Chapter 36 Let's pretend we don't know each other

Xu Yuewei hung up the phone immediately.

She was completely exhausted, and her arms hung limply at her sides. She had grown accustomed to the warmth of the water, as if it were part of her body, but the phone wasn't.

She quickly turned off the water; her bath towel was already soaked. She came out of the shower, her body dripping wet, and grabbed several tissues to try and salvage her phone.

Thanks to this little accident, her mind was refreshed, she stopped thinking about anything and just mechanically repeated this one action.

Hurry up and wipe it, hurry up and wipe it...

Before the water was even wiped clean, the phone rang again; it was the same number.

She didn't hang up, but waited for the call to disconnect automatically; the vibration mode helped her drain the water.

Xu Yuewei, you're so selfish. She thought.

It cut off, then started playing again, then cut off again...

A chill enveloped her body, and her nose itched, but she forced herself to suppress a sneeze, turning the airflow into a heavy nasal hum.

Then I got distracted and worried about what would happen to the guqin recording I had promised him.

The next second, she comforted herself, thinking, "There are so many musicians out there, he certainly won't hang himself on this one tree. Let her not take responsibility this once."

Xu Yuewei finished her shower in a daze, and before going to bed, she added that number to her blacklist.

*

Everything in Wuqiao was basically settled, and Ye Wanzhi had no objections, only telling her to remember to come home for holidays.

Xu Yuewei agreed.

As for where to go, she picked a few cities that were generally considered livable and that she also liked. She had been looking at lifestyle guides for the past few days, and after a final round of screening, she decided to go back to Guangyang first and then make further plans.

While browsing recent flight tickets, a pop-up message from Jin Shu suddenly appeared.

Do you still remember Long Muyu?

She hadn't seen these three characters for many years, but while she had forgotten more than half of her high school classmates' names, she still remembered this one perfectly.

Xu Yuewei and Song Jinshu were in different classes in high school, but they were both elected to the student council's publicity department. The senior who mentored them at the time was Long Muyu.

Song Jinshu: [She's getting married! Guess who she's marrying? You'll never guess!]

Xu Yuewei: [Could it still be her boyfriend from high school?]

Their relationship was quite tumultuous, marked by numerous breakups and reconciliations from their first year of high school until their final year, when they finally broke up after graduation.

【How is that possible!】

[She's marrying the son of the CEO of Yongle Group! My goodness, that's a real powerhouse in Wuqiao! My mom's friend had dinner with him once and said he was incredibly wealthy and powerful.]

【Now I understand what that means. The wedding is at a resort owned by Yongle Group, and all guests are getting free accommodation. I heard there are hot springs, horseback riding, golf, and stuff like that. Do you want to come too?】

Before leaving the Fog Bridge, why not have a little fun? We're not strangers, and when my senior asked me, she also asked about you. We used to be so inseparable, mentioning one of us would remind her of the other. She said she hoped I would bring you along too.

One voice message after another popped up. Xu Yuewei read them by transing them into text and was quite impressed that Jin Shu was still in touch with her senior. Her social energy was as strong as a ball of fire.

At that moment, a friend request came in; it was from Long Muyu.

[I gave her your WeChat ID. She said she doesn't need to give a lot of money as a gift; she just hopes that more of her "family" will attend to give her face, understand?]

At the wedding, Yongle will probably have a lot of people attending. Will Yongle's CEO's daughter bring Xu Yaochen with her?

If he wasn't lying to her, and they really were dating.

She hadn't exchanged contact information with Xu Yaochen, so she couldn't verify with him whether Jiang Shiyan had lent him money or how much. It would be good if she could run into him and confront him.

Also... although she didn't want to interfere, she really wanted the woman to know about the bad things Xu Yaochen had done.

It's not that I want to see Xu Yaochen ruined, it's just that I'm a woman, and I have the conscience of a normal person.

These are the kinds of questions adults should be considering.

The messy emotional debts were beyond comprehension; she almost forgot that she also suspected she actually owed him money.

Xu Yuewei considered it for more than twenty minutes before finally accepting the side quest.

The wedding was set for December 22nd, but Xu Yuewei arrived at the resort a day early, on the winter solstice.

The road into the mountain was blocked off with a cordon. At the foot of the mountain, there were several RVs, and a few people dressed like real estate agents, wearing headphones and holding tablets, were checking the identities of visitors one by one. If someone was attending a wedding, they would send a decorated van to take them to the mountainside.

Song Jinshu, as a bridesmaid, had arrived a few days earlier and had just finished having fun at the horse farm. She sent her a message:

【Oh my god, I'm freezing! I feel like the wind is blowing my face all over the place, but the horse is still running like crazy. I'm going back to my room now. Come find me in room 3009.】

As the van passed a terraced field, a villa with white walls and red tiles came into view in the distance. A few floors below it was a building with a pointed tower and a European-style villa appearance; that was the hotel where the guests would stay.

