Chapter 5

Jiang Lai was awakened by a knock at the door.

She rubbed her pounding head, kicked aside the empty beer bottles scattered around her, and walked barefoot to the door, her voice still rough with sleep. "Stop knocking. I’m coming."

The moment she opened it, sunlight poured into the room. Jiang Lai squinted and turned back inside, then dropped gracelessly onto the sofa. She picked up the unfinished beer on the table and took a long, hard swallow.

Xia Wanwan, who had followed her in, looked utterly exasperated as she tidied up the room and started lecturing her. "Look at you. It’s just a breakup. Why did you have to turn yourself into a ghost?"

"..."

Jiang Lai still ignored her, as if she couldn’t hear a word. Xia Wanwan grew annoyed, reached out, and snatched the beer from Jiang Lai’s hand. "Jiang Lai, I’m talking to you!"

Jiang Lai didn’t care in the slightest. "Why are you here?"

Xia Wanwan sighed helplessly, her hands never stopping. "Who do you think? I was afraid you’d do something stupid, so I came over to keep an eye on you. But now it looks like I was worrying for nothing. Seems like you old lady are doing just fine."

Jiang Lai tiredly rubbed her eyes. "Just fine. I’m not dead yet."

"Look at you, that’s all the backbone you’ve got? What, is Qin Huaicheng the only man in the world? If you leave him, you can’t go on living?"

Jiang Lai sniffled, her voice thickening. "Wanwan, that was seven years of my life. My most precious seven years!"

"I know you’re hurting." Xia Wanwan gently patted her head. "But life still goes on. Seven years—so what? You weren’t even married. Cutting your losses in time is the right thing to do. If you’d broken up after getting married, wouldn’t that have cost you even more?"

"But I just feel awful..."

"All right, it’s not worth crying over a man like that."

Jiang Lai slumped onto the table. "Wanwan, help me find a real estate agent. I want to sell this place."

"Sell it?"

Xia Wanwan was shocked, but at the same time, it was exactly what she’d expected. "Why sell it when it’s perfectly fine?"

"This house has too many memories of me and Qin Huaicheng. Since we’ve broken up, I think we should cut things off completely. What do you think?"

Xia Wanwan picked up a cushion from the sofa and sat down beside Jiang Lai as casually as ever. "Sure. After you sell it, just keep all the money for yourself. Don’t give Qin Huaicheng a single cent!"

Jiang Lai glanced at her and affectionately tapped her nose. "You’re talking nonsense again. When we bought this house, he paid for it. I only covered a very small part of it. How could I possibly..."

"That’s one thing to say, but if you give him the money, I still won’t be happy. Why should he get to hurt you and walk away clean?"

"Just like you said. Cut your losses in time."

Xia Wanwan mischievously winked at Jiang Lai, who finally understood and smiled. At last, she asked, "Aren’t you even a little curious why Qin Huaicheng and I broke up?"

"Jiang Lai, to be honest, I’m very curious about what happened between you and Qin Huaicheng that made you, his girlfriend who used to have only him in her eyes, take the initiative to break up. But I also know one thing: I’m your best friend. No matter when it is, whatever decision you make, I’ll stand by you. So, Jiang Lai, you don’t have to pretend to be so strong in front of me. My shoulder is there for you to lean on!"

Xia Wanwan’s tone wasn’t heavy, but it hit Jiang Lai like a hammer. Her eyes reddened at once. She pretended to be angry and lightly punched Xia Wanwan on the shoulder. "Cut it out. Who do you think I am, Jiang Lai? I’m not going to wilt over some man!"

"Right! You, Jiang Lai, were the campus belle senior who once swept the whole school. How could you possibly be heartbroken over some mere movie king, huh?"

The two of them joked around, the atmosphere light and easy, as if they had gone back to that warm afternoon in college years ago; only this time, the leading role had changed from Xia Wanwan to Jiang Lai...

They looked at each other and smiled, everything left unsaid.

The phone set aside rang at just the right moment. Xia Wanwan picked it up to check, only to see that it was a WeChat message from Cheng Shuyang. She motioned for Jiang Lai to stay quiet, and Jiang Lai obediently made a sealing-her-mouth gesture.

Xia Wanwan opened her chat with Cheng Shuyang and played the voice message. Cheng Shuyang said a lot, but the gist was simple: she wanted Xia Wanwan to bring Jiang Lai home for dinner.

Before Jiang Lai could refuse, Xia Wanwan immediately gave an OK gesture, leaving Jiang Lai speechless.

"Wanwan..."

"What is it?"

Xia Wanwan put away her phone and studied Jiang Lai’s unhappy expression.

"You shouldn’t have agreed to Aunt Cheng. I’m used to being on my own, and besides, I’m an outsider. There are so many things that would be inappropriate if I went to your house..."

As Jiang Lai spoke, her voice grew bleak, and it made Xia Wanwan’s heart ache.

"A-Lai, it’s fine. You’ve met my mom too. Besides, if I leave you here alone, I won’t be able to relax. If you really don’t want to go to my house, then I’ll stay here with you. It’s just that... if my husband comes looking for me later, you’ll have to explain things for me!"

Xia Wanwan was Xia Wanwan, after all; she knew exactly where Jiang Lai’s weak spot was. Her words made it clear that if Jiang Lai didn’t go, she would move in with Jiang Lai, and if anything happened with Yin Zheng, she, Xia Wanwan, wouldn’t be the one to take responsibility.

