23. Snow in a silver bowl

I'm not reconciled; the person I love ended up being someone else's lover.

Shang Xinuan held the magnolia flower made of pith paper worth millions. Although she couldn't hide her fondness for it, she still harbored resentment and was not prepared to accept Li Xiran's gift.

"Li Xiran, whether this flower is worth millions or was picked up by the roadside, I don't care." She raised her eyebrows, her delicate features filled with indifference.

Li Xiran held up an umbrella under the scorching sun, protecting the young lady completely, but the intense sunlight made him slightly frown and squint.

Looking at the person before him, more radiant and beautiful than the sunlight, he couldn't help but lean down slightly to meet her gaze. "Young Miss, could you at least give me some face?"

At this moment, Shang Xinuan was completely unaware that she especially loved the magnolia she was holding in her arms.

Her stubborn yet soft-hearted expression was even more evident in front of Li Xiran.

So her cheeks inexplicably started to turn red, and she could only frantically fan herself with her hands, desperately trying to find an excuse for this unusual situation.

"If you don't take it, I don't mind giving it to that trash can." The young lady was a little annoyed, completely unaware that she always liked to use the most hurtful words in an attempt to leave something behind.

It seems that only in this way can one prove that others are sincere.

"Since I gave it to you, it's up to Nuannuan to decide what to do with it." After saying that, Li Xiran took her hand directly.

In the summer heat, Li Xiran's palms felt even hotter than in winter. While Shang Xinuan's mind was briefly in disarray, he placed the black umbrella with the silver lion head carving into her hand, and then turned and got into the car with a flourish.

"Li Xiran!" The young lady bit her lower lip, watching the arrogant and obnoxious Shanghai A L520S license plate disappear from sight. "Bastard!"

Unfortunately, they were dealing with a scoundrel.

He seemed certain that she wouldn't be willing to throw Hua Zhen away.

As soon as the young lady returned to her courtyard, she saw Aunt Hui unpacking a package.

"This was sent by Chen Ti through Chairman Li. He said it was a vase for displaying magnolia flowers. But this season..." Aunt Hui was still full of doubts, but when she saw the flowers Shang Xinuan was holding, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "There really are magnolia flowers this season?"

Seeing the surprised expression on Aunt Hui's face, Shang Xinuan dejectedly stuffed the flowers into her arms, "Just put them anywhere, but don't put them in front of me."

After saying that, the young lady rushed back to her bedroom.

She also drew the curtains tightly shut, leaving no room for ventilation.

The light returned the following day at noon.

Shang Xinuan has a habit of suffering from insomnia late at night. She falls asleep in the early morning and is then woken up by Aunt Hui when the sun is high in the sky.

The closest she ever had to a regular schedule was when she was writing papers from 10 am to 5 pm at the Li Group.

"These are letters that just arrived in the mailbox by the door. They should all be for you." Aunt Hui watched as she groggily sat up and handed her a letter tightly wrapped in a kraft paper envelope. "These days, very few people write letters."

Listening to Aunt Hui's sighing voice, Shang Xinuo guessed that it was probably a postcard they wrote at the desert post office.

When she unfolded the letter, she found that, in addition to the postcard she had written to her grandfather, she had received three other letters.

Unsurprisingly, Yu Jiayue and Li Xiran both wrote her postcards, but even Qiao Xi wrote one to her.

Compared to the other two, the young lady cherished Qiao Xi's letter and placed it last.

She opened Yu Jiayue's postcard first; in the vast desert, only an oasis could be seen outside the camp.

The handwriting, full of youthful energy, read: Wishing Nuannuan peace, happiness, and a bright future.

The well-respected and conventional blessing, without the slightest deviation, seemed to contain all his love.

Every word they uttered seemed to express their anticipation for the future that belonged to them.

Shang Xin had an indescribable feeling in her heart. She didn't like Yu Jiayue, but she didn't have the slightest chance to reject him.

With her mind in turmoil, she hastily tore open Li Xiran's letter.

Under a desert night sky filled with countless stars, the distant campfire illuminated her eyes, which seemed to hold a myriad of stars, as she sat in her wheelchair.

She held a sparkler in her hand, calmly watching the brilliant flames burn.

But only the young lady knew that at that moment, her heart was filled with mixed feelings, far from the serene image presented on the postcard.

However, after examining it closely for a while, she realized that it was not a postcard provided by the desert post office.

The image quality is more like a mobile phone shot, with no perfect composition or lighting, but the focus of the entire picture is entirely on her.

Shang Xinuan remembered that Li Xiran had said he took a picture of her, and if nothing unexpected happened, it should be the one she was holding in her hand.

The young lady had to admit that he had taken a very nice picture of her.

Even though she didn't look well that night, she felt especially regretful late at night for not being able to take more desert photos with Qiao Xi and the others.

This postcard, in a way, soothed her loneliness.

Shang Xinuan slowly turned the other side and saw Li Xiran's bold and unrestrained handwriting, which read: "Wishing Miss all her wishes come true."

