"Why, why?" Que You mumbled, his speech slurred from the alcohol.
The others also looked at Chu Hefei, not understanding what he was doing.
Xie Jinyi, with a faint hint of intoxication, propped up her head and asked, "You don't possibly like him, do you?"
Chu Hefei didn't deny it. He just stared at Que You and said, "Brother You, you're going to have a girlfriend in the future. Why would you do a cross-cupping toast? It's not appropriate! If you really want to drink, we'll accompany you. We're a bunch of guys. Even if your future girlfriend finds out, she won't say anything."
"That makes sense," Que You was persuaded. "Then I won't drink with the girls. Let's party!"
He picked up his wine glass and did a cross-cupping toast with Chu Hefei.
Someone reminded him, "Brother, that's Xiao Fei's cup."
"Huh?" Que You blinked.
Chu Hefei urged him, "What? You dislike me? I don't dislike you at all!"
With that, he downed the drink.
He used Que You's wine glass.
Que You chuckled, "Who's afraid of whom!"
He also downed a glass.
Xie Jinyi propped up her head and watched them mess around, but her gaze was on Wen Tingxue.
She was chatting with someone, her hands never stopping, and she didn't participate in the lively atmosphere.
Except for the occasional conversation with Yu Wenli, she rarely lifted her head.
"Tell me, why do you always let Mo Yichen bully you?" the slightly tipsy girl complained. "If it weren't for Xie Jinyi today, were you really going to take that silent loss?"
Her mind wasn't sharp enough to understand the subtleties in Mo Yichen's words.
But he surely could understand them!
There was no intention of fighting back at all.
"You used to be quite capable," she poked his arm with her finger, scolding him with disappointment, "Why did you become so meek when you saw him? He tricked you, is your mouth just for decoration?!"
She saw it today. When she wasn't around, there were probably even more instances!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Her face, flushed from the alcohol, turned even redder.
"I know it's my fault, but I did it on purpose."
"Huh?" Wen Tingxue suddenly looked up. "Why? You deserve to be scolded?"
"..." Yu Wenli chuckled and pinched her cheek, asking, "Have you seen any marketing about him?"
Wen Tingxue's eyes rolled. She thought for a moment, "Gentle and noble young master? Perfect male god? Especially caring?"
At least, that was her first reaction.
Yu Wenli raised an eyebrow. "You must rarely pay attention to him, right?"
"Of course, I only pay attention to you."
"Good girl!"
He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, but she batted him away. "We're talking business, no more sweet talk."
Yu Wenli: "..."
Yu Wenli: "See, even if you're not his fan, you can think of so many personas when you mention him. This is the power of marketing, subtly influencing your perception.
"The purpose of marketing is mainly to consolidate personas and attract more fans. Mo Yichen's team has spent a lot of money on this, which is why he has good public relations. However, he overdoes the marketing, and once it backfires..."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a glint of ruthlessness and calculation flashing through them, "No one knows what the consequences will be."
"Oh~" Wen Tingxue suddenly realized. "So you deliberately indulged him just to catch him red-handed!"
When people are cautious, they don't make mistakes easily.
But once they get arrogant...
"Mm."
Yu Wenli nodded.
Someone like Mo Yichen must be completely defeated in one go, otherwise, there would be more trouble.
So, enduring it for a while was fine. It was just talk, after all. It didn't matter.
"Although that's the case, I just can't stand seeing..." you being bullied.
Before she could finish speaking, her phone rang.
Wen Tingxue wasn't in the mood to listen. Yu Wenli glanced at it and gently reminded her, "It's Qiao Hui."
"Hmm?!"
Wen Tingxue immediately sat up straight.
Normally, Qiao Hui wouldn't call unless something was wrong.
As expected, as soon as she spoke, she was asking for help, "Xiao Xue, are you and Brother Yu doing well financially recently?"
"What are you planning to build now?" Wen Tingxue asked with a smile. "You're so polite. Just say it. We're not short of money."
Qiao Hui chuckled. "That's great. Our village plans to build a library, but we're short on funds..."
"I understand," Wen Tingxue asked directly, "How much do you need? I'll transfer it to you immediately."
"Not much, not much." Qiao Hui stated a number.
Wen Tingxue said, "Okay, is there anything else you need?"
"Not for now. Oh, right," she remembered something, "Grandma wants you to visit when you have time."
Wen Tingxue smiled. "Okay, we'll come over when Yu Wenli has time."
"What's wrong?" Yu Wenli saw her hang up the phone, handed her a glass of water, and asked.
Wen Tingxue took a few sips from his hand and said, "Xing'an Village wants to build a library, but they're a bit short on funds and asked if we were well-off."
"Take it from my account," Yu Wenli stopped her from sending a message. "Keep your money for yourself."
"That's so nice."
"When have I ever treated you badly?" Yu Wenli smiled and tapped her, then raised his hand, ready to ask Que You to transfer the money.
Wen Tingxue stopped him. "Wait a minute, I'll ask Ding Xi. He donated money last time when they built the primary school. We can't leave him out this time."
After dinner, Chu Hefei suggested karaoke. The others joined in the clamor, saying it was rare to be out and they didn't want to go back so early.
Yu Wenli also didn't want to part with Wen Tingxue so soon, so he agreed.
When they arrived at the venue, they happened to run into Chi Zerui and Xing Jiahe.
And, a group of pretty young ladies in revealing outfits.