A Friend I've Loved for a Long Time - Chapter 20.1

“What’s wrong? Did you remember?” Jiang Yan’an saw her sudden pause and the strange look on her face, guessing that she had recalled the incident.

Yun Zhi parted her lips, looking as though she wanted to say something but hesitated. It took a long moment before she found her voice again.

“Are you saying… I actually hurt Yu Mingxia back then?”

Jiang Yan’an nodded. “Yes. When you said those words, Yu Mingxia was right there. She looked absolutely heartbroken.”

The apple Yun Zhi was peeling remained half-finished. She set it and the small knife down on the nightstand, unable to continue.

“Finish peeling it! I want to eat it,” Jiang Yan’an grumbled.

“Are you sure?” Yun Zhi bit her lip in distress, desperately hoping to hear a negative answer from Jiang Yan’an.

Jiang Yan’an stuffed the apple back into her hand and added, “Finish it for me, I’m really craving it.”

Just as Yun Zhi was about to take it, Jiang Yan’an snatched the apple back again, muttering, “Actually, never mind.” Seeing how devastated Yun Zhi looked, she worried her friend might get distracted and cut her hand. With that thought, Jiang Yan’an just took a bite out of the unpeeled apple.

A little dirt never hurt anyone.

Yun Zhi snapped out of her daze, took the bitten apple back, finished peeling it, and then went to wash it again. All the while, her mind was fixated on what Jiang Yan’an had told her.

How could I have done such a thing to Yu Mingxia? Yun Zhi couldn’t understand her past self. Does Yu Mingxia still remember? If she does, what was she thinking when I greeted her recently? If she doesn’t…

Jiang Yan’an was munching on the apple when she suddenly heard a loud smack. She looked up, startled. “Why did you hit your own forehead? Doesn’t that hurt?”

Yun Zhi looked utterly despondent. “Do you think it’s too late to apologize now?”

So she was still agonizing over the past.

“Well… depends on if she remembers. Actually, I find it quite strange. Does Yu Mingxia really not remember you? I thought you’d be unforgettable to her. After all, the way she looked at you back then…”

Jiang Yan’an was about to say more, but seeing Yun Zhi’s expression grow increasingly miserable, she stopped herself and offered some comfort instead. “She’s so successful now, I’m sure she’s long forgotten the version of you that rejected her. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I wasn’t rejecting her…” Yun Zhi covered her face, trying hard to recall every interaction she’d had with Yu Mingxia recently to see if she’d missed any signs. But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find a single thing wrong with Yu Mingxia’s behavior—everything had been pure sincerity.

“Then what was it?” Jiang Yan’an asked curiously. Seeing her friend’s distress, she added, “I’m sure you didn’t know she was there. If you’d known, you definitely wouldn’t have said those things. Don’t worry too much about an unintentional act. I only told you because I was worried she might be holding a grudge…”

Jiang Yan’an didn’t finish the sentence, but Yun Zhi understood. She was worried Yu Mingxia might have approached her with an ulterior motive.

However, Yu Mingxia had such a good temperament; it seemed impossible for her to hold a grudge for so many years over something like that. If anyone had “approached the other on purpose,” it felt more like Yun Zhi was the one. Whether it was taking the photos or going on the trip, Yun Zhi had always been the proactive one.

“Oh, An’an…” The more satisfied Yun Zhi had been with her new friend, the more regret she felt now.

Putting herself in Mingxia’s shoes, if she had heard a stranger talk about her in such a cold, dismissive tone, she would either think the person was crazy or simply stay far away from them. Forget becoming friends—even getting a response would be a miracle.

Seeing Yun Zhi’s long face, Jiang Yan’an stopped eating and racked her brain for a way to comfort her.

“It was an accident. If you apologize, I’m sure she’ll understand. Besides, she might not even remember it! Just let it be a closed chapter.” Jiang Yan’an knew Yun Zhi well; if she had known Yu Mingxia was there, she would never have said those things.

Back in high school, Yun Zhi had a very kind personality. She wasn’t the type to hurt others. There was a classmate who always found ways to make trouble for her, even using her position as a class representative to be difficult. Yet when that same classmate later confessed to Yun Zhi, Yun Zhi didn’t show a hint of mockery or malice. She simply rejected her politely. Later, when others tried to target that classmate using the incident, Yun Zhi even stepped up to speak for her.

