Chapter 55

Way too much!

If it had been any other day, Su Dai would have grilled Chen Yi relentlessly for answers. But today, Xu Yan stood squarely in front of Chen Yi, her face icy and her eyes sharp as a blizzard—even her smile carried a veiled threat. She looked every bit the mother wolf guarding her cub. Su Dai found every word of her retort dying unspoken in her chest.

“Ha, ha, ha!” She forced a dry laugh, cobbling together an excuse to retreat. “Well, you two sure do have a fateful connection, huh.”

Xu Yan accepted the praise as her due. “Thanks.”

Su Dai swallowed hard and instinctively shot a pleading glance at Zhouyu.

Zhouyu cleared her throat softly and made as if to step forward and help.

Xu Yan’s curt “And what about you two?” stopped her cold.

Chen Yi remained blissfully oblivious to the tension. She stood obediently by the grill, letting Xu Yan tie the apron strings behind her back. Hearing the exchange, she looked up in confusion. “What’s wrong with them?”

Su Dai jumped in hastily. “Nothing at all.”

“Hey, hey—this one’s almost done.”

Chen Yi’s attention snapped to the skewers. She flipped them over with a lift of her hand, missing Su Dai’s enormous sigh of relief.

Xu Yan cast a faint glance her way before leaning in close to Chen Yi. “Need a hand?”

Chen Yi shook her head and nudged her with an elbow. “Go sit down over there. Too much smoke here.”

Xu Yan sighed helplessly and retreated to the camping chair.

Zhouyu watched Chen Yi bustling about solo and felt a rare twinge of conscience. “We’re really not going to help?”

Su Dai let out a dismissive tsk. “That’s just how she is—she hates anyone butting in while she’s cooking. Besides, can you even cook? Be my guest.”

Zhouyu shook her head.

A small red clay stove for brewing hearth tea sat before the three of them. Su Dai poured herself a cup of steaming red tea and sipped it slowly. Only then did she venture to probe Chief Editor Xu. “Chief Editor Xu, when did you first start liking Chen Yi?”

“Hold on—that day at the bar, you said you weren’t coming, but then you changed your mind. Don’t tell me it was for Chen Yi? And when she was on the phone with that online fling—oh, wait, that was you—you weren’t even there.”

Truth be told, Su Dai still nursed a sense of righteous indignation on behalf of her friend.

No matter how formidable Xu Yan seemed, to Su Dai she was still the woman who’d made her friend cry more than once.

And she and Zhouyu had even tried to play matchmaker back then.

Talk about a disaster.

That wasn’t matchmaking at all—it was throwing a lamb straight into a tiger’s mouth.

“Anyway, Little Yi was pretty torn up over you more than a few times. For real, we’re childhood friends, grew up together. It was the first time I’d ever seen her cry like that, so heartbroken. You get what I’m saying, right, Chief Editor Xu?”

Zhouyu had no way to insert herself into the conversation and focused on keeping her head down to minimize her presence.

Xu Yan stroked the little teacup in her hands and murmured a soft acknowledgment.

“I know,” she said. “It won’t happen again.”

Su Dai wasn’t the type to put much stock in promises. But since Xu Yan had said it… She picked up the little teapot and poured some tea for Xu Yan.

“Here, cheers.”

She treated the freshly brewed red tea like a shot of liquor.

By the time Chen Yi arrived with the grilled skewers, the three of them were staring at her as if nothing had happened.

“Why are you all just sitting there like idiots? Eat!”

Su Dai helped herself without ceremony and shoved a skewer at Zhouyu. Xu Yan called out to Chen Yi. “You have some too?”

Chen Yi flashed a sly grin and beckoned her over.

She plucked two beef skewers from the grill. “No chili—these are for you.”

“Don’t let Su Dai see. These have the most meat on them—the ones I threaded myself.”

Su Dai’s head whipped up. “Chen Yi! I’m not deaf, you know!”

Chen Yi let out a cheeky chuckle. “Heard that? Good!”

“You favoritist!”

