Chapter 101: I Am Mo Qi’s Boyfriend

The four of them began the hotpot feast, accompanied by beer. The lively gathering dragged on until past eleven at night. Lin Zheng, intentionally drinking to excess, was already stumbling and slumped over the table, completely intoxicated. Mo Qi, who had also had her fair share, rested her head on her hand, drifting in and out of a light sleep.

Xie An felt incredibly stifled in the presence of Shen Yijue, having no idea what to say. Shen Yijue, conversely, remained composed and at ease. His slender fingers toyed with a beer can, balancing it on a single point on the tabletop. With his eyelids lowered, he spun it around rhythmically.

"Um," Xie An said, unable to bear the silence any longer. "Thank you for looking after Mo Qi last night."

At these words, Shen Yijue’s movements ceased. He finally lifted his heavy lids to look at him. Xie An felt flustered under his gaze, his eyes darting back and forth as he explained, "I mean, if... if it hadn't been for you last night, Mo Qi’s situation would have been much worse, so I wanted to thank you."

"Why does it fall to you to thank me?" Shen Yijue’s face remained expressionless, but his deep, unfathomable eyes shot out a sharp light that left Xie An’s hidden thoughts nowhere to hide.

"I... as Mo Qi’s best friend..."

Before Xie An could finish his sentence, Shen Yijue cut him off. "As a best friend, do you need to be the one to thank her boyfriend for taking care of her?"

"Boyfriend?" Xie An’s eyes widened in shock.

"Are you surprised?" Shen Yijue set down the beer can. "We are already dating; it is only natural that I look after her. There is no need for you to trouble yourself with thanking me in the future."

Xie An stood frozen, his expression wretched. Shen Yijue was issuing him a warning—telling him to know his place and abandon any delusions. Bitterness welled up in Xie An’s heart, but Shen Yijue had no intention of letting him off so easily. Compete with him for a woman? Shen Yijue didn't even deem a sneer necessary.

"The apartment is small and lacks a guest room. Since Lin Zheng is drunk, as her boyfriend, you should take her home."

Beyond serving as another warning for Xie An to keep his distance from Mo Qi, this was a blatant order to leave.

"Of... of course." Xie An stood up, his face pale, and helped Lin Zheng to her feet. "I am very sorry for the intrusion today."

"It would be better if there were no future intrusions," Shen Yijue replied emotionlessly.

Xie An was stunned, at a complete loss for words. He could only bow his head, half-carrying the tipsy Lin Zheng as he asked in a low voice, "Can you stand? I’ll take you back to the dormitory."

"Why go back to the dorm?" Lin Zheng murmured through a drunken haze. "Drink, let's keep drinking!"

"You're already drunk; I'm taking you back." Xie An half-carried her toward the door, his steps unsteady.

Shen Yijue rose to open the front door for them. "You shouldn't drive after drinking, so I won't see you out. It’s easy to hail a cab outside the complex." His dismissal was unmistakable.

"No need, thank you." Xie An helped Lin Zheng to the elevator and pressed the button.

"Master Shen!"

Shen Yijue, about to close his door, paused and looked back at Xie An. "Anything else?"

Xie An gritted his teeth, gathering all his courage to speak again. "I love Mo Qi, but I cannot give her happiness. I hope you will be able to make her happy, always happy."

Shen Yijue glanced back into the living room, grabbed his keys from the entryway, and stepped out, closing the door behind him. Xie An looked at him, confused. Shen Yijue walked over and stood beside him.

When the elevator arrived, Shen Yijue stepped in first. Xie An hesitated for a moment before ushering Lin Zheng inside. Shen Yijue remained silent until they reached the gate of the complex. Just as Xie An thought he would return without a word, he suddenly spoke.

"If you know you cannot give her happiness, do not keep the word 'love' on your lips." Shen Yijue turned his head toward Xie An. "Furthermore, making Mo Qi happy is my responsibility. It does not require your endorsement in any capacity. It makes me very unhappy."

Xie An opened his mouth, but found no reply. He should have argued back! Was his love for Mo Qi any less than Shen Yijue’s? Did he lose the right to compete simply because of his status?

"Xie An?" Lin Zheng, leaning against him, opened her eyes slightly and called out softly.

Xie An’s spine went rigid, and a sense of bitterness彻底 (thoroughly) permeated his heart. Yes, it seemed he no longer even had the right to love Mo Qi.

Xie An looked down at Lin Zheng. "Do you feel like throwing up?"

Lin Zheng shook her head, half-drunk and half-sober.

"Then bear with it a little longer; we’ll take a cab to the dorm."

Lin Zheng leaned against him and closed her eyes, seemingly asleep again. Seeing she was alright, Xie An hesitated, then looked up, meeting Shen Yijue’s gaze directly for the first time that night.

"Master Shen, I’m sorry. Please also pass on an apology to Mo Qi for me."

"She has no need for your apologies." With that, Shen Yijue turned and walked back into the complex. Xie An watched his departing figure, unable to stop a bitter smile from forming.

When Shen Yijue returned to the living room, he saw Mo Qi standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of water and looking toward the complex gate.

"Are you done pretending to be asleep?" Shen Yijue placed his keys on the coffee table and walked over to stand beside her. Outside, Xie An was still waiting for a cab with Lin Zheng.

"Sometimes I just don't understand," Mo Qi said. "Why is it that love can so easily defeat friendship? Is love really that important? Can we not live without it?"

"People have different aspirations and pursuits. Some spend their whole lives chasing only love."

Mo Qi sighed. "I can't go back to the way things were with Xie An and Lin Zheng. Even if we could pretend nothing happened, there will always be a rift in our hearts. Ugh, this messy love triangle!"

Lin Zheng liked Xie An, Xie An liked her, and she did not like Xie An. It would have been fine if the situation had never been brought to light, but now that the incident with Xie An and Lin Zheng at the hotel had occurred, it was impossible for the three of them to act as if nothing was wrong.

Shen Yijue reached out as if to comfort her, but Mo Qi stepped back unobtrusively, holding her water glass and walking deeper into the room.

"I smell like alcohol and hotpot; I’m going to take a shower. I’ll clean up the mess in the dining room tomorrow after I wake up." Not daring to look at Shen Yijue’s expression, she set the glass on the table and steeled herself to go upstairs to shower.

Shen Yijue lowered his hand and didn't take his eyes off her until her figure disappeared at the top of the stairs. Since she was in a bad mood, he would let it slide for today. He felt in a decent enough mood to go clean up the dining room himself.

After her shower, Mo Qi went to bed early. She had no idea when Shen Yijue went to bed, or when he woke up and left the next morning. Although she hadn't been dead drunk, she had consumed quite a bit the night before. She woke up with a lingering headache.

After washing up and getting ready, she packed two sets of clothes and took a cab back to the dormitory. Her relationship with Shen Yijue was spiraling in an uncontrollable direction, and she had no intention of returning to the apartment for the time being.

Back at the dorm, Mo Qi put away her clothes and went to the rehearsal room to intensify her practice. She didn't call Lin Zheng or Xie An during her lunch break; she bought milk and bread at a small shop, ate a hasty meal, and returned to rehearsals for the afternoon.

She didn't know if Lin Zheng and Xie An were intentionally avoiding her or not, but they didn't call to meet up either. When rehearsals ended in the afternoon, the production team informed the eight contestants that He Shuai was hosting a private party and had invited them all to attend.