âFourth Brother, thatâs enough.â Lin Yehan came to her rescue. âYing Yue and I only became an official couple last night. We plan on deepening our feelings for each other before getting married.â
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 didnât care. He continued to eat meat and put more food on his wifeâs 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 didnât 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 wasnât 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.
âEldest Brother, please treat Ying Yue and Little Jun well,â Iris said.
âOf course,â Lin Yehan replied without hesitation.
While eating breakfast, they talked about Lin Yehanâs 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 galaâLong Hui and Mao Qiuyueâs wedding.
âYing Yue, please be my partner at the gala,â Lin Yehan said.
âIâŠ.â Jiang Ying Yue looked torn.
âJust agree, Ying Yue,â Iris interjected. âThereâs nothing to worry about it. Dom, Big Sister Jinjing and even Chen Fei and Meimei are all going. If Clover were here, Iâm sure that sheâll 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.â
âYep, just come with us, Sis Yue!â Dom piped in. âItâs going to be so much fun! We, the girl squad, are going to be the most gorgeous and fabulous in the gala!â
âI originally didnât plan on attending but I changed my mind when I learned that most of our friends are also going,â Long Jinjing said. âLittle Sister Xiulan has already made arrangements for our styling so thereâs no need to worry about anything else other than our attendance.â
Iris added, âBesides, even if weâre not with you, Iâm sure that Eldest Brother wonât leave you alone to fend for yourself at the gala.â
Lin Yehan nodded. âExactly.â He looked at Jiang Ying Yue. âBe my partner?â
Jiang Ying Yue still looked a little hesitant but she nodded. âOkay.â
He smiled.
âGah!â Yu Mo shielded his eyes. âToo bright! My eyes are melting from all the dog food! All of you are now couples. Iâm the only one here whoâs a single dog!â
Dom batted her eyelashes. âI, the gorgeous beauty king, am also single. Youâre not alone, Teacher Yu.â
Yu Mo sighed. âDom, if only you were born female, I would have already chased you and made you mine. I think weâre quite compatible.â
Dom sighed as well. âIf I were born female, I would reject you without hesitation, Teacher Yu. Even though weâre quite compatible as you say, youâre still not my type.â
âAh!â 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 didnât 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 wivesâ 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.
âJunjun kiss-kiss, chu!â (Give Junjun a kiss, too!)
Jiang Ying Yue smiled and squatted down to her sonâs level. Then she showered her sonâs 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.
âLittle Jun wants you to kiss him, too,â she translated what her sonâs expression meant.
âOh.â He chuckled before squatting down as well. Then he held the child gently and gave Little Jun a kiss on each cheek.
âHehe.â Satisfied, Little Jun abandoned his mother and Uncle Yehan to play with Popcorn and Gravy.
Lin Yehanâs smile couldnât be any happier. He was beaming even when he left with his brothers.
âYing Yue, letâs chat,â 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.
âSis Yue, tell us how you and Eldest Brother Boss became a couple! Hurry!â Domâs curiosity and excitement were palpable in the way he bounced on his seat in anticipation.
âUhmâŠ.â Jiang Ying Yue felt shy. But at the same time, she also wanted to hear her friendsâ 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.
âSoâŠwhat do you think?â Jiang Ying Yue asked.
âWeh, are you sure you and Eldest Brother Boss didnât chupa-choops yet?â Dom asked.
âChuâwhat?â Jiang Ying Yue was confused at the unfamiliar term.
âYou know!â Dom made a vulgar gesture with his hands.
Jiang Ying Yue threw an accent pillow at him.
âEhehe!â The agile Dom evaded it. âIâm just teasing you, Sis Yue. But Iâm really impressed at Eldest Brother Bossâ self-control. You slept on the same bed and yet he only kissed you.â
Iris finally put a stop to Domâs teasing. Jiang Ying Yue gave her a grateful look.
It was Long Jinjing who changed the light atmosphere with her question. âSis Ying Yue, please donât be offended at what Iâm going to ask butâŠI think that itâsâŠuh, important.â
âGo ahead, Jinjing.â
âAre you sure thatâŠyouâre not using Eldest Brother Yehan as aâsorryâa rebound?â
Jiang Ying Yue stiffened.
Even Iris and Dom became serious.
They all looked at Jiang Ying Yue and waited for her answer.
âOf course not!â She shook her head in a hurry. âIâm not that kind of person! I would neverâŠthereâs no wayâŠthat I will use Yehan as a r-rebound.â
âOkay, I understand,â Long Jinjing also quickly said. âIâm sorry for asking this question, Sis Ying Yue.â
Iris sipped her tea. She looked the calmest among the group. âThatâs 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. Sheâs not like that.â
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 didnât know if she would be able to react well.
âI trulyâŠlike Yehan,â she told her friends. âI donât think that I love him yetâŠbut Iâm close to it. Itâs a different kind of attraction that I felt withâŠyou know who. Itâs calmerâŠsteadierâŠand more reassuring. Yehan is an excellent man.â
âTrue that!â Dom piped in again. âEldest Brother Boss has a different charm from other men. I can already see that heâll be a great daddy to Little Junie boy, too!â
Jiang Ying Yue sighed. âLong Hui will always be my sonâs father. That will never change. If he wants to see Little Jun, I wonât obstruct him as long as he doesnât harm our son in any way. But youâre right, Dom. I can also see that Yehan will be a great father to Little Jun. He also promised me several times that heâll treat my son like his own. To be honest, that promise was the clincher for me. Itâs one of the main reasons why I agreed to be with him.â
âThatâs only natural,â Iris said. âLiwei and I wonât agree with your relationship with Eldest Brother if he doesnât treat Little Jun well. I trust Eldest Brotherâs character more than Long Hui.â