The next day, Su Qing, hungover and nagging, woke up and called Liu Ranran.
Liu Ranran, constantly worried about Su Qing, hadn't expected to receive a call from her so early in the morning.
She picked up the phone the second it rang.
"Qing Qing, are you okay?"
Liu Ranran's nonsensical question left Su Qing's eyes slightly puzzled.
"I'm fine. When did you leave last night?"
Su Qing had no recollection of the whole thing. She only remembered that after they finished cleaning, they drank a few bottles of drinks, and then nothing else.
Su Qing only vaguely remembered scolding Jiang Sui.
As that man's name flashed through her mind, Su Qing pursed her lips, a suffocating feeling and a lingering sense of unhappiness lingering in her heart.
Liu Ranran was completely stunned when she heard Su Qing's words.
"Qing Qing, don't you remember what happened last night?"
Liu Ranran asked tentatively, feeling a wave of nervous excitement and uneasiness.
"What happened?"
Liu Ranran was thankful she hadn't mentioned Jiang Sui's name right away. She bit her lip, her mind racing.
"What happened, Ranran? Didn't we just have a few drinks yesterday? Why am I so overwhelmed?"
Su Qing sat on the bed, frowning, unable to recall what had happened last night.
"It's nothing, Qing Qing. You didn't have a soft drink, you drank wine, and then I took you to bed. That's it. Nothing happened."
Liu Ranran spoke with absolute certainty, her words flowing in a continuous stream without hesitation.
"Is that so? I drank wine, not a soft drink?"
"Yes, Qing Qing, you thought you were drinking a soft drink? You drank a whole bottle of wine, and then you asked me for more."
Liu Ranran's words brought a flicker of shame to Su Qing's face.
"Ranran, I'm sorry, I made you laugh."
"What I laughing at? It's okay. You drank in front of me, and you blacked out in front of me. It's not like you're in front of anyone else, so no afraid."
Liu Ranran said this with a tongue twister.
She thought for a moment. From what Su Qing had said, Jiang Sui should have left after sending her home last night. And it seemed like that man also felt ashamed to see Qing Qing again.
It's just...
A drunk woman and a sober man, Liu Ranran felt a little uneasy, so she couldn't help but ask.
"Qing Qing, do you feel any discomfort anywhere?"
Liu Ranran's words were clearly out of concern for Su Qing, but they sounded strange to her.
She looked down at her pajamas and shook her head.
"I'm fine, just a little headache. Thanks, Ranran, for changing into my pajamas."
Liu Ranran listened.
"Damn, that bastard..."
"Ranran, what did you say?"
Liu Ranran bit her lip and quickly changed the subject.
"No, Qing Qing. Hu Yifan and I had a fight and I was scolding him."
Su Qing's puzzled eyes finally relaxed. After hanging up the phone, Su Qing went to the bathroom and noticed a slight pain at the corner of her lip.
Su Qing didn't pay much attention. She searched the drawer for some anti-inflammatory pills, thinking she was suffering from a sore throat. She took two and drank them.
She then washed up briefly.
Before work even started, Su Qing was feeling a bit bored.
The meal was Western food.
She'd never been much of a cook, so after going abroad, she'd stopped eating Chinese food. Western food was simple, convenient, and easier to make.
It was also quick to learn.
So, Su Qing had always been eating Western food.
She ate a few quick bites. Perhaps it was because of the hangover, but her appetite wasn't very good. After cleaning up, Su Qing lay down on the sofa and turned on the TV.
She switched channels several times, but each one felt completely dull.
Previously, when she was abroad, there was no need to return so quickly, but Su Qing didn't know why she was so obsessed with returning.
Especially, at the dinner that day, she was still brooding over it, but the person she was brooding over didn't show up.
That wouldn't have been a problem.
It seemed like she couldn't let it go.
It was already in the past, wasn't it?
Su Qing didn't have much free time, so she spent her afternoons in the library, as usual, unless she had something else to do. It was only when she received a call from Liu Ranran that she remembered her French dinner plans.
Su Qing hurriedly packed.
