Chapter 159 I Am Not Ready Yet

Today is Bian Yang’s nineteenth birthday.

Originally, Qin Mingyu saw the news and figured it wasn't quite the right time to host a party, thinking their prior preparations might fall through.

To his surprise, Bian Yang actually took the initiative to suggest pushing forward with it.

Bian Yang even transferred a hefty string of digits to his bank account, handing the entire planning process over to him, and instructed him to invite pretty much everyone from their social circle.

Startled by the generous sum upon receiving it, Qin Mingyu immediately called him back.

"Aren't those clubs we always hang out at all under your family's name? There's no need to spend any money."

In a rather indifferent tone, Bian Yang said, "Let's pick a different place."

Qin Mingyu caught the underlying meaning of those words. Bian Yang didn't want to hold it at his own family's properties and was probably still at odds with Uncle Bian. "Alright then, but we won't need this much money. My sister just opened a high-end club called Intoxicated with a pretty high level of privacy. Why don't we use my sister's place instead? It can be considered a way to show some support for her business."

"As you like," Bian Yang replied dismissively.

Qin Mingyu offered, "I'll transfer the money back to you. My sister definitely won't charge you anything."

"Business is business."

Right after Bian Yang finished speaking, the sound of something shattering came through the phone. Qin Mingyu asked, "What's wrong?"

Bian Yang glanced at the broken cup on the floor, bent his knees to squat down and pick it up. "Nothing, a cup broke."

He picked up the pieces one by one and tossed them into the trash can. "Just use the money. I'm not short on that little bit, and I don't want to owe anyone favors."

"But isn't that being overly polite?"

Bian Yang drawled lazily, "Cut the crap."

"……Fine then," Qin Mingyu said helplessly.

After chatting for a bit longer and just as he hung up the phone, the housekeeper walked over. "Young master, where should we put the car that Bian's young master had delivered?"

"Car? What car?"

Puzzled, Qin Mingyu walked outside and spotted the limited-edition Reventón he had been drooling over for ages parked right in his courtyard. He let out a loud whoop and threw himself at it.

Caressing the sports car's sleek waistline and sexy rear end affectionately, he asked the housekeeper excitedly, "Did my brother Yang send this?"

He had been eyeing Bian Yang's car for a long time! Unfortunately, Bian Yang had never been willing to part with it.

The housekeeper replied, "Yes, sir. The person who delivered the car said this is a return gift from the young master Bian, thanking you for all the trouble lately and calling it a hard-earned reward."

Qin Mingyu immediately dialed his number. "Brother Yang, what's the meaning of this? The friendship between us can't be measured by a car!"

Despite saying that, he had already slipped into the driver's seat.

Bian Yang put his phone on speaker and tossed it casually onto the desk, lowering his gaze to look at his fingertip scratched by the glass. "It's your hardship fee."

"Oh my, how could I possibly accept this?"

Qin Mingyu started the engine. The roaring sound made him narrow his eyes in pure bliss, sounding exceptionally delightful.

Bian Yang fetched the hotel medical kit and used tweezers to pull out the shards of glass. He intended to apply some ointment, but paused, stared at the wound for a moment, and tossed the medicine back into the box. "Can you change your lines next time? You say the exact same thing every time, and I'm sick of hearing it."

Qin Mingyu was rubbing his face against the steering wheel. "Hehe."

"What time are you coming tonight? Is it okay if I start calling people over at seven?"

He wasn't going to stand on ceremony anymore.

In an indifferent tone, Bian Yang said, "Whatever." Then, seemingly remembering something, he corrected himself, "Make it eight."

At seven o'clock, she would probably still be at the hospital keeping her grandparents company and wouldn't have time to come.

"Alrighty, just you wait and see."

Bian Yang hung up the phone and leaned his head back against the sofa, replaying scenes from the previous night in his mind as his fair, slender Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

After they finished eating street snacks and wandering around the streets, they randomly boarded a bus heading God knows where, wandering aimlessly through the neighborhoods.

