Chapter 121: Birds of a Feather

The dishes they ordered were served quickly, and they found a place to sit down.

"It's only been a few months, but you've changed so much," Wei Lanyin remarked suddenly, looking at Lin Jingyue.

"Have I become prettier?"

"...Stop it." Wei Lanyin's lips twitched.

She meant it. Although Lin Jingyue's temperament didn't seem to have changed much, the aura she exuded was different—there was a stark contrast to her former self.

Yet, this difference wasn't immediately obvious; without close observation, one would think she was exactly the same as before.

"You've changed too. Everyone grows up, after all." Lin Jingyue chuckled, shaking her head. "Let's not talk about that. Why did you treat me to lunch? Let me tell you, my brother isn't that easy to ask out."

Wei Lanyin was speechless.

She really wanted to take back what she had just said. Lin Jingyue hadn't changed at all; she was still as blunt as ever.

"You're overthinking it." She rolled her eyes at Lin Jingyue.

But her face flushed slightly. Her family wanted to set her up on blind dates, but she didn't feel right about it.

Meeting Lin Jingyue's cousin yesterday had sparked an impulse in her heart.

She thought to herself that if she had to marry, she must choose someone good-looking. That way, she wouldn't get so angry during arguments.

"Sure, sure, you have no such intentions," Lin Jingyue said, arching an eyebrow.

"..."

Suppressing her amusement, Lin Jingyue asked, "Speaking of which, are you still in touch with any of our classmates?"

"Classmates? No."

The two chatted idly.

By the end of the meal, the chef at the state-run restaurant had proven his skills to be quite good; Lin Jingyue finished two bowls of rice.

This left Wei Lanyin staring in slight disbelief.

"Comrade Wei? You're eating here too? What a coincidence!" A voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

"You are...?" Wei Lanyin turned around. Seeing a stranger, she frowned slightly.

She failed to notice that Lin Jingyue's eyebrows arched when she saw the newcomer.

The man's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and hurried to reintroduce himself. "I'm Wu Qinglong, your cousin's colleague. We met once a few days ago."

*Wu Qinglong? And I'm the White Tiger of the West,* Lin Jingyue thought, rolling her eyes inwardly. The Wu family really had a knack for giving their children terrible names.

"Oh, it's you. Is there something I can help you with?" Wei Lanyin said indifferently. Her expression was perfunctory, and it was hard to tell if she actually remembered him.

Wu Qinglong scratched his head. "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say hello since I ran into you here..."

"Alright then, we're leaving. Please excuse us," Wei Lanyin shrugged, then looked at Lin Jingyue. "Jingyue, let's go."

"Jingyue?"

Wu Qinglong froze, staring at Lin Jingyue beside her. "Lin Jingyue?! It's you! How are you with Wei—"

"Do I need to report to you about who I associate with?" Lin Jingyue cut him off with a cold sneer before he could finish.

"What kind of attitude is that? I am your cousin!"

"Cousin my foot! Get lost," Lin Jingyue shot him a chilly look. "A good dog doesn't block the way."

With that, she signaled Wei Lanyin to leave, stood up, and shoved right past him.

"You..." Wu Qinglong clutched his shoulder, his face darkening.

Lin Jingyue had already walked out. Wei Lanyin gave him a cool glance and followed.

"Comrade Wei..."

Outside the entrance, Wei Lanyin caught up with Lin Jingyue. "That jerk is actually your cousin?"

Her look of utter disgust amused Lin Jingyue, who burst out laughing. "That guy doesn't qualify. Didn't you see my actual cousin yesterday?"

"True." Although Wei Lanyin still found it a bit strange, she didn't probe further.

"By the way, when are you heading back? Can we hang out these next few days? The skating rink next to the school opens tomorrow. Want to go together?" They had never gone together before, though she had spotted Lin Jingyue at the rink in the past.

"I'll leave after the New Year, so I have a few days to play." Life was too boring, and Lin Jingyue had zero resistance when it came to having fun.

She agreed immediately.

"Why don't you bring your cousin along?" Wei Lanyin finally revealed her true motive.

"No way..."

"Tomorrow is my treat."

"I'll think about it."

"I'll treat you to a big feast the day after tomorrow."

"Hmm..."

Before Lin Jingyue could agree, Wei Lanyin added with a look of resignation, "I'll cover all your expenses for the next few days."

She was truly going all out for a man.

"It's a deal!" Lin Jingyue beamed.

Watching her walk away, Wei Lanyin couldn't help but feel that if she actually ended up with Han Xingye, her life would definitely be very eventful.

Back at the Han residence, Song Qinglan and Han Jianmin were out, but Han Xingye and Han Yizhou had already returned.

"Sister, how could you go out to play all by yourself?" Han Yizhou said grumpily when he saw Lin Jingyue. "How could you forget your incredibly handsome brother?"

"..." *Is there something wrong with his head?*

Lin Jingyue ignored him. Once she sat down, she turned to the smiling Han Xingye. "Brother Xingye, want to go to the skating rink tomorrow?"

Han Xingye raised an eyebrow, looking at her sly, fox-like smile. "Who else is going besides you?"

"...My classmate. The one we ran into yesterday."

"Is it her treat?"

"Smart!" Lin Jingyue gave him a thumbs-up.

"Sure, let's go then."

Lin Jingyue's eyes crinkled with laughter. "You really are my brother."

The way they both refused to miss out on a free ride was identical.

...

The next day, after having lunch, the three of them headed out under Song Qinglan's nagging reminders.

When they arrived, Wei Lanyin was already waiting. However, she wasn't alone. With her were Wu Qinglong, his younger sister Wu Lili, and another man whom Lin Jingyue didn't recognize, though she guessed he must be Wei Lanyin's cousin.

Wei Lanyin was an only child.

"Oh, you're finally here." Wei Lanyin let out a sigh of relief when she saw Lin Jingyue.

She hurried over to pull Lin Jingyue close. Seeing that she had actually brought Han Xingye along, her smile grew even brighter.

"Big Brother Han, Second Brother Han," she greeted them, showing a bit of thick-skinned boldness just like Lin Jingyue.

"Lin Jingyue? What are you doing here?" Before anyone else could speak, Wu Qinglong glared at Lin Jingyue, his face twisted in annoyance.

He and Wu Lili belonged to the first branch of the Wu family—the children of Lin Jingyue's eldest uncle.

Meanwhile, Wu Shanshan was the daughter of Wu Zhenhua, from the second branch.

"What I do is none of your business," Lin Jingyue snapped back instantly.

There was no need to be polite to the idiots of the Wu family.

"You..."

"Brother!" Wu Lili quickly pulled her brother back, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Jingyue, I'm sorry. My brother didn't mean it that way, he just..."

"Whether he meant it or not has nothing to do with me. By the way, we aren't that close, so please call me by my full name or address me as Comrade Lin." Lin Jingyue was equally impatient with Wu Lili.

Although Wu Lili was the only somewhat normal person in the Wu family, Lin Jingyue still found her utterly annoying.

"Lanyin, who is this...?" Wei Lanyin's cousin asked, having stared blankly at Lin Jingyue since she arrived.