She whispered, "Don’t take it too hard. No one wanted things to turn out this way."
"Upset? You think I’m upset?" Xu Xiaoya raised her eyebrows.
"No! Xiaoya, I’m not upset at all!" Yan Xixi began to chuckle, her expression like a child’s. "After my mom died, I felt unexpectedly relieved. Seriously, these past few days, I haven’t felt sad at all. I haven’t even dreamed about her, and I don’t miss her in the slightest... I don’t miss those past days at all... Xiaoya, I feel really, really good now!"
Like someone who has carried a heavy burden through the snow for a long, long time—finally shedding the weight! From now on, it would be a breeze. How wonderful!
Sometimes, she even thought herself heartless.
Hasn’t everyone in difficult situations thought ? If only there were a place to sell one’s soul in exchange for material comforts. The lucky ones find a buyer; the unlucky ones can’t sell even if they want to. How could one complain then?
Yan Xixi’s face was wreathed in smiles, while Xu Xiaoya, deeply troubled, leaned against the wall, unable to utter a single word.
Yan Xixi reached out and plucked a blue rose from nearby. She held it, examining it for a moment, then began tearing the petals off one by one, slowly scattering them into the sky. The petals drifted down. Some landed on her head and shoulders, while the wind blew others onto Xu Xiaoya’s head and shoulders.
Golden sunlight, blue roses. Yan Xixi saw Xu Xiaoya’s bone-deep weariness. The dazzling allure that usually shone from beneath heavy makeup and the glow of a hedonistic nightlife was gone. This was the true Xu Xiaoya. She looked old, astonishingly so, as if she had experienced an entire lifetime overnight.
Just as Xu Xiaoya noticed a blue rose petal stuck to Yan Xixi’s face, Yan Xixi herself exuded an indescribable, almost bewitching aura.
The two sat facing each other, like spirits who had shed their painted facades.
Xu Xiaoya spoke softly into her ear, "Xixi, I almost forgot to tell you some good news. I managed to get some information about Wan Donglin from my acquaintances in the Harem. It might be very beneficial for you..."
Yan Xixi looked at her questioningly.
"Wan Donglin is still single. I heard he was married before. However, ten years ago, his wife could no longer tolerate his debauchery. She divorced him, moved abroad, and remarried another wealthy man. He hasn’t remarried since. You should figure out a way to seize this opportunity and get him to marry you. Only then would your life finally have a secure future..."
Yan Xixi was stunned, not because Wan Donglin was single, but by Xu Xiaoya’s words.
Suddenly, she recalled a saying: The first time is rape, the second time is giving in, and after two months, it’s called a passionate love affair.
She burst out laughing, as if at some tremendous irony.
Elementary school textbooks described Huang Shiren as abominable, someone who deserved to be killed. But since when did the White-Haired Girl start weeping, begging, and desperately hoping to marry Huang Shiren? Could anything in this world be more ridiculous?
Seeing Yan Xixi laugh, Xu Xiaoya assumed she was happy about the good news. Yan Xixi didn’t correct her misunderstanding.
"Xixi, you probably don’t know, do you? Several beauties in the Harem have used every means imaginable to curry favor with Wan Donglin, and I hear they still haven’t given up. If you don’t watch him closely, the opportunity will be snatched up by someone else. Think about it. He’s still single. If you’re with him, at least you won’t risk his wife chasing you down for a slap, right? And you won’t provoke his wife to the point where she hires someone to deal with you, right? Wan Donglin, of course, has his merits..."