Chapter 87

"Wang Dage, Sister Andi, goodbye."

Watching the two go upstairs, Guan Juer fished out her keys from her small bag and walked in.

Qiu Yingying, just home and brushing her teeth, came out and said: "You're back, Guan Guan? I thought I heard you greeting Wang Dage just now?"

"Yeah, Wang Dage and Sister Andi took me out to eat." Turning back after closing the door, Guan Juer nodded at Qiu Yingying, glanced at the clock hanging in the living room, then turned to Fan Shengmei, who was wearing a facial mask on the sofa: "Sister Fan, aren't you getting your beauty sleep? It's almost eleven."

"Oh come on, isn't it all because of you? Going out to eat with Wang Yan and Sister Andi and not saying a word? Didn't even reply to messages—made me worry for nothing." As she spoke, Fan Shengmei sniffled: "Did you drink?"

"Sorry, Sister Fan, it's all my fault. Next time I'll definitely tell you ahead of time." Guan Juer apologized, then added: "We had barbecue, only drank a little beer."

She never had much of a tolerance anyway, and didn't drink much. Without the atmosphere, past the initial buzz, the little alcohol she'd had on the way home had mostly worn off.

Qiu Yingying, mouth full of toothpaste foam, mumbled: "Any hot guys?"

At the mention of hot guys, Guan Juer's mind filled with Doctor Zhao. Even though Wang Yan and Sister Andi had teased her about it, her face still flushed instantly. They were close friends, sisters—she didn't hide it, shyly saying: "There was… one. He's Wang Dage's friend."

This was definitely something going on. Qiu Yingying turned and exchanged a glance with Fan Shengmei; both nodded. Qiu Yingying hurriedly said: "Tell us, tell us quick!"

Guan Juer sat on the sofa, thought for a moment, then said: "He's a doctor…"

After hearing this, Fan Shengmei said: "Little Guan, from what you've said, this Doctor Zhao really is great. You've got to hold on tight—good men are rare these days."

"Sister Fan's right, I think Doctor Zhao's great too," Qiu Yingying chimed in. "Got a photo? Let us see?"

Guan Juer nodded, fidgeting, pulled out her phone, found Zhao Qiping's WeChat: "There. That's his profile picture."

Qiu Yingying snatched the phone at a glance: "Sister Fan, look! He's really hot!"

"Mm, definitely handsome," Fan Shengmei nodded, unable to hide her envy and bitterness: "Little Guan, Doctor Zhao's good-looking, has a great job, and his family clearly isn't poor—you're so lucky. Oh, when will I ever meet a quality man like this…"

"Why are you sighing, Sister Fan?" Qiu Yingying said. "Aren't you already with Wang Dage? He's great—I really think you two are perfect together."

Fan Shengmei had long since written off Wang Baichuan—what did "compatible" even mean? She changed the subject: "Little Earthworm, you've been brushing for over twenty minutes. That's enough."

Qiu Yingying grinned: "Forgot. I was just thinking about Guan Guan's hot Doctor Zhao. Never mind, never mind. Time to wash up and sleep. Guan Guan, you should clean up too—you reek of alcohol."

Glancing at Fan Shengmei's forlorn, self-pitying face, Guan Juer murmured an acknowledgment and went back to her room to change clothes.

…………

In the blink of an eye, two days passed. Wang Yan and Sister Andi followed their usual routine: quiet, warm days, work as usual.

But these two days were agonizing and worrying for Guan Juer.

On one hand, she chatted enthusiastically with the newly met Doctor Zhao, covering everything from topics about everything under the sun. On the other, she couldn't refuse Lin Shixiong's persistent admiration and efforts—she kept silently accepting them. This gave her a guilty feeling, like boarding a sinking ship.

Just after work hours ended, Guan Juer was still working hard. Though Sister Andi and Zhao Qiping had both comforted her about the events of the past few days, she still felt a sword hanging over her head, unable to rest. She clung to the hope that if she worked harder, her boss would notice and remember, and she could regain the points she'd lost in her boss's eyes.

The vibration of her phone drew the attention of Guan Juer, who was fully absorbed in her work.