She had never liked dressing up, so she threw on a tweed jacket, tied her hair up simply, hailed a taxi downstairs, and departed.
On the way, Su Qing looked out the window and suddenly spotted a particularly interesting license plate number.
It was right in front of the car she'd taken.
The license plate number was her birthday.
Su Qing found it interesting, so she took a photo and sent it to Liu Ranran.
When Liu Ranran saw the picture, she felt a sudden surge of excitement. She asked Su Qing where she had seen that interesting license plate.
Su Qing thought for a moment, and it seemed like she had spotted it in front of her when she was about to leave and hail a taxi.
Feeling it was fate, she took a photo.
Liu Ranran was instantly startled.
Su Qing thought it was a coincidence, but Liu Ranran didn't think it was a coincidence.
As soon as she left, she saw Jiang Sui's intimidating license plate, which made Liu Ranran suspicious.
She bit her lip, thinking about what to do, and called Hu Yifan.
"Baby, are you not angry anymore? Have you finished dinner with Su Qing? I'll pick you up. Where are you?"
At this moment, Liu Ranran felt her rage boiling.
"Hu Yifan, are you hiding something from me?"
She rarely lost her temper, and when Hu Yifan heard her in the phone, he panicked.
"Baby, I didn't go on a blind date. Did you just listen to Jiang Sui's nonsense? I'm really wronged. My sister loves to match people up. Remember that time when you were a guest at our house, she thought you were interesting and insisted on introducing you to someone. I've already told her we're together, and there won't be a next time."
Hu Yifan was thrown into disarray. His first thought was that he had offended Jiang Sui, and that man would definitely not let him off easily.
A typical example of someone who says sour grapes when they can't have them.
Envious and jealous of his harmonious relationship.
But Hu Yifan never considered that he was judging others by his own standards.
"Okay, Hu Yifan, it seems you've lied to me about more than one thing."
Liu Ranran was furious and wanted to hang up the phone, but she held her temper.
Leaving Hu Yifan completely furious, panicked, he had no idea that he and Liu Ranran were talking about two different things. This was simply shooting himself in the foot.
"Baby, that's it, and it's nothing more. Believe me..."
"Hu Yifan, I'm asking you again, where does Jiang Sui live now?"
Hu Yifan shuddered, realizing that Liu Ranran was asking about Su Qing.
"Who owns that friend and that house you're talking about?"
Hu Yifan's wife was about to run away, so how could he dare to lie to her and hide things from her here and that?
"Baby, how are you so smart? You know all this."
He smiled playfully, thinking he'd gotten away with it.
Unexpectedly, Liu Ranran, having gotten the answer, decisively hung up the phone and sat in the hall, waiting for Su Qing.
But she didn't expect to see Su Qing coming in the doorway just after she hung up.
Su Qing had already seen her.
"What's wrong, Ranran? Are you upset? Who made you angry?"
Liu Ranran struggled to control her emotions for a moment, but she suppressed them all and put on an unpleasant smile.
She didn't even know how to face Su Qing. She bit her lip and said, "I'm fine. I just had a fight with that scoundrel Hu Yifan. Really, all men are bad!"
Perhaps cursing like this made her feel a lot better.
Liu Ranran thought, just let it be.
She had been so careless, actually letting Su Qing rent Jiang Sui's house. That man even lived in the same neighborhood as Su Qing. She gritted her teeth, thinking about confessing everything to Su Qing over dinner later.
Su Qing simply held her hand, a hint of a smile on her face.
"Ranran, I have something very interesting to tell you."
Liu Ranran felt a bad feeling when she heard this. She looked at Su Qing, who had already boarded the elevator.
"What is it?"
"Ranran, when I got off the car just now, I noticed that the car with the exact same license plate as my birthday had also stopped here and entered the parking lot. Do you think it's fate?"
Liu Ranran was struck by a bolt from the blue when she heard this.
The French restaurant on the top floor offers a panoramic view of the entire Jiangcheng area.
Everything paled for a moment
Most importantly, the entire rooftop of this CPB building was filled with French cuisine. Liu Ranran didn't believe Jiang Sui had come all this way just to go shopping. Remembering Hu Yifan's comment about Jiang Sui being stalked by some wealthy young lady lately, Liu Ranran felt a nagging feeling.