All her past wishes were actually related to him.

She was obsessed with the four most beautiful years of her youth.

For him, she rejected all suitors, whether from school or from wealthy families in Shanghai.

Such a proud young lady, acting coquettishly and domineeringly in front of him, was afraid that she wouldn't leave a deep impression on his heart.

In the end, she nearly fell under the horse's hooves.

All the rich second-generation kids in Shanghai flocked to Yijing to visit her, but the young lady couldn't get even a shred of the answer or explanation she wanted from him.

"May all your wishes come true?" she murmured softly. "It's not that important."

In a fit of pique, Shang Xinuan casually tossed the postcard aside, and it floated away, landing somewhere in the bedroom.

After composing herself, Shang Xinuan eagerly tore open Qiao Xi's letter.

“Every time I miss you, a grain of sand falls from the sky, thus forming the Sahara.” After reading each word carefully, Shang Xinuan’s face was filled with confusion.

This is a love poem that Sanmao wrote to Jose. They discussed it together on their way to the desert post office.

The young lady thought to herself, even Qiao Xi, who studies art, should understand that this is not a description of friendship!

In her hesitant and confused state, she recalled the years she and Qiao Xi had spent growing up together.

After she was brought back to Shanghai, the first friend she made was Qiao Xi.

In the years that followed, the two were almost inseparable.

Even after Qiao Xi went to Florence to study, she was always the first person to share any big or small things that happened to her.

The two of them practically call each other "trivial matters sharers".

Shang Xinuan bit her lower lip tightly, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts: "No way? She doesn't look gay at all."

Finally, she held the postcard and examined it from all angles, as if trying to uncover other secrets.

It wasn't until Shang Xin caught a glimpse of the kraft paper envelope containing the postcards out of the corner of her eye that she realized it.

"Sender: Qiao Xi, Address: Shanghai Stock Exchange..." Shang Xinuan assumed all the letters were addressed to her. So she had been so focused on opening the letters that she hadn't carefully examined the envelopes until now, when she read the recipient's name again, "Shang Dan?"

In that instant, it felt as if an electric current had passed through my entire body.

The young lady's hair stood on end.

Three seconds later, Qiao Xi answered her call.

"Hey, baby." Qiao Xi's voice was sweet and cloying, just like always.

"Every time I miss you, a grain of sand falls from the sky, thus forming the Sahara." The young lady's voice was completely devoid of emotion. "Qiao Xixi, well done!"

"Aaaaaah!" Sensing something terrible was about to happen, Qiao Xi's voice trembled. "How did you know?"

"Aunt Hui didn't look closely at the postcards from the desert post office and assumed they were all for me. Tell me honestly, how long ago was this between you and Shang Dan!"

"If you promise you won't get angry, I'll tell you."

"Will you tell me or not!"

"Not long after graduating from high school..."

My best friend is in love with her own brother, but I'm completely kept in the dark.

The time span was measured in years, and the young lady was almost screaming in surprise.

"It's been so long! You didn't even tell me!"

Now that things have come to this, Shang Xinuan recalls everything that happened before and realizes that Shang Dan always liked to appear when Qiao Xi came to her house to play.

Every night, even though he could have had the driver take Qiao Xi home, Shang Dan, who never liked to meddle in other people's business, always preferred to take her home himself.

The most crucial thing is that he will definitely say he lives near the company that night.

"Qiao Xi! You two... have you..." She turned on the speakerphone, threw the phone on the bed, and clapped her hands three times in the air.

“You’re an adult, what do you think…” Qiao Xi almost swallowed the last words, “I didn’t tell you right away because I was afraid you’d overthink it. But when I was about to tell you, you confessed to me first that you liked Li Xiran.”

"I can't exactly tell you that I went from being your best friend to your sister-in-law. Besides, back then, Li Xiran was always there for you, and I thought you were going to become my aunt."

No one ever imagined that the relationship between the four people could be so chaotic.

"Are you angry?" Qiao Xi asked tentatively in a low voice when she heard her silence.

"You know I'm not angry that you're dating Shang Dan." She just doesn't like being kept in the dark.

Back then, she had just realized that she liked Li Xiran, and she went to Qiao Xi that very night to confess.

"Honey, I really didn't mean to hide it from you."

"Never mind, I'm tired."

Shang Xinuan hung up the phone, sighed deeply, and collapsed onto the bed.

She admitted that she would prefer Qiao Xi to marry into the Shang family rather than anyone else.

The feeling of being kept in the dark is just awful.

She had told Qiao Xi everything about herself.

The various subtle thoughts and indecisiveness of the young girl as she tests Li Xiran. At her worst, she is hostile to all women who appear around Li Xiran.

She shared everything without any concealment, whether it was the girlish filter she wore or the darker side that wasn't so bright, yet she still wasn't treated equally by her best friend.

The young lady grew angrier the more she thought about it, and finally, amidst the incessant ringing of her phone, she chose to turn it off.

