Chapter 7

Within two or three seconds of seeing the message, Pei Suyuan’s mind went completely blank.

Then she felt a rush of heat climb into her face.

After that, even the back of her neck began to burn a little.

Her gaze could no longer focus.

Yan Xin had just decided what they should eat for late-night snacks and was about to tell Pei Suyuan when she saw her looking utterly dazed and lost.

After knowing each other for so many years, the two of them could not be more familiar with each other. Yan Xin thought it over and over, and the only thing that could make Pei Suyuan show an expression like this was—

Her Sister Moon.

Yan Xin spun her chair around in front of Pei Suyuan, waved a hand before her eyes, and bared her teeth as she said, “Thinking about Sister Moon?”

The next second, Pei Suyuan jolted awake as if from a dream.

Her slightly round eyes were now wide open, and her breathing quickened by several [unauthorized copy]beats. Then she stood up in a bit of a panic.

She was not panicking because of anything else.

It was precisely because of the Sister Moon Yan Xin had mentioned.

Only then did she realize that she had already gone many days without thinking of Sister Moon.

That was something that had never happened in her life before.

All these years, her heart and mind had been tugged along by that omega with the scent of marshmallow pheromones.

That was why she panicked, and why she felt so helpless.

“Xiao Xin, I…” Pei Suyuan opened her mouth. For one moment, she wanted to pour out everything in her heart, but when the words reached her lips, she suddenly did not know how to say them.

This kind of Pei Suyuan was rarely seen. Yan Xin’s heart tightened, but nothing showed on her face. “Let’s go. I’m hungry. Let’s eat barbecue.”

“Mm.” Pei Suyuan nodded, then picked up her jacket and followed Yan Xin out.

A few streets outside Huajiang Garden, there was a small [read the original at bailiantales.com]night market. Barbecue stalls and all kinds of snacks were available there. Because Yan Xin was greedy for food, the two of them could be considered regulars.

Not long after they sat down at the food stall, the owner came over with paper and pen.

They liked this place largely because it felt familiar and friendly.

Lin City was now under Xijing City’s jurisdiction, but when the two of them were in their teens, it had not been. It had only been folded into Xijing City five or six years ago.

Lin City was located between Xijing and Yunzhou. More than ten years ago, it had not been very developed yet. Pei Suyuan and Yan Xin had come out of one of the small towns there. They had seen the ordinary bustle of everyday life, and they missed it.

This nostalgia was more like searching for a familiar feeling from childhood.

But in truth, the two of them had never spoken about it, because their many years of tacit understanding needed no words.

“Grilled fatty intestines, chicken cartilage, beef skewers, lamb skewers… twenty of each. And one serving of scallops with glass noodles.”

As Yan Xin spoke, the owner wrote quickly. Once she finished, the owner smiled and said, “Same as usual? Extra spicy?”

“Right!” Yan Xin smiled and nodded, then raised her brows at Pei Suyuan.

In truth, their tastes were not quite the same. The grilled fatty intestines and beef skewers were what Yan Xin liked, while the chicken cartilage and lamb were what Pei Suyuan liked. Only the scallops with glass noodles were something they both loved.

Perhaps friends were like this. They could have many differences, but they would also certainly share similarities.

That way, they could comfort each other and become someone the other could rely on.

Just like how Pei Suyuan was quiet, while Yan Xin was lively and enthusiastic.

A quiet person needed noise and warmth. A lively person sometimes also needed a measure of quiet.

Between them, everything was extremely harmonious, and they rarely argued.

“Brother Xu, one bottle of beer and one bottle of cola too.”

She had only ordered skewers and forgotten the beer. Yan Xin smiled playfully, and Brother Xu, the owner, nodded at her.

At this moment, Pei Suyuan also spoke.

“Bring two more bottles. I want to drink too.”

Yan Xin froze for a moment, [unauthorized copy]then called out to Brother Xu again, asking him to bring over a whole pack.

Yan Xin actually could not drink as much as Pei Suyuan. At most, she could handle two bottles. But she liked drinking beer while eating barbecue, while Pei Suyuan did it relatively rarely.

