Su Mianmian had heard many versions of the story of the Big Bad Wolf and the Little White Rabbit. But she felt her version was the most tragic. The little white rabbit, greedy for a few carrots, was fed by the ill-intentioned Big Bad Wolf, and ultimately, was devoured whole!
When Song Zhi called her to come down for dinner, Su Mianmian had just been carried out of the hot spring by Gu Yizhou. She was limp and weak, looking pitiful, as if she had been badly bullied. Gu Yizhou wrapped her in a bath towel and kissed the little girl's forehead affectionately several times.
"Why don't we just order food to our room instead of going out?" Su Mianmian was really scared and avoided looking at Gu Yizhou. "No, I've neglected Zhizhi all day. She'll scold me for prioritizing romance over friendship."
Gu Yizhou held her tightly, refusing to let go. "So you're willing to leave me alone in the room?" Su Mianmian's attitude was firm. "After Zhizhi and I finish eating, we're going to wander around a bit. I'll come find you at your barbecue place tonight."
"You won't come find me until tonight?" Gu Yizhou felt a little annoyed. He should have known better than to agree to let the girl bring Song Zhi along. ...Song Zhi's food had all arrived when Su Mianmian finally came running over.
She wasn't wearing the sportswear she'd worn that morning; instead, she was wearing a light pink sweater and a beige A-line skirt, paired with over-the-knee boots. She looked sweet and fresh, attracting many admiring glances as soon as she entered. "Zhizhi, I'm sorry, have you been waiting long?"
Su Mianmian clasped her hands together in a gesture of apology and sat down opposite Song Zhi. Song Zhi's stomach was rumbling with hunger. She propped her chin up and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Where have you been? I'd be starving if you'd come any later." Su Mianmian's cheeks flushed, unable to speak her mind.
It was all Gu Yizhou's fault. He was so clingy, making a fuss in the hot spring for so long, and then dragging her along for ages before leaving. But she couldn't just tell the truth, so she made up an excuse.
"I was soaking in the hot spring when you called, and I changed my clothes, that's why I'm late." "Soaking in the hot spring?"
Song Zhi's sharp eyes immediately spotted a dark red hickey on Su Mianmian's neck. She took a small mirror from her bag, pointed it at Su Mianmian's neck, and said teasingly, "Su Mianmian, you and Mr. Z were soaking in the hot spring together, weren't you? Quite a commotion."
Su Mianmian looked in the mirror and realized there was indeed a hickey on her neck. A faint blush instantly spread across her face. Then, as if remembering something, she pulled down her collar, revealing even more scattered hickeys. "Wow, was it that intense?"
Song Zhi's eyes lit up. She sat up straight, her gossipy heart burning brightly. "Mianmian, I never imagined your Mr. Z, who seems so abstinent on the surface, is actually so virile in private!"
Su Mianmian almost cried. Gu Yizhou, that bad guy! No wonder he insisted on taking her clothes to the bedroom to help her change earlier; he was worried she'd see the hickeys on her body when she looked in the bathroom mirror! "Vibrant or not, he's so annoying!"
Song Zhi, seeing Su Mianmian's flushed face, couldn't help but poke her with her index fingers. "Mianmian, last time at the hospital, didn't you say you and Mr. Z had a purely platonic relationship? When…?" "No!"
Su Mianmian knew what Song Zhi meant. She cupped her cheeks to cool them down, exhaling a breath of fresh air. "We… haven't…" No, that? Then what about these hickeys on her neck? Song Zhi's eyes darted around, then she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, I get it, I get it! Su Mianmian, don't blame Mr. Z for being so ungentlemanly. Think about it, it's like a starving wolf with a tender, juicy little rabbit next to it. It's a miracle it doesn't devour the rabbit whole, let alone take a few nibbles to satisfy its craving!"
Su Mianmian listened to Song Zhi's analogy and imagined the situation... While the logic was sound, couldn't he at least try to avoid doing things that were easily visible to others? He apologized every time, but it was always the same next time.
Su Mianmian strongly suspected that Gu Yizhou was doing it on purpose! "Oh, let's not talk about him, let's talk about something else!"
Song Zhi rarely saw Su Mianmian so shy and found it quite amusing. She wanted to tease her further, but Su Mianmian suddenly looked up behind her. "Hey, isn't that Cheng Yuli? Is he here to see you?"
