Chapter 57: Lies

At this moment, even Miaomiao, who had been grinning from ear to ear, quieted down, blinking as he watched them.

Dad was way too good at compliments!

He had left Mom completely stunned, speechless.

Ming Can was wearing a long skirt that reached her ankles. The skirt was slightly fitted, making it easy to sit down but hard to stand up. She seemed trapped in place, locking eyes with Chi Xiao.

The two of them seemed to be in a standoff, testing who had thicker skin, who could remain more composed in this situation.

Ming Can’s ears were still ringing with Chi Xiao’s eerily calm, outrageous words.

“I’m crazy about it.”

Was he only talking about the gift, or was there another meaning behind it?

Ming Can tried her best to take his words as a joke.

But she couldn’t help feeling a little flustered, her heart stirred.

Chi Xiao sat on the floor, leaning lazily against the sofa, waiting for her response.

“You… said it well,” Ming Can said, suppressing the storm in her heart and calmly ending the topic. “Since we’re all satisfied with the lottery results, let’s go prepare our gifts.”

After saying this, she tried to stand up from the floor.

The tight skirt made her movements seem a bit awkward.

Chi Xiao: “Wait.”

Ming Can sat back down: “Do you have any objections?”

Her tone was still calm, but she seemed eager to leave, speaking a little faster than usual.

Chi Xiao raised the corner of his lips and asked, “When should we exchange the gifts?”

Ming Can thought for a moment and countered, “What do you think?”

Chi Xiao: “How about the 29th of the lunar month?”

The 29th was right before New Year’s Eve, the official start of the New Year. Ming Can’s family would have a lot of chores to handle, with relatives and friends coming and going, so it might be hard to find time to come out and exchange gifts. Setting it for the 29th seemed quite appropriate.

But now, there was only one week left until the 29th of the lunar month.

Ming Can had never made a gift by hand before, so she wasn’t sure if she could finish it in time.

Chi Xiao noticed her hesitation and added, “If you can’t finish it by then, it’s fine to give it later.”

Ming Can: “Let’s set it for the 29th first. We can have a meal together that day too.”

It could double as their New Year’s Eve dinner.

Ming Can tried to stand up again, and Chi Xiao casually reached out to adjust her skirt for her. His fingers lightly pinched the fabric, pulling it aside without touching her leg, his gaze inadvertently falling on her slender, pale ankle.

It felt like he could wrap both of them in one hand.

After standing up, her legs felt a bit numb, so Ming Can stomped her feet, her toes turning outward. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped.

Chi Xiao was still sitting on the floor, one arm resting on the sofa, looking up at her: “What’s wrong?”

Ming Can looked down at him and said lightly, “I’ve never given a gift to a guy before… What do you want?”

Chi Xiao: “Anything is fine.”

This kind of answer was the most annoying. Ming Can let out a soft “tsk,” then suddenly realized that Chi Xiao probably wasn’t deliberately brushing her off. He had always been this indifferent and detached, never wanting anything, never caring about gifts.

Chi Xiao blinked and asked, “I remember the gift has to be handmade?”

Ming Can: “That’s right.”

Chi Xiao: “Then the question should be, what can you make?”

“…”

Ming Can felt like she was being looked down on.

“Just you wait,” Ming Can said, walking away in her slippers, putting distance between herself and Chi Xiao. “It’s just a handmade gift. How hard can it be?”

…

It was really hard!

Ming Can spent the entire night and morning scrolling through various social media apps, checking countless gift recommendation posts, but still couldn’t figure out what to make for Chi Xiao.

Practical handmade gifts, like scarves or blankets, were impossible for a beginner like her to finish in such a short time. Impractical gifts, like DIY dolls or pop-up books, were too flashy and didn’t suit Chi Xiao’s icy personality.

Originally, she had organized this gift-giving game just to get Chi Xiao to give her the violin.

Now, not only would she not receive the violin, but she also had to give him a handmade gift in return. Thinking about it, she felt really frustrated—it was like losing the battle and the war.

Who was pursuing whom here?!

This was completely backwards!

While Ming Can was inwardly wailing, she was also determined to come up with a satisfactory gift. Even when she went out with her friends, she couldn’t let it go, constantly checking various gift guides on her phone.

