The night before Labor Day, my birthday party was on.

My girlfriend, who has been living with me for seven years, lost a game and had to kiss her ex-boyfriend while feeding him alcohol.

Her ex-boyfriend asked with deep affection, "If Levi weren't here, could we get back together?"

She shyly replied, "We could."

Everyone was stunned, staring at me.

I, however, was unfazed and even started applauding, saying, "Congrats."

——

The night before the Water Festival, my girlfriend invited a bunch of friends over for my birthday party.

I was in the kitchen preparing the final dish, spicy crayfish, when I heard cheers from the living room.

Looking around, I realized that my girlfriend Luna was playing a game with her ex-boyfriend Fraser. She lost, so she had to accept punishment.

It just kind of happened spontaneously.

Fraser took a sip of alcohol and kissed Luna on the lips.

They parted after a full ten seconds.

Luna's face was flushed, her lips bright and slightly swollen.

Everyone was watching me, with expressions ranging from mocking through pity to schadenfreude.

Luna's hand remained on Fraser's waist as she gazed at me, devoid of any regret or fear, but with a clear sense of defiance.

Fraser smiled at me. "It's just a game; don't be mad."

I wanted to voice my concerns about how inappropriate the game was—kissing someone else's girlfriend and feeding her alcohol—but I kept my complaints to myself."

Surprisingly, I felt no anger, just a sense of relief.

I added a bottle of beer to the spicy crayfish and responded with a smile, "I'm not mad."

But Luna thought I was mad and shot me a glare.

"Levi, don't be jealous. Fraser and I are just friends."

I nodded and stayed quiet, just focusing on handling the crayfish while letting everyone know to keep playing.

Since the person involved wasn't questioning it, no one brought up the earlier incident again.

Soon, Luna lost again and chose to answer a truth question.

Fraser seized the opportunity to ask, "If Levi weren't here, could we get back together?"

Luna's face froze in surprise; she clearly didn't expect this. But she quickly composed herself and blushed slightly.

In the silence, she nodded. "We could."

Everyone's gaze shifted to me once again.

I put down my beer and started applauding. "Better to dismantle ten temples than to ruin one marriage. Don't mind me, respect the blessing, it's locked."

But everyone thought I was genuinely angry this time and looked at me with disdain.

Luna frowned and said, "Levi, how many times do I have to tell you? It's just a game! You take everything too seriously. It's so boring."

She continued. "Just keep cooking. You're narrow-minded and jealous, making things uncomfortable for everyone."

Fraser, looking pleased, provocatively picked up a crayfish I had prepared, shelled it, and put it on Luna's plate.

"Levi, you go ahead. I'll take good care of Luna."

It was my birthday party, and I was wiped out from cooking. Meanwhile, my girlfriend was out there kissing and flirting with another guy, while the guests enjoyed their food and watched me make a fool of myself.

Thinking about it made me feel pathetic and ridiculous.

But everyone thought I should stay quiet in the kitchen and serve them, and not come out.

In the past, I would have flipped the table and yelled at everyone.

Then, things would have ended badly.

Luna would have said I was narrow-minded and not very generous, expressing her disappointment because my actions killed the vibe and showed a lack of trust.

Then she would have smashed the house and gone into a cold war with me, even deliberately meeting Fraser every day and letting me know.

When I groveled and begged for her forgiveness, she would condescend to question me, making me admit that I was possessive, demanding unconditional trust and obedience.

I was brainwashed severely. In situations like today, I would subconsciously question if I was overthinking.

But I firmly knew it wasn't my fault.

Perhaps our relationship was unequal from the very beginning.

In college, she was an extraordinarily pure campus belle, a goddess, while I was just a bookworm.

Countless people sent her flowers and tried to win her favor, declaring their love in various ways.

Even many rich kids from outside the school would flaunt their luxury cars at the school gate to vie for her attention. No matter how much they spent, Luna was never interested.

She said that love was pure and beautiful; it should not be tainted by any foul substances.

I was just a bookworm. Growing up in a single-parent family and being weak, I was often bullied and beaten by the boys around me. So, I'd always been solitary and out of sync with others.

My introverted personality made me even less popular in college. My roommates and classmates excluded and targeted me, even bullying me.

During that time, I was a bit depressed and often sat on the rooftop, contemplating jumping off countless times.

It was she who sat beside me, brought me cake, listened to music with me, and let me vent about the hardships of life...

