Guo Ran was nestled alone in her dorm room, comfortably binge-watching a series when the door was suddenly knocked.
She paused the TV and got up to open the door.
"Shu Rui, you’re back!"
Seeing the person outside, Guo Ran’s eyes lit up with surprise.
Li Shuru, who had been away for over a week, walked into the dorm room.
"Yeah, Jin Jin and Si Yi went out to have fun."
Out of everyone in the dorm, Guo Ran was the most home-bound, able to spend a whole day watching dramas in the room.
"Shu Rui, is everything settled back at home?"
Li Shuru smiled faintly.
Death cannot be reversed.
The departed have passed on.
Those who are alive must continue to live.
"Condolences and adapt to the change."
Guo Ran did not know how to comfort her.
Li Shuru nodded her head.
"Do you need to rest for a while?"
Guo Ran asked with concern, also trying to change the subject, not wanting to dwell on her good friend’s sorrow.
Li Shuru’s mental state appeared to be quite good.
"Have you eaten? Let’s go have dinner together, I’ll treat."
Guo Ran said enthusiastically.
"I already ate on the plane."
Li Shuru politely declined her friend’s kindness, "How have you guys been these past few days?"
"Okay, just missing you."
The two shared a smile.
Guo Ran seemed to suddenly think of something and said mysteriously, "Shu Rui, I’ll tell you a secret, Si Yi might be in a relationship."
Li Shuru showed an appropriate level of curiosity, "Who’s the person?"
Guo Ran shook her head.
"She didn’t tell us, but yesterday, she actually came back wearing a pair of Manolo Blahnik high heels worth tens of thousands! Si Yi said they were a gift from someone, but when we asked who, she wouldn’t say. It’s pretty obvious it must be some rich guy."
Guo Ran remarked, "Si Yi’s romantic luck is really strong."
Being good friends, there was no need to hide anything. Guo Ran stuck out her tongue and admitted frankly, "If I had her talent for making boys spend money on me, that would be great."
Li Shuru was noncommittal, her gaze turning towards the spot Xu Siyi used for her shoes.
It could be said that Xu Siyi had the most clothes and shoes out of all of them, with at least a dozen pairs of shoes. The space under her desk was nearly stuffed full, and if there was no more room, she would throw away the old pairs or give them away.
In her own words, it was a case of "Out with the old, in with the new."
But the key was that she really had the ability to always get what she needed. If she was running low on clothes or shoes, there would always be someone gifting them to her, rarely did she spend her own money.
"She wore those shoes out."
Guo Ran seemed to know what Li Shuru was looking for.
"They really are pretty, no wonder they’re so expensive. If I ever have the money, I’ll definitely buy a pair too."
"You keep watching; I’m going to step out for a bit."
Li Shuru glanced at Guo Ran’s computer and then turned to leave.
Just came back and now leaving again?
Guo Ran was taken aback, then quickly grasped the situation and tentatively asked, "Going to see Jiang Chen?"
Li Shuru did not avoid the question and frankly hummed in affirmation, then left the dorm room.
When Jiang Chen received the call from Li Shuru, he was dining with Luo Peng and others in the cafeteria. Hearing that Li Shuru had returned so quickly, he was surprised but not exactly pleased; instead, he had a faint premonition of impending trouble.
Just the day before, Li Shuru had called him while she was still at home, and logically, she shouldn’t have returned to school so soon.
Moreover, during the call yesterday, Li Shuru did not mention anything about this matter.
Luo Peng had also heard a bit.
Jiang Chen nodded as he put down his phone.
"She came here looking for you?"
Luo Peng asked again.
Jiang Chen grunted in affirmation.
Luo Peng’s expression changed slightly; he gave Jiang Chen a "you’re on your own" look and then tugged Bai Zheli.
"Let’s get out of here."
Bai Zheli was confused, "We haven’t finished eating yet."
"Forget about eating."
Without further explanation, Luo Peng forcibly dragged the bewildered Bai Zheli away, as if this place would soon become perilous.
All Jiang Chen could do was watch them leave, and for some reason, he too suddenly lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks.
That girl Xu Siyi, she wouldn’t be so unscrupulous, would she?
Luo Peng was right; even if he was innocent, women do not operate on such logic.
If Li Shuru really found out about what happened yesterday, his reaction was truly unpredictable.
Looking around at the dense crowd of people dining, Jiang Chen stood up, left the cafeteria, and waited outside.
About ten minutes later, Li Shuru’s figure appeared in his vision for the first time in a week.
With her slightly curled long hair draped over one shoulder, wearing a black-brown knitted sweater paired with black wide-leg pants, she walked unhurriedly towards him, capturing the attention of all the students around her.
After experiencing a significant setback in life, this girl had not lost her charm and seemed to have matured subtly.
Jiang Chen greeted her with a smile.
"You finished eating so quickly?"
There was no excitement over their reunion; both of their demeanors were very calm, as if Li Shuru had never left.
"Yeah, I was pretty much done when you called earlier."
People do change over time.
Or rather, they grow.
The Jiang Chen of the past was not so adept at lying.
"What about Luo Peng and the others?"
While speaking, Jiang Chen was continuously observing Li Shuru’s expression, realizing that he might have been overly concerned. Thanks to those high heels, Xu Siyi probably hadn’t snitched, but then again, Li Shuru might be withholding her feelings.
Just one step away from his final goal, he needed to be careful not to mess things up.
"Is your uncle’s situation taken care of?"
Jiang Chen tried to subtly shift the topic, but Li Shuru didn’t go along with his script and simply hummed before asking,
"When did you come back yesterday?"
Jiang Chen’s eyelids twitched, and he fell silent. Looking at Li Shuru, whose demeanor had shown no sign of abnormality up to now, he was momentarily unsure whether Xu Siyi had actually spoken or not.
If Xu Siyi had indeed snitched, then coming clean proactively was undoubtedly the correct choice. But what if she hadn’t said anything?
Wouldn’t he be confessing to something unprovoked?
"After dinner yesterday, I just walked around a bit and then came back."
Uncertain of the situation, Jiang Chen decided to play it by ear. If Li Shuru was really clued in, all he had to do was explain before she could say anything.
"Were you with Si Yi?"
Jiang Chen nodded without any change in his outward appearance.
"Since when did the two of you get along so well?"
Li Shuru chuckled, her thoughts inscrutable.
"We can’t really say we’re close; it was just a meal."
Li Shuru’s eyes were meaningful.
Jiang Chen’s heart skipped a beat, and he inwardly cursed.
Indeed, a man, especially a beautiful woman’s, word cannot be trusted lightly.
Feeling betrayed by Xu Siyi, Jiang Chen was about to take the initiative to seek leniency.