Chapter 56

Lin Yuewei was even more cowardly this time than the last; she gave in in less than a second. Just before the curtain fell, she caught a hazy glimpse of Gu Yanqiu’s smiling face.

Piecing together those two fleeting moments, Lin Yuewei could make out the people standing beside Gu Yanqiu. One was Lin Zhi, the secretary—the handsome young man she had once mistaken for Gu Yanqiu’s boyfriend—and the other was a middle-aged man with a big belly, vaguely like a laughing Buddha. He was probably some business partner or other.

The curtain was still just a little short of fully dropping. Through that sliver, Lin Yuewei saw four pairs of feet moving down the corridor. When they were almost beside her, they turned a corner and headed into another private room next door.

Lin Yuewei let out a breath and didn’t dare look again, afraid Gu Yanqiu might notice her here.

Just then Shao Yasi sent her a message, apologizing in one breath after another. From the sound of it, she was panting like an ox; she must have been rushing over at a run. Lin Yuewei let out a long sigh into the phone and said earnestly, “You’re a celebrity, do you know that? Can you please pay a little attention to your image?”

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she wasn’t making a friend so much as getting a head start on motherhood. If Shao Yasi were a little dumber, she’d probably start reminding her to walk more slowly so she wouldn’t trip and fall.

“It’s just a short distance; I wasn’t running the whole way. We were in a meeting, and it dragged on forever. I checked the time and was scared you’d leave.”

Hearing how steady her voice was, Lin Yuewei guessed she was already in a car. Shao Yasi didn’t have a driver’s license, so she couldn’t have driven herself; and as an out-of-towner from a decent family, there was no way her family would have bought her a car just for this. The only possibility was that the company had provided her with a car and driver.

Thinking of Shao Yasi, then of her own miserable state, having had to take a taxi here, Lin Yuewei had to admit that people really shouldn’t compare themselves to others. Once they did, they could die of anger.

The person who had died of comparison, Shao Yasi, arrived late. She wore oversized sunglasses that covered most of her face and slipped in furtively, kneeling on the soft cushion across from Lin Yuewei.

“Did anyone follow me when I came in?” Shao Yasi had specifically reminded Lin Yuewei to keep an eye out for anyone behind her.

“No.”

“Why didn’t I see you lift the curtain just now?”

“...You don’t need to worry about that. Anyway, I looked; there was no one.” Embarrassingly enough, Lin Yuewei had actually lain on the floor and peered out, risking being discovered. She didn’t want to talk about it, so she changed the subject. “Paparazzi are busy too. The show’s over. At best we’re only, what, rank thirty-eight? Who’d have the free time to come photograph us?”

“My agent said the same thing.”

“Then why..."

“But she told me to start training my sensitivity now. If I get photographed later, it’ll be too late.” Shao Yasi was simple-minded, but she was obedient. Whatever her agent told her, she did, and it wasn’t a bad thing to keep it up.

Lin Yuewei smiled. “I’ll have them bring a fresh pot of tea. This one’s gone cold.”

“It’s fine if it’s cold; don’t change it.” Shao Yasi quickly stopped her from pressing the call button, picked up a teacup, poured herself a full cup, and drank it in one gulp. “I’m dying of thirst. I didn’t even buy water on the way over.”

Lin Yuewei: “...”

Forget it. That wasn’t the point; she could do whatever made her happy.

It was obvious this dinner would last a long time, so Lin Yuewei called over a server and the two of them ordered some tea snacks, then settled in to chat.

Shao Yasi still found the company’s novelty exciting. She couldn’t help saying that after signing earlier today, she had run into other artists from the company. Before, she had only ever seen them on TV; now they were in the same company as her, and it all felt magical, like a dream.

Lin Yuewei said, “I ran into someone at the company today too. She was putting on quite a show, but she was wearing sunglasses, so I didn’t recognize her.”

“Leave her alone. In a big company like yours, you hardly ever even get chances to run into each other. Whether you know her or not doesn’t matter.”

Lin Yuewei nodded. She hadn’t intended to worry about the woman anyway; if not for a little incident, she would already have forgotten her. Being ordered around and made to help didn’t make her feel much of anything. She had no status right now; why would anyone hold her in high regard?

