Ruo Xiaozhen realized that Bai Yan’er was asking about the close friends around Yan Yu.
The question somehow sounded a bit off. If she wanted the answer, couldn’t she just ask Yan Yu herself?
Despite her confusion, Ruo Xiaozhen bit her lip and thought for a moment.
The closest friend in class was Bai Yan’er. Outside of class… it seemed like only her.
Yan Yu’s social circle at school was pathetically small, so Ruo Xiaozhen had always felt she was the closest person to Yan Yu.
If Yan Yu had made plans for the weekend with someone who wasn’t Bai Yan’er or her—then who could it be?
Suddenly, Ruo Xiaozhen felt as if something was blocking her chest. She couldn’t describe the feeling. It wasn’t anger, nor was it grievance. It was more like… a panic from having someone silently cross a certain line.
【Ruo Xiaozhen: Um… Should I go ask her?】
Before she finished typing, Bai Yan’er’s reply came through.
【Bai Yan’er: Don’t.】
One word, plus a period. Short and decisive. Ruo Xiaozhen’s fingers froze.
【Ruo Xiaozhen: What’s wrong?】
【Bai Yan’er: I don’t want Elder Sister to know I’m looking into her matters.】
Ruo Xiaozhen stared at that line for a few seconds. She wanted to ask “Why,” but then she thought—since Bai Yan’er said that, there must be a reason.
【Ruo Xiaozhen: Alright, I understand. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know, Yan’er.】
【Bai Yan’er: Mm, thank you.】
Three words, polite and distant. The conversation ended there.
Ruo Xiaozhen placed her phone beside the pillow, turned over, and stared at the small patch of moonlight filtering through the gap in the curtains.
She couldn’t describe what she was feeling now. Bai Yan’er’s words were like a small walnut tossed into the once-calm waters of her heart. The ripples weren’t big, but they spread outward, one ring after another, never stopping.
“What close friends does Elder Sister have?” She suddenly recalled the question Bai Yan’er asked earlier. At that moment, she thought the answer was none. But now she wasn’t so sure.
She and Yan Yu were inseparable every day—eating together, studying together, binge-watching shows together. If someone new appeared around Yan Yu, she should be the first to know. Yet Yan Yu had never mentioned having plans for the weekend.
Who was that person? Why couldn’t she know?
The more Ruo Xiaozhen thought about it, the less she could sleep, and the more confused her mind became. She tossed and rolled across the pillow over and over.
At around five in the morning, the sky outside the window had shifted from pitch-black to deep blue, and the faint sound of street cleaning echoed in the distance. Only then did she drowsily close her eyes, but the question was still spinning in her head.
Weekend. The weather was clear and fine.
Yan Yu woke up early. She propped herself up on the edge of the bed, leaned back against the pillow, and first closed her eyes to run through today’s plan in her mind.
She had agreed to meet Su Qinghan at the aquarium entrance at ten. It was now seven-thirty in the morning, giving her two and a half hours to prepare. For an ordinary person, that was more than enough—for her, it was just right. After all, she was slow.
First, she stood up by gripping the armrest, then slowly shuffled into the bathroom, holding onto the wall. After washing up, she returned to the bedroom, opened the wardrobe, and swept her eyes over the rows of hanging clothes.
What to wear?
It seemed like a simple question, but to Yan Yu, it required serious consideration. She closed her eyes and recalled Su Qinghan’s aesthetic preferences over the past three years.
What kind of clothes did Su Qinghan like? Or rather—what kind of clothes did Su Qinghan like to see Jiang Muyun wear?
The answer was clear: plain, simple, with a cool and indifferent style. White, beige, light gray. Sharp cuts, not too many flashy decorations. Jiang Muyun’s wardrobe was almost entirely filled with such clothes. Every time Su Qinghan saw Jiang Muyun in those outfits, her gaze would unconsciously linger a few seconds longer.
Logically, Yan Yu’s best choice was to stick to the old path and imitate Jiang Muyun. But Yan Yu hesitated.
Su Qinghan and Jiang Muyun were in a cold war. If she wore something like Jiang Muyun today, would Su Qinghan’s first reaction upon seeing her be to remember the person who had a conflict with her, who gave her the cold shoulder in public, and who still hadn’t reached out? Yan Yu wasn’t sure. Letting Su Qinghan think of an unhappy person was probably not a good idea.
In that case, for the first time in a while, she would wear her own style. Not deliberately imitating anyone, not trying to please anyone—just being herself.
Yan Yu’s fingers brushed lightly across the hangers and finally stopped on a dress she rarely wore. It was a light blue floral chiffon dress, with a skirt that reached her calves and a waist tie that could be tied into a bow. The neckline was square, revealing her collarbone and a small patch of chest. The overall tone of the dress was warm, exuding a gentle, spring-like tenderness.
She rarely wore this dress because she felt the color was too bright. But today, as she looked at that shade of light blue, she suddenly thought: why not give it a try? For the first time, not using the White Moonlight’s style, but her own. Even a substitute in the plot didn’t have to stay the same forever.
She also took two thin braided hair accessories from the drawer and tied them up.
Yan Yu studied herself in the mirror for a moment, then gently tucked a few stray strands of hair from her forehead, revealing her smooth brow. The person in the mirror seemed to have become someone else instantly.
Last step: a simple, light makeup. Since she didn’t have much experience as a girl, she didn’t attempt anything too complicated—after all, that wasn’t her area of expertise.
She chose the lightest foundation, tapping it in with a damp beauty sponge bit by bit. Then, she used brow powder to lightly fill in the tails of her brows, drawing stroke by stroke in the direction of hair growth. Next came eyeshadow, mascara, blush, lipstick…
Finally, she picked up the bottle of “Heart-Talk Perfume,” sprayed it twice on the inside of her wrist, and then gently rubbed her wrists behind her ears. The light fragrance spread.
Yan Yu put down the perfume and looked back at the mirror. The person in the mirror tilted her head slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved into a shallow smile. Even she was a little surprised—so this was what she could become. Not the silent, reticent Yan Yu, but a bright, vivid young girl.
Satisfied.
She took a pair of low-cut flats from the wardrobe, sat down by the wall, and slowly put them on. Then she grabbed her light canvas crossbody bag.
“I’m going out,” she said softly toward Ruo Xiaozhen’s tightly closed door.
There was no response from inside. Ruo Xiaozhen had been binge-watching variety shows until the early hours, so she should still be catching up on sleep. Yan Yu didn’t wake her. She gently pushed open the apartment door, wheeled her wheelchair into the hallway, and closed the door behind her.
The elevator descended slowly. When it reached the first floor, the doors slid open, and Yan Yu wheeled herself through the lobby and out the apartment building’s main entrance.
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