Gu Quan was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry." Feeling guilty, he said, "I'll leave the shop in the city center to you."
"Oh, keep it to yourself. I am not a beggar."
"Jiaojiao, I just want to make it up to you."
"Make it up to me? You just want to give me something to make yourself feel good, right?" Lin Jiao sneered, "Gu Quan, you're so hypocritical."
"No matter what you think, I won't be stingy with what I have to give to you. I just hope…" You won't hate me.
Gu Quan did not finish his sentence.
He was in no position to ask her to do anything.
"Miss, we're here." The driver in the front stepped on the brakes and broke the silence.
Lin Jiao hung up without saying a word. Just as she got out of the car with two suitcases, she received a call from Pei Yilan.
"Jiaojiao, do you have time to hang out?"
"I'm moving. I don't have time."
Pei Yilan sat up from the sofa. "Moving? Did you quarrel with Gu Quan?"
"No." Lin Jiao held her phone tightly and smiled sadly. "I broke up with him."
Pei Yilan's eyes widened in shock.
She hurriedly changed her shoes and ran out. "Where are you now?"
"Ming Xin Mansion."
"Don't move. I'll be right there."
Lin Jiao opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the call ended.
She sighed and found the most eye-catching place to sit so that Yi Peilan could see her upon arriving.
Ten minutes later, a red sports car was parked outside.
Pei Yilan slammed the car door and ran up to Lin Jiao with a terrifying aura. "What did that bastard Gu Quan do to you?"
She was in such a hurry that she even forgot to tie the shoelace and do her hair, which was usually carefully styled.
Seeing her like this, Lin Jiao's eyes turned red for no reason. "Nothing."
"What do you mean nothing?" Pei Yilan pointed at the gauze on Lin Jiao's leg and stomped her feet in anger. "Where is he? I'll get someone to beat him up!"
"This has nothing to do with him."
"Don't speak up for him!"
"Really." Lin Jiao calmed herself down. "I accidentally fell."
Pei Yilan looked at her for a few seconds to make sure that she was lying.
She asked, "Why did you two break up?"
"Let's talk inside." Lin Jiao glanced at the pedestrians coming and going and asked her to find a spot to park the car first. "I'll wait for you at Unit 9."
"Alright." Pei Yilan did not ask further.
The apartment in Ming Xin Mansion was bought by Lin Jiao's parents when she was in her first year of university.
She had been here twice, so she was kind of familiar with it.
"Ding—"
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor. Lin Jiao dragged the suitcases to the right and took out the key from her bag. "Yi Lan, have you eaten?"
"Not yet." Pei Yilan followed her into the apartment.
She stood in the entryway and looked around. "Why do I feel like the furnishings here have changed?"
"My mother probably got someone to change it."
"Auntie has good taste."
Lin Jiao threw herself on the sofa. "Indeed, my mother is better than most of the designers."
She still remembered that when her parents were still married, everything at home was taken care of by her mother.
Even if their life was not that well-off at that time, she could still feel warmth and happiness.
"This painting looks familiar." Pei Yilan pointed at the painting on the wall and said thoughtfully, "Does your mother like this kind of painting?"
"My father likes it."
"No wonder this painting looks so incompatible with everything else."
Lin Jiao chuckled. "You'll get used to it." She opened the app and asked, "What do you want to eat? Fried chicken or barbecue?"
"Barbecue." Pei Yilan opened the suitcases and helped her unpack the clothes.
She took out a few dresses in a row and realized that they were not the ones sent by Gu Quan. She said in surprise, "Have you really made up your mind?"
"What?"
"About you and that bastard."
Lin Jiao looked up. "Yes." She looked into Pei Yilan's eyes and said firmly, "I won't go back on my words."
"What if he comes to you?"
"That won't change a thing."
"Are you really so sure…?"
"I'm not the one he loves."
After hearing the whole story, Pei Yilan had a complicated expression.
She looked at Lin Jiao, who looked as if nothing had happened, and couldn't imagine how much she had suffered in just a day.
"Jiaojiao." Pei Yilan hugged her shoulder, wanting to comfort her, but she was afraid of making her sadder. "It's okay. I'll always be here."
"I know."
"Forget it if that bastard Gu Quan doesn't cherish you. Let's find a better one!"
Hearing that, Lin Jiao felt less aggrieved and was even in the mood to joke.
"Alright, find me one tomorrow." She patted Pei Yilan's back.
"Not tomorrow. It's too soon."
"Then the day after tomorrow?"
"A month." Pei Yilan said in all seriousness, "Give me a month, and I'll definitely find you the best man in the world."
"Sure," Lin Jiao replied perfunctorily.
She did not take this to heart, nor did she know what kind of "trouble" this would bring.
*
Night fell. The bar street near the CBD was wrapped in a faint fog, looking like a paradise.
The bright moonlight intertwined with the neon lights, elongating the reflection on the ground and being shattered by the dense trees.
Lin Jiao stepped on the mottled light and was pulled into the bar at the end of the street by Pei Yilan.
There were some customers sitting in the bar. Under the dim light, their figures seemed to be covered by a thin veil.
On the stage, a singer was humming a tone with the guitar. His unique voice made Lin Jiao feel ill at ease.
Waiter led them to the second floor and took the reserved sign off the table. "What would you like to drink?"
"The best cocktails you have."
"Alright, do you want some snacks?"
"Um, yeah, bring us whatever you think is good." Pei Yilan put her bag aside and turned to open the window. "Jiaojiao, the vibe here is not bad, right?"
"Yeah." Lin Jiao pushed aside the hair on her shoulder and looked around. "Do you come often?"
"No, I've only been here twice."
Pei Yilan waited for the cocktails to be served and picked a glass for Lin Jiao. "Try this. The alcohol content is not high."
"How high is not high?"
"About ten percent."
Lin Jiao took two sips. A sweet fragrance spread in her mouth, almost covering the taste of alcohol.
She had to admit that this glass of cocktail was the best she had ever tasted.
Pei Yilan drank four or five glasses before asking the waiter to bring over two dice cups.
She swayed the dice cup from side to side. "Do you wanna play? Whoever loses will be punished to drink a glass."
Lin Jiao smiled. "Sure." She played a few rounds with Pei Yilan. They were on par with each other.