“You’re not wrong. I just think we have different values and aren’t suitable as friends,” Su Meier said bluntly.
“But haven’t we always gotten along well before?”
Whatever Zheng Qingning said in the past, Su Meier would listen. She had always been obedient and accommodating.
“You were happy. I wasn’t. Is that enough of an explanation?”
The original owner’s submissive personality had probably been manipulated by her more than a few times.
A trace of stiffness appeared on Zheng Qingning’s overly mature face. Her reddened eyes stared fixedly at Su Meier.
For a moment, it seemed as though the weak and pitiful disguise had fallen away, revealing a sharp and somewhat mean expression beneath.
The sight made Su Meier’s scalp tingle.
What?
Did she want to fight?
She held a black belt in Taekwondo.
Although Taekwondo was more of a performance martial art, and against true martial artists her skills would be little more than decoration, it was more than enough to deal with Zheng Qingning.
The next second, Zheng Qingning’s expression changed again.
Looking deeply hurt, she said,
“Meier, you’ve really changed. You’ve changed so much that I hardly recognize you anymore.”
“Hello, my name is Su Meier. The person beside me is my friend. Feel free to enjoy your meal. Let’s not disturb each other.”
Su Meier immediately responded.
The other two people at the table froze.
Neither had expected such a shocking reply.
She was literally pretending not to know her.
Su Meier ignored the person across from her and focused on her noodles.
If she kept talking, her noodles would get soggy.
She slurped up a mouthful.
Smooth, springy, and delicious.
So good!
Definitely worth coming back for.
Seeing her start eating, Tong Youyi began eating as well.
Perhaps because Su Meier was eating so enthusiastically today, the same noodles Tong Youyi had eaten before suddenly tasted exceptionally delicious.
Before she knew it, she had finished the entire bowl.
And she was stuffed.
Su Meier, meanwhile, had only just reached the point of being comfortably full after finishing her noodles.
That didn’t stop her from moving on to the braised pork.
She picked up a piece and placed it in Tong Youyi’s bowl.
“Here, Youyi. Have a piece.”
Rubbing her bloated stomach, Tong Youyi shook her head frantically.
“Meier, I’m full. I really can’t eat another bite.”
If she ate any more, she felt her skirt might split open.
“Your appetite is tiny.”
Su Meier shook her head at her slender frame.
“On the contrary, your appetite seems to have grown quite a bit lately,” Tong Youyi remarked.
“Of course. I used to be afraid people would dislike me for eating too much. Now I don’t care anymore. I’m just eating freely.”
Su Meier said it casually.
Tong Youyi immediately believed her.
“How could anyone dislike you? Even if you gained weight and became a two-hundred-jin fat girl, I still wouldn’t dislike you.”
Su Meier froze with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth.
Thanks.
That’s really unnecessary.
“Two hundred jin is impossible. I haven’t even seen anyone that heavy around here.”
“I was just making an example! I only wanted to prove that I’d never dislike you.”
Afraid she had been misunderstood, Tong Youyi hurriedly explained.
“Exactly, Meier,” Zheng Qingning added.
“You already had this figure before you started eating more, and none of us disliked you then. There’s no way we’d dislike you in the future.”
“Stranger, why don’t you tell me exactly what kind of figure I have?”
Su Meier’s tone turned icy.
Zheng Qingning’s eyes shifted slightly.
“Obviously a healthy and well-proportioned figure.”
Su Meier relaxed.
At least this time she had learned her lesson and wasn’t making sarcastic remarks.
Wouldn’t it have been better if she had acted like this from the beginning?
Giving Zheng Qingning a look that clearly said At least you know better, Su Meier resumed eating enthusiastically.
Then, without invitation, a pair of chopsticks suddenly reached into her plate.
She didn’t even need to look to know whose they were.
Su Meier slowly lifted her gaze.
This person’s shamelessness was truly rare.
She was speechless.
Fortunately, there were only a few pieces left, and they were mostly fatty pork, which she didn’t particularly enjoy anyway.
“Zheng Qingning, did I invite you to eat this meat?”
She put down her chopsticks heavily and spoke coldly.
