Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 20

Qin Yu didn’t show any particular expression, merely turning his gaze toward Xia Jin and asking in a steady voice, “What do you want to sing?”

Xia Jin’s mind was a bit scattered, and she instinctively blurted out a song title: “I Know.”

Qin Yu picked up the microphone from the table and handed another one to Xia Jin.

The soft prelude of the music slowly began, carrying a faint trace of melancholy and resignation.

The private room instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at the two of them with curiosity, and a few bold ones even pulled out their phones to start recording.

“I never thought that I wouldn’t be able to hold your hand again. When I’m feeling wronged, you’re not here to share my heartache…”

The moment Qin Yu started singing, Xia Jin froze.

His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a unique charm that was completely different from his usual cool and detached tone when speaking. It was unexpectedly pleasant to the ear.

Xia Jin took a deep breath, tightened her grip on the microphone, and joined in with the next line: “It was all my fault for being too proud, thinking you would understand…”

At first, she was a little nervous, her voice trembling slightly. But Qin Yu’s steady singing seemed to have a soothing power, and she gradually relaxed, immersing herself in the emotions of the song.

The two sang together: “I know you still love me, even though we’ve both accepted the reason for our separation…”

One voice was soft, with a hint of stubbornness.

The other was mellow, steady and embracing.

Their voices intertwined, creating an unexpectedly harmonious and beautiful melody.

The lighting in the private room was dim, with only a few scattered beams of hazy light sweeping across.

The shadows fell on Qin Yu’s sharply defined profile. He tilted his head slightly, looking at Xia Jin with focused intensity. Xia Jin instinctively raised her eyes.

Their gazes met.

It felt as if tiny currents of electricity crackled through the air.

Xia Jin’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly averted her gaze as if burned, though the tips of her ears uncontrollably began to burn.

Qin Yu’s eyes were deep, unreadable, but he soon turned his gaze forward again.

As the song ended, the private room was silent for a moment before erupting into thunderous applause and whistles.

“Wow! Director Xia, no wonder you’re in the entertainment industry, you’ve got some serious skills!”

“Damn it, I can’t compete with Qin Yu in looks or singing.”

“President Qin! Director Xia! Please debut as a duo right now!”

Xia Jin felt her cheeks burning hot enough to fry an egg. She put down the microphone, picked up a glass of water from the table, and pretended to be composed as she gulped down several mouthfuls, trying to cool her flushed face with the icy water.

Qin Yu also set down the microphone and chuckled softly. “I didn’t expect Director Xia to be hiding such talent!”

Just as the atmosphere was heating up, Tang Wenlun, that troublemaker who thrived on chaos, jumped in again.

“Just singing and drinking is boring!” He waved his hand grandly, like a self-proclaimed emperor directing the world. “Let’s make it more exciting! Bring out Yu Ye’s signature, the ‘Wheel of Fate’ cocktail!”

Soon, a waiter entered carrying a massive circular tray.

On the tray were dozens of cocktails, each with different colors and bizarre shapes, dazzlingly vibrant and strikingly beautiful.

Tang Wenlun proudly introduced, “See this? Every single glass here is different! The alcohol content ranges from 10% fruity drinks to 60% hard liquor, randomly arranged, no one knows which is which! The rules are simple: everyone picks one based on intuition, and then leave it to fate!”

“Holy shit! This sounds fun!”

“So exciting!”

Everyone immediately perked up with interest, crowding around to make their selections.

Xia Jin, who had drunk so much at Stellar Cube that she was practically a half-expert by now, knew full well that the prettier the cocktail, the higher its alcohol content. So, she mixed herself a silvery-white cocktail.

Qin Yu asked Xia Jin to pick one for him at random, and she chose a blue-purple one with a hint of fine glitter.

Drink up, drink up, this one’s at least 40% alcohol, Xia Jin thought to herself, smirking inwardly as she waited to see Qin Yu drunk off his feet.

Lin Jingyue, meanwhile, picked a pink cocktail that looked positively girly, complete with a little cherry on top.

Once everyone had made their choices, they glanced at each other and raised their glasses.

“Cheers!”

Xia Jin tilted her head back and downed the silvery-white cocktail in one go.

It tasted slightly sweet at first, with a hint of lychee fragrance, but soon, a burning warmth slid down her throat and ignited in her stomach.

Miscalculation, this one’s definitely overproof, she thought, pursing her lips as she made her judgment.

Lin Jingyue finished her pink cocktail and even licked her lips, unsatisfied. “Mmm, sweet, like strawberry milk. Can’t even taste the alcohol.”

Tang Wenlun grinned mischievously from the side. “Homemade! zero alcohol content.”

Less than ten minutes later.

Lin Jingyue, who had just compared her drink to strawberry milk, was now visibly flushed, her cheeks turning red at an alarming rate, her gaze growing increasingly unfocused.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, her previously cheerful expression darkened, her brows furrowing tightly.

Then, BANG! a loud crash!

Lin Jingyue slammed her palm onto the table so hard the fruit platter in front of her jumped.

Everyone was startled by the sudden outburst, all eyes snapping toward her.

Lin Jingyue shot to her feet, eyes blazing, pointing furiously at the empty air in the private room as she began to curse:

“Ye Tiyan! You absolute bastard!!”

“???” The entire room was stunned.

They were pretty sure Lin Jingyue’s fiancé wasn’t named that!

Xia Jin facepalmed. Great, this girl was already fiery-tempered by nature, and now that she’s drunk, she’s completely lost it.

Lin Jingyue had clearly entered her own world, hands on her hips, spittle flying as she ranted: “Back when you were chasing our Xia Jin, you were like a damn lap dog! Bringing her breakfast every single day! Never missed a meal!”

“Umbrellas when it rained! Hand warmers when it got cold! You played guitar under our dorm tree so much it practically went bald!”

“And now you turn around and get engaged to that Xia Zhixue?! Are you blind or just heartless?!”

“You’re a scumbag! And you dare tell people you and Xia Jin were never together? Bull-freaking-shit!”

“Who was it that only had eyes for our Xia Jin back then? Who looked at her like you could pull silk from your gaze?! Our whole class could see you were just a player, only that silly girl Xia Jin thought you were genuinely kind!”

Lin Jingyue grew more and more worked up, grabbing a throw pillow from the couch and hurling it to the ground with all her might.

“Tricking our Xia Jin’s feelings! Toying with her heart! Ugh! Trash!”

Still unsatisfied, she staggered over to Xia Jin, slapping her shoulder heavily as she slurred out words of comfort:

“Xia Jin! Don’t be sad! A scumbag like that isn’t worth it!”

“Out with the old, in with the new! We’ll find someone a hundred, no, a thousand times better than him!”

Xia Jin: “…”

All she wanted right now was to vanish on the spot: immediately, right away, without a trace.

This was so embarrassing! So utterly mortifying!

Everyone in the private room was staring at her with looks that mixed sympathy, gossip, and barely suppressed laughter.

Tang Wenlun took it to another level, standing right beside Lin Jingyue and chiming in as they both scolded in unison: “Exactly! What a scumbag! He’s not even one-tenth as good as my Brother Yu. Xia Jin might as well like Qin Yu instead of that trash Ye Tiyan!”

Lin Jingyue, as if meeting a kindred spirit, patted Tang Wenlun on the shoulder. “Right! Xia Jin would be better off with Qin Yu!”

Xia Jin covered her face with her hands, speechless, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

Only Qin Yu remained reclined on the sofa, posture relaxed, watching the farce unfold before him. The faintest hint of a smile seemed to tug at the corner of his lips.

Well done. Just like that, keep brainwashing Xia Jin.