True Color

Qi Xing, who rarely woke up early, got up and got ready to accompany his father to attend the Ye family’s wedding.

As the car drove towards the mountains, before getting off, Qi Ronghua couldn’t help but remind his son again, “We’re here to attend the wedding. When we meet people, I want you to greet them politely and behave. Don’t wander around unnecessarily.”

“I know,” Qi Xing replied absentmindedly, his gaze falling outside the car window.

The third son of the Ye family’s wedding was held at a resort villa developed by the Ye family on the outskirts of the city. It was Qi Xing’s first time being there, and he had to admit that the environment and scenery of the place were quite beautiful. It was a good place for leisure and enjoyment.

The Ye family’s wedding was a grand event, with distinguished and wealthy guests. Qi Ronghua wanted to keep a low profile, but to his surprise, when they arrived at the venue, the person who came to greet them was Ye Xingzhou himself.

Qi Xing stood with his hands in his pockets, watching his father shake hands and chat with Ye Xingzhou, curling his lip in disdain.

When Ye Xingzhou’s gaze fell on him and saw his expression, Qi Xing raised his chin without embarrassment and asked, “Ye Xingzhao, where is sir Lin?”

His tone was as bold as usual, without any politeness. Ye Xingzhou looked at him expressionless and replied, “He’s inside.” Then he turned to Qi Ronghua and said, “Uncle Qi, please come in.”

Qi Xing sneered, “Ye Xingzhao, you’re really good at buttering people up. You address my grandfather as your grandpa and my dad as your uncle. Should I call you uncle or brother too?”

Ye Xingzhou glanced at him and said, “whichever you like.”

Qi Xing rolled his eyes and said, “… whatever.”

Qi Ronghua coughed and interrupted them, “Let’s go inside first. There are so many guests here, Ye Xingzhao, you don’t need to specially welcome us.”

Ye Xingzhou said, “It’s fine. I’ll accompany Uncle Qi to go in.”

Ye Xingzhou gestured, “Uncle Qi, this way, please.”

Inside the resort villa, there was a large artificial lake, and the wedding venue was on the lawn by the lake. As the time had not yet arrived, guests were gathered in small groups, chatting and socializing.

Ye Xingzhou personally led Qi Ronghua over, and for a while, many people came up to greet and converse with them. After chatting with them for a while, Ye Xingzhou reminded Qi Ronghua that there was a resting area in the villa area behind them, and they could make themselves comfortable there. He then went to greet other guests.

The crowd didn’t disperse. Although Qi Ronghua was secretly mocked as a nouveau riche, his Ronghua Capital was currently thriving, and there were quite a few people waiting for him to leak money. The surroundings were filled with flattering and obsequious voices. Qi Xing took the opportunity to slip away and find his own amusement.

Yang Kaiming saw him from a distance and walked over briskly, saying, “I knew you would definitely come today.”

Qi Xing glanced at him disinterestedly and said . ” I don’t have time for you. I’m going to find sir Lin.”

Yang Kaiming was used to his temper and smiled, saying, “You’ve come to someone’s territory to attend a wedding and take the opportunity to interfere with his relationship. Only you, Qi Xing, can do such a thing. But  I just saw him heading to the villa. I’ll take you there.”

They walked together towards the villa area, and Qi Xing’s gaze swept over Ye Xingzhou, who was surrounded by a group of stars in the distance. “From the looks of it, anyone who doesn’t know would think that Ye Xingzhou was the main character of this wedding.”

Yang Kaiming replied, “It’s normal. Ye Family’s previously highly regarded second son was sent to an overseas branch, and the third son betrayed his own brother at the critical moment and now makes a living under him. Not to mention organizing a wedding, together with Ye Xingzhao. As for the fourth son, let’s not even mention him. He’s useless and can’t do anything. Even you and I look down on him.”

Qi Xing laughed and said, “You have quite a sharp tongue.”

When they reached the door of the rest area, Yang Kaiming was about to push the door open when Qi Xing suddenly held his hand and gestured for him to be silent.

Voices could be heard from inside.

“How are you and Ye Xingzhou doing now?”

“Uncle, I’m just friends with him. Please don’t keep asking me about this.”

“Just friends? But you’re always together like a couple. Weren’t you close when you were studying together? Can’t you take the initiative to please him?”

“I’m not like that with him…”

Yang Kaiming raised an eyebrow at Qi Xing. It was evident that the people inside were Lin Zhinian and his uncle. One sounded aggressive, and the other seemed awkward and restrained. Lin’s uncle was someone who cared about his reputation in public, but unexpectedly, he was pressuring his own nephew to use his body to please another man in private.

Qi Xing had heard enough and forcefully pushed open the door without hesitation.

The two people inside looked surprised. Lin Zhinian’s face showed a fleeting embarrassment, and Qi Xing acted surprised as well, saying, “Ah, sorry, we didn’t know there were people inside. So, sir Lin, you’re here. What a coincidence, I was just looking for you.”

He walked towards Lin Zhinian, while Lin uncle scrutinized him and looked towards Lin Zhinian with suspicion. Lin Zhinian introduced them, forcing a smile, “This is Qi Xing from Ronghua Capital. Qi Xing, this is my uncle.”

The other party’s eyes brightened, and he immediately became more enthusiastic, extending his hand with a radiant smile, “So, you’re Qi Xing. Nice to meet you.”

However, Qi Xing didn’t move nor shook his hand,

The smile on the other party’s face froze halfway. Qi Xing ignored him and turned to Lin Zhinian, saying, “The wedding over there is about to start. Will you go over now? Shall we go together?”