Jiang Yan’an figured that on that particular day, Yun Zhi might have just been in a bad mood, and since she didn’t know Yu Mingxia would coincidentally be in the gym, she’d spoken carelessly.

Seeing Yun Zhi so distressed, Jiang Yan’an began to regret bringing it up. What if they had both forgotten and were just naturally becoming friends? She had wanted Yun Zhi to be a bit more cautious, but instead, she’d only caused her grief.

However, since she mentioned it, Yun Zhi’s reaction was mostly guilt and regret, not a hint of the old disdain. Did that mean, at her core, Yun Zhi didn’t actually dislike Yu Mingxia? If you truly hate someone, the feeling usually lingers even after a long time. Yun Zhi didn’t have that; in fact, she couldn’t even remember who Yu Mingxia was.

“So, why did you dislike her back then?” Jiang Yan’an finally asked the question.

“It wasn’t dislike…” Yun Zhi bit her lip. Thinking back to high school, she asked softly, “What was Yu Mingxia’s personality like back then?”

“Qingmeng said she was quiet and introverted, but her grades were amazing. She even beat my Qingmeng in the first monthly exam.” Seeing Yun Zhi’s slightly startled look, Jiang Yan’an realized, “I guess you didn’t know that Qingmeng and Yu Mingxia were seatmates for a month, which is why she recommended her to be your tutor.”

Yun Zhi looked completely dejected, unsure of how to face Yu Mingxia now. Given her personality, she couldn’t just ignore this. And from Jiang Yan’an’s description, even if Yu Mingxia didn’t remember it now, her past self must have been hurt by those words.

“You still haven’t answered my question. If it wasn’t dislike, then what was it?” Jiang Yan’an pressed.

“There might have been a misunderstanding,” Yun Zhi murmured. She bit her lip and asked, “Do you think Yu Mingxia is the type of person who would look down on others or play tricks just because of good grades?”

“No way,” Jiang Yan’an scoffed. “Even if I haven’t spent time with her, I trust my Qingmeng’s judgment. If Yu Mingxia were that kind of person, why would Qingmeng recommend her as a tutor?”

Jiang Yan’an’s eyes were full of absolute trust in Zhu Qingmeng’s taste—completely forgetting her angry attitude toward her just moments ago.

Yun Zhi let out a long sigh. “It was so childish.”

“What was?”

Yun Zhi looked at her and organized her thoughts. “If one day Zhu Qingmeng told you someone was bullying her, what would you do?”

Jiang Yan’an immediately raised her fists and swung them around, teeth clenched. “I’d beat them up! No one gets to bully my Mengmeng.”

“And if someone bullied me?”

“I’d beat them up too! I’d double the beating!” Jiang Yan’an’s cheeks puffed out, genuinely upset by the hypothetical.

Yun Zhi found it cute and let out a laugh. “I guess I’m more important than Qingmeng?”

Jiang Yan’an nodded and said conspiratorially, “I’m only telling you this. Don’t tell anyone else.”

Yun Zhi smiled. Only telling me. She knew the script would definitely change if Qingmeng were the one asking.

“Why don’t you ask what I’d do if someone bullied Nan Qiao?”

Yun Zhi froze.

Jiang Yan’an didn’t wait for her to ask. Her expression turned fierce. “I’d help them beat up Nan Qiao! I’d beat her up real good!”

Yun Zhi: “…” (Silence.)

Jiang Yan’an lay in her hospital bed, throwing a few more punches at the air. Then she went quiet, realizing Yun Zhi wouldn’t make such a hypothetical for no reason. Connecting the dots…

“Are you saying Yu Mingxia bullied Nan Qiao in high school?” Jiang Yan’an frowned. “Wait, no. Are you saying Yu Mingxia looked down on Nan Qiao because of her grades? Or even bullied her?”

Jiang Yan’an’s eyes widened, unable to believe her own deduction. If that were the case, everything made sense. If it was because Yu Mingxia bullied Nan Qiao, Yun Zhi’s attitude back then would be normal. Even though Jiang Yan’an joked about beating up Nan Qiao now, if high-school-era Nan Qiao had been bullied, she would have stood by her without hesitation.

After all, before university, Nan Qiao was a pretty good person and very loyal to her friends. Jiang Yan’an remembered clearly that every time Yun Zhi was in a difficult spot, Nan Qiao would be the one to demand justice. Regardless of who was right or wrong, Nan Qiao always took Yun Zhi’s side.

