Seeing Shu Yimo's serene expression, Shi Xian also relaxed somewhat, gently patting the back of her hand and pouring her a cup, "It's good that you're all right. Coming out is a new beginning. Here's a toast to you!"
Shu Yimo smiled and nodded, also lifting her glass, and the two clinked glasses and drank it all down.
"Jingrong has gone abroad these past few days and won't be back for a few days. When she returns, we'll give you a proper welcome back celebration."
"Drinking too much is harmful to the body, there's no need for such trouble. Being out safely is satisfying enough for me."
Shu Yimo sighed softly and set down her glass.
Hearing this, Shi Xian likewise lifted her eyes to look across at Shu Yimo. Seeing her pale face and the weariness of the world on her, Shi Xian's heart inexplicably ached, "I'd never believe that you pushed that bitch."
Shi Xian, who usually had good self-restraint, couldn't help but swear, her heart filled with not just anger, but also an overwhelming sense of tenderness for her friend.
Shu Yimo, on the other hand, gave a nonchalant cold laugh, pouring herself another glass and sipping from it—
"There's more than just these tricks to deal with. I'm used to it. One day, I'll make them pay back everything, with interest!"
"You can't let Fan Lingjue off either!"
Shi Xian also narrowed her black eyes and spoke coldly.
Shi Xian and Shu Yimo grew up together; Shi Xian's father was also in the military, a comrade-in-arms of Shu Yimo's uncle Shu Qiang. They lived in the same military district compound, which made the two of them very close.
Shi Xian deeply empathized with Shu Yimo's experiences.
"By the way, Jingrong called me the day before yesterday, saying that Bai Xiexie's study program was almost complete, and she should be returning these few days too. After you were imprisoned, she went abroad to a foreign university to continue her Master's in Management. Now, she's coming back, having completed her studies...you…"
Shi Xian hesitated for a moment but decided to tell Shu Yimo the news.
Bai Xiexie?
She's completed her studies and is coming back?
Yesterday, Shu Yimo had already heard this news.
Perturbed for a moment, a chill flashed in her starry eyes. The hand holding the cup unconsciously tightened, and deep within her was an inevitable surge of faint sorrow.
Even Shu Yimo's utmost efforts couldn't withstand the callousness of the world. No matter how much she did, she couldn't get close to Fan Lingjue, couldn't enter his heart.
Her mistake lay in the fact that she didn't let go of herself, and Fan Lingjue didn't let go of her either.
Now, she could imagine the two words that described herself with her eyes closed—
Degraded!
It wasn't that she lacked the courage to leave, only that, each time she was about to give up, Fan Lingjue gave her hope, which was why she…
Now, she had to accept this sad reality.
"Yimo, are you okay? Your face looks terrible!"
Shi Xian asked with some concern.
"Don't think too much. Honestly, although Fan Lingjue is quite something, you don't have to make yourself suffer for him. You've seen his cruelty towards you. If he had you in his heart, you wouldn't have had to spend two years in prison, right?"
Shu Yimo took a deep breath and drained the glass of wine in one gulp.
"Rest assured, I have long since had nothing to do with him."
"Can you really let go?"
Shi Xian hesitated for a moment, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked at Shu Yimo!
"What else do you think? Others are not stingy in their indifferent disregard; how could I shamelessly cling to them?"
A cold sneer crossed the corner of Shu Yimo's mouth.
Two years were enough for her self-reflection, to laugh at her own stupidity, and to remind herself never to make the same mistakes again. Life did not always offer a chance to start anew!
"Being decisive, cutting the Gordian knot, might be better. In this respect, I seem to have..."
Shi Xian looked at the indifferent Shu Yimo before her, her eyes dimming slightly as she sighed helplessly, "Fan Lingjue... for him, you've given too much... Yimo, I understand you, but I don't want to see you sad over him again..."
As Shi Xian spoke, her tone also grew heavier, and in the depths of her eyes welled an undeniable sorrow.
"No more, it's all in the past, and talking about it is meaningless. Let's not discuss these things; let's drink instead."
Shu Yimo looked down at the wine glass in her hand, her eyes indifferent and distant, and without waiting for Shi Xian to say anything, she lifted her glass—
and poured another down her throat.
Shi Xian's expression, however, was somber as she watched her.
Shu Yimo had suffered more hardships since childhood than both her sister Ling Jingrong and herself. Among the sisters, Shu Yimo was the second eldest, yet she played the role of the eldest, taking the brunt of any issues that arose and shielding the others in any matter.
A faint light flickered in Shu Yimo's eyes as she reached out to pour wine for Shi Xian. "Going to prison might have been a good thing after all; it let me cool down. I've been too impetuous these past few years. You know, I'm not like you all; I never had that shine, so losing a little bit more of it doesn't bother me."
"Don't talk like that, Yimo... your halo could make us look up to you. We all admire you. It's just your misfortunes; it pains me to even think about it..."
Shi Xian was telling the truth—
After graduating from high school, Shu Yimo didn't go to university but enrolled in the police academy. Unfortunately, she was expelled in her first year and never returned to academic studies. Instead, she entered the workforce and, with her smarts and wits, made a place for herself after years of struggle.
Regrettably, two years earlier, because of Bai Xiexie, the Bai Family, together with the influential Luo Family, had ruthlessly suppressed Shu Yimo. She not only ended up facing jail time but her hard-built company was swallowed by Huading. Shu Yimo went bankrupt and probably still owed a substantial debt...
"A good man doesn't boast about his past bravery, those external possessions, gone is gone; we can start over. Bai Xiexie studies management, and the Bai Family isn't into business; why learn management?"
"You'd be surprised, she might very well enter Hengtai Group directly upon her return."
Worried, Shi Xian furrowed her brows as she considered the situation, and looking at Shu Yimo, she said, "Yimo, what do you plan to do? With the support of Fan Lingjue and Luo Haiming, I think, she..."
A hint of chill surfaced on Shu Yimo's indifferent face—
Shi Xian was right; with the backing of Fan Lingjue and young master Luo Haiming, Bai Xiexie would indeed be a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, with the An Family always prioritizing interests, if the two families were to form a marriage alliance, Shu Yimo would truly be out of the picture.
In dealing with the An Family, there was no chance Shu Yimo could win the fight for familial affection!
"Don't look at me with such pity; it makes me feel like I might succumb to despair."
It was a while before Shu Yimo said this mockingly and then lifted her glass to drain the wine in one breath...