Outside, the street was bustling with prosperity, but the pet shop was in disarray. A few thugs with sinister smiles, showing their sharp teeth, had left, cursing and swearing.
Xiao Qiu and Xiao Li were huddled in a corner, scared by the big men, while Luo Wei clenched her fists and glared coldly at the wreckage in the shop.
"It's okay, don't be afraid," Luo Wei said, adjusting her breathing as she walked over to comfort Xiao Qiu and Xiao Li.
After a while, Xiao Qiu, trembling and pale with fear, asked, "Wei Wei, those people come to make trouble from time to time. What will we do about the business?"
Luo Wei sighed, never expecting that even in a law-abiding society, there would be such scenes reminiscent of gangster dramas.
She was frustrated to learn that when she called the police, they dismissed it as a misunderstanding, minimizing the issue. She was so angry she felt like biting her tongue in frustration.
The presence of gangsters was indeed formidable. She considered not telling Mo Huai, as he would surely intervene, but she wanted to handle it herself, not wanting Mo Huai to think she was useless.
"Here again?" Su Yuxin rushed in, her face full of anger as she looked at the shop. The computer at the cash register was smashed to pieces.
Luo Wei glanced at her, nodded in agreement, and walked over to pat her shoulder.
"How many times has this happened? Are the police just playing around? We can't find them when we need them. The common people are suffering too much," Su Yuxin sighed. Was she really going to have to bow to that woman?
She was lost in thought...
MBS Café.
"Speak quickly. If you want an apology, make it fast. I'm very busy," Gao Zhenni said, with her high ponytail and those sunglasses, looking down at her disdainfully.
After a moment, Su Yuxin reluctantly lifted her head. "Well... if I apologize, can you really promise not to cause trouble at the shop anymore?"
"You have no room to negotiate with me," Gao Zhenni said coldly.
After a while, Su Yuxin squeezed out the words, "Sorry, I was wrong. Can we discuss the compensation?"
Instantly, she felt like her self-esteem was shattered...
"I don't need compensation, but you have to agree to one thing."
After a few seconds of silence, realizing the situation was serious, Su Yuxin finally asked, "What is it?"
"I want you to stay away from Chi Ye," Gao Zhenni said with a hint of resentment on her rosy face, treating Su Yuxin as a rival.
Su Yuxin was stunned, not understanding. "What did you say?"
What was this all about? Was the whole point of this just to make her stay away from Chi Ye? Why hadn't she said so earlier?
"Why?" Su Yuxin asked out of curiosity.
"No reason. The farther you stay from him, the better," Gao Zhenni said coldly. That night, she had noticed Chi Ye’s different attitude towards Su Yuxin compared to his attitude towards her. At that moment, she knew this woman would become a significant obstacle in her romantic pursuits.
"Just that? I don't need to pay anything, just stay away from Chi Ye?" Su Yuxin's face showed relief. She had been worried about a big confrontation and potentially losing everything, but it seemed that just staying away from Chi Ye would suffice.
She took a sip of her coffee and asked with interest, "Do you like him?"
Gao Zhenni, who had just choked on her water, blushed slightly and admitted openly, "Yes, why do you ask?"
"Just asking. You two seem like a good match," Su Yuxin said nonchalantly, though she felt a complex mix of emotions she couldn't quite identify.
"Then it's settled. If you dare approach Chi Ye, I'll make sure my godfather causes trouble again."
Su Yuxin looked at Gao Zhenni's innocent expression and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Alright, I promise."
Determined to stay away from Chi Ye, Su Yuxin felt like a big sister to him, who was merely a friend. She couldn’t understand why Gao Zhenni would say such things.
After returning, Luo Wei approached with concern. "How did it go?" she asked, checking for any injuries.
"All good. We resolved it peacefully," Su Yuxin said, raising an eyebrow playfully.
"Hmm?" Luo Wei hesitated. "She didn't seem easy to deal with. How did you resolve it?"
"She just asked me to stay away from Chi Ye."
"Chi Ye? What does he have to do with this? What happened between you and Chi Ye?"
Su Yuxin shrugged, confused. "Nothing happened between me and Chi Ye. We were friends before, but now we're nothing." Su Yuxin felt a pang of guilt, as Chi Ye hadn’t done anything wrong, and she had unilaterally ended their friendship.
Luo Wei: "..."
==========================
In the following days, Gao Zhenni kept her promise and didn’t send any more thugs to the shop. The shop’s business returned to its usual prosperity, bustling and busy.
Exhausted, Su Yuxin returned to her rented apartment, rummaged through her bag for the keys, and opened the door to darkness. She turned on the lights, went to the kitchen, and opened the fridge to find it empty except for a few bottles of condiments. Frustrated, she shut the fridge.
She ordered takeout through an app and settled on the sofa, closing her eyes to rest.
Her phone rang. Su Yuxin picked it up and saw it was a call from Chi Ye.
She hesitated for a moment. Why was he calling her?
She almost answered but then remembered her promise to Gao Zhenni. After hesitating for three seconds, she declined the call.
Sighing deeply, Su Yuxin felt a wave of emptiness and lethargy. She slapped her cheeks, trying to wake herself up.
Her phone rang again, vibrating. She quickly picked it up and saw it was a message from Chi Ye. Carefully, she opened it.
【Are you free next week?】
Su Yuxin’s heart raced, and she rolled on the sofa in frustration. Determined, she turned off her phone screen and stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Moments later, her phone vibrated again. Su Yuxin focused on the screen and felt a surge of frustration.
【My friend gave me two ski tickets. Would you like to go together?】
Su Yuxin threw her phone in frustration. It lay quietly in the corner of the sofa. She was afraid she couldn’t control herself from replying.
She really loved skiing, more than anything...
Was it skiing? Su Yuxin wondered, lost in thought. As she pondered, the delivery arrived with fragrant rice. At this point, she decided to eat first.
Meanwhile, Chi Ye sighed deeply at his phone. Recently, Su Yuxin hadn’t responded to his messages or answered his calls. He couldn’t understand why things had changed so drastically from when they had been friends.
He clenched his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white. His heart felt inexplicably frustrated. Was it possible he had really fallen in love with her?
Realizing this thought, Chi Ye was startled, shaking his head vigorously to rid himself of the idea.
[You can read ahead to final chapterr here]
Comments
Post a Comment