Lin Zhixia smiled at him. Qiao Ruxu also raised the corners of his mouth in response. 

But as soon as he turned his head, Qiao Ruxu’s face was expressionless. 

Lin Zhixia sat around for a while but the party was really boring. Thinking of Luo Qin’s offer, he wanted to go to the third floor to rest. Lying down and playing mobile games was more comfortable than sitting here. And he could avoid all of the people who were staring at him. 

But he was a little hungry. Lin Zhixia touched his stomach and finally stood up to find the buffet. He was still a little angry and decided to eat his feelings. 

He walked to the first floor and wandered around the buffet. The table was filled with a dazzling array of desserts. Lin Zhixia loved to eat sweets. Seeing the desserts, he couldn’t walk away. He picked one that looked the most beautiful and put it on the plate. He then stood to the side to taste it carefully.

Behind him, Qiao Mei was staring at him coldly, thinking, ‘What a green tea bitch*!’. 

Lin Zhixia felt less hungry after eating two small cakes and planned to go to Luo Qin’s room to rest. As soon as he put down the plate, he saw Qiao Mei walking over with two wine glasses. 

The girl’s delicate makeup, coupled with a sweet smile, made her look like an angel. Lin Zhixia was in a daze. Was this the same domineering girl from before?

“I’m sorry about earlier, Brother Zhixia. I was just ill, I apologize to you.”

After speaking, she handed a wine glass to Lin Zhixia. He was a little embarrassed, “But I don’t know how to drink…” 

Qiao Mei smiled brightly but there was a touch of ridicule in her eyes, “This wine is not high in alcohol. It’s a fruit wine, very sweet.”

Believing her, Lin Zhixia took a sip. It was really sweet and delicious. Qiao Mei’s smile remained unchanged, watching Lin Zhixia drink the whole glass of wine. Eventually she said, “Brother Zhixia, I have to greet others. I’ll leave first.” 

Lin Zhixia nodded and turned to head upstairs. He searched for a while before he found Luo Qin’s room. The room was very large but there was only one big bed. Lin Zhixia looked at the bed and suddenly turned red.

He immediately shifted his gaze, walked to the window and looked at the night scene outside. The view was so high, he suddenly felt dizzy. Strange, he didn’t usually have a fear of heights. 

The party ended very late. On this occasion, Luo Qin would definitely be the focus of attention. Although Qiao Ruxu did his best to shield Luo Qin, he couldn’t hold back such a large crowd. Luo Qin was also filled with a lot of wine.

Being drunk never showed on Luo Qin’s face but his sluggish movements gave him away. Qiao Ruxu asked, “Do you want me to take you back?”

Luo Qin shook his head, “No, go and see your sister.” 

Qiao Ruxu looked back. Qiao Mei was already drunk, barking from the railing and preparing to jump off. Without further discussion, he hurried over to pull his sister down. 

Luo Qin arrived at his room on the third floor and opened the door with his spare key. He saw that it was dark inside and was a little puzzled. Hadn’t Lin Zhixia come up? He turned the lights on and with a click, the room was dimly lit. 

He saw Lin Zhixia huddled down in the corner, with his hands on his knees. When Lin Zhixia heard the sound, he raised his head to look at Luo Qin. Luo Qin realized that his face was flushed. His black bangs were soaked and hanging limply in front of his eyes. 

Those wide doe eyes, which had been gazing so sincerely at Luo Qin recently now looked completely lost. That strange feeling was back. Luo Qin swallowed roughly and suddenly felt irritated.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Then he heard Lin Zhixia make a soft, kitten-like sound.

t/n:

* ‘green tea bitch’ slang for someone ambitious or with ill intent who pretends to be innocent and naive