"What are you laughing about? You don't even know where the room is yet!"
Li Si slid the door open and imdiately saw Bai Shasha and Cao Yufan sitting across from each other, with four barely touched dishes on the table.
"And you're concerned about soone else laughing? What are you holding in your hands?"
Bai Shasha rolled her eyes at her, her gaze already fixed on the bag in Li Si's hand.
"Soone, not naming nas, insisted I bring local specialties, didn't they? How could I not fulfill the request? Here, take it, but don't get too emotional, okay?"
Li Si handed over the specialty products she had just retrieved from her space. anwhile, the smaller dishes had been tucked away in the space storage.
Cao Yufan eagerly reached out to take the bag, but Bai Shasha snatched it from him with an ungrateful glance. She opened it and gasped, "Oh my god, Sisi, I love you so much! How did you know I've been craving roast duck? And it's from Quanjude! Donkey roll cake—my favorite! And tuckahoe pastries—I love those too. Muah, I love you so much, Si!"
Afterwards, she blew kisses dramatically at Li Si, leaving Cao Yufan cringing in secondhand embarrassnt.
"I'm a great friend, right? Take your ti eating though, don't choke. By the way, why'd you guys order four dishes? There's already braised ribs—why'd you also get ribs with beans? Are you trying to pick a fight with ribs or sothing?"
Li Si picked up a pair of chopsticks and stared at the table in disapproval. Four dishes? Seriously? At least there was caralized sweet potato and stir-fried shredded pork with garlic sauce, which suited her taste.
Cao Yufan chuckled as he explained, "Shasha's been eating way too light during the holiday. We figured we'd get her sothing hearty! Oh, by the way, Li Si, what were you doing in Beijing? Just got back, right? Otherwise, there's no way this roast duck could be so fresh."
"Eh, just had so business there. Yep, only arrived this morning!"
Li Si secretly stuck her tongue out. Forgive her for lying. The roast duck had actually been purchased when she first arrived in Beijing, but her storage's preservation ability was top-notch. No wonder these two hadn't noticed a thing.
After a satisfying al, Li Si rested her chin on her hand, idly watching Bai Shasha devour the roast duck. In the midst of their casual chatting, Cao Yufan's phone rang. He stepped out to take the call, and when he returned, he announced that two friends nearby were coming over.
Li Si exchanged a curious look with Bai Shasha. Who could they be? Li Si suddenly smacked her forehead. Could it be ng Zijun? She recalled how he and Cao Yufan used to be tight back in the day. If not, how else would Bai Shasha have ended up attending Li Fei and ng Zijun's engagent party?
And wouldn't you know it, Li Si was right. Among the arrivals was indeed ng Zijun!
ng Zijun was undeniably handso, living up to his na and reputation. Standing at 1.8 ters tall, his lean yet proportional build was complented by strikingly good looks. No wonder he'd been a heartthrob among so many girls back in school. Except for his average family background, everything about him seed exceptional.
Cao Yufan introduced everyone to one another. The other visitor, a shorter guy nad Dong Lei, was around 1.7 ters tall, with an average appearance but a humorous and lively personality. Li Si rembered him from later days; he went on to beco a business manager at a company and did reasonably well for himself.
Li Si responded indifferently before sitting down next to Bai Shasha. Bai Shasha gave her a playful wink, and Li Si perfectly understood the aning: *Look at him, what a catch! If you like him, go for it!*
If only Bai Shasha knew the things ng Zijun would do later. Li Si thought Bai Shasha might have cursed out Cao Yufan on the spot for inviting him. Ah, destiny—entwined fates, indeed. Thankfully, she had been reborn into her second year of college, before it all started. What a blessing!
Cao Yufan and the others dove into a discussion about so technical aspects of their computer science studies. anwhile, Li Si and Bai Shasha exchanged desultory small talk on their side.
Yet, Li Si's mind drifted to the past. It must've been around the beginning of their third year. She often went to a small grove on campus to study and daydream. On several occasions, she ran into ng Zijun there. Subsequently, he began pursuing her. Clichéd as it was, she still fell for it. Maybe it was because she'd been lonely for too long or because life at her second uncle's house had been so suffocating. She longed for a pair of broad shoulders to lean on, and ng Zijun ca along at just the right ti.
At first, their relationship was a secret. Other than Bai Shasha, none of their classmates knew. It wasn't until Yao iling accidentally caught sight of them holding hands in a boutique that their relationship beca known.
At so point, Li Fei found out. She always had a way of worming herself into their plans, turning their duo into a trio. Li Si had once confided in ng Zijun about the happenings in her second uncle's household. Initially, he seed irritated with Li Fei. But gradually, his gaze lingered on Li Fei more and more, while his attention toward Li Si waned. During that period, Li Si and ng Zijun constantly fought and gave each other the silent treatnt because of Li Fei.
Right before graduation, he finally broke up with her, citing the reason: "We're not right for each other!" What an impeccable excuse and pretext, wiping out all the love and joyful mories they'd shared with a single phrase.
Fine, breaking up was fine. After all, once separated, they'd just be strangers passing by. She had questioned him, and when she knew the reason, she didn't plead. But why did rumors spread among their classmates, claiming she was shalessly trying to seduce ng Zijun, that she had no parents to instill manners in her, and that she kept pestering ng Zijun to steal her little sister's boyfriend?
When she confronted the two of them, Li Fei's pitiful, teary expression and ng Zijun's glare of hatred were images she'd never forget. So this was what it ant to twist the truth, to play the victim. She'd seen it all now.
And then? Oh, she could only laugh bitterly. Later, ng Zijun's mother approached her, telling her not to cling to her precious son anymore. She made it clear that her son and Li Fei were a match made in heaven. And her? What was she supposed to be? A year of love and companionship, and what did they amount to?
Her aunt had told her, "If I were a man standing between you and Fei'er, I'd pick Fei'er too. Our Fei'er is perfect in every way—looks, family background, you na it! Your second uncle's business is flourishing, and we can provide plenty of support in the future. And you, Li Si, what do you have to offer? diocre grades, no parents...you're no different from an orphan! What can you bring to Zijun? Don't you understand? If it weren't for your uncle and being so kind as to take you in, you would've been out on the streets long ago!"
Oh, she understood all too well. What was there not to understand? ng Zijun was the phoenix man, while Li Fei was the peacock woman. She had simply died too early in her previous life to know whether they got married or if they lived happily ever after.
Now in this lifeti, her father's inheritance had not fallen into the hands of her second uncle's family. She had gained the space storage, invested in real estate, and pursued her business ventures relentlessly. Let's see if her second uncle's business could still flourish as it had in her last life. As for Li Fei and ng Zijun, they could entangle themselves however they liked—it was no longer her concern!
With these thoughts, Li Si smiled radiantly, making ng Zijun, sitting opposite her, stare in a daze. Cao Yufan noticed ng Zijun spacing out and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, snap out of it, Zijun."
ng Zijun composed himself with a faint smile. "I was just reminded of sothing and got distracted for a mont!" He cast a fleeting glance at Li Si before continuing, "Li Si, have we t before? You look awfully familiar."
Bai Shasha sneered, "What kind of outdated pickup line is that? Even middle schoolers wouldn't use that on a girl these days!"
"Never t you. I don't recall."
Li Si's reply was curt. Bai Shasha instantly picked up on her friend's unnatural deanor. Normally, Li Si was warm and polite to everyone. This was the first ti Bai Shasha had seen her so cold.
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