“Nyah-nyah.” Chen Yi preened smugly. “Isn’t it normal to favor your wife?”

Su Dai shook her head vigorously. “Fine, fine.”

She’d known this day would come once Chen Yi fell in love!

~~~

After lunch, the four of them lingered in the campsite, admiring the scenery and digesting their meal.

Xu Yan wasn’t much of a talker and rarely joined in the chatter. While Chen Yi, Su Dai, and Zhouyu conversed, she sat quietly off to the side, idly playing with Chen Yi’s hand—stroking from fingertips to palm, circling around, then kneading her way back inch by inch.

Su Dai caught sight of it and clicked her tongue inwardly. She hadn’t realized Xu Yan could be so quietly clingy.

After more than an hour of sitting still, Su Dai grew restless and rallied the group. “Let’s head to that karting club nearby.”

“Not far—a ten-minute drive.”

Chen Yi was eager and turned to check with Xu Yan.

Xu Yan took one look at her sparkling eyes brimming with excitement and nodded. Rather than bother with two cars, Xu Yan and Chen Yi piled into Su Dai’s sports car.

Zhouyu rode shotgun up front, while the little couple claimed the back seat.

Su Dai punched the gas and whipped down the winding mountain road, executing a sharp U-turn toward their destination. Just as promised, they arrived in ten minutes.

The karting track drew mostly young crowds. Su Dai glanced around. “Lucky—not too packed today. Park here and let’s head up.”

They’d barely parked when another car pulled in and stopped right beside them.

Someone called out Zhouyu’s name.

The four of them looked over. An exquisitely dressed beauty sat in the neighboring car.

“Friend?” Su Dai asked.

Zhouyu’s smiling face fell in an instant. She said nothing, refusing to even glance her way.

Su Dai thought to herself: Oh, there’s a story here.

Xu Yan knew the history better than anyone. She mouthed a silent explanation to the curious Chen Yi: Ex-girlfriend.

Chen Yi remembered in a flash.

The woman did look vaguely familiar.

She’d seen her picture once at Teacher Zhou’s house.

The ex had come with her current husband—beauty and the beast if ever there was one. Two of their buddies rode in the back seat. Spotting Zhouyu, one of them sneered. “Hey, isn’t that the designer? The one who did sis-in-law’s wedding dress?”

Su Dai might not have all the details, but she wasn’t stupid. She could spot the malice a mile away. From the driver’s seat, she lifted her chin in disdain and shot back. “Wow, broad daylight and I hear dogs barking already?”

Chen Yi picked up the thread seamlessly, her years of tag-teaming digs with Su Dai kicking in. “What are you talking about? Dogs are adorable. Come on, don’t— you’re insulting them.”

It was Xu Yan’s first time seeing Chen Yi so sharp-tongued.

She was always so mild-mannered, seeming innocent and easy to get along with. But on second thought, the daughter of Chen Nanyun—without a bit of edge, that wouldn’t make sense.

“You two bitches—” The guy flung open his door and lunged out to pick a fight.

Chen Yi snatched up the Pig Driving Stick she’d left on Su Dai’s car, flicked the switch, and watched blue sparks crackle along its length. She hopped out and slammed the stick against the ground.

“Watch your mouth.”

The guy deflated instantly.

The ex climbed out of the car and addressed Zhouyu. “Zhouyu, all these years later and you’re still as immature as ever? Now you’ve even learned to sponge off a rich woman?”

Zhouyu’s chest heaved with fury, but she wasn’t good at arguments—or more precisely, arguing with an ex. She couldn’t squeeze out a single word.

Su Dai couldn’t stomach the scene. She blared the horn to draw eyes, then tossed her hair with haughty flair as she eyed the ex. “What about it? I’ve got money to burn—if she wants to sponge off me, I’d be thrilled. Not like you—” Her gaze flicked between the ex and her husband. “Marrying rich must be tough work, huh? Selling out love for cash and still managing to stomach that pig—you’ve got grit.”

