Font Size:
Read advanced chapters at Shanghaifantasy.com
The dark eyes fixed on the notepad for a moment before shifting to Wang Sasa’s face.
“You saw it,” Tan Yixuan said, this time as a statement.
Wang Sasa was confused and responded with a vague “Hmm,” sensing the atmosphere had suddenly turned strange. She hesitated in her tone, “Does… it matter?”
It took her a moment to realize that the brown notepad was Tan Yixuan’s diary. As the thought hit her, her eyes widened slightly.
Did Tan Yixuan think she had been snooping through her diary? Wang Sasa paused, then casually explained, “Don’t worry, I didn’t read any of it.”
Tan Yixuan merely gazed at her, lips pressed together, not saying a word.
Seeing this, Wang Sasa picked up the notepad from the desk and pointed to the drawing of a person on the white page, attempting to change the subject. “Is this me?”
Tan Yixuan glanced at her with an unreadable expression, then looked away and softly murmured, “Sorry for drawing your portrait without permission.”
Wang Sasa lowered her head and examined the drawing carefully.
Tan Yixuan had only casually sketched with a pencil and was not a professional artist, so naturally, the drawing wasn’t perfect.
However, she had captured the key features accurately, which was why Wang Sasa had immediately recognized it as herself.
“Not bad!” Wang Sasa pointed at the eyes in the drawing, then pointed at her own, “These bright, lively eyes are so full of life!”
Hearing this, Tan Yixuan smiled shyly and said, “I still didn’t quite capture it… Your eyes should be almond-shaped, right? If you look closely…” As she spoke, she unconsciously reached out and lightly touched the corner of Wang Sasa’s eyes. Her fingers brushed against her skin, warm and fleeting.
Wang Sasa’s heart skipped a beat, and instinctively, she grabbed Tan Yixuan’s fingers.
Tan Yixuan gently clasped her hand in return, softly gazing at her.
Tan Yixuan was becoming a friend Wang Sasa found difficult to handle…
Awkwardly laughing, Wang Sasa withdrew her hand and cleared her throat. “Let’s go to bed, it’s late.”
Without waiting for Tan Yixuan’s response, she quickly turned and went to the bathroom.
Tan Yixuan smiled lightly, lowered her eyes, and closed her notepad thoughtfully. After a moment, she tucked the brown notebook into her bag.
••••
Monday, No. 2 High School.
After morning exercises.
Ji Yiran deliberately waited until Tan Yixuan was alone before approaching her.
“Tan Yixuan, I want to talk to you. About Wang Shasha.”
Tan Yixuan hadn’t intended to pay her any attention, but when she heard Wang Sasa’s name, she couldn’t help but look up at her. “What do you want to say?”
Ji Yiran glanced suspiciously toward the door before turning back to Tan Yixuan. “Do you know Wang Shasha’s real intention in getting close to you?”
Tan Yixuan paused, her hand holding the pen still. She turned her head to look at Ji Yiran with an expressionless face. “Oh? Go on, tell me, what exactly is Wang… Shasha’s intention?”
Ji Yiran thought back to the chance encounter with Wang Shasha on Saturday. Wang Shasha had taken Tan Yixuan to a place like that. Surely, the next step would be to bring Tan Yixuan to various high-society gatherings, making her lose herself in luxury and indulgence.
Once Tan Yixuan experienced the splendor of the upper class, how could she ever be content with living an ordinary life again? And with Wang Shasha constantly claiming to be her friend, it was even more difficult for her to see things clearly.
How could friends from different social classes truly bond? When had Wang Shasha ever taken others seriously? So all of this must be part of Wang Shasha’s scheme!
The higher Tan Yixuan was elevated now, the harder her fall would be later. Having been friends with Tan Yixuan once, Ji Yiran couldn’t bear to see her fall deeper into this trap.
Frustrated, Ji Yiran said, “Wang Shasha isn’t genuinely trying to be friends with you!”
Tan Yixuan cut her off, “It doesn’t matter.” After all, being friends wasn’t enough for her anyway.
Ji Yiran was taken aback, thinking Tan Yixuan had already been blinded by wealth. She tried to reason with her, “Tan Yixuan, wake up! She’s not sincere…”
Tan Yixuan coldly replied, “Whether she’s sincere or not, I know better than you. I don’t need your advice.”
Seeing Tan Yixuan’s stubborn attitude, Ji Yiran felt as helpless as a fly trapped in a jar. “Why won’t you listen? I know I betrayed you in the past, so now you don’t believe anything I say, but I really am worried about you. If you keep going like this, you’ll get hurt.”
Tan Yixuan shifted her attention back to her homework, ignoring Ji Yiran completely.
“Hurt by what?”
Ji Yiran was about to say more when she was startled by the sudden question.
Wang Sasa stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the front desk, watching them with an amused expression. She smiled and asked again, “Who’s getting hurt? Tan Yixuan?”
Ji Yiran immediately broke into a cold sweat and awkwardly replied, “No, no one’s getting hurt.”
“Then what were you talking about just now?” Wang Sasa walked back to her seat, resting her chin in her hand as she teased, “By the way, Ji Yiran, you seem to be quite close with Tan Yixuan. Are you two good friends?”
Earlier, Wang Sasa had been called by the teacher to discuss the upcoming monthly exams. Due to her significant academic improvement, she was asked to prepare some tips to share during the self-study session tomorrow. But just as she returned, she overheard Ji Yiran trying to undermine her.