If you were in this business and tried to keep a glass heart, you wouldn’t even have to wait for anyone else to step on you; you’d shatter all by yourself.

After chatting for a while, Shao Yasi suddenly burst out laughing. “Do you know? Our agent’s imagination is way too wild.”

“How so?”

“Right before lunch today, wasn’t I on the phone with you? She thought it was my boyfriend.” Shao Yasi imitated her agent’s serious tone. “I’m going to ask you something, and you’re going to answer me honestly. I said, what is it? My agent said, do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Of course I said no. Then she asked me, you’re not married, are you?”

Caught completely off guard, Lin Yuewei: “...”

Shao Yasi: “Hahaha, do I look like someone who’s married? She even told me that secret relationships and hidden marriages are really common in the industry.”

Lin Yuewei: “...”

Shao Yasi laughed to herself for a while, then asked in confusion, “Isn’t that funny?”

Lin Yuewei gave a dry laugh or two. “Haha. Anyway, you’ve talked a lot, so drink some tea.”

“I don’t...” Before Shao Yasi could finish, Lin Yuewei had already forced a cup of water into her hands.

***

Gu Yanqiu, her business partner, and their respective secretaries sat down as a group of four. The business partner went on and on about tea, citing all sorts of references and making grand displays of his knowledge. The server standing by smiled gently as she waited for the man, who looked every bit the big boss, to finish showing off in front of Gu Yanqiu.

Most men liked to show off in front of beautiful women, and this partner was no exception. The more he flaunted himself, the more Gu Yanqiu thought of Lin Yuewei, seated across from her and calmly tasting tea. The true edge that could move people was the kind you knew how to keep hidden in its sheath.

Gu Yanqiu patiently waited for the business partner to finish, played along a little, and the other man smiled in satisfaction. “Ladies first. President Gu, go ahead—what tea do you like?”

Gu Yanqiu’s bright eyes shifted. “Biluochun.”

The man clapped and laughed. “I like Biluochun too. Then let’s have Biluochun.”

Gu Yanqiu’s finger slid across her phone. No new messages had come in. Half her attention was still on discussing the collaboration with her business partner, while the other half wondered what Lin Yuewei might be doing right now, whether she would be assigned work and sent off to another city at any moment. They had only managed a few hurried meetings over four months; after this, who knew when they would see each other again.

Gu Yanqiu’s gaze wavered for a moment, and a trace of melancholy flashed in her eyes before vanishing just as quickly.

The partner clearly froze. Without thinking, he overstepped and blurted out a rude question: “President Gu, are you single?”

Gu Yanqiu looked at him.

The man knew he had been impolite, but an inexplicable sense of masculine superiority drove him to leave the question hanging rather than take it back; he met Gu Yanqiu’s eyes head-on.

Gu Yanqiu said, “Lin Zhi, bring me my bag.”

Lin Zhi didn’t know what was going on, but he fetched it for her.

Gu Yanqiu opened the bag, took out a velvet box, and from inside removed a wedding ring. She slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand and lifted her hand slightly. “I’m married.”

Lin Zhi: “!!!”

The business partner looked awkward. “I’m sorry.”

Gu Yanqiu’s previous gentleness was gone; her tone had never been colder. “If President Wang came here with that sort of intention, then there’s no need for us to keep talking.”

The other man hurried to smooth things over. “President Gu, I apologize to you.”

Gu Yanqiu stood. “I’m going to the restroom. Excuse me.”

***

Lin Yuewei selectively told Shao Yasi most of the facts. Guoshi Entertainment was not as glamorous as it seemed on the surface; big companies had the drawbacks of big companies. After she went in, she felt a little like her dream had been shattered. Lin Yuewei’s tone was matter-of-fact, flat and calm, with none of the bitterness of someone selling a sob story.

Shao Yasi immediately sided with her and criticized the company and her agent together, but she soon set aside the pointless venting and got to the core of the issue. “So what are you planning to do?”