At noon today, she met up with her two high school best friends, Rui Yiqing and Zhuang Fu, at a French restaurant.

Ming Can and Rui Yiqing’s schools were close to each other, so they saw each other frequently, but it had been almost four months since she last saw Zhuang Fu.

When girls get together, gossip is an eternal topic.

“Look at our Sister Fu, going on trips with her boyfriend as soon as the holidays start. If it weren’t for the New Year, she probably wouldn’t even be back. Tsk tsk, glowing with love, her complexion is just different from us single dogs.”

Zhuang Fu could tell Rui Yiqing was teasing her for prioritizing her boyfriend over her friends, so she quickly tried to smooth things over: “What are you talking about? Boyfriends are so annoying. I’m much happier when I’m with Sister Qing and Sister Can.”

Ming Can and Rui Yiqing exchanged glances and gave a perfunctory smile.

Zhuang Fu had been a hopeless romantic since high school. To her, relationships were the most important thing, and friends came second. Ming Can and Rui Yiqing had long since gotten used to it.

Shortly after they sat down, a couple of cold dishes were served. Rui Yiqing noticed Ming Can hadn’t touched her utensils and was instead glued to her phone, so she casually asked what she was doing.

Ming Can, feeling overwhelmed, decided it was time to enlist some help: “I need to make a handmade gift for someone. What do you think I should make?”

The atmosphere went quiet for a moment.

Rui Yiqing: “You, Miss Ming, are making a handmade gift for someone?”

Zhuang Fu also looked incredulous: “Who has that kind of honor?”

Ming Can mumbled, “Just a regular friend.”

Her friends pressed: “A guy?”

Ming Can: “…Yeah.”

Zhuang Fu’s jaw dropped in shock, while Rui Yiqing seemed to have guessed something, her expression becoming more reserved.

The “regular friend” Ming Can was referring to was almost certainly Chi Xiao.

Back in their first year of high school, Zhuang Fu had been infatuated with Chi Xiao, her senior. After being rejected, she was heartbroken, and the entire dormitory was shrouded in gloom for a long time. Rui Yiqing remembered this vividly. Chi Xiao was probably the boy Zhuang Fu had liked the most during her three years of high school. Even though a lot of time had passed and Zhuang Fu now had a loving boyfriend, Rui Yiqing still wasn’t sure if hearing about Chi Xiao and Ming Can would upset Zhuang Fu.

The boy she had once deeply liked but couldn’t have had actually been in love with her best friend all along.

Sigh.

Rui Yiqing thought for a moment and decided to suppress her curiosity for now, avoiding mentioning that name in front of Zhuang Fu.

However, if Ming Can and Chi Xiao really were making progress, Zhuang Fu would find out eventually.

Ming Can: “He’s really not my boyfriend… Please, just help me figure out what gift to make.”

Zhuang Fu: “What hobbies does that guy have?”

The first question stumped Ming Can.

Chi Xiao… didn’t seem to have any hobbies.

Ming Can could only list what he was good at: “Playing basketball, skiing, gaming, doing crafts… He’s pretty into sports, I guess.”

Rui Yiqing: “Then you could make him a sports-related item, something simple, like a wristband, headband, or hat…”

Ming Can: “How do you make those by hand?”

Rui Yiqing: “You buy a semi-finished product, sew the pieces together, and add some DIY touches. You’re not planning to start from weaving the fabric yourself, are you?”

Ming Can: “…”

Rui Yiqing had hit the nail on the head.

Ming Can sighed, realizing Rui Yiqing was right. She was a complete novice when it came to crafts, so she shouldn’t aim too high. She’d just do what she could.

She noted down some of the gift ideas her friends recommended, planning to look into them more when she got home.

The weather today was particularly nice, with bright sunlight illuminating the outdoors.

After lunch, they planned to stroll through a nearby park. Zhuang Fu had already pulled out the sunglasses she’d just bought, asking her friends if they looked good.

Rui Yiqing had also brought her sunglasses, but Ming Can hadn’t.

“You guys are showing off your cool shades without telling me?”

She took out her phone, intending to order a delivery service to bring her a pair of sunglasses from home.