She paused her actions, looked at the incoming call notification, hesitated, took a deep breath, and answered: "Hello? Lin Shixiong?"

"Hey, little sister? Are you off work? I happened to pass by your place today—want me to give you a ride?"

Listening to the voice on the other end, Guan Juer glanced at the time in the lower-right corner of her computer. She wasn't stupid—she knew Lin Shixiong had been waiting precisely until her shift ended to call.

Guan Juer took a deep breath and rushed out: "Lin Shixiong, thank you for taking care of me these past days. But I'm sorry, Lin Shixiong—I already like someone. Goodbye, Lin Shixiong." She hung up immediately.

Lin Shixiong, who had just bent down, lowered his head, and stepped into his car, heard the dial tone through his phone and froze. After a moment, he sat in the driver's seat, shut the door, and stared blankly at the flat, wide road ahead, his mind filled with Guan Juer's final words: "Goodbye, Lin Shixiong."

After a long while, Lin Shixiong forced a carefree smile, started the car, and drove forward…

After hanging up, Guan Juer opened her top-pinned WeChat chat, stared blankly at the last "keep going" emoji. She snapped back to herself, gave herself a mental pep talk, and returned to work.

Not long after, her phone vibrated again. She glanced at it and answered: "Hello, Sister Fan?"

"Little Guan, the property management called—said there was a huge leak downstairs last night. I firmly denied it was us…"

After listening, Guan Juer thought for a moment and said: "Could it be from me washing clothes last night?"

"Still, you can't admit it—if you do, they'll make you pay for a long list of damages. Just do as I said. I've got something to do and will be late getting back. I just called Little Earthworm—she's working overtime again. Are you working late tonight?"

Before Guan Juer could answer, Fan Shengmei glanced at Wang Baichuan beside her and continued: "If you get home early, you've got to handle this carefully—don't admit anything lightly. If there really is a problem, they'll have to rip up the floor, and the bathroom will be unusable for days. Workers will come and go—you'll have to take leave to supervise, right? Who has time for that? Got it? That's all I'm saying—be careful. I've got other things, gotta go."

Guan Juer returned to Happy Song nearly eight o'clock. As soon as she entered the building entrance, the property staff waved at her: "Finally someone's back—we've been waiting for you. Wait a sec—I'll notify the plumbing crew and the resident of 2102 to come check your place."

Guan Juer nodded silently. She wouldn't listen to Fan Shengmei's excuses—avoidance didn't solve problems. If it was her fault, she had to own it. That was the lesson her parents taught her since childhood, reinforced by the past few days' lessons.

Unlike the chaos Qiu Yingying had caused, the downstairs neighbor was reasonable, with no intention of extortion—it went smoothly.

On the other side, Wang Yan and Sister Andi had finished dinner, strolled in the park to digest, and were now chatting and laughing as they walked home. Whenever Sister Andi didn't have overtime or social obligations, they walked every day.

Just as they reached the community gate, they saw Fan Shengmei and Wang Baichuan, who had just dropped her off, talking.

Seeing the two talking, Sister Andi said to Wang Yan beside her: "Isn't that Little Fan? By the way, Wang Yan, the man standing across from her is her old classmate, Wang Baichuan."

Wang Yan grunted.

Fan Shengmei also spotted them approaching and smiled to greet them: "Hi, Sister Andi, Wang Yan."

"You've already met Sister Andi—no need to introduce her." As they drew closer, Fan Shengmei smiled and introduced to Wang Baichuan: "This is Wang Yan, Sister Andi's boyfriend."

Wang Baichuan beamed, extended his hand: "Hello, Wang Baichuan."

This fellow surname Wang, Wang Yan didn't know what to say. He was indeed a shameless sycophant—but Wang Baichuan was doing it willingly. Early on, Fan Shengmei toyed with him; he didn't know, so forgivable. But after Wei Wei's mountain villa trip, when he was publicly exposed and humiliated, he still rushed to help her fix those messy problems—it was beyond unreasonable. He was just a masochist, throwing himself at her like he couldn't live without Fan Shengmei's half-baked attention.

