It was already nightfall.

The night breeze outside was slightly chilly, and the early spring night carried a hint of dampness. The wind was soft. Ji Fan closed the door, wrapped her coat tighter in the cold wind, and suddenly squinted her eyes, thinking about something.

If she went to their dinner party alone, it would be fine if Jiang Cha didn’t notice, but if, by chance, Jiang Cha did notice, it would seem like she was intentionally following her.

That would be a very demeaning behavior. She had never been willing to do such a thing before.

But if they went together, it would be different.

That way, there would be room for explanation, such as she was just having dinner with friends and happened to run into them. That would be much more natural. Ji Fan thought she had considered it very carefully, so, after a little thought, she called Xu Qingzhu.

There were some friends, although they didn’t interact very frequently, but they were people who made one feel trust. Xu Qingzhu was such a friend. In front of her, there was no need to pretend too much, after all, they had known each other for so long, and there was nothing to hide between them.

“Hello? Want to have dinner together?”

Xu Qingzhu was puzzled, “You’re asking me out for dinner?”

This was the first time.

After starting work, everyone was very busy. One was a lawyer and the other was a businesswoman. They always had a lot of things to deal with, and they were no longer like they were when they were students, where having dinner was simply having dinner, and going to eat hot pot at the school gate could make them happy for a long time.

Moreover, Ji Fan didn’t like group dinners when she was studying, and she had never taken the initiative to invite anyone out for dinner.

And now she wanted to invite her?

Strange.

Could it be another case of seeking advice on emotional problems?

Xu Qingzhu chuckled and thought to herself, no wonder, Ji Fan had so little experience in love.

Her phone dinged, and Ji Fan sent her the location of the western restaurant.

“You’re treating me to dinner, aren’t you going to pick me up?”

She sent the voice message and waited for several minutes, but Ji Fan was as if she hadn’t seen the message and didn’t reply at all.

Tsk.

With this attitude, it’s no wonder Jiang Cha wants to divorce her.

••••

The restaurant was located on the second floor of an international business hotel, with 270-degree floor-to-ceiling windows offering a stunning night view. Outside, the willow trees lined the lake, and the night breeze gently blew, with twinkling lights like fireflies.

The design paid great attention to privacy. On the semicircular walkway near the window, the two tables in front and behind were separated by a not-too-tall wooden platform.

On the wooden platform was a slender porcelain vase, with two red roses, one tall and one short, inserted diagonally.

A cloth chandelier lit up overhead, casting a warm, yellow glow. The square dining table was covered with a clean white tablecloth, and the knives, forks, and plates were neatly arranged. A damp napkin was folded into the shape of an origami crane and placed in a white porcelain plate.

Guests sitting inside were completely shielded by the semi-enclosed wooden platform, and their soft conversations created a sense of privacy.

When Xu Qingzhu arrived, Ji Fan was already sitting in a seat by the window, with only a glass of lemonade on the table, as if she had been there for a while.

Ji Fan held the cup and took a sip of water.

She was wearing a light brown suit jacket, a snow-white shirt with a flowing chiffon bow tie at the collar, and an orange, high-slit, bodycon skirt. Her proportions were perfect, and her snow-white, slender legs were partially covered by brown ankle boots.

She lifted her eyelids and glanced at Xu Qingzhu lightly.

A pair of bar-shaped earrings hung from her ears, their silvery light shimmering slightly, half-hidden in her long, curly hair.

Dressed so formally?

Xu Qingzhu was a little puzzled.

As she was about to sit down with her bag, she caught a glimpse of a familiarly beautiful girl at the table in front. Her long, soft black hair was draped over her shoulders, her skin was fair, and her eyes were pure and bright, as she lowered her head slightly and gently took small bites of salmon with wasabi.

Huh?

She pointed and turned her head, asking Ji Fan curiously, “Isn’t that -?”

Ji Fan quickly pulled her down to sit.

Jiang Cha heard the sound and turned to look, but she couldn’t see Xu Qingzhu anymore. Xu Qingzhu and Ji Fan didn’t interact much, and Jiang Cha hadn’t seen her a few times, so she didn’t remember her.