"But..."

"No buts! Let’s go. My mom has issued her royal decree; take pity on me, will you?"

Xia Wanwan simply wouldn’t give Jiang Lai time to hesitate. She grabbed Jiang Lai’s bag, pushed her out the door in one smooth motion, then quickly locked the door behind them. The whole sequence was so fluid it was almost effortless; Jiang Lai could only stand there, stunned.

And so they made their way to Cheng Shuyang’s home. The housekeeper opened the door for them. "Wanwan’s back, and Miss Jiang is here too!"

"Mm, hello, Aunt Zhou!"

Xia Wanwan pulled Jiang Lai straight toward the living room. Jiang Lai turned back and gave Aunt Zhou an apologetic smile before hurrying after Xia Wanwan.

The moment she entered the living room, Jiang Lai came face to face with Cheng Shuyang. She immediately stood there obediently. "Hello, Aunt Cheng."

"A-Lai is here?"

Cheng Shuyang was as graceful and elegant as ever. Her tone wasn’t especially warm, but it wasn’t cold either. "Wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon."

At some point, even Cheng Shuyang’s way of addressing Jiang Lai had changed to "A-Lai"...

While the three of them ate, the television in the living room happened to be showing an interview. Jiang Lai didn’t pay much attention; she was fully focused on the food. It had to be said, Cheng Shuyang’s cooking was truly delicious.

Not only was she beautiful, she could cook this well too. Jiang Lai was practically about to fall completely under Cheng Shuyang’s spell.

Cheng Shuyang leaned slightly forward and picked up a piece of ribs to put into her bowl. "Eat more. You’re too thin."

"Thank you, Aunt Cheng! Your cooking is really amazing!"

"If it tastes good, eat more."

Just then, the television was airing an interview program.

"I’d like to ask a somewhat impolite question: Actress Xu’s love life has always been a mystery, so could you reveal a little for us?"

"There’s not much to be curious about."

Xu Zhiyi on the screen smiled with a deeply enigmatic air. "Actually... I quite like girls."

At that, Cheng Shuyang finally lifted her head and looked at the radiant beauty on the television.

"..."

The reporter clearly hadn’t expected Xu Zhiyi to answer that way and froze for half a second, but professional instinct quickly kicked in. "Actress Xu really knows how to joke."

"I’m not joking. If you’re asking about my ideal type..." Xu Zhiyi’s expression suddenly turned serious. "Jiang Lai, I quite like her."

Clink!

Jiang Lai’s chopsticks fell straight onto the table. She stared blankly at the person on the television, and her mind practically heard ten thousand horses galloping past.

Xu Zhiyi was the only actress in the country who could be spoken of in the same breath as Cheng Shuyang. The two had debuted around the same time and had swept every major award at home and abroad.

Cheng Shuyang was dignified and elegant, while Xu Zhiyi was alluring and full of charm.

"Damn, no way, A-Lai—since when did you hook up with Actress Xu? No wonder. With such a beautiful and captivating actress sister, who’d still want a straight-man type!"

Xia Wanwan looked at Jiang Lai with a teasing grin.

"Wanwan, don’t talk nonsense. I don’t know her at all!"

Jiang Lai shot an embarrassed glance toward Cheng Shuyang. "Aunt Cheng..."

Cheng Shuyang comforted her as if nothing had happened. "It’s fine. Teacher Xu just likes to talk nonsense. You don’t need to take it to heart. Eat your meal."

Only then did Jiang Lai relax, but she failed to notice the look Cheng Shuyang gave her.

After the meal, Jiang Lai sat in the garden basking in the sun. When she sensed someone sitting down beside her, she assumed it was Xia Wanwan and didn’t think anything of it.

"Wanwan, move a little to the side. You’re blocking my sun."

The person obediently shifted over a bit.

She lay back on the grass, half asleep.

"Sleepy?"

Only then did the person speak, but it wasn’t Xia Wanwan’s voice. Jiang Lai jumped in shock and reflexively sat up straight, her posture instantly stiff. "Aunt Cheng, why are you here?"

"What are you afraid of? I’m not going to eat you."

Cheng Shuyang patted the empty space beside her. "Don’t be nervous. Just treat me like an ordinary aunt."

Jiang Lai sat there properly, not too far from her.

Cheng Shuyang turned slightly toward her, her tone gentle. "Wanwan says you really like me?"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm."

Jiang Lai nodded desperately, admiration filling her eyes. "Aunt Cheng, you have no idea how charming you are. I really, really like you."

"If you like me that much, why are you still hiding from me? Hmm?"

The last syllable of her question lifted slightly, and Jiang Lai’s heart gave a little jolt. She lowered her head awkwardly. "I just get nervous when I see you. I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing and leave a bad impression on you..."

"What’s there to worry about?"

Cheng Shuyang leaned a little closer and tucked the stray hair at Jiang Lai’s temple behind her ear. "In real life, I’m just an ordinary person like everyone else. Don’t treat me like someone up on a pedestal, all right?"

"Mm, okay..."

It seemed her ear still held the lingering warmth of Cheng Shuyang’s touch. Jiang Lai nodded blankly. Seeing that, Cheng Shuyang curved her lips. "Good girl..."