Wen Ying didn’t get any useful advice from Xie Qian. Instead, he turned the question back on her, “What did you do to make me angry?”
“N-nothing, right?”
Wen Ying wanted to say she hadn’t upset Xie Qian, but under his gaze, she felt a twinge of uncertainty.
Had she made him unhappy without realising it?
But where had she gone wrong?
Was it her ranking in the six-hundreds in the first monthly exam, or her underperformance in humanities subjects like geography and history, not meeting Xie Qian’s expectations?
Wen Ying was utterly confused.
Xie Qian glanced at her, “You didn’t make me angry, so why use me as an example? Do you think what I like, someone else would like too?”
The world was vast, with no two leaves exactly alike. People were individuals; how could their preferences be identical?
He’d be happy receiving earphones from Wen Ying.
But someone else might find a pair of sneakers more practical. Not being the recipient, Xie Qian couldn’t speak for what others might want.
The thought that Wen Ying might have considered giving earphones to that Song Shao made Xie Qian feel闷闷的, a dull ache in his chest.
This feeling unsettled him. He wasn’t usually so petty. The earphones were a global brand, sold in countless pairs. If he could use them, so could others.
Xie Qian fell silent.
Wen Ying was stumped by his words, and on reflection, he was right.
Song Shao and Xie Qian had different personalities. What Xie Qian liked, Song Shao might not.
Besides, she and Song Shao weren’t close, just junior high classmates who hadn’t spoken in over a year. If she gave Song Shao an expensive gift by student standards, he might think she was out of her mind!
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Wen Ying realised Xie Qian might actually be upset.
All day, except when she asked him about problem-solving, Xie Qian, her desk mate, hadn’t said a single word to her.
That was highly unusual!
Wen Ying had grown used to Xie Qian’s occasional teasing and prodding. His sudden silence made her uneasy first.
“What are you upset about?”
“I’m not upset.”
“Then smile!”
“…”
Smiling was out of the question. Xie Qian’s expressionless face still made hearts race, but it lacked vitality, like a cold jade statue.
Perhaps others were used to this Xie Qian, even the Wen Ying of her past life.
But once you’ve tasted luxury, simplicity is hard to accept. Wen Ying was no exception. Having seen Xie Qian’s lively side, she couldn’t handle him reverting to a jade statue.
Her confusion was cleared up by Li Mengjiao. Over dinner, Li Mengjiao asked how Wen Ying planned to deal with Yue Shanni. Wen Ying shrugged, “Ignore her. The money’s in my pocket. If I don’t lend it, she’ll fume herself to death.”
Li Mengjiao’s eyes widened, “You’re not angry? I’m furious! Yesterday, I told Wang Shuang and Xie Qian. Wang Shuang rolled up his sleeves, ready to beat her up. If Yue Shanni hadn’t run off, she’d have gotten it!”
Angry?
She used to be, truly.
After more than a decade, Wen Ying felt Yue Shanni wasn’t worth her energy. Even in her past life, Yue Shanni’s achievements didn’t compare to hers. Now, with over a decade of memories and experience, returning to 2004, Wen Ying was like a maxed-out pro descending on a newbie village to slay monsters. Yue Shanni was a low-level mob, not even worth looting.
But Li Mengjiao, that big mouth, had told Wang Shuang and Xie Qian.
A lightbulb went off in Wen Ying’s head—she’d found the reason for Xie Qian’s odd behaviour!
During evening study, Wen Ying passed Xie Qian a note, saying she hadn’t meant to break their “be honest” pact. She just wasn’t sure if Yue Shanni’s visit was related to Shu Lu.
If it was, what was Shu Lu using Yue Shanni for?
“I just wanted more evidence, to be certain before telling you.”
The note went over, but Xie Qian didn’t reply.
Wen Ying wrote another, “When we were in Macau, didn’t you stop me from prying into that woman’s business? We’re even, right?”
Even?
They weren’t talking about the same thing.
Xie Qian hadn’t planned to respond to Wen Ying’s sidestepping, but since she mentioned Shu Lu, he couldn’t help replying, “How do you connect the two?”
Wen Ying smiled.
The Wen Ying known to Xie Qian, Li Mengjiao, and the others was a polished, renewed version, confident enough to befriend anyone.
The Wen Ying in Shu Lu’s memory was the timid, insecure one.
That Wen Ying could never have been friends with Xie Qian. It was clever of Shu Lu to dig up the old “Wen Ying,” dragging her back into toxic relationships to show Xie Qian her “true face.”
Shu Lu, or rather Zhao Dong behind her, had devised a vicious plan to break her spirit!
Wen Ying wrote on the paper, “They probably think my past will crush me. I have a hunch Yue Shanni is just the start.”
Shu Lu, Zhao Dong, whoever.
