Chapter 653

The bonfire party ended.

After Zhao Rongjun and Xu Yinghuan publicly announced their romantic relationship in front of everyone, they finally stopped hiding it.

Xu Yinghuan clung to Zhao Rongjun's side, refusing to let go of his hand unless absolutely necessary.

By nine o'clock at night, everyone was full and drunk, and began returning to their motorhomes to shower.

After singing in the bathroom and finishing her shower, Xu Yinghuan returned to the bedroom and discovered Qiao Xinyan was gone.

Just as she frowned, wondering where to look, Yan Zhusheng walked in from outside, holding a set of pajamas.

"Zhusheng? What are you doing?" Xu Yinghuan asked, puzzled.

"I'm sleeping here tonight." Yan Zhusheng shut the bedroom door and began changing into her pajamas.

Xu Yinghuan blinked, unable to help asking, "Where's Xinyan?"

"Xixi said she wanted to sleep with Xinyan tonight, so I came over to keep you company." Yan Zhusheng climbed into bed and pulled the quilt over herself.

Xu Yinghuan didn't think much of it, climbed in beside Yan Zhusheng, and grinned teasingly, "You're not secretly just wanting to sleep with me and pretending Xixi took Xinyan away, are you?"

"You're imagining things." Yan Zhusheng glanced at her, expressionless. "Tonight was supposed to be my turn to sleep with Li Luo."

"But if Xixi's sleeping with Xinyan, then Senior has nowhere to sleep."

"So I switched with Senior—I let her sleep with Li Luo tonight, and I'll take my turn tomorrow."

"..." Xu Yinghuan fell silent. Though she'd long known the strange dynamic among the four of them, hearing Yan Zhusheng speak of rotating sleep duties so casually still shook her worldview—but she couldn't help asking, "And the day after tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow? Obviously, Xixi sleeps with Li Luo."

"This is just too extreme..."

Yan Zhusheng shot her a look that said, "What's so surprising?"

She dropped the subject and asked Xu Yinghuan instead, "So, how far have you two gone? Haven't even kissed yet?"

"How could we be that fast!" Xu Yinghuan blushed. "We've only been together for less than half a month!"

"And during this time, he and Xinyan have been working part-time at KFC—we barely have time for dates."

"This trip is probably our first real date."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded, then, as someone experienced, advised her, "You should try it sometime—kissing feels really nice."

"Don't make it sound so normal!" Xu Yinghuan said, exasperated. "This is my first kiss—I can't just give it away casually!"

"Then at least hug more." Yan Zhusheng continued sharing her intimacy tips with her best friend. "You're wearing shorts today—let Zhao Rongjun touch your legs. Guys love that."

Xu Yinghuan: "... Stop giving me bad ideas. Jun isn't like Li Luo—he's already nervous just holding hands. Let's take it slow."

"Still..."

"Actually, I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I might never have had the courage to confess to him so soon."

"Huh?" Yan Zhusheng looked confused. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Because you're always so bold," Xu Yinghuan said, her expression thoughtful. "You don't know—I went to middle school with Li Luo and Xixi."

"Back then, they were already extremely close."

"All the girls secretly thought Xixi was deeply in love with Li Luo—especially since they were childhood friends, that bond was even stronger."

"Then in high school, you actually stole Li Luo away from Xixi."

"Well... I wouldn't say you fully stole him, but I feel if you hadn't been so proactive, Li Luo would've been Xixi's forever."

"I used to think girls should be reserved in love."

"But seeing you inspired me—I realized Jun's personality: if I waited for him to confess, I'd be waiting until the end of time."

"So I decided to take the initiative!"

Yan Zhusheng listened, then suddenly looked enlightened. She clapped her hands, applauding Xu Yinghuan with a proud smile: "Good job."

No wonder she was her best friend.

"By the way," Xu Yinghuan said after finishing her confession, "you kept asking me—so how far have you and Li Luo gone?"