She didn’t take it to heart, thinking that the person just now probably had nothing to do with her.

She continued to eat.

Ji Fan turned her head, and her long, white and slender index finger was held up to her lips, making a shushing gesture.

“…….”

Xu Qingzhu looked at Ji Fan speechlessly.

So, you called me over to eavesdrop?

Catching a cheater?

Jiang Cha is cheating?

No way!

She suddenly felt a sense of disillusionment, what was this all about.

“If you want to talk, type it on WeChat.”

Ji Fan lowered her head and tapped the screen with her finger, sending her a message.

Ye Man got up and went to the bar to get something to eat, so Jiang Cha and Bai Yihan were sitting face to face.

She wasn’t much different from the person in her memory.

Jiang Cha looked at her, as if separated by a world.

Bai Yihan was tall and slender, sitting quietly in her seat, speaking little, but her gaze fell on Jiang Cha from time to time, with a subtle smile in her eyes that sparkled like stars.

“How have you been these past few years?”

Bai Yihan was wearing a plain white shirt, her dark hair draped just over her shoulders, her jawline was slender, and her lips were a natural, healthy light pink. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her gaze was clean and transparent when she looked at people.

Jiang Cha looked at her, lost in thought.

When she first met Ji Fan, Ji Fan had the same kind of eyes, clean and clear, black was black and white was white, and you could see to the bottom at a glance.

She lowered her eyes and smiled with her red lips: “Not bad.”

Ji Fan lowered her eyes, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, and typed: See, they’re just ordinary friends.

Xu Qingzhu: [Laughing and crying] Then why are you still eavesdropping?

Ji Fan’s long eyelashes trembled, but she didn’t speak.

Feeling a bit bored sitting with Ji Fan like this, Xu Qingzhu stood up and decided to get something to eat.

Although Jiang Cha had seen Xu Qingzhu a few times, they were not very familiar with each other, and secondly, they met very, very infrequently. Even if Jiang Cha saw her, she would not associate her with Ji Fan and discover anything. But Ji Fan suddenly reached out and grabbed her, her black and white eyes were very uneasy, and her expression clearly said “Go quickly and come back soon”.

Like an underground operation in a spy organization.

Xu Qingzhu laughed helplessly.

She took a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild red wine, took two wine glasses and placed them on the table, poured half a glass for each of them, and then turned to the buffet bar to grab a plate of freshly roasted squab.

Well, it’s not like she’s the one in a hurry.

Eat when you should, drink when you should.

Xu Qingzhu casually tearing a piece of roast pigeon with a fork and putting it in her mouth while watching Ji Fan like a play.

How could Jiang Cha be with someone else? According to Ji Fan’s description, they were together back in university. After so many years, their relationship should be deep. Even if Jiang Cha wants to divorce her now, it must be because Ji Fan is emotionally inept somewhere and has given her the wrong impression.

In short, Ji Fan is definitely overthinking it.

On the other side.

“By the way,” Bai Yihan lowered her eyes and asked tentatively, “Have you found a girlfriend?”

Jiang Cha looked at her in surprise and smiled, “I’m married.”

Bai Yihan suddenly widened her eyes, her expression faltering for a moment.

“Married?”

She had gone abroad in high school and had lived in the United States for over a decade. In order to adapt and integrate into society, almost all the news she watched was about current events there. Usually, she was so busy in the lab following her mentor that she rarely watched domestic news.

She didn’t know that Jiang Cha was now in the entertainment industry.

She didn’t know that Jiang Cha was married.

She never thought that one day when she returned, the girl she used to know would no longer be in the same place.

Times had changed.

The world had changed.

Bai Yihan lowered her eyes.

Her gaze focused on Jiang Cha’s left hand.

Holding the silver cutlery, it was slender and soft white. Her ring finger was clearly clean, with nothing on it.

If she was married, why wasn’t she wearing a ring?

Moreover, she was a celebrity. Could her husband not afford a wedding ring?

Was it possible…

Ye Man carried a plate of medium-rare steak and an ice cream cone in her left hand, returning gracefully.

“Here.”

She handed the crispy cone topped with a white snowball to Jiang Cha.