They were all wrong!
Wen Ying had left her old life behind over a decade ago. She’d spent those years overcoming her youthful timidity and insecurity. No matter how many clowns popped up, they couldn’t shake her!
Even if Xie Qian knew, so what?
Xie Qian, Qin Jiao, Li Mengjiao, Wang Shuang, Tang Yifeng… these people became her friends because they accepted the current her. If they despised her for her past weakness, they were just fair-weather friends.
Even if Xie Qian thought that way, Wen Ying wouldn’t accept it.
She saw Xie Qian as her idol, with good intentions to save his life. But you must love yourself before loving others. Wen Ying’s “love” wasn’t just romantic but included family and friendship. In this second life, she wouldn’t demean herself for anyone, not even Xie Qian—she believed he wouldn’t let her down.
Wen Ying sneaked a glance at Xie Qian.
Xie Qian was earnestly reading the note.
Suddenly, he wanted to know about Wen Ying’s past.
What was she like before he knew her?
“Only cowards are defeated by their past. They underestimated you, and they’ll pay for it!”
Xie Qian had practised calligraphy as a child. Though young, his writing had character. The exclamation mark punctured the notebook, betraying his fiery emotion.
Wen Ying grinned and tucked the note away.
The handwriting was great, and she loved the words!
Just like that, Xie Qian’s inexplicable sulk was smoothed over with a few words, and they made up.
That night, Wen Ying didn’t forget to text Xie Qian “goodnight.” Seeing the message, Xie Qian closed his book and turned off the lamp.
He wouldn’t ask Wen Ying about Song Shao. He’d figure it out himself.
…
Shanghai.
Qin Yi lay awake in his dorm, another sleepless night.
He still hadn’t processed what Li Mengjiao told him on the phone yesterday.
Qin Xianming and Li Zhentao had been friends for years. Li Mengjiao had tagged along behind the Qin siblings since she was little. As Qin Jiao’s older brother, Qin Yi was also the “big brother” to Li Mengjiao, Wang Shuang, and others. Being the eldest, he naturally looked out for them.
Li Mengjiao had been running to the Qin house since she was in nappies. She couldn’t lie to save her life, so there was no way she was deceiving him.
Besides, what would be the point?
Xu Mei was focused on her entertainment career, while Li Mengjiao was just dabbling. They weren’t even competitors.
Li Mengjiao had also mentioned Fu Jing.
Whenever Fu Jing was involved, it was never good.
Qin Yi regretted it deeply. He could visit Macau another time. For the National Day gala, he should’ve stayed by Xu Mei’s side the whole time.
He shouldn’t have softened and booked Fu Jing’s flight.
At worst, he could’ve paid for an assistant for Xu Mei, someone on his payroll who wouldn’t push her into danger.
Qin Yi held back for two days, neither confronting Xu Mei nor Fu Jing. He asked a well-connected friend of Qin Xianming’s in Hunan to check the license plate Li Mengjiao had noted.
They found the car’s owner.
It was registered to a 25-year-old, whose background Qin Yi had mostly figured out.
A spoiled rich kid with some family influence, strutting around Hunan. His ex-girlfriend was a host at Mango TV, broken up less than a month ago, and now he’d set his sights on Xu Mei… How could Xu Mei go out to dinner with someone like that late at night?
Qin Yi couldn’t entirely blame Fu Jing.
Fu Jing played a part, no doubt.
But Xu Mei was an adult, responsible for her choices. In the entertainment industry, some dinners were unavoidable, and Qin Yi understood that.
Just as men had business socials, women in their careers couldn’t always go it alone; networking was necessary. But more than what happened that night, Qin Yi was hurt by Xu Mei’s secrecy.
If she was above board, what was there to hide?
The more she hid, the deeper the thorn in his heart.
Qin Yi didn’t sleep. The next day, he met Xu Mei for lunch and found a quiet café.
Xu Mei wore the skirt Qin Yi had brought back from Macau, her long hair down, no bag, and light makeup.
In 2004, unlike 2019, university girls weren’t makeup mavens. In a few years, many would master full faces for a casual outing, but in 2004, even in Shanghai, you rarely saw students wearing makeup daily unless for an event. This alone set Xu Mei apart from most campus girls.
Qin Yi hadn’t noticed before, but Xu Mei always wore makeup outside her dorm, per her company’s rules.
As a new artist, the company said, she had to manage her image, guarding against paparazzi and classmates snapping unflattering photos.
Moreover, Xu Mei couldn’t publicly admit she had a boyfriend.
For a rookie female artist, building a male fanbase was critical. Announcing a boyfriend could drive half of them away.
Xu Mei had discussed this with Qin Yi, and he’d agreed at the time. Now, it gnawed at him.
“Is there something you’re hiding from me?”
