Seven o’clock in the evening.
Inside a private room at McBarr KTV.
Zuri Ginger downed a glass of wine from the coffee table, speaking sincerely, "Grassy, I punish myself with three glasses as an apology for what happened last time. Will you forgive me?"
"How could I bear a grudge against you?!"
Grassy chuckled dryly, raised her glass, and downed it in one go.
"Alright, alright, everyone saw the situation back then. Zuri’s sister is so formidable, and after all, she’s not biologically related, so she’s in a tough spot." A girl with short hair, looking cheerful and carefree, quickly commented from the sofa.
"That’s right," another girl who was present at the time laughed along, then seemed to remember something, suddenly asked, "But Zuri, where did you go afterward? We didn’t see you when we were cutting the cake."
Zuri’s face changed slightly, and she lowered her head, saying nothing.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she took a long swig from a bottle next to her.
"What are you doing?!" Grassy snatched the bottle away angrily, scolding, "What are you doing?! Do you know how strong this is?!"
"I’m just in a bad mood." Zuri glanced at her, smiling with reddened eyes, "You guys carry on, I’m feeling a bit suffocated, need to get some air."
The five or six people in the room were all close friends, and their words carried some sincerity.
"It’s nothing, just feeling a bit stifled." Zuri smiled, pushed the door open, and left.
Grassy followed her out promptly.
The remaining people looked at each other.
"I’m going to the bathroom." A tall, slender man suddenly stood up.
He was the only man among them, pen named "I Aspire to Be a Buddha", a top ten figure on the domestic online novel tycoon list. Due to his occupation, he stayed home most of the time and was relatively silent. His handsome face appeared paler than most men, giving him a gentle scholarly look.
Not at all like the scruffy, unkempt stereotype of a recluse that people imagined.
Zuri had a good relationship with him, but others naturally felt a bit distant facing a big name, especially one who’s been residing on a pedestal for so long, and quickly smiled in response.
"I Aspire to Be a Buddha", real name Rowanda Peterson.
He exited the private room and headed straight towards the bathroom.
After a few steps, he heard Grassy’s voice at a corner.
"What?" she was clearly surprised, and her voice immediately dropped.
Rowanda couldn’t hear clearly,
"You go back first, I’m going to the bathroom."
After a short pause, Zuri’s sobbing gradually reduced, and he heard Grassy’s voice again.
Zuri replied in a muffled voice, watching her silhouette as she breathed a sigh of relief.
Grassy was quite concerned with saving face, and the phone reassurance wasn’t enough for her.
Thus, there was a gathering like tonight’s.
On the one hand, she apologized in front of a few familiar people, and on the other hand, she used Edward Davis’s incident to gain sympathy. With these two tactics, whatever resentment she had would dissipate.
Zuri pressed her lips together and headed back.
Unexpectedly, as she lifted her eyes, she met a pair of profoundly deep eyes.
Rowanda quietly looked at her, and after a brief thought, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into an adjacent room.
The room was empty and dimly lit.
Rowanda was silent for a moment, then pulled out a packet of tissues from his pocket, tore one out, bowed his head to wipe her tears, and tentatively asked, "What’s wrong? I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your birthday. Who bullied you?"
"Then what did you just tell Grassy?"
"You heard?" Zuri tensed up instantly, instinctively looking up at him.
"A little," Rowanda continued, "Who bullied you?"
Zuri looked up at him, and suddenly felt sure about what she’d always sensed, completely letting her guard down.
She only said one word before crouching down, bursting into tears.
"You don’t know," Zuri sobbed intermittently, "I don’t know how to say it, it’s so painful. I thought these kinds of storylines only happened in novels; I never expected them in my life. Why does she treat me , just because our parents favored me a bit more, waaah."
"Who?" Rowanda crouched down next to her, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Your sister? The one who was found?"
"Yeah," Zuri choked, "on my birthday, she drugged my orange juice, then... then,"
Rowanda paused, unable to speak as he looked at her.
Zuri raised her eyes to him, "Even my parents don’t like me as much as before, what should I do?"
"It’s okay," Rowanda hugged her tightly, whispered, "It’s okay. You’re so likable, how could they..."
Rowanda couldn’t continue.
Indeed, one is the daughter lost for years, while the other is just an adopted child.
What parent wouldn’t love their child?
The affection they’ve showered on Zuri all these years should be offset by tremendous guilt towards their biological daughter. Now that she’s back, naturally they want to make it up to her doubly.
Zuri’s position was, of course, awkward.
It was heart-wrenching.
"I feel like I’ve already done my best," Zuri tearfully said, "But no matter how good I am, I can’t compare to Mia. If that’s the case, why adopt me back then, just to ruin my life, I’m really in agony."
"Your life isn’t ruined," Rowanda helped her stand up, hugged her tightly, "I’m here, I love you."
"Hm?" Zuri was utterly shocked.
"I love you, ever since I first met you," he rested his chin on her hair, affectionately continued, "Zuri, be my girlfriend. I don’t mind, I don’t mind anything and would spend my life taking care of you, loving you, alright?"
"Rowanda, you," Zuri spoke in anguish, "I’m not a pure girl anymore."
"That wasn’t your fault."