After the breakup, I was taken in by a group of trendy young women.

Shen Qing straightened up, her face already flushed red.

Her eyes were bright and sparkling, and there was still a little bit of liquid that had spilled from the wine on her lips, which shimmered under the light.

Her chest heaved violently, her breathing rapid and shallow, but she did not back away. She stood there in front of Lin Ye, her hand still on his shoulder, her knuckles slightly white.

Then she spoke, her voice trembling slightly, yet with an undeniable certainty.

"Brother...I like you."

The private room was so quiet that you could hear the bubbling of the hot pot broth boiling in the red oil.

Bai Xiaojing lifted her head from Lin Ye's shoulder, looked up at Shen Qing, her deep brown pupils showing neither surprise nor jealousy, only a sense of "finally here."

The tattooed man picked up the beer can that had fallen on the table, pulled out a tissue to wipe up the spilled beer foam, circled his tongue between his lips, and then slowly opened his mouth.

"Shen Qing, are you confessing your feelings or getting me drunk? Combining both is cheating!"

Shen Qing ignored her.

She was still standing in front of Lin Ye, her hand sliding down from his shoulder, hanging at her side, clenched into a fist.

She looked directly at Lin Ye, her gaze unwavering.

When they came out of the seafood buffet restaurant, Bai Xiaojing was still clinging to Lin Ye's arm.

Her new honey-brown hair was blown about by the evening breeze, and a few strands brushed against Lin Ye's chin, carrying the scent of high-end hair conditioner from a hair salon, a stark contrast to the smell of the 9.9 yuan strawberry shampoo she used to drink at the supermarket.

"elder brother"

She drew out her words, tilted her head back, and her deep brown pupils were illuminated by the neon lights at the mall entrance, displaying a dazzling array of colors.

"It's still early, and we'll just be lying around anyway. How about we go sing karaoke?"

"Sing?"

Lin Ye took the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked off the ash.

"KTV! It's just across the street, a five-minute walk!"

Bai Xiaojing released his arm, took out her shattered phone, and quickly traced her thumb across the cracks.

"Look at this place, it's newly opened, the group-buying price is only... Hey, don't look at the price! You said you wouldn't look at the price!"

Lin Ye was amused by her last retort.

This girl has learned her lesson; she knows he hates it when they haggle over prices, so she cut off his lines beforehand.

She walked up from behind with a tattooed arm, her newly cut short hair slightly messed up, but it actually made her look more stylish.

She tucked her sunglasses into her collar, peeked at Bai Xiaojing's phone screen, then turned and waved to the girls behind her: "Sisters, I'm buying you karaoke, wanna come?"

"Go away, go away, go away!"

The green-haired and pink-haired people spoke in unison. They had just finished getting their hair dyed with pink highlights at the ends and green highlights at the ends. They were currently jumping around with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Zhang Jingjing took out a small mirror from her bag and looked at her slightly curly hair. She closed the mirror only after confirming that her hairstyle was not messed up: "The last time I sang was during the Chinese New Year. It was at one of those street karaoke places that cost ten yuan a song. The sound system was so bad it sounded like a radio."

Qi Liuhai followed at the back, carrying Wangcai in her arms. Her braids were draped over her shoulders. Wangcai poked its head out from under her elbow and meowed, probably to say that it wanted to go too.

Shen Qing walked beside Qi Liuhai, her black hair swaying gently in the evening breeze. The blush from the scene at the restaurant still lingered on her ears. After that sake kiss, everyone at the table laughed at her for at least ten minutes. The tattooed man said she was "someone who does great things in silence," and Bai Xiaojing said she was "someone who stole my tower while I was drunk." She kept her face buried in her arms the whole time and refused to look up.

At this moment, she was walking at the very edge of the group, occasionally stealing a glance at Lin Ye's back, and then quickly looking away.

The KTV is located in the middle of a commercial street. It's newly renovated, and the neon sign above the entrance is still lit. Several rows of shared bicycles are parked in front of the store.

Lin Ye pushed open the door and entered. The air conditioning, mixed with the smell of air freshener, hit him. The receptionist looked up and saw a man leading seven colorful girls in single file. Her professional smile turned into genuine curiosity.

"Large package, three hours."

Lin Ye showed his mobile payment code, the receptionist quoted a price, and he scanned the code.

A system notification sounded in his mind, another rebate had been credited to his account. He was too lazy to count how many zeros were left in the balance, since he couldn't spend it all anyway.

The large private room was at the very back. Pushing open the door, a projection screen covering an entire wall was playing a standby screen. The sofa was a U-shaped genuine leather upholstery, and there was a fruit plate and several complimentary bottles of mineral water on the coffee table. A standing microphone in the corner reflected a metallic sheen under the spotlight.

Bai Xiaojing was the first to rush in, lunging straight at the song selection screen. Her fingers flew across the screen, and the hem of her Lolita dress was flipped up by her kneeling posture on the sofa, revealing faint marks on her thighs from the fishnet stockings.

With his tattooed arm plopped down in the middle of the sofa, draping his arms over the backrest. The koi fish on his tattoo gleamed with a faint bluish light in the dim light.

She looked around the private room and nodded: "This place is great, at least ten levels better than those street karaoke places that charge ten yuan a song."

"Of course, how could my choice be bad?"

Zhang Jingjing chimed in from the side. She had already taken off her canvas shoes and was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, wiping the apples in the fruit bowl on the coffee table with a tissue.

Green Hair and Pink Hair were fighting over the second microphone, each holding onto one end of the microphone cord, neither willing to let go.

Qi Liuhai let Wangcai out of the backpack, and the cat jumped onto the sofa and curled up in a ball against a cushion.

Shen Qing sat at the far end of the sofa, her backpack at her feet, as she poured mineral water for Lin Ye and placed it on the coffee table in front of him.

After Bai Xiaojing finished selecting the song, she turned around, holding the microphone in her hand. Her honey-brown hair shone with a warm golden hue in the light from the projection screen.

She cleared her throat and blew Lin Ye a kiss: "Brother, the first song is for you! 'A Little Happiness'!"

As the intro started, the man with the tattooed arm clicked his tongue and said, "Singing such an innocent song right off the bat? Don't you usually love singing those shouting rap songs?"

"Shut up! I'm in a good mood today, so I want to sing this!"

Bai Xiaojing retorted, then took a deep breath and held the microphone to her mouth.

She didn't sing very well; she went off-key on a few notes and her breath control wasn't steady enough for the high notes, but she sang very earnestly.

When she sang "It turns out you are the luck I want to keep the most," she turned to look at Lin Ye. The light from the projection screen fell on her face, making her dark brown pupils sparkle.