"Oh, can't take it already?" Zeng Rou said sarcastically. "Right, is she your girlfriend or something? Because I heard Fu Xin and Qin Zhen were pretty close, and Qin Zhen even announced he was pursuing her."
"Zeng Rou!" Han Qinglu gave her a stern, warning look. "Don't go too far."
"How am I going too far?" Zeng Rou fumed, though she still lowered her voice. "It was pouring that day. He promised to come along while we went shopping and carry our bags. And what happened?"
"He left us getting drenched like drowned rats!" Fire blazed in Zeng Rou's eyes too. "He took off without even telling us!"
"And the hilarious part? Fu Xin was posting from the hospital because she'd eaten something bad. I'll remember that artsy caption for the rest of my life."
Zeng Rou wanted to smack He Zhen on the head with a shovel.
What had he been thinking?
[Holy shit, I remember now! Han Qinglu had nowhere left to turn, and hotheaded Zeng Rou went to confront Fu Xin!]
[But she never got to Fu Xin!]
[Qin Zhen stopped her!]
[They all started shoving and pulling at each other in the street!]
[To keep Zeng Rou from hitting Fu Xin, Qin Zhen swung his arm and sent Zeng Rou stumbling into the road. Two cars hit her one after the other, and she died on the spot!]
[And they ruled it an accident!!!]
[Because Zeng Rou was the one who went looking for trouble with Fu Xin!]
[Fuck!]
[That's why Han Qinglu barely had anyone helping her afterward and ended up completely reduced to a foil!!!]
[Because Zeng Rou died!!!]
He Zhen's eyes widened in disbelief when he heard this.
Yao Tao's eyes widened too as the memory finally came back to her.
Their eyes happened to meet, both of them deeply shocked.
[Girl, you can't die!-]
[If you die, my ship won't last much longer either!!!]
[Waaah!]
[You're such a capable girl, the best friend anyone could ever ask for!]
[Zhao Yixiao and Cheng Yu grew apart because of you too, waaah!]
[My heart hurts!]
[This is urgent, urgent, urgent! How do I save her!!!]
[Damn it, I should've picked a different persona!]
[Waaah, but if I get busy, I won't get to see my precious He Zhen!]
[Why can't I have my cake and eat it too? This sucks!]
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight back then." He Zhen was quick to admit his mistake. "I'll definitely make it up to you this time. Pick a day and let me apologize properly."
"..." Zeng Rou, who had been seething with anger, dug at her ear. "Qinglu, did you hear what our junior He just said?"
Han Qinglu was astonished too. In fact, everyone in their circle was astonished.
Zeng Rou had been taking all those indirect jabs at Fu Xin, yet He Zhen hadn't said a damn thing.
He hadn't looked upset or offered any explanations!
He hadn't even defended Fu Xin!
Had the sky split open, or had they all already been struck by lightning?
"You pick the time. Yao Tao and I will be there." This time, He Zhen deliberately wanted to help Yao Tao connect with them.
Yao Tao wanted to save someone. He had no reason not to help.
Besides, what exactly was going on?
Why did everything involve Fu Xin?
Could his liking Fu Xin so much that everyone thought his groveling was absurd also be because she was the female lead?
Did he really like Fu Xin that much?
He Zhen didn't know the answer.
But he had a feeling that he didn't seem to like Fu Xin all that much anymore.
That kind of affection wasn't normal.
"Right, you and..." Zeng Rou blinked. "And Yao Tao?"
Zeng Rou looked at He Zhen, then at Yao Tao, who had been standing behind him, playing dead but refusing to leave.
"Yao Tao?" Zeng Rou repeated her name.
"I'm here, senior." Yao Tao came back to her senses.
[What the hell does this have to do with me!]
[Oh, wait!]
[It has everything to do with me! Everything!]
"I thought it over, and He Zhen is right. I owe you an apology," Yao Tao said sincerely.
