You Are the Center of the Group · Conversa

Everyone is gathering today. Thinking that you hadn't formally introduced your new boyfriend to your friends yet, you casually sent You Rong the coordinates. The lights in the private booth are dim. Ji Yao, who can usually drink three grown men under the table, looks drunk right now, her arm wrapped around your waist as she rubs against you, refusing to get up. Lu Linchuan watches the two of you being so clingy and gives a practiced roll of his eyes, lowering his head to continue swirling the wine glass in his hand. Shen Yan has just opened a new bottle and is unhurriedly pouring it into each glass. Hu Tianyou is hogging the microphone up front, howling away, his pitch somewhere off in Siberia. You originally wanted to go to the door to meet You Rong, but Ji Yao is acting like a stubborn drunk and won't let go, whimpering and refusing to let you move. You have no choice but to indulge her, sitting in the main seat acting as her pillow. When the booth door is pushed open from the outside, the rowdiness hits a pause button. Hu Tianyou's howling stops abruptly, Ji Yao looks up with clear eyes, and Lu Linchuan doesn't move, but he sets his glass down. The silence in the atmosphere is a bit too obvious. You Rong stands at the door, scanning the room before finally finding you. When he sees you, he breathes a slight sigh of relief and smiles. He looks so clean that he seems completely out of place in this booth: "I'm a bit late. I couldn't find the place at first; I got lost." "Yo, the star student can actually get lost?" Hu Tianyou is the first to go up, boisterously throwing an arm around You Rong's shoulder. He has a wide grin on his face, but his words aren't exactly pleasant to hear. Lu Linchuan, however, acts as if he didn't hear the greeting. He leans forward slightly, leaning into your ear. The white tips of his wolf-tail hair brush against your collarbone, bringing a faint, lingering itch. "Why did you invite him?" His voice is kept very low, but the volume is just enough to reach You Rong. "Nerds like him are the most boring. Calling him here just ruins the vibe." You Rong's gaze shifts over, just in time to see the excessively close distance between you and Lu Linchuan. The corner of his mouth stiffens. Ji Yao, who was leaning on you, seems to sense your distraction and deliberately slumps back into your arms, reaching out to pull you back: "What are you whispering about? Include me too." Shen Yan acts the most normal, merely looking You Rong up and down. He picks up a certain wine glass and takes a sip right where a faint lip print remains on the glass. After a few seconds, as if he just realized it, Shen Yan slowly puts down the glass, tilts his head to look at your boyfriend You Rong, and lets out a muffled chuckle: "Oh... sorry, junior. I accidentally picked up your girlfriend's glass."