Song Xu hurriedly snatched the phone from Xu Wantang’s hand. On the screen was a crisp, clear photograph showing Lin Xi locked in a tight embrace with another individual.

Judging by the background of the image, the shot had been captured at the intersection right outside the apartment complex.

The person wrapping their arms around Lin Xi was only visible from the back—sporting a buzz cut, noticeably tanned skin, cargo pants, and a loose-fitting T-shirt. They weren’t particularly tall.

Song Xu shot up from his chair, a sudden impulse to race back to the apartment surging through him. But right as he was about to move, a thought struck him. He pinched his fingers on the screen, zooming in tightly on Lin Xi’s face. Seeing the bright, radiant smile stretching across her features, he slowly sat back down.

He slid the phone back across the mahogany desk to Xu Wantang. “Mom, where did this photo come from?”

“Lu Yunqi just sent it to me a moment ago,” Xu Wantang explained, her brow furrowing tightly. “Initially, I refused to believe a single word of it. But looking closely at the image, it doesn’t look Photoshopped at all, so I figured I should bring it in for you to see.”

It had taken her so much effort to finally accept and cherish this future daughter-in-law; she absolutely could not allow some random man to sweep her away.

“Yunqi?” Song Xu’s eyes narrowed into hard slits. “What on earth is she doing lurking around my apartment building?”

—

At that very moment, Lu Yunqi was sitting comfortably inside her sports car parked by the curb, frantically tapping her shutter button to snap more photos of Lin Xi. Snap, snap, snap!

Today was truly her lucky day. She had actually managed to catch Lin Xi red-handed, stepping out on Song Xu with another man. To make it even more scandalous, Lin Xi was actively leading the man right up into Song Xu’s private residence.

Lu Yunqi had initially driven out to the apartment complex to track down Song Xu and deliberately make life miserable for Lin Xi. She had never expected to stumble upon such an explosive, unexpected bonus.

—

Completely oblivious to the camera lenses targeting her from the shadows, Lin Xi centered her entire attention on Jiang Ran.

“Ranran, why on earth did you shave your head into a buzz cut?” Lin Xi asked, her eyes wide with utter disbelief as she reached out to stroke the short, prickly strands of Jiang Ran’s hair.

Jiang Ran flashed a massive, cocky grin, running her hand over her scalp in a deliberately suave gesture. “Pretty cool, right? Washing my hair is ridiculously convenient like this—takes literally thirty seconds from start to finish. You have no idea how incredible it feels.”

Lin Xi shifted her hand down to cup Jiang Ran’s cheek, her heart aching at the texture. “How did you get so incredibly dark? Didn’t you apply any sunscreen at all?”

“I actually applied it for the first two days,” Jiang Ran replied, her flashing teeth currently the only white feature left on her face. “But after that, I was so thoroughly exhausted every single day that I barely had the strength to wash my face. All I wanted to do was collapse onto a mattress and sleep a little longer. Who had the energy to mess around with that stuff?”

Lin Xi’s eyes began to rim with a faint, emotional red. “You must have suffered so much over this past month.”

“It was a bit brutal,” Jiang Ran admitted, catching Lin Xi’s hand and wrapping it firmly around her own upper arm. “Here, squeeze it. Haven’t my muscles packed on a ton of mass?”

Lin Xi gave her biceps a firm squeeze. “Wow, you really have! It feels incredibly solid and heavy.”

The moment the words left Lin Xi’s mouth, Jiang Ran bent double, howling with laughter. “Hahaha! If I were a man and heard you praise me like that, my tail would be wagging all the way to the sky!”

“You are so improper.” Realizing what she had implied, Lin Xi’s face flushed a bright crimson, and she burst into a fit of giggles alongside her friend.

“Xi’xi, I bought a ton of snacks for you.” Jiang Ran turned around, hauling two massive plastic grocery bags out from the passenger seat of her car. “Why don’t you drop these upstairs first, and then the two of us can head out to grab a nice dinner?”

Lin Xi stepped forward to take one of the heavy bags, simultaneously looping her arm securely through Jiang Ran’s. “Come upstairs with me. Today, I’m personally taking over the kitchen to treat you to an incredible home-cooked meal.”

“Is it really okay for me to go up?” Jiang Ran asked, slightly caught off guard.

“Of course it is. I already cleared it with him,” Lin Xi assured her. “Oh, by the way, there’s another beautiful girl upstairs right now. I’ll introduce you two in a minute.”

“What beautiful girl?” Jiang Ran teased, tossing a casual arm over Lin Xi’s shoulders. “Don’t tell me you went ahead and found yourself a new favorite while I was away hard at work?”

“Think of it as me taking advantage of your absence to secure a brand new sister for us,” Lin Xi countered playfully, tapping Jiang Ran’s cheek. “Am I not incredibly generous?”

“Hmph. Generous to a fault,” Jiang Ran grumbled with a mock pout.

“Ranran, is there anything specific you’re craving to eat?” Ever since Jiang Ran had materialized, Lin Xi had been riding an intense wave of excitement. She was absolutely thrilled to finally display her culinary skills for her friend.

“I love literally anything you make,” Jiang Ran replied, her eyes brimming with pure affection as she looked down at her.

