Looking at the address her friend had sent her, Ruan Zhi was taken aback.
The apartment at 10 Chunyuan Road is located near the city center, and even as a rental, the rent—which runs into the tens of thousands—is beyond the means of the average white-collar worker.
Shan Shan’s boyfriend is quite well-off.
She took a taxi there at noon, registered at the security desk downstairs, and, carrying a gift box of fruit, took the elevator to the 26th floor. There were two elevators serving two apartments on each floor, and she rang the doorbell for the one set further inside.
About ten or so seconds later, the door was pulled open.
“Ruan Ruan, you’re here—come on in.”
The woman who opened the door was wearing a snow-white silk strapless dress; her figure was alluring. Her usually bare face was now adorned with exquisite makeup, and her long, wavy hair made her look incredibly charming.
If it hadn’t been for the familiar voice, she almost thought she’d rung the wrong doorbell.
As she stood there in a daze, her gaze inadvertently fell upon the woman’s fair neck and prominent collarbone, where a dense cluster of reddish-purple marks stood out strikingly; even her half-exposed, high-arching chest bore suggestive traces.
It made her face flush, so she quickly looked away.
The woman also sensed something was amiss at that moment. Feeling awkward and embarrassed, she swept all the hair from behind her shoulders down to her chest, reached out to take the gift box from Ruan Zhi’s hands, and pulled her inside:
“…Ruan Ruan, come in.”
“Um… okay.”
Xia Shan had changed so much that Ruan Zhi, taken aback, followed her into the house.
At a glance, the apartment appeared to be about 140-something square meters. It was stylishly and tastefully decorated, arranged in a warm and inviting way, and showed signs of a couple living together throughout.
Ruan Zhi noticed it while changing her shoes.
A pair of men’s matching slippers and two pairs of men’s leather shoes on the shoe rack—clearly worn on a daily basis.
There were also financial magazines, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter scattered casually on the coffee table, along with an ashtray that hadn’t been cleaned out.
The most awkward part was that, just as she sat down on the couch, she accidentally caught a glimpse of a dark piece of fabric peeking out from under the coffee table, not far from her toes—it looked like…
“Ah, I was wondering why I couldn’t find it last night—it turns out it fell right here.”
“Sorry, Ruan Ruan. Please have a seat while I tidy up a bit.”
In the blink of an eye, Ruan Zhi saw Xia Shan, her face flushed, pick up the piece of fabric and clench it in her fist.
The moment she realized it, her ears turned red.
Those were a pair of men’s underwear.
Under what circumstances would someone leave their underwear here?
Then, when she thought about the suggestive marks on Xia Shan’s body—having written novels and screenplays and having real-life experience—she instantly understood.
For a moment, she felt the couch beneath her bottom was unbearably hot.
“Sorry, Ruan Ruan. Please have a seat while I tidy up a bit.”
Xia Shan looked embarrassed and, after saying that, hurried off toward her room.
As soon as she left, Ruan Zhi jumped to her feet as if her seat were on fire.
She stepped away from the edge of the sofa and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window.
She didn’t notice that Xia Shan had stopped at the doorway; when she turned to look at her, her red lips curled into a smile, and the carefully defined, slanted corners of her eyes lifted slightly, gleaming with a sinister light.
Ruan Zhi waited for two minutes. Xia Shan came out of the room wearing a loose white shirt over her spaghetti-strap dress; she had buttoned only the top button, revealing a hint of her collarbone.
Her curly hair was casually tied back, and the alluring charm peeking out from the corners of her eyes and eyebrows seemed utterly unfamiliar.
Ruan Zhi was lost in thought.
I last saw her during the final exams right before the break—it’s only been about ten days, so how come she’s changed so much?
In the past, Xia Shan used to wear the simplest, most plain track suits and old sneakers that she couldn’t bring herself to throw away, even when the soles had come apart.
Her hair is always tied in the same low ponytail, and she likes to walk with her head down, so her thick bangs keep falling into her eyes.
I often try to talk her out of it, but all she does is trim her bangs a little shorter.
This semester, she did an internship at Xie Dongdong’s company, saved up a little money, and finally bought a few decent pieces of clothing to spruce up her appearance a bit.
But looking at her now, whether in terms of her appearance, demeanor, or personality, she seems like a completely different person.
At one point, Ruan Zhi wondered whether the Xia Shan of the past had ever really existed.
“Ruan Ruan.”
Xia Shan immediately took Ruan Zhi’s hand, her face a mixture of complex emotions and regret,
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away that I have a boyfriend. It’s just that I never found the right moment. You won’t hold it against me, will you?”
“Of course not.”
Ruan Zhi snapped back to reality and smiled gently. “It’s the end of the year. I don’t even have to think about it to know that Xie Dongdong and his team must be really busy. Plus, I’m working part-time on a film set, so we barely have time to even chat.”
“Besides, this isn’t some major issue of principle—we can just talk about it when you have time.”
“That’s good.”
Xia Shan let out a sigh of relief and held her hand even tighter,
“You’re my best friend, and I’m really afraid you’ll get mad at me and never talk to me again.”
“Do I look like the kind of person who holds a grudge?”
