Evening.
Bei Wei returned to the apartment with a brand-new bag. She could still feel a tearing pain, but her heart was sweet.
"Ah." She accidentally twisted her ankle getting into the elevator and quickly steadied herself against the wall.
Thinking of Zhang Yang asking her earlier whether it would affect anything, she couldn't help blushing.
"Brother Zhang really is... really tireless."
When she got back to the apartment, Gu Jiani was there too.
"Oh? Bei Wei, you're back?" Gu Jiani walked over with a guilty smile. Then, with a sharp eye, she noticed something. "What happened? Did you twist your ankle? Are you okay?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Bei Wei limped over and sat on the sofa.
Gu Jiani took another good look at her, and instantly understood everything.
"You-you-you... you gave yourself to him?" she stammered.
"Yeah, I gave myself to Brother Zhang." Bei Wei admitted it openly.
Gu Jiani's expression shifted several times, but she couldn't say a word. Thinking back on all the deliberately cutting things she'd said before, she found them utterly ridiculous.
"A Capucines bag, 150,000 yuan. Zhang Yang really is willing to spend on you." Gu Jiani glanced at Bei Wei's bag, sounding a little envious.
"By the way, where did you stay last night?"
At that, Bei Wei couldn't resist sharing. "Jiani, listen."
She told her about the view from the top floor of the Bulgari Hotel, the magnificent Magic City skyline, and the luxury and dreamlike atmosphere of the 500-square-meter super suite.
Even Gu Jiani, who came from a well-off family, was left speechless with amazement.
"You really struck gold," Gu Jiani said enviously.
What was there left to say?
He drove a Bentley Continental GT worth over five million yuan, casually bought her bags worth over a hundred thousand, and stayed in the Bulgari Cloud Top Suite—the pinnacle of hotels—at over a hundred thousand yuan a night.
That kind of wealth was leagues beyond that university heartthrob, even if he had eight lifetimes to catch up!
At that moment, she regretted the hasty decision she'd made back then.
"Um... Jiani." Bei Wei spoke a little awkwardly. "Zhang Yang wants me to move out. I'm really sorry..."
"Don't!" Gu Jiani immediately grew anxious.
They'd been roommates for so long, as well as college classmates. In truth, Bei Wei was one of the few close friends she had in the Magic City.
If Bei Wei moved out, she'd be all alone and terribly bored.
"Fine, I'll apologize to Zhang Yang and ask him to forgive me. But if you move out, what am I supposed to do by myself?" Gu Jiani grabbed Bei Wei's arm and shook it vigorously.
"He's generous. Why would he hold a grudge against a woman like me?"
"Better not. Zhang Yang wouldn't be happy." Bei Wei shook her head.
"Then he can still come over whenever he wants. I won't say anything rude again. Or you could invite him over, and I'll apologize to him in person." Gu Jiani shook Bei Wei's arm again. "Please? Please?"
Pouting only worked when Bei Wei did it. With Gu Jiani's tough-girl image, this wasn't pouting—it was practically a threat.
"Okay, okay, Jiani, stop shaking me. It hurts." Bei Wei felt like her arm was about to fall apart.
"Where does it hurt?" Gu Jiani leaned closer. "Come on, tell your bestie all about it. How was he...? How did it feel?"
"I'm not telling." Bei Wei pulled her arm free and slipped into her room.
Late that night, Zhang Yang was chatting with Bei Wei before bed.
"What? Gu Jiani invited me to your apartment? What's she up to?" Zhang Yang asked suspiciously.
"Brother Zhang, she knows she was wrong and wants to apologize to you in person. She also said... next time... she welcomes you to come over anytime." Bei Wei hesitated. "Brother Zhang, maybe you could..."
"She knows she was wrong?" Zhang Yang didn't put much stock in that. "All right, I'll go over."
A woman as proud as Gu Jiani had admitted she was wrong? He didn't buy it. He was just curious to see how she planned to apologize.
So he arranged a time with Bei Wei and decided to go over the next evening.
And, while he was at it, perhaps he wouldn't come back.
If Gu Jiani didn't mind him staying the night, that would be the real proof of her sincerity.
Early the next morning, Zhang Yang had just sat down at his desk when he saw Bei Wei walking toward him with small steps.
From a distance, Bei Wei gave him a look that only the two of them understood.
It was just a brief exchanged glance, but Xiang Youde noticed it—or, more accurately, he only saw Zhang Yang staring in her direction.
"Still staring? It's Friday. We've got a busy stretch ahead," Xiang Youde muttered. He followed Zhang Yang's gaze. "Look at Bei Wei. Is she looking at you? You're always imagining things."
By then, Bei Wei had indeed lowered her head.
Zhang Yang opened his phone and tapped a few times, casually ordering afternoon tea in advance from a popular dessert shop nearby for Bei Wei. The shop had been all the rage around Shanghai lately, and plenty of influencers had checked in there. Its only downside was the steep prices.
Treating Bei Wei now and then, and picking up the tab for her coffee, desserts, and afternoon tea, was one of the little pleasures he enjoyed at work.
On Friday afternoon, with the weekend approaching, the overall mood at the company was relaxed and lively.
Quite a few female colleagues ordered milk tea, and some of their boyfriends even had milk tea and afternoon tea delivered from afar. The corners of the office were practically seas of happiness, filled with sweet aromas.
A little before three, Bei Wei got a call, then looked toward Zhang Yang with delighted surprise.
"Okay, I'll head out now."
She stood and went outside for a while. Before long, she came back carrying all kinds of afternoon treats.
Zhang Yang hadn't paid close attention when he ordered. There were macarons, a red velvet gift box, and plenty of milk tea. The total came to several hundred yuan, perhaps close to a thousand.
How much could it cost to eat a little?
"A Chunmai red velvet gift box?"
"Bei Wei, your boyfriend is so sweet! He really spoils you."
The elegant packaging caught everyone's eye, and the female colleagues around them were instantly envious. They all knew that Bei Wei seemed to have a wealthy boyfriend who drove a Porsche.
See? He wasn't even here, yet his presence was everywhere.
A few of the guys who'd once pursued Bei Wei without knowing their place lowered their heads, feeling a little embarrassed. That was the kind of spending it took to win her over. If only they'd known their limits sooner.
"Let's all share." Bei Wei smiled, her lips pressed together, and invited everyone to join in. Her heart was brimming with sweetness.
Zhang Yang was working when he glanced at the bottom-right corner of his screen.
Xiang Youde, intent on talking him out of it, had messaged him again.
"Old Xiang..." Zhang Yang felt a little helpless. He opened the chat and glanced at the messages.
Xiang Youde: See? How can you compete with her boyfriend? He just spent several hundred, maybe even over a thousand, on one afternoon tea. Do you understand what that means? Don't waste your energy. I really don't want to see you fall for her, Zhang.
Zhang Yang: Why give up? It's just afternoon tea.
Xiang Youde: You're hopeless.
Before you continue