When Love Needs a Second ChanceChapter 1
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."