Ruan Zhi tilted her head and joked.
Seeing Xia Shan shake her head, she smiled and changed the subject:
“Oh, right—I haven’t congratulated you yet. This place is beautiful; you can tell your boyfriend treats you really well.”
As soon as she finished her compliment, Xia Shan shyly lowered her head, her voice tinged with an undeniable sweetness:
“Hmm, he really does love me, and I love him too—so, so much…”
Ruan Zhi paused for a moment.
Although she was a little surprised that her friend had developed such deep feelings in such a short time, she wasn’t the nosy type, so she didn’t ask any further questions.
After exchanging a few more words, Xia Shan turned and went into the kitchen to get busy, inviting Ruan Zhi to look around at her leisure.
That awkward scene from not long ago was still fresh in her mind, so Ruan Zhi didn’t dare to go on the tour; instead, she followed her to the kitchen to lend a hand.
The food was served quickly, and Xia Shan said she was in a good mood today, so she even opened a bottle of red wine.
“Ruan Ruan, try this dish. I’ve always said that someday, when the opportunity arises, I’d be sure to let you taste my cooking—and now I’ve finally made good on that promise.”
Xia Shan’s face beamed with excitement as she served some food into her bowl.
“Mmm, that’s delicious.”
Ruan Zhi took a bite, then smiled and praised it.
Shan Shan said that before she went to boarding high school, she was the one who cooked for her family of eight; she started cooking and doing chores when she was six, and that’s how she honed her skills.
“My boyfriend originally said he’d rush back to have dinner with us, but I told him not to. It’s just the two of us sisters getting together for a meal and a heart-to-heart—what’s a guy like him doing butting in?”
Ruan Zhi looked at her friend, who was resting her chin on her hands and pretending to be annoyed—but the sweetness in her eyes and brows was impossible to hide.
The once-reserved and taciturn person was nowhere to be found.
It felt a little strange at first, but seeing how she was doing better and better and looking so happy and content, I quickly got used to it.
The two of them ate and chatted; once she had sobered up a bit, Xia Shan poured her a drink.
After the incident that night while she was drinking, Ruan Zhi vowed never to drink in public again.
But today we’re celebrating my good friend’s move, so I didn’t want to be a killjoy; I just took a couple of sips.
Just as she was about seven or eight parts full, Xia Shan suddenly remembered something:
“I almost forgot—I have a gift for you.”
Ruan Zhi watched as she quickly got up, went back to her room, and brought out an elegant jewelry box.
With a smile, she opened the box and took out a delicate, iridescent bracelet:
“A while back, I went with my boyfriend on a business trip to Beijing. I saw this bracelet and thought we should each get one. We’ve known each other for so long, and you’ve always been there for me—I’ve never even given you a gift.”
“This isn’t worth much. When I make some money later, I’ll get you something better.”
Just as Ruan Zhi was standing there in a daze, Xia Shan took her left hand and slipped the bracelet onto her fair wrist; it looked exceptionally delicate and beautiful.
She recognized the logo on this jewelry box; although it wasn’t a top-tier luxury brand, it was still a world-renowned jewelry brand.
Even a simple bracelet starts at tens of thousands.
Xia Shan even bought two at once…
Given her current financial situation, it’s clearly beyond her means.
It’s easy to guess who’s footing the bill.
“Shan Shan, this is too valuable—I can’t accept it.”
Just as Ruan Zhi was about to take off it, Xia Shan firmly gripped her wrist.
“Ruan Ruan, are you looking down on me? You figured out I didn’t buy it, didn’t you?”
Facing Xia Shan’s complex, bitter expression, Ruan Zhi explained in a gentle voice:
“Don’t read too much into it. I wouldn’t look down on you—I just don’t think it’s necessary for your boyfriend to spend money on a gift for me. Whatever you give me, I’ll be happy with it.”
“Actually, you probably figured it out a long time ago.”
Xia Shan gave a wry smile. “My boyfriend comes from a very well-off family and is very accomplished. Every day feels like a dream to me. I’m working hard to become a better person, hoping that one day I’ll be worthy of him.”
“I’d like to be just like you—independent and not relying on a boyfriend—but you know my family situation…”
“In a bustling metropolis like Fuzhou, even if I worked my hardest for ten years on my own, I probably still wouldn’t be able to afford to rent a place here.”
Ruan Zhi sighed softly and raised her hand to gently wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes:
“Shan Shan, you’re just fine the way you are. Have a little confidence in yourself—if your boyfriend can find you, that’s his good fortune.”
Xia Shan wiped away her tears and smiled, saying in a playful tone:
“The fact that Rong Che from your family asked you to be his girlfriend is a blessing he earned in a past life.”
Ruan Zhi’s expression froze for a moment; she lowered her eyelashes and slightly tugged at the corners of her lips, hiding her bitterness and sadness deep within her eyes.
Xia Shan took in every subtle change in her expression; her eyes sparkled, and the corners of her lips curled upward involuntarily.
*
After seeing Ruan Zhi off, Xia Shan turned around, took off the shirt she was wearing, picked up her phone, and sent out a few photos she had taken just a short while ago.
Then she lay back on the couch and waited quietly.