Xu Yuewei first went to the front desk to sign the papers and gave a gift of two thousand yuan, then went to find Jin Shu.

She didn't forget her purpose, and after the hug, she got straight to the point: "Have you seen anyone from Yongle these past few days?"

"Yes, I've seen you before. What's wrong?"

Did any of them bring a male or female companion?

Because the other person was a friend, she asked very directly, which aroused Song Jinshu's suspicion: "Damn, you're not here to hook up with men, are you? Did your senior provoke you?"

But she quickly understood everything:

"That's fine, anyone you grab from here is much better than that Jiang Shiyan guy."

Upon hearing the name, Xu Yuewei paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh and squatted down, her body limp.

She ran one hand through her hair, looking down at her, not daring to look at her.

"Actually, it wasn't him who cheated... it was me."

Song Jinshu's expression shifted dramatically, and after a long pause, she finally managed to utter, "...Then it must be his fault!"

She squatted down too: "Who is it? I only care if you're eating well."

“…I’ll tell you about it later.” Xu Yuewei beckoned her to come closer. “Could you do me a favor first?”

"He might owe Jiang Shiyan money, which is equivalent to me owing him money."

"Have I lost my memory? Weren't you working for me lately? How did you manage to cause so much trouble?!"

Xu Yuewei closed her eyes as she endured the scolding, and said softly, "I also really want to live a peaceful life. Maybe leaving here would be the best solution."

Then I felt a hand weigh on my shoulder, and Jin Shu's firm voice echoed in my ear: "Alright, I'll be your comrade-in-arms. Fight first, then give my explanation."

Xu Yuewei couldn't help but hug her again. Their hair, along with the rise and fall of their heads, swayed loosely against their cheeks, rubbing against each other in a fluffy way, just like when they were children.

Horseback riding is tiring, and Song Jinshu's stomach growled. She patted her and said, "There's afternoon tea upstairs, it should still be going on. Shall we go get something to eat?"

Walking on the soft carpet, they arrived at the largest hall on the fifth floor.

The door was open, and inside, chairs were arranged along the wall, with several rectangular tables in the middle, all covered with pink tablecloths. The exquisite European-style tea and snacks were very tempting.

The hall was very warm, and some people were even wearing sequined halter dresses, holding champagne and chatting with others, not seeming to be cold at all.

Xu Yuewei wore a gray turtleneck sweater and black wide-leg pants, which looked rather plain among the well-dressed crowd.

Song Jinshu was similar, and even more sensitive to appearance. After eating a few biscuits to fill her stomach, she pulled her to move to a corner, but there were no seats available, so they settled for sitting by the door.

Xu Yuewei took a few more glances and noticed that many chairs had been moved, and acquaintances were gathered in circles. The four corners were as lively as four card games, but everyone was consciously keeping their voices down, and the whole place looked joyful and harmonious.

Xu Yuewei searched for her target among the group, her eyes darting around, when suddenly her eyes met those of a man.

She felt he looked familiar, and assumed the other person did too. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and the man raised an eyebrow in surprise and quickly walked over.

"You two, aren't you from the propaganda department?"

They stood up to greet them, and the minister joked, "If one of you were missing, I wouldn't even recognize you."

Amidst the awkward laughter, someone in the crowd closest to them was drawn over. He was dressed in a punk style and stood out from his surroundings.

He swaggered over, hands in his pockets, pointing his index finger at Xu Yuewei: "Hey, I remember you too."

Student council members are people who frequently become familiar with each other on campus; they might even be remembered just for reading a script on the flag-raising platform.

Xu Yuewei disliked rude people, and since she was also in a bad mood, she couldn't help but retort, "Hmm, I remember you too. Didn't you read a self-criticism?"

"What?" He chuckled frivolously, the flush on his face becoming even more pronounced, his words muffled, "Aren't you that woman Jiang Shiyan talked to?"

He didn't stop speaking, his voice rising at the end, and the heads of the people in the corner, like distinct layers of mushrooms, all turned to look this way.

Xu Yuewei said coldly, "No, you're mistaken."

"Impossible, I remember you. My buddy got beaten up because of you..."

Xu Yuewei remembered this incident; she witnessed it from the stands.

That afternoon after the incident, Xu Yuewei went to refill her water bottle with hot water during every break between classes. The water room was next to the stairs, and the first and second-year high school students shared the building. She watched the unfamiliar and familiar students go up and down the stairs.

But she didn't see Jiang Shiyan until the end of evening self-study, and of course she didn't take the initiative to look for him. After school, she lingered a while before going home, and before going upstairs, she looked up at the glass on the top floor.

It is lit.

She felt relieved.

