Zhao Yu tilted her head to the side and easily spotted Lin Shu hiding not far away.
Lu Jing followed her gaze, and the moment he saw Lin Shu, a look of involuntary disgust and impatience flickered in his eyes.
"She’s right there, go ask her yourself."
Wang Lin turned his head in the direction of Zhao Yu’s gaze: "Sister-in-law? Why are you here?"
"My, it seems plenty of people know about Comrade Wang Jianguo’s marriage. You and Lu Jing truly are brothers in arms."
Zhao Yu’s voice was thick with sarcasm the moment she spoke.
Lin Shu walked over with her head bowed and mincing steps, standing beside Lu Jing and carefully leaning toward him in a cowering posture.
"Huh?" Wang Lin looked bewildered: "Brother Lu... you two?"
"There is nothing between us." Lu Jing took a step to the left, putting some distance between himself and Lin Shu.
Seeing this, Lin Shu bit her lower lip, looking aggrieved.
"Yu Yu, look at her," Ning Songyun whispered, leaning in toward Zhao Yu. "It’s a waste of talent for her to be in the Cultural and Art Troupe; she should be on the professional stage."
"You dare say anything," Zhao Yu tugged at Ning Songyun’s hand.
Ning Songyun stuck out her tongue and shook Zhao Yu’s arm: "Fine, I’ll stop, I’ll stop. Let’s go. Just seeing them makes me feel like I’ve run into bad luck."
Zhao Yu didn't move; instead, she looked up at Ning Songyi.
"You two go ahead; we should head back too," Ning Songyi said, his tone surprisingly gentle.
Zhao Yu nodded. As they left the state-run restaurant and passed by Lu Jing, she didn't even spare him a glance.
Ning Songyun and Zhao Yu strolled slowly, with Ning Songyun occasionally stealing glances at Zhao Yu, looking as if she had something on her mind.
"Want to ask something? Go ahead."
As soon as Zhao Yu gave her the opening, Ning Songyun stuck to her like a plaster.
"I’ve never seen my brother talk to anyone so gently. How did you manage that?"
Zhao Yu fidgeted with two different colored hairpins in her hand as she replied: "I and Shi..."
Thinking it inappropriate to call Ning Songyi by his childhood nickname "Stone" in front of Ning Songyun, Zhao Yu corrected herself: "Comrade Ning and I met in Heisheng when we were children."
"You grew up in the Heisheng compound too?" Ning Songyun was shocked: "Then... was my brother close to anyone else besides you back there?"
Ning Songyun’s tone grew even more astonished: "Don't tell me those letters he was writing were to you!"
"You knew about the letters?" Zhao Yu was surprised.
"Of course I did," Ning Songyun said, chin raised with a touch of pride. "During that time, my brother would squat by the door every single day waiting for a reply. If there was no letter, he wouldn't say anything, but the air pressure around him would be terrifyingly low."
Recalling those days, Ning Songyun couldn't help but shiver.
"When my brother first came back, I wasn't very close to him, and I was so scared by his state that even after he’d been home for half a month, I didn't dare speak to him."
"How long... did he wait?" Zhao Yu lowered her head and slowed her movements.
"Almost two months, I think. He’d leave in a rush every day, and after training ended, he’d sit at the gate waiting. When it got dark, he’d come back with that heavy gloom hanging over him."
Zhao Yu pursed her lips: "I had moved away by then, so I never received them."
"That explains it!" Ning Songyun realized. "I was worried my brother had offended someone before he left, which is why he didn't get a reply. It turns out it was just because you’d moved. No wonder he acts so strange whenever he sees you. Did you explain it to him?"
Ning Songyun picked up the sky-blue hairpin Zhao Yu had placed on the counter: "My brother is a stubborn mule. If you don't take the initiative to explain, he’d rather suffocate than ask."
"He asked," Zhao Yu said, taking the hairpin Ning Songyun had chosen to go pay for it.
"He... he asked?" Ning Songyun’s eyes went wide with disbelief, and she chased after Zhao Yu: "You have to tell me all about it later."
"Alright." After Zhao Yu paid, she placed the hairpin in Ning Songyun’s hair.
"You bought it for me?" Ning Songyun’s eyes sparkled with delight.
Zhao Yu nodded: "You treated me to a meal, so I’m giving you a little gift in return."
"But my brother was the one who paid for the meal," Ning Songyun mused. "Then I’ll go buy the pale yellow one too. We’ll both wear them, and everyone will know we’re best friends!"
Without waiting for Zhao Yu to respond, Ning Songyun hopped away.
Zhao Yu shrugged and smiled helplessly. Her peripheral vision caught something on a nearby counter, and after a moment of thought, she walked over to it.
"Yu Yu, what are you doing?" When Ning Songyun returned, she saw Zhao Yu walking over from the other counter.
"Just taking a look." Zhao Yu tucked something into her pocket: "Did you buy yours?"
"I did!" Ning Songyun reached out and clipped the hairpin into Zhao Yu’s hair: "It looks great on you!"
"You look great too," Zhao Yu replied to the compliment with a smile.
However, this good mood didn't last long.
On the way back to the dormitory, Zhao Yu felt that people were glancing at them covertly, whispering and gossiping as they passed.
Ning Songyun obviously noticed it too: "Yu Yu, what is this all about?"
"I don't know. Let’s get back first."
They quickened their pace, but as soon as they reached the dormitory building, they heard a chaotic din coming from inside.
"Lin Shu, is what you said true? Is Zhao Yu really that shameless, flirting around and slandering you on top of it?"
"That’s just too much!"
"I knew it. Look at that fox-like face of hers; it’s no surprise she’d do something like that."
Having heard the exchange, Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun exchanged a look, both realizing that the behavior of the people outside was undoubtedly linked to Lin Shu.
Lin Shu spotted Zhao Yu, pushed through the crowd, and threw herself, sobbing, at Zhao Yu’s feet.
"What do you think you’re doing!"
Ning Songyun was so startled by the display that she jumped several feet back.
"Yu Yu, I’m sorry, but since you have someone better like Comrade Ning Songyi now, please, I beg you, don't hold a grudge against me. Just tell the troupe leader to let me come back."
Zhao Yu instantly understood what the glares on the way back were about.
It turned out to be Lin Shu’s "contribution," spreading rumors about her everywhere.
"The troupe leader fired you. What does that have to do with me?"
"You’re the future daughter-in-law of the troupe leader. Wasn't I fired before because I offended you? Please, just let me off this one time."
"What nonsense are you spouting! My mother fired you because you violated regulations by getting married in secret and getting pregnant!"
Hearing Lin Shu slander He Fang, Ning Songyun exploded, pointing at Lin Shu in a fit of rage.
Lin Shu seemed startled, trembling for a moment before feigning fear and changing her tune.
"Right, it was my own fault. It has nothing to do with the troupe leader or Yu Yu."
"You!"
Ning Songyun had never dealt with someone like Lin Shu; she felt as if she were punching cotton, her indignation stuck in her chest.
Zhao Yu pulled Ning Songyun behind her and patted her shoulder.
"Don't be angry." Then, she looked down at Lin Shu: "Is the reason you’re making this scene today because Lu Jing told you he wouldn't marry you?"