Kuang Yuan also pulled Xiao Yang back. “Xiao Yang, stop fighting. Let’s just eat in peace.”
Xiao Yang flung her hand away, his refined face twisting into a grimace. “Yuan-yuan, I told you a long time ago—we should have just kept to our own world as a couple. You were the one who insisted on eating with your friends.”
“Yuan-yuan Jie, this man criticizes you every single day. Who does he think he is, acting like he needs to teach you a lesson? You are clearly so talented; how could you have been so blind to fall for him?”
“Qingshuang.” Kuang Yuan frowned, the tip of her nose turning red. “Stop it.”
“I’m trying to help you!” Li Qingshuang emphasized.
“You call this helping?” Xiao Yang let out a cold sneer. “Our business as a couple is none of your concern, you outsider. Helping? My ass! Besides… Yuan-yuan only cares about me! Don’t even dream of stealing her away…”
“Shut your mouth!” Li Qingshuang roared, her eyes turning red.
Xu Youzhi quickly moved to support Li Qingshuang. She felt her usually lighthearted friend trembling violently, as if she had suddenly gone mad; it was frightening.
Li Qingshuang stared coldly at Kuang Yuan, biting her red lip. Her glistening eyes seemed to be pleading with Kuang Yuan to speak up for her.
But even though Kuang Yuan saw it, she chose to scold Li Qingshuang instead.
“Qingshuang, no matter what, Xiao Yang is my boyfriend. Please mind your language.” For the first time, the habitually quiet and polite Kuang Yuan spoke to Li Qingshuang in such a tone, and it was for the sake of a man.
“You’re telling me to mind my language? Why don’t you tell him to mind his? I know you’re struggling financially. I worked part-time with you and gave you all my earnings. But what about this guy? During a single meal, he’s been criticizing your non-stop—saying the food is too expensive, that it tastes bad, even calling you fat! He even said that once you’re married, you’ll stay home while he works, and that you need to pop out two kids in three years—and one must be a boy! How is he the one in the right?!”
Hearing Li Qingshuang’s grievances, Xu Youzhi finally understood. Xiao Yang must have made some outrageous remarks during dinner that triggered Qingshuang’s fury.
She truly couldn’t understand how someone as excellent as Kuang Yuan could fall for this man. Was it simply because he had helped her back in high school?
“Forget it, let’s not lower ourselves to his level,” Xu Youzhi comforted her.
Li Qingshuang had completely lost her composure. She shouted, “I don’t care! You must give me an answer! Who are you choosing—the best friend who has supported you for years, or your boyfriend?”
“I’m sorry.” Kuang Yuan looked down, ignoring Li Qingshuang’s bloodshot eyes.
Having said those words, she pulled Xiao Yang away and left, leaving her best friend to be stared at by a crowd of onlookers.
Watching her silhouette disappear, Li Qingshuang felt as if her heart had been crushed by a machine—a blunt, stabbing pain. The first time she had felt this pain was when she found out Kuang Yuan and Xiao Yang were together. Back then, she told her roommates she was going to a bar, but instead, she hid on the rooftop and cried until her whole body convulsed. Her clothes were soaked through as if by rain. Eventually, she fell asleep for a few hours, only to be found by a security guard and featured on the campus “confession wall.”
She didn’t want to lose Kuang Yuan, so she could only watch helplessly as she and Xiao Yang flaunted their affection. She blocked them on social media, but she could never block out the sound of Kuang Yuan talking to him on the phone.
Kuang Yuan said being with Xiao Yang made her happy.
But Li Qingshuang thought: Aren’t you happy being with me?
Her heart felt as if it were submerged in a vat of acid, aching so intensely it felt like it was festering.
Ever since Xiao Yang confessed to Kuang Yuan, Li Qingshuang had attacked him whenever possible and subtly urged Kuang Yuan to break up. But once someone is blinded by love, even ten horses couldn’t pull them back. Naturally, her heart ached to see the person she loved turn into this version of herself.
“It was so hard to get her to come out, and I didn’t expect it to end like this.” Li Qingshuang sighed again, paid the bill, and walked out.
Xu Youzhi called out, “Where are you going?”
“The bar. Don’t follow me,” Li Qingshuang said without looking back. “Let me be alone for a bit.”
