Shen Qinghuan met the waiter’s gaze and gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.
Su You gave a regular private room number, and the waiter led the two of them inside.
The private room wasn’t large. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched the entire city skyline, sunlight streaming in through the glass.
Su You sat down and pushed the menu toward Shen Qinghuan.
“Order whatever you want. It’s my treat today—look how thin you’ve gotten. Don’t be polite with me, or I’ll really get angry.”
Shen Qinghuan took the menu, flipped through a couple of pages, and ordered a set meal she used to eat often.
Su You glanced at her, asked nothing, and ordered the same for herself.
While the dishes were being served one by one, Su You suddenly spoke up:
“After we eat, you’re coming with me to buy clothes.”
Shen Qinghuan’s chopsticks paused mid-air. “Buy clothes? I have clothes to wear.”
Su You scanned her from head to toe, her mouth twitching. “This thing you’re wearing? Do you even know how old this style is?”
Shen Qinghuan looked down at her jacket and couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
Su You put down her chopsticks, her tone like she was scolding a disobedient younger sister.
“This athletic jacket is last season’s. Shen Qinghuan, you never used to wear last season’s clothes.”
Shen Qinghuan wanted to say she didn’t care about such things, but meeting Su You’s gaze, she wisely swallowed the words.
After the meal, Su You dragged Shen Qinghuan straight to the biggest shopping mall in the city center.
The elevator went straight to the top floor. Su You told the approaching sales assistant, “We’re taking this entire floor,” and the assistant smoothly stepped aside.
The whole floor was empty, leaving only the two of them.
Su You casually pulled a dress off a rack and held it up against herself in front of the mirror.
While muttering “the color of this one won’t do” and “this one’s too tight at the waist,” her eyes kept drifting toward Shen Qinghuan.
After trying five or six dresses against herself, Su You suddenly turned around and tossed a pale yellow sundress into Shen Qinghuan’s arms.
“Go try it on.”
Shen Qinghuan held the dress, momentarily stunned.
Su You had already turned away and started rummaging through another rack, not looking back:
“Stop standing there like an idiot. Go!”
Shen Qinghuan looked down at the dress in her arms, the corner of her mouth curving slightly.
She walked into the fitting room, Su You’s voice coming from behind her.
“Come out and show me when you’re done. Don’t just sit there secretly pleased with yourself.”
The moment the fitting room door closed, Su You’s phone buzzed.
She looked down—a familiar name flashed on the screen: Gu Nian.
The oldest and most blunt-spoken one in their circle of friends.
Su You hesitated for a moment, then answered.
“Where are you?” Gu Nian’s voice came through the receiver, getting straight to the point.
Su You replied, “The mall. I’m shopping for clothes.”
“Did you go find Shen Qinghuan?”
Su You raised an eyebrow. “Your news travels fast.”
There was a pause on the other end, and Gu Nian’s voice turned noticeably awkward.
“Who’s been secretly watching that ungrateful wolf? I was just worried about you, afraid you’d be fooled by her again.”
A confession unprompted.
Su You didn’t call her out on it, just gave an “mm.”
Gu Nian softened her tone and turned serious.
“Su You, get a grip. Have you forgotten how Shen Qinghuan treated you last time?”
“She called you a gold-digger in front of all those people at Jingda Guangchang, said our friendship was worthless—and you cried the entire night.”
“That time she apologized, you forgave her, and then what? A few days later, she went running back to that Lin Chen, and you got slapped in the face a second time.”
Su You’s fingers tightened slightly around her phone.
“I think this time it’s different.” Her voice was soft.
Gu Nian sighed. “You say that every time. Su You, it’s not that I don’t feel for her—I feel for you.”
Su You bit her lip and said nothing.
Gu Nian said one last thing: “Do whatever you want. Just don’t come back crying to us later.”
The call ended.
Su You stared at her phone screen for a few seconds, then shoved it back into her pocket.