From that perspective, it all seemed logical. But the problem was…

“Now that you’ve met Yu Mingxia, do you think she’s that kind of person?” Jiang Yan’an asked. Although she trusted Qingmeng, she hadn’t interacted with Mingxia herself.

“She doesn’t seem like it.” Yun Zhi was deeply troubled. It was precisely because she didn’t seem like that kind of person that the guilt felt heavier.

“So it was because of Nan Qiao? What did she tell you?”

Yun Zhi tried hard to recall the blurry memories of what happened. After a long while, she spoke. “One day Nan Qiao had a fall, and I asked her what happened. She said a student bumped into her and, instead of apologizing, mocked her for being in Class 7.”

Back in their grade, Class 7 was the arts class. Generally, the grades were at the lower end of the year, and the student body was diverse. Most students in the arts stream came from wealthy families. Aside from those like Yun Zhi who got into Yun High on merit but chose the class for their hobbies, many were there because their families had paid their way into the school. At the time, people privately called it the “Aristocrat Class”—no one said it to their faces, but many gossiped about it.

Grades and the “Aristocrat” label were sore points for Class 7, which made the class bond very strongly when mocked. These weren’t necessarily Yun Zhi’s sore points, but the important thing was that the person hurt was Nan Qiao, her best friend.

“Huh?” Jiang Yan’an also remembered the high school atmosphere. Her trust in Yu Mingxia wavered slightly. “Did she really say that?”

Yun Zhi shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She was a good judge of character; Yu Mingxia had such a good personality, she couldn’t imagine her saying such a thing. Especially since Jiang Yan’an described her as quiet and introverted.

“That’s strange. Could Nan Qiao have been lying?” Jiang Yan’an scratched her head. “But she had no reason to, right?” Why frame Yu Mingxia? To get people to cause trouble for her? That actually happened in high school—the whole class got disciplined for it. But they didn’t even know about that incident at the time. Nan Qiao only told Yun Zhi, which suggested she wasn’t looking to cause a scene. So what was the point?

“I had to ask her over and over before she finally told me,” Yun Zhi recalled the details vaguely. “And when I said I’d go find Yu Mingxia, Nan Qiao told me not to bother. She said she was just a stranger and we should just ignore her from then on. Then that evening, Qingmeng mentioned Yu Mingxia, so my tone was a bit harsh.”

The rest didn’t need to be said. Jiang Yan’an understood.

“I really didn’t know she was there.” Yun Zhi was now feeling very conflicted. Her logic told her Yu Mingxia wasn’t that type of person, but she didn’t think Nan Qiao would lie for no reason either. Looking back, her behavior felt quite childish. It had been so long that she couldn’t remember her exact feelings at the time, nor what she would have done if she’d known Mingxia was there. Though given her mood then, she might have actually gone up to “have a word” with her.

“There must be a misunderstanding somewhere,” Yun Zhi whispered. If Jiang Yan’an hadn’t kept bringing it up, she would never have thought about it again.

“So what do you plan to do now?” Jiang Yan’an could feel how much Yun Zhi cared for and trusted Yu Mingxia.

“You said she looked very sad at the time?”

“Yes! I still remember her expression after all this time. Honestly, she looked so, so sad and aggrieved. I’m not lying to you.”

The first part was true; as for the rest… Jiang Yan’an was exaggerating. She noticed Yun Zhi cared about Yu Mingxia, even if it was just as a “best friend.” But Yun Zhi hadn’t immediately taken Nan Qiao’s side. This was a good sign. She had to create an opportunity for them.

Hearing this, Yun Zhi felt even more guilty. “I have to apologize.”

“Exactly. A proper apology is needed. Even if you’re friends, right is right. But if you just apologize directly, she’ll probably just say ‘it’s okay’ or ‘I don’t remember.’ Do you think that’s enough?”

Yun Zhi shook her head. “No.”

The corners of Jiang Yan’an’s mouth curled up in a “the fish is hooked” smile. “How about this? You apologize ‘quietly’.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Take her shopping for clothes, treat her to dinner, take her out to have fun. Isn’t that a form of compensation?”

Yun Zhi thought about it and felt Jiang Yan’an was right. She nodded. “Okay.”

