Chapter 39

“Little Qi—” Bo Ranying’s anxious yet delighted call cut off abruptly the moment she heard the unfamiliar voice.

She immediately went on high alert, her tone turning sharp and confrontational. “Who are you?”

“What is Nan Qi doing? Why are you two still together so late at night?”

Her questions came tumbling out one after another, endless and unrelenting.

A heavy cloud hung over Bo Ranying’s head at that moment, her heart filled with thick unease, shrouded in a fear she couldn’t shake off.

The utterly casual tone from the other end of the line pierced her like a needle. She felt like a balloon rapidly inflating— one small prick from those probing words, and she would burst.

Her fingers clutched the phone case so tightly they threatened to ruin her favorite limited-edition Disney peripheral.

Tang Lian brushed off Bo Ranying’s interrogation without a care. She remained utterly relaxed, even propping her legs leisurely on the sofa, her toes curling upward happily to show just how pleased the homeowner was.

A clear, melodious laugh escaped her lips. “Miss Bo, you’re quite the forgetful lady, aren’t you~?”

“What do you mean?”

Bo Ranying’s brows furrowed into a tight knot. She strained to identify the voice, confirming it didn’t belong to anyone she knew. Her anxiety and confusion only deepened.

She knew Nan Qi’s personality well—Nan Qi never let anyone touch her personal belongings without permission. She made no exceptions for anyone but Bo Ranying herself. If someone else dared to, Nan Qi would get furious. She didn’t even need to raise her voice; that natural aura of a storm brewing was enough to make anyone tremble, repent, and fall silent. They’d learn their lesson, never daring to touch her things again, and Nan Qi would even proactively warn and stop others who didn’t know better.

Yet now, Nan Qi had made an exception for someone else.

A wave of grievance surged uncontrollably in Bo Ranying’s heart.

Tang Lian knew Bo Ranying hadn’t remembered yet. She stretched out the leg resting on the other one, swinging her calf in the air. “I’m Tang Lian. Ring any bells? I even asked you for Nan Qi’s WeChat back then, but you refused and told me it wouldn’t matter even if you gave it—Nan Qi would never like me anyway.”

“But now? Nan Qi’s right here with me~”

Tang Lian’s voice lilted with ever-growing cheer, dripping with the smug triumph of a petty villain.

Even someone as good-tempered as Bo Ranying felt the urge to throw a punch upon hearing it.

Tang Lian’s reminder yanked her back to that morning. Yes, it had happened just like that. Back then, she’d been so confident, utterly sure that Nan Qi wouldn’t fall for anyone else. She could still clearly recall Nan Qi’s anger and solemn declaration when refusing to add Tang Lian. Bo Ranying had been certain Nan Qi couldn’t possibly like her. Maybe the two of them being together now was just some unavoidable coincidence… but reality had slapped her in the face hard.

Her cheeks burned with a sharp sting, psychological though it was.

No wonder she hadn’t recognized Tang Lian’s voice. The day they’d met, Bo Ranying had been drunk out of her mind, her head foggy. And their interactions had been minimal. Picking it out on the spot would have been a pipe dream.

Tang Lian’s gaze wandered idly before suddenly catching sight of the white steam rising from the kitchen. She remembered the pot of water she’d left boiling.

She promptly dropped her legs and hurried to the kitchen, not forgetting to hurl another barb at Bo Ranying. “As for why I’m the one answering your call? Nan Qi’s in the shower right now. She’s not convenient to pick up, so she asked me to get it~”

Shower.

That keyword hit, and Bo Ranying’s nails dug in hard, piercing the phone case.

Her fingers sank deep into the cracked material. Blood welled up from the split between nail bed and skin, trickling down in thin, eerie trails that dripped onto the case, turning the cute Minnie design into something straight out of a horror flick.

Bo Ranying felt the pain, but suddenly her nerves seemed numb to it. She knew she was injured and bleeding, but she had no desire to bandage it or tend to the wound. The physical ache was something she could bear.

She stared blankly at the battery icon on her phone screen, next to the time: 23:50 Beijing time. In ten more minutes, the clock would tick over to a brand-new day.

An entire evening, and Nan Qi had spent it with another woman. A woman who adored her…

She didn’t dare imagine what might have happened.

The long night stretched on endlessly. Dawn felt impossibly far away to Bo Ranying.

Tang Lian reached the kitchen and lifted the lid. Sure enough, a burst of boiling steam greeted her, the water bubbling furiously as if ready to knock the cover off.

She added the noodles, vegetables, and egg in turn.

She set the phone down on the counter.

She grabbed two bowls, mixed in the seasonings, poured boiling water, and prepared a flavorful soup base.

The clink of bowls and bottles, the burble of boiling water, the homely bustle of cooking—all of it was faithfully captured by the phone’s microphone and transmitted straight to Bo Ranying’s ear.

It was a sound Bo Ranying knew all too well.

Every noise screamed that Tang Lian was cooking a late-night meal for Nan Qi with all her heart.

The moment Nan Qi emerged from the shower, she could enjoy the thoughtful feast Tang Lian had prepared.

Bo Ranying deflated in an instant. This back-and-forth left her feeling miserable and exhausted. Her eyes stung; she squeezed them shut tight, refusing to let the tears fall alone.

She said nothing and simply hung up.

Nan Qi’s phone fell silent. The relentless determination to connect from moments ago vanished completely.

It wasn’t until Tang Lian had finished cooking the noodles and served them into bowls that she noticed Bo Ranying’s voice had gone quiet for a while.

When she picked up the phone, she saw that the call had ended some time ago.