After spending so much time with Lin Yuewei, Shao Yasi might not have fully understood her yet, but she knew she wasn’t the sort of person who would go out of her way to complain. Complaining was the most wasteful and useless thing in the world.

That was one reason Lin Yuewei had picked Shao Yasi as her lucky charm. She talked when it was time to talk, and when serious matters came up, she didn’t mess around or say nonsense.

Lin Yuewei poured herself a cup of tea. “Take it one step at a time. If the company doesn’t give me anything to do, I’ll go find it myself.”

“Wouldn’t that be a pity?” Shao Yasi sighed. During filming, Lin Yuewei had been much more popular than she was. Her acting might have been a little worse, but in the entertainment industry, acting wasn’t the only standard. Some people just had a natural audience appeal, the kind you couldn’t beg for even if you wanted to. Acting could be trained; being likable was inborn. She had thought Lin Yuewei’s path would be much smoother than hers, but now it was the exact opposite.

“Pity or not, it’s already settled. There’s no point talking about it now.” Lin Yuewei rubbed the teacup between her thumb and forefinger, looking down at the clear tea inside. “The key is I don’t know many people in the circle. One person can’t make much noise alone; for some resources, I don’t even know where to start.”

“Ask your mentor?” Shao Yasi suggested. “The one who signed you, Bai Hua the amazing one. Didn’t she personally pick you? She signed you and then just abandoned you? We can’t even afford the liquidated damages, can we? That’s just cheating people. You’d have been better off staying with the company from the show. They were only just getting started, so there’s no way they’d be lacking resources.”

“She’s very busy. I asked someone at the company today, and apparently she doesn’t come by very often.”

“Call her. Text her.”

“..."

Shao Yasi said, “How do you know if you don’t try? Maybe she was too busy and forgot for a moment. Time is money, time is life; what does face matter? Isn’t that what you told me?”

Lin Yuewei nodded, but in truth she didn’t have high hopes. If Bai Hua had remembered her, she wouldn’t have disappeared after showing up that day in City S.

Shao Yasi kept thinking of ways to help her. “Other than Bai Hua, I remember Teacher Wu from the acting class liked you a lot too, didn’t she?”

“Teacher Wu likes you more. She also likes other people.”

“If it’s something she can do while helping out, she’ll usually help. I heard she really likes to support the younger generation. Better to try than not to try.”

“Mm.” Lin Yuewei accepted that.

“Try the other mentors too, and your classmates. Better to try than to have nothing at all.”

The classmates Shao Yasi meant were the ones who had joined the program with them. Shao Yasi might think there were a few good people among them worth taking a chance on, but Lin Yuewei wouldn’t. The only people who could offer resources were the few who had already debuted, and those who had debuted were all competitors. Aside from Shao Yasi, she trusted no one. Trying them might even backfire. Even the mentors were competitors on another level; they just hadn’t grown to the point where they could threaten the mentors yet, so the others probably didn’t even take her seriously.

Lin Yuewei told her about these concerns, and Shao Yasi nodded repeatedly. “I didn’t think it through.”

Shao Yasi really was slow on the uptake. She kept offering Lin Yuewei ideas; some were useful, some weren’t. Most of the useful ones Lin Yuewei had already thought of. What she really wanted, Shao Yasi still hadn’t mentioned. If Lin Yuewei didn’t know her well, she might have thought the girl had been playing the fool all this time.

Tea snacks were brought out one after another. Shao Yasi shut up and started eating. “I’m starving.”

Seeing that Lin Yuewei had only taken a couple of bites with her chopsticks, she said, “You eat too. You’ve been waiting this long; aren’t you hungry?”

“I’ve half-filled myself on tea.” Lin Yuewei still ate at an unhurried pace.

Shao Yasi stared at her, unmoving; even the chopsticks that had been flying like the wind just moments ago froze in place. A trace of confusion lifted Lin Yuewei’s brows, and then Shao Yasi suddenly smiled at her.

“Yuewei,” Shao Yasi called her name.

“What is it?”

“You’re so pleasing to look at when you eat. Your movements are beautiful; it feels like you came from some wealthy family.”