She said, "People are independent and shouldn't be held back by others' judgments. Levi, if you're introverted, then so be it. Are you interested in walking with me on a path that no one else dares to walk?"

At that moment, as the breeze lifted the stray hairs from her ears, I inexplicably reached out and grasped her hand tightly.

Since then, in countless dreams and reflections, I felt like I was holding onto a deity.

Later, we did get together, but no one thought well of it. They envied and resented me, saying Luna was a flower in cow dung. Her suitors also looked down on me, thinking I was just someone Luna was spending time with out of boredom.

I was very anxious, fearing Luna would be taken away by someone else or that she would leave me.

So, I did my best to be good to her, dedicating everything in my life to her like a devoted believer.

I shared everything with her, but she responded with indifference and even showed no interest in replying.

But I didn't give up; I was content with everything about her.

I couldn't even imagine how I would live without her.

I had become accustomed to being humble, and she had become used to being superior.

"Levi, are you mute?"

Luna suddenly scolded me when I remained silent and unmoving for a long time.

Even now, she still thinks she's done nothing wrong.

I gave her a cold glance, walked to the dining table, and started eating.

"If you all think my presence at home ruins your mood, you can go out to eat."

"Who are you giving a cold shoulder to?"

She frowned and asked, still thinking it was my fault.

"If you don't want to leave, you can stay. Whatever."

I had been busy all afternoon and was extremely hungry, so I ate my meal eagerly.

To save time, I even opened my computer to catch up on the work I missed in the afternoon.

Luna, infuriated, grabbed her bag and walked out the door.

Fraser followed her.

At the moment the door closed, everyone's attention shifted back to me.

They were looking down on me, mocking me, and taking pleasure in my misfortune.

It was too obvious.

"Do you want me to go crazy on the spot to satisfy your expectations?"

I sneered at them and continued working.

Soon, Luna came back, with Fraser carrying a bag of strong liquor.

Luna looked at me unwillingly.

"Today is my boyfriend's birthday; we're not going to stop until we're drunk. Let's do something even more exciting."

Fraser provocatively glanced at me. "Levi, there might be more intimate contact than kissing later. Are you going to stop us?"

I slightly lifted my head from my work. "Oh, then I'll tidy up the room. You can do whatever you like inside."

I could clearly feel that Fraser wanted to steal Luna away from me.

So he was always trying to provoke me, and when I got angry, he would act innocent and tell Luna that I misunderstood him and was bullying him.

And he always succeeded. Luna would scold me for being jealous and having a strong sense of envy.

I suddenly thought that my past self was foolish. The work on my computer was far more interesting than these vulgar male-female relationships.

Since Fraser didn't gain anything, he certainly wouldn't let it go easily. He sneered.

"Your thoughts are as filthy as ever. Luna and I are pure; why do you always imagine such nonsense?"

"You're as naive as a straight man who needs to watch videos before having sex."

I retorted sharply.

I was not jealous of Fraser, but I wanted to stand up for myself and not remain silent when bullied.

Luna seized on my reaction, thinking I was jealous.

She sighed and looked at me with a frustrated expression.

"Levi, how many times do I have to tell you? Fraser and I broke up a long time ago. Put away your filthy thoughts."

I didn't want to argue with her; I just kept eating and ignored whatever she said.

Luna, who was probably not used to my silence, glanced at me and angrily said, "You're so busy, why even bother with a birthday?"

"Hmm, if you say so."

I stood up and walked towards the study with my laptop.

"The food is already. Don't waste it. Just think of it as a regular classmate gathering."

I said a few considerate words.

Finally, Luna's irritation with my indifferent attitude boiled over, and she yelled at me, "Levi, what exactly are you trying to say? Is this never going to end?"

"Wasn't it supposed to be just a regular classmate gathering? We're not even in the same department."

Today was my birthday, but all the guests were Luna's close friends, which I had tacitly agreed to. Just like in previous years, I had no objections. But honestly, I had no topics to talk about with them, so I preferred to handle work.

I stood at the door of the study, feeling very calm. Considering what she knew about me, she should be able to tell that I was genuinely not upset or dissatisfied.

Perhaps I was mistaken, but I suddenly saw a flash of panic in Luna's eyes, though it was fleeting, and I couldn't quite grasp it.

"Then I'm making you stay and join us now!"

Luna pointed to an empty seat next to her.

I sat down, flanking Luna with Fraser on either side.