Although it wasn’t particularly hot, the air conditioning in the western restaurant was turned on very generously, and the temperature was probably only about ten degrees Celsius. Jiang Cha was sitting in the draft, and when she took a bite of ice cream, the cold wind blew, and she shivered violently.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Yihan asked softly, “Didn’t you wear enough clothes?”

She smiled and picked up a coat from the back of the chair beside her and handed it to her, “Why don’t you put this on?”

On the other side.

Ji Fan’s expression became slightly tense.

Xu Qingzhu glanced at her sideways.

“……”

Jiang Cha vaguely felt something was amiss, so she shook her head, “Thank you, no need.”

Such a polite tone was only suitable for strangers.

Jiang Cha classified her as a stranger who needed to be treated politely.

Ji Fan forced a smile.

Ji Fan typed: See, I told you they were just ordinary friends.

Xu Qingzhu: Yes, yes, yes, just ordinary friends. Since we’re all friends, why don’t we sit together and eat together.

Ji Fan: No.

Then, there was more movement on that side.

Bai Yihan smiled softly, “Why are you being so polite with me? Put it on, or you might catch a cold.”

Ji Fan’s fair fingers curled up.

Don’t wear it.

She commanded in her mind.

Jiang Cha’s long, curled eyelashes drooped, as if she didn’t know how to respond to this sentence.

“Thank you,” she replied softly.

To someone’s ears, it sounded like she was being shy.

Ji Fan’s smile was no longer natural.

Xu Qingzhu looked at Ji Fan’s deliberately calm expression with amusement.

Ji Fan: It’s just borrowing a coat, it’s nothing.

Xu Qingzhu: Yeah. Nothing.

Ji Fan: She looks a bit like me, maybe that’s why Jiang Cha doesn’t have any guard against her.

Xu Qingzhu: Yeah, yeah, yeah, something like that, love me, love my dog.

The loose coat draped over her, still seeming to carry her scent and warmth. It was slightly cool, but soon warmed up by her own body.

Ye Man went for a stroll and returned to her seat with a plate of sashimi, seeing Jiang Cha wrapped in a light orange corduroy work jacket. The jacket was very loose, and Jiang Cha seemed a little at a loss, just sitting quietly in her seat.

… It’s obvious that she doesn’t know how to refuse and has been tricked.

Ye Man knew Bai Yihan.

On the surface, she was an extremely clean, simple-minded, academic-focused, and especially innocent girl. But in reality?

Hehe.

When it came to playing tricks, Bai Yihan could be said to be a natural.

Jiang Cha, a married woman with a family, wearing a coat given to her by someone else, was more or less inappropriate. From what she knew of Bai Yihan, she would definitely ask Jiang Cha to take the coat home later, saying that she was just lending it to her for the time being.

If Jiang Cha really took the coat home obediently later, she would probably be interrogated by Ji Fan. Jiang Cha had always been unable to hide anything, and she would definitely tell everything about Bai Yihan’s existence right away.

At most, she would hide the fact that she had a crush on Bai Yihan.

Then, Ji Fan would definitely notice her existence.

On this basis, it would be easy for Bai Yihan to casually sow discord and steal someone else’s lover.

Ye Man thought it was really interesting. Back then, Jiang Cha had a crush on her, and Bai Yihan was completely oblivious, treating Jiang Cha only as a little sister. But now?

Hehe.

People love to be perverse.

“I’m sorry,” Bai Yihan said softly.

“What?” Jiang Cha looked at her in confusion.

“It was my fault back then,” Bai Yihan raised her eyes and looked at her seriously and quietly, “I was too slow. It took me many years to realize that you actually liked me back then.”

Jiang Cha was startled.

Crash—

The sound of a glass falling to the ground and shattering. The red wine spilled all over the place.

Jiang Cha looked down at the red wine seeping from the floor behind her seat, and in the blink of an eye, it had soaked her shoes.

Who was so careless?

There was no sound from the next table.

Jiang Cha stood up, called a waiter, and picked up the half-damp napkin on the table.

A woman with her head bowed sat quietly there, her long eyelashes drooping, and her side profile was frighteningly pale.

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