It was Zhang Chuan and Xu Cheng. After getting a call from Yan Xici, they got in touch with each other and headed over to Xiao Ran’s place.
When she saw them, Yan Xici quickly stepped aside and said politely, "Please, come in and have a seat."
The girl had cleaned the house until it was spotless. The gray marble floor looked immaculate.
Seeing the two men sit down on the sofa, the girl quickly grabbed the cleaning cloth she hadn’t had time to put away and said with a smile, "You two make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go get you some water."
With that, she turned and headed for the kitchen.
Watching the girl’s busy figure in the kitchen, Xu Cheng couldn’t help but lean closer to Zhang Chuan and sigh. "You know, if Yan Li was half as good to Xiao Ran as Xici is, things probably wouldn’t have ended up like this."
Zhang Chuan nodded, completely agreeing with the sentiment.
"Tell me about it. Look at how clean this place is, and she’s so thoughtful. For all these years, it always felt like Ranzi was alone. It was hard enough to even see Yan Li, let alone have her pour us water."
Yan Xici had good grades, was beautiful, and most importantly, she was incredibly sensible.
Now that Xiao Ran and Yan Li were divorced, she hadn’t chosen to go live a comfortable life with her sister. Instead, she worried about Xiao Ran and had volunteered to stay and keep him company. That was a rare quality.
"You’re telling me. My sister-in-law has taken a lot of money from me over the years, but I’ve never heard a single word of thanks. And she’s always trying to stir up trouble between me and my wife!" The more Xu Cheng thought about it, the more envious he became.
’Goes to show, sometimes the younger one is more sensible than the older one.’
Xiao Ran had actually parted ways with Shi Guang at five, his mind filled with ideas for his new book.
He decided against a taxi and walked for half an hour before catching a bus. He stood for the swaying ride home.
It was already six-thirty by the time he got home.
He expertly keyed in the passcode—0098, the one Yan Li had set. ’I’ll have to change that later,’ he thought to himself. But when he opened the door, the scene before him made him jump.
The girl held a cake with "Happy Divorce" written on it, flashing him a brilliant, sunny smile. "Brother, happy divorce!"
Standing beside her were his two best friends, Zhang Chuan and Xu Cheng, also smiling at him sincerely.
"Ranzi, happy divorce!"
"A new life, a new beginning!"
Xiao Ran blinked, stunned for a full three seconds before he could process it.
He looked at Xu Cheng and Zhang Chuan in astonishment. "How did you two know I got divorced?"
A lot had happened today, and he hadn’t had the chance to tell them about his divorce yet.
Besides, he knew about the trouble with Xu Cheng’s hot pot restaurant and didn’t want to add to his worries.
He never expected the guy to actually show up at his house.
Xu Cheng pouted. "It was Xici. She was worried you’d take it hard, so she had us come over to surprise you."
He didn’t know how this guy got so lucky to have such a great sister-in-law. He wasn’t sure if Xiao Ran was moved, but he himself was genuinely touched by the girl’s thoughtfulness.
Zhang Chuan looked envious. "She didn’t just get you a cake, she also prepared a whole table of your favorite dishes. She’s a real treasure!"
This sister-in-law—no, she should be considered a sister now—was just so sensible, he found himself wishing he had one just like her.
The girl pressed her lips together, her moist eyes fixed on Xiao Ran as she said seriously, word by word, "I hope you can pull yourself together soon, Brother. Don’t lose faith in life! Without my sister, you still have us."
She meant it from the heart. She hoped Xiao Ran wouldn’t let the divorce affect him and that he would live well.
The girl before him had a bright and brilliant smile. When she looked at him, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes seemed to hold a handful of crushed stars, twinkling with tiny flecks of light.
Sincere and warm.
For a moment, Xiao Ran clearly felt a warm current spread from his chest to every corner of his body.
To be honest, just that morning, he had still been feeling pretty miserable.
But now, the three smiling faces in front of him made him feel blessed.
"Who said I’ve lost faith in life? My life is just beginning!" Xiao Ran said with a smile.
’It’s just a divorce!’
He wasn’t that fragile.
Hearing him say that, the girl was overjoyed. Her eyes shone with excitement, sparkling under the candlelight.
"That’s wonderful! You said it yourself. Blow out this candle, and we’ll all start a new life together. No moping allowed. You have to be hopeful for the future!"
Xiao Ran played along and blew out the candle, a wry smile on his face. "Now, can I come inside?"
Yan Xici snapped back to her senses. ’Oh no, my brother-in-law is still standing outside!’
She quickly set the cake on the dining table, then crouched down, opened the shoe cabinet, and took out a pair of slippers for her brother-in-law.
She thoughtfully placed them on the doormat. "Welcome home~"
Xiao Ran shook his head, a helpless smile on his face.
’Such a kid. She’ll never grow up.’
The four of them sat at the dining table. Looking at the vast and varied spread of dishes, Xiao Ran glanced in surprise at the well-behaved Yan Xici. "You did all this?"
The quick-witted girl wouldn’t give her brother-in-law a chance to lecture her. She gave a sly smile and promised earnestly, "It’s a rare occasion! It won’t happen again!!!"
Honestly, it was a bit too much food, but it was a rare chance to be extravagant, and she hoped it would make Xiao Ran happy.
To be honest, Xiao Ran was very moved.
He wasn’t a heartless person to begin with.
Xiao Ran didn’t sit down. Instead, he grabbed a beer from the table, poured himself a glass, and then raised it. With a confident voice, he announced, "Hey, I’ve got an announcement to make, guys. My last book is getting adapted!"
As the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. This was probably a perfect example.
His marriage may have failed, but his career... it was taking off!
"Adapted? Really, Brother? That’s amazing!"
The girl’s eyes were filled with surprise, and she was incredibly excited.
This was truly fantastic news.
Of course, what made her happiest was her brother-in-law’s current state. He didn’t seem to be doing as badly as she had imagined, and that was the most exciting thing of all!
"This is so great! I knew you were the best, Brother!"
After her exclamation, the girl quickly poured herself a glass of alcohol as well and raised it high. "Here’s to a triumphant start!"
She rarely drank, but today was different!
Zhang Chuan and Xu Cheng were even more stunned, feeling like they were in a dream.
Zhang Chuan especially, his eyes were practically popping out of his head. "Holy shit, man, you should’ve said so sooner! I fucking thought you were devastated. I skipped out on overtime and rushed straight over!"
He was supposed to work overtime that night, but when he heard his bro was in trouble, he’d slipped out without a second thought.
He had thought his buddy would be a total wreck, but he didn’t look hurt at all. In fact, he was even welcoming the first spring of his career.
Xu Cheng couldn’t help but complain, "You call that trouble? My goddamn hot pot restaurant went under, my sister-in-law is hounding me for money, and the key thing is, my wife, like she’s got a screw loose, also thinks we should pay her sister back! We fight about it all day long!"
He had already been in a bad mood, and when he heard his friend was getting divorced, he’d felt a constant tension. He told himself that this was his bro’s toughest time, that he had to pull him out of it, and that he absolutely couldn’t lose heart himself.
Now that he’d heard his friend’s good news, he finally dared to vent about his own shitty problems. He’d been about to burst from holding it all in.
Once you leave school and enter the real world, it’s just one petty problem after another.
The only thing that never changed was the bond between brothers.