Wen Ying, basking in the glow of her male god, got the latest phone model.
But last year’s phone was still perfectly fine!
Before smartphones, the difference between a 2004 model and a 2005 model was negligible to Wen Ying. She didn’t switch to the new phone, instead taking it home, box and all, saying it was for Chen Ru—whose phone hadn’t been upgraded in two or three years.
“Keep it there,” Chen Ru said, her attitude toward Wen Ying unchanged.
Wen Ying left it as told.
Wen Dongrong also wanted a new phone.
But the one Wen Ying brought was a women’s model, unsuitable for him. Plus, with Chen Ru and Wen Ying in a cold war, Wen Dongrong, as head of the household, had to firmly side with his wife.
What a pity about the new phone.
And the new leather jacket.
And the 500 yuan of pocket money he’d had to return.
The mother-daughter feud hurt Wen Dongrong the most, as he’d spent two nights sleeping in the car, while Wen Ying, the troublemaker, was staying in a five-star hotel in Hunan!
When would this cold war end?
Even with Wen Dongrong’s wisdom, he couldn’t predict.
—The leather jacket season was almost over, and he wouldn’t get to show it off to Old Li this year!
…
Wang Jun sent phones to thank Xie Qian for helping Wang Shuang, and Li Mengjiao’s parents were equally grateful.
Wanting to gift something like Wang Jun, they realized Xie Qian lacked for nothing.
After much thought, Li Zhentao decided to invite Zou Weijun and Xie Qian to dinner in the name of their family of three.
Among their friends, only Wen Ying knew Xie Qian’s family background well. Others only knew he came from a distinguished family, but not the specifics.
Beijing and Chengdu were different circles, and the tale of “Xie Two Hundred Million” hadn’t reached Chengdu. Li Mengjiao and others never heard Xie Qian mention his “dad.” When Li Zhentao asked, Li Mengjiao said Xie Qian seemed to live only with his mom, Zou Weijun.
The mother and son had moved from Beijing last year.
Li Mengjiao spoke casually, but Li Zhentao and his wife took it to heart.
Mrs. Li thought, likely divorced or widowed.
A woman raising a son alone, even with some wealth, must face all sorts of challenges!
Li Mengjiao heard her parents were hosting and insisted on bringing Wen Ying.
Why was Xie Qian willing to organize her study notes and highlight key points?
All thanks to Wen Ying!
Wen Ying, her true sister, worried about her falling behind in studies and even shared her top-student boyfriend. So touching!
Wen Ying deserved credit, but Li Mengjiao couldn’t have her parents thank her outright—that would expose Wen Ying and Xie Qian’s secret romance. Instead, she’d praise Wen Ying to her future mother-in-law!
Li Mengjiao’s inner drama was vivid, and Mrs. Li teased, “Are you and Wen Ying conjoined twins now, inseparable? This time, we’ll invite Xie Qian and his mom alone. Once I’m familiar with his mom, we can all dine together, and you can invite whoever you want.”
Mrs. Li, already sympathetic, went out of her way to accommodate Zou Weijun on the dinner day.
“Your Xie Qian and our Mengjiao are good friends. We parents should connect more, don’t you think, Weijun?”
Zou Weijun nodded awkwardly, “…Yes.”
Unaware of Mrs. Li’s pity, Zou Weijun only felt her excessive warmth.
Li Mengjiao praised Wen Ying nonstop, flattering Zou Weijun at every turn, determined to tie the two together.
Her rainbow flattery poured out in every color—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, all covered.
Poor Li Mengjiao, who’d never flattered fans, judges, or sponsors, was now buttering up Zou Weijun—since Wen Ying had flattered sponsors for her, it was her turn to repay the favor!
She unleashed all her flattery skills accumulated over her teenage years!
Outsiders might’ve thought it was Wen Ying’s award ceremony!
Praising Wen Ying wasn’t enough; Li Mengjiao kept shooting Xie Qian meaningful looks: Am I a good friend? Aren’t I great to Wen Ying? Am I loyal to you both?
Xie Qian missed her signals, thinking her twitching eyes made her look foolish. He focused on eating—the food was good, probably chosen by Li Zhentao to suit his taste, a non-spicy Sichuan restaurant.
Zou Weijun felt differently. A teenage girl praising a friend so openly, without jealousy, showed Li Mengjiao’s broad heart. Meeting her up close for the first time, Zou Weijun was impressed.
Wen Ying, Li Mengjiao, both so lovely. She hadn’t met Wang Shuang and others closely, but they must be fine young people too.
Xie Qian had made such great friends in Chengdu.
By the end of the meal, Zou Weijun was in high spirits.
In Chengdu, she had her son, relatives, colleagues, but no friends to shop with. Mrs. Li’s familiarity breached Zou Weijun’s subconscious guard.
After a shopping trip alone with Mrs. Li, Zou Weijun understood why Xie Qian helped Li Mengjiao.
“Her daughter must take after her mom, right? Li Mengjiao’s quite the sweet-talker?”
Mrs. Li was a charmer, saying every outfit looked great on Zou Weijun with such sincerity, you’d think she was a store-hired shill!
Thanks to Mrs. Li, Zou Weijun came home with bags full of purchases, something she hadn’t done in ages!
Her comment left Xie Qian unsure how to respond.
Did he help Li Mengjiao because she was sweet?
Was Li Mengjiao… sweet?
Xie Qian only recalled her clinging to Wen Ying, always hanging around after class, even dragging her to the bathroom.
Overly dependent on Wen Ying.
And Wen Ying was genuinely willing to care.
Oh, she was a charmer, but her charm was aimed at Wen Ying, not him.
Xie Qian thought back and realized Li Mengjiao no longer approached him directly, always relaying through Wen Ying.
Something felt off, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.
Oh well, girls’ thoughts were ever-changing. He could barely understand one hamster, so why bother decoding Li Mengjiao?
Xie Qian wasn’t one to meddle. Without Wen Ying’s request, he wouldn’t have helped Li Mengjiao.
Zou Weijun clearly misunderstood, and Xie Qian didn’t know where to begin explaining.
Should he say, of all his friends, he cared most about Wen Ying?
Xie Qian searched his heart and knew it was true.
But he was unabashed about his bias, because among his friends, Wen Ying cared about him the most.
—No need for Wen Ying to say it, Xie Qian just knew.