If Wang Yan could easily help him, he'd be glad to. But Wang Baichuan wasn't someone Wang Yan could fix with a casual gesture. Didn't he know Fan Shengmei's character? Didn't he know her family background? He wasn't stupid—he knew. He just liked it. He wanted it. You can't stop him.

Wang Yan nodded, shook his hand, and said: "You too. Same surname—we should chat sometime. We won't disturb you further. Enjoy your talk."

"Alright, no problem." Wang Baichuan nodded to Sister Andi and politely said: "Take care, goodbye."

"What disturbance? We're done talking," Fan Shengmei said now. "Sister Andi, let's go up together."

Looking at Wang Baichuan's expression, Sister Andi said: "Sure, let's go."

Fan Shengmei waved at Wang Baichuan: "Bye, drive carefully, take it slow. I'm off." Then she turned and walked away with Wang Yan and Sister Andi.

Wang Baichuan took a step forward, as if to stop Fan Shengmei, but didn't move, saying: "Get some rest early."

Without turning back, Fan Shengmei murmured "Mm" and walked away.

Watching the three disappear, Wang Baichuan hesitated a moment, entered the community, followed them to Building 19, and learned from the property staff that Fan Shengmei wasn't as glamorous as she appeared—he discovered the truth of her shared apartment. He returned to his car and called his old classmate to dig into Fan Shengmei's situation, confirming she lived poorly—and still went to pottery and flower-arranging classes…

On the way up, Sister Andi and Fan Shengmei chatted intermittently, reaching the 22nd floor. Seeing workers bustling in and out, Sister Andi said to Wang Yan: "You go ahead—I've got some things to do. I'll stay with them a bit longer."

Wang Yan nodded, gave a slight nod to Guan Juer at the door, and went upstairs.

After Wang Yan left, Sister Andi said, "It's such a mess here—why don't you come stay with me for a bit?"

Guan Juer waved her hand. "I won't go, Sister Andi. You and Sister Fan should go." She didn't say anything about "keeping an eye," because saying such a thing to someone's face felt a little like looking down on them.

Sister Andi understood exactly what was going on and didn't press. She opened the door to Room 2201 and walked in with Fan Shengmei, who had just finished checking the situation.

She took out two bottles of water and handed one to Fan Shengmei. Remembering what had just happened with Wang Baichuan, Sister Andi sat down, took a sip, and said, "Little Fan, don't think I'm meddling. In China, when men first start businesses, renting a car is completely normal. So I believe your classmate Wang isn't renting it to trick you."

After hearing Sister Andi's words, Fan Shengmei felt awkward at first—after all, the man she was close to was just putting on a show; it wasn't exactly flattering. But then she remembered she hadn't promised Wang Baichuan anything, and her awkwardness faded. She shook her head. "Did Qu Xiaoxiao tell you everything? That big mouth."

"She mentioned it by accident—I overheard," Sister Andi realized she'd betrayed Qu Xiaoxiao and awkwardly made an excuse, shifting the topic: "It's not a big deal. As long as your Wang classmate truly cares for you, whether he has a car doesn't matter."

Fan Shengmei disagreed. She shook her head. "Andi, you don't understand. I'm just an ordinary person. To settle down in Shanghai, I need over a million just for the down payment on a house. I believe he's not deliberately lying to me—but a man who can't even afford a Bao Ma 3, how can he afford a house or support a family? If I really married him and had children, I can't live in a rented apartment forever. You're different—you can buy a house with one sentence. You just can't understand, Andi."

After thinking for a moment, Sister Andi said, "I understand. Everyone wants stability. Feeling like tomorrow might not come is terrible."

"Exactly right, Andi." As if these words struck a chord, Fan Shengmei clapped her hands in agreement. "You know, everyone around me blames me… Isn't human nature fundamentally selfish?"

"I only know that if you have the means, helping others is the greatest contribution to society," Sister Andi said calmly. "But I have a question: since those with real power in society are few, why don't you consider building a life together with someone like your Wang classmate—working hard, building a nest together?"