Song Zhi, who was chewing on a cumin-flavored pork rib, clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Su Mianmian, can you please not always change the subject in the same old way?" Su Mianmian pursed her lips and said nothing more.
But the next second, a shadow suddenly fell over Song Zhi. Song Zhi, biting into a rib, looked up and met Cheng Yuli's handsome face. The rib in her mouth suddenly lost its flavor and fell into her bowl with a "plop." "Cheng Yuli, are you a dog? You can find me just by smelling me?" Cheng Yuli's ears turned red. "I invited someone over for dinner, I didn't deliberately follow you." Song Zhi's lips twitched. Did this mean she was being presumptuous? Well done!
Song Zhi gestured for him to sit, "In that case, there are empty seats in the back, it won't keep you indefinitely." Song Zhi assumed Cheng Yuli was just making up an excuse.
But before she could finish speaking, a very beautiful woman walked over and hooked her arm around Cheng Yuli's. "Lili, have you been waiting long?" Lili?
Song Zhi's starry eyes narrowed slightly as she saw Cheng Yuli curtsy at the woman, "No, I just arrived too." The two walked hand-in-hand, oblivious to everyone else, to the table behind them. Song Zhi's eyes nearly popped out of her head. This was the same Cheng Yuli who said he liked her?
Openly two-timing her! Even a centipede couldn't be more cunning than him! Song Zhi was so angry her nostrils were practically spitting fire, especially as she kept blurting out, "Lili, did you miss me while I was gone?"
"Lili, I want to eat your tomato beef noodles. Can you make them for me when we get home?"
Song Zhi's teeth were grinding together, thankful she hadn't fallen for Cheng Yuli's tricks. Otherwise, she'd barely agreed to be his girlfriend before being cuckolded! "Su Mianmian, confess honestly, you invited that bastard Cheng Yuli over, didn't you?"
Su Mianmian had also sensed something was off between Cheng Yuli and that woman. She pursed her lips, stammering, "I just thought it would be more fun with more people." "Fun? More like hilarious!"
Song Zhi slammed her chopsticks on the table with a "clatter," "If you try to set me up with Cheng Yuli again, I'm cutting you off!"...Song Zhi had no appetite for the entire meal and stormed out of the restaurant.
Su Mianmian silently followed behind, unsure how to comfort her. "Zhizhi, don't be angry. Why don't you ask Cheng Yuli later? I don't think he's the type to be fickle." "Stop! Hold on!!"
Song Zhi raised her hand to stop her. "What's there to ask? He's nobody to me!"
Song Zhi then scoffed, "I'm not angry about anything else, I just think Cheng Yuli is really weird. One minute he's acting all lovey-dovey in front of me, the next he's flirting with other women right in front of me. He's not some innocent puppy, he's a thousand-year-old fox spirit in disguise!"
Su Mianmian couldn't figure out what was going on between Cheng Yuli and that woman, but judging from their actions in the restaurant, their relationship was definitely not simple.
Remembering Song Zhi's words that if she tried to set Cheng Yuli up with her again, she would break off their friendship, Su Mianmian didn't dare to persuade her further and shook Song Zhi's arm. "Okay, don't be angry. Wait here for me, I'll go buy some drinks and we can walk around together later."
Su Mianmian quickly returned with two cups of milk tea, but when she arrived, Song Zhi wasn't there. Just as she took out her phone to call Song Zhi, she was suddenly bumped hard, losing her balance and falling to the ground.
Her phone flew a considerable distance, and the milk tea spilled everywhere. Su Mianmian lay on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in her palm. Turning it over, she saw that the rough ground had indeed scraped off a layer of skin, and beads of blood were slowly seeping from the wound.
Song Zhi went to the restroom. When she came out, she saw Su Mianmian had been bumped and rushed over to help her up. She scolded the culprit, "What are you doing?! Are those two holes in your eyes for breathing? A grown person standing here, didn't you see them?" The woman was a hotel employee who had just received a notice from her superiors that Xue Jing was coming to shoot an advertisement in this area, and she had come specifically to clear the area.
Seeing that Xue Jing and her group were about to arrive, the woman gave Su Mianmian a perfunctory "sorry" and turned to leave. Song Zhi grabbed her, "You bumped into someone and caused them like this, and you didn't even check how badly they were hurt. You think you can just leave with an 'sorry'?"