Bai Shasha arrived with Cao Yufan and Dong Lei, just in ti to bump into Jiang Fan. As the group entered the villa complex, they were awestruck by the beautiful scenery and sheer luxury.
"Bai Shasha, who exactly does Li Si know? How co they’re so rich?" Dong Lei voiced what everyone else was wondering. The artificial mountain, the fountain, the swimming pool—all occupying such a vast area. Not to ntion the standalone three-story villa ahead, faintly visible, practically screaming wealth!
"It’s her elder brother’s ho, and he’s really good to her! Hey, stop asking! Since she invited us here to hang out, it ans she doesn’t treat us as outsiders. What’s the point of all these unnecessary questions?" Bai Shasha glanced at Dong Lei, who had a probing look on his face, and shot a fierce glare at Cao Yufan. This guy—why did he even bring him along?
Actually, Bai Shasha had wrongly blad Cao Yufan. When she made the phone call, Dong Lei happened to be with him. As soon as he heard there was going to be a barbecue feast, he insisted on tagging along. It was hard to say no—they were all dormmates, after all.
"Alright, alright, I won’t ask anymore. I’ve got to admit, I’m beyond impressed by Li Si now!" Dong Lei looked as if he understood everything and silently resolved to build good relations with Li Si in the future. This is what connections look like!
Li Si stood at the door and spotted the approaching group from afar. Although Dong Lei’s presence surprised her a bit, her expression remained unchanged. "You guys made it! Co on, hurry up! We’re waiting for you to skewer the at!"
"Huh? We have to do it ourselves? No ready-made barbecue?" Bai Shasha wailed. She had expected everything to be prepared already!
"Lazy pig! Doing it yourself is the fun part! With so many of us here, it won’t take long!" Li Si knew Sister Tao couldn’t possibly handle preparing all the skewers alone. Since they were all young and energetic, a little work wouldn’t hurt!
"Alright then, Li Si, where’s the marinated at? This happens to be my area of expertise!" Dong Lei looked around eagerly for the at trays, trying to show off his skills.
"Co on! We’ve been dormmates for so long, and I’ve never noticed you were skilled at anything!" Cao Yufan couldn’t help but tease him. This guy wouldn’t lift a finger even if an oil bottle tipped over—now he’s suddenly Mr. Capable?
"Give so credit! We’re representing the reputation of Dorm 209 boys here!"
"Haha!" Everyone burst out laughing. Even Bai Shasha smiled, thinking maybe it was a good thing Dong Lei had co along after all.
Sister Tao and the driver, Old Wang, moved the barbecue materials, grill, charcoal, tables, and chairs over to the pavilion in the courtyard, while a few people pitched in to help.
With so many hands at work, things moved efficiently. Initially, the group was a bit uncoordinated with skewering, but they soon sped up and worked rhythmically.
Joking and chatting as they worked, a large basin of marinated at quickly turned into dozens of skewers. Once most of the skewering was done, Li Si sat down with Bai Shasha and Jiang Fan for so continued skewering and chatting, while Cao Yufan and Dong Lei focused on lighting the charcoal and preparing the barbecue.
Suddenly, Jiang Fan recalled Li Si’s friend who had called for help. "Li Si, that friend of yours—what exactly happened that day?"
"Huh?" Li Si was carefully threading so chicken hearts onto skewers. After a mont, she rembered who Jiang Fan was referring to. "You an Zhou Rou? Honestly, the whole thing felt pretty strange."
"Hmm? What happened with Zhou Rou?" Bai Shasha wiped the stray hair off her face with her arm, puzzled. Was there sothing she wasn’t aware of?
"One day, she called and asked for my help, saying she had t a bad guy during a blind date. Then Jiang Fan and I rushed over to help her. As it turned out, we ended up running into my brother and his friends at a dinner party." Li Si briefly summarized the incident.
A hint of mockery played at Jiang Fan’s lips. "Li Si, you’re still way too trusting. Do you know what I heard later from that roundabout relative who was involved?"
Li Si and Bai Shasha both looked at her attentively.
"He said it was Zhou Rou who took the initiative to ask him out, acting overly enthusiastic when they t. At first, he thought the blind date was a success. Then Zhou Rou suddenly suggested introducing one of her good friends to him!"
"What?" Li Si’s eyes widened in disbelief. Brother Leng had ntioned before that Zhou Rou had ulterior motives, and deep down, Li Si knew it might be true. Yet, she held on to a sliver of hope.
After all, the Zhou Rou she rembered was genuinely kind. There was a ti when a new girl transferred into their class and faced exclusion from most of the students. Zhou Rou was the only one who treated her with patience and friendliness.
"How could this be? Are you saying this person is Zhou Rou, our high school classmate?" Bai Shasha was equally shocked. So much drama hidden beneath the surface—what now? She had unknowingly made a ss of things again!
"Who else could it be? That’s why you two need to be careful. Not all kindness on the surface is real. People who want to hurt you won’t outright say, ’I’m here to harm you.’" Jiang Fan recalled the mont she first t Zhou Rou—that calculating glint in her eyes betrayed her true intentions.
On the outside, Zhou Rou presented herself as fragile and kind. But her eyes always flickered with cunning.
"Why has she turned out like this? I don’t even want to see her again!" Li Si felt deeply troubled, unable to understand why Zhou Rou would act this way. There wasn’t any significant conflict between them!
Bai Shasha timidly raised her hand. "Si, I did sothing wrong! Please don’t be mad at . Listen, I didn’t know about all this beforehand! While we were on our way here, Zhou Rou called , asking what I was up to today since she had the day off. I casually ntioned I was coming here for a barbecue with you. I thought you’d already invited her!"
The atmosphere froze instantly. Even Cao Yufan and Dong Lei, who had been working on the charcoal, stopped what they were doing to watch Li Si’s reaction.
At that mont, Sister Tao rushed out from the villa. She looked surprised at how the previously cheerful gathering had suddenly fallen silent.
Still, she respectfully said, "Miss Li, there’s a young lady at the gate saying her surna is Zhou. The security guard is asking whether to let her in."
Li Si paused for a mont, regained her composure, and replied calmly, "Let her in."
"Si!" Bai Shasha looked at her friend with worry, deeply regretting her actions.
"It’s fine, Shasha. If she’s here, that’s even better. I just want to ask her directly—why? And we need to make it clear to her that we’re done playing friends." Li Si patted Bai Shasha’s shoulder, comforting her.
"Li Si’s right. Look at all of us here. Surely we can handle one person! Don’t you all agree?" Jiang Fan was always one to draw hard lines. Since Zhou Rou pretended to be Li Si’s close friend but harbored bad intentions, she was now Jiang Fan’s enemy.
"Exactly. Let’s et this fem fatale and see what color her heart truly is!" Dong Lei and Cao Yufan chid in. The boys generally preferred to keep their distance from scheming girls.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Rou appeared, wearing a white knee-length dress and red high-heeled sandals, walking slowly toward the group.
Li Si looked up and studied Zhou Rou’s delicate smile, feeling a pang of regret. This is what they call a "white lotus," isn’t it? Damn it, how brainwashed had she been to believe this woman was kind? (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit Qidian to vote for recomndation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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