“Ahem.” Someone made a sound from behind.
Xu Youzhi turned around and saw Jiang Ruoxun and Xu Ling.
“Are these all your friends?” Xu Ling asked in surprise.
Xu Youzhi didn’t know what to say. She had just told them her friends had good tempers, only for them to have a massive blowout right in front of them.
“Yes. Usually, their tempers are good.”
“Alright then. Want to head back with me?” Jiang Ruoxun’s voice was soft and gentle.
Xu Youzhi shook her head. “I should go check on my friend. If I can make it… I’ll definitely be back by six.”
“Okay.” Jiang Ruoxun gave a graceful smile.
She and Xu Ling entered the elevator. The scenic elevator quickly reached the garage.
“Can you tell me now? Is this girl the one you mentioned before?” Xu Ling plucked up the courage to ask once they were in the car.
“Yes,” Jiang Ruoxun admitted without hesitation.
“She’s ten years younger than you,” Xu Ling said, shocked.
“It’s eight years,” Jiang Ruoxun clarified.
“That’s basically the same.” Xu Ling rubbed her forehead. While many wealthy male heirs pursued Jiang Ruoxun, female heirs were just as common, and same-sex relationships weren’t unheard of in the entertainment industry.
But the age gap between her and Xu Youzhi was too large.
“She calls you ‘Jie’ (Sister)?” Xu Ling chuckled. “Calling you ‘Yi’ (Auntie) would be more accurate.”
Jiang Ruoxun frowned. “I’m not even thirty yet.”
“But still…” Xu Ling continued, “If it were a guy, you could just play around. Girls are harder to manage. Especially a girl in her early twenties.”
“She is very good.”
“Oh?”
“I haven’t thought it through yet. I just think she’s very obedient and pure.” Currently, Jiang Ruoxun still viewed her as a younger sister. “Being friends would be nice, too. I feel like she really cares about me.”
“You’ve only known her for a few days, and she already cares about you?” Xu Ling laughed.
“She’s different from others.” Jiang Ruoxun smiled as well, her eyes suddenly brightening. For some reason, her mood improved just by thinking about Xu Youzhi.
“But I still have to tell you—don’t let yourself fall too deep.”
Jiang Ruoxun looked at her, her eyes becoming increasingly clear and bright.
“Sister Xu Ling, how long have you known me? Don’t you know what kind of person I am? Could a mere child really drive me to madness? This child is too innocent; she won’t be causing any ripples in my life.”
She was just bored and wanted to play with a child for a while.
Li Qingshuang did end up going to the bar. When Xu Youzhi called, the background was filled with noisy music, but Li Qingshuang was no longer sobbing like before.
Feeling relieved, Xu Youzhi returned to Magnolia Garden.
She didn’t plan on going into her own home and went straight to Jiang Ruoxun’s door.
Jiang Ruoxun was smoking an e-cigarette—a habit she didn’t used to have. But after entering the entertainment industry, she had dipped her toes into almost everything except for the “big three” vices (gambling, drugs, etc.).
Xu Ling often said the entertainment industry was a giant melting pot of vanity and decadence, and she wasn’t wrong.
Jiang Ruoxun exhaled a cloud of smoke, her expression dim. No matter how pure or aloof a person starts out, they can still become mired in the mud.
Hearing the doorbell, Jiang Ruoxun realized Xu Youzhi was back. She panicked slightly, waving away the smoke and opening the windows before spraying some perfume. Only then did she feel safe to open the door.
“Sister… why does it smell like smoke in here?” Despite Jiang Ruoxun’s efforts, the “child” still smelled it.
Looking at the wide-open window, Jiang Ruoxun said guiltily, “It probably drifted in from outside.”
Xu Youzhi took her at her word and nodded.
Jiang Ruoxun had changed into a gray, collarless, short-sleeved loungewear set. Her hair was lazily scattered, emitting a faint, cool fragrance. Xu Youzhi sometimes thought that a Movie Queen probably didn’t even have the scent of sweat.
Just as Xu Youzhi was about to speak, her hand was caught by Jiang Ruoxun.
Xu Youzhi’s heart jolted. It felt like an electric shock that left her dazed for a long time. Looking at those fair, smooth hands, she felt they were so clean and fragrant that she was afraid of accidentally dirtying them.