Her friend Polly came out of the bathroom and looked at me with hesitation. "That's my seat."

I quickly stood up, but Luna grabbed my wrist.

Usually, Fraser and Polly would always occupy her side, and someone would always separate me.

But now she was holding my wrist and not letting me leave, which was unprecedented.

Realizing something, Luna quickly released my hand and said, "You and Polly switch places."

I said nothing and sat between Polly and her.

We then began drinking and playing games. Fraser deliberately lost the game and chose a dare, which had everyone go along with it, making Fraser and Luna stay close for thirty seconds.

Their chests were almost touching, their noses almost meeting, nearly merging into one.

Fraser shot me a smug glance, and Luna only lasted ten seconds before drinking as punishment.

This was like being publicly cuckolded!

Any other man would have thrown a punch at Fraser by now.

But I didn't make any move and even kept my expression perfectly composed.

Am I not a man?

Of course I am.

I just don't love Luna anymore.

But I couldn't show any anger, nor should Luna's circle of friends be attacking me.

Especially Polly Ellis, who was the most typical and the loudest.

"Levi, I've told you so many times that Luna and Fraser are just good friends. It's perfectly normal for friends to hug and kiss. I don't know why you're so jealous.

"We really feel sorry for Luna, who has such a strong need for control and no personal freedom.

"If it were me, I would have broken up with you a long time ago."

Polly started to brainwash me.

It was always like this: whether I was jealous or not, as long as I stood by Luna, they would critique me and lecture me.

"Polly, are we friends then?"

Polly was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Of course we are. Luna and I are like sisters. Since you're her boyfriend, I consider you a brother-in-law."

Luna looked at Polly with touched eyes.

There was a hint of sibling affection in the air.

I sneered inwardly and suddenly leaned in close to Polly. Amid her surprised exclamations, I pressed her down, our bodies pressed together and kissed her.

While Fraser and Luna had only touched for ten seconds, I went for over thirty seconds, kissing Polly almost breathlessly.

Polly's face turned bright red as she pushed me away.

At this moment, everyone was stunned. They had never expected that I, who was so devoted to Luna, would do something as wild as kissing someone else in front of them.

Someone was accusing me.

"Levi, what you've done counts as cheating. How can you face Luna?!"

Oh?

So, kissing and hugging someone else counted as cheating? I thought they didn't know.

"Levi, are you crazy?"

Polly looked at me in disbelief.

I gave her a friendly smile.

"Aren't we friends? What's the matter? There's nothing going on between us. Luna, you won't be angry, right?"

I turned to look at Luna.

There was a loud slap.

I got slapped in the face.

Luna's face was pale, her hand trembling, looking somewhat on the verge of collapse.

I pressed on the spot where I was slapped; it hurt a lot.

But there was no anger in my eyes, just a calm look at Luna.

"Is it wrong to do this?"

Luna pointed at me and then at Polly, gritting her teeth and asking, "What are you doing?"

"Just playing a game. Don't take it seriously; otherwise, it's boring."

I countered with Luna's own words.

"Levi, are you seeking revenge on me?

"You kissed Polly just to make me angry! Do you think that's fair to me?"

She was furious as if I had committed an unforgivable crime.

But I had only done what she had done.

I was speechless.

"But didn't you say that playing games should be relaxed and not rigid? Polly also said that kissing and hugging between friends is normal. I just followed your advice. Why are you hitting me?"

"Levi, are you failing reading comprehension? Luna and Fraser didn't do it on purpose; it was just part of the game, but you did it deliberately."

"Yeah, I used to think you were just being petty, but now I see you're really vindictive and small-minded. You don't deserve Luna!"

Her group of friends started spouting nonsense again, aiming their moral outrage at me.

I looked at them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you shouldn't be so hypocritical; otherwise, you'll invite trouble."

They fell silent, realizing that the ones wronging you understand your grievances better than you do.

Luna wanted to criticize me but couldn't find the words, only holding onto the recent events with tears in her eyes.

"Levi, I thought you loved me the most, but I never expected you to do something like this. I'm so disappointed!"

After saying that, she dragged Fraser towards the door.

I stood up to pour myself a glass of water.

Luna thought I was about to apologize.

"Levi, whatever you say doesn't matter. I will not forgive you."

I poured the coffee into the cup, confused. "Hmm?"

Luna realized she misunderstood and was furious.

"I'm not going home tonight. I'm going to book a hotel room with Fraser!"

She tried to anger me.