WRR – Chapter 3

Xu Shi was utterly bewildered.

How did she end up going to dinner with them?

The two heartbroken women in the front seat were comparing timelines. Weiwei was editing something on her phone. The atmosphere in the car wasn’t the least bit sad; because they were complaining about the same man, Weiwei would even let out a silvery laugh from time to time.

Xu Shi leaned against the window, completely unable to figure out what role she was supposed to play in this story. She had spent the whole day comforting Weiwei, who had been either crying or moping. But now, it was as lively as a tea party.

Unsure of what to do, Xu Shi let her curiosity get the better of her and cautiously glanced at the woman beside her.

Red lips, big wavy hair, and a pair of long, slender legs came into view.

Yu Lingshan was looking at her phone, though at what, Xu Shi couldn’t tell. The bright, bluish light from the screen illuminated her face, highlighting her exquisite makeup.

So beautiful.

“Hm?”

Along with the sound, Xu Shi saw the corner of Yu Lingshan’s mouth suddenly curve up.

Xu Shi swallowed and immediately pretended to play on her phone, pulling her gaze away.

Then she heard Yu Lingshan ask, “Staring at me?”

Xu Shi didn’t move a muscle.

As long as she didn’t say anything, Yu Lingshan wasn’t talking to her.

“Don’t dare to admit it?” There was a hint of laughter in Yu Lingshan’s voice.

Yu Lingshan’s voice wasn’t loud, but perhaps because the car was small and there was no music, the two women in the front, deep in their heated discussion, actually heard her.

Afraid of making a scene, Xu Shi immediately spoke up. “Yes.”

Yu Lingshan gave Xu Shi a smiling look, pressing on relentlessly, “Am I beautiful?”

“Beautiful!”

That was Weiwei’s voice. She had excitedly grabbed the back of the seat, twisting her whole body around.

Weiwei: “Miss, you’re gorgeous!”

Xu Shi: “…”

Xu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and swallowed the words she was about to say.

Yu Lingshan looked up, smiled at Weiwei, and said, “Thank you.”

The topic was finally over. Yu Lingshan went back to looking at her phone.

Yu Lingshan gave Xu Shi a very strange feeling. The woman didn’t talk much, and she always had a smile on her lips when she looked at Xu Shi, but Xu Shi still felt intimidated.

Especially her eyes. They always made Xu Shi feel as if she could see right through you at any moment.

Xu Shi had never felt this way before. It was unfamiliar, and she felt she should stay far away from this kind of woman.

But the truth was, every time she was near Yu Lingshan, Xu Shi couldn’t help but subconsciously glance in her direction.

For the rest of the ride, the chatter came from the front. Xu Shi didn’t dare look at Yu Lingshan again. She even suspected that Yu Lingshan had eyes on the side of her head—how else could her field of vision be so wide?

Before long, they arrived at the mall. After getting out of the car, the two new friends walked ahead, while Xu Shi and Yu Lingshan followed behind.

They had only taken a few steps when Yu Lingshan suddenly said, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Xu Shi paused. “What question?”

Yu Lingshan: “The one I asked you in the car.”

Xu Shi swallowed, figuring she might as well not pretend anymore.

So she said, “You’re beautiful.”

To her surprise, Yu Lingshan looked very pleased. “Really?”

Xu Shi: “Mhm.”

Yu Lingshan smiled at Xu Shi with those fox-like eyes. “Not bad. I’ve been praised.”

Xu Shi gave a dry laugh, then said to Yu Lingshan, “Um, my name is Xu Shi. The ‘Shi’ is from the character for ‘to know,’ not ‘only.'”

“I know,” Yu Lingshan said matter-of-factly. “I’m just going to call you Xiao Zhi. Is that a problem?”

Xu Shi: “…It’s fine.”

Weiwei and Chen Jiaying hadn’t been together for long, and Xiao Qing had only recently crossed paths with him, so it didn’t take the two of them much time to sort things out. The final story was simple and clear.

