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The clock pointed to twelve.
The roommates were marveling at the Michelin-starred restaurant, where even a glass of plain water seemed better than anything outside.
Yan Xi’s gaze was fixed on the restaurant door.
She remembered this three-star Michelin restaurant; Zhou Qingyu had brought her here before, mentioning that Pei Yubai loved the coconut milk cake from this place.
At first, Yan Xi had brushed it off as the kind of trivial romantic sharing between best friends. However, in the novel she dreamed about, it wasn’t Pei Yubai who truly loved the coconut milk cake—it was Ye Luoyi.
Ye Luoyi, the heroine of the novel’s world.
Zhou Qingyu went out of her way to buy the coconut milk cake as a gift for Pei Yubai, only for Pei Yubai to turn around and give it to Ye Luoyi.
Today, Zhou Qingyu had been filming near Hongrui Mall, making it highly likely she’d come here to buy the cake.
A familiar figure walked into the restaurant. Instead of sitting down, she went to the counter and ordered a coconut milk cake. She was wearing black sunglasses and a mask, but Yan Xi recognized her immediately.
Yan Xi grabbed her roommate’s hand. “Throw water at me! Then shout that I’m a homewrecker who stole your boyfriend! Quick!”
Roommate: ?
Her roommate, a member of the drama club, was thoroughly confused but couldn’t resist the temptation of an impromptu performance. “I’m single, though—where would I get a boyfriend?” she muttered, but she still grabbed a glass of water and decisively splashed it in Yan Xi’s face.
“You b*tch! Who gave you the right to steal my boyfriend?!”
Perfect—she even improvised some colorful language. The word “b*tch” added just the right dramatic flair.
Zhou Qingyu’s anger flared instantly. She rushed over and stood protectively in front of Yan Xi.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The roommate caught Yan Xi’s exaggerated winks and immediately got the hint. Playing along, she pointed at Yan Xi with feigned venom. “She came between me and my boyfriend! She stole my man!”
Zhou Qingyu turned her head toward Yan Xi, who looked down in shame, her eyes brimming with tears. “Didn’t I tell you this morning that I just had a breakup…”
Zhou Qingyu felt a swirl of complicated emotions but still lifted her chin and addressed Yan Xi’s roommate firmly. “Don’t make baseless accusations without evidence! Keep this up, and I’ll sue you for slander!”
Yan Xi tugged lightly on Zhou Qingyu’s hand, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Seeing Yan Xi’s tear-streaked, sorrowful expression, Zhou Qingyu’s heart softened instantly.
Though it was clearly Yan Xi was at fault, Zhou Qingyu wasn’t about to admit it.
She turned to Yan Xi’s roommate with a fierce glare. “If you dare to bully Yan Xi again, I’ll make sure you regret it!”
With that, Zhou Qingyu grabbed Yan Xi’s hand and strode out of the Michelin-starred restaurant.
Trailing behind Zhou Qingyu, Yan Xi gave her roommates a discreet thumbs-up on the way out.
Once outside, Zhou Qingyu led Yan Xi to a quiet and secluded corridor.
“What’s going on? Do you have a crush on that girl’s boyfriend?”
Yan Xi nodded slightly, her voice tinged with sadness. “They were dating in secret. I didn’t know… They never told me. Qingqing, this is the first time I’ve ever had feelings for a guy, and it hurts so much!”
Zhou Qingyu hugged Yan Xi tightly, gently patting her back. “It’s okay, don’t cry. Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere, aren’t they? Sorry, earlier when you said you were heartbroken, I thought it was because you didn’t draw your favorite character…”
Yan Xi sniffled, playing along with two soft sobs.
At that moment, Zhou Qingyu’s phone rang.
The system’s voice quietly reminded Yan Xi: [That’s a reminder Zhou Qingyu set for herself—to meet Pei Yubai this afternoon.]
Yan Xi, acting quickly, sniffled and asked softly, “It’s already past noon. Didn’t you say you were meeting Second Young Master Pei this afternoon? Are you running late?”
Zhou Qingyu froze mid-motion, her hesitation unmistakable.
Zhou Qingyu adored Pei Yubai, always wishing to spend every moment with him, and she certainly didn’t want to miss their planned meeting.
Yan Xi noticed Zhou Qingyu’s hesitation and put on a show of bravery. “Go ahead. It’s not that big of a deal to like someone else’s boyfriend! I can handle it alone.”
As she spoke, her eyes turned red, tears brimming but stubbornly held back.
Zhou Qingyu looked surprised. “That girl is your roommate? You’re staying in the dorms now, so doesn’t that mean you’ll see her as soon as you go back?”
Yan Xi lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her shirt absentmindedly. “It’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it over the past week. Your matters are more important. I’m your best friend; how could I hold you up?”
A week. So this had been going on for an entire week.
No wonder Yan Xi had seemed so down when Zhou Qingyu contacted her over the past few days. It turned out she had already been heartbroken! And Zhou Qingyu, as Yan Xi’s best friend, had only found out today, after seeing her get doused with water in public.
Zhou Qingyu’s heart ached with guilt, and seeing Yan Xi’s pitiful expression made her feel even worse.
Yan Xi had always been carefree, so when had she ever looked so pitiful?
Although Zhou Qingyu didn’t have much experience with love, she still felt a twinge of heartache whenever she saw Pei Yubai and Ye Luoyi’s couple-marketing videos. She understood that sourness all too well. Every time Pei Yubai rejected her in the past, Yan Xi was the one who stayed by her side. But this time? What was she doing?
Her best friend needed her now, and she was thinking about a date?
The pain of heartbreak was the worst, and Zhou Qingyu knew she had to stay by Yan Xi’s side.
Without hesitation, Zhou Qingyu dismissed the reminder on her phone. “It’s just one date. I’ll be with him the next few days anyway. Right now, you’re more important!”
Yan Xi looked at Zhou Qingyu, and the tears that had clung to her eyes finally broke free, streaming down her face like pearls scattering from a broken string.
Zhou Qingyu wiped the tears from Yan Xi’s cheeks. “Crying over a man isn’t worth it! Come on, I’ll take you shopping! There’s no sorrow that money can’t fix. And if there is, then we’ll just spend more of it!”
Yan Xi gave a firm nod. “Mm!”
Hongrui Mall was the pinnacle of luxury shopping districts in Haicheng, and the first floor was lined with high-end designer stores.
Zhou Qingyu dragged Yan Xi into one of the boutiques at random. The store clerk greeted them with a ninety-degree bow, warmly welcoming their arrival.
Yan Xi was practically shoved into the fitting room with a white dress in her hands.
As soon as she closed the door to the fitting room, a notification from the system sounded in her mind—
[Ding! You successfully stopped Zhou Qingyu from meeting Pei Yubai. Zhou Qingyu’s fortune value has increased by 1 point.]
“Fortune value?”
Yan Xi blinked. She vaguely recalled the system mentioning this when it first appeared, explaining that the male and female leads were considered “children of fortune.”