About half a minute later, Chi Zherui propped himself up with one hand on the table, managing to sit upright.
He handed the hand rope to Wen Tingxue, and his usually charming eyes showed a hint of pleading, which was rare.
"Please..."
His voice was hoarse, with a broken quality.
Wen Tingxue's heart felt a slight warmth, and she nodded vigorously.
"A Rui gege, don't worry, I'll fix it."
"Thank you..."
Chi Zherui unconsciously curved his lips, the arc so shallow it was almost imperceptible.
After he let go, Wen Tingxue raised the hand rope to examine it closely.
Although it was well-protected, it was old and had been handled often, with the edges severely worn.
More serious areas had cracked.
He must... miss his mother quite a bit.
After all, she was the one who gave birth to him at the cost of her life.
Chi Zherui continued to lean against the table as if boneless, drinking. His listless gaze slowly followed her movements.
"Do you mind if I take it apart?" the girl asked cautiously.
Chi Zherui looked up. Before he could speak, Wen Tingxue hurriedly explained, "I promise to restore it exactly, it's just these parts that are cracked..."
"It's fine."
Chi Zherui interrupted indifferently, his voice gentle. "You do it, I trust you."
Wen Tingxue looked at him with a hint of surprise. She happened to see him pouring wine into his mouth.
On impulse, she said, "You... drink less, it's not good for your health."
"..."
As if he hadn't expected her to speak, Chi Zherui stared at her blankly, holding his wine glass.
"Uh..."
Wen Tingxue felt she was being nosy. Just as she was about to wave for him to continue, he turned his head, placed the wine glass on the table, and responded with a soft "Mm."
"Okay..."
His voice sounded a little obedient.
When Yu Jie returned with unwillingness, Wen Tingxue had just finished braiding the hand rope.
Her technique was even more skillful than before, perfectly concealing the cracked joints.
Chi Zherui looked at it intently for a long time. Confirming it was the hand rope from his memory, he finally showed a smile.
"Thank you."
Wen Tingxue shook her head with a smile. "You're welcome, I'm happy I could help A Rui gege."
This way, she owed him nothing more.
Chi Zherui put the hand rope in his pocket, his eyes showing a subtle return of spirit.
"Do you have time in a few days?" he asked.
Wen Tingxue blinked. "Is something wrong?"
"It's my birthday, come and hang out?" Chi Zherui invited her.
This was essentially drawing her into his circle of friends.
Wen Tingxue subconsciously looked at Yu Wenli, who nodded gently.
"Okay," the girl agreed with a sweet smile.
Chi Zherui was momentarily dazed.
Yu Jie clenched her fists furiously.
She had truly underestimated this woman!
Not only was she monopolizing Yu Wenli, but now she dared to flirt with Chi Zherui?!
No!
A Rui must be hers!
She had finally managed to reconcile, and she couldn't break up again.
Thinking this, Yu Jie leaned in coquettishly and asked, "A Rui, what gift do you want for your birthday?"
Chi Zherui glanced at her indifferently, his tone dismissive. "We've broken up, and you're still trying to get close? Are you being a masochist?"
Yu Jie hadn't expected him to be so blunt and was momentarily at a loss for words.
Wen Tingxue quickly pulled Yu Wenli away.
Chi Zherui, with a calm expression, took out the hand rope and played with it, completely ignoring Yu Jie's calls.
Until she tugged at his sleeve and questioned, "Is it because of Wen Tingxue?!"
"What?"
Chi Zherui looked up in confusion, not understanding the source of her outburst.
Yu Jie screamed, "Stop pretending to be clueless! You broke up with me, is it because of Wen Tingxue?! You've fallen for her, haven't you?!"
Chi Zherui: "..."
She's crazy.
How could he possibly fall for his brother's woman?
On the car.
The drunken girl refused to be with anyone, stubbornly clinging to Xing Jiahe.
Wen Tingxue tried to pull her away but was almost bitten.
Yu Wenli rubbed his forehead. "How much did she drink?"
Xing Jiahe looked at the soft, yielding girl slumped on him, gently rolling his Adam's apple before answering:
"A bottle of fruit wine."
Yu Wenli: "..."
"You should let her drink less in the future," Yu Wenli said.
His words implicitly placed her under Xing Jiahe's protection.
Xing Jiahe didn't object. "Okay."
Wen Tingxue's eyes widened in surprise. What had she missed?
How was it "in the future"?
When the car stopped in front of the Wen family's house, Xu Kexin was still hugging Xing Jiahe, recognizing no one.
Helplessly, Xing Jiahe had to carry her upstairs.
Fang Yi was dumbfounded and tugged at Wen Tingxue, asking, "Xiao Xue, what's going on? Has Xin Xin started dating...?"
"No," Wen Tingxue quickly explained. "Class monitor just got drunk."
"Then..." Fang Yi gestured towards Xing Jiahe's retreating back, hesitating. "Why is he carrying her..."
Wen Tingxue truthfully explained the situation. Upon hearing that he was Yu Wenli's friend, Fang Yi felt relieved but still worried.
"Xin Xin has never drunk alcohol since she was little. If you go to places like this again, Xiao Xue, you should stop her and prevent her from drinking so much."
"Mm-hmm."
Wen Tingxue nodded.
After Xing Jiahe settled Xu Kexin in, Wen Tingxue and Fang Yi went upstairs to help her tidy up.
It was already half an hour later when they came down. Wen Tingxue was about to have some water and go to bed.
To her surprise, Yu Wenli was still sitting in the living room, scrolling on his phone, busy with something.
Wen Tingxue tiptoed over, about to raise her hand to startle him, but he pulled her to sit beside him first.
Then he asked with a hint of interrogation, "Am I not good enough for you?"
"???"
Wen Tingxue was stunned. What was this all about?
"I... I just wanted to scare you..."
The girl's eyes widened, and she explained somewhat helplessly.
Yu Wenli was silent for about half a minute, then stated directly, "Why does A Rui have a hand rope, and I don't?"
Wen Tingxue: "...?"
Oh.
"You're not... jealous, are you?"
Before the words that slipped out could be retracted, the young man lowered his head and rested it against hers, sighing softly.
"Yes, I'm jealous. My little girl doesn't braid hand ropes for me, but she does for others. My heart aches."
It was as if the saying 'emotions are amplified, and one is powerless' truly applied.
Even though he knew the hand rope held great significance for A Rui, and it was normal for the girl to help him braid it.
He still felt unhappy.
So unhappy that he stubbornly wanted an explanation.
Wen Tingxue hadn't expected him to admit it so frankly and was momentarily stunned, then chuckled and took his hand.
She carefully measured his wrist.
"It's no big deal, I'll braid a better one for you."
The girl lifted her chin confidently, promising, "It'll definitely be better looking than A Rui gege's."
"Really?"
Yu Wenli stared at the girl's shining eyes.
"Really."
Wen Tingxue nodded emphatically. The next second, her vision darkened, and her forehead felt a slight warmth.
A light, goodnight kiss, like a dragonfly touching the water.
"Taking some interest first."
Yu Wenli cupped her face and whispered into her ear, word by word.
The atmosphere was so intimate it could ignite a fire.