Chapter 3: Awkwardness

"So, did you succeed in skipping class?" Tao Ru looked at Yan Xi's thin arms and legs, struggling to imagine how she could have scaled a wall.

"No," Yan Xi shook her head. That day was the day her parents went to finalize their divorce papers. She wanted to stop them. Back then, she was too young to understand; she only felt she couldn't accept her parents separating and never thought about how a loveless marriage could be torture for both of them. So that day, her attempt to climb over the wall failed—maybe it was for the best.

Sensing Yan Xi didn't want to delve into past matters, Tao Ru didn't press further, instead turning to gossip about the entertainment world.

Yang Min, who worked at a media company, knew even more juicy stories than Tao Ru. As she dished out gossip on some popular idols, Yan Xi was all ears.

"Da He, with that face, you'd be perfect as the heroine in a melodrama," Yang Min shot Yan Xi a glance, "but your personality just doesn't fit."

"You mean, like one of those characters whose husband cheats or lazes around while she tirelessly looks after his insufferable family, raises the kids, brings blessings to everyone, and tortures herself? Then decades later, the kids forgive the dad, and everyone reunites happily ever after?" Yan Xi dramatically rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "I'm not out of my mind."

"Seems like you know the drill with those dramas," Yang Min laughed at Yan Xi's spot-on summary. "With your twist, you'd probably turn the heroine into a crafty second-lead who only gets exposed at the end."

"You're giving her way too much credit," Tao Ru raised an eyebrow. "With her smarts, she'd only be a three-episode side character, at most."

"Hey, enough, you two," Yan Xi tapped the table. "It's been over a year since we last met, and you can't even give me a warm hug? Just roasting me? What kind of best friends are you?"

"Please don't call us 'best friends,'" Yang Min quickly objected. "That term is a mess on the internet these days." At some point, online forums were filled with posts like "My Horrible Best Friend" or "My Best Friend Became the Third Wheel in My Relationship," as if friendships among women only involved rivalry and jealousy.

As soon as she said this, they heard a loud slap nearby.

The three of them turned to see a woman with long hair splash a cup of coffee onto a short-haired woman.

"I can't believe you're like this. I've been blind all these years!"

Yan Xi quickly averted her gaze, glancing at Yang Min, who cleared her throat and quietly sipped her coffee.

The argument wasn't hard to overhear. The long-haired woman was furious with her friend for stealing her boyfriend, despite years of friendship.

After the dispute, the long-haired woman wiped her tears and left. She was so distraught she stumbled against a table and fell.

Yan Xi hesitated, unsure whether to help her up or if it might just add to her embarrassment. After a moment, she reached out and helped her up.

"Thank you," the long-haired woman quickly got up. Seeing Yan Xi's face, her expression changed slightly. She thanked her again and hurriedly left the café.

After she left, the short-haired woman also got up to leave. Passing by Yan Xi's table, she suddenly stopped.

"Song Yan?"

Yan Xi hadn't expected to get drawn into this drama as an innocent bystander. She carefully examined the short-haired woman, but her face didn't stir any memories.

"After all these years, you're still the same," the woman said in a strange tone, as if she didn't approve of Yan Xi's delicate appearance. Then, she turned and left.

Yan Xi stared blankly at her retreating figure, finally snapping back to reality. "What's that supposed to mean? Flirting and leaving me hanging because I'm easy to bully?"

"You know her?" Tao Ru and Yang Min found this whole incident just as baffling.

Yan Xi shook her head. "Not a clue."

"Maybe she's an old classmate, from elementary or middle school?" Yang Min remembered Yan Xi had once told them she transferred to Hai City from the capital in the middle of her first year of high school.

"People's looks have changed so much after all these years; I don't remember faces," Yan Xi set down her coffee cup. "Forget it, it doesn't matter. Shopping is way more fun."

"You just don't want to bother thinking," Tao Ru had long seen through Yan Xi's nature. "Come on, I just got paid; I've got money to burn."