“I’m not, I don’t.” Lin Yuewei defended herself without changing expression; as she spoke, she put a whole piece of braised pork rib into her mouth. There was no point watching herself eat; watching Gu Yanqiu eat was what mattered. She didn’t even need side dishes to finish a bowl of plain rice.

“I didn’t say you were a rich second generation. You just look like someone with money.”

Lin Yuewei blinked. “I think you look like someone with money too.”

Shao Yasi burst out laughing.

Lin Yuewei said, “Mostly like a rich family’s silly eldest daughter. Why not call you Silly Girl instead? Silly Girl?”

Shao Yasi pouted. “You’re so annoying.”

Lin Yuewei poured her tea full again. “Eat properly. There won’t be many chances to eat like this.”

Shao Yasi was so startled she nearly choked on her rib. “What do you mean, there won’t be many chances to eat like this?”

“Given how much your company values you, they’re definitely going to control your figure.” Lin Yuewei pinched the flesh on her upper arm and said, “You’re already this fat. Why aren’t you hurrying up and losing weight? What do you need a bicycle for?”

“I’m not even under a hundred jin.”

“You’ve gained weight. Lose at least down to under ninety.”

“That’s just bones!” As she spoke, Shao Yasi spat the rib out of her mouth and onto the plate with a crisp clink.

“You’re only 165 centimeters. Ninety jin is already the most you can carry. Anything more will look heavy on camera. Didn’t you notice when that TV show was airing before?”

Shao Yasi had noticed, of course, but she didn’t want to admit it, so she asked back, “Then how much do you weigh? You’re three centimeters taller than me; 168, right?”

“I’m ninety-five.”

“Then...” Shao Yasi was just about to say you should lose weight too when Lin Yuewei blinked at her and said, “I’m dieting right now.” She pointed at the tea in front of her and the single rib left on her plate.

Shao Yasi looked at the food remnants before her, after the storm had blown through: “...”

It was infuriating!

Forget it. Today’s wine for today’s drunkenness; tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow. Shao Yasi glared provocatively into Lin Yuewei’s eyes and viciously took another bite of braised pork rib.

Lin Yuewei was about to die laughing.

“I’m going to the restroom. Keep eating.” Lin Yuewei stood up and lifted the curtain aside; this time she really had drunk too much tea.

“Go on, go on. Don’t get photographed,” Shao Yasi reminded her around a mouthful of food.

Lin Yuewei smiled and let the curtain fall.

The paths here were a little winding, so Lin Yuewei had to ask a server before she found the restroom. Following the direction the server had pointed out, she looked for it and, after confirming the signs for men and women, went into the women’s restroom.

There seemed to be some kind of fragrance diffuser inside. The smell wasn’t unpleasant, and fresh flowers had been placed on the sink. Lin Yuewei picked a stall. Just as she went in, she heard the sound of the neighboring stall door opening.

Through the crack in the stall door, Lin Yuewei saw a pair of exquisitely tailored black suit pants, and a little farther up, a short stretch of calf. For some reason her gaze lingered there for two whole seconds. She cursed herself for being crazy; just seeing a pair of legs and she thought it was Gu Yanqiu.

Was the whole world full of Gu Yanqiu or what? Could she please have a little backbone?

After finishing up, Lin Yuewei pushed the door open and came out. The person who had emerged from the neighboring stall was still standing in front of the mirror at the sink. Because she’d washed her hands, a string of Buddhist prayer beads that looked expensive beyond words had been removed and set aside, with a layer of tissue paper underneath.

Lin Yuewei: “!!!”

Amazing! It really was Gu Yanqiu everywhere!

Lin Yuewei jolted in alarm and was about to turn and sneak back out, but Gu Yanqiu just happened to lift her head in the mirror and see her retreating figure.

“Yuewei.” Gu Yanqiu’s voice was full of unmistakable delight. “It really is you.”

Lin Yuewei froze in place, unable to go forward or back.

Could she still pretend she had just come in now? But Gu Yanqiu was washing her hands; her ears probably weren’t deaf.

Gu Yanqiu realized she seemed too excited and steadied herself. With a gentle smile, she said, “I thought I vaguely saw you when I first arrived. Were you in the pavilion next to mine?”

