Chapter 56
Jiang Siyi used to think she was unlucky.
Then she met Shen Shiwu and changed her mind.
Until now, she felt that her luck was truly something else—
Shen Shiwu’s voice wasn’t loud, and since everyone’s attention was on Yu Wen, no one noticed her words.
Jiang Siyi’s face remained expressionless, and she wanted to die.
She gripped her phone and replied coldly, “I’m fine, I’m not unwell.”
Yu Wen nodded and finally stopped talking. She said to Kong Yin, “Then I’ll be going now, Ms. Kong, let’s get together again next time.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
Kong Yin and Yu Wen had met in England years ago. Although they weren’t particularly close, they were still friends. Most importantly, neither of them knew that the other was her rival in love, so they got along quite well.
After Yu Wen left, the others resumed their conversation. Only Ah Yun stared at her retreating figure, lost in thought.
She asked Kong Yin, who was sitting beside her, “Is that your friend?”
“Sort of.”
“She’s so pretty.”
“I heard she has someone she likes, you should give up.”
“…Oh.”
Jiang Siyi discreetly moved further into the corner, trying to become invisible.
The video call had ended, and she quickly typed, “I don’t even know where she came from. Besides her, there are really only eight of us.”
“Are you mad at me again?”
“Shen Shiwu, reply!”
Jiang Siyi felt utterly defeated, thinking that even if she bought a lottery ticket, she would probably end up owing money—tripping and breaking a glass display case.
As she waited for a reply, she couldn’t help but think of that summer evening when she was seventeen. The air had been warm, not a hint of coolness, her forehead damp with sweat.
Craving barbecue, she hadn’t gone home immediately, and Shen Shiwu had come to find her. Shen Shiwu had sat behind her, her expression unreadable.
Ms. Jiang sat quietly, reminiscing, then sighed.
I’m old.
Lin Yusheng, in her forties, sitting beside her: “…”
“If you’re old, then I’m a fossil.”
Jiang Siyi hissed. “Sorry.”
“…”
The dishes were mostly fancy but not filling. Jiang Siyi wasn’t a fan of this kind of food, so she ate a little and planned to order takeout when she got back to the hotel.
“Come on, we finally have a chance to get together, let’s take a picture,” Ah Yun said, taking out her phone. “We can post it on Weibo.”
The girls were meticulous when it came to taking pictures, determined to get the perfect shot, and they took several pictures.
Finally done, just as Ah Yun was about to sit down, a waiter politely approached them. “Excuse me, are you internet celebrities?”
“Ah, no.”
They had thought the waiter would leave after hearing that, but she waved her hand dismissively. “That’s okay.”
“If you post pictures of our food on social media, we’ll give you a free drink, and you’ll also have a chance to get your meal comped.”
Ah Yun, with her 200,000 yuan investment, found it too troublesome and was about to decline when the others had already taken out their phones, switching to their alternate Weibo accounts. “Just take a picture and post it, right?”
“Yes.”
Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Jiang Siyi thought, also taking out her phone.
Ten minutes later, two waiters brought over a tray with seven glasses of mixed wine, and among them, a cup of Earl Grey tea stood out.
And when the waiter placed the “odd one out” in front of her, a question mark slowly appeared above Jiang Siyi’s head.
The waiter said softly, “Sorry, ma’am, we’re out of wine today, is this okay?”
Hearing this, Jiang Siyi lamented her bad luck once more.
She nodded. “It’s fine.”
After taking a few sips of tea, she looked up and saw Ah Yun posting the pictures in the group chat. “Let’s do a P-picture chain, then post it on Weibo, hurry up, hurry up.”
Jiang Siyi responded and took out her phone. Just then, the same waiter came over again, seemingly heading straight for her.
She smiled, wondering what misfortune was about to befall her.
“Miss.”
“…Yes?”
“Congratulations!”
Everyone looked up, and Jiang Siyi asked, “What?”
“You’ve won our only free meal of the day!”
Jiang Siyi couldn’t believe it.
She asked, puzzled, “How was the draw conducted?”
The waiter paused, realizing she had forgotten to memorize the explanation.
Fortunately, Lin Yusheng spoke up just in time, nudging Jiang Siyi’s arm. “Why do you care? You won, that’s all that matters.”
Jiang Siyi, missing the point, said with a dark expression, “You’re the one who’s asking too many questions.”
“…”
“So, after you’ve finished your meal, you can just leave,” the waiter said, gratefully glancing at Lin Yusheng, who was oblivious.
Then she turned to Jiang Siyi, her tone incredibly enthusiastic. “Miss, you’re so lucky, I’m so envious! Wishing you all the best in the future!”
Jiang Siyi’s lips twitched.
It sounded like a rehearsed speech.
She chuckled awkwardly. “Thank you, you too.”
Although she still felt something was off, Jiang Siyi was happy. Her bad mood vanished, and she walked with the others along the street, enjoying the evening breeze.
As the wind ruffled her hair, she thought, If only Shen Shiwu were here.
Thinking this, her smile faded slightly. She looked down at her silent phone, her expression darkening.
Not replying to my messages, huh, you jerk.
She kicked a pebble, her mood souring again, wondering—Could Shen Shiwu be angry again?
Just then, Kong Yin, who was walking beside Ah Yun, suddenly spoke, “My home is in the complex up ahead, do you guys want to come up and sit for a while?”
