Chapter 14: The feeling that there's always someone on your side when you're surrounded by carbonated bubbles...

Although it's not very ethical to say that.

But it feels really good to always have someone on your side.

Liang Yizhi laughed after hearing this, then pretended not to care, concealing her inner elation. She moved away from his shoulder, sat up straight again, and said in a stern voice, "I will not cheat on you."

She then looked at Gu Yinyan and added, "Although I appreciate you saying that, if you or Jiang Huai cheat on me, I will still inform your girlfriends. This is a matter of principle."

Liang Yizhi could not forgive such a morally reprehensible act from anyone.

"What do you take us for?" Gu Yinyan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"We have the most basic moral bottom line and legal common sense."

"I know."

She picked up the bottle in her hand and tapped it against the neck of Gu Yinyan's neck.

Liang Yizhi: "After all, if I can't even trust you, then there are probably very few people in this world I can trust."

As she spoke, she began to gaze at the neatly trimmed flowers and trees outside the courtyard, lost in thought.

A large hand suddenly covered her head, moving haphazardly but with a very light touch, and gently rubbed it.

Don't overthink it.

Liang Yizhi is actually very easy to please.

If you gently purr in the direction of her fur, she will calm down quickly.

Even someone like that is not appreciated by some people.

...

Xie Yun was quite surprised when he received Liang Yizhi's call.

Although Liang Yizhi kept avoiding him, he still believed that she might not be so resolute.

He knew Liang Yizhi best and knew she was soft-hearted. He believed that as long as she saw his sincere attitude, she would definitely change her mind.

Sure enough, the phone call from Liang Yizhi gave Xie Yun a glimmer of hope.

Liang Yizhi asked him to meet her at a coffee shop.

She brought a large bag of things with her when she arrived. As she pushed open the door, she walked straight into the crowd without any hesitation, locking onto her target and coming to Xie Yun.

Xie Yun called out to her as before, his posture humble: "Zhizhi, I..."

Liang Yizhi glanced at him very lightly.

Xie Yun's nose was still bandaged from a wound that hadn't fully healed. But apart from that, everything else was neatly made up, as if he had dressed up specially.

She ignored the details she had observed and placed what she had brought in front of him.

Liang Yizhi said, "This contains everything you bought for me. I'm returning it all to you."

Xie Yun panicked: "Zhizhi... what are you doing?"

His brows furrowed into a deep frown, his eyes filled with bitterness: "I was in the wrong first, and besides, these things were originally a gift from me, you don't need to return them to me..."

Liang Yizhi nodded: "You don't need it either, right? Then I'll throw it away."

She picked up the bag, and without even sitting down in the seat opposite him, she turned to leave.

Xie Yun quickly stood up to stop her: "Liang Yizhi, we've been dating for a while, do you have to be so ruthless?"

Liang Yizhi remained unmoved: "I came here because I saw you haven't given up yet, so I wanted to tell you this."

"Stop having pointless fantasies, stop messaging me on any of my apps, and stop harassing the people around me. This is the last bit of goodwill we can leave each other with."

Xie Yun opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

The Liang Yizhi he knew was such a gentle person; he truly never expected her to be so resolute in erasing all their memories.

Xie Yun was not giving up and gritted his teeth, saying, "Liang Yizhi, I made a mistake, but no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and I only made one mistake."

"I've had enough of the punishment I deserved, and you're still not satisfied? My feelings for you have always been genuine, do you really need to treat my emotions like this?"

After hearing his words, a fleeting sadness crossed Liang Yizhi's calm face.

She was shocked that she had misjudged him so badly, and that she had gone so far astray. How could she have fallen for such a scumbag?

Liang Yizhi laughed and retorted, "Is this what you call ruining things, Xie Yun? What about when you slept in bed with someone else when we were together?"

"Your friendship is so good that you even sleep in the same bed. It's truly amazing."

Xie Yun was dizzy and disoriented, but she still remembered to retort: ​​"And what about you? What are you and Gu Yinyan? Do you dare to say that you are completely innocent?"

"Why wouldn't I dare? Why wouldn't I dare?"

Liang Yizhi spoke each word with conviction: "I grew up with Gu Yinyan, and you shouldn't have caused trouble for him! I thought I had made myself clear enough, but I didn't expect you to still be so clueless."

Liang Yizhi took a slow, deep breath and, suppressing her nausea, said to him:

"Xie Yun, this is over. I'm warning you, don't mess with anyone around me again."

Seeing that she was actually protecting a man, Xie Yun was even more furious.

His eyes reddened: "In the end, is my relationship with you not even as good as one of your friends?"

Liang Yizhi found his statement laughable: "Of course you can't compare. Because he's someone I trust, while you're nothing."

Her icy tone sent shivers down Xie Yun's spine.

He stood there stunned and pale, unable to believe that such harsh words could come from Liang Yizhi's mouth.