Yan Zhusheng raised an eyebrow and seriously counted off on her fingers: "We've hugged, kissed, touched—everything's been done."

"That's amazing," Xu Yinghuan whispered, eyes sparkling.

But Yan Zhusheng felt that wasn't shocking enough. She rolled her eyes, then pulled a small plastic square from her pajama pocket: "And this."

Xu Yinghuan didn't recognize it at first. She leaned closer, studying the logo and brand name, then realized what it was.

She gasped, eyes wide with shock, face flushing crimson, stammering helplessly, unable to speak.

Seeing her best friend's reaction, Yan Zhusheng nodded in satisfaction, tucked her strategic nuclear weapon away, and added, "I've got a few tricks I learned from Senior—I'll teach them to you for free."

"What kind of tricks?"

"Bedroom knowledge."

"... I probably don't need that yet."

At the same time, in another motorhome.

Because he'd written ahead yesterday and today's events had taken up his time, Xu Youyu didn't write any more.

After being assigned a rotation by Xixi and Zhusheng, Xu Youyu took a shower early and went to sleep on the rear bunk with Li Luo.

Lying together, they unusually did nothing improper—their thoughts were elsewhere.

Xu Youyu turned to look at Li Luo, noticing his heavy expression. She smiled, rolled onto her side, and smoothed his furrowed brow: "What are you thinking about? Your face looks like it's dripping."

"I just feel... if I'd intervened a little back then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Since his rebirth, Li Luo had rarely faced situations that troubled him.

Helping Zhao Rongjun ease his gynophobia wasn't out of brotherly duty—he didn't feel obligated to fix everything for his friends.

For Li Luo, he'd had no real friends in his past life; Zhao Rongjun was the only person he'd ever truly confided in since childhood.

If, in matters of women, he had several regrets...

As for my side, Li Luo's only regret is Zhao Rongjun.

Back in high school, Zhao Rongjun would occasionally pass along news about Ying Chanxi to him.

Even after both got into Qianjiang University, he never looked down on his childhood friend who chose to study cooking in vocational school.

Their bond remained as pure as it had been since childhood; when Li Luo's mother fell gravely ill and urgently needed money, Zhao Rongjun lent it without hesitation.

He even risked quarreling with his wife over it.

Given his quiet nature, the fact that he dared to argue with his wife shows just how resolute he was.

He even said he'd divorce his wife if necessary just to lend the money.

In his thirty-five years of life, Li Luo had never met anyone else among his acquaintances with such a brother.

Oh, wait—his own father seemed to have been the same; Ying Shu must have lent him plenty of money back then too.

Thinking of this, Li Luo couldn't help a wry smile: "I hope his personality becomes firmer, so sometimes I avoid interfering in his choices."

"Isn't that fine then?" Xu Youyu laughed. "You're his good friend, not his dad. Even help has its limits."

"But what if I'd warned Chanxi ahead of time, so she could prepare Qiao Xinyan?"

"Or when Chanxi first told me Qiao Xinyan had this plan, I'd told her then that Xu Yinghuan was also showing signs…"

"And then?" Xu Youyu chuckled. "Would Qiao Xinyan stop hoping for a confession and thus avoid getting hurt?"

"Or do you think if you'd warned her early, Qiao Xinyan would've confessed first, and Zhao Rongjun would've ended up with her?"

"Have you considered who'd get hurt then? Wouldn't it be Xu Yinghuan?"

"When choosing between two options, a perfect outcome is never guaranteed."

Li Luo fell silent, then asked unconsciously: "What about you, Youyu? Would you do the same?"

"I choose not to answer the question," Xu Youyu smiled sweetly. "Some beliefs aren't easily accepted unless you can make both Qiao Xinyan and Xu Yinghuan agree."

Li Luo: "... I'm not that ridiculous."

Besides, Zhao Rongjun's personality makes it downright hard to ask him to pursue both.

Right now, though Qiao Xinyan will be heartbroken for a while, if Zhao Rongjun ends up with Xu Yinghuan, it's still far better than his fate in the last life.