“I have a cat, a British Shorthair, it’s very cute.”
The voice actors had no resistance to fluffy creatures. They readily agreed. “Sure, let’s go.”
Jiang Siyi was still preoccupied.
She was pondering whether Shen Shiwu was angry, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
She simply followed the group, going wherever they went.
Only after entering the complex did she snap back to reality and ask Lin Yusheng, “Where are we going?”
“To Ms. Kong’s house.”
“Why are we going to her house?”
Lin Yusheng looked at her. “Did you fry your brain with your fever?”
“To visit, she has a cat, we can pet it.”
Jiang Siyi: “…”
She preferred rabbits.
Kong Yin’s apartment was clean and spacious, and Lin Yusheng looked around, nodding approvingly, like someone inspecting a property. “This area, the housing prices must be high.”
Kong Yin, taking out drinks from the fridge, replied modestly, “I bought this a few years ago, before the prices went up, so it wasn’t too expensive.”
She walked around Ah Yun and handed Jiang Siyi a glass of orange juice. “Ms. Jiang, for you.”
“I’m not thirsty, thank you.”
Kong Yin, as if she had anticipated this, casually handed it to Ah Yun. “Here.”
Ah Yun, after a moment of silence, opened the can and almost chugged the entire thing.
Lin Yusheng, tired of walking around, sat down beside Jiang Siyi, while Ah Yun and the other voice actors were playing with the cat.
They meowed, and the cat meowed back.
Lin Yusheng, unable to resist, also went over and joined them.
After a while, she beckoned Jiang Siyi over.
But Jiang Siyi, glancing at the cat, said inexplicably, “I have a rabbit at home.”
Lin Yusheng paused. “So?”
“It’s very cute too.”
“Oh, my girlfriend got it for me.”
“…”
She felt that Jiang Siyi’s brain had become even more abnormal since getting back together with her ex.
Jiang Siyi, of course, didn’t know what Lin Yusheng was thinking, otherwise, she would definitely have retorted. She pouted and started playing on her phone.
No reply, huh?
Shen Shiwu, you’ve got some nerve.
Jiang Siyi fumed inwardly, then, giving up, she closed her eyes, trying to take a nap.
“It’s still early, want to play a game?” Kong Yin suddenly appeared, holding a deck of cards.
Hearing the word “game,” Jiang Siyi swallowed nervously, almost having a PTSD episode.
“Ms. Jiang, why is your face so red? Is your fever back?” Ah Yun asked, turning around, puzzled.
Jiang Siyi, her mind filled with the memories of last night’s phone play, calmly opened her eyes, her acting skills impeccable. “Really? Maybe it’s because it’s too hot in here, it’s nothing serious.”
She smoothly changed the subject. “A game? Sure, to kill some time.”
They sat in a circle on the carpet, playing the classic game of Truth or Dare.
If it weren’t for the need to divert everyone’s attention, Jiang Siyi would never have agreed to play. She was lazy and found it troublesome.
And because she was too lazy to talk, whenever she lost, she chose to drink instead.
Fruit wine, low alcohol content, most people wouldn’t get drunk. Twenty minutes later, Jiang Siyi had already had four glasses, and she was about to have her fifth.
“Why don’t you just answer a question, or do a dare?” Lin Yusheng tossed two peanuts into her mouth. “At this rate, your blood will be mostly alcohol.”
After finishing her drink, Jiang Siyi told her to get lost.
The wine tasted good, fragrant and not too strong. Jiang Siyi licked her lips, thinking she could handle seven or eight more glasses.
However, half an hour later, her head was spinning, and she was seeing double.
“Ah, I lost again? Drink, drink…”
Jiang Siyi patted her head, trying to clear her mind.
After another glass, she frowned deeply, her tongue feeling numb.
But she was determined to keep playing, feeling like she was about to ascend to immortality, almost starting to meditate on the spot.
“Come on, let’s continue,” Jiang Siyi mumbled, “I don’t believe I can lose so many times.”
None of them had a high tolerance for alcohol, and by now, most of them were tipsy.
They cheered, “Let’s go, let’s go…”
Before the game could even end, the doorbell suddenly rang. Kong Yin, her steps slightly unsteady, went to open the door.
But seeing the person standing outside, her drunkenness vanished.
“Shen…”
She was interrupted.
Shen Shiwu’s expression was dark, her eyes cold as she looked at Kong Yin.
“Move.”
Kong Yin swallowed nervously, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.
“This is my house,” she said.
Shen Shiwu scoffed, even more annoyed, pushed past her, and entered the apartment.
Jiang Siyi was sprawled on the floor, reeking of alcohol, still mumbling incoherently.
Shen Shiwu looked down at her, her long eyelashes casting a shadow on the girl’s face.
“Jiang Siyi.”
The girl whose name had been called finally opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry, as if she had eaten poisonous mushrooms.
Feeling herself being lifted into someone’s arms, Jiang Siyi instinctively tried to struggle. But smelling the familiar scent, she suddenly became docile.
She nuzzled against Shen Shiwu’s chest, her voice muffled. “Are you my girlfriend?”
Shen Shiwu’s anger subsided slightly. She looked down. “Yes.”
“Oh,” Jiang Siyi wrapped her arms around Shen Shiwu’s neck, holding on tight, “my girlfriend is a jerk who doesn’t reply to my messages, are you too?”
“…”