That man's name was Kyle Liu, Mia Liao's younger brother.
The Liu Clan, in Mia Liao’s generation, couldn’t exactly be called fallen, but it was a shadow of its former self.
A few years ago, things nearly reached the brink—business connections and networks were on the verge of collapse.
But later, thanks to Allen Ju’s persistence, they managed to pull things back from the edge.
Most people don’t know about these details, and Allen Ju never made a show of it.
Most of the time, he just wanted to do something for Mia Liao, hoping she’d be a little happier.
That’s all there was to it.
As for Kyle Liu, he’d never amounted to much—classic second-generation wastrel, good at eating, drinking, and playing, but clueless about making money.
Later, at Allen Ju’s suggestion, Calvin Zheng brought him in on a business deal—supposedly a sure thing. But Kyle Liu went gambling and used the operating funds, draining all the liquidity in one shot. The deal collapsed.
Calvin Zheng lost a bundle and had to swallow his frustration, with no way to vent it.
Afterward, Calvin Zheng did try to track down Kyle Liu, but the guy was nowhere to be found—only now did he finally show up.
It’s obvious—he picked today on purpose, only dared to appear because Mia Liao was back from abroad.
"You really have the nerve to say that?"
Calvin Zheng’s face darkened at his words, fists clenched, and he said with biting sarcasm, "All these years, I’ve never once lost money in a deal."
"Oh, come on, wasn’t it just a little misunderstanding before?"
Kyle Liu laughed it off as he spoke, then turned to look at Mia Liao beside him. "Sis..."
"Yeah, Kunyu told me the gist of it."
Mia Liao had been chatting and joking with Tyler Tai, but now she turned back and nodded, glancing at Calvin Zheng. "It’s normal to have ups and downs in business. If you lose this time, just earn it back next time."
"Besides, Kunyu’s always said he was wrong, and he knows it now. So, Calvin, just forgive him this once."
"Worst case, next time you do business together, I’ll make sure he takes a smaller share."
Mia Liao spoke up like that.
Kyle Liu nodded vigorously, grinning wide. "Yeah, I'll just take a smaller share, no big deal."
"It's just losing a bit of money. Calvin, your family's loaded anyway—this little bit won't matter to you."
Hearing Kyle Liu's words, Calvin Zheng nearly cursed out loud.
The sum wasn't astronomical, but it was far from pocket change.
A full twenty million yuan had been blown gambling by this bastard, and he kept quiet afterward, causing Calvin Zheng to miss a golden opportunity. The real loss was way more than just that number.
He really wanted to say, if twenty million isn't a big deal, then why don't you pay it back?
But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, Calvin Zheng let out a cold laugh, but before he could say anything, Allen Ju glanced at him.
"Was the loss really that big?"
Allen Ju asked in front of everyone.
"Not much."
Calvin Zheng held back for a moment, tamped down his anger, and shook his head.
"Then let's let last time go."
With Allen Ju's word, Calvin Zheng could only nod.
The reason was simple: in their circle, everyone truly respected Allen Ju, and they really were childhood friends who grew up together.
Losing some money for a friend didn't bother Calvin Zheng; it was just hard to swallow the frustration.
"Now that's more like it."
Kyle Liu laughed loudly at that, giving Allen Ju a thumbs up. "Third Young Master Ju always gets things done!"
He'd made up his mind, banking on Allen Ju siding with him for Mia Liao's sake.
Honestly, without the Ju family mediating all these years, the Liu family would have been out of the game long ago—even if they hadn't lost their position, they'd be stuck, unable to move up. As for their business, ninety-nine percent would have ended up in debt and bankruptcy.
"We're all friends here, no need to make things awkward."
Mia Liao said with a smile, not feeling there was anything wrong with this.
Tyler Tai and the others watched the scene, smiling and echoing along.
None of them really wanted to do business with Kyle Liu—they basically never included him in their plans.
Only on Allen Ju's side did some people have to bring him along, swallowing their frustration even if they got annoyed.
"By the way, Mia."
Allen Ju adjusted his mood.
"What's up?"
Mia Liao was just about to turn and talk to Tyler Tai, but hearing Allen Ju speak, she looked over at him.
"Are you ready?"
Allen Ju was speaking to Grace Liu, who was beside him.
Grace Liu nodded in response, then ran off to the nearby room.
Frank Bi and Calvin Zheng each did their part, heading toward the back.
"I remember you mentioned something before."
Allen Ju looked at Mia Liao as he spoke, then waited a moment and clapped his hands.
Next, everyone heard the birthday song coming from inside the house.
Grace Liu had changed into a pretty outfit and slowly pushed over a three-tier cake that was taller than she was.
On the cake, among the candles, the flames flickered, shining bit by bit.
Then—
A series of sharp whooshing sounds rang out.
Right then, behind Allen Ju, the evening sky—already growing dark—was suddenly filled with fireworks.
The dazzling fireworks instantly lit up everyone’s faces.
"Fireworks!"
Mia Liao gazed up at the sky, her eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, you once said you really wanted to see fireworks lit just for you on your birthday, but never got the chance."
Allen Ju nodded.
Lighting fireworks here wasn’t something most people would dare.
It took real guts—when those bursts shot into the sky, plenty of elders in the compound lifted their heads.
Some smiled, some frowned, some were already annoyed.
They’d disturbed the peace.
Especially since this was a no-fireworks zone.
Such brilliant fireworks disrupted the rest of people who shouldn’t be disturbed. Even Allen Ju would surely face punishment afterward.
But Allen Ju wasn't scared. He just regretted not daring to set them off at midnight, since that would really mess with the old folks’ sleep.
It wasn’t about fear—it was about feeling guilty.
"Was that when I was fourteen?"
Mia Liao thought for a moment, still smiling but a bit unsure.
"Fifteen."
Allen Ju corrected her. He remembered more clearly than she did, sounding certain and smiling.
She smiled, and so did he.
"Who would've guessed you had such a little dream?"
Tyler Tai stepped up beside Mia Liao, teasing, "I always thought your dream was to ride the jianghu with a sword."
"Haha, that too! Wasn't it you who kept saying you wanted to be some white-horse hero?"
Mia Liao laughed and reached out, giving Tyler Tai a playful slap on the shoulder.
In that moment, they really looked like a couple.
Just then—
She was still smiling, but he wasn’t.
Allen Ju just felt tired, a kind of sadness he couldn’t really describe.
He turned his head away; the fireworks were still dazzling.
But somehow, it all felt empty.
The girl you like doesn’t like you—not because you’re not good enough, just because she doesn’t feel that way.
Still, some people want to try. The deeper you like someone, the harder it is to let go—the more you like, the more you can’t, and the harder it hurts.
But you still can’t quite let go.
Evan Lin glanced up at the sky, and in that instant, he actually felt a moment of true empathy for Allen Ju.