But if Pei Suyuan wanted to drink, then it definitely would not be just one or two bottles.

After one mouthful of cold beer went down, Yan Xin let out a loud burp and sighed dramatically, “That feels amazing!!”

Compared to her, Pei Suyuan was quiet. One glass had already gone down, and she was pouring the second.

Yan Xin was not in a hurry. Whenever they drank, it was often one mouthful for Yan Xin and one whole glass for Pei Suyuan.

Yan Xin took a sip of beer and ate a bite of beef skewer. She felt that Pei Suyuan was eating too delicately, so she held a lamb skewer to her mouth and snorted, “You drink so decisively, so why use chopsticks to eat skewers?”

“Eat freely, drink freely, and vent all your bad mood out. Your buddy will keep you company!”

Yan Xin still did not know what Pei Suyuan had experienced, but she still used her usual tone to coax her.

Yes, coax.

Pei Suyuan was rarely coaxed by anyone. That would have to be traced back to when she had been very, very young. So now, what [read the original at bailiantales.com]Yan Xin was saying counted as coaxing.

Pei Suyuan drank several more glasses in a row and discovered that she still was not dizzy.

She lifted her eyes and told Yan Xin, “Wait for me a while. I have something to tell you.”

Yan Xin naturally knew she had something to say and was not in a rush. She picked the minced garlic out of the scallops with glass noodles and put it into her own mouth, chewing as she nodded.

She drank a few more glasses with Pei Suyuan, waiting until Pei Suyuan had finished two bottles of beer.

She knew the time was about right, so she set down her chopsticks and waited for her to speak.

But Pei Suyuan still did not say anything. Instead, she drank nearly half a bottle straight from the bottle.

Aside from being quiet, Pei Suyuan usually had a fairly good personality. But being quiet could also be deadly.

Once she wanted to express something, Pei Suyuan became rather strange and stubborn.

Just like now. She had already decided to tell Yan Xin, but she still insisted on drinking herself slightly tipsy first.

This was both stubborn and unnecessary.

But if she were not like this, she would not be Pei Suyuan.

By the time she was slightly tipsy, Yan Xin had already finished the grilled fatty intestines. She had not had enough, so she ordered a few more skewers. Pei Suyuan, however, had not eaten very much.

“Xiao Xin, have you ever actually liked someone?”

“Truly liked them!”

Yan Xin had not expected Pei Suyuan to suddenly ask this question. Her chewing mouth stopped. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I have.”

“The one from university?”

“Mm.”

Yan Xin nodded, and Pei Suyuan did not ask her anything more. Instead, she spoke on her own.

“Actually, I don’t really understand what liking someone is.”

“I don’t understand it now. Before… I was actually quite certain.”

“What? Does Sister Moon feel unreal now?”

Yan Xin’s tone carried a bit of teasing, and this was not the first time she had said something like this.

But every time she had said it before, Pei Suyuan would glare fiercely at her, then deny it.

This time, she did not.

She pursed her lips, her eyes confused, as if Yan Xin had truly hit the mark.

Yan Xin set down her skewer and blurted out, “Holy crap!”

“You’ve changed your heart from Sister Moon? Are you still Pei Suyuan?”

Perhaps the words “changed your heart” provoked Pei Suyuan. Her pupils contracted, and she explained in a bit of a panic, “No, I haven’t… It’s just that some time ago, I met someone, and I keep thinking of her.”

“Especially today, when you mentioned Sister Moon. I realized I’ve been thinking about that person lately and actually haven’t thought about Sister Moon.”

“No way…!”

The shock on Yan Xin’s face was indescribable.

But what shocked her even more came next.

Pei Suyuan lowered her head, her eyes uneasy as she said, “She and I… did that kind of thing…”

“Pfft…” Yan Xin almost sprayed out a mouthful of beer. She wiped the corner of her mouth and tilted her head as she asked, “What did you say…?”

Pei Suyuan felt a little embarrassed. She pursed her lips and nodded. “Exactly that.”

Yan Xin had finished her beer, so she opened another bottle.

After drinking one glass, she pondered for a long while before speaking again. “Actually… that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“All these years, you’ve kept chasing after someone you don’t even know the whereabouts of. Honestly, I’ve always felt it wasn’t worth it for you.”