One can't be too greedy.

"So now do you realize how great I am?" Xu Youyu plopped onto Li Luo, grinning. "Otherwise, your situation would be just like Zhao Rongjun's."

"Then shouldn't I repay Youyu properly?"

"... Your best repayment right now is to move your hand off my butt."

While the two at the back of the car chatted on the bed,

at the front, on the forehead bed, the atmosphere was utterly silent.

Qiao Xinyan still wore her usual indifferent expression; after lying down and sensing the silence grow heavier, she smiled and asked: "Chanxi, where are we going tomorrow?"

Seeing her best friend's smile, Ying Chanxi felt as if a needle had pierced her heart.

She gently clasped Qiao Xinyan's hand and whispered: "Xinyan, if you're hurting, cry—it'll make you feel better."

"Why be sad?" Qiao Xinyan shook her head. "Yinghuan and Junge are so well matched. Since they're together, I'm happy for them."

"But—but…" The more Ying Chanxi watched Qiao Xinyan's calm demeanor, the more her heart ached—until she choked up, tears slipping out softly. "It's my fault. It's all my fault…"

"If only when you said you wanted to confess, I hadn't advised you to wait until this trip—if I'd told you to go straight to Zhao Rongjun, maybe…"

"Enough, enough," Qiao Xinyan quickly pulled Ying Chanxi into her arms. "It's my choice in the end. You only gave me advice."

"But…" After being held, Ying Chanxi cried even harder, her heart aching as if she herself had been heartbroken.

When she saw Xu Yinghuan announce her relationship with Zhao Rongjun…

saw Yan Zhusheng standing beside them offering congratulations…

turned to look at Qiao Xinyan forcing a smile…

then spotted the transparent jar rolling beneath the car…

Ying Chanxi felt as if she'd caught a glimpse of herself.

That sense of loss, sorrow, resentment, and regret choked her.

Thinking that Qiao Xinyan was probably suffering a hundred times more than she was, Ying Chanxi felt unbearable grief.

Yet as she cried, she noticed Qiao Xinyan's body trembling slightly.

When she stopped crying and listened closely, she realized Qiao Xinyan had been silently weeping into her arms, shuddering quietly.

"Xinyan…"

"Don't say anything, okay? Chanxi, don't say anything… this is enough already…"

"Is this… enough?" Ying Chanxi bit her lip. Hearing those words, she felt another wave of pain, her chest tight.

A scene flashed through her mind.

In it, Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng stood before a bonfire, smiling as they announced their relationship.

She stood in the shadows, watching with sorrow, then forced a smile and stepped forward to congratulate her childhood friend on finding love.

Just imagining that scene made her chest ache fiercely.

Holding Qiao Xinyan tightly, Ying Chanxi looked down at her friend, who was now sobbing uncontrollably—and for no reason, a flicker of relief rose in her heart.

In matters of love, she and Xinyan were indeed very similar.

Both were introverted, reserved in such matters, preferring to quietly stand by the ones they loved…

If viewed this way… at least she'd been lucky?

Ying Chanxi suddenly realized this—she remembered how Xu Youyu always sneaked into Li Luo's space, how Yan Zhusheng always cuddled up to him right in front of her.

Yet when she truly wanted to be with Li Luo, they'd both step aside, never deliberately intruding.

That kind of thing was strange…

But looking at Qiao Xinyan in her arms, Ying Chanxi felt that a shell, already riddled with cracks within her heart, seemed ready to shatter completely.

"Xinyan… do you think… there's still a chance?"

Ying Chanxi spoke these words without reason.

"Huh?" Qiao Xinyan instinctively looked up at her, rubbing her slightly swollen eyes, not quite understanding what Ying Chanxi had said.

But Ying Chanxi hesitated, weighed her words again and again, then finally gave a slight shake of her head: "N-nothing… I was just talking nonsense."

(End of Chapter)