Jiang Xule had just paid this month’s rent and was already checking out. The landlord said she could move out, but the rent wouldn’t be refunded. Normally, Jiang Xule would have engaged in a war of words with him, but today was different from the past.
She wasn’t lacking those few hundred yuan now.
There wasn’t much she could take from this dilapidated small rental room—just a few pieces of clothing and two pairs of shoes.
After returning from Fang Yize’s house, she truly felt how much an environment could affect a person. Upon hearing the familiar noise again, her head began to ache.
She sat on a plastic stool, smoking a few cigarettes as she looked at her packed luggage on the floor. At that moment, she received a message from Yang Huan.
Yang Huan: “Xule, why did you quit your job at the milk tea shop?”
Jiang Xule: “Annoying, so I fired the boss.”
Yang Huan: “It’s fine, if you’re not happy, just don’t do it. I have a job here for a Secret Room NPC. The requirement is to be over 168cm; I think you’re quite suitable. Come join.”
Yang Huan: “It’s at the Dream Kingdom Amusement Park that opened half a year ago in the city center.”
Jiang Xule: “No need, Yang Huan. You don’t need to introduce jobs to me anymore.”
Yang Huan: “Ah? Why? Didn’t you just leave the milk tea shop?”
Jiang Xule: “Let’s go out for a meal; we’ll talk when we meet.”
Yang Huan and Jiang Xule had known each other for so many years, and she had never seen Jiang Xule proactively suggest going out to a restaurant—and on her treat, no less. Because of this, she was quite puzzled and arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant ten minutes early.
At 5:30 PM, while Fang Yize was still at school, Jiang Xule arrived at the entrance of the reserved restaurant carrying that large bag of luggage.
It was a shop decorated in a light French style, serving “pretty food.” Yang Huan thought Jiang Xule was treating her to a farewell meal before leaving Yuegang City, or perhaps because she had lost hope in life…
She was overthinking. Anyone else might lose hope, but not Jiang Xule; she was currently at the peak of her life.
“Xule, what’s in this bag?”
“Luggage.”
“Are you moving? Or are you leaving Yuegang City?!” Yang Huan’s reluctance was written all over her face.
Jiang Xule shook her head and replied with a smile, “No, I’m still in Yuegang. My treat today, order whatever you want.”
After she entered the shop with her luggage, a waiter immediately stepped forward to take her things to the storage area. Yang Huan followed behind Jiang Xule in a daze, and it wasn’t until they sat down that she whispered her question.
“It’s one thing to treat me, but why come to such a high-end place? I see the menu isn’t cheap. You didn’t win the lottery, did you?”
Jiang Xule thought for two seconds, arched an eyebrow, and replied, “You could say that. Maybe even luckier than winning the lottery.”
Yang Huan had more she wanted to ask, but seeing the waiter waiting for them to order, she had to suppress her curiosity and order first.
She ordered while glancing up to ask for Jiang Xule’s opinion; Jiang Xule remained silent, simply nodding consistently.
Finally, they ordered two steaks, one creamy mushroom pasta, two desserts, and a fried snack platter. Yang Huan didn’t dare order too much, fearing Jiang Xule was only holding back her objections for the sake of “face.”
“Xule, tell me exactly what’s going on. Did you find a place before you rushed to move?”
Jiang Xule’s only good friend was Yang Huan, and she didn’t want to hide anything from her. Besides, Fang Yize wasn’t someone she needed to be ashamed of.
“I’m in a relationship.”
Yang Huan, who was stuffing a piece of steak into her mouth, froze on the spot.
The wide-eyed expression on her face seemed to say: Did I hear that right? Jiang Xule is in a relationship? The Jiang Xule who can’t even support herself is in a relationship? Just how big was this lottery win?!
“Stop joking.”
“Really. She wants me to move in with her.”
Yang Huan forcefully swallowed the meat in her mouth. “Oh… who’s the guy? Do I know him? But you don’t need to rush into living together just because you’re together, right?”
“It’s not a guy,” Jiang Xule said, looking up at her. “Fang Yize. You know her.”
Upon hearing this, the knife and fork in Yang Huan’s hands fell onto the plate with a “clatter,” drawing curious glances from nearby diners.
She glanced at the surrounding guests, lowered her head in embarrassment, and then looked suspiciously at Jiang Xule.
“Xule, stop joking. Even if you’re dating a girl, that girl is Fang Yize? Impossible. It shouldn’t be the Fang Yize I’m thinking of.”
“It’s exactly the Fang Yize you’re thinking of,” Jiang Xule said. “Fang Yize, the daughter of Yuegang’s richest man.”
Yang Huan felt her brain capacity wasn’t enough; for a moment, she didn’t know which fact to be shocked by first.
“Fang Yize is really the tycoon’s daughter? Didn’t you say last time… no, you’re really with Fang Yize? You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Why do you think I have the money to treat you to this?”
Dating the tycoon’s daughter naturally meant having endless money; what was a meal like this? Yang Huan fell into deep thought as she looked at the table full of food.
“If I knew she was so easy to pursue, I would have tried it too. I wouldn’t have to run around every day just to fight for a few copper coins.” Yang Huan propped her elbows on the table, covered her forehead with her palm, and shook her head with a sigh.
Seeing this, Jiang Xule smiled. “You might not believe it, but she was the one who pursued me.”
“…”
Yang Huan was originally immersed in a somber mood, but after hearing Jiang Xule’s words, she immediately slapped the table and burst out laughing, once again drawing whispers from those around them.