Before the food arrived, Xiao Qing showed everyone the organized pictures. After being reviewed by the three of them, the matter was more or less settled.

“From now on, there’s no more Chen Jiaying. This big sister is single again!” Xiao Qing was the first to pick up her glass. “I’m driving, so I won’t drink. You three can have some. Let’s celebrate being single.”

With that, she asked, “We’re all single, right?”

Weiwei: “Of course I am.”

Xu Shi also said, “Me too.”

Getting the answer she wanted, Xiao Qing smiled and exchanged a look with Yu Lingshan.

Yu Lingshan smiled back. She picked up the wine bottle and moved to pour for Xu Shi first.

“No, no, I don’t drink,” Xu Shi said, quickly covering the mouth of the bottle.

Yu Lingshan: “Why not?”

Xu Shi shook her head. “I can’t really hold my liquor.”

Weiwei jumped in to add, “She can’t drink at all. Two sips and she’s out of it. Just give her a soft drink.” Weiwei held out her own glass and said sweetly, “Miss, I’ll drink with you.”

Yu Lingshan looked at Xu Shi. “Such a lightweight?”

Xu Shi: “It’s not that exaggerated.”

Yu Lingshan tilted her head, her eyes widening as she smiled. She asked, “Really?”

Xu Shi swallowed and confessed everything. “I can’t drink much, but two sips are fine. Two glasses at most, I guess.”

Yu Lingshan: “Two glasses of what?”

Xu Shi gave an awkward smile. “Beer.”

Yu Lingshan let out a soft laugh, seemingly unbothered by Xu Shi’s tolerance. She switched to a beverage that was on the table. “Is this okay?”

Xu Shi nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

Xiao Qing had been waiting for a while. The glasses were finally raised for the ‘celebrating singlehood’ toast. After everyone took a sip, Xiao Qing suddenly added, “Our Lingshan is single too, you know.”

If Xu Shi wasn’t mistaken, Xiao Qing was looking right at her when she said that.

But that clearly made no sense, so Xu Shi didn’t respond.

For the rest of the meal, Xiao Qing and Weiwei dominated the conversation. The two women, brought together by the same incident, took the opportunity to open up to each other.

Well-fed and with drinks in them, Xiao Qing started making promises to Weiwei one by one: “From now on, big sister will take you here and there. If you need anything for life or work, just come to big sister.”

It’s worth mentioning here that Weiwei worked as a graphic designer, which happened to have some overlap with Xiao Qing’s photography.

The table seemed to be split in two by an invisible knife. On one side, Xiao Qing and Weiwei were hitting it off like they’d known each other for years, already giving off the vibe of sworn sisters.

And on this side, Xu Shi and Yu Lingshan…

Awkward.

Xu Shi really didn’t want to just keep her head down and eat. She was full, but she honestly didn’t know what else to do.

Just then, as Xu Shi was dealing with the steak on her plate, cutting and cutting, something entered her peripheral vision.

Xu Shi turned her head to see Yu Lingshan sliding her wine glass over. It stopped right next to Xu Shi’s glass, the red wine inside swirling into a beautiful arc under the light.

“Hm.”

Yu Lingshan hummed softly, signaling for Xu Shi to clink glasses.

Xu Shi quickly put down her knife and fork, picked up her glass, and gently tapped it against Yu Lingshan’s.

Yu Lingshan took a token sip of her wine and asked, “Is she always this quiet?”

She directed the question at Weiwei, but it was about Xu Shi.

Weiwei immediately answered Yu Lingshan’s question. “Xiao Shi is sometimes, uh, haha, she’s just…”

Weiwei probably hadn’t figured out what to say yet when Yu Lingshan spoke up.

“I get it,” Yu Lingshan said. “She’s not familiar with me.”

Xu Shi felt a slight pang.

It was a fact that she and Yu Lingshan weren’t familiar with each other, but hearing Yu Lingshan say it made it sound as if Xu Shi had committed some terrible crime.

