”Fourth Brother, that’s enough.” Lin Yehan came to her rescue. “Ying Yue and I only became an official couple last night. We plan on deepening our feelings for each other before getting married.”
Jin Liwei raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Lin Yehan made his move after they all dispersed from their drinking session last night.
Lu Zihao didn’t care. He continued to eat meat and put more food on his wife’s plate instead.
As for Iris, Long Jinjing and Dom, all of them looked happy for their friend. Although they already knew that Lin Yehan had been courting Jiang Ying Yue before this and estimated that the two would become a couple sooner rather than later, they still didn’t expect that the two would really get together this fast.
Unlike Iris and Long Jinjing who were both single when they got involved with their respective husbands, Jiang Ying Yue carried a lot of baggage from her previous relationship. It wasn’t easy for her to enter another committed relationship compared to her friends especially since she had a child with her ex.
Everyone knew how hurt and humiliated she felt when she and Long Hui broke up. They thought that she would need more time to heal from her heartbreak before accepting a new lover.
”Eldest Brother, please treat Ying Yue and Little Jun well,” Iris said.
”Of course,” Lin Yehan replied without hesitation.
While eating breakfast, they talked about Lin Yehan’s upcoming gala that he was hosting for the national shooting team. At the same time, they all had a tacit understanding not to talk about another event that was scheduled on the same day as the gala—Long Hui and Mao Qiuyue’s wedding.
”Ying Yue, please be my partner at the gala,” Lin Yehan said.
”I….” Jiang Ying Yue looked torn.
”Just agree, Ying Yue,” Iris interjected. “There’s nothing to worry about it. Dom, Big Sister Jinjing and even Chen Fei and Meimei are all going. If Clover were here, I’m sure that she’ll go with us, too. I hired extra people from LXC Studio to help my glam team style us for the event. No need to worry about the dresses either. A few of my favourite designers already agreed to send some dresses for us to choose from.”
”Yep, just come with us, Sis Yue!” Dom piped in. “It’s going to be so much fun! We, the girl squad, are going to be the most gorgeous and fabulous in the gala!”
”I originally didn’t plan on attending but I changed my mind when I learned that most of our friends are also going,” Long Jinjing said. “Little Sister Xiulan has already made arrangements for our styling so there’s no need to worry about anything else other than our attendance.”
Iris added, “Besides, even if we’re not with you, I’m sure that Eldest Brother won’t leave you alone to fend for yourself at the gala.”
Lin Yehan nodded. “Exactly.” He looked at Jiang Ying Yue. “Be my partner?”
Jiang Ying Yue still looked a little hesitant but she nodded. “Okay.”
He smiled.
”Gah!” Yu Mo shielded his eyes. “Too bright! My eyes are melting from all the dog food! All of you are now couples. I’m the only one here who’s a single dog!”
Dom batted her eyelashes. “I, the gorgeous beauty king, am also single. You’re not alone, Teacher Yu.”
Yu Mo sighed. “Dom, if only you were born female, I would have already chased you and made you mine. I think we’re quite compatible.”
Dom sighed as well. “If I were born female, I would reject you without hesitation, Teacher Yu. Even though we’re quite compatible as you say, you’re still not my type.”
”Ah!” Yu Mo clutched his chest and showed an exaggerated expression of shock.
Everyone laughed at the antics of the two. Indeed, they were quite compatible. Both of them were lively, funny, and had the talent of lightening up almost any atmosphere.
After breakfast, the men were dawdling before going to their respective work, especially Lin Yehan who only became an official couple with his lady last night.
He didn’t mind that the others were around them. He gave Jiang Ying Yue a peck on the lips.
Why should he be shy? What he did was nothing compared to what his third brother and fifth brother were doing to their wives. Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao were almost eating their wives’ faces off by how hard, deep and enthusiastic they were kissing them in front of everyone else.
The kiss he and Jiang Ying Yue shared just now was very chaste compared to what the other two shameless couples were doing.
All of a sudden, Lin Yehan and Jiang Ying Yue felt something force itself between the two of them. They looked down at the same time and saw Little Jun.
”Junjun kiss-kiss, chu!” (Give Junjun a kiss, too!)
Jiang Ying Yue smiled and squatted down to her son’s level. Then she showered her son’s face with lots of kisses. Little Jun giggled from delight.