Lin Zhinian breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Alright.”

After leaving the villa, Lin Zhinian awkwardly thanked him, “Thank you for helping me out just now, Qi Xing. I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

Qi Xing shrugged indifferently, “It was nothing. But, is your uncle always like that?”

Lin Zhinian replied, “…He cares too much.”

“Is that so?” Qi Xing smiled and asked, “Then, you and Ye Xingzhao, really don’t have that kind of relationship? Since that’s the case, can I pursue you? “

Upon hearing this, Yang Kaiming quickly found an excuse and ran off. Lin Zhinian felt uneasy and said, “Qi Xing, please don’t joke like that.”

“I’m not joking,” Qi Xing said innocently, “Do I look like I’m joking? I really want to pursue you.”

Seeing Lin Zhinian hesitate and not knowing how to respond, Qi Xing waved his hand with a smile, “Forget it, take your time to consider, sir Lin. I’m definitely sure i can treat you better  than Ye Xingzhao.Think about it carefully.”

Back at the lakeside, there were more people at the wedding venue than before. Ye Xingzhou was still the center of attention in the crowd, holding a glass of champagne and leisurely listening to others’ conversations. Every movement and gesture exuded the demeanor of a graceful nobleman.

Qi Xing followed Lin Zhinian and walked over, observing him from a distance, inwardly criticizing the pretentiousness of that person, feeling a bit annoyed.

When Lin Zhinian approached, someone made room for him. Lin Zhinian walked up to Ye Xingzhou and asked softly, “Is the wedding about to start?”

Ye Xingzhou took a sip of his drink and casually reminded him, “It will be a while. Why don’t you have something to eat first?”

“Xingzhou is taking good care of Zhinian. Even after so many years, your relationship is still as good as before. It’s really enviable. Take a look, it makes people jealous.”

A smiling middle-aged man suddenly spoke, carrying an air of an elder, looking at Ye Xingzhou and Lin Zhinian.

Ye Xingzhou raised his eyelids and calmly looked back, not responding. The man continued, “I still remember when you two were in high school, you were often seen together. It’s been so many years, and it’s rare that your relationship is still the same. Now even Wan Qing is married, but you, as his older brother, is falling behind. I think you should settle down too. Our family is not so conservative, there’s nothing wrong with liking men…”

Ye Xingzhou slowly drank his wine, seemingly unaffected by the words, while Lin Zhinian subconsciously looked at him, his eyes flickering.

The surrounding people were just enjoying the spectacle. The members of the Ye family discussed Ye Xingzhou’s romantic affairs in public, with some truth and some fabrication, only known to the parties involved.

“That’s enough, stop talking nonsense,” someone finally spoke up and intercepted. It was another elder from the Ye family, who pointed his cane at the ground, displeased. “Today is Wan Qing’s wedding. Don’t get drunk and speak nonsense here.”

“Big brother, how am I speaking nonsense? Who among us doesn’t know about the relationship between Xingzhou and Zhinian?”

“I told you to shut up!”

“What good does it do for me to shut up? We can’t control Xingzhou’s affairs, but big brother, you even wanted to introduce a girl to Xingzhou before. Why bother? If he likes men, and you forcefully push a girl onto him, won’t it create enmity?”

“Xingzhou is not the kind of person you’re talking about. Stop talking nonsense here!”

Ye Xingzhou remained composed, allowing them to argue while he continued to drink his own glass of wine.

Qi Xing stood on the side with folded arms, watching the drama unfold. Yang Kaiming approached him and whispered, “The odd-tempered one from the Ye family is Ye’s uncle. I heard he made a lot of money in their family company before being kicked out by Ye Xingzhou. It seems he deliberately wanted to make trouble for Ye Xingzhou today. The other one is Ye Xingzhou’s uncle, who previously acted as a matchmaker for Ye Xingzhou in public. He’s the one the Ye family values the most in terms of reputation.”

Qi Xing scanned over Ye Xingzhou, who didn’t even furrow his brows, and made a fair assessment, “It seems like they’re both putting on a show. Ye Xingzhou doesn’t want to pay any attention to either of them.”

After finishing half a glass of wine, Ye Xingzhou placed it on the refreshment table and spoke up, “I appreciate the concern from my uncle and my uncle’s brother.”

The Ye uncle wanted to say something, but Ye Xingzhou didn’t give him a chance. “But this is a private matter between Zhinian and me. It seems unnecessary to discuss it in front of everyone.”

Qi Xing applauded twice and interjected, “it’ll be good if you at least respect Lin zhinian’s opinion. What do you mean by ‘not that kind of person’? What kind of person is that? Honestly, Lin Zhinian might not even fancy Ye Xingzhao, right? What do you think, Lin zhinizan?”

Under everyone’s gaze, Lin Zhinian felt embarrassed. Ye Xingzhou’s eyes fell on Qi Xing, paused for a moment, and suddenly said, “It doesn’t matter what kind of person I am, but do you know what kind of person you are?”

“Does it concern you?” Qi Xing retorted.

“No, it doesn’t,” Ye Xingzhou said, nodding. “I’m just curious. I’m very interested in you and your affairs, Qi xing.”

His tone was calm, but his words had a subtle, indescribable sense of ambiguity. The gazes of the people around them became somewhat surprised and thought-provoking.

Qi Xing was taken aback for a moment and blurted out, “I’m not interested in you!”

“I know,” Ye Xingzhou nodded,  and shifted his gaze away, signaling to others, “The wedding is about to begin. Please take your seats.”