The Celibate Male Lead Broke His Persona - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As soon as I got back to the company, my secretary reminded me, “Young Master Sinian’s birthday is today.”

“I know,” I said.

In the past, Xu Sinian’s family had always hosted his birthday banquets for him.

But now that his family had gone bankrupt, they no longer had the means.

So the job had fallen to me.

It had been like this for two years now.

Xu Sinian had gotten used to leaving these things to me, too.

All he had to do was tell me what dishes he wanted, as naturally as he used to order around the servants at home.

Just as I was thinking about it, Xu Sinian called me in high spirits. “Liao Qing, for this birthday banquet, can I invite some people you don’t know?”

I had never been able to refuse him. “Of course. It’s your birthday banquet.”

He was thrilled. “Then you have to make my birthday absolutely perfect, okay? I’ve invited a very important guest tonight.”

I was about to chat with him a little longer, but he didn’t say anything else and simply hung up.

Xu Sinian’s birthday banquets had always been elaborate and grand.

Although I had the power of money and could hand this thankless task off to someone else…

The System reminded me, “Your character setting is the devoted second male lead. For Xu Sinian’s birthday banquet, you have to handle everything personally.”

There was nothing I could do. I could only go to the venue and check everything one by one to ensure the banquet was perfect.

I heard people discussing me in private.

“President Liao really spoils him. He even handles little things like this himself.”

“What good is spoiling him? The guy doesn’t take him seriously at all.”

As night deepened, Xu Sinian’s birthday banquet began.

He had invited quite a few guests.

In addition to an expensive birthday gift, I had specially commissioned a custom-made formal suit for him.

Once he put it on, he looked just like the little young master he used to be, untouched by hardship.

From the moment the banquet began, Xu Sinian was busy chatting with his friends, completely ignoring me, the person who had prepared the entire thing for him.

I leaned against the table and watched him, the corners of my eyes lowered, revealing a touch of lonely fragility as I dutifully played my role.

Just then, Xu Sinian’s eyes suddenly lit up.

He stared straight ahead, his face quietly flushing red.

I asked him, “Sinian, what’s wrong?”

Covering his mouth, he said, “Liao Qing, look. Huo Zhui is here. I invited him tonight, but I didn’t think he’d actually come.”

Flustered, he asked me, “What do I do, Liao Qing? How do I look right now? Is my hair messy? Is my collar straight?”

Gently, I said, “You are always perfect.”

No wonder he was so nervous.

So Huo Zhui had arrived.

He was the male lead of this novel, the most powerful big shot who could bankrupt someone with the flick of a finger.

He was also my future love rival-the one who would ruin me, break my legs, and leave me pitifully wandering the streets.

I hadn’t even met him yet.

I followed Xu Sinian’s gaze and looked over.

And the moment I did…

I froze as if I had seen a ghost.

In an instant, I became even more panicked than Xu Sinian.

This… this man…

Wasn’t he the man who slept with me last night?!

The man noticed our gazes as well and looked over at me.

When he saw me, he gave me a dangerous smile.

A chill ran down my spine, like I was prey that had just been locked onto.

Because this morning, when I threw cash onto his bed…

He had smiled exactly like that too.

Xu Sinian tugged at the hem of my shirt, his cheeks flushed. “Liao Qing, what do I do? He smiled at me. Should I take the initiative and go over to talk to him?”

But in the very next second, Huo Zhui took the initiative and walked toward us.

His pace was unhurried, but his gaze was locked straight on me.

When he reached us, his thin lips parted slightly, as if he were about to say something.

“Brother Huo!”

Xu Sinian beat him to it and went up to him. “Brother Huo, I didn’t think you’d really come celebrate my birthday. I thought you weren’t going to make it tonight!”

I froze.

Wait. Wasn’t this double standard a little too obvious?

When he called me, it was by my full name.

When he called him, it was Brother Huo.

Huo Zhui paused, then swallowed back whatever he had been about to say and merely nodded at Xu Sinian.

Xu Sinian’s ears turned red again. “I’m so happy you came. This is the happiest birthday I’ve ever had.”

I pressed my lips together.

I’d spent half the day running around for his birthday and hadn’t even had time to drink a sip of water.

Yet he hadn’t said a single word to me about how happy he was that I had prepared this birthday for him.

As expected of me. The textbook spare-tire second male lead.

Just as I was thinking that, Huo Zhui’s gaze landed on the bandage over my collarbone again, and he smiled.

“What happened to your collarbone? Are you hurt?”

He was asking when he already knew!

He knew perfectly well he was the one who had bitten me!

My expression stiff, I tugged at my collar. “It’s nothing. A dog bit me.”

Xu Sinian sensed that the atmosphere between Huo Zhui and me was off.

He asked, “What happened between you two? Do you know each other?”

I denied it first. “No. We don’t know each other.”

Huo Zhui’s expression darkened bit by bit. He stared at me, his laugh cool and thin.

“Oh. We don’t know each other.”

I let out a breath of relief and was just about to turn and flee.

Then he suddenly pressed a hand down on my shoulder, smiling without warmth. “Mr. Liao, you’re pretending not to know me. It can’t be because you’re mad that I made it hurt last night, can it?”

Xu Sinian looked at us in confusion. “What happened between you two last night?”

In my panic, a brilliant idea struck me, and I immediately tried to salvage the situation.

“Sinian, he and I don’t get along.

“Last night, we got into a fight.”

Huo Zhui froze, and the look he gave me grew even more dangerous.

Xu Sinian’s eyes widened too.

He grabbed me and pulled me to a place where there was no one around. His expression darkened as he said to me,

“Liao Qing, you don’t get along with Brother Huo?”

Before I could speak, he bit his lip and continued,

“But you’re my friend. If you have a problem with him, he’ll end up hating me too.

“I don’t want my relationship with him to get ruined because of you.

“You know I like him, right? I don’t want him to hate me.

“No matter what happened between you two, Liao Qing, can you please stop holding it against him? Take the initiative to apologize to him, fix your relationship with him, and don’t be at odds with him anymore.”

I froze.

After a long silence, I said, “Okay.”

Xu Sinian finally smiled and hugged me. “I knew you were the best to me!”

He happily pulled me back out.

“Brother Huo, don’t worry. I already talked things over with Liao Qing. He’ll communicate properly with you from now on and won’t get angry for no reason anymore.”

Huo Zhui smiled. “Then I really have to thank you.”

Xu Sinian’s face turned red. “I-it’s what I should do.”

Huo Zhui took out his phone and held it out to me. “Since we’re going to communicate, let’s add each other on WeChat.”

I had no choice but to brace myself and was forced to add Huo Zhui on WeChat.