"Just keep me company and talk to me... Since you can get along so well with Lan Ran anyway..." Shui Changhuan said softly.
I immediately understood her state of mind, so I decisively stayed. It seemed she noticed me facing her, because only then did Shui Changhuan secretly raise her head. When she saw me looking down at her, she grew embarrassed and buried her face back on the table.
I cupped her cheeks in my hands and smiled. "Shui Changhuan, can't you live for yourself just once? What's the point of always competing with Lan Ran? She lives her own life, and you should live yours too, instead of treating yourself as her shadow. Whatever she likes, you fight to possess as well. That's not living your own life."
Shui Changhuan immediately pulled free of my hands. "What nonsense are you talking about? When have I ever competed with her? And what gives you the right to say that I have?"
"Your sword of Subordinate First Rank. Haven't you already shown it there? Besides, I've heard about how you and Lan Ran were childhood sweethearts. You two were as close as sisters, but after Shang Jun appeared, you developed a competitive streak. Did you think that because Lan Ran liked Shang Jun, you had to follow suit and like him too?" I asked.
Shui Changhuan froze for a moment, then hurriedly shook her head. "Why should I tell you?"
"You don't have to tell me. It doesn't matter. That's the truth. Later, you discovered that Lan Ran did like Shang Jun, but that liking was merely the affection between friends—she didn't love him. So you grew somewhat angry with Lan Ran and consequently came to resent her, didn't you?" I asked.
Shui Changhuan was clearly stunned by my words.