"You too!" He turned to Su Yumian. "Of all people to seduce, you just had to pick him? Are you satisfied now?"

  Su Yumian felt both angry and wronged. She was the one dragged into this mess for no reason—what had she done wrong?

  Shen Shiyan, however, remained terrifyingly calm in the face of Jiang Yihuai's questioning. He wiped the wound on his nose, the corner of his lips curling coldly. "Didn't you already see what we were doing?"

  Jiang Yihuai's face was expressionless. "So, you have no expnation?"

  "Expin what? That I like Su Yumian? That I want to pursue her?"

  The words made Su Yumian turn pale. Jiang Yihuai, on the other hand, burned with fury, his eyes turning red as he raised his fist and swung it at Shen Shiyan.

  "Bastard! You like her? Want to pursue her?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

  Shen Shiyan took the punch, his head snapping to the side, his mind buzzing. But his first instinct was to shield Su Yumian behind him. "What? Not allowed?"

  That protective gesture, as if he was pulling her under his wings, infuriated Jiang Yihuai even more. He gritted his teeth and spat out, "Of course not!"

  "And what right do you have to say that? An ex-boyfriend who's supposed to be in the past?"

  Jiang Yihuai sneered. "It's only in the past if I say so. Who do you think you are?"

  Shen Shiyan chuckled. "Didn't you say it yourself? You were the one who initiated the breakup. We were all there. Have you already forgotten?"

  "Fine." Jiang Yihuai ughed coldly, nodding. "You were waiting for me here, huh?"

  Guilt fshed across Shen Shiyan's face. "Sorry, but you let go first..."

  "That doesn't mean you get to chase her! Shen Shiyan, do you have no standards? Even a rabbit knows not to eat the grass near its own burrow!"

  Shen Shiyan took a deep breath. "Calm down. In this day and age, men and women break up and move on. You and she are done. Are you saying Su Yumian can never be with another man? If not me, there will be someone else."

  Jiang Yihuai's mind suddenly conjured an image of Su Yumian with another man, sharing intimacy, building a family together. A loud boom went off in his head, something inside him detonating. His clenched fists trembled uncontrolbly as his vision blurred.

  By the time he regained his senses, he was already throwing punches at Shen Shiyan again.

  Shen Shiyan dodged quickly, but because he was protecting Su Yumian, he still took a few hits. Of course, Jiang Yihuai didn’t get away unscathed either—having grown up together, Shen Shiyan knew exactly where his weaknesses were. Soon, Jiang Yihuai’s lip was split, and a cut appeared on his forehead…

  Meanwhile, Shi Muxi had taken two minutes in the lounge to compose herself before heading downstairs to find Jiang Yihuai.

  She had decided—Su Yumian was in the past. Running into her like this was inevitable, and there was no need to overreact. Otherwise, she’d only seem petty. That thought settled her emotions, but after searching the entire hall, she still couldn’t find Jiang Yihuai.

  A waiter finally pointed her toward the garden outside. And what did she see?

  Jiang Yihuai, fighting someone!

  And not just anyone—his close friend, Shen Shiyan!

  Shi Muxi was stunned by their vicious brawl. Snapping back to reality, she saw the injuries on Jiang Yihuai’s face and rushed forward. "Stop it! Stop fighting! You’re going to get seriously hurt!"

  She reached out to pull Jiang Yihuai’s arm, but he shoved her aside without hesitation. She fell to the ground in an embarrassed heap. Hearing the commotion, Cheng Zhou and Gu Yizhou came running out.

  "What the hell is going on?!"

  "Are you two insane?!"

  "Stop it! Yihuai! Shiyan—"

  Both of them grabbed one of the fighters.

  Cheng Zhou tried to calm Jiang Yihuai. "Dude, take a breath. Chill out!"

  Gu Yizhou held onto Shen Shiyan. "Shen Shiyan, have you lost your mind?! Can’t you two just talk instead of throwing punches?!"

  Jiang Yihuai & Shen Shiyan: "Let go of me! Get off!"

  Seeing that they were about to start swinging again, Cheng Zhou and Gu Yizhou refused to release them.

  "Expin. What the hell is going on?" Gu Yizhou demanded, looking between them.

  "Come on, whatever it is, just talk it out. You’re brothers—don’t ruin your friendship over this!" Cheng Zhou added.

  Gu Yizhou sighed. "Yihuai, today is Shiyan’s birthday. No matter how big the issue, deal with it ter."

  Shen Shiyan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gnced at the still-furious Jiang Yihuai. He smirked. "I meant every word I said earlier. I’ve thought it through. You have no right to interfere."

  With that, he turned to the pale, dazed Su Yumian and gently draped his jacket over her shoulders. "Are you okay? Did this scare you? Let me take you home."

  Cheng Zhou and Gu Yizhou were dumbfounded, their minds going bnk.

  Shen Shiyan and Su Yumian?

  What the hell?!

  So this was why Jiang Yihuai lost it?!

  Su Yumian snapped back to her senses. Seeing Shen Shiyan’s outstretched hand, she subtly stepped back, avoiding his touch. Then, she removed the jacket and handed it back to him.

  "No need. I’ll go home by myself. Whatever this is, leave me out of it. I’m not a prize for you two to fight over."

  She raised her eyes, speaking each word clearly. "From now on, let’s not contact each other."

  It was directed at Shen Shiyan, but also at Jiang Yihuai, who stood not far away, his eyes red with rage.

  "Yumian…" Shen Shiyan’s lips moved, his gaze dropping. "I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would turn out like this. If I caused you trouble, I’ll make it up to you—"

  Su Yumian cut him off. "If you really want to make it up to me, stay away."

  At first, she had been confused, hurt, and frustrated. But now, she was perfectly calm. Because she finally understood—this wasn’t her fault.

  Shen Shiyan had acted recklessly, Jiang Yihuai had lost his temper, and she had been dragged into the mess. Why should she bear the weight of their guilt, anger, or any other negative emotions?

  All she wanted now was to free herself from the trouble they caused. But of course, Shen Shiyan wouldn’t let her off so easily.

  He had gone through so much trouble to create opportunities to be around her, to orchestrate this very moment. Now that he had finally broken the ice, how could he let her walk away?

  "Yumian, you can refuse me, but I still have the right to pursue you."

  Su Yumian: "…" Did he want to make things worse? Was this fire not burning bright enough yet?

  As expected, Jiang Yihuai’s already dark expression became even stormier.

  "Shen Shiyan, do you think I’m dead?!"

  Shen Shiyan shrugged. "You’ve punched me and yelled at me. Just accept reality."

  Su Yumian sighed. "You two can talk all you want. I’m leaving."

  She turned to go. But Shen Shiyan didn’t give her the chance—he reached out and grabbed her shoulder…

  xiaoxingxing