Still unwilling to give up, Zheng Qingning said,
“But in the past, didn’t you always share with me? Whenever I asked, you would give it to me.”
“The past is the past. The present is the present. I don’t want to anymore. Understand?
Forget it. I won’t argue about it this time. If you like those few pieces of fatty meat, eat them.
But if you pull something like this again, don’t blame me if I hit you.
Youyi, let’s go shopping.”
Su Meier stood up and called to the dumbfounded girl beside her.
Only after they had walked a considerable distance did Tong Youyi finally ask,
“Meier, how did you ever tolerate her behavior before?”
In the past, Tong Youyi had avoided interacting with Zheng Qingning.
If Zheng Qingning was present, Tong Youyi usually wasn’t, and vice versa.
This was the first time she had witnessed such a situation firsthand.
“I don’t know,” Su Meier replied casually.
“Maybe I was stupid and immature before.”
Tong Youyi nodded thoughtfully.
“Mm. Staying away from her is definitely the right choice.”
“Enough about her. Let’s go browse the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.”
Tong Youyi pointed at a shop ahead.
The moment they entered, a dazzling array of goods greeted them.
Household appliances, fabrics, clothing, enamelware, furniture, candy, pastries, tobacco, alcohol—everything was neatly displayed throughout the store.
As soon as Tong Youyi entered, she headed straight for the clothing section.
Su Meier wasn’t in a hurry to look elsewhere and followed her there first.
A saleswoman dressed in a pink uniform with impeccable makeup immediately brightened and hurried over.
“Miss Tong, you’re here! We just received some new arrivals yesterday. Would you like to take a look?”
Meanwhile, Su Meier frowned slightly at the sparse selection of clothing.
There were only a handful of garments available.
In contrast, there was a much larger variety of fabrics.
It seemed textiles were their primary business.
Pointing at a red polka-dot dress hanging high up, Tong Youyi said,
“Take that one down.”
The saleswoman was familiar with Tong Youyi’s tastes after serving her several times before.
Maintaining a professional smile, she asked,
“Miss Tong, trying a different style today?”
Tong Youyi took the dress but ignored the question.
Instead, she walked over to Su Meier.
“Meier, try it on. The moment I saw it, I thought it would suit you perfectly.”
Only then did the saleswoman notice the plainly dressed young woman beside her.
“Miss Tong, is this your friend?”
Aside from both having pretty faces, the two girls looked completely different, so she hadn’t assumed they had come together.
“She’s my best friend.”
Knowing exactly how these people tended to behave toward wealth and status, Tong Youyi made their relationship clear immediately.
The saleswoman’s puzzled expression instantly transformed into a flattering smile.
“Haha, I see. My mistake. I didn’t realize.
Miss, why don’t you try it on? Miss Tong has excellent taste. This dress would look wonderful on you.”
The smooth compliments instantly inflated Tong Youyi’s confidence.
She pushed Su Meier forward.
“Meier, stop standing around and go try it on.”
Caught off guard, Su Meier stumbled.
“Youyi, stop that.”
Back in the twenty-first century, she had been a serious shopaholic.
Once she started buying things, she couldn’t stop.
But now she was practically penniless.
She had already checked the tag.
The dress cost twenty-five yuan.
There was no way she could afford it.
Well… technically she could.
But thankfully she hadn’t brought all thirty yuan she owned.
Otherwise she would probably spend every last cent.
She was truly clever.
“Meier, just try it on. Pretend you’re trying it for me to see how it looks, okay?”
Tong Youyi clung to her arm and shook it repeatedly.
“Why don’t you try it yourself?”
Su Meier handed the dress over.
Tong Youyi stared at it for a few seconds before suddenly saying,
“No. I ate too much just now. My tummy’s sticking out. It won’t look good on me. Please try it for me.”
Su Meier widened her eyes.
What kind of nonsense was that?
If anyone had a bigger stomach, it was definitely her, not Tong Youyi.
“Youyi, I think my stomach is bigger than yours. It won’t look good on me either.”
The saleswoman watched them pass the dress back and forth.
“How about I bring out another one? Then both of you can try one on?”