Chapter 21: Birthday Banquet

"Did he really think Young Master Yin would accept his love letter?"

"He doesn't even think about his own status; he's like a clown. If there are no mirrors at home, surely there's urine—he should take a look at himself in that."

"Maybe his urine is matte-finished?"

"Hahahaha..."

"It's truly embarrassing, don't stand here blocking the way!"

The boy who handed over the love letter was overcome with shame, clenching his fists, his gaze fixed fiercely on Ling Wu's back as if he wanted to pierce right through him.

Why?

Why was his love letter thrown away by someone without even being glanced at?

The boy roared at Ling Wu in impotent rage: "Ling Wu, you are always eager to sell your looks to curry favor with others, first Young Master Jing, then Young Master Yin."

"You are good for nothing at the Academy, skipping classes and failing every subject; apart from that face of yours, you are worthless. In what way are you better than me?!"

Ling Wu did not even turn his head.

It was as if giving him a glance would be a great act of charity.

Yin Huaiyu draped an arm over his shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and asked: "Do you want me to have someone pull out his tongue?"

Ling Wu's slightly long, tousled hair hung over his forehead, his eyes clear and cold: "That is too demeaning."

His tone was very light, so light that it was impossible to tell whether he meant that pulling out a tongue was demeaning, or that throwing away a love letter in public to humiliate someone was demeaning.

Ling Wu knew he shouldn't have said that.

Just as he shouldn't have, in that moment just now, treated Yin Huaiyu as an ordinary person.

Yin Huaiyu: "Are you unhappy?"

Ling Wu: "Not at all."

"Alright then..."

Yin Huaiyu suddenly leaned in close, his left hand pinning the youth's thin shoulder, watching those pitch-black eyelashes fluttering rhythmically, and reached out to pick a fallen leaf from his hair.

"What are you nervous about?" He placed the fallen leaf into Ling Wu's palm: "It's just a leaf."

Ling Wu: "Thank you."

Yin Huaiyu said to himself: "I've checked your class schedule; you have no classes for the next two days. Remember to come to the birthday banquet at WiltedMirage."

He patted Ling Wu's shoulder and said meaningfully: "By the way, Shao Yu and Jing Du will both be there that day."

"You should have plenty of common topics with them. I'll send someone to pick you up then."

Ling Wu: "Alright."

The red carpet stretched deep into the WiltedMirage club, luxurious crystal chandeliers cast brilliant light, celebrities gathered, glasses clinked, and the air was filled with an intoxicating sense of tipsiness.

Because it was Yin Huaiyu's birthday banquet, the table was already covered with a dazzling array of gifts.

Ling Wu handed his own gift to the Yin Family master of ceremonies in charge of the banquet, but the other party said: "The young master has given instructions that your gift must be handed to him personally."

Ling Wu nodded and walked inside with the gift.

Several boys were sitting on the sofa in the private room; Yin Huaiyu was undoubtedly sitting in the center, Yu Shixue was sitting beside him, and Jing Du and Jin Shaoyu were looking at their phones the whole time, not yet noticing his arrival.

Yin Huaiyu beckoned: "Over here."

As soon as these words were spoken, Jin Shaoyu, who was beside him, raised his eyes and happened to see the scene of Ling Wu walking over with the gift box, stepping on the marble floor.

His face was frighteningly cold.

Ling Wu naturally saw him too; since leaving the Jin Family, the two had not met again, and their relationship had dropped to freezing point.

He did not take the initiative to greet him, but instead handed the gift to Yin Huaiyu: "Happy birthday."

Yin Huaiyu took it and, giving him plenty of face, untied the ribbon on the gift box; inside the box lay a pair of sapphire cufflinks, a simple and stylish design.

"I really like this gift."

It was just a polite remark; Ling Wu did not take it seriously.

But the others in the private room began to jeer one after another.

Jing Du held a champagne flute, took a light sip of champagne, his gaze falling unobtrusively toward Ling Wu, without speaking.

Conversely, Jin Shaoyu turned off his phone and sat on the sofa, arms crossed, body leaning slightly back, eyelashes lowered, his whole person radiating a "keep strangers at a distance" low pressure.

Yin Huaiyu: "Don't just stand there, sit wherever."

Ling Wu scanned the environment inside the private room; Yin Huaiyu and the other two were sitting in the middle, Wei Ranxu, Shen Zhaojue, and a few other young masters were sitting on the right. Ling Wu had some entanglements with two of them, so naturally, he couldn't sit next to them.

He looked at the seat at the very end, then lowered his head and said softly: "Young Master Jing, Young Master Yu, excuse me."

The youth's voice was clean, permeated with a cold sense of detachment, and no emotions could be seen in those eyes.

Jing Du raised his eyes, looking at Ling Wu under the lights; the other party was wearing a thin white shirt, his temperament cold and clear, the skin on his neck as delicate as fine porcelain, possessing a sense of aloof, independent beauty that felt out of place in such an environment.

It was completely different from him with reddened eyes at Jingwan that day.

After a long while, Jing Du seemed to accept this deliberate detachment from the other party.

"Go ahead."

Jing Du retracted his long legs.

The eyes of everyone present fell upon them; Ling Wu sat quietly in the corner, leaving a large gap between himself and Yu Shixue and Jing Du.

Quiet, very quiet...

Jing Du almost suspected that the person sitting in the corner of the sofa was a little mute; why wasn't he talking to him, and why wasn't he looking at him anymore?

Was it just because he had said harsh words to him last time at Jingwan?

Wasn't letting Ling Wu get far away what he himself had wanted?

Why, now that Ling Wu had really done so, turning a blind eye to him and deliberately distancing himself, did an inexplicable irritability rise in his heart?

Yu Shixue spoke up abruptly: "Why are you sitting in the corner by yourself? Are we two going to bully you?"

"Sit over here."

He noticed the young man's body tremble slightly.

This scared him? Is his courage that of a rabbit?

Ling Wu leaned away from him, eyes seemingly veiled in mist, eyelashes slightly curled, the tip of his nose even flushed with a bit of red, and said with great principle: "No need, thank you."

With Yu Shixue's family background and appearance, he was rarely rejected by others.

He felt quite displeased inside, his fingertips tapping on the leather sofa with a dull sound, his voice lowered: "Do you need me to personally come over and invite you?"

Ling Wu knew he couldn't stay put, so he moved slowly like a little turtle, using this to express his protest.

The corners of Yu Shixue's lips lifted slightly.

As the young man drew closer, he smelled the faint fragrance coming from the other's collar, sleeves, and hair—it was light, not heavy, but exceptionally pleasant.

Shen Zhaojue raised his wine glass and began to warm up the atmosphere: "Happy birthday to Young Master Yin!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday to Young Master Yin..."

Seeing everyone raising their glasses one after another, Ling Wu had no choice but to pick up a glass of wine from the table to clink with them, taking a shallow sip, only to be choked by the spiciness the moment it entered his mouth.

"Cough, cough... cough!"

Jing Du noticed him: "You can't drink?"

The young man was coughing so hard that tears were about to come out, his eyes looking as if they had been washed with water: "I don't know how to drink."

Wei Ranxu seized the opportunity to pick a fight: "We're all men, Ling Wu, saying you don't know how to drink is too fake, isn't it?"

"Or are you saying you won't even give Young Master Yin face?"