For a period of time after that, she had no contact with Jiang Shiyan, and the rumors disappeared without a trace.

Why does this person say it's because of her?

Xu Yuewei was bewildered. Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Song Jinshu stood up and blocked her way, saying, "Tsk, don't cause trouble. Don't you know where you are?"

"Where did I cause trouble? I didn't do anything."

The punk guy spun around halfway, "Wasn't Jiang Shiyan just here? Did anyone see him?"

Xu Yuewei's heart skipped a beat.

Although Jiang Shiyan and her senior were in the same year, as far as she knew, they had no interaction. She never expected him to come... Just how many people did her senior gather? All sorts of random people came.

Song Jinshu was also taken aback for a moment, but her momentum remained undiminished:

"Then go find him and take revenge."

"What grudge do you hold? I just want to get to know you. Hello, I'm really interested in you." He extended his hand to Xu Yuewei.

Xu Yuewei and Song Jinshu exchanged a glance, both seeing in each other's eyes: This person is crazy.

The minister also chimed in, "Brother, you've had too much to drink. Why don't you sit down and sober up?"

Words have consequences; the punk guy let out a burp.

Xu Yuewei couldn't bear to look, so she turned her head to the other side and frowned in disgust.

In her field of vision, the red carpet inside the hall and the tiles outside formed a clear line, with a Chelsea boot landing right in the middle. For some reason, she silently accompanied it with a sound.

Xu Yuewei looked up and met the man's eyes. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she quickly looked down again, reaching for Jin Shu's arm.

Jiang Shiyan was wearing a gray stand-up collar sweater with a half-zip and black pants. At first glance, the two looked like they were wearing matching outfits.

The punk guy perked up and continued to pester him: "Hey, hey, weren't you two a couple before?"

After walking a few steps without looking to the side, Jiang Shiyan realized that the "hey" was a signal to him. He followed the punk man's arm and glanced at the woman sitting on the chair with her shoulders hunched over.

He said, "Who is she?"

The mushrooms, with their ears perked up, were a little disappointed when they heard the result, and one by one they turned their backs.

Xu Yuewei's grip on Jin Shu's sleeve stiffened even more.

Jiang Shiyan glanced at the punk guy with disdain again: "And who are you?"

Song Jinshu shouted, "He said he has a grudge against you! You two go find a place to fight!"

After saying that, he grabbed the person and left.

The two couldn't even wait for the elevator and went straight down the stairs.

Back in her room, Song Jinshu was still in shock: "Oh my god, why has he become so fierce? I remember him before..."

She swallowed her words and looked at her friend with concern.

Xu Yuewei's expression was blank, but her eyes were firm: "Jinshu, can you help me find out his room number?"

*

Xu Yuewei squatted outside room 6008 for more than an hour.

Since she couldn't find Xu Yaochen but ran into him, she figured it was better to end the pain quickly than to suffer for a long time, so she decided to get to the bottom of it.

There was no other way to contact him; he had deleted her from WeChat.

He was simply repaying her for what she had done back then, so Xu Yuewei didn't resent him. She took the stares of passersby as punishment, but she still couldn't bring herself to be ruthless. She lowered her head and used the top of her hair as a shield to protect herself.

Just when she was about to give up, Jiang Shiyan returned.

His casual attire and the way he walked off the runway made her appear even more reserved in comparison.

Meeting the man's cold gaze, her carefully prepared draft was completely smudged, and she was speechless.

Jiang Shiyan didn't immediately send her away; they just stared at each other blankly, neither willing to give in.

Xu Yuewei originally wanted to ask him whether he had borrowed money from Xu Yaochen, but the question turned out to be something else: "That person said that the time you got into a fight in high school was because of me, is that true?"

I regretted asking the question as soon as it left my mouth; what a terrible opening line.

Sure enough, Jiang Shiyan stopped pretending to be a stranger and became even more rude than before, grabbing her shoulder and shoving her against the door fiercely:

"That's funny. You slept with someone else yesterday, and today you're asking me if I fought for you. Don't you think you're..."

He wanted to say something harsh, but her face was pale and her body was trembling slightly.

"...Let's pretend we don't know each other, that's easy for you to do, right?"

He smiled with narrowed eyes, his aura still cold, pushed her aside, and took out a magnetic card to unlock it.

Someone tugged at the back of his sweater, preventing him from entering the room.

"The last time, really the last time..."

Xu Yuewei felt a wave of dizziness and lightheadedness. She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again. "You probably won't see me again."

"I promise I'll stay far away from you. Fog Bridge is so big, it can't be everywhere, with you and me everywhere too."

Everything around fell silent at that moment.

"Yes," Jiang Shiyan turned around and said quietly.

“I will not be in your home with other men.”

-----------------------

Author's Note: Do you want to join this family? (Runs away with a pot on his head)