After calming herself down, Liang Yizhi gave him one last look: "I originally returned these things to you so you could see if there were any you could resell, since you're so short of money. But now, in my opinion, there's no need for that anymore."

Xie Yun's heart sank to the bottom like a stone that had fallen into the sea.

The room was noisy, and passersby gathered around, glancing frequently in their direction and whispering among themselves.

Just as Liang Yizhi left, the voice behind her rang out again:

"Liang Yizhi, don't be so arrogant."

Xie Yun gritted his teeth, staring intently at the beautiful figure in front of him: "Only you would think that Gu Yinyan is absolutely clean. You are just doing the same things as me and Zhao Ling under the guise of friendship."

"You just wait and see."

He made baseless accusations, but Liang Yizhi didn't take his words seriously at all.

She left the store without looking back and strode out of the coffee shop.

Two large recycling bins were placed by the door. The black bins were covered in stench and residue. Through the glass window, Xie Yun saw Liang Yizhi throw all his things into them.

That memory has also become tainted with an unpleasant odor and has quietly faded away.

The bucket swayed twice, and Liang Yizhi didn't give him another glance before turning and leaving.

-

When He Man heard about this later, she was actually quite frightened.

She grabbed Liang Yizhi's hand and said, "You should at least have told us! How dare you go to him by yourself?"

"What's there to be afraid of? In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, what can he do to me?"

Looking at the small figure on the sofa, He Man sometimes felt that Liang Yizhi was quite terrifying.

She appears innocent, kind, and gentle, but whenever her sensitive areas are touched, she suddenly displays a fierce and unpredictable energy, becoming quite impulsive.

It's absolutely terrifying to look at.

He Man was worried that she was in a bad mood, so she took the initiative to invite her: "Do you want to go out with me tonight? I'll take you for a drive."

Liang Yizhi turned her gaze away from the tablet playing a TV series and asked He Man:

"By the way, didn't you say your car got hit last time? What happened?"

He Man sighed, "It's a long story."

The incident occurred a few days ago.

He Man received a work invitation and attended an offline pop-up event. After the event, she attended a celebration banquet and on her way back on the highway, her car was rear-ended.

The rear bumper was dented, and the taillights were smashed, but fortunately, the people inside the car were all unharmed.

The driver of the car that rear-ended him quickly came up and apologized repeatedly. He was very sincere and immediately contacted the insurance company. The two parties then negotiated the compensation amount.

The other driver was a girl who looked only a little younger than He Man. He Man didn't want to make things difficult for her, so she talked to her amicably and exchanged contact information to handle the follow-up.

To He Man's surprise, the girl was very thoughtful. In the days following the accident, she often came to check on He Man, asking how the car was being repaired and if she needed any help.

He even repeatedly urged He Man to go to the hospital for a check-up, just in case there was anything inconspicuous that had been overlooked.

He Man thought the girl was cute, so she chatted with her for a while, and couldn't help but tease her.

Their conversation gradually shifted to daily life, from hobbies to zodiac signs and the sixteen personality types—everything resonated with them. They chatted more and more on their phones, feeling as if they had known each other for a long time.

Most importantly, He Man could sense that the girl's tone concealed the same thoughts as hers.

After hearing this, Liang Yizhi exclaimed, "Wow!" and asked, "Could this be considered a blessing in disguise?"

He Man winked at her: "I've been thinking of asking her out to meet up recently. I'll introduce you to her next time."

Liang Yizhi smiled and agreed, a hint of anticipation creeping into her heart. She wondered what kind of girl He Man liked.

-

With nothing to do during the day, Liang Yizhi slept until after nine in the morning before getting up and making herself a cup of soy milk.

Liang Yizhi's home has a large floor-to-ceiling window, through which sunlight shines and casts neat, uniform patches of light and shadow on the clean floor.

She pulled over the deck chair, sat cross-legged, and positioned herself right at the edge of the line between light and shadow, avoiding the direct sunlight. She admired the view below, slowly sipping her soy milk.

She stood there lost in thought for five minutes when her phone vibrated; it was Liang's mother calling. She swiped to answer:

"Mom—what's wrong?"

Hearing her daughter's long-lost coquettish voice, Liang's mother felt a little relieved.

Liang's mother asked, "Yizhi, what are you doing?"

"I just got up. I'm drinking soy milk." As if afraid she wouldn't believe her, Liang Yizhi deliberately took a sip and made a sound for her to hear.

Mother Liang wasn't so easily fooled, and continued to check up on her: "What about breakfast? Have you eaten?"

"Soy milk isn't considered breakfast?"

"You're always like this. Don't try to make do with these drinks. Skipping breakfast will upset your stomach. Isn't it convenient to order takeout these days?"

Mother Liang was scolding her for being lazy. At home, her daughter was taken care of in every way, but once she left her side, she always did whatever she wanted.