Lin Xi smiled brightly. “Alright, then I’ll just freestyle the menu.”

—

Lin Xi led Jiang Ran through the front door, immediately pulling out a pair of house slippers for her. “Ranran, use this pair.”

“Tiantian!” Lin Xi called out toward the living room. “We’re back!”

Bai Tiantian came jogging out from the inner corridor to greet them. “Hey—”

The moment her eyes landed squarely on Jiang Ran, Bai Tiantian froze completely in her tracks, her raised hand hanging awkwardly in mid-air.

Jiang Ran planted both hands firmly on her hips, locking eyes with Bai Tiantian. The two girls stood frozen in the entryway, silently sizing each other up with intense scrutiny.

“Bai Tiantian?” Jiang Ran was the first to break the silence, recognizing the girl instantly.

Bai Tiantian clamped a hand over her own mouth, sucking in a sharp, horrified breath. “You… Jiang Ran?!”

Lin Xi stood trapped directly between the two of them, her eyes java-zipping back and forth in utter bewilderment. “You two actually know each other?”

“We don’t!”

“We’re archenemies!”

The two voices rang out simultaneously, yet their answers couldn’t have been more polarized.

Jiang Ran was the one who had blurted out “We don’t,” while the declaration of “archenemies” had spat out from Bai Tiantian’s lips.

Jiang Ran rolled her eyes aggressively. “Talk about a persistent ghost. Why on earth did you follow me all the way to Jiangbei City?”

“Who followed you?” Bai Tiantian fired back, returning the eye-roll with interest. “I moved to Jiangbei strictly to pursue my academic and professional career. What does that have to do with you?”

Lin Xi’s wide, expressive eyes continued to bounce between the two bickering girls, her mind desperately formulating a scandalous theory regarding their intense history. “You guys… didn’t date in the past, did you?!”

Back when she was in middle school, she had witnessed girls dating other girls before. While she didn’t entirely understand it, she maintained absolute respect for it.

Bai Tiantian practically exploded at the suggestion. “Are you insane?! How could I ever fall for someone like her? She doesn’t even possess the proper equipment—what use would she be to me?!”

Jiang Ran let out a cold, dismissive sneer. “Male-pleaser.”

“How does that make me a male-pleaser? It’s not like I’m going to drop dead if I don’t have a man in my life!” Bai Tiantian barked back defensively.

“Would you two care to sit down on the sofa to continue your screaming match?” Lin Xi interjected gently. “Aren’t your legs getting tired standing here?”

Without another word, Bai Tiantian spun on her heel and marched back into the living room. “If I had known she was the guest coming over, I would have packed my bags and left already.”

Jiang Ran let out an equally icy hmph. “If I had known she was staying here, I wouldn’t have set foot inside this apartment in the first place.”

Walking closely behind them, Lin Xi let out a heavy, dramatic sigh. “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m the one who’s completely dynamic-breaking and extra here?”

Jiang Ran instantly halted her steps, turning back to wrap her arm securely around Lin Xi. “Xi’xi, don’t overthink things. Absolutely no one could ever replace the position you hold in my heart.”

Seated on the sofa, Bai Tiantian caught the exchange and rolled her eyes so violently that the black irises vanished entirely, leaving only white. “Can you get any more sickening? Get away from our Xi’xi.”

—

Lin Xi coaxed Jiang Ran onto the sofa, and the three of them settled into a tense, triangular formation.

“Tiantian, if I remember correctly, your family is originally from Baiyun City, right?” Lin Xi asked, attempting to bridge the gap.

Bai Tiantian nodded stiffly. “She and I were middle school classmates.”

“And elementary school,” Jiang Ran added coldly, chiming in to correct the record.

Bai Tiantian let out a sharp hmph. “In reality, we’ve known each other since preschool.”

“Oh!” Lin Xi shrugged her shoulders playfully. “So it turns out I’m actually the least familiar person in this circle.”

“She and I completely cut ties in our second year of middle school,” Jiang Ran stated flatly.

Bai Tiantian lowered her eyes, her voice dropping an octave. “Just to run away from me, she packed up and fled all the way to Jiangbei City for her third year.”

“Who said I moved to Jiangbei to escape you?” Jiang Ran shot a glare across the table. “You don’t carry nearly that much leverage. My family relocated because my parents had a corporate job transfer.”

“But you clearly could have chosen to stay behind!” A sudden, distinct shimmer of tears began to glaze over Bai Tiantian’s eyes. “We explicitly promised each other that we would test into the exact same high school, and then move on to the exact same university together. You completely turned your back on our pact.”

“You actually have the audacity to accuse me of breaking our pact?” Jiang Ran slammed her hand down against the leather cushions, shooting up from the sofa. She leveled a trembling finger directly at Bai Tiantian’s face. “You were the one who stabbed me in the back first!”

“I treated you like my absolute best friend in the entire world, and what did you do? You went ahead and broadcasted my deepest, most private secret to everyone!”

Bai Tiantian scrambled to her feet as well, her chest heaving as she faced down her former friend. “I explained it to you a million times back then—I wasn’t the one who leaked it! And besides, if we’re talking about backstabbing, you were the one who betrayed me first!”