Chapter 7

  For the rest of the week, I didn't see Fu Andong again. It's a good thing that one thing offsets another; if Liu Xi can take him in, it would be a good deed too.

  On Saturday, I had dinner with Zhang Xiaoyan at a Spanish restaurant. Although we used to be close friends who would often drink and dine together, it's been nearly three years since we last saw each other. The elegant woman sitting across from me, with her exquisite makeup, left me feeling a little melancholic.

  Zhang Xiaoyan saw me and clicked her tongue twice: "Xu Shenshen, you haven't changed much, except that you seem to have lost some weight. Have you been tired lately?"

  I lowered my head and happened to see the diamond ring on her finger: "In my lifetime, I finally got to see a pigeon egg. Thanks for broadening my horizons, Zhang Xiaoyan."

  Her eyes gleamed with triumph, "You're not willing to sell yourself so early, are you? Otherwise, with just one word from you, Tian An Dong can pick the stars in the sky for you."

  "Your imagination is quite good, both I and Fu An Dong can be dragged into it with you."

  "Huh?" Zhang Xiaoyan looked puzzled, "You two aren't together? Let me think for a moment..."

  She bowed her head and thought for a moment, then said with a mysterious tone: "Shen Shen, that ex-boyfriend of yours, the one you had a fight with when you just went to London, was his name Lu Hao?"

  "Lu You, that person's name is Lu You." I corrected her.

  She showed interest, "Are you two still together?"

  Zhang Xiaoyan is only interested in topics that are focused on my personal private life, no matter if I use social hotspots, economic focus points or politically sensitive perspectives, none of them have successfully diverted her attention.

  "Luyu and I broke up a long time ago."

  Zhang Xiaoyan suddenly said, "I told you so. At that time, someone said you two broke up because you got together with Fu Andong. At that time, everyone didn't know what your situation was, and some people even said you had depression. What a wonderful rumor, there were all sorts of theories. Look at you, you're really the queen of gossip among our group."

  I lowered my head and started eating. Zhang Xiaoyan chose a great place, the roasted lamb chops here are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, and the seafood rice is delicious and flavorful. It's a waste to spend such a good time confessing my old affairs to someone else.

  "Oh, right! I haven't asked yet, where are you working now?"

  I let out a breath and took a sip of sweet wine, "I'm in the same unit as Fu Andong."

  The lady opposite suddenly had a gleam in her eyes and said meaningfully: "You two must have something."

  "Whatever you say, I couldn't find a job after returning to my country, so I asked him for help. You can ruin me if you want, but he now has a proper girlfriend and is heading towards the hall of marriage. If you want to destroy his happiness, that's none of my business, just don't drag me into it. I want to accumulate some virtue and live a long life."

  Zhang Xiaoyan nodded heavily after hearing what I said and quietly started eating. I think she's still quite elegant as long as she doesn't speak.

  "Xu Shenshen, actually when you and Lu You were together back then, we all thought he wasn't good enough for you."

  I looked up at Zhang Xiaoyan, who had a very serious expression on her face, not as if she was joking around. "Xiaoyan, you're overestimating me, what's with this 'suitable' or 'not suitable', just do whatever."

  "Don't even mention it, I still remember when you first came to London, he didn't even want to make a phone call for you. Why? Wasn't it because the phone bill was too expensive? Who knows what's good about that kid, but you just had to take a liking to him." Zhang Xiaoyan frowned and began to speak up for me.

  Yes, now that I think about it, I don't know what's so great about Lu You either, to make Xu Shenshen infatuated with him back then.

  I shook my head: "Who can understand what they were thinking five years ago?"

  "But," Xiaoyan said, skillfully cutting the steak, her hands pausing for a moment as she looked up at me with a smile: "I really admire you, Shen. In this day and age, there aren't many girls who can selflessly devote themselves to love like you do."

  She raised her glass of wine towards me, "Let's have a drink together, for those unrequited loves."

  Although the reason for this toast sounds a bit pretentious, I couldn't find anything more worth celebrating. I saw the sincerity in her eyes, and it seemed like she really believed in those pure and innocent loves.

  As for Zhang Xiaoyan's emotional life, I know very little. The only thing that left an impression on me was that she had a boyfriend in high school, and they were apart from each other for a long time. When I went to London, they were like any ordinary couple who were apart, sorrowing over not being able to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together, arguing over expensive travel expenses, and feeling sad about their infrequent reunions.

  She shouldn't have married this boy because Zhang Xiaoyan said she and her husband had a flash marriage after knowing each other for 6 months.

  Anyway, this pigeon egg in her hand really fits the theme of "flash" marriage, dazzling my eyes.