She heard Qiao Xi's voice again the next morning.

"Warm and cozy baby?" Qiao Xi knocked on her door, poked her head out, and said with a smile, "Look what delicious food I brought you."

"Before dawn, Young Master Yu and I went to the suburbs to buy you some fresh milk tea." She shook the food packaging bag in her hand as if presenting a treasure.

Shang Xi is a light sleeper; once she's woken up, she can't fall back asleep.

So when she saw Qiao Xi appear at the door, she felt not only angry but also grumpy from waking up.

"Are you not angry anymore?" Qiao Xi tiptoed into the room, leaving the person who followed her outside.

The young lady suffered from insomnia all night, but it wasn't that she couldn't find a way to reconcile.

"Qiao Xixi, I can forgive you, but there's a condition."

Qiao Xi immediately sat on the edge of her bed, inserted a straw into the milk tea, and handed it to her earnestly, saying, "Please speak, Miss."

"I'm very likely to run out of cash for today's auction, you'll have to cover it for me."

"no problem!"

"As for the money... consider it a wedding gift for your and my brother's wedding."

"Shang Xinuan, you're such a lion..."

Seeing the young lady's gloomy expression, Qiao Xi quickly nodded, "OK. Gift money it is."

Miss Shang had already been hurt once by the Li family, and Qiao Xixi didn't want to offend her sister-in-law before even getting married.

"Who else did you bring?" Shang Xinuan had just seen a figure flash by at the door.

“Young Master Yu, all my drivers are away on business trips. Your brother said the Shang family is the same. We need someone who can drive us to the auction.”

The special auction of Qi Baishi's calligraphy and paintings by Dongfang Lide was held, as usual, at the Li'an Hotel, owned by the Li Group.

It takes at least an hour to travel from Huashan Road, where Shang Mansion is located, to the Lupu Financial District.

Especially when they return, if they are carrying valuable paintings and calligraphy, hailing a taxi is definitely not a safe option.

"They're back from the desert?" Shang Xinuan didn't want Yu Jiayue to wait outside the door, so she quickly went to the dressing room to change her clothes.

“I arrived in Shanghai yesterday afternoon. They wanted to stay another day, so they chose an evening flight.” Qiao Xi followed beside her and pointed to the rose-pink sundress in the young lady’s closet. “This one is pretty.”

Shang Xinuan has fair skin and is not a skinny, slender person; she has a shapely and well-proportioned figure.

Even a brightly colored dress, with its simplest design and cut, can be worn by her to exude an air of wealth and elegance.

"Only you, Shang Xin Nuan, would act so arrogantly because of your beauty!"

Miss Shang gathered her long, fluffy, smooth chestnut brown curly hair, gave a cold, sidelong glance, and exuded an air of noble unapproachability.

"Nuan Nuan, if you really soften your heart towards my uncle later, remember to keep your airs for a while longer. Otherwise, it would be too easy for that old man."

"Who said I would be soft-hearted and forgive him? There is no other possibility between us except to become strangers."

Qiao Xi raised an eyebrow and picked out a pair of Australian white pearl earrings from the young lady's jewelry box. "Then use these as collateral. If you forgive him, these pearl earrings will be changed to Qiao's name from now on."

"Then I'll pick from your dowry chest. New bride, don't offend your sister-in-law."

"Well done, Shang Xinuan. Are you subtly laying the groundwork for the possibility of becoming my aunt in the future?"

Shang Xinuan pinched Qiao Xi's restless fingers against her chest, "Without you, there would be no way to hide it, not even a hint."

One sentence left Qiao Xi speechless.

After Shang Xinuan changed her clothes and put on a simple everyday makeup, the three of them left the Shang Mansion.

Yu Jiayue took the day off specifically to be the driver for the two young ladies.

So, Qiao Xi took the initiative to open the passenger door and pushed Shang Xinuan to sit inside, saying, "We can't really treat Young Master Yu as a driver. You sit in the front."

Shang Xinuan knew she wouldn't reciprocate Yu Jiayue's feelings, so she still had a slight awkwardness on her face. "Xixi just loves to joke around."

“Nuan Nuan, we grew up together, I know what you’re thinking.” Yu Jiayue was incredibly frank, “But I just like you.”

"Yu Jiayue..." Shang Xinuan didn't expect him to be so blunt, and she couldn't even come up with a polite way to refuse him.

“I used to be afraid that if I pursued you too hard, we wouldn’t even be able to be friends in the end.” Yu Jiayue was no longer like before, and even her expression when she looked at her was more determined. “But now, I just want to pursue you fairly one more time before you completely forgive that person.”

"Even if it's taking advantage of someone's weakness, I'm not willing to accept that the person I love will end up being someone else's lover."

A note from the author:

Li Xiran's situation is truly dangerous.

It's truly a case of being caught between a rock and a hard place!

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Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-05-06 23:55:31 and 2023-05-08 02:18:29!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Echo (4 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!