Lin Yuewei turned back as if nothing had happened and smiled along. “What a coincidence. Which room were you in? I didn’t know.”

“Bright Moon Room.”

“I was in Clear Stream Pavilion.” Lin Yuewei acted as if she knew nothing and asked, “Are those two next to each other?”

“Yes.”

“What a coincidence.” Besides those two words, Lin Yuewei no longer knew what else to say. She stole a glance at Gu Yanqiu’s lips. Thankfully, the swelling was already gone; otherwise she’d have one more layer of awkwardness to deal with.

“Are you having dinner here with a friend?” Gu Yanqiu asked.

“Yes.” Lin Yuewei walked to the sink and turned on the tap, inexplicably too afraid to mention this friend’s name.

Gu Yanqiu used a tissue to dry her hands, including the spaces between her fingers, before picking up the prayer beads beside her and putting them back around her wrist. She stood to the side and waited, clearly with no intention of leaving first.

By social convention, Lin Yuewei shouldn’t have remained silent now, but the moment she faced Gu Yanqiu, even staying calm was a problem. All the etiquette she had learned became huge stones, clogging her throat shut.

There were probably other people still in the stalls. Those people had saved Lin Yuewei’s life; otherwise, who knew whether Gu Yanqiu would have asked something else she couldn’t handle.

Outside, they were supposed to keep their distance. The two of them agreed to leave one after the other at the door, and then continue walking with a gap that was neither too near nor too far. Lin Yuewei’s Clear Stream Pavilion was closer, but she lingered at the entrance and didn’t go in right away, waiting until Gu Yanqiu had moved farther ahead before lifting the curtain and stepping back inside.

Shao Yasi asked, “What were you doing? You stood at the door for so long.”

Lin Yuewei casually made up an excuse.

Shao Yasi had already almost finished eating. Lin Yuewei didn’t know how that seemingly delicate body fit down so much food. Last time Gu Yanqiu had been at her place, she’d said Shao Yasi’s appetite could be huge or tiny; even she and her mother had been stunned.

Lin Yuewei quickly shook the thought away. Why was she thinking about Gu Yanqiu again?

Shao Yasi was sipping post-meal tea when she looked up at Lin Yuewei and said, “I just thought of a way that definitely won’t give you any reason to worry.”

Lin Yuewei didn’t know whether to sigh or feel encouraged. In her heart she said: I’ve waited all night; finally.

***

Gu Yanqiu nearly stared holes through the curtain, but still couldn’t see who was hiding inside. Why was Lin Yuewei covering herself up so tightly? She’d rather expose herself than let anyone catch even a glimpse. Could it be her secret boyfriend or girlfriend?

Gu Yanqiu was unsettled by that tiny guess. Her intuition and reason both told her it wasn’t true, but feelings couldn’t be judged by common sense. Gu Yanqiu kept tilting, unconsciously, toward that possibility.

With a face like still water, Gu Yanqiu returned to the private room. The business partner thought she still hadn’t calmed down and hurried to apologize. By some strange stroke of luck, his attitude improved quite a bit, and he didn’t dare make any more jokes.

The discussion went very smoothly. Lin Zhi kept glancing at Gu Yanqiu from time to time. Seeing that her expression had never changed, he wondered whether he should go find a fountain pen somewhere and let her vent her anger.

This man really was something, ruining the image of a man with good manners.

Gu Yanqiu dealt with the partner while taking the chance to send Lin Yuewei a message in the spare moments. A few minutes later, she got a reply.

Her business partner across the table watched as a bit of frost on the woman’s face abruptly gave way to a smile; then the low pressure around her vanished in an instant. President Gu was once again the same warm, smiling President Gu from the beginning.

The business partner felt a huge sense of relief, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.

Lin Zhi, sitting closest to Gu Yanqiu, saw everything clearly. Gu Yanqiu had simply looked at a WeChat message. Based on what Lin Zhi knew, the only people who could easily affect Gu Yanqiu’s mood were Lin Yuewei, and the mysterious person who had sucked her lips red and swollen. Tonight’s little scene was very likely just a minor quarrel between a couple.