“Stop joking! I’d believe it if you said you were with Fang Yize, but you’re telling me she pursued you? You didn’t even know each other back in school. The class reunion must have been the first time you had a direct interaction, right? Since then, you’ve been working every day. Don’t tell me she fell in love with you at first sight.”
“Yeah, it seems it was love at first sight.”
Yang Huan’s smile froze. Seeing Jiang Xule’s serious expression, it didn’t look like she was joking. She adjusted her posture and remained silent for a long time before straightening out the facts.
Fang Yize fell in love with Jiang Xule at first sight, then Fang Yize began to pursue Jiang Xule, and Jiang Xule agreed to be with her because Fang Yize was rich. Thus, Jiang Xule had reached the peak of her life.
Yang Huan nodded to herself and finally asked, “In other words, you’re with her because of her wealth, but you don’t actually like her? Then wouldn’t that count as deceiving her feelings?”
This question stumped Jiang Xule. Her movement of cutting the steak stopped, and her eyes lifted slightly, but she didn’t reply to Yang Huan immediately.
Yang Huan added: “But it’s fine. If it were me, as long as my material needs were met, I definitely wouldn’t care if I liked her or not.”
“Besides, to put it bluntly, maybe the young lady just took a liking to your face and is thinking of playing around for a while. After all, what is her status? She definitely isn’t lacking people with both looks and wealth around her.”
“Don’t feel pressured. Just treat her like a deity from heaven descending to the mortal world to undergo a trial, and you, this ordinary mortal, just happen to be the unavoidable tribulation for this immortal. Once it’s over, it’s over.”
It seemed there was indeed some truth to that. Right now, Fang Yize was infatuated with her, but what about when time passed? Who would stay heart-struck for a lifetime?
It didn’t matter. Anyway, Jiang Xule didn’t have those kinds of feelings for her. Maintaining the status quo until Fang Yize’s passion dissipated would make it easy for her to extricate herself.
“Give me the phone number for the Secret Room boss.”
Yang Huan was stunned and said, “No, I didn’t mean that. Since the good days are here, you should enjoy them first. There’s no rush to prepare for the future, right?”
“Just give it to me first, I’ll think about it when I get back.”
“Alright,” Yang Huan’s pasta and steak were almost finished, but she still wasn’t quite full. She looked up at Jiang Xule sneakily and asked, “Can I order a bit more?”
Jiang Xule nodded: “Go ahead.”
“Since your backer is Fang Yize, I won’t be polite then. I’ll get more; whatever we can’t finish, I’ll pack and take home.”
Jiang Xule didn’t eat much because she guessed Fang Yize would definitely want her to accompany her for a meal.
After bidding farewell to Yang Huan on the street, she immediately received a call from Fang Yize.
“Baby baby baby! I’m off work!”
On this end of the phone, the sound of Fang Yize walking down the stairs could be heard clearly. She was wearing short, thick-heeled shoes, so the rhythm of her footsteps—one light, one heavy—was particularly distinct.
Upon hearing Fang Yize’s lively voice, a curve inexplicably rose at the corner of Jiang Xule’s mouth. She asked, “Mm. I don’t have a car, so I can’t go pick you up.”
“Do you want to pick me up?” After a moment of thought, Fang Yize added, “Then I’ll give you my car keys. How about you drop me off and pick me up every day from now on?”
“Wouldn’t that be a hassle?”
“As long as you don’t find it troublesome, it’s fine. Besides, parking spaces at school are very scarce. If I arrive even a bit late, there are no spots left, and I have to park at the school gate.”
Jiang Xule: “Whatever you want is fine.”
“Great!”
“My luggage is packed. Should I go straight to your house?” Jiang Xule asked.
“I’ll pick you up! Then we can grab dinner while we’re at it. Hmm… actually, I’m not sure what to eat, but I really want to eat the instant noodles you cook.”
They really were people from two different worlds. Some were forced to eat instant noodles for three meals a day until they felt like vomiting, while for others, eating a bowl was a rare treat. It worked out since Jiang Xule had already eaten.
So she replied, “Then I’ll cook for you when we get home.”
“Okay, I’m going to start driving now. I’ll hang up. See you in a bit!”
After the call ended, Jiang Xule stood by the roadside in silence for a while. After sending her location to Fang Yize, she added the Secret Room boss on WeChat.
Upon learning that Jiang Xule was introduced by Yang Huan, she passed immediately without even needing an interview; she could start work tomorrow.
Since she was idle anyway, earning a bit more wouldn’t be a bad thing.
In the evening, after Fang Yize finished the noodles Jiang Xule cooked, she settled in the living room to handle work matters. Because of the monthly exams next week, there were quite a lot of things to do these few days.
Jiang Xule washed the dishes in the kitchen, then stood by the island counter watching Fang Yize’s back from a distance.
But for a tycoon’s daughter with immense wealth to spend so much effort on such an ordinary job and persist for so long—she didn’t seem like someone with fleeting interests.
Furthermore, in her current life, besides work, there was only Jiang Xule. She couldn’t find any of the points Yang Huan mentioned in Fang Yize.
It was all stereotypes. No one truly understood Fang Yize, and she didn’t deign to explain those stereotypes others had of her. She only focused on herself and did what she loved; it didn’t matter what others thought.
Actually, Jiang Xule was more worried that she wouldn’t be able to provide the feeling Fang Yize wanted.
The feeling of being in love.
So, she walked over and sat down beside Fang Yize, asking, “Fang Yize, what do you think being in love should be like?”