Shi Nianhuan was not in a good mood. Afraid that others would notice something abnormal, she would occasionally raise her head and smile at the three of them.
They chatted and laughed, having long ago grown accustomed to Shi Nianhuan’s quiet presence at their side.
Shi Nianhuan slowly clenched the two fists hidden beneath the table. She suddenly hated herself like this, having no sense of presence no matter when.
The alcohol arrived, and Lin Xiangyang personally poured some for Bi Tiantian and Xia Bing. Their glasses were filled to the brim, yet he directly ignored Shi Nianhuan.
A trace of sorrow gradually stained the depths of Shi Nianhuan’s eyes.
The three of them chatted and laughed, while the reckless and carefree smile on Lin Xiangyang’s face stabbed at Shi Nianhuan’s heart.
They had known each other for so many years, yet he had never smiled at her so naturally.
Shi Nianhuan couldn't help but start wondering: was liking Lin Xiangyang really the right matter?
The meal was nearly over. Bi Tiantian and Xia Bing’s faces were flushed, making them look like two apples.
“You’re drunk,” Lin Xiangyang said flatly.
Bi Tiantian waved her hands and shouted loudly, “I’m not drunk!”
However, when Bi Tiantian and Xia Bing used all their strength to try to stand up, they realized that they were already stumbling so badly that they could no longer walk properly.
Shi Nianhuan and Lin Xiangyang exchanged a glance, then smiled helplessly.
Shi Nianhuan supported Bi Tiantian, while Lin Xiangyang half-carried Xia Bing. The four people returned to school together.
That night, Shi Nianhuan was incredibly busy.
Bi Tiantian and Xia Bing lay on the bed, vomiting and making a ruckus. She did not sleep all night, focusing solely on taking care of them.
Later, Bi Tiantian often couldn't help but recall that night—the night that represented a decisive turning point in her life.
If she had known from the beginning that so many things would happen later, perhaps she would have refused Lin Xiangyang’s initial request to treat them to a meal.
The things that happened afterward were neither particularly serious nor particularly minor; every one of them was connected to Lin Xiangyang.
Just when did Shi Nianhuan find out that Lin Xiangyang and Xia Bing were together?
She was simply a blank sheet of paper, so innocent that she would never understand how to fathom other people’s thoughts.
It was a quiet afternoon. She returned from the library to find Bi Tiantian sitting blankly at the desk with an indifferent expression. She was rarely like this; even when watching a show, she could make herself laugh out loud.
Shi Nianhuan immediately noticed that something was abnormal about Bi Tiantian. She walked over and asked flatly, “What’s wrong?”
Bi Tiantian turned her head and glanced at her. For some reason, Shi Nianhuan felt that there was something strange about that glance.
“Do you know? Xia Bing stayed out all night yesterday.”
Shi Nianhuan blinked her eyes, her face innocent and guileless. She slowly said, “I know.”
As someone with a boyfriend, Xia Bing often stayed out all night. In the past, Shi Nianhuan and Bi Tiantian had always helped cover for her.
Therefore, regarding the matter of Xia Bing staying out all night, Shi Nianhuan had long ago grown accustomed to it. She did not understand why Bi Tiantian had suddenly told her this.
“Qin Beifeng stayed in the dormitory all night yesterday.”
Shi Nianhuan blinked her eyes and only stared at Bi Tiantian, unable to understand what she meant.
Bi Tiantian looked as though she were gritting teeth, seemingly very angry.
She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Shi Nianhuan and slowly said, “You’ll know if you look at Lin Xiangyang and Xia Bing’s Moments. The two of them were together last night.”
Caught completely off guard, Shi Nianhuan’s heart began pounding faster when she heard Lin Xiangyang’s name. She was too nervous to hear clearly even a single sentence of what Bi Tiantian meant.
Bi Tiantian simply took out her mobile phone, opened Moments, found the statuses posted by the two of them, and showed them to Shi Nianhuan.
They were two completely unrelated Moments posts, but it was obvious from the accompanying pictures that they had been taken in the same place.
If they had not been mutual friends, they probably would not have noticed this clue.
Shi Nianhuan’s heart suddenly stilled. What was about to come to light?
“S-So…” Shi Nianhuan took a long time to recover. She looked foolishly at Bi Tiantian and asked, “So what?”
Bi Tiantian sighed and shouted, “How can you still not understand? The two of them were together last night. A man and a woman alone, staying together late at night—what could they have been doing?”
Shi Nianhuan had thought of it, but she was unwilling to admit it and did not dare think about it further.
Yet Bi Tiantian’s words still stabbed at her heart again and again, as though driving her one level deeper into the depths of hell.
“But doesn’t Xia Bing have a boyfriend?” Shi Nianhuan realized it belatedly. After hesitating for a moment, she still refused to believe anything bad had happened.
Perhaps the two of them had simply been spending time together.
“Can Qin Beifeng compare with Lin Xiangyang?” Bi Tiantian asked with a cold laugh.
This was the first time Shi Nianhuan had seen Bi Tiantian like this. She gave Shi Nianhuan a very strange feeling, as though she were completely different from the Bi Tiantian who had always laughed carefree and heartlessly.
Shi Nianhuan covered her chest. A suspicion slowly surfaced in her heart. She turned her head to look at Bi Tiantian, not knowing what to say.
Was Bi Tiantian so angry simply because Xia Bing had deceived her? Given her personality, she probably would not have reacted this way. Then it was because…
Shi Nianhuan did not dare think any further.
The grudge between Xia Bing and Bi Tiantian began that day.
Xia Bing returned shortly afterward, humming a song and looking to be in a pretty good mood.
She seemed completely unaware that the atmosphere between Shi Nianhuan and Bi Tiantian was currently off.
She even turned her head toward Bi Tiantian, smiling with her brows slightly knitted, and asked, “Have you eaten? What are you doing here? Why do you both look so troubled?”
The instant Xia Bing turned her head, Shi Nianhuan knew that the answer was already obvious. If she still refused to believe it, she was probably a fool.
There was only a very faint mark on Xia Bing’s neck, but her skin was fair and delicate, making it quite conspicuous.
Shi Nianhuan stared at the mark in a daze. Not long ago, she had had one on her own body as well, so she knew all too clearly what it represented.
Bi Tiantian had obviously seen it too, and the anger in her heart grew increasingly intense.
It had been an ordinary greeting, yet no one answered her question. The atmosphere in the dormitory suddenly became awkward. Xia Bing’s smile faded as she looked at Bi Tiantian, then at Shi Nianhuan, finally realizing that something was wrong with them.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xia Bing slowly asked.
Shi Nianhuan felt that, since they had been classmates living together for so long, remaining silent would be too awkward.
“We… were just talking about you. Then you came back.” Shi Nianhuan swore that she really had only wanted to ease the atmosphere.