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Read advanced chapters at Shanghai fantasy.com
On the other end of the phone was Mother Wang’s cautious voice: “Darling, I’m so sorry… it’s all Mom and Dad’s fault.”
Upon hearing this “darling,” Wang Sasa felt the hairs on her skin stand up. She couldn’t help but rub the goosebumps that were popping up on her arms. Since she didn’t understand what Mother Wang meant, she purposely replied vaguely, “It’s nothing, I’ve forgotten all about it myself anyway…”
There was a gasp of surprise from Mother Wang on the other end: “What? Darling, you’ve forgotten your own birthday?!”
Wang Sasa was stunned.
She blinked and tried to recall the date—when was the original owner’s birthday again? It wasn’t the same as hers, she was sure of that.
Since it was a phone call, Wang Sasa remained calm and answered steadily, “I’ve just been too busy with schoolwork recently, so I didn’t pay attention.”
A daughter who was so focused on her studies—what parent could complain about that?
Upon hearing that her daughter had forgotten her own birthday because of her studies, not only did Mother Wang not suspect anything, but she was also deeply moved. She said emotionally, “Darling, don’t worry. This year, Mom will make sure your birthday party is beautiful.” After a pause, she asked tentatively, “Shall we invite that friend of yours… what was her name again… Tan… Tan something?”
Mother Wang had already investigated and knew about Tan Yixuan’s background, learning that she was just an ordinary girl—not some smooth-talking, broke kid. But all this time, her daughter hadn’t mentioned her friend once, so Mother Wang was extra cautious, not sure if her daughter was still holding a grudge.
Wang Sasa added, “Her name is Tan Yixuan.”
“Yes! That’s right, Tan Yixuan.” Mother Wang chuckled, “How about inviting Tan Yixuan to come over that day?”
Wang Sasa was conflicted. She didn’t really want to throw a birthday party, and she especially didn’t want to invite a bunch of people over. If anything, she’d just invite a few classmates for a meal. But skipping the party wasn’t an option either.
Considering her family’s flashy style, Father Wang and Mother Wang might not mind, but she dreaded going back to school afterward, where people would keep asking why she hadn’t thrown a party. She didn’t want to hear the same question over and over.
So she simply told Mother Wang, “Just do it the same as every year.”
After hanging up the phone with Mother Wang, Wang Sasa returned to the kitchen.
Tan Yixuan was sitting at the dining table, flipping through something on her phone. When Wang Sasa looked closer, she realized it was that novel she had mentioned. She couldn’t help but rest her hand on Tan Yixuan’s shoulder, smiling as she asked, “So, what do you think? Interesting, right?”
Tan Yixuan put away her phone and glanced at her casually, asking, “Who was on the phone?”
Wang Sasa scratched her cheek, “It was my… my mom.”
Tan Yixuan looked at her, as though she wanted to say something but held back. She was afraid of upsetting Wang Sasa, so she resisted the urge to ask further.
Seeing that Tan Yixuan didn’t seem interested, Wang Sasa decided to drop the subject.
She still hadn’t decided whether to invite Tan Yixuan to her birthday party.
She could already imagine what kind of people would be there that day, and she was worried that if Tan Yixuan showed up, she’d feel awkward. And if some fool showed up and caused trouble, it would only ruin the mood.
Besides, it wasn’t even her real birthday, so there was nothing worth celebrating.
Monday, during lunch break.
Wang Sasa was doing her homework when Zhou Yunlu suddenly came over, nudging her shoulder and laughing, “Boss, how come you didn’t say anything about your birthday…”
Tan Yixuan was lying on her desk, taking a nap. Wang Sasa didn’t pay attention to what Zhou Yunlu said and instinctively raised a finger to her lips, shushing her, “Quiet down, Tan Yixuan is napping.”
Zhou Yunlu glanced over, scratched the back of her head, and then whispered, “Are you celebrating your birthday the same way as before? What should I prepare for that day?”
Wang Sasa wasn’t interested in her birthday at all, so she answered without even looking up, “Whatever.”
After all, on the day of the “birthday,” she would just show up, make an appearance, and then leave.
Seeing that the boss wasn’t in the mood to talk, Zhou Yunlu puffed out her cheeks in frustration and went back to her seat, feeling down.
Although she had warmed up to Tan Yixuan a lot recently, wasn’t the boss being a bit too nice to her? She was starting to get more attention than any of them!
On the other side, Tan Yixuan’s fingers twitched slightly on the desk, her long lashes fluttering. She opened her eyes with a confused look, as if she had just woken up. “Who was that just now?”
Wang Sasa glanced at her and then quickly looked back at her textbook, replying indifferently, “Zhou Yunlu.”
Resting her head on her arm, Tan Yixuan asked casually, “What did she want?”
After thinking it over, Wang Sasa decided it was really inappropriate for Tan Yixuan to attend her birthday party, so she paused and said, “Nothing, go back to sleep.”
Tan Yixuan stared at her for a moment, and when she saw that Wang Sasa hadn’t mentioned her birthday at all, a deep sense of disappointment suddenly welled up inside her.
She doesn’t want me at her birthday party…
Leaning closer, Tan Yixuan rested her head on Sasa’s shoulder and softly whispered, “Sasa, are you hiding something from me?”
Wang Sasa’s pen paused mid-air. She turned her head slightly, forced a smile, and asked, “Why do you ask that?”
Tan Yixuan took one of her hands and played with it for a while. Then, sitting up straight, she tilted her head and said, “Just asking, don’t mind it.”
When she turned back around, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
Wang Sasa felt uneasy, but since she had already kept things from her, coming clean now would only make things worse. She figured it wasn’t anything important anyway, so when she saw Tan Yixuan start working on her homework, she let it go.
After the first class in the afternoon.