Little Gu really did become frightening when she was angry. Even worse was the fact that he was probably going to see her alternating between warm and cold often in the future. As a secretary, the nightmare had arrived.

***

“Do you trust me?” Shao Yasi asked seriously once Lin Yuewei sat down again.

“I trust you.”

“Good.”

Shao Yasi proposed an operation that moved Lin Yuewei, but would look so foolish to outsiders they might seriously question her intelligence: “My agent isn’t trying to pave the way for me? Then all my resources, all my connections, anything she tells me; I’ll tell you everything. I definitely won’t lie to you.”

In the entertainment industry, information had value. For example, casting calls for a certain production were not always made public. If you had no connections, you’d be completely in the dark; even after filming had started, you might not know which roles they had been short on, who had suddenly quit and been replaced, or when and where auditions had been held. Contact details for casting directors, even the director themselves; all of that could be information you could learn.

And it wasn’t just productions; there were also ads, banquets, and more. Connections were information, information was resources, and opportunities were hidden behind all of them.

Shao Yasi was willing to tell her everything she knew, without holding anything back.

For Lin Yuewei, that was something most people in the entertainment industry simply couldn’t do. Even when Lin Yuewei had agreed to have dinner with her, she hadn’t expected Shao Yasi to go this far.

Even though she had prepared for this, faced with such sincere trust, she still couldn’t help reminding Shao Yasi, “Can’t you at least think a little about yourself?”

“Fair competition.” Shao Yasi still said the same thing. “I’d be willing to lose to you.”

“It’s not a question of winning or losing.” Shao Yasi could have directly pushed her out of the running. Lin Yuewei looked into her eyes. They were young eyes; the pupils were dark, the whites clear, the gaze innocent, so sincere and passionate that not a hint of falsehood could be found in them.

“Forget it.” Lin Yuewei suddenly found herself unable to say any grand principles. Faced with such feelings, what else could she do but accept them?

Her eyes burned a little, and a surge of pride welled up in her chest. “If I become famous in the future, I definitely...” She stalled.

“You definitely what?” Shao Yasi laughed. “You’re going to repay me with your body?”

Lin Yuewei: “........”

Seeing her choked expression, Shao Yasi burst out laughing. “Hahahahaha, I was kidding.”

Lin Yuewei suddenly said solemnly, “I’m going to tell you a secret. You absolutely cannot tell anyone else.”

Shao Yasi restrained herself a little, but her eyes still curved with amusement. “Go on.”

Lin Yuewei beckoned her closer. Shao Yasi cooperated, leaning in until their heads were touching. In a voice only the two of them could hear, Lin Yuewei said, “I’m married.”

From this moment on, Lin Yuewei decided to treat Shao Yasi as a true friend.

Shao Yasi looked shocked. “You’re married???”

Lin Yuewei nodded.

Shao Yasi said, “How could that be? You’re younger than me.”

Lin Yuewei said, “At the time I was just acting on a whim...”

“Pffft—”

Before she could even finish, Shao Yasi tipped backward in laughter and fell onto the floor, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain. “Hahahaha, I can’t take it, this is way too funny.”

Lin Yuewei: “........”

Lin Yuewei said gravely, “I’m not joking.”

Shao Yasi, mercilessly: “Hahahahaha.”

Lin Yuewei: “........”

She tried to explain, but Shao Yasi was laughing so hard her stomach hurt and wouldn’t listen at all. By the end, she was getting anxious. “If you keep saying this just to tease me, do you want my life or something?”

To preserve Shao Yasi’s life, Lin Yuewei sighed and could only shut up at the appropriate moment.

I really am married, okay? Why won’t you believe me when I tell the truth? Fake sisterhood! she roared inwardly.

After a long while, Shao Yasi finally calmed down and touched her stomach. “I laughed myself hungry.”

Lin Yuewei: “...”

Why on earth had she thought Shao Yasi ate little before?

Lin Yuewei asked, “Should I order you something else to eat?”

Shao Yasi said, “No need. If I eat too much I won’t digest it. Get another pot of tea; this one’s already finished.”