She sent a message to Chi Xiao on WeChat, asking him to go to her room’s walk-in closet and find a pair of large pink-framed sunglasses, then hand them over to the delivery person later.

A few minutes later.

cx: 【[Photo]】

cx: 【Will these do?】

SunMoonVolcano: 【Sure.】

cx: 【Alright, I’ll bring them over.】

Ming Can put down her phone, then suddenly picked it up again.

SunMoonVolcano: 【You’re bringing them over???】

cx: 【Yeah.】

SunMoonVolcano: 【You’re that free?】

cx: 【Sort of.】

cx: 【Isn’t this part of pursuing someone?】

If there’s no time, make time. If there’s no chance to meet, create the chance.

Ming Can stared at the newly popped-up message, her heart racing a little. Her fingers flew across the keyboard.

SunMoonVolcano: 【I’ve already called for a delivery service.】

cx: 【Cancel it.】

SunMoonVolcano: 【…?】

SunMoonVolcano: 【Why should I cancel? What advantage do you have over a delivery person?】

Ming Can guessed he might say he’s tall, handsome, or rich, but those weren’t qualities a delivery person needed. She had already thought of how to clap back at him.

cx: 【I have a son.】

Ming Can was stunned.

cx: 【I just made him some fruit tea. He said it tastes good.】

cx: 【Want to try it?】

cx: 【How many friends are you with?】

Ming Can was momentarily speechless.

Suddenly, she realized he was planning to personally make drinks and bring them over—not just for her, but for her friends too.

How did he suddenly become so smooth?!

Ming Can didn’t know how to refuse.

“Volcano, your face is so red,” Zhuang Fu teased. “Are you chatting with your ‘regular friend’?”

Ming Can: “No… Is my face red? Maybe it’s because this dish is a bit spicy.”

Zhuang Fu: “Sis, this is French cuisine, not Sichuan food!”

Rui Yiqing: “If it’s too spicy, do you want to order a drink?”

“No need,” Ming Can said, shaking her phone, her voice a little faint. “I’ve already ordered something.”

They continued eating for another half hour.

Rui Yiqing suddenly remembered something and asked Ming Can, “What about the drink you ordered? We’re almost done eating, and it still hasn’t arrived?”

Right at that moment, Ming Can’s phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and quickly stood up with her phone in hand: “The drink’s here. I’ll go get it.”

Rui Yiqing and Zhuang Fu were both stunned.

Although they weren’t as wealthy as Ming Can, they were also from well-off families and frequented high-end restaurants like this one. The high cost of such restaurants was largely due to their service. If a delivery arrived, you could just ask the waiter to bring it in. Why would Miss Ming, of all people, lower herself to go out and fetch it personally?

Another odd thing was that this restaurant had an extensive drink menu. If Ming Can wanted a drink, it would have been easiest to just order from the restaurant. But she hadn’t even glanced at the drink menu and had instead ordered from outside. And now, the delivery was taking so long. Rui Yiqing was extremely curious about what “mysterious” drink Ming Can had ordered.

The restaurant was on the second floor. Rui Yiqing’s seat was by the window, and she casually glanced outside. Her gaze suddenly froze.

Downstairs, by the roadside.

A pure black SUV was parked in the temporary parking lane. The driver’s door and the rear door opened one after the other. A man in a black windbreaker, tall and long-legged, with an exceptionally striking presence, stepped out of the driver’s seat, holding a paper bag that seemed to contain several cups of drinks. A little boy, around five or six years old, wearing a blue down jacket, jumped out of the back seat and rushed into the arms of a young woman.

That young woman looked all too familiar.

It was Ming Can, who had just been sitting beside her!

“Miaomiao insisted on coming,” Chi Xiao said, handing the paper bag to Ming Can, his tone casual. “I’m taking him to his fencing class later, so I brought him along.”

Ming Can nodded, took the bag, and crouched down to say a few words to Miaomiao.

“Mom has something to do today, but I’ll play with you another time, okay?” She patted his head, stood up, and handed Miaomiao’s hand back to Chi Xiao, then turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Ming Can paused, turning back, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness. She glared at Chi Xiao: “What? My friends are waiting for me.”

The man looked down at her, slowly pulling a glasses case out of his pocket, and chuckled: “Forgot about the sunglasses?”

