Chapter 76: Go to My Place

The taste of lychee lingered stubbornly on Shuangxu’s tongue. Even after brushing her teeth twice, the sweet scent refused to dissipate.

Strange.

The next day, Shuangxu went to work with a light heart, treating all her colleagues to coffee.

Hearing that Shen Changyuan had escaped danger, Xiao Liao was even more excited than her, clasping her hands together and bowing to all four directions: “Thank you to all the gods and goddesses throughout history, Amitabha Hallelujah!”

Everyone was happy for her: “It’s truly a sign from heaven, good people are rewarded.”

The good news filled Feixue with joy all day. In the afternoon, Shuangxu received a call from Lu Manman.

“Xiao Jiu, are you free tonight? I want to have dinner with you.”

Her voice lacked its usual vibrancy, sounding rather downcast.

During the days when Fu Yun was hospitalized, she visited the hospital every day. Shuangxu remembered her kindness and didn’t refuse: “I’m free. What do you want to eat?”

“You treat me,” Lu Manman demanded, sounding both dejected and entitled. “I want to eat seafood.”

“Okay.” Shuangxu made a time with her and hung up.

In the evening, Shuangxu arrived at the agreed location on time after work. She waited for less than five minutes before a pink sports car drove past the crowded street, then struggled to reverse back.

Lu Manman got out of the car, still wearing sunglasses, and walked over with her Hermes bag, exuding the aura of a big-name star who had wandered onto the wrong set.

She raised her sunglasses to look at the sign above the stall, where several of the LED lights were broken, then glanced at the simple outdoor tables and chairs surrounding them.

She stared at Shuangxu in shock: “You’re taking me to a street stall? Are you trying to be cheap!”

“You said you wanted to eat seafood.” The owner just brought out a large pot of cooked crayfish. Shuangxu nodded toward it. “This place has really good crayfish.”

“Crayfish counts as seafood?”

Shuangxu calmly put on gloves: “If you don’t want to eat, then fine.”

Lu Manman plopped down on the chair opposite her, using a napkin to lay a layer on the table before placing her bag on it.

She took off her sunglasses, and Shuangxu caught a glimpse of her swollen eyes.

Lu Manman even leaned closer to show her: “It’s all because of your brother.”

Shuangxu: “I didn’t ask.”

Lu Manman snorted, put on her gloves, and started peeling the crayfish.

The crayfish were fragrant and spicy. After eating for a while, she started sweating. Lu Manman, without any regard for her image, kept sighing and puffing: “Why do you like to eat such heavy flavors?”

“I don’t eat it often.” Shuangxu skillfully peeled the shells. “You’re not feeling well, a bit of spice will clear your head.”

And indeed, Lu Manman’s gloomy mood did lighten up a tiny bit.

“I broke off my engagement with your brother.” She blurted it out without warning.

Shuangxu paused, looking up at her: “Why?”

“Your brother proposed it. When Uncle Shen had the accident, he said he didn’t want to burden me, but I know it was because he doesn’t actually like me.” Lu Manman warned her, “But I told everyone that I dumped him. Don’t spoil my story.”

Shuangxu remained silent for a moment: “Dad’s situation has been resolved, your engagement banquet can still be held as planned.”

Lu Manman shook her head.

“Actually, I’m very love-brained. I long for a love like my parents’, I want a man who loves me above all else. If it wasn’t your brother, I wouldn’t have agreed to the arranged marriage. I really liked him, but I don’t want a forced marriage. I was once so confident, thinking that I’m so good, he would eventually fall in love with me. But then I realized I was overconfident.”

“You are indeed very good.” Shuangxu said sincerely. “I envied you. You have so much love, and you believe you deserve everyone’s love. I can never be as confident as you.”

Those who have been abandoned always have a hole in their heart, constantly reminding them: love can fade, the person who loves you the most will one day cruelly abandon you.

Lu Manman laughed: “I envy you too. Xiao Jiu, you know, for your brother, all women are the same except for you. His tenderness is only for you.”

This sentence didn’t bring Shuangxu any joy.

She knew Shen Yu’s kindness towards her, this pampering filled the hole in her heart, but they would only ever be siblings.

Life is truly unpredictable, these two rivals were actually sitting together, confiding in each other.

Shuangxu picked up a glass of iced Coke: “To you. And to myself.”

Lu Manman also raised her glass, declaring with renewed vigor: “From today on, we are no longer rivals, we are good friends!”

Shuangxu’s hand paused, unsure if she should drink this wine.

“You’re really being so familiar, we’re not even friends yet.”

“It’s all because of you, I broke off with my group of girlfriends, I have no friends now, shouldn’t you be responsible for me?” Lu Manman argued with a straight face.

Shuangxu refused to take the blame: “You made bad choices in your friendships, it’s not my responsibility.”

“I don’t care. The law of conservation of matter, I lost a fiancé, I must gain a good friend.”

Lu Manman took a sip first, then raised her glass to her lips to feed her.

Shuangxu was forced to drink a mouthful, thinking silently, the word “overbearing” must be written into the He family’s genes.

After dinner with Lu Manman, Shuangxu returned to her home on Songming Road.

She checked her phone, He Tingzhou hadn’t sent her any messages, did he not need her to fulfill her duty today?

Of course, she wouldn’t be stupid enough to contact him. After taking a shower and changing into pajamas, she went to bed early, planning to end the day early by going to sleep.

She took a boring literary book to help her sleep, but it was hard to focus, her attention kept drifting to her silent phone.

After watching for half an hour, she finally started to feel sleepy. Just as her drowsiness was brewing, a phone call shattered it.

Seeing the four words “Tingzhou Brother” on the caller ID, her eyes felt like they had been scalded. She reacted quickly.

She stuffed her phone into the blanket and covered it, trying to bury it alive.

The muffled ringing came from under the blanket, like a death knell. He Tingzhou’s three rules were like a prophet, eliminating all possibilities of her escaping her duty.

Shuangxu finally resigned herself to fate and pulled out her phone, answering the call.

“Brother Tingzhou，do you need something?”

“You tell me.”

He Tingzhou’s slow and deliberate three words shattered Shuangxu’s last shred of hope.

She sighed, clutching the blanket. “Then… do you come here, or should I go to you?”

“Come to my place.” He Tingzhou said.

The background noise on the other end of the phone was quite noisy, Yue Zifeng’s vulgar voice was particularly prominent, hard to miss.

“Hey, what are you going to his place for?”

Shuangxu immediately became nervous, “Why are you calling me in front of them?”

He Tingzhou: “Should I make them turn their backs?”

“…” What’s the difference?

“So timid, you’re still playing underground romance.” He Tingzhou sounded calm and composed. “I’ve been drinking, come pick me up.”

He didn’t give Shuangxu a chance to refuse, after giving her the address, he hung up the phone domineeringly.

Shuangxu had no choice but to get up again, change her clothes and go out.