“This is Li Baozhu’s house—the friend who just left. Xingran pulled some strings for the organizer, so I came to say hello to her.” Mu Shanyi took the initiative to explain why she was there. Her gaze fell on Miao Zhu’s reddened wrist, lingered for a moment, then returned to Miao Zhu’s face.
At that moment, Miao Zhu had no desire to engage with Mu Shanyi at all. Mu Shanyi’s sudden appearance made her feel deeply embarrassed.
It was true that everything Sheng Xingran had said was factual, and Miao Zhu admitted that she was indeed an expensive commodity for others’ amusement. But that didn’t mean she was willing to let this conversation fall into a third party’s ears.
She had her pride too. She didn’t want to be looked down upon.
Mu Shanyi took two steps closer. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you and Xingran.”
“It’s fine.” Miao Zhu had no choice but to respond. There was no way to blame Mu Shanyi—it was she and Sheng Xingran who had barged in suddenly. —Maybe it didn’t matter anyway. Miao Ling had just tried to curry favor with Mu Shanyi using rice cakes and dumplings. Being overheard by Mu Shanyi wasn’t shameful, because their whole family had already lost face in front of her long ago.
Today just made it all the more vivid for Mu Shanyi to see how pathetic she was.
Miao Zhu let out a breath, then felt her inexplicable burst of pride from moments ago was laughable.
Silence spread.
“Why did you come here tonight?” Mu Shanyi spoke again.
Miao Zhu replied indifferently, “He Zizhou picked me up.”
Mu Shanyi suggested, “I was just about to leave. Want to go together?”
Miao Zhu let out a laugh. “Everything Xingran said is true. I really have no shame. Not only do I fawn over her, but for the company’s projects, I’m fawning over He Zizhou too. And if needed, I’ll fawn over even more people.”
The light fell into Miao Zhu’s moist eyes. “Sister A-Heng, aren’t you afraid I’ll cling to you?” Her eyes reddened faintly, but she still shrugged as if trying to play it off casually. “It’d be better to draw a clear line with me.”
Mu Shanyi didn’t respond immediately after hearing this. She gazed at Miao Zhu with eyes like a serene deep sea. Only when Miao Zhu uncomfortably looked away did she speak softly and gently, “You can vent your emotions, but don’t express sadness and disappointment through self-deprecation.”
“Miao Zhu, I harbor no ill will toward you. You don’t need to put on an act in front of me.”
Mu Shanyi saw through her insincere words, saw the self-destructive negativity beneath her feigned casualness.
In that moment, a sense of grievance surged over Miao Zhu like a tidal wave. She tried her hardest to control her emotions. She’d already lost enough face in front of Mu Shanyi—she wouldn’t allow herself to lose control even more.
The door was opened from the inside. Mu Shanyi and Miao Zhu emerged one after the other. They passed through the corridor to the staircase, where Mu Shanyi stopped. Miao Zhu went downstairs alone.
Li Baozhu sidled up to Mu Shanyi, her tone dripping with undisguised schadenfreude. “I think some of your ideas might not be all that moral, A-Heng.”
Mu Shanyi seemed not to hear. She lifted her wrist, adjusted her watch, and glanced down at the time.
Li Baozhu pressed on relentlessly. “I’ve seen her a few times before and always felt she looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Today it finally clicked! Isn’t she Xingran’s little shadow?”
“Xingran’s your sister, you know? Aren’t you being immoral?” Li Baozhu was practically gleeful. This elegant friend of hers had always stood at the top of the pyramid, the one rejecting others. Who knew there’d come a day when she’d covet something that wasn’t hers?
“So that café where you asked to meet the day you returned to the country—wasn’t a coincidence, right? You went there for her?” Li Baozhu had eight hundred questions. “You’ve been abroad the whole time. When did you get interested in her?”
Mu Shanyi glanced at her absentmindedly. Li Baozhu raised her hand in a swearing gesture. “I’m on your side. I’ll definitely keep the secret.”
Mu Shanyi asked, “What did you say about Xingran when you went into the room just now?”
“She left, and her face looked awful.” Li Baozhu had a sudden realization and gasped. “…Don’t tell me the three of you had some messy thing going on in there? Did you two piss her off??? That stimulating??”
Mu Shanyi denied it. “No.”
The chaotic third party wasn’t her.
“Oh.” Li Baozhu reined in her wild imagination and nodded toward Miao Zhu at the bottom of the stairs. “So Xingran’s throwing a tantrum at her then? To be honest, that girl’s looks are flawless—just her appearance alone is enough to attract people. …Who was the one talking to her?”
He Zizhou’s ears still echoed with He Zishan’s urgent words when she’d blocked her path.
“They’re a couple! Don’t get involved!”
“If I’d known you liked Miao Zhu, I never would’ve come up with that dumb idea. Cloud City’s circle is small. Anyone who knows Sheng Xingran knows about Miao Zhu!”
“Sheng Xingran’s always had her by her side for years. Even if they’re not officially together, they’re definitely entAngeld. No one else can squeeze in. My bestie Li Li’s been chasing Xingran lately. She called me last night from some guesthouse in the mountains with Xingran and Miao Zhu. Midway through, she started crying—Miao Zhu basically declared her territory and made her back off!”
“Don’t be stupid!”
“…”
Miao Zhu had someone else in her heart. Thinking back now, Miao Zhu had never responded to her with any real enthusiasm. The beautiful beginning He Zizhou had imagined was probably just her own one-sided wishful thinking, built entirely on making things difficult for Miao Zhu.
He Zizhou couldn’t tell if she felt more guilty or more heartbroken. She stood in place and watched Sheng Xingran come downstairs, clearly after arguing with Miao Zhu, which added another layer of self-reproach to her heart.
She had to clear things up with Miao Zhu.
This thought aligned perfectly with Miao Zhu’s. Sheng Xingran had ruined tonight’s date; she owed He Zizhou an explanation.
Miao Zhu placed her hand on the stair railing, but before she could speak, He Zizhou came up and cut in first. “Miao Zhu, I… I do have feelings for you. Before tonight, I really wanted a chance to develop things further…”
It was all one-sided from He Zishan. He Zizhou still clung to a sliver of hope, but Miao Zhu showed no sign of being moved after hearing this. He Zizhou’s illusory expectations ultimately fell flat.
Fine then, she thought. The affection was just budding, not deep-rooted. She could pick it up and let it go.
“I didn’t know about you and her…” He Zizhou had sorted it out rationally, but emotionally, she couldn’t suppress the disappointment. “I sincerely apologize to you… both of you.”
