Chapter 125: Two Girls' Rift

Shen Yan lifted the bag in his hand and said, "I'm planning to make some late-night snacks and have a drink to liven things up. I wanted to ask if you and Wu Yue'er would like to join."

"Yes, please!" Chen Shanni's face immediately lit up with joy—not for the sake of the food, but simply because eating and drinking with good friends was relaxing and pleasant.

Five minutes later.

The three of them were in the Shen Family kitchen preparing ingredients. Wu Yue'er was wearing purple teddy-bear pajamas, her hair tied in a small ponytail, and a pair of pink-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. As she snipped the tails off the river snails, she muttered that after this late-night snack, she would probably gain another pound.

Speaking of this, Wu Yue'er began to complain incessantly. As a model, she had to constantly manage her figure; not everyone was like Hao Anqi, who could eat whatever she wanted without gaining an ounce.

Shen Yan said she didn't have to eat if she didn't want to, as no one was forcing her. Wu Yue'er immediately shook her head like a bobblehead; the speed of her mood swing was so fast that even a Peking Opera Master would have clicked their tongue in wonder.

"Life is short, how much time do we really have? One must not let down good food; I'll worry about losing weight later."

Then Wu Yue'er asked, "What about that little girlfriend of yours? Why didn't you ask her to join? Did you have a fight?"

"Couples don't need to be glued together every single day, and besides, she can't hold her liquor."

A flash of disappointment crossed Wu Yue'er's eyes, and she asked nonchalantly, "How far have you two developed? Hugs? Kisses? Or... hmm!"

As she spoke, she kept arching her eyebrows at Shen Yan.

That expression, that tone—it was indescribably lewd.

Shen Yan rolled his eyes at her. "Looks like you're quite the expert. I hear that when girls chat with their besties, they can be even more 'reckless' than guys—they don't even know how to hit the brakes."

"Actually, I'm really curious about how you guys usually 'drive'."

Chen Shanni sat to the side, blushing furiously, her head bowed so low her chin was almost touching her chest.

They were all adults; who could be purer than distilled water?

She couldn't join in on this kind of topic, nor did she want to. She always felt such things were too far off, and she feared that if she listened too much, she would have those kinds of shy, embarrassing dreams at night.

At this moment, even someone as carefree as Wu Yue'er couldn't quite handle it. She shot Shen Yan a glare and chided, "Can a stinky man like you know about the topics we girls discuss?"

Shen Yan chuckled twice, looking as if he understood, and Wu Yue'er kicked him in frustration.

Over half an hour passed, and four delicacies had appeared on the dining table: stir-fried river snails, hairy crabs, peanuts, and garlic shrimp tails. The aroma filled the entire room, making one's mouth water.

Each of them opened a bottle of beer, feeling as happy as immortals.

Shen Yan and Wu Yue'er didn't care about their image at all, devouring the food with gusto. They used both hands and mouths, never stopping for a second, sometimes grabbing the food directly with their hands and stuffing it into their mouths.

In contrast, Chen Shanni appeared much more reserved. She chewed her food slowly and methodically, her movements elegant and graceful, as if she were attending a high-class banquet.

Perhaps if there were a bottle of red wine, the atmosphere would be even more perfect.

"Shen Yan, these steamed hairy crabs you made are great; the timing is just right."

"The river snails are fresh, juicy, and have a delicate texture..."

"Come! Cheers!"

Glasses clinked, and time flew by.

The three of them ate and drank, and in the blink of an eye, Shen Yan and Wu Yue'er had already finished three bottles of beer each. Chen Shanni's tolerance was actually quite average; she had only finished one bottle.

Fortunately, there were no "heavy drinkers" there to pressure others to drink; how much one drank depended entirely on their mood.

As the food and drink went down, the conversation opened up. Wu Yue'er began to grumble, "Shen Yan, you don't know this, but Youwei thinks we're getting too close, and now she has a huge problem with me."