“Welcome to my home again, Zhizhi.” Jiang Ruoxun laughed softly in her ear, her voice tender as she led her inside. “Don’t treat yourself like a guest. Sit anywhere.”
Xu Youzhi’s heart swelled with joy, and she nodded several times in rapid succession.
As the sky grew dark, lights flickered on in the neighborhood as families prepared dinner.
“Has Sister eaten dinner yet?” Xu Youzhi asked, her face flushing.
Jiang Ruoxun let go of her hand and shook her head. “I don’t really cook; I usually order takeout. My manager wanted to hire a maid to cook for me.” But she had refused, as she didn’t want to deal with strangers.
“She probably thinks takeout is too dirty,” Xu Youzhi said. “My mom doesn’t let me eat it; she says it causes breakouts.”
Jiang Ruoxun paused. She had naturally good skin; she had only ever had a few pimples during puberty. Now, her skin was flawlessly smooth without even a tiny whitehead. Of course, she wasn’t flaunting it—it was the second half of the sentence that gave her pause. Why did this child always have “My mom says” on the tip of her tongue?
“Then let me cook for you! It just so happens my parents aren’t coming home, so I have to figure out dinner for myself anyway.” Xu Youzhi became excited.
“Okay,” Jiang Ruoxun agreed with a smile.
Jiang Ruoxun held her hand as they opened the fridge, which was stocked with ingredients Xu Ling had bought. However, several items were already starting to rot, especially the scallions, which had turned yellow.
“These seem to have gone bad.”
Xu Youzhi was surprised. “How long have they been in here?”
“Hmm…” Jiang Ruoxun thought for a moment. “Five days.”
Even though she had a bit of a cleaning obsession, she rarely spent time in the kitchen, so she hadn’t opened the fridge in five days and had nearly forgotten the groceries Xu Ling bought.
Xu Youzhi didn’t complain. Instead, she helped organize the fridge, tossing the inedible items into the trash and setting the usable ones on the cutting board for tonight’s meal.
Jiang Ruoxun watched from the side, a thought repeating in her mind.
…So obedient, so hardworking, so cute.
Xu Youzhi’s cooking skills were excellent. She made a dish of snow peas with pork, stir-fried celtuce, and oil-braised bamboo shoots. Jiang Ruoxun was very satisfied, but since she had eaten quite a bit of barbecue earlier, she only managed half a bowl of rice.
Xu Youzhi had a naturally thin build and didn’t gain weight easily. Seeing that Jiang Ruoxun still had rice left, she took the bowl.
Jiang Ruoxun: “?”
Xu Youzhi didn’t mind at all. She slowly chewed the remaining rice and smiled at Jiang Ruoxun. “Since Sister can’t finish it, I’ll help you.”
Jiang Ruoxun looked down, her mood pleasant. She realized it was almost seven o’clock—was it time for the girl to leave?
“Zhizhi.” Jiang Ruoxun made a sound. “Tomorrow is the weekend. You don’t have classes, right?”
Xu Youzhi hummed in affirmation.
Jiang Ruoxun picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, about to speak.
“But I have a club rehearsal.”
Jiang Ruoxun immediately closed her mouth. “Okay, you should go then.”
“If Sister wants to stay with me, then I won’t go,” Xu Youzhi said with a wide grin.
“You really won’t go to rehearsal?” Jiang Ruoxun burst out laughing.
Xu Youzhi: “I’ll just say I have a cold.”
Jiang Ruoxun laughed again. Has this child never told a lie in her life?
“It’s fine. You go. I happen to have some things to do anyway.”
Before leaving, Xu Youzhi insisted on washing the dishes. Jiang Ruoxun tried to tell her to leave them, but Xu Youzhi politely explained that her mother said one shouldn’t visit someone’s house empty-handed and must contribute labor—even though she had already cooked the entire meal.
Jiang Ruoxun found it almost baffling how kind this child was.
When she opened the fridge later, the other food items had been neatly organized by Xu Youzhi. Right in the middle sat a box of lychees.
Jiang Ruoxun froze. She hadn’t eaten those lychees; they had just been sitting in the fridge.
Xu Youzhi had definitely seen them. What was she thinking?