Early the next morning, Qin Yirou had brought Yun Jian along to take the public bus to the bustling center of Longmen City.
Then, Qin Yirou painstakingly hailed a cab and came to the city’s Furen Street. She had remembered this place according to her blurry memory.
Furen Street was like its name. Those who stayed here were either affluent or influential.
Qin Yirou’s best friend was a high ranking government official. There was no doubt that she was rich.
Qin Yirou was actually embarrassed to make the trip but she was now trapped at an impasse. She had evaluated every possible solution and could now only ask for help, given there were no alternatives to take.
Clenching her teeth, Qin Yirou steeled herself and knocked on the door.
"Dong, dong, dong!"
After rapping for some time, there was no noise from the inside of the house.
Yun Jian watched Qin Yirou knock the door wholeheartedly from the side and could not help holding her hand. "Mom, the door is soundproof. They won’t be able to hear you from the inside if you knock like that."
As she spoke, she pressed the doorbell beside the door and smiled sweetly at Qin Yirou. "You should do this."
"Oh, this way huh!" Qin Yirou had no idea of such a gadget. She was stunned for a moment before she nodded.
She thought deprecatingly, that she was really old now, unable to keep up with the times anymore.
Right after Qin Yirou’s words, the mansion’s gate opened to reveal a modern-looking woman in her forties.
The woman was voluptuous. Although she was in her forties, she maintained her appearance well. From a glance, she looked like she was just in her thirties.
In comparison, Qin Yirou had half a head of grey hair and wrinkles that had lined the corners of her eyes. As her age increased, her figure was growing plumper too.
"Xiao Ruan..." Qin Yirou felt a pinch on her nose the moment she saw the woman and called out to her.
"Yirou?" Dong Ruan was still caught at a loss when she saw Qin Yirou.
It had only been five to six years since they last met but Qin Yirou had gone through such a massive change. Age had taken a toll on her face and figure. Where was that youthful and vibrant girl from back then?
There was a pang to Dong Ruan’s heart. Her hand gripped Qin Yirou’s callused ones as her eyes brimmed with tears.
"What happened? Yirou, we’ve not seen each other for just a few years. Why have you... turned yourself into this?" Dong Ruan’s tears finally fell as she spoke.
When Qin Yirou remembered their past, she was unable to utter a word of what she had prepared. Instead, her tears fell pitter-pattering.
The two old friends who had reunited after so long hugged each other tightly.
The past had to be recounted, to explain the reason Qin Yirou turned into an inconsolable crying mess today.
Back then, Qin Yirou planned to give up her studies and dropped out of high school in order for her elder brother to marry her sister-in-law and also for her elder sister to find a good husband in addition to her family’s ailing condition.
As her best friend, Dong Ruan vehemently opposed her plan and they had gotten into a heated argument.
Ultimately, Qin Yirou returned to the town and got married.
It was from then on that their friendship gradually faded but both of them had still kept in touch.
Five years ago when Yun Gang was caught with a huge debt from gambling and was dunned, Dong Ruan had helped her with the sum since she was unable to afford repaying it.
Without a doubt, Dong Ruan had advised Qin Yirou to split from Yun Gang, saying that the man was not dependable.
Qin Yirou was reluctant and planned to give Yun Gang another chance, so both of them fought again.
Qin Yirou looked meek but she was stubborn once she had made her decision.
Back then Dong Ruan had said, "If you continue on like this, that bastard Yun Gang will cheat on you one day. Then it will be too late for you to regret it!"
It was because of her words that Qin Yirou held them against Dong Ruan for years.
Both women were mulish. No one was willing to give in on the matter, thus they severed ties since then.
Qin Yirou knew that Yun Gang was a gambling addict, but she had always believed that he would not cheat. That was why she persevered and remained married to Yun Gang.
She had honestly never expected that Yun Gang would actually cheat.
Like what Dong Ruan had said, she regretted it immensely.