This displeased Wang Sasa, and her tone unconsciously carried a hint of annoyance.
From the moment Wang Sasa had entered the room, Tan Yixuan’s gaze had been fixed on her. When she heard this question, she cast a glance at Ji Yiran.
Ji Yiran felt Tan Yixuan’s eyes on her and knew Wang Sasa was waiting for her response.
If she admitted to being friends with Tan Yixuan, would all the effort she’d put in so far be for nothing?
She closed her eyes for a moment, gritted her teeth, and denied, “No.”
Tan Yixuan casually smiled, as if she had expected this outcome all along, without the slightest ripple of emotion. Those who had betrayed her once would never be given a second chance, so she could remain indifferent.
Would Wang Sasa disappoint her?
She didn’t know.
However, Wang Sasa was different from Ji Yiran, or rather, she was unlike anyone Tan Yixuan had ever met before.
Tan Yixuan wasn’t sure what she would do if Wang Sasa ever betrayed her.
But…
She cast a gentle glance at Wang Sasa and smiled.
At least for now, she was willing to trust her.
Wang Sasa felt like she had suddenly become the villain for no reason, feeling somewhat disheartened. She waved her hand lazily and asked, “Do you need anything else?”
Ji Yiran, not daring to meet Tan Yixuan’s disappointed gaze, immediately shut her mouth tightly and shook her head vigorously before scurrying back to her seat.
Wang Sasa glanced at Ji Yiran briefly, then turned her head back to Tan Yixuan, saying, “Don’t overthink it. My only goal is to make you happy.”
Though that sounded far-fetched, Tan Yixuan smiled and responded softly, “I know. I believe you.”
Wang Sasa had been prepared for Tan Yixuan to doubt her and had a lengthy argument ready to convince her. However, Tan Yixuan’s unwavering trust left Wang Sasa, whose intentions weren’t entirely pure, feeling a little guilty.
But on second thought, her ultimate goal was to return home, which didn’t necessarily mean she was deceiving Tan Yixuan. After all, making Tan Yixuan happy didn’t conflict with her going home.
Once Wang Sasa sorted through these thoughts, she quickly let go of her guilt and returned a gentle smile.
Last week, Wei Qi had embarrassed himself badly when a video of him drunkenly acting out was recorded. For an entire week, he had been feeling down, unable to find interest in anything.
He simply pretended to be sick and skipped classes, staying home.
His parents had grown accustomed to Wei Qi’s frequent bouts of “illness,” so they weren’t too concerned. However, his group of hooligan friends, upon discovering that Wei Qi had skipped classes, quickly spread rumors that he was heartbroken and had fallen ill at home.
By the time Wei Qi realized what was happening, the rumors had already spread wildly within his circle, and even his nerdy cousin, who rarely paid attention to gossip, called to console him and urged him to move on.
Wei Qi immediately called the culprit. As soon as the other party picked up, he started cursing, “Dongzi, this is all your fault!”
Dongzi, with a grin on his face, knowing Wei Qi couldn’t see his expression through the phone, defended himself, “It’s not my fault. You were the one who got drunk and made a fool of yourself. Then, you skipped school right after. How could people not think otherwise?”
Wei Qi argued indignantly, “We see each other all the time at school. I was just avoiding awkwardness! It had nothing to do with Wang Shasha!”
Dongzi had initially been teasing him but now became curious. “Wait, it *is* because of Wang Shasha? But come on, Wang Shasha has been all over you. She’s practically throwing herself at you.”
Wei Qi lazily reclined on the couch, legs propped on the coffee table, and muttered in frustration, “That was in the past.”
Now, she wouldn’t reply to his texts or answer his calls. She had even coldly rejected him before, and he couldn’t bring himself to pursue her any further.
Dongzi laughed heartily from the other end of the line, delighted by Wei Qi’s misfortune.
But, as they were brothers-in-arms, Dongzi offered advice, “Why don’t you do this instead? Go to school and confront her face to face.”
Wei Qi stubbornly replied, “I can’t even sort out my own feelings about her. I wouldn’t know what to say. No, it won’t work.”
Dongzi then suggested, “Then just send her a message. Write her a letter and have her deskmate pass it to her.”
Wei Qi suddenly jumped up from the couch. “Why didn’t I think of that? You’ve got great ideas!”
The next day, at school.
Tan Yixuan was suddenly stopped by Wei Qi, who shoved an unmarked letter into her hands.
Wei Qi glanced off to the side and, after a moment of hesitation, spoke quietly, “Could you give this letter to Wang Shasha?”
Tan Yixuan frowned, looking at him briefly, then lowered her gaze to the letter. Something crossed her mind, and her eyes gleamed momentarily before she replied, “Sure.”
Wei Qi turned to her and cautiously asked, “Please don’t hold what happened before against me. I won’t bother you again, I promise.”
Tan Yixuan smiled warmly, holding the letter. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” She had never taken it to heart, so there was nothing to mind.
Wei Qi breathed a sigh of relief and scratched his head. “That’s good… about Shasha… I mean Wang Shasha… forget it. I’ll just ask her myself later. I’ll leave this letter to you.”
As Wei Qi walked away, Tan Yixuan maintained her soft smile, but the warmth didn’t reach her eyes. Once he was out of sight, she glanced down at the letter, her expression instantly darkening.