Chapter 52: Just Worth That Much Part 3

“Moving from such a high-end villa in Moon Reflection Villa to this little place in Beautiful Garden—Miao Zhu Teacher, have you been settling in okay these past few days?” Jiang Jingjing sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the sofa, propping her uninjured hand under her chin, smiling as she kicked off their post-dinner girls’ night chat. “Beautiful Garden spots are super popular in the rental market—listings don’t turn over much. How long had you been eyeing this one?”

Miao Zhu set down the snacks and fruit platter. “A long time. Signed the contract last month.”

Jiang Jingjing: “You used to live with your parents, and Xie Dasu and I didn’t want to bother you at night—you had a curfew, after all. Now it’s great~ You’re free!”

The north wind howled outside, but the heater made the room toasty. With no superfluous clutter, Miao Zhu had everything neatly arranged. A faint fragrance lingered in the air. Behind her, in the shadows untouched by the floor lamp, the cello leaned against the wall, and a few pale pink tulips stood in a pure white tall-necked vase.

Jiang Jingjing was concerned about something else. She popped a cherry into her mouth, cheeks puffing as she spoke. “How come you never mentioned the engagement to me? Deep down, you didn’t believe in that relationship, right? Since you were going to break it off anyway, there was no need to say much… But honestly, you not telling me or inviting me hurt me secretly for a good while.”

Miao Zhu smiled. “Sorry about that. I promise I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

“That’s more like it.” Jiang Jingjing nodded in satisfaction and exchanged a glance with Emma before pushing the fruit platter her way.

They had only met at Miao Zhu’s place tonight and hit it off immediately. But Jiang Jingjing had never dealt with Miao Zhu’s mother. She only saw the surface—Miao Zhu “moving out to live on her own” and “breaking up with Sheng Xingran.” Emma was different.

Emma had been quite startled by Miao Zhu. On New Year’s Eve, their video call had been perfectly normal. A week later, when she got Miao Zhu’s message inviting her to the new place for a housewarming, she hurriedly called. What could have happened to make the ultra-controlling Miao Mom let Miao Zhu go?

Miao Zhu had explained the whole story in detail. The mystery of what she wanted from Mu Shanyi unraveled before Emma.

“You planned for so long, using Mu Shanyi from the start, so now you two…”

“It’s over.”

The Miao Zhu who casually said “it’s over” on the phone overlapped with the one now smiling as she hosted them. Emma couldn’t help but wonder: Was Mu Shanyi just a transaction for Miao Zhu? But so many times, she’d felt that all of Miao Zhu’s attention was captivated by Mu Shanyi.

Was that genuine feeling struggling beyond reason?

Emma didn’t dare ask Miao Zhu that question. When Jiang Jingjing brought up Sheng Xingran, she immediately pivoted the topic for her. “No more talk of unhappy things. New year, new chats!”

Jiang Jingjing raised her hand and cleared her throat. “I actually had something else I wanted to say. For the past few months, Xie Dasu and I kept clashing, but after the music festival, we both got really awkward around each other, so… we decided to meet each other’s parents this Spring Festival!”

As soon as she mentioned Xie Dasu, a video call from him popped up. Jiang Jingjing’s face flushed red as she wiggled her phone and dashed to the balcony, leaving her new and old friends behind to answer it.

Emma sighed. “To understand romance, you’ve got to watch other people date.”

Miao Zhu stood up. “I’ll go tidy the kitchen. Emma, do you want something to drink?”

Emma waved her off. “No thanks, I’ll come help you.”

The two stood side by side in the kitchen, where the small light above the sink cast a soft glow. Miao Zhu tied back her long hair and focused on scraping the remnants from the dishes, clearing one while Emma loaded it into the dishwasher.

Watching Miao Zhu diligently handle the chores, Emma felt her nose sting.

“You’re taking medicine again?” she asked cautiously, glancing toward the cabinet. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“I couldn’t regulate it on my own.” Miao Zhu removed her cleaning gloves, turned around, and grabbed a tissue to wipe Emma’s tears. “Emma? Why are you crying? You know this isn’t my first time getting treatment—don’t worry.”

Emma always got deeply emotional whenever it came to Miao Zhu’s troubles, and the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. “Mia, I don’t know how to put it into words, but I hope every choice you make comes straight from your heart, with no regrets afterward. The past is the past—live happily and healthily from now on, okay?”

Miao Zhu reached out and pinched Emma’s nose. “Isn’t that expressing it perfectly? That’s good enough to use as a New Year’s blessing.”

“Don’t pinch my nose—you’ll ruin my makeup!”

“You cried it off yourself, didn’t you?”

Miao Zhu pulled out another tissue and handed it over. Emma unfolded it and pressed it under her eyes to absorb the tears. “Just remember: whenever you need me, I’m here. Always.”

“Good~” Miao Zhu curved her lips into a smile, turned on the faucet, and rinsed the wooden spatula and frying pan that wouldn’t fit in the dishwasher.

The only sounds in the kitchen were the rush of running water and Emma’s occasional sniffles.

Warm water splashed into the sink, and the edge of the frying pan slipped, flicking a droplet toward Miao Zhu’s eye.

Miao Zhu blinked. After a few seconds, she set the pan down and straightened up.

“Emma.”

“Is what I did really selfish? But I don’t regret it. I have to move forward—I know exactly what kind of life I want.”

A slow, tearing pain surged through Miao Zhu’s heart.

How could there be no regrets? This was the first time she had ever liked someone so much.

The words she could never voice to Mu Shanyi finally spilled out to her caring friend.

“…It’s just so hard to let go.”

“I might… I might need a really long time to forget her.”