As the elevator opened, Liu Ranran grabbed Su Qing's wrist.
"Qing Qing, my legs suddenly feel weak. I don't feel like eating French food anymore. How about we find a street vendor?"
Liu Ranran looked at Su Qing pitifully.
Su Qing simply smiled, pursing her lips, and tapped her head.
"Are you worried I don't have money? Don't worry, I've saved a lot of winnings. As long as it's under a million, I can still afford it."
Under normal circumstances, Liu Ranran would have been in awe, even jumping up and down.
But Liu Ranran, known for her lively mind, was completely out of the mood at that moment.
She could only allow Su Qing and herself to enter the French restaurant.
Although the doorman was indeed handsome, Liu Ranran no longer had the heart to admire him.
She kept repeating to herself, "Don't run into that bastard Jiang Sui."
Don't run into Jiang Sui...
After a safe journey, the waiter brought the two of them to a quiet spot with a beautiful view.
Liu Ranran sat down and eagerly glanced around. It was indeed very quiet, and Jiang Sui wasn't in sight, which put her heart at ease.
"Qing Qing, I'm going to order now. My food is waking up!"
Liu Ranran's expression made Su Qing's lips curl slightly.
Thinking of that time at the door, the worried girl was afraid to spend her own money, she felt a warm feeling and spoke.
"Okay, anything you want. I'll spend everything I have to make sure you enjoy your meal."
Liu Ranran's eyebrows curved at this, and she said, "Okay."
But when it came to ordering, she very lenient, even stopping Su Qing when she tried to order something expensive.
Their interaction was pleasant until dessert was almost ready.
Just as Su Qing stood up to go to the toilet, she suddenly saw a familiar figure sitting across from her.
She stiffened, her fingertips curling slightly.
Across from her, Liu Ranran noticed Su Qing's discomfort and turned to follow her gaze.
Sure enough, she saw the figure of a bastard.
If not Jiang Sui, then who else...
Finally, they met.
Not only did they bump into each other, but they were separated by an aisle and two tables.
Jiang Sui was as handsome as ever. Across from him sat someone not only familiar to Su Qing, but also to Liu Ranran.
It wasn't just anyone.
It was none other than Xu Miaoran.
The moment Liu Ranran saw him, she stood up and grabbed Su Qing.
"Qing Qing, I'm done. Let's go."
Su Qing pursed her lips, her stiffness gradually relaxing as she spotted Liu Ranran's half-eaten dessert on the table.
"I'm fine, Ranran. Keep eating. I'm going to the toilet."
Liu Ranran was about to say something, but was suddenly interrupted by the woman approaching.
"It really is you, Su Qing, Liu Ranran. Long time no see."
Xu Miaoran had clearly become quite mature and charming. Her long, slightly curly hair fell around her waist. It was clearly the beginning of winter, but Xu Miaoran, wearing a red dress, had fair arms, a small face the size of a palm, rosy lips, and delicate make up.
Everything about her spoke of her superiority.
Su Qing, on the other hand, wore a wool sweater, simple jeans, and no make up on her face. Although her face was beautiful, something seemed missing, perhaps a touch of the everyday.
She held her hair in a tuck, pinching her fingertips.
"We're not familiar with you. We're leaving. Get out of the way."
Liu Ranran used to be afraid of this so-called campus beauty, but for some reason, perhaps due to growing up and maturing, or perhaps the gradual influence of those around her, Liu Ranran grew more confident and felt that no one was inferior to anyone else.
Even when she had someone she wanted to protect, she became incredibly brave.
Xu Miaoran glanced at Liu Ranran. She hadn't expected the chubby little girl back then to have grown up so beautiful. She looked at Su Qing.
"Really? I see you both haven't finished dessert yet. Are you leaving now? I even said I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend."
Xu Miaoran's words made Su Qing's face turn pale. Suppressing the emotion in her eyes, she pursed her lips, feeling a strong sense of suffocation threatening to overwhelm her.