“Little Yuan’er, you’re already twenty-six. It’s time for you to try dating.”

“I mean a real relationship.”

As her friend, Yan Xin supported all of Pei Suyuan’s thoughts, but she also reserved her own opinions.

Usually, she would never bring this up. But today, Pei Suyuan had started it first.

Pei Suyuan’s dullness was not actually inborn. After drinking, she spoke more than usual, and normally, she did not exactly speak little either.

Of course, that was only when it was with her own people.

“No matter how wonderful Sister Moon is, you can’t see her or touch her. She can only exist in your world. You probably can’t even clearly remember what she looks like anymore, right?”

“But this person is different. She’s vivid and full of color.”

“Sister Moon left a very deep mark in your heart, but this person, aside from that first moment of your heart being moved, has already filled everything else. She’s also someone destined to leave strong colors in your heart.”

“You should try taking a step forward and see. It’s not like you’ll lose a piece of flesh, right?”

“At worst, we’ll just retreat again and keep living with Sister Moon!”

Pei Suyuan had actually never thought about whether she should try or not. But just as Yan Xin said, Wei Jinzhi had…

left a mark in her heart. Precisely because of that, she had told Yan Xin about it.

But when Yan Xin suggested that she try, Pei Suyuan suddenly felt timid and uncertain.

In truth, she also did not want to spend her whole life guarding only that beautiful dream from her youth.

And… she really did not remember Sister Moon’s face very clearly anymore.

……

After the two of them parted, Pei Suyuan did not go home immediately. Instead, she walked to the place where she had encountered Wei Jinzhi.

It was the side of the building, a corner with no streetlights. Usually, few people walked there, and even fewer did so late at night.

Pei Suyuan leaned against the wall. Her courage had not yet gone out. She took out her phone and pressed the number she had memorized long ago.

Beep, beep…

The call automatically disconnected. Wei Jinzhi did not answer.

Pei Suyuan let out a scoff, not knowing what she was doing.

Perhaps it was because of marshmallow.

Perhaps it was because of that note.

Perhaps it was because of that day on set.

Perhaps it was because the message Wei Jinzhi had sent today had given her enough courage.

And even more than that, it was because of what Yan Xin had said after they drank, making Pei Suyuan want to prove something.

To prove whether Wei Jinzhi could pull her free from the dream she had been trapped in for more than ten years.

She had come here carrying all sorts of thoughts. But the moment the call automatically disconnected, she still let out a breath of relief.

Forget it.

She would not try.

A dream was just a dream.

It was not painful.

Just a little lonely.

Pei Suyuan stood up and walked toward the entrance of the building on legs that were a bit numb.

She opened the door and pressed the elevator button.

The instant she stepped inside, the phone in her pants pocket started vibrating desperately.

Her phone was on vibrate all year round. When she had nothing to do, it was even set to silent. She did not like too much noise.

But at this moment, she felt that even the vibrating sound was somewhat loud.

It irritated her eardrums and made her legs tremble faintly along with it.

She took out her phone. It was the number she had just dialed. Pei Suyuan hesitated over whether to answer.

Before long, the call disconnected.

Pei Suyuan first let out a sigh of relief. Then a trace of disappointment welled up in her heart.

It was very faint. So faint that even Pei Suyuan questioned it.

She continued walking into the elevator, but this time, she still did not manage to get inside.

Her phone rang again.

If she did not answer once, Pei Suyuan could say she had not heard it. But if she did not answer a second time—

then it meant she deliberately did not want to pick up.

At this moment, what flashed through her mind was that she had to return the money to Wei Jinzhi, so she should answer the call.

Then she pressed the answer button and walked back out of the building entrance.

During this time, the other side did not speak either. There was only the faint sound of breathing.

Very soft, very…

drawn-out.

Pei Suyuan suddenly felt her breathing tighten. She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

At last, the other party could not wait any longer. In a lazy voice, she asked her word by word, “Little Cheese, are you trying to ask Sister out…?”

When Pei Suyuan heard the word “ask,” she shuddered faintly.

She shuddered so hard she could not speak.