Fan Shengmei sneered. "Partnership must be built on equality. Look at today's laws and public opinion—they only see the man who builds a career, never the woman holding up the home. If a woman has the ability to partner with someone, she might as well strive on her own. That way, she earns a good life and gains social recognition. The safest path for a woman is to rely entirely on herself."

Sister Andi smiled. "Then if that's true, why are you pretending to be in a relationship with your Wang classmate?"

"Because, honey, I need to balance my hormones."

Surprised by her sudden bluntness, Sister Andi shook her head with a smile and changed the subject to something else.

After a while, the issue on the other side was resolved. Guan Juer walked in. "Sister Fan, it's done."

"Oh, finally! Today was exhausting—I'm going to bed early." Fan Shengmei stretched. "I'm heading back. Bye, Andi. Come on, Xiao Guan."

Guan Juer thought for a moment. "You go ahead, Sister Fan. I want to talk with Sister Andi."

Fan Shengmei said nothing and left, returning to Room 2202.

Seeing Sister Andi staring at her, Guan Juer said, "Sister Andi, Brother Lin came to see me today—I turned him down."

"Turned him down?" Sister Andi blinked. She knew Guan Juer's inner turmoil—they worked together every day. She smiled. "So you chose Doctor Zhao?"

Guan Juer nodded, then shook her head, embarrassed. "It's not really a choice. I thought about it carefully—even without Doctor Zhao, I wouldn't be with Brother Lin. I just didn't know how to refuse before. Today, I gathered my courage and finally said it. I just feel bad for Brother Lin."

"Though I've had less experience than Little Fan, I believe love is simple: you like someone, you like them; you don't, you don't. You're young—don't settle for marriage out of pressure. That's truly the best thing for Brother Lin, because you're not letting him waste more time and energy on something destined to fail. Xiao Guan, don't overthink it—I support you."

"Thank you, Sister Andi. I just wanted to tell you this. I won't disturb you anymore."

Sister Andi smiled and nodded. "Alright. See you tomorrow."

After Guan Juer left, Sister Andi drank water quietly, thinking of everything since meeting Fan Shengmei, recalling her words just now, remembering what Qu Xiaoxiao had said about Fan Shengmei, and comparing her past behavior. The contrast was glaring. Not to mention comparing it with Guan Juer's handling of Brother Lin…

Shaking her head, she stopped overthinking. After focusing on some work matters, she went upstairs and found Wang Yan reading.

Lying on Wang Yan's lap, her sore shoulders being massaged, Sister Andi recounted everything: "I never expected Fan Xiao to be like this. I just don't understand why she'd do this…"

Wang Yan said calmly, "Without truly feeling what someone else feels, judging them from the outside is unreasonable. We don't know what shaped her into who she is now—so judging her only from our own perspective makes even less sense. After all, you have superhuman wisdom; she doesn't. You have money; she doesn't. You have me; she doesn't either."

Wang Yan said this with a grin—he'd always acted on subjective assumptions, and it did feel a bit unscrupulous. But there was no help for it—he had the God's-eye view.

Watching Sister Andi's face light up at "you have me," Wang Yan continued: "Vanity and materialism aren't wrong—they're personal choices. What's wrong is her refusal to say no. Xiao Guan handled it well. I should arrange a dinner soon to get her and Doctor Zhao together again, strengthen their connection."

Sister Andi sighed. "We were talking about Fan Xiao—why are you bringing up Xiao Guan?"

"Fan Shengmei isn't worth more words…" Seeing Sister Andi staring at him with wide eyes, Wang Yan sighed. "Fine, I'll say two more things. At first, their getting close and learning about each other was understandable. But after all this time, she's given no clear stance—just stringing Wang Baichuan along, wasting his time, energy, and money. That's her problem."

"Balancing hormones…" Wang Yan paused. Fan Shengmei didn't need more explanation—she'd be better off doing something productive. "I won't say more about Fan Shengmei. I still say this: if you think she's worth it, be friends. If not, stay away."

As he spoke, Wang Yan lifted Sister Andi up amid her protest: "Since we're talking about hormones, I think you need balancing too…"

Soon after, the room was filled with warmth, accompanied by cries—whether of pain or pleasure, no one could tell…

Sister Andi was already thirty-one when she lost her virginity…