Zhou Yunlu came bouncing back to Wang Sasa.
Recently, the boss had grown distant from them, not even inviting them out for fun on the weekends. Zhou Yunlu suggested going to a club on Sunday, but Wang Sasa shot it down immediately.
Just kidding, if she had that much time, why wouldn’t she use it to read her favorite hentai?
Wang Sasa stroked her chin and realized she hadn’t bought any new comic books recently. Since the opportunity presented itself, why not this Sunday?
Zhou Yunlu noticed her boss was lost in thought and, feeling bold, tugged on Wang Sasa’s sleeve and pouted. She had learned this trick from her cousin who was a year younger.
Whenever she used this tactic with her parents, she would get extra pocket money.
Although Zhou Yunlu was tall, she did it without any pretense, and with her cute appearance, it wasn’t off-putting.
Yet Wang Sasa still couldn’t tolerate it and shook off her hand, refusing coldly, “No, I have other things to do that day.”
Tan Yixuan watched their interaction with a growing anger.
If Wang Sasa hadn’t preemptively pushed Zhou Yunlu away, Tan Yixuan would have been tempted to physically separate them herself.
She took a deep breath to suppress her rising anger and jealousy, then forced a smile and said, “Yeah, Sasa is going on a date with me that day. So she probably can’t hang out with you guys.”
Despite her effort to suppress it, a hint of boastfulness slipped through, making Zhou Yunlu uncomfortable. She looked at Wang Sasa, asking, “Is that true, boss?” She didn’t notice the casual way Tan Yixuan had addressed Wang Sasa.
Wang Sasa glanced at Tan Yixuan, saw her smiling at her, and calmly replied, “Yes, that’s right.”
Zhou Yunlu looked between the two and could only return to her seat dejectedly.
Her sister Zhou Yufei raised an eyebrow in surprise, “What happened?”
Zhou Yunlu explained what had just occurred, and Zhou Yufei looked thoughtful.
Chai Kejia, who had observed the interaction, plopped down on a nearby desk and crossed her legs, saying, “Don’t even think about catching up with us; I doubt even Wei Qi can keep up!”
Zhou Yunlu looked at her in confusion, “What are you talking about?”
Chai Kejia glanced at Zhou Yufei behind her, shrugged, and said, “Nothing, just forget I said anything.” With that, she nimbly jumped off the desk and walked away slowly.
Zhou Yunlu glanced at Chai Kejia’s departing figure and nudged Zhou Yufei, “Do you think Chai Kejia… has a boyfriend?”
Zhou Yufei gave her a speechless look, shook her head, and smacked her language book against her face, “Focus on your studies and stop nosing into other people’s business.”
Earlier, Tan Yixuan had helped her out, but since Wang Sasa was going to buy hentai, she only mentioned buying study materials and firmly instructed Tan Yixuan not to follow her.
Tan Yixuan smiled but said nothing.
Soon, Sunday arrived.
Wang Sasa locked the door, left the community, and took a taxi to the nearby comic store. Since she was buying something special, she wore a hat and no makeup, just plain and simple.
Being a regular customer, Wang Sasa signaled to the shopkeeper, who understood immediately, smiled, and handed her the comics with one hand while taking the payment with the other.
Carrying her beloved comics, Wang Sasa headed home.
As she was about to enter the community gate, she saw a tall figure swaying not far away.
Wang Sasa took a closer look and realized it was Wei Qi, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
Wanting to hide the items she was carrying, she quickly covered her face with the paper bag and tried to avoid him.
Just as she passed by Wei Qi, he glanced at her, then stopped and suddenly called out, “Wang Shasha, what are you doing?”
Damn, caught.
Wang Sasa took off her hat and rolled her eyes, “What are you doing here?”
Wei Qi opened his mouth, stared at her face, and suddenly blushed, stammering, “I, well, since we’ve known each other for so long, I just wanted to come and see you.”
Can you imagine?
A 1.8-meter-tall guy making a shy expression like a love-struck girl is quite nauseating.
Wang Sasa cut to the chase and said, “Do you need something?”
Wei Qi continued awkwardly, “I didn’t specifically invite you to my birthday, so I’m sorry…”
Wang Sasa asked, “Is that all?”
Wei Qi looked at her, nodded, and seemed hesitant to speak.
Wang Sasa knew Wei Qi had other intentions but chose not to engage.
She just wanted to get back to her apartment to read her comics and not argue with him, so she said, “Okay, I get it. Please move aside.”
As Wang Sasa was about to walk past him, Wei Qi, in a panic, reached out and grabbed her arm, “Wait…”
Wang Sasa glanced at her arm he was holding, pursed her lips in displeasure, and said, “Let go.”
Seeing the stern look on her face, Wei Qi immediately released his grip and muttered, “Sorry.”
Wang Sasa rolled her eyes again, unable to help herself, “I’m telling you…”
Before she could finish, a clear female voice interrupted.
“Did I come at the wrong time?”
Tan Yixuan, arms crossed and looking calm, stood at the community entrance. It seemed she had been there for a while, observing.
She gave Wang Sasa a meaningful look and said that line.
Wang Sasa, inexplicably feeling a chill and a strange sense of shame as if caught in the act, hesitated, “Yixuan… why are you here?”
Tan Yixuan stepped forward and casually asked, “What, can’t I come?”
Wang Sasa’s face stiffened as she carefully eyed her, “That’s not what I meant. I said I was going to buy study materials today…”
Tan Yixuan paused, then explained, “I was walking nearby and remembered you lived around here, so I thought I’d come by and see.”
Wang Sasa silently stared at her, not saying a word.
Tan Yixuan blushed slightly, cleared her throat, stepped closer, took her hand, and whispered, “I’m sorry, I lied.” After a pause, she added, “I missed you.”
Wang Sasa: “…”