Ming Can: “…”

She quickly snatched the glasses case and walked away.

Back at the restaurant on the second floor.

Zhuang Fu leaned closer to Rui Yiqing, catching a glimpse of the scene between the three of them on the roadside.

Her expression was somewhat dazed, as if she had thought of something. Her voice was muffled as she asked Rui Yiqing, “When did Ming Can and Chi Xiao get together?”

“I’m not sure,” Rui Yiqing said. “Maybe they’re really just regular friends?”

Zhuang Fu shook her head: “Definitely not.”

Rui Yiqing: “How are you so sure?”

Zhuang Fu took a deep breath and said, “Because I’ve known for a long time that Chi Xiao liked Ming Can.”

“Huh?” Rui Yiqing was shocked. “Did you know Chi Xiao confessed to Ming Can back in high school?”

At that, Zhuang Fu was stunned: “He confessed? When?”

“…” Rui Yiqing was equally confused and could only tell the truth. “From what Volcano said, it was during the second semester of our first year.”

Zhuang Fu had also confessed to Chi Xiao during the second semester of their first year.

She pursed her lips and asked, “How did Ming Can respond to Chi Xiao?”

“She rejected him harshly,” Rui Yiqing said. “I’m not sure exactly what she said… Back then, you really liked Chi Xiao, so Ming Can kept it from us. I only found out recently.”

Zhuang Fu nodded lightly.

At that moment, Ming Can returned, her cheeks still flushed. She placed the paper bag gently on the table and pulled out three cups of fruit tea, each in a glass tumbler with a straw. There were strawberry, peach, and green grape flavors, and she let her friends choose first.

Rui Yiqing smiled, her eyes curving: “Tsk, which delivery place uses such nice cups for drinks? And why is there no receipt on this delivery bag?”

Ming Can sat back down, knowing she couldn’t hide it anymore. She braced herself and admitted: “It’s not delivery. A friend made it.”

She remembered Zhuang Fu liked grapes, so she casually placed the green grape cup in front of her.

Zhuang Fu said “thank you,” holding the cup with both hands and taking a sip through the straw.

It was a bit too sweet.

Did Chi Xiao make this himself?

After all these years, has he always liked Ming Can this much?

Did she… do something really terrible back then?

Since Rui Yiqing had already brought it up with Zhuang Fu, she didn’t hold back in front of Ming Can. She grabbed the strawberry-flavored cup, sipping while teasing Ming Can relentlessly, even mentioning Chi Xiao’s name openly.

Ming Can glanced at Zhuang Fu and kicked Rui Yiqing under the table.

Rui Yiqing: “Don’t be nervous. Xiao Fu has known for a long time that Chi Xiao likes you, okay?”

Ming Can was stunned and looked at Zhuang Fu: “You knew?”

After a pause, she caught a key word: “For a long time?”

“Yeah.”

The straw was too sturdy to bite, so Zhuang Fu just held it in her mouth, her teeth lightly grinding against it, her expression distant.

After a while, as if she had finally made up her mind, she spoke in a voice as light as a mayfly, slowly saying, “Volcano, there’s something I need to apologize to you for.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.

Ming Can was baffled: “What is it?”

Zhuang Fu: “It’s about Chi Xiao.”

Ming Can was even more confused. She couldn’t think of anything Zhuang Fu might have done to wrong her. Logically, when it came to Chi Xiao, she was the one who should feel guilty. After all, Chi Xiao was someone her best friend had liked for a long time, and now she was getting close to him. She was really worried about making Zhuang Fu uncomfortable.

Zhuang Fu: “I found out Chi Xiao liked you on the day I confessed to him.”

Ming Can was shocked: “He told you?”

“No,” Zhuang Fu lowered her head. “Chi Xiao isn’t that kind of person.”

That day, Zhuang Fu had cornered Chi Xiao near the covered walkway by the library, handing him a gift and a love letter.

This wasn’t the first time she had confessed to Chi Xiao.

Chi Xiao had previously handled it with cold indifference, but she couldn’t let it go. It wasn’t until that day, when she was clearly and firmly rejected, that she felt truly heartbroken and hopeless.

After turning to leave, she overheard a male voice approaching Chi Xiao—probably one of his friends.