When the bus reached the final stop, the little girl had fallen asleep with her head resting on his shoulder.

That place was at least a one-and-a-half-hour drive from the residential compound, and making the trip back at that hour wasn't worth the exhaustion.

He had carefully carried her off the bus, intending to book two separate rooms at a nearby hotel and head back first thing in the morning.

Who could have known that some music festival was being held in the vicinity? Every single room and room type in every hotel was fully booked.

In the end, Bian Yang had to outbid another customer at a high price to secure a room.

It was a deluxe king-sized room with only one bed.

When Tang Yu woke up in a daze, he was taking a shower in the bathroom.

Thinking she was still asleep, he walked out wrapped in nothing but a towel around his waist. At that moment, she was still rubbing her eyes, and froze in stunned silence.

To make matters worse, just as Bian Yang was about to explain, his towel slipped and fell off...

Bian Yang pressed his fingertips against his brow. Just thinking about the look of utter horror on Tang Yu's face made him want to drill into her brain and delete that memory!

Tang Yu had covered her face, shrieked, and burrowed under the covers, refusing to hear a single word no matter how much he called out to her.

She had even muttered under her breath, "I'm not ready yet..."

Then, bright and early the next morning, when he woke up from the sofa, she had already sneaked away.

She had only left him a text message:
[Grandma is doing her physical therapy today, so I went back first. Um... I didn't run away because of what happened last night. Also, happy birthday Bian Yang ^-^]

"..."

The more Bian Yang thought about it, the more speechless he felt.

Although he might have dreamed of rather romantic scenarios, to be completely honest, she was still young, and he hadn't planned on touching her so soon.

Moreover, under the current circumstances, it wasn't the right time to take things further...

But he couldn't let little Tang Yu think he was some kind of beast only after her body!

Yet he was still angry with her. If he rushed to explain himself now, what would be the point of him staying mad?

After a fierce mental tug-of-war, Bian Yang opened his phone camera, took a picture of his injured finger, and posted it to his Moments.

Then he set his phone display to stay awake, crossed his arms, and stared down at the post with a lofty gaze.

The moment she commented, he could use her words to steer the conversation back to what happened last night.

However, a bunch of random people left all sorts of nonsense comments underneath. Annoyed, Bian Yang deleted the post and reposted it with visibility restricted to her alone.

Yet, right up until check-out time, she didn't leave a single comment!

Bian Yang returned home with a dark expression. All the way until seven o'clock that evening, Tang Yu hadn't sent him a single message!

Not, a, single, day—all day long!

Could it really be that after holding hands, hugging, and going shopping and eating together last night, she thought they had made up?

And so she was just ignoring him?

She had lied to him for a whole month, and after coaxing him for just a few days, she was already quitting?

Bian Yang was furious to the extreme. Even when answering a phone call, his tone was freezing cold, "Hello."

Hearing his deep voice, Qi Mingzhou assumed he was still angry about them keeping the truth from him, so she softened her tone and said, "A-Yang, today is your birthday. Your dad and I are planning to throw a small celebration for you. Do you have time?"

Since his coming-of-age ceremony hadn't gone well, Qi Mingzhou and Bian Cheng wanted to make up for that regret this time.

Bian Yang replied dully, "No."

Qi Mingzhou's eyes dimmed. "Oh, alright then..."

Bian Yang paused. "I'm holding it at Intoxicated."

Hearing this, Qi Mingzhou's eyes lit up slightly, and she asked tentatively and gently, "Can your dad and I go then?"

"Suit yourselves," he brushed her off.

Qi Mingzhou immediately agreed happily. The moment she hung up, she called Bian Cheng to share the news.

Knowing that Bian Yang hadn't yet crossed that mental hurdle and that choosing not to host it at their own family properties was his way of drawing a clear line between them, Bian Cheng understood his mindset.

Still, the fact that he allowed them to attend could be considered the biggest concession the stubborn kid was willing to make, so he wasn't going to quibble.

"Alright, I'll be there on time," Bian Cheng agreed.