Liang Yizhi replied perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, I'll order one after I hang up. Don't worry about it, I'll take a picture and send it to you later."

“Okay. I’ll wait.” Mrs. Liang then asked, “Aren’t you going to orchestra rehearsal today?”

"No need in the morning. I'll go in the afternoon."

Mrs. Liang asked, "A date? You didn't even have a date? I didn't see him order you breakfast either."

Liang Yizhi remained silent for a while, without answering immediately.

Liang's mother knew that her daughter was probably in love, but she was discreet and never pried into the details of a relationship, nor did she know what kind of boy he was.

Young people should just be happy. As long as they protect themselves, meeting more people is never a bad thing.

Hearing the hesitant silence on the other end of the phone, Liang's mother guessed what was going on and spoke readily:

"Okay. A man who won't order breakfast for my daughter probably isn't a good person. Yizhi, don't be sad for too long over someone like that, it's not worth it."

Liang Yizhi chuckled: "Who said I was sad? I'm happy! Now I can have fun everywhere I go."

She blinked, a fleeting moment of moisture passing through her eyes.

Mom is right. Don't be sad over someone like that. You have so many people around you who cherish you. Why should you wallow in self-pity all day because of a man?

My inner turmoil eased considerably in an instant.

Hearing her tone, Liang's mother softened her voice: "When you're unhappy, just go out with your friends. If you're really upset, you can always come home. Your dad and I are waiting for you at home, okay?"

"I understand, Mom."

"When you're free, you can talk to Yinyan and Manman. Have you been in touch lately?"

Recalling her trip to have fun a couple of days ago, Liang Yizhi only gave a vague answer: "Yes, we just had a get-together a couple of days ago."

"Then I'm relieved. Next time you come back, invite them all over. Especially Yinyan, invite him to our house for dinner, I haven't seen him in a long time."

"Okay, Mom."

He kept calling her "Yinyan" as if she were his own daughter, which made Liang Yizhi purse her lips, clearly displeased.

After chatting with her mother for a few more minutes and hanging up the phone, Liang Yizhi looked down and noticed that the sunlight outside had somehow reached her legs, which were draped over the sofa. She moved her feet, feeling a warm glow both in her body and in her heart.

In the afternoon, after Liang Yizhi finished her band practice, He Man picked her up in her newly repaired car, and they went out to eat together.

He Man and the little girl she met through the accident are meeting tonight. Not wanting the atmosphere to be too awkward, He Man says she'll bring a friend, and the little girl can bring her friends too.

While waiting at a red light, He Man's phone rang. She glanced at it and said, "Lulu and the others are so fast! They're already here. Why are they so early?"

Lulu is that girl's name.

"So fast?" Liang Yizhi asked. "Where are Gu Yinyan and Jiang Huai?"

"I don't know," He Man said listlessly. "Don't mention Gu Yinyan to me, I didn't call him."

"Why?"

Liang Yizhi was somewhat surprised. In the past, no one would be left out when the four of them went out together. Today, He Man had unusually not invited Gu Yinyan, so something must have happened.

He Man said, "I received a promotion for a watch brand before, and they needed a male companion to appear in the photos. I asked Gu Yinyan to help me out, but he absolutely refused."

He Man complained indignantly: "All he had to do was show his wrist, shoulder and arm. Did I let him show his face or his nipples? He's guarding against me like I'm a thief. He's so disloyal!"

Liang Yizhi tried to say a few good words for Gu Yinyan: "Well... you know his identity, it's normal that he doesn't want to show his face in public, in case someone finds out."

"What can you find out? Can you tell he's Chenghui's heir just by looking at his palm print?" He Man became increasingly angry as she spoke, coldly snorting, "He just won't help me, and I've already made a fuss about it!"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry." Liang Yizhi fanned her to calm her down. "Then why don't you go find Jiang Huai?"

"That dog Jiang Huai, I think we should just forget about him," He Man said with disdain.

"I have so many models and internet celebrities in my WeChat Moments. If Gu Yinyan didn't have such a good temperament, why would I have asked him? It was just a matter of posing for a couple of photos. I took it for granted that he would definitely help me."

They came to another red light at the intersection. He Man turned around and said decisively, "I'm warning you, don't call him today. Otherwise, I won't talk to either of you."

Liang Yizhi coaxed her, "Okay, okay, I promise I won't call you that."

Upon arriving at the hot pot restaurant, they waited for Jiang Huai at the entrance before going up together.

Jiang Huai asked them, "Where's Gu Yinyan? I sent him a message, but he hasn't replied."

Liang Yizhi winked at him, and He Man chimed in from the side, "You keep talking about Gu Yinyan all the time, I'm asking you, whose party is this today?"

Jiang Huai still looked completely bewildered.

He Man: "It's either him or me today. Let's go eat!"