Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 273 - 261: All Friends

No matter what industry Yu Minglang was in, he lived up to his code name.

One, indisputable king, number one.

Although sometimes I couldn’t stand Yu Minglang’s attitude that he’s second only to heaven—no, he sees himself even above heaven—but I truly admired his abilities.

"But I think Qian is the most remarkable person I’ve ever met. There’s something indescribable about her. I’ve met many impressive people, but none are like her. It’s like she’s seen through everything in the world..."

"When two smart people are together, how can there be any problems? There won’t be any problems." Zhu Dadao tried to comfort Xuan but wasn’t entirely convinced himself.

He had never seen Yu Minglang with such a look in his eyes, such insecurity, which should not exist on him.

"My dad once told me something."

"What did he say?"

"When kings meet, it’s a deadlock..."

The doorbell rang again. Zhu Dadao thought Yu Minglang had returned and opened the door, but Teng Daye was standing there.

Xuan was surprised.

"Dad, aren’t you supposed to be on the plane already?"

He said he had something important.

"I thought it over and felt that Chen was right."

"What? What did Qian tell you?"

"Some things can’t be hidden under the guise of love. You have the right to know the truth, Xuan. Come with Dad on the next flight."

"To where?"

"To accompany Dad for surgery. Don’t worry; it’s a low-risk surgery. I’ll feel more confident fighting the illness with you outside the operating room."

Qian was right. The power of belief is strong. Letting reason give way to emotion isn’t always bad. Teng Daye didn’t want this to be a farewell to his daughter in case the surgery failed; he hoped she could see him one more time.

But the same Qian who made him see things clearly was now stuck in a quandary where her advice to others worked, but she herself couldn’t find a solution.

What is a friend? A friend is someone who can have a drink with you when you’re sad, even without saying anything. After accompanying Qian to drink milk for almost two hours, Zheng Xu sadly realized that he had been forcefully categorized as a friend.

And after drinking a bottle of beer and two cups of milk, Qian realized something too.

Zheng Xu was right; she’s like someone on a diet, lying to herself.

When faced with tempting food, people find all sorts of reasons not to eat it. But eventually, those wicked hands reach for the food. Although the excuses for not eating while dieting are tacit struggles, if one doesn’t act this way, the greedy little heart would feel guilty.

Adding a "slightly reluctant yet ultimately inevitable" transition period, one finally ends up with a clear conscience.

This is human nature. Qian admitted she too is human and has human flaws, but she still hadn’t figured out how to perfectly resolve her issue with Yu Minglang.

It’s quite endearing that even extremely smart people occasionally have such minor dilemmas. Zheng Xu was amused by Qian’s hesitation, stemming from jealousy like when one can’t afford pork but watches others eat meat.

Serves them right, showing off their love in front of him. Where there’s love, there’ll be quarrels. He was certain that Qian would eventually return to Yu Minglang.

Yet Zheng Xu’s words still stirred something within Qian’s heart, causing ripples. If she hadn’t known Yu Minglang was her benefactor in a past life, if there hadn’t been that phone call, if she weren’t in the pre-menstrual agitation period, would she be acting like this?

This is a mystery.

As the car arrived in the city, Qian suddenly spotted a silhouette.

"Zheng Xu, stop the car."

"What’s up?"

"I saw my roommate. Wait for me here."

Qian saw a figure resembling Shi Touyu, carrying a small sling bag, preparing to enter a karaoke hall.

"Shi Touyu!" Qian called out.

The person turned around, and it was indeed the long-lost Shi Yu.

"Qian!" Shi Yu, seeing Qian, was especially happy and rushed over directly.

"What are you doing here?" Since Shi Yu’s home wasn’t in this city, Qian was a bit surprised to see her.

"I came to visit a friend and was thinking of finding you to hang out tomorrow. What a surprise running into you!" Seeing a friend far from home was truly a pleasant surprise.

But Qian noticed that Shi Yu had dark circles under her eyes, seemed listless, and had lost a lot of weight.

"What’s wrong? You don’t look energetic."

Having lived together for a semester, such things could easily be noticed.

"I broke up..." At the mention of this, Shi Yu’s nose turned sour.

"When did you fall in love? Weren’t you always in unrequited love?"

"Qian, I’m so sad. Can you talk with me?"

Zheng Xu honked a couple of times from behind Qian. She turned around and spoke to him.

"I’m not going back yet; I ran into a classmate."

"Going to play?" Zheng Xu glanced at the karaoke hall behind her.

Qian looked at Shi Touyu, "You have plans with someone?"

"Yes, you can come along. We can have a chat." Shi Yu was on the brink of collapse, and Qian seemed like a savior.

Qian didn’t like to party with strangers, but seeing Shi Touyu’s state, she wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone, so she turned to Zheng Xu.

"Can you pick me up in two hours? Shi Touyu, what’s the room number?"

"13."

Zheng Xu shrugged, "I’m your chauffeur now, huh?"

"We’re all friends." Qian blinked.

Zheng Xu sped away, leaving Qian with a trail of exhaust.

"Who’s that? Why isn’t your envy-prone boyfriend picking you up?" Shi Yu asked Qian.

"He’s a good friend." Qian deliberately avoided topics related to Yu Minglang.

"Shi Touyu, you came here alone? What kind of friend are you meeting? Are you daring enough to meet an online friend?"

"No, it’s an old childhood friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids; we’re very close. I just broke up, so I wanted to talk with her. Conveniently, my dad came here for business, so I tagged along."

"What kind of childhood friend? Why aren’t you in the same city? Is it a guy or a girl?" Qian was always a bit skeptical of the friendships of this optimistic rich girl.

This child seemed like she had friendship deficit disorder, always eager to make many friends, and easily taken advantage of.

"A girl, same age as me. Rest assured, this friend is different from the others; she’s really nice! We used to live next to each other. She always helped me when I was bullied. We even shared a single sugar-coated haws on a stick! You’ll love Xuan!"

"Why weren’t you taken back home?"

"My dad used to live separately from my mom when I was little. He was a manager at a state-owned pharmaceutical factory back then, and my mom stayed with me in the county. Everyone lived in the same courtyard, and Xuan lived there too. We used to play together; we had a deep bond. Later, my dad took me back, but we kept in touch. However, after going to school far away, I never found a friend as good to me as she was—until I met you and the others, Qian."

"Has she ever done anything special for you?" Qian was always curious why Shi Touyu was so eager for friendship. Could it be related to this Xuan?