Jiang Yan’an let out a breath of relief, her scheme successful. Yu Mingxia seemed like a great person; if they spent more time together, maybe Yun Zhi would fall for her. Anyone was better than Nan Qiao.

With that settled, Jiang Yan’an felt much better. She ordered Yun Zhi to wash some grapes for her. As she munched on them, she mentally repeated Yu Mingxia’s name. Yu Mingxia, Yu Mingxia, I’m bringing a girlfriend right to your door. You better thank me later. In Jiang Yan’an’s eyes, no one in the world could resist liking Yun Zhi. Except Nan Qiao—she clearly wasn’t human.

Yun Zhi didn’t know what she was thinking, but hearing her cold snort, she looked at her strangely.

Jiang Yan’an smiled. “Start tomorrow. Give Yu Mingxia a proper ‘apology’.” She emphasized the word “apology.”

Yun Zhi nodded, already planning how to go about it. Just then, a sharp ringtone filled the ward. Yun Zhi looked out the window; it was already dusk. Before she could comment on the time, a phone was thrust into her hand. Jiang Yan’an clasped her hands together, pleading, “Please, please!”

Yun Zhi was caught between laughter and tears, unsure if An’an was more afraid of Qingmeng’s anger or her worry.

When Zhu Qingmeng arrived at the ward, Yun Zhi prepared to leave. Jiang Yan’an tried to make her stay—now that she was injured, Qingmeng might be even more upset (mostly with herself). Seeing she couldn’t keep Yun Zhi there, and seeing the silent Qingmeng whose eyes were full of heartache, Jiang Yan’an blurted out, “It doesn’t hurt, I’m not dying.”

But Qingmeng didn’t move. Jiang Yan’an finally opened her arms and acted spoiled. “Hug me. Grapes. Feed me.”

Yun Zhi heard those last words just as she stepped out, a smile on her face as she left the hospital.

Yun Zhi seriously considered Jiang Yan’an’s advice. She even made a draft of how to allocate her time. Once the plan was done, she let out a long breath. Everything was ready for tomorrow.

The next morning, Yun Zhi woke up early. It was only 7:00 AM. She finished making breakfast by 7:30. With a one-hour drive, she’d arrive just in time for an 8:30 breakfast.

At exactly 8:30, Yun Zhi arrived at the L&Y building. Before heading up, she checked with the front desk. Learning that Yu Mingxia hadn’t arrived yet, she went up and waited right by the elevator. Very few people used this floor, so the only people who would step out were Mingxia, Qu Lan, or Yu Chuxue. But the latter two usually arrived at 9:30.

So, she just had to wait. It felt more sincere.

About ten minutes later, the elevator chimed as it reached the floor. Yun Zhi, who was getting a bit tired of standing, immediately cheered up. As the doors opened—

“Good morning, Mingxia!”

Unlike usual, Yu Mingxia was accompanied by Yu Chuxue and Qu Lan. Before any awkwardness could settle, Yu Mingxia reacted, responding with a smile. “Good morning, Zhizhi.”

It was the first time Yun Zhi had heard Mingxia call her “Zhizhi,” and the voice was so incredibly tender. It felt strange but wonderful. Their relationship seemed to have reached a new level.

After greeting the other two, Yun Zhi turned back to Mingxia. “Have you had breakfast?”

Yu Mingxia guessed that she was waiting here to eat with her, so she shook her head. “Not yet.”

At this, Yu Chuxue and Qu Lan behind her looked on with disbelief. Their expressions said: Not yet? Are you sure? Their reaction was because during their shared breakfast earlier that morning, Yu Mingxia had been silent, seemingly deep in thought while she demolished most of the food on the table.

“Have you two eaten?” Yun Zhi noticed their strange expressions. Her gaze lingered on Yu Chuxue for a moment longer.

“Ah… no, we haven’t,” Qu Lan and Yu Chuxue said in unison, exchanging a glance. They couldn’t exactly blow Mingxia’s cover. If she said she hadn’t eaten, then she hadn’t. They’d just have to go eat another round with her.

To their surprise, Yun Zhi didn’t invite them. She simply nodded and reminded them, “Then you two should hurry and eat. It’s almost work time.” Her tone was warm, her smile polite.

Then, the two watched as Yun Zhi took Yu Mingxia’s arm and lifted a lunch box. “I made breakfast for you. Let’s eat together.”