Zhao Tai led the two into a luxurious private room.
The room was large and its layout was somewhat similar to a KTV.
More than half of Qin Lin's classmates were already there.
They were basically all children from wealthy families.
Anyone who could attend a prestigious school generally came from a good background.
Upon seeing Qin Lin arrive, the others greeted her enthusiastically.
"Lin Lin's here! We've been waiting for you."
"Come sit over here, Lin Lin. We saved a seat for you."
"Lin Lin, who's the uncle beside you?"
"He's not your boyfriend, is he? Why did you find someone so much older?"
They chattered on, their conversation shifting to Qin Xuan.
Zhao Tai quickly stepped forward to explain,
"Go on, go on. What nonsense are you talking about? This is Lin Lin's brother."
"Brother?" A fashionably dressed female student sized up Qin Xuan, a hint of disdain in her eyes.
"Zhao Shao, this is your birthday party, it's not appropriate to have an outsider here, and he's an old man at that."
Several girls beside her chimed in with ridicule,
"Exactly. This is a party for us young people, why bring an old man? And dressed so shabbily."
"Qin Lin, you're something else. Why bring a guardian? If you're going to bring one, fine, but you're not dressed formally, and you brought an old bumpkin. Don't you respect Zhao Shao?"
Qin Xuan merely smiled at their taunts, seeing no need to bother with these children.
But Qin Lin was starting to get annoyed. She could be criticized, but Qin Xuan could not.
She hadn't wanted to come in the first place. If Zhao Tai hadn't pestered her multiple times, she wouldn't have bothered attending these rich kids' gatherings.
Just as Qin Lin was about to lose her temper, Zhao Tai quickly stepped forward and reprimanded the girl who had spoken first,
"He Lei, if you cause any more trouble, you can leave."
Defeated, He Lei stuck out her tongue and shut her mouth.
However, she still glared fiercely at Qin Xuan and Qin Lin.
She had been pursuing Zhao Tai for half a year, and he hadn't even given her a proper glance.
Although she was slightly less attractive than Qin Lin, her family background was infinitely better, and they owned a listed company.
If she could win Zhao Tai over, her family's company would be able to forge ties with the Zhao Group, thereby elevating their business to the next level.
She had almost made Zhao Tai fall for her with her feminine wiles, but then Qin Lin had transferred in.
Zhao Tai's heart had immediately turned to Qin Lin, which made He Lei feel very resentful.
"Brother, let's go sit over there." Qin Lin couldn't be bothered to argue about it anymore. She pulled Qin Xuan and found a quiet corner to sit down.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhao Tai decided to get down to business. He picked up the microphone and addressed everyone,
"Today, it's my birthday, and I'm grateful that everyone has come to celebrate. However, although it's my birthday, there's something even more important that I'd like to use this occasion to witness."
As Zhao Tai spoke, a waitress entered and handed him a bouquet of roses.
Zhao Tai then walked to Qin Lin with the flowers in hand, knelt on one knee, and looked at her tenderly, saying,
"Lin Lin, from the moment I first saw you, I fell deeply in love with you."
"Meeting you, I realized that my past life was all wasted time."
"I have seen the gentle spring breeze for ten miles, and witnessed the lingering summer solstice,"
"Experienced the rippling autumn light, and loved the warm winter sun,"
"But all of it is not as meaningful as a single sentence: I... like you."
"Lin Lin, will you be my girlfriend?"
As soon as Zhao Tai finished speaking, the hired actors and students around them stood up and began to cheer.
"Together! Together!"
"Say yes! Say yes!"
With the support of the crowd, Zhao Tai was brimming with confidence.
He believed that this time, he would definitely win Qin Lin over.
He knew that Qin Lin must have some feelings for him, otherwise, she wouldn't have brought a guardian to his birthday party. In the past, it was because things weren't formal enough that she had always rejected him.
Seeing Zhao Tai's elaborate setup, Qin Lin was completely taken aback by his maneuver.
She had never expected Zhao Tai to confess his feelings at this moment, and the atmosphere had been perfectly set. According to the usual development, most girls in such a situation would be moved to tears.
However, Qin Lin happened to be part of the remaining ten percent.
She wasn't thinking about that aspect at all right now. She just wanted to finish her studies well, choose a good major, and then help her sister-in-law manage her company.
Moreover, she didn't like these rich kids at all and usually didn't want to interact with them much.
She wouldn't have come this time if it weren't for wanting to get to know her classmates better.
Qin Lin cast a pleading look at Qin Xuan, hoping he would say a few words for her.
Qin Lin worried that if she directly refused, she would offend Zhao Tai, not to mention potentially damaging her relationship with her classmates.
After all, more than half of her classmates were present, and they were all cheering for Zhao Tai.
Qin Xuan didn't speak. He just shrugged and smiled at her.
His expression conveyed, "You decide."
Qin Xuan believed that Qin Lin had good judgment. She was about to become an adult and needed to make her own decisions.
Although Qin Xuan didn't particularly like Zhao Tai, this was Qin Lin's own matter, and she should be the one to make the judgment.
Seeing that Qin Xuan wasn't helping her, Qin Lin huffed at him,
"I'll complain to sister-in-law when we get home tonight!"