Chapter 42 My Best Friend

In contrast, Zhao Liming, standing next to him, frowned almost imperceptibly when he heard the name "Xiuhu Garden," as if he was thinking about something. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he didn't say anything immediately. He just silently memorized the location.

Su Xiaonuan naturally welcomes all customers, especially police officers, who feel extremely safe!

Of course, it would be even better if the "customer" had sin points, as those are walking merit points!

She flashed a sweet, business-like smile: "Great! Welcome, officers, to try our new product tomorrow!"

After exchanging a few more words about the precautions for the phone call case, Su Xiaonuan didn't stay at the police station any longer and drove her beloved RV home.

After parking her car and entering the familiar apartment, the first thing she smelled was the strong, pungent smell of barbecue emanating from herself, a mixture of cooking oil, cumin, and chili powder.

Although this is a badge of honor for delicious food, it can get a bit cloying after smelling it for a while.

She immediately rushed into the bathroom and took a nice hot shower.

The warm water washed away all the fatigue and grime, and after changing into clean and comfortable loungewear, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

She felt very relaxed because she had already met her sales target for the day and successfully obtained the donation points.

It's 3 PM now.

Su Xiaonuan leisurely applied a refreshing and hydrating face mask, then hugged a soft cushion and sank into the comfortable single sofa in the living room.

I took out my phone and saw a new friend request on WeChat.

Upon opening it, the note read "Xu Zhixian".

It seems that I forgot to add it earlier, and Officer Xu remembered to add it later.

She clicked "accept" casually.

Just as she was about to relax by watching some videos, a new WeChat message popped up.

The sender's name made her pause slightly—

【safely】

This profile picture, which had been almost completely silent for a long time, suddenly lit up.

Anran: Xiaonuan, are you there? I'm back in China.

Anran: Are you free tonight? I was thinking... could we find a place to sit and have dinner near Longmei Square?

Anran: There are some things from the past... I think we need to talk about them.

Looking at the few words on the screen, Su Xiaonuan's face, covered by a face mask, was expressionless, but the fingers holding the pillow tightened slightly, and a complex and indescribable, slightly sour feeling swept through her heart.

She also felt that it was time to talk things out.

Avoiding problems won't solve anything.

She took a deep breath and tapped her fingertips on the screen: Okay, you decide the time and place, just send it to me.

After sending the message successfully, she tossed her phone aside, leaned back into the sofa, and stared blankly at the soft light on the ceiling.

Memories slowly flood back like a tide.

safely.

This name represents almost her entire youth.

They were childhood friends who had played together since they were toddlers, and they went to the same kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and high school.

We've shared the same popsicle, slept in the same bed, exchanged diaries, and know all each other's little secrets and embarrassing moments.

Su Xiaonuan's toughness and free-spiritedness, honed by her Sanda training, stood out even more against An Ran's gentle and delicate backdrop.

They were once inseparable best friends, sharing everything, and everyone said they were closer than blood sisters.

The change occurred the year I was about to graduate from university.

Although they were admitted to different universities, they both lived in the same city and often met on weekends, maintaining a good relationship.

At that time, apart from training, Su Xiaonuan was relatively simple-minded. She had a crush on a talented, gentle and refined senior at school, and she only secretly told An Ran about that vague crush.

However, just before graduation, when everyone was busy with their theses and job hunting and saw each other less often, Anran suddenly asked her out and told her some news that was like a bolt from the blue.

Anran said that her family had arranged for her to study abroad, and all the procedures had been completed. She would be leaving soon.

Although Su Xiaonuan was very reluctant to part with her, she was still happy for her and told her to take good care of herself abroad.

But then, An Ran hesitantly revealed another piece of news—she was dating that senior.

It's that senior that Su Xiaonuan once had a crush on.

Su Xiaonuan was stunned.

She never realized that there was any connection between An Ran and her senior that went beyond ordinary friendship.

What she found even harder to accept was that An Ran, with her head down, told her in a soft but clear voice, "And...we...are already engaged. It was arranged by our families, and they think we're a good match in every way..."

First, her best friend suddenly decided to leave for another place. Then, the person she had a vague crush on suddenly became her best friend's boyfriend. Finally, they jumped straight to an engagement... A series of news left Su Xiaonuan dizzy and disoriented. Her heart felt like it had been turned upside down, and she couldn't tell whether it was disappointment, shock, or the pain of being kept in the dark and betrayed.

She remembers being silent for a long time, and finally just saying a dry "Congratulations," and she didn't taste anything during the meal.

Later, Anran went abroad.

At first, they kept in touch intermittently, but the time difference, distance, and the unspoken issue that stood between them made the contact less and less frequent, until it almost completely disappeared.

In the past few years, Su Xiaonuan has experienced retirement, confusion, being bound to the system, and starting a street stall. Her life has undergone tremendous changes, and she thought she had gradually let go of it.

But upon receiving Anran's message, those emotions that had been blurred by time began to resurface.

She sighed softly, peeled off the face mask that was due, and patted her face.

Go ahead.

We'll have to face it eventually.

Only by talking things out can we truly let go and start new lives.

Little did I expect that the opportunity for our long-awaited reunion would come on such an afternoon, amidst a multitude of cases and conflicting emotions.

Her life is truly always full of unexpected "surprises".

The next day, the sun shone brightly.

Su Xiaonuan got up early and carefully selected the freshest ingredients from the system's ingredient store—thick and tender button mushrooms, plump white mushrooms with mud on them, fragrant brown mushrooms, as well as high-quality light cream, butter, flour, parsley, baguettes and a large amount of garlic butter needed to make garlic bread.

After sorting all the ingredients and placing them into the stall's powerful preservation system, she sent a message to Qin Haoran and Zhao Liming on WeChat: "Officer Qin, Officer Zhao, I'm heading to the south gate of Xiuhu Garden!"

Shortly after the message was sent, Qin Haoran replied instantly with a cartoon emoji that read "Received! Coming right away!", full of energy.

Zhao Liming simply replied with a "hmm".

Su Xiaonuan smiled and started her gourmet RV.

As soon as I arrived at the south gate of Xiuhu Garden, I found a spot to park the car and hadn't even had a chance to open the side window when I saw a familiar black SUV parked not far away.