Chapter 26: So-called Friends Part 1

Having been annoyed by them, Wen Ya lost interest in shopping. She wandered around for a bit and then went home. A perfectly good weekend was wasted. If she had known, she would have just stayed in bed.

“You’re back so soon. Why didn’t you buy anything?” Mother Wen asked curiously, noticing Wen Ya’s empty hands.

Xiao Ya used to love shopping. Every time she returned, the living room would be filled with clothes, and she’d ask for help sorting through her purchases. But now, she wasn’t buying anything. Was the company’s financial situation that tight?

“Xiao Ya, I still have some money saved. It’s no use to me. I’ll transfer it to you later.”

Wen Ya was both touched and amused. “Mom, what are you thinking? I’m the chairman of Wen’s Corporation. How could I be short of money?” She was short of money, but not the kind her mother was thinking of. She needed billions, and the amount her mother could give wouldn’t be enough. “I just ran into Wang Chenxi and lost my mood for shopping. By the way, Mom, do you remember Bai Yunzhu?”

“Of course, I remember her.” At the mention of Bai Yunzhu, Mother Wen glared at Wen Ya. “Why are you bringing her up?”

As a mother, she believed her daughter. Wen Ya had insisted back then that she didn’t disfigure anyone, and that someone else had done it. She had suspected Wang Chenxi at the time, but all the evidence pointed to Wen Ya, leaving no way to clear her name. Wen Qihua, too angry to believe her, had forced her to confess. Stubborn as she was, Wen Ya simply admitted to it, and the matter was closed.

“Mom, do you know which country their family moved to? Was there any news about Bai Yunzhu later?” The more Wen Ya thought about it, the more she felt that many things were connected to Bai Yunzhu.

“They said they moved to Country A, but I don’t know the details. I heard from a relative of the Bai family that Bai Yunzhu’s face never fully healed, and she’s been hiding at home. It’s your fault that a good girl was ruined. Even if you didn’t disfigure her, it was wrong to hit someone. Someone used your actions to frame you, and in the end, you still bear some responsibility.”

The original Wen Ya was certainly at fault, and she had paid the price.

If everything that happened to her afterward was the price for that mistake, then all debts had been settled.

As they were preparing for dinner, the home phone rang.

“Miss, it’s for you.”

Wen Ya picked up the phone curiously. “Hello! Who is this?”

“Xiao Ya, it’s me, Mingmei. Why is your phone off? Luckily, I remembered your home number. I’m back in town. Let’s go out for dinner.”

Mingmei was a friend Wen Ya had met while studying abroad. True to her name, Mingmei was bright and beautiful, with fair skin, a pretty face, and long legs. Her outgoing and open-minded personality made her very popular abroad. Wen Ya knew she had more than a dozen boyfriends, including handsome men from all over the world.

Mingmei had always looked down on Wen Ya for being so hung up on one person. She often advised her to enjoy life and even introduced her to many male friends, but Wen Ya had refused them all.

“Okay, where are you? I’ll come find you,” Wen Ya replied, recalling what she knew about Mingmei.

Mingmei’s family background was a mystery. She had never shared much about it with Wen Ya, but it was clear her family wasn’t short on money.

Though she changed boyfriends frequently, Mingmei never played games or cheated. She handled each relationship cleanly, and many of her exes remained good friends. She was loyal and, in Wen Ya’s eyes, a friend worth keeping.

“Mom, Mingmei’s back in the country. I’m going out for dinner.” Mother Wen knew Mingmei, so Wen Ya didn’t hesitate to tell her.

“Go ahead. Don’t stay cooped up at home all day,” Mother Wen said, asking Ah Yong to follow and ensure Wen Ya’s safety.

The address Mingmei gave was Jiaren Club, the second-largest club in South City. The owner was a mystery—no one knew if they were male or female, young or old. What was known was that Jiaren Club had a powerful background. Those who crossed it never got a second chance, and some even disappeared from South City entirely.

The club’s membership requirements were strict. To join, one needed assets exceeding 100 million, a certain social status, and recommendations from at least three existing members. While many had the wealth, securing three recommendations was no easy feat.

For many, Jiaren Club was a symbol of status. Wen Ya had a membership card, applied for by her father after she returned to China. He had hoped it would help her make friends after years abroad.

After showing her membership card, Wen Ya entered the club smoothly. Just as she was about to call Mingmei, she heard her voice.

“Xiao Ya, over here!” Mingmei hugged her tightly. “I missed you so much.”

“Heh, I didn’t miss you,” Wen Ya teased. As she recalled, a month before the original Wen Ya returned, Mingmei had sent a text saying she was off to Antarctica to see penguins, then vanished. The original Wen Ya had been worried, unable to reach her.

