Do not believe rumors, do not spread rumors

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Lin Chen walked up beside An Yi and glanced at Shen Muxuan as he asked.

Startled by Lin Chen's sudden appearance, An Yi jumped. "Damn, dude, you’re like a ghost—no sound at all when you walk!"

Lin Chen replied coolly, "Your girlfriend is nice. Take good care of her and stop eyeing Qin Yao."

An Yi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So now you’re using the soft approach on your love rival?"

As if a few words would make him give up his dream of marrying into wealth? No way!

From the moment they first met, An Yi had never let his guard down around this guy.

Lin Chen gave him a sidelong glance and said seriously, "No, it’s just that you’re too much of a scumbag. I want Qin Yao to stay far away from you."

"Pfft! Acting all high and mighty!" An Yi scoffed.

There was something off about this guy, in An Yi’s opinion.

Come to think of it, the whole "bodyguard and campus belle" story between Qin Yao and Lin Chen hadn’t made much progress.

Lately, the two of them had been getting along better than ever, and Lin Chen was fiercely protective—clearly doting on her.

But why was there zero romantic tension?

Qin Yao’s arrival sent ripples through the crowd.

Men with ulterior motives were practically salivating.

This was a genuine heiress!

Not only did she have breathtaking beauty, but she was also filthy rich!

Qin Zhengwei didn’t even have a son, so his fortune would undoubtedly go to his daughter.

Marrying Qin Yao meant hitting the jackpot—wealth and beauty in one package!

As Qin Yao descended the stairs, she scanned the room. Spotting An Yi, her lips curled into a smile, and she waved at him.

Instantly, the air thickened with envy—the entire hall reeked of sour lemons.

Countless eyes turned toward Lin Chen.

Something wasn’t right.

A handsome, cool bodyguard and a fair-skinned, stunning heiress—they were the perfect golden couple.

With proximity on his side, no one else stood a chance.

Had they already missed their shot? Was there something brewing between them?

As for whether Qin Yao was waving at that shameless guy next to Lin Chen—

No way. Absolutely no way!

Qin Zhengwei also came down the stairs, observing the scene with an increasingly benevolent smile.

Lin Chen was truly the son-in-law he had envisioned—so damn cool!

But the lack of progress between the two was giving him a headache.

Then his gaze landed on An Yi beside Lin Chen, and his eyelids twitched violently.

What the hell was this kid doing here?!

At that moment, the host of the birthday banquet stepped forward.

"Dear guests, good evening! Welcome, welcome to Qin Yao’s birthday celebration. I’m your host, Shan He. As they say, 'Mountains and rivers are insignificant; what matters is meeting a kindred spirit.' Here, I wish Qin Yao all her dreams fulfilled and happiness every day! Next, Qin Yao will perform a piano piece for everyone—don’t hold back on the applause!"

As the Qin family heiress, Qin Yao was no stranger to grand occasions. She approached the piano with effortless grace, sitting down gracefully before letting her slender fingers dance across the keys.

A soft, melodious tune flowed from the piano.

All eyes were glued to Qin Yao, mesmerized.

No one really knew what she was playing—but who cared when she looked this stunning?

"It’s so beautiful," Shen Muxuan murmured, her eyes filled with longing. Scenes like this were something she’d only seen on TV.

Watching the radiant girl on stage playing with such confidence, a hint of melancholy flickered in Shen Muxuan’s eyes.

"Quit staring. It’s just a piano. I’ll buy you one later," An Yi said offhandedly.

With five million in his pocket now, he had no idea how to spend it all!

And if he could borrow another 200 million from Qin Zhengwei… heh. Becoming a billionaire was way too easy—the gates to the good life were wide open!

Shen Muxuan quickly shook her head. "But I don’t know how to play!"

An Yi raised an eyebrow. "Then what can you do?"

Shen Muxuan lowered her head, her voice tinged with sadness. "I… I can’t do anything."

An Yi chuckled. "Just being good at eating is enough. Once my fortune hits the billions, I’ll have too much money to burn. If I don’t have a spendthrift woman to waste it, I’d feel kinda empty inside."

"An Yi…" Shen Muxuan’s eyes reddened slightly. She sniffled and pouted. "You’re clearly broke, yet you love bragging so much!"

An Yi: "..."

As the piano piece ended, Qin Yao politely acknowledged the crowd’s insincere praises before making a beeline for An Yi.

"Hey, An Yi! I didn’t actually think you’d come!" she greeted cheerfully.

An Yi grinned. "Haha, when the Qin heiress calls, how could I not show up?"

Inside, though, he was busy scheming—how should he bring up the topic of borrowing those two "small goals" from Qin Zhengwei?

After all, that was the real reason he’d crashed this birthday party.

The lively banquet hall suddenly fell eerily quiet.

Dozens of eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Wait—so the person Qin Yao had been making eyes at was this guy?!

No way. Absolutely no way!

They could’ve accepted Lin Chen, but this guy? Unthinkable!

"Who the hell is he?"

"No clue. Saw him at the entrance earlier, lugging around a box of fake Moutai, wandering aimlessly."

"See that giant birthday cake? The candles weren’t even lit yet, and he’d already sneaked off with half of it!"

He seems to have quite the alcohol tolerance—just now, he was chugging straight from an 8,000-yuan bottle of Lafite like it was nothing.

An Yi fell into a brief silence.

These people don’t even know his name, yet they’re already slandering his character like this!

Don’t believe rumors! Don’t spread rumors! And don’t mess with Yao!

They don’t even have basic moral decency! Disgusting!

Catching sight of this, Qin Zhengwei, the ever-worried father, grew even more distressed.

What’s going on? His daughter still hasn’t given up on this guy!?

The key issue is, after investigating his past, the guy’s practically a scoundrel!

"Make sure to have fun tonight!" Qin Yao said with a bright smile, greeting An Yi and the others.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on Shen Muxuan.

Wasn’t this the girl who shared an apartment with An Yi? Why was she here too?

Then, Qin Yao had an epiphany.

An Yi must be planning to come clean and explain that this girl was just a friend! That’s why he brought her openly to her birthday party.

Honestly, did she really seem that jealous to him?

Wu Shuangshuang nudged Fang Jueming with a mischievous look. "Your master’s got some skills. You can tell there’s something going on between him and both Muxuan-jie and Yao-jie!"

Fang Jueming shook his head. "Not really sure."

Truthfully, he hadn’t met An Yi many times either.

Technically, this was only the second time, so when it came to An Yi’s character and behavior, he could honestly say he knew nothing.

Wu Shuangshuang stared at Fang Jueming intently, pouting. "You, becoming his disciple—don’t tell me you’re trying to learn his flirting techniques!"

Fang Jueming shook his head again. "No."

Wu Shuangshuang blinked in surprise. "Then why are you so dead set on calling him 'master'?"

Nearby, Wu Tong pricked up his ears.

Fang Jueming answered earnestly, "Instinct. I believe Master is no ordinary man."

Damn it! What kind of reason is that?

Wu Tong took a furious swig of alcohol, barely holding back a curse.

He, the famed "Cold Axe Fist" of Jiangbei City, a martial artist of considerable reputation—had actually lost to this kid!

"Dad, Dad, slow down on the drinks..." Wu Shuangshuang urged.