Weiwei glanced at Xu Shi, then back at Yu Lingshan, and added what seemed like an appropriate comment, “Our Xiao Shi is very well-behaved.”

Yu Lingshan raised a hand, resting her head on it as it propped on the table. She looked at Xu Shi. “Is that so?”

Xu Shi did indeed have the face of a well-behaved girl. She had big eyes, red lips, and white teeth, and she spoke softly. She always wore a smile, the very picture of what people called a “first love face.”

So, not knowing what to say, Xu Shi just smiled at Yu Lingshan again before quickly lowering her head to deal with the steak she’d been cutting for three hundred years.

The meal really did manage to comfort Weiwei completely. Seeing how happy she was, it seemed she had not only gotten over her breakup but had probably forgotten all her worries.

After they finished, the four of them went downstairs together. Xiao Qing went to get her car from the parking lot, offering to give Xu Shi and Weiwei a ride home on her way.

“There’s no need,” Xu Shi said politely to Xiao Qing, waving her phone. “We don’t live far, and it’s not on your way. I’ve already called a car, so we won’t trouble you.”

Xiao Qing made a hesitant sound and turned to look at Yu Lingshan.

Yu Lingshan’s expression was neutral. She nodded at Xu Shi. “Alright. Be careful on the way, and send me a message when you get home.”

Xu Shi said, “Okay.”

Xu Shi’s car arrived quickly. The two of them waved goodbye and got in.

A moment later, the car was pulling away from the plaza.

“What’s wrong with you?” Weiwei asked Xu Shi as soon as the car turned onto the main road.

Xu Shi asked, “What?”

Weiwei: “Do you hate Yu Lingshan?”

Xu Shi: “No.”

Weiwei: “If not, then why were you avoiding her like that?”

Xu Shi was confused. “Was I?”

Weiwei: “It was so obvious! During dinner, she’d talk to you and you’d barely respond. You just kept your head down eating and gave her one-word answers. You even refused a ride home. You were being too cold.”

Xu Shi was stunned. “Was I… like that?”

Weiwei was a little speechless. “You didn’t notice yourself?”

Xu Shi swallowed.

Then she said, “To be honest, I’m a little scared of her.”

Weiwei was shocked. “Why?”

Xu Shi shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just an inexplicable fear.”

Weiwei: “Did she do something to you?”

Xu Shi shook her head. “No.”

Weiwei let out a confused “Huh?”

Xu Shi thought for a moment. “I have a phobia of beautiful women.”

Weiwei frowned. “A what?”

Even Xu Shi herself laughed, but she continued, “I get scared, nervous, and restless whenever I see a beautiful woman.”

Weiwei didn’t believe her at all. “Oh, give me a break. Your whole family is full of beautiful women. Who are you afraid of?”

Xu Shi: “My mom.”

Weiwei: “…”

The car dropped Weiwei off first. After saying goodbye, Xu Shi headed home alone.

Her mother was already asleep but had left a light on in the entryway for her. It was late. Back in her room, Xu Shi washed up and got into bed.

Opening her phone, Xu Shi remembered that Yu Lingshan had told her to let her know when she got home. She opened Yu Lingshan’s WeChat.

Xu Shi: I’m home.

Yu Lingshan replied almost instantly: Okay

The screen went quiet. Xu Shi stared at it for a few seconds before backing out and tapping on the red dot for her Moments.

The latest update was from Xiao Qing, whom she had just added as a friend that evening. It immediately caught Xu Shi’s attention.

Because Yu Lingshan’s name was in it.

Xiao Qing had posted:

“Yu Lingshan just told me to pick anything from my shopping cart and she’d pay for it. My goodness, what day is it today, Yu Lingshan? What did I do to please you so? Why? Huh? Huh?”

Below the post, there was only a ‘like’ from Weiwei and nothing else.

Xu Shi also tapped on the ‘like’ bar, but after hesitating for a long time, she didn’t do anything.

She thought for a moment. Yu Lingshan did seem to be in a particularly good mood today.

But what did that have to do with her?