The elegant table in the private room of the Four Seasons Restaurant was still adorned with the remnants of their lavish dinner.
Yang Qinru leaned back in her chair, sipping the last of her gold-leaf passionfruit blend, lazily checking her reflection on her phone's screen when suddenly, Ren Yuxin's phone vibrated furiously on the table.
What was surprising wasn't the phone ringing—it had been doing that intermittently all evening—but how Ren Yuxin, who had been ignoring it, suddenly snatched it up as if it were a winning lottery ticket.
"Oh?" Yang Qinru's lips curved into a teasing smirk. "Who's that? Your boyfriend?"
Ren Yuxin's hand froze mid-air, and her cheeks bloomed into a soft pink. "N-no! It's not like that!" she stammered, holding the phone defensively to her chest.
"Oh-ho!" Yang Qinru sat up straighter, her grin widening. "That blush says otherwise! So it's not your boyfriend… a crush, then?"
Ren Yuxin gave her a sharp look, trying and failing to hide her embarrassment. "It's nothing like that, okay? We're just… talking."
"Talking, huh?" Yang Qinru mimicked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Alright, spill. Which family is he from? The Ji? The Hou? Or is he a secret heir of some hidden empire? Oh, don't tell me—it's someone from the Yang family!"
Ren Yuxin hesitated, her blush deepening. "He's… not from any prominent family," she said softly, looking down at her phone like it was suddenly the most fascinating object in the room.
Yang Qinru blinked, momentarily stunned. "Ordinary? As in, no ancestral mansions, no billion-dollar trust funds, no family heirlooms? That kind of ordinary?"
Ren Yuxin nodded, her gaze dropping to the table. "Yeah. He's… different."
For a moment, Yang Qinru was silent. Then, a wide grin spread across her face. "Oh my god, Xiao Yu. You've fallen for a commoner! This is straight out of a drama."
Ren Yuxin groaned, covering her face. "Can you not say it like that? You make it sound so dramatic."
"It is dramatic!" Yang Qinru insisted, her tone teasing but her expression softening. "Honestly, I'm a little jealous."
The room fell silent for a moment as Yang Qinru processed this revelation.
Ren Yuxin tilted her head, frowning slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Yang Qinru said, leaning her elbows on the table, "You don't have to marry someone you don't love. You can actually… choose."
Ren Yuxin blinked, the blush fading as she studied her friend. "You sound jealous."
"Of course I am!" Yang Qinru declared, throwing her hands up dramatically. "Do you know what it's like in the Yang family? Love isn't even a factor. It's all about alliances, power, and who can make the most profitable merger. Romance is a luxury I can't afford."
Yang Qinru can still remember her previous life, as if it was just yesterday.
Xie Jingyi. The man who, in her previous life, had forced her to marry him out of love, or what he claimed to be love
Ren Yuxin's gaze softened. "Qinru, you're not a stock certificate. You're a person. You have the right to choose who you want to be with."
Yang Qinru snorted, leaning her chin on her hand. "Oh, please. Have you met my family? If I don't bring home a walking pedigree, they'll probably lock me in the attic like a fairytale princess."
Ren Yuxin smiled softly. "I think you'll find that too, Qinru. Maybe not in the way you expect, but you will."
Yang Qinru rolled her eyes, though her heart felt a little lighter. "You sound like one of those cheesy fortune cookies."
"And yet, I'm always right," Ren Yuxin said, smirking.
Yang Qinru looked at her, touched by the sincerity in her friend's voice. "Thanks, Xiao Yu. But enough about me! Let's get back to you and your 'ordinary guy'." She smirked, the teasing glint returning to her eyes. "What's his name? Does he know you're filthy rich? Or did you tell him you're just a struggling artist living off instant noodles?"
Ren Yuxin burst into laughter, shaking her head. "His name is Su Yuanzhou."
"So, tell me about this Su Yuanzhou," Yang Qinru said, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.
Ren Yuxin hesitated, a dreamy look creeping onto her face. "He's… complicated. He's like a stray kitten—he pushes people away because he doesn't trust easily. But once you get close, you see he's not just the thorns. He's the rose, too. Beautiful, but you have to be careful not to get hurt."
Yang Qinru snorted. "A stray kitten? Yuxin, you're not adopting him, you're falling for him!"
"Don't make fun of me!" Ren Yuxin said, lightly swatting her arm, though her blush betrayed her.
Yang Qinru rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh great, you're one of those girls now. Falling for the mysterious bad boy. Does he brood in dark corners and write poetry about existential dread?"
Ren Yuxin laughed, throwing a napkin at her. "No, he doesn't brood. He's just… guarded. He knows I'm well-off, but he has no idea I'm from the Ren family. And he keeps pushing me away because of it."
Yang Qinru frowned. "He's pushing you away? Why?"
Ren Yuxin's gaze dropped to her lap. "Because he thinks we're too different. That I'm better off without him."
"Oh he's doing that 'noble idiot' thing?" Yang Qinru said smirking.
Yang Qinru rolled her eyes. "Men and their egos. Let me talk to him. I'll set him straight in five minutes."
"No, you won't!" Ren Yuxin said, laughing despite herself. "The last thing I need is you scaring him off!"
Yang Qinru smirked. "Fine, fine. But seriously, Yuxin, you deserve someone who sees how amazing you are. If this Su Yuanzhou can't handle that, maybe he's not worth the trouble."
Ren Yuxin's eyes softened. "He just needs time."
"Hmm," Yang Qinru said, crossing her arms. "If you say so. But if he breaks your heart, I'm sending Butler Fu to 'accidentally' run over his bike or something."
Ren Yuxin's smiled. "He's not a bad person, Qinru. He's just… scared. And stubborn. Like you."
Yang Qinru gasped, feigning offense. "Excuse me! I'm not stubborn. I'm resilient. There's a difference."
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Ren Yuxin teased.
As their laughter subsided, Yang Qinru leaned back, her smile faltering. "I'm happy for you, Xiao Yu. Really. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous. You get to follow your heart. Me? My heart doesn't even get a say in the matter."
Ren Yuxin looked at her friend thoughtfully. "You know, Qinru, just because you're from the Yang family doesn't mean you have to follow their script. You're smarter and stronger than that."
"Smarter? Definitely. Stronger? Maybe," Yang Qinru said, her grin returning. "But braver? That's questionable. You're braver than me, Xiao Yu. Chasing after a guy who's basically a cactus with abandonment issues? That takes guts."
Ren Yuxin laughed, shaking her head. "Love isn't about bravery. It's about believing in someone, even when they don't believe in themselves."
"Wow," Yang Qinru said, clapping slowly. "Someone's been reading too many romance novels."
"Shut up," Ren Yuxin replied, tossing another napkin.