"She doesn't even greet me when we meet, and she's even dragging Qiqi along to isolate me."

Ever since that hug on the playground last time, Yu Youwei had sought out Wu Yue'er, wearing a cold face and saying that since they were of different genders, they needed to be mindful of their behavior to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

With that tone and that attitude, anyone who didn't know better would have thought Yu Youwei was Shen Yan's girlfriend.

Although Wu Yue'er had a fiery temper, she considered their relationship as roommates and the fact that she had been a guest at Yu Youwei's home during the National Day holiday, so she didn't lose her temper. She only said, "It was just a hug to celebrate a victory; no one is going to gossip about that."

Yu Youwei then said, "There are so many boys in school, yet you don't look for them and instead choose Shen Yan to be your 'buddy.' Tell me the truth, do you like Shen Yan?"

"Didn't I tell you last time? I just get along well with Shen Yan."

Wu Yue'er said this very candidly.

In the beginning, Wu Yue'er only felt that Shen Yan was mature in his thinking and quite compatible with her, which was why she had the idea of becoming sworn siblings.

Yu Youwei, however, wore a sorrowful expression and said, "I've always treated you as my best friend, but I feel like you're lying to me. Your attitude toward Shen Yan is completely different from how you treat other boys."

To be honest, at first, Yu Youwei had a very good impression of this straightforward and unpretentious girl. When the other party suggested going to the beach, she had brought her home without a second thought.

She had even told Wu Yue'er, without reservation, about the time Shen Yan had confessed his feelings to her. Wu Yue'er's reaction had been quite comforting; while consoling her, she had even helped probe Shen Yan's thoughts on the side.

At that moment, she had truly considered Wu Yue'er her best friend.

But in the little details of their daily life, Yu Youwei suddenly realized that this best friend seemed to be hiding something from her and harbored special feelings for Shen Yan.

This made Yu Youwei feel deeply deceived and betrayed.

Facing Yu Youwei's mournful expression, Wu Yue'er did feel a bit guilty, but what was wrong with liking someone? She did like Shen Yan, it was just that these feelings couldn't be exposed for the time being.

Moreover, from beginning to end, she had indeed been helping and comforting Yu Youwei, and although she harbored a little secret, it was harmless.

After all, Shen Yan had a legitimate girlfriend.

Considering Yu Youwei's feelings, Wu Yue'er hadn't even revealed the scenes of sweet couple interactions that Hao Anqi had posted on her social media, fearing that Yu Youwei would be deeply hurt or sink into a quagmire she couldn't escape.

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Yue'er patiently said again, "Of course treating a friend is different from treating a stranger. Don't I treat you all with the same closeness?"

Yu Youwei's expression softened slightly. If possible, she preferred to believe that her best friend hadn't deceived her, so she said, "Then in the future, keep some distance from Shen Yan, so as not to be misunderstood and cause gossip."

Anything else was fine, but this was the one thing Wu Yue'er absolutely could not accept.

Wu Yue'er's voice also turned cold. "Youwei, Shen Yan has a girlfriend. If you like Shen Yan, you can go compete with Hao Anqi; what's the point of targeting me here?"

Yu Youwei was instantly hit where it hurt. Shen Yan's attitude was obvious; what right did she have to compete with Hao Anqi? If she did that, she would inevitably be met with Shen Yan's disgust and subsequently be distanced by him, which was something she did not want to see.

Whether Wu Yue'er was sincere or fake, the only thing Yu Youwei could do now was to maintain her relationship with Shen Yan. Watching Wu Yue'er and Shen Yan grow closer by the day, even replacing her—the childhood friend—as Shen Yan's best friend...

How could this be allowed!

She was Shen Yan's best friend, the person closest to him after his girlfriend. Whoever tried to snatch that away from her was her enemy.

Just like that, Wu Yue'er and Yu Youwei refused to yield to each other, conflicts began to arise, and it evolved into the current state of mutual isolation.