“Old Chi, you’re finally making a move, huh?” the guy said with a laugh. “What kind of good words are you having Ming Can’s roommate say for you?”

Chi Xiao’s voice was cold: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

The guy continued: “Isn’t that girl Ming Can’s roommate? I see them together all the time. If you’re going to pursue Ming Can, you’ve got to get on good terms with her best friend.”

“I am going to pursue her,” Chi Xiao said. “But this method isn’t the way.”

…

Zhuang Fu hid behind a pillar in the covered walkway, not going far.

It wasn’t until she heard this that she finally fled.

She couldn’t accept that the boy she had liked for so long had actually been in love with her best friend all along.

Zhuang Fu’s heart was shattered.

When she returned to the dorm, she didn’t know how to face Ming Can. She felt resentment, jealousy, but she truly cherished Ming Can as a friend and couldn’t bring herself to hurt her or distance herself from her.

Zhuang Fu cried in the dorm for a long time.

She remembered Chi Xiao saying outright that he wanted to pursue Ming Can.

So, when her roommates asked her what had happened, Zhuang Fu lied. This lie was deliberately told for Ming Can to hear.

“Chi Xiao… probably thinks I’m too fat and ugly…” Zhuang Fu sobbed, speaking haltingly. “He told me… to go home and look in the mirror…”

“What I said was something like, he told me to go home and look in the mirror.”

Years later, Zhuang Fu still remembered the lie she had told that day. She lowered her eyes and spoke very softly to Ming Can,

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to stand a guy who belittled girls, so I made up that line to make you think Chi Xiao was a terrible person. That way, you would never accept him.”

Friendship made it impossible for Zhuang Fu to hurt Ming Can. She wanted to continue being friends with Ming Can, but her jealousy was too overwhelming to ignore. So, she redirected her resentment toward the boy she had liked but who had rejected her.

Zhuang Fu took a deep breath and continued, “Actually, Chi Xiao only told me that he didn’t like me back then. That was all. He didn’t say anything else.”

Ming Can lowered her head, staring at the cold drink cup. Her fingers, wrapped around the cup, slowly stiffened.

“Back then, I didn’t like him to begin with,” Ming Can said slowly. “Even if you hadn’t told me that, I wouldn’t have accepted him.”

Zhuang Fu: “I’m sorry…”

It was just a small thing.

A simple, fleeting lie, told to preserve the friendship between two girls. Years later, it should have been something no one cared about anymore.

But this lie finally pieced together Ming Can’s complete memory of that day.

Second semester of their first year of high school, early spring.

She and Chi Xiao stood face-to-face in a grove of withered ginkgo trees.

A cold wind blew, and the boy in front of her nervously gripped the strap of his violin case. He was much taller than her, looking down at her with sincerity as he confessed his feelings, saying he liked her and that he had brought a gift to give her.

Ming Can looked up at him, her clear black-and-white eyes always filled with distinct likes and dislikes.

She didn’t like this person.

In fact, she disliked him.

Faced with his confession, Ming Can responded with a cold laugh.

And she returned the ridicule her best friend had suffered, word for word: “Go home and look in the mirror.”

“Don’t bother me again.”

After she spoke.

In that spring scene, it is bleaker than the depths of winter.

The boy’s pride, all the courage that had kept him standing there, was completely crushed into dust by her.

He slowly bent over.

Realizing that, in her eyes, he was worthless.

…

Humans are truly selfish creatures.

Ming Can thought to herself.

If it weren’t for Miaomiao, who had brought her and Chi Xiao closer together earlier, hearing Zhuang Fu’s words today might have made her feel a little uncomfortable, but it wouldn’t have affected her deeply.

After all, to her, Chi Xiao was just someone she didn’t like, an insignificant passerby in her life.

Whether he was happy, sad, or whether his pride was intact—what did that have to do with her?

She had rejected him, and that was that.

Why dwell on the past?

But now, Chi Xiao was no longer just a passerby to her.

He had gained weight in her heart.

And so.

The events of that first year of high school, the hurtful words she shouldn’t have said, came back to her today.

In the increasingly clear memory.

The boy’s bent back, and his shattered gaze.

It truly made her sad.