When close friends gather, it almost feels wrong not to shop, savor food, or gossip. After coming out of the mall with bags in hand, the three of them headed to a nearby food street and filled up on delicious treats. Only then did they remember how easy it was to gain weight and how hard it was to lose it.

"Yan Dahe, is your stomach a bottomless pit?" Tao Ru patted her own little belly and then glanced at Yan Xi's flat abdomen. She couldn't resist poking her. "It's getting late; I should head home. I have work tomorrow, and my boss is a strict old guy. If I'm late, I'll lose this month's attendance bonus."

"Where do you live? I can give you a lift," Yan Xi checked the time. "I don't have work anyway."

"You got a car?" Yang Min asked, surprised.

"My dad bought it," Yan Xi grinned. "Guess I'm officially a spoiled rich kid now."

"Seriously, Yan Dahe? Shamelessly letting me pay, then claiming to be a rich kid—don't you have a conscience?" Tao Ru raised her eyebrows in mock anger. "Next time, you're buying."

"Yeah, and it better be prime steak, Australian lobster, bird's nest, ginseng—the works," Yang Min added. "And we want double portions!"

Yan Xi, smiling, helped her friends retrieve their purchases and led them to a nearby parking lot. When her two friends saw her car, they jokingly gave her another scolding.

Since Yang Min lived closer, Yan Xi dropped her off first before taking Tao Ru home.

"Dahe," Tao Ru hesitated as she got out of the car, glancing back at Yan Xi, "are you really planning to settle down here?"

"Yep," Yan Xi smiled. "And you? Planning to stay here for work?"

"Of course. I work at Changfeng's headquarters, you know, and not everyone can just get in," Tao Ru tucked her hair behind her ear. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be at the top of my game in a few years and marry a tall, rich, and handsome guy."

"When that day comes, don't forget to let me cling to your success," Yan Xi laughed. "Now go get some rest; I won't keep you up."

"Alright," Tao Ru waved goodbye, then turned back and watched as Yan Xi's red sports car smoothly navigated the narrow alleyway and drove away, smiling to herself.

When Yan Xi got home, she noticed Song Hai hadn't returned yet. She made a small pot of lean pork congee, just in case he came back hungry or had been out drinking.

Logging into her chat app, she saw a flood of messages from her editor. She sighed and quickly replied.

Little Stream: "I'll definitely submit in five days, or I'll gain ten pounds."

She thought the editor was offline, but within a minute, messages started pouring in, all about promotions, cover designs, and even early drafts for merchandise. Her college major was somewhat related to marketing, so she understood the basics.

After discussing some promotional strategies, Yan Xi closed the chat and opened her social media. She had several DMs from companies asking her to promote products, but she ignored them.

These didn't seem like reputable companies. She didn't need the money and had no interest in promoting bad products.

She scrolled through her feed, spotting a hot post detailing a popular actress's scandal. The post hinted at the actress's deep connections, even to the second son of the famous Changfeng Group.

The tactics were predictable, trying to create hype by linking a celebrity to a rich family. Those who knew better just laughed.

Although some female stars went to great lengths to gain resources by marketing themselves, here she was, a recent grad with nothing to do besides gaming and scrolling through social media. Was she wasting her life?

As a second-generation rich kid, she thought, maybe it was time to set a small goal and find a career.

After a few days at home, she finally submitted her overdue illustrations to her editor, avenged herself in a game, and logged into her social media.

A trending video caught her attention. It showed two girls in a heated argument, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

The girls looked familiar. The last time she was out with friends, she'd seen them at a café.

In the video, they were still fighting, even hurling curses.

"You call me trash? And what about you? In high school, when the campus heartthrob asked you to deliver a love letter to Song Yan, you threw it in the bathroom trash. You think I don't know?"

Yan Xi: ...

Awkward. These two somehow brought her name up in a public spat that made it to a trending video?

High school? What were they doing thinking about romance at that age?