She rubbed her face, pressing her lips together. Her good mood from moments ago had vanished completely.
The fitting room door opened, and Shen Qinghuan walked out in that pale yellow dress.
“How does it look?” Shen Qinghuan spun in front of the mirror, the hem of the skirt fluttering gently.
Su You looked her up and down and curled her lip. “It’s alright. Barely passable.”
Shen Qinghuan noticed Su You’s reddened eyes but didn’t ask why—she just smiled.
“Youyou, at today’s monthly exam, I played Ernst’s Grand Caprice on Schubert’s ‘Erlkönig’ and took first place.”
Su You froze for a moment. “You played the Erlkönig piece again?”
“Mm.” Shen Qinghuan smoothed her skirt, her tone cheerful. “Professor Zhou said he hasn’t heard a student at the conservatory play as well as me in twenty years.”
Su You’s mouth twitched, and she forced it down with a huff. “Brag all you want.”
“It’s true.” Shen Qinghuan looked at her earnestly. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll play it for you next time.”
Su You turned her face away. “Who wants to hear you play? It’s deafening.”
Shen Qinghuan couldn’t help but laugh.
She knew Su You had learned an instrument for a couple of years as a child, but lacking much talent, it had become just a hobby.
Su You used to love listening to the original owner play the violin most of all.
Su You pulled out two more pieces of clothing and tossed them to her. “Go try these on too. Stop standing there grinning like an idiot.”
Shen Qinghuan was about to turn around with the clothes in her arms when a few passersby came up the escalator.
The shop assistant realized the store hadn’t been fully cleared and hurried over.
The passersby were whispering among themselves.
“That girl in the pale yellow dress is so pretty.”
“Is some celebrity filming here?”
A girl with a ponytail worked up the courage to come over, her face slightly flushed.
“Um… hello, are you a celebrity? Could we get your autograph?”
Shen Qinghuan was taken aback, then shook her head. “I’m not a celebrity. I’m a student at the Jingda Yinyue Xueyuan.”
The girl’s eyes lit up even more. “A conservatory student? No wonder you have such great presence! Then can we take a photo together?”
Shen Qinghuan glanced at Su You, who rolled her eyes with an expression that said “figure it out yourself.”
Shen Qinghuan nodded. “Sure.”
The girl excitedly came over, held up her phone, and snapped a photo, muttering “so pretty, so pretty” under her breath.
A few more people gathered around, chattering and asking if they were filming a variety show, whether she was some newly debuted artist.
Shen Qinghuan patiently explained to each of them, her manner gentle, without a trace of impatience.
Su You stood to the side watching this scene, and suddenly felt a pang in her heart.
The old Shen Qinghuan, when complimented on her looks, would always lift her chin and say “like you even need to tell me.”
Now, her temper had actually improved to this degree—who knew what kind of hardships she’d suffered out there.
Su You pushed down that pang of jealousy and stepped forward to part the crowd.
“Alright, alright, stop taking pictures. She’s not a celebrity, just an ordinary student. Move along, everyone.”
The passersby gradually dispersed.
Shen Qinghuan, holding her clothes, looked at Su You’s protective stance and smiled. “Thanks, Youyou!”
“Let’s go, time to check out.” Su You pulled her along.
Shen Qinghuan glanced down at the pile of clothes in her arms. “We’re buying all of these?”
“What else? If you try them on and don’t buy them, you’d be making the sales assistant work for nothing.” Su You didn’t even turn her head.
After paying, the two of them carried their bags down to the first floor of the mall.
Su You said, “Wait here, I’ll go get the car.”
Shen Qinghuan nodded and stood at the entrance holding the bags.
In the electronics section on the first floor of the mall, a familiar figure was standing in front of the secondhand counter.
Lin Chen, wearing a gray hoodie washed nearly white, was looking down at the laptops in the display case, hesitation on his face.
After looking for a long while, he pointed at the cheapest one and asked, “How much is this one?”