After his mother kissed him, he gave Lin Yehan an expectant look next. Lin Yehan turned to Jiang Ying Yue, silently asking her what to do.
”Little Jun wants you to kiss him, too,” she translated what her son’s expression meant.
”Oh.” He chuckled before squatting down as well. Then he held the child gently and gave Little Jun a kiss on each cheek.
”Hehe.” Satisfied, Little Jun abandoned his mother and Uncle Yehan to play with Popcorn and Gravy.
Lin Yehan’s smile couldn’t be any happier. He was beaming even when he left with his brothers.
”Ying Yue, let’s chat,” Iris called.
The friends dropped off the children, cats and puppies to the nursery first before heading to the nearby sitting area. The butler served them digestive herbal tea blend.
”Sis Yue, tell us how you and Eldest Brother Boss became a couple! Hurry!” Dom’s curiosity and excitement were palpable in the way he bounced on his seat in anticipation.
”Uhm….” Jiang Ying Yue felt shy. But at the same time, she also wanted to hear her friends’ opinion, so she told them everything that happened.
Dom was ooh-ing and aah-ing and kyaah-ing while Iris and Long Jinjing focused on listening to Jiang Ying Yue.
”So…what do you think?” Jiang Ying Yue asked.
”Weh, are you sure you and Eldest Brother Boss didn’t chupa-choops yet?” Dom asked.
”Chu—what?” Jiang Ying Yue was confused at the unfamiliar term.
”You know!” Dom made a vulgar gesture with his hands.
Jiang Ying Yue threw an accent pillow at him.
”Ehehe!” The agile Dom evaded it. “I’m just teasing you, Sis Yue. But I’m really impressed at Eldest Brother Boss’ self-control. You slept on the same bed and yet he only kissed you.”
Iris finally put a stop to Dom’s teasing. Jiang Ying Yue gave her a grateful look.
It was Long Jinjing who changed the light atmosphere with her question. “Sis Ying Yue, please don’t be offended at what I’m going to ask but…I think that it’s…uh, important.”
”Go ahead, Jinjing.”
”Are you sure that…you’re not using Eldest Brother Yehan as a—sorry—a rebound?”
Jiang Ying Yue stiffened.
Even Iris and Dom became serious.
They all looked at Jiang Ying Yue and waited for her answer.
”Of course not!” She shook her head in a hurry. “I’m not that kind of person! I would never…there’s no way…that I will use Yehan as a r-rebound.”
”Okay, I understand,” Long Jinjing also quickly said. “I’m sorry for asking this question, Sis Ying Yue.”
Iris sipped her tea. She looked the calmest among the group. “That’s actually a valid question, Big Sister Jinjing. But since Ying Yue says that her relationship with Eldest Brother is not a rebound, then we should believe in her. We know what her character is like. She’s not like that.”
Both Long Jinjing and Dom nodded.
Nevertheless, the matter about rebound made Jiang Ying Yue reflect on her true feelings and intentions towards Lin Yehan. She had never thought about it before but her current relationship with Lin Yehan might indeed appear like a rebound to others people.
It was actually good that Long Jinjing mentioned it this early. At least, Jiang Ying Yue could process it in a safe zone among her friends. If she encountered it in a public setting among strangers, then she didn’t know if she would be able to react well.
”I truly…like Yehan,” she told her friends. “I don’t think that I love him yet…but I’m close to it. It’s a different kind of attraction that I felt with…you know who. It’s calmer…steadier…and more reassuring. Yehan is an excellent man.”
”True that!” Dom piped in again. “Eldest Brother Boss has a different charm from other men. I can already see that he’ll be a great daddy to Little Junie boy, too!”
Jiang Ying Yue sighed. “Long Hui will always be my son’s father. That will never change. If he wants to see Little Jun, I won’t obstruct him as long as he doesn’t harm our son in any way. But you’re right, Dom. I can also see that Yehan will be a great father to Little Jun. He also promised me several times that he’ll treat my son like his own. To be honest, that promise was the clincher for me. It’s one of the main reasons why I agreed to be with him.”
”That’s only natural,” Iris said. “Liwei and I won’t agree with your relationship with Eldest Brother if he doesn’t treat Little Jun well. I trust Eldest Brother’s character more than Long Hui.”