Lin Yuewei had another pot of tea brought over. The two of them faced each other and sipped tea while chatting about lighter things, like how someone from the program the day before had bought a piece of clothing, actually bought fifty of them, got everyone’s address, and mailed one to each girl. Then over the next few days, candid street photos leaked online, several people were seen wearing the same item, and it blew up into a total shipping frenzy. Some CP fans even got the sugar right into their mouths, only to discover in the end that it was poisoned.

Lin Yuewei remembered the three-person tangle she’d seen during training at the camp.

“Oh, them?” Shao Yasi took a sip of tea. “They broke up. A few days before the finals, actually. We were so busy we barely had time to put our feet on the ground; I was almost turning into a wandering ghost, so I forgot to tell you.”

Lin Yuewei, rarely indulging her curiosity, asked, “How did they split up? Do you know?”

“I heard it from someone else too. The T in that trio; the one cheating on both sides; she cheated again.”

Lin Yuewei nearly swallowed her teacup.

What the hell?

Did she think this was some kind of split?

Shao Yasi still sounded shocked when she brought it up. “Insane, right? Two girlfriends weren’t enough for her; she went off to find a third. Then something happened. Science proves that triangular structures are the most stable, while a four-cornered relationship has no future. Her third girlfriend was especially amazing; she single-handedly drove the other two girlfriends off. I heard the T made a scene, but she didn’t win, and she even got beaten up by the third girlfriend.”

Lin Yuewei smiled. “Why do I suddenly feel a little vindicated? What happened after that?”

“Me too. I feel vindicated as well, but I don’t know what happened after that. By the finals, she was still with the third girlfriend; whether they’ve broken up now, who knows. If they haven’t, then life probably isn’t very good.” Shao Yasi said, “Her third girlfriend was blind too. If you’re going to like someone, why like such a scumbag?”

“Maybe she was just doing the public a favor.”

“Let’s hope so. Let’s hope she’s already completed her mission and escaped the sea of suffering. Don’t hang yourself on that crooked tree.”

Lin Yuewei ate a bite of a moldy melon gone bad and felt a little indigestion. She sipped tea in small mouthfuls. Her phone beside her dinged, and she picked it up to unlock it.

Shao Yasi was chatting away with her. Catching a glance, she casually asked who this “culprit” was who had interrupted their conversation.

Before Lin Yuewei had even opened the chat window, she saw the other party’s avatar and said with a smile, “My wife.”

Shao Yasi couldn’t bear to look. “Miss Lin Yuewei, is there any point to this? You’re addicted to teasing me now. Hurry up and stop hamming it up.”

Why was it so hard to say one true sentence! Lin Yuewei sighed inwardly and obediently changed her words. “A friend of mine. You don’t know her.”

Shao Yasi muttered a response and lazily said, “See what she said.”

Lin Yuewei said, “I’m looking.”

[Xi Gu: When are you done? Are you coming home with me?]

[Xi Gu: Waiting for your reply]

Lin Yuewei stroked her chin and smiled.

Shao Yasi watched helplessly as she wore that mysterious smile for two or three minutes before losing patience and interrupting, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

Lin Yuewei typed the two words with ease.

[Two Trees: Okay.]

After chatting a little longer, the two of them were ready to leave. Shao Yasi asked, “Did you drive here?”

Lin Yuewei said, “No.”

“Then I’ll take you home. I’ve got a driver.”

Lin Yuewei shook her head and smiled. “No need. You go first; my wife is waiting for me.”

Shao Yasi’s eyes went wide. “If you keep this up, I’m really getting mad! I really am!”

Lin Yuewei could only say helplessly, “Fine. My friend is eating over here too; she’ll take me back. A friend you don’t know.”

Shao Yasi picked up her bag and huffed, “No more of this.”

Author’s note:

Lin Yuewei’s triple confirmation: I really am married! [loudly]

The message really was sent by my wife! [loudly]

My wife really is waiting for me! [loudly]

I want to grab Miss Lin Yuewei by the shoulders and shake her hard: “She’s telling the truth, please, please believe her just a little!””}]}``