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Qu Xiaoxiao burst out laughing the moment she heard it.
“Jealous of you? What would I ever be jealous of? What do you even have that’s worth my envy?”
She crossed her arms, head tilted arrogantly high, eyes sweeping down and back up with open disdain, as though seriously evaluating what on earth Fan Shengmei could possibly have that deserved jealousy.
But Shengmei only looked down at her calmly, unbothered by the contempt in her tone.
“That’s something you’ll have to answer for yourself. Why else are you always watching me so closely, clinging to every little thing? Unless…” She tilted her head thoughtfully, her expression so serious it didn’t look like a joke.
“Unless you actually like me?”
The silence behind her was deafening. Guan Ju’er and Andy froze, their faces filled with shock.
Qu Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, jumped back as if burned.
“Sister Fan, are you crazy? I’m a woman! How could I like you? You’re way too narcissistic! I already have Dr. Zhao!”
She was genuinely rattled. She had only wanted a bit of fun—she didn’t have that kind of interest!
Seeing her panic, Shengmei leaned in with more amusement, her tone deadly serious.
“Well, you never know. Remember that old saying? When boys like a girl in school, they tease her constantly. If this isn’t jealousy, then maybe you like me after all. Maybe you just haven’t realized it yet, so you keep coming after me without knowing why.”
Her expression was so earnest that it left even Guan Ju’er and Andy stunned.
They had never believed such a thing before—but hearing Shengmei put it that way, they suddenly thought, It could be possible.
After all, research showed that most people were at least somewhat bisexual, though many never realized it.
Qu Xiaoxiao’s face was frozen in sheer horror. She shrank into the corner of the elevator, her usual haughty confidence stripped away, looking almost pitiful and absurd.
Especially with that panicked, helpless expression.
Could it be I went too far? she wondered wildly. Did I actually drive her insane? Why else would she spout such lunatic nonsense?
Just then, the elevator doors opened. Qu Xiaoxiao bolted like a startled rabbit, slamming her door shut with a loud bang the moment she reached her apartment. She fled faster than a monkey.
Watching her scurry away, Shengmei couldn’t hold back her laughter. Her mood brightened instantly.
So it was true—watching someone else’s embarrassment really was entertaining. Suddenly, she could understand why Qu Xiaoxiao enjoyed stirring things up so much.
Drama really can be funny.
“Sister Fan… what you just said…” Guan Ju’er asked cautiously, her face still tinged with concern.
Andy’s eyes were wide with confusion, as if she couldn’t quite make sense of it.
Shengmei immediately caught on and quickly explained.
“Oh please, Qu Xiaoxiao was just being too annoying. Always poking at me about the same things, so I threw out nonsense to mess with her. Judging by her reaction, she’ll probably stay quiet for a few days. And I’ll finally have some peace.”
Guan Ju’er slowly nodded, enlightenment dawning as she pushed her glasses up her nose.
Andy, however, still looked puzzled.
“But even if you tricked her, why did she react so strongly?”
Shengmei thought for a moment, then guessed:
“Didn’t she study abroad before? Maybe she got exposed to a lot of this overseas. You know how messy things can be there. It’s not uncommon. Haven’t you seen it yourself, Andy?”
Abroad, this kind of thing wasn’t hidden at all. It was easy to see—and easy to imagine.
Guan Ju’er glanced at Andy.
“Andy’s always so busy with work, she probably doesn’t pay attention to this kind of thing.”
Andy pressed her lips together and nodded. That was true—she had never concerned herself with matters of romance.
Not with women, not even much with men. Her whole heart was tied up in her work.
Seeing Andy’s pure, unaffected expression, Shengmei couldn’t help but smile.
Since they had some free time that day, Andy suggested taking everyone out for a meal—partly to look after Shengmei’s mood. After all, she had just dealt with both Wang Baichuan and Qu Xiaoxiao. Andy was worried about her.
Shengmei checked the time. It was manageable—if they ate quickly, she could still get back in time to draft a script for her next video.
Guan Ju’er agreed too, though she felt a little embarrassed at always being looked after by Andy. She resolved that once she got her bonus, she would return the favor.
Shengmei, however, was much more straightforward.
“I don’t have money these days. Actually, my finances will probably stay tight for a while. So if I treat you, it may take quite some time!”
Andy only shrugged.
“You’ve already helped me so much with relationships and social matters. That’s enough.”
Her seriousness moved Shengmei, who leaned over and gave her a hug.
Someone as genuine as Andy—it was always easy to be touched by her.
“Shengmei, I don’t like women,” Andy said suddenly, patting her back.
Shengmei blinked, then swatted her playfully.
“Neither do I!”
She hadn’t expected Andy to be the one making jokes now.
They each went back to their rooms to change clothes. Before leaving, someone hesitated aloud:
“Should we call Qu Xiaoxiao?”
Guan Ju’er was blunt.
“After the way she just bolted? I don’t think she’d dare eat with Sister Fan right now.”
They laughed, and together took the elevator down to the underground garage.
Andy’s car was a Porsche. Its fiery red color drew stares the moment it appeared. With beautiful women inside, the open-top convertible caught every breeze, sending their hair flying. People turned to look, and passing cars honked repeatedly in an attempt to catch their attention.
They went to a Western restaurant. When ordering, Shengmei chose only a simple salad.
It was barely enough.
Guan Ju’er closed her menu, concerned.
“Sister Fan, are you really just eating that? Isn’t it too little?”
Shengmei lifted her eyes from her phone, gazing at Guan Ju’er’s youthful, collagen-filled face with a sigh.
“What can I do? I’m not that young anymore. Sitting in an office all day, I have to watch my figure. At night, the less I eat, the better. I don’t want to turn into a fat woman.”
Guan Ju’er nodded and said no more.
She herself didn’t eat much either—but after exhausting days at work, she usually wanted to indulge a little, eat more to replenish her strength.
Andy noticed Shengmei fiddling with her phone the whole time. Strangely, she hadn’t taken any photos of the meal, unlike her usual habit.
“Shengmei, you’ve been on your phone since we sat down. What are you doing? Is something wrong?”
Her tone carried the offer—if there was a problem, say it, and she’d help if she could.
The old Shengmei, so proud, might have bristled. But this Shengmei had changed—she spoke openly.
“I’m checking sales data for the most popular foundation products. I want to gather some numbers.”
“Foundation products?” Andy frowned. From what she knew, that wasn’t Shengmei’s line of work at all.
“Aren’t you in HR? Why are you suddenly researching beauty products?”
Guan Ju’er stared at her, equally bewildered.