[These useless legs of mine deserve to be chopped off!-]
[Not that I'm actually going to chop them off!]
[But I can spend all the money I make off Qin Zhen on you!!!]
[Don't hold back!]
[I can make even more off that damned bastard!]
Yao Tao's inner voice was brimming with righteous confidence.
"There's no need," Cheng Yu said, breaking her silence.
But she had barely started before Zeng Rou overruled her.
"What do you mean, no need?" Zeng Rou reacted lightning-fast. "No time like the present. The gardens are providing lunch later, so once we're done here, you two can treat us to dinner!"
"No problem," He Zhen agreed at once.
"No problem for me either," Yao Tao echoed him.
[My chance has come!]
[Let me think about how to get close to them!]
[How do I sneak into the goddess squad!]
[Damn it, the novel only ever described how miserable the foils were!]
[Shit, there isn't a single hobby I can use!]
[If Cheng Yu counts as a hobby, that works too!]
[But I wouldn't dare say that!]
[What if Han Qinglu thinks I'm a total pervert!]
[Lulu wouldn't yell at me, but Zeng Rou would!]
[Damn it, this mission is so hard!]
Zeng Rou had already started making outrageous demands, while Yao Tao was still racking her brains over strategy and tactics.
Just then, her phone rang.
Yao Tao looked down and saw that it was her lunch alarm. She turned to He Zhen. "He Zhen, shall we eat lunch first?"
[My baby has a bad stomach. I'll think about this after lunch.]
[We haven't reached the point of fighting Fu Xin to the death yet. No rush, no rush!]
[Right, it hasn't gotten to that point yet!]
Warmth filled He Zhen's heart. "Mm, let's go eat first."
Seeing Yao Tao obediently nod while still carefully controlling the angle to maintain her demure appearance, he couldn't help the corners of his mouth lifting.
[Look at my perfectly controlled expression and perfect angle.]
[Well, baby? Aren't I sweet and adorable?]
[You're enchanted by me, aren't you!]
[Ah, what can I say? That's just how we pretty girls are!]
[You have my permission to love me!]
He Zhen's smile froze just as quickly. He still remembered to address Zeng Rou. "We'll see you then."
"Sure, I'll make a group chat." Zeng Rou created one at lightning speed, then looked at Yao Tao.
[My turn, my turn, my turn!]
"I'll add her," He Zhen said naturally.
Zeng Rou's jaw nearly dropped out of its socket.
It took her a good while to find her voice. "You're volunteering to add her?"
She couldn't believe it.
[Damn you, He Zhen! You blocked my chance to add her as a friend!]
[You idiot!]
[Where's your emotional intelligence?]
[Did you lose it!?!]
He Zhen was both annoyed and amused. What was the point of only adding Zeng Rou? Once they chatted in the group, couldn't she add the others too?
Who was the real idiot here?
After creating the group, Zeng Rou realized her anger toward Yao Tao had faded without her noticing. She found it rather amazing.
Now, looking at Yao Tao, she found every little thing about her adorable.
She was so sweet, dressed so neatly, and spoke so softly. One look told you she was a model student!
Way better than Fu Xin!
"You've finally stopped being blind." Zeng Rou couldn't resist getting one more remark in.
He Zhen: ?
[Exactly! With this sweet little act of mine, how could I not have him wrapped around my finger?!?]
Yao Tao caught on quickly this time, and inwardly floated on a cloud of delight.
[Listen to those wise words!]
He Zhen: ...
"Stop running your mouth." Han Qinglu tugged at Zeng Rou. "Keep it up and you won't be doing anyone any favors."
"Wake up! He's not that little shadow who followed you around as a kid anymore!" Zeng Rou hated it most when Han Qinglu stood up for He Zhen.
He Zhen froze, then remembered.
Hadn't he followed Han Qinglu everywhere when he was little?
When had they become so distant?
And he hadn't even realized it.
Before you continue