The ex flew into a rage, itching to smash the car.

Her husband yanked her back.

“No way,” he said. “We can’t smash this car.”

Su Dai’s lips curved in a smirk. “At least you’ve got some taste.”

“Oh, and that car of yours—isn’t it my old hand-me-down secondhand?” Su Dai had spotted it immediately. She loved cars but only for short thrills before selling them off. Plenty of rich kids snapped up her castoffs.

The husband didn’t dare make a peep, just grinned ingratiatingly.

He recognized Su Dai and knew better than to cross her.

Lacking that insight, the ex spat back. “So what if it’s secondhand? You’re still using my used-up person!”

“Enough.” Zhouyu had reached her limit. “Lola, there’s no need for this.”

In the end, the husband dragged his wife away. The whole group slunk off without daring to stick around and race.

Chen Yi shrugged and stowed the Pig Driving Stick back in the car.

Zhouyu apologized to them. “Sorry.”

Su Dai scoffed. “Yeah, you should apologize. Eyesight that bad—who knows how you picked your exes back then.”

Chen Yi rubbed her temple. “Su Dai—”

Zhouyu nodded. “You’re right. My mistake.”

Zhouyu yanked open the door and climbed out. “You all go play. I need a smoke.”

Seeing her like that set Su Dai’s temper ablaze.

“Can’t handle a few words?!”

Chen Yi finally picked up on the odd vibe.

She scratched at Xu Yan’s palm. Understanding the signal, Xu Yan got out to check on Zhouyu, leaving Chen Yi and Su Dai alone in the car.

Chen Yi let out a sigh. “Alright, spill it. What’s going on between you and Zhouyu?”

Su Dai: “Nothing. Absolutely zilch.”

“Were you two a thing?”

“As if.” Su Dai let out a derisive snort. “She thinks I’m straight.”

Chen Yi blinked. “Aren’t you?”

Su Dai bristled instantly. “I’m fluid! Fluid now!”

Chen Yi chuckled and shook her head. “Okay, okay.”

“Not gonna tell me more?”

Su Dai ducked her head, fidgeting bashfully. “It’s hard to talk about.”

“Aw, actually—it’s not that big a deal.”

She finally told Chen Yi everything that had happened at the bar that day, then immediately explained, “That scumbag’s already been dealt with, so don’t worry.”

Chen Yi was still shaken. “Next time, you really have to tell me. What, don’t you see me as a friend?”

Su Dai knew she was in the wrong. She coughed lightly and tried to wriggle out of the topic like a slippery eel. “You’re one to talk. What about you and Chief Editor Xu? Did you tell me anything?”

Chen Yi shot back, “My situation’s different!”

“How’s it different?” Su Dai lifted her chin. “Look, between us sisters, let’s not hold grudges. Consider this matter settled.”

“Fine.” Chen Yi nodded. “But just this once, okay?”

Su Dai laughed. “Got it, got it. I know.”

“Oh, right.” Su Dai winked at Chen Yi, her eyes gleaming with gossip. “How far have you and Chief Editor Xu gotten? Who’s on top? Who’s the 1 and who’s the 0?”

Chen Yi turned bright red as a tomato in an instant.

Su Dai stared in disbelief. “You two haven’t even done it yet?”

Chen Yi protested, “We’re very pure!”

“What about this, then?” Su Dai curved her fingers, pressing her index fingers and thumbs together in a little kissing gesture.

Chen Yi shook her head.

Su Dai was speechless.

“Chen Yi!” She lowered her voice. “Do you think you’re still sixteen or seventeen? Acting all innocent like this. How long have you two been dancing around each other?”

“We just started dating!” Chen Yi explained.

“Fine.” Su Dai sighed. “All right, I’ll give you some pointers. Actually, never mind— not enough time today. Here, take this. You might need it sometime.”

Su Dai pulled a box straight out of the car.

Chen Yi felt her hand burning just from holding it.

She really wanted to ask Su Dai what on earth she’d gone through these past few days to turn her from a straight-laced girl into such a total rogue.

This was way too much!