Meng Fanyu looked extremely happy. Even behind his glasses, Guan Yao fancied she could see little twinkling stars.
From his tone of voice, she could tell he was trying hard to restrain his excitement: "Okay."
Guan Yao and Meng Fanyu left the barbecue stall and walked toward a nearby bubble tea shop.
Along the way, the street neon lights flickered, casting shadows of the two that stretched and distorted by turns.
With her mind set on testing her "money-cheating superpower," Guan Yao unconsciously quickened her pace. Not understanding why, Meng Fanyu could only hurry to keep up.
Soon, they arrived at a cozy-looking bubble tea shop.
The shop was filled with the faint aroma of milk and tea, and warm yellow lights cast over the wooden tables and chairs, creating a cozy atmosphere.
Looking at the menu, Guan Yao ordered two of the shop's signature drinks: a pearl milk tea and a taro bobo milk tea.
She deliberately chose to pay in cash, pulling a crisp, brand-new hundred-yuan bill from her wallet and handing it to the clerk. Her eyes locked onto the clerk's movements as change was made, while she silently chanted in her heart:
"It has to come back!"
The clerk handed back the change. Guan Yao took the money and the teas, casually tucked the cash into her wallet, and pulled Meng Fanyu over to a window seat.
Outwardly she chatted idly with Meng Fanyu, but every now and then her eyes drifted toward the wallet on the table, her heart fluttering like a trapped little rabbit.
After a while, Meng Fanyu went to the restroom.
Seizing the opportunity, Guan Yao quickly opened her wallet and looked inside. Sure enough, there were still four hundred-yuan bills!
Surprised and delighted, she almost cried out. Suppressing her surging excitement, she shouted inwardly in her mind:
"It really came back!"
When Meng Fanyu returned, he noticed an irrepressible smile beaming across Guan Yao's face and asked curiously:
"Why are you so happy? What good news are you thinking about?"
Guan Yao rolled her eyes, smiled, and teased:
"Me? I just think today's bubble tea is exceptionally delicious, and my mood just lifted all at once!"
Looking at her with eyes full of tenderness, Meng Fanyu smiled along with her.
...
Insisting on doing so, Meng Fanyu walked Guan Yao home.
At the entrance of her apartment building, they ran into someone.
It was Deng Xueyan.
Her family lived in the building right next to Guan Yao's.
Seeing Guan Yao and Meng Fanyu together, a flash of jealousy and resentment crossed Deng Xueyan's eyes. Swaying her hips, she walked over and put on a look of great delight:
"Oh! Yao Yao!"
"How wonderful! I'm so happy to see you've already moved on!"
A seemingly enthusiastic smile hung on Deng Xueyan's face as she walked up to Guan Yao and affectionately grabbed her hand, though the warmth felt somewhat hypocritical:
"I thought that business with He Junkang had hurt you pretty badly!"
"When you look for someone next time, you simply have to find a handsome guy like Meng Fanyu—good character, great figure, and such a gentle personality..."
"He never holds your past against you!"
When delivering that last sentence, Deng Xueyan deliberately turned her head toward Meng Fanyu; those words were meant for him.
Thank goodness Guan Yao had lived two lifetimes and possessed a level of maturity Deng Xueyan could never imagine.
Had it been her past life, she probably would have had to swallow her anger and slowly try to explain things to Meng Fanyu.
And she might very well have fallen victim to Deng Xueyan's instigation.
Although she didn't have any romantic feelings for Meng Fanyu to speak of right now, even so, she couldn't condone Deng Xueyan's malicious rumors.
A mocking curve touched the corner of Guan Yao's mouth. Without a trace, she shook off Deng Xueyan's hand and spoke in an icy tone:
"Deng Xueyan, wipe that hypocritical look off your face."
"He Junkang's affairs are none of your concern. As for you, watch your own mouth and stop talking in such a snide manner."
Deng Xueyan was startled. She hadn't expected Guan Yao, who used to be so timid and submissive, to become so sharp now.
It had only been two days without seeing her during the college entrance exams, and she had turned into this.
Could it be... that her entire three years of high school had been an act?
Stung by Guan Yao's retort, Deng Xueyan's expression shifted, but she quickly recovered her fake smile:
"Yao Yao, you really hurt my feelings saying things like that. I'm just concerned about you."
"Look at you now, together with Meng Fanyu—I'm genuinely happy for you."
"But you know how it is, there are always people in this world who love to gossip. If all those past things about you get spread around, it won't look good for either you or Meng Fanyu."
As she spoke, she used the corner of her eye to observe Meng Fanyu's reaction.
Guan Yao let out a cold snort, stepped forward, and looked straight into Deng Xueyan's eyes: "Deng Xueyan, stop trying to scare me. Everything I've been through in the past was done in the open; there's nothing shameful about it."
"And," Guan Yao emphasized her tone, "Meng Fanyu and I just happened to run into each other today."
"Don't read too much into it."
Seeing that Guan Yao refused to back down, Deng Xueyan grew annoyed in her heart and decided to pull out a more vicious trick.
She suddenly covered her mouth, feigning astonishment: "Oh dear, I almost forgot—didn't you have a terrible falling out with He Junkang before?"
"And after he did such awful things to you, do you think Meng Fanyu will have any misgivings in his heart if he finds out about all this?"
"Though," Deng Xueyan changed her tune, "you always kept He Junkang on a string..."
"Treating the guy like a spare tire."
"Accepting his care with one hand while turning around and pushing him aside."
She let out a snort of laughter. "No wonder He Junkang ended up doing something so extreme in the end."
As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Meng Fanyu.
Meng Fanyu frowned and was about to speak when Guan Yao cut in ahead of him:
"Meng Fanyu is not someone narrow-minded like you."
"He knows what kind of person He Junkang is, and he's well aware that I'm the victim."
"Unlike certain people who spend all day plotting to sow discord, and can't bear to see others doing well because their own lives are miserable."
"Deng Xueyan, if you're really that idle, you'd better go spend time improving yourself instead of coming here to ruin people's moods."
Just as Guan Yao was about to dish out more, Meng Fanyu spoke up: "Deng Xueyan, keep your nose out of mine and Guan Yao's business."
"It has nothing to do with you."
"If I remember correctly, didn't you just find yourself a new boyfriend with dyed blonde hair recently?"
"I saw you holding his hand and walking into a hotel just this afternoon after finishing my exam."
"At this time of night, why are you even out here?"
"Could it be that Blondie already finished in three minutes?"
He put on a thoughtful look. "So is it that Blondie is too fast, or are you..."
"Exceptionally skilled?"
"A seasoned professional?"
With that, as if he still hadn't vented enough frustration, he kept pressing: "Of course, this is your private family business, and it's not my place to worry about it."
"Still, to be frank..."
"Walking alone out here in the dead of night, does your boyfriend even care?"
"Isn't he very attentive toward you?"
With a look of utter disgust, Meng Fanyu practically had the word "promiscuous" written across his face: "Are you two actually boyfriend and girlfriend who mutually love each other, or are you just... hookup partners taking what you need from one another?"