“Don’t be mad! I’m back now,” Mingmei pouted, then smiled and introduced her friend. “This is my childhood friend, Xinrui. Xinrui, this is my good friend from abroad, Wen Ya.”

“Ye Xinrui?” Wen Ya looked at Ye Xinrui, who was also studying her.

In the upper-class circles of South City, except for those who went abroad or weren’t locals, everyone attended the same high school. The chance of being classmates was as high as 99%, so it wasn’t surprising they knew each other.

If Bai Yunzhu was the white moonlight for all men, then Gu Chengze was the cinnabar mole for all women. Ye Xinrui had liked him since high school. After graduation, to get closer to her idol, she joined Gu’s company and climbed to a senior position, proving her capability.

Unlike Wang Chenxi, Ye Xinrui disdained using underhanded methods to win a man. In the book, Wang Chenxi had asked her to help frame the heroine, but she refused. She even warned Gu Chengze to beware of Wang Chenxi harming Xu Qingqing.

She was persistent, waiting until Gu Chengze and Xu Qingqing got engaged before leaving heartbroken.

Ye Xinrui was the third female lead, but her ending was far better than Wen Ya’s. She would marry Wu Xianrang, the fourth male lead, and they would live a life of mutual respect.

Wen Ya didn’t understand the logic of the original novel. All the women seemed to love Gu Chengze, all the men loved Bai Yunzhu, and later, they all loved Xu Qingqing. Those who didn’t were just cannon fodder.

Based on the book’s information, Wen Ya liked Ye Xinrui and hoped to befriend her.

“Why did you change your number? And you didn’t even tell me,” Mingmei said, holding both their hands. Ye Xinrui had already started reminiscing, while Mingmei was full of resentment toward Wen Ya.

“Something happened at home, and I decided to leave the past behind, so I changed my number. At the time, I was overwhelmed and didn’t tell anyone. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell you,” Wen Ya explained. When she first traveled through, she was too preoccupied with saving her own fate to think of Mingmei.

“Fine, I forgive you,” Mingmei said, having heard about Wen Ya’s struggles. She comfortingly touched her face. “It’s all in the past. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you during your hardest time.”

“It’s okay,” Wen Ya replied. She was curious, though. Mingmei was one of the original Wen Ya’s few loyal friends. Why hadn’t the original Wen Ya sought her help after everything that happened? Or why hadn’t Mingmei helped if she’d known?

These details weren’t in the book, so Wen Ya could only wait and find the answers later.

Aside from the heroine, the supporting female characters came from good families. Wang Chenxi’s family was well-off, and Ye Xinrui’s family, though slightly less wealthy than Wen Ya’s, had political connections, making her social standing stronger than both Wen Ya’s and Wang Chenxi’s.

All of them had membership cards for the club, but today’s card was borrowed by Ye Xinrui from her cousin. The private room they were in showed her cousin’s high status.

“Liu Qi’s card?” Mingmei glanced at the private room and asked.

“Yes. Not bad, right?” Ye Xinrui glanced at Wen Ya. She used to dislike Wen Ya, but after everything that happened this year, she realized Wen Ya had changed. For example, Gu Chengze, her longtime idol, had turned out to be disappointing. Finding a woman behind his fiancée’s back and calling it true love? If it was true love, he shouldn’t have gotten engaged. Taking on responsibilities as a man and then trying to play the virtuous lover was disgusting.

Unknowingly, Wen Ya had influenced the third female lead’s perspective.

“The food here is delicious, especially the pickled radish. I order it every time I come. It’s a shame they limit it to a small plate per person,” Ye Xinrui said, her mouth watering at the thought.

Mingmei nudged Wen Ya, raising her eyebrows, signaling her to look at Ye Xinrui’s foodie expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’ll understand once you try it,” Ye Xinrui snorted, then started ordering.

Having grown up in South City, they had similar tastes. Mingmei, just back from abroad, was craving Chinese food and wanted to order everything on the menu.

While others came to the club to drink and sing, they treated it like a restaurant.

The radishes were as good as Ye Xinrui had said. After Mingmei and Wen Ya tried a piece, they guarded their plates fiercely, refusing to share.

“This is amazing, Xiao Ruizi. Ask for a bigger plate,” Mingmei said after finishing her last bite.

“I’ve already tried. Even my cousin couldn’t get more,” Ye Xinrui replied, savoring the radish before moving on to other dishes. “There’s a place called Blue Villa outside the city. The owner’s cooking is incredible, but he’s old and rarely cooks. I was lucky to eat there once. The taste was unforgettable.”

Wen Ya was stunned. That was the place Ji Ming had taken her to. The food was indeed exceptional.

After dinner, they started singing. Wen Ya realized that wealthy socialites were no different from ordinary people when they let loose—if not even crazier.