After getting all the ingredients ready, Xiao Luan also picked out a few bottles of wine and poured them into glasses. The three of them stood up and looked at each other.
“Big Sister Xiao, why don’t you say it?” Gu Yun’er suggested.
Xiao Luan looked at the two girls and smiled. “Then let’s wish our friendship lasts forever. Cheers.”
Yu Xiaoduo suddenly thought—what if it goes beyond friendship?
A hint of sweetness slid down her throat, and Yu Xiaoduo got a taste of what it felt like to be best friends. The bottle of red wine was just about finished, and Yun’er was already a bit tipsy, her voice growing louder as she spoke.
“I’m already twenty-four and I’ve never been in a relationship. How sad is that?” Gu Yun’er set down her glass and started complaining.
Xiao Luan’s delicate face carried a slight flush, and paired with those alluring, fox-like eyes, she was utterly captivating. “Your sister and I have both gone twenty-five years without dating, and we’ve managed just fine.”
“I don’t believe it. In the dead of night, you two don’t think about men?” Gu Yun’er pointed at her two older sisters, pouting her red lips.
Yu Xiaoduo felt she had the right to weigh in—your sister sneaks looks at her phone late at night, saying out loud that men are useless, but deep down that’s not what she’s thinking at all. She might even be harboring intentions of becoming a man herself.
Seeing that neither of her sisters said anything, Gu Yun’er started calling them out by name. “Big Sister Xiao, don’t you want to fall in love?”
“Ah, what’s the use of wanting to? You need to find a man worth looking at,” Xiao Luan said helplessly. In front of her sisters, there was no need to pretend she didn’t care about anything—but beside her, Yu Xiaoduo seemed to be gathering intelligence.
Having gotten a satisfactory answer, Yun’er turned her gaze to Yu Xiaoduo. “Sister, what about you?”
“Once things are settled, I’ll fall in love.” Yu Xiaoduo figured Gu Wan’er thought the same way—right now she was wholeheartedly devoted to the company.
Gu Yun’er giggled. “When the time comes, the three of us can get married together. That would be so much fun.”
“Yun’er, what kind of guy do you want to find?” Xiao Luan asked curiously, wondering if Yun’er’s thinking had changed after all these years.
Gu Yun’er thought for a moment, then gave a silly grin. “I want to find someone my sister likes.”
Yu Xiaoduo: “…”
“What if your sister doesn’t like him?” Xiao Luan pressed, and Yu Xiaoduo secretly realized she’d misunderstood.
“If she doesn’t like him, then I don’t want him.” As she spoke, she leaned against Yu Xiaoduo’s shoulder. Yu Xiaoduo smiled wryly and patted Yun’er’s little head.
Xiao Luan placed a slice of meat into the pot. “Yun’er is just as obedient to you as always.”
Yu Xiaoduo smiled. Yun’er really was a good girl—a bad man like herself felt like she was about to corrupt her.
“I want to sing!” Gu Yun’er suddenly stood up and declared, then immediately ran to the living room, turned on the TV, and grabbed a microphone.
The song “Forgetting to Embrace” began to play softly. Yun’er held the microphone with both hands, her unique voice mesmerizing, carrying a hint of sorrow—as if she were singing about the pain of their earlier separation.
Yu Xiaoduo found herself getting drawn in, sinking into the drama of their best-friend fallout. But she had to admit—Yun’er really could sing beautifully.
“Do you remember the promise we made before?” Xiao Luan listened to the song, her beautiful eyes gazing at Yun’er as she murmured.
This question caught Yu Xiaoduo off guard—how would I know what promise you made?
“Now that we’ve made up, we can naturally fulfill that promise,” Yu Xiaoduo replied smoothly. I really am a genius.
Xiao Luan didn’t think much of it. “Back then we said—she would sing, I would dance, and you would play music. The three of us would form a group.”
“And now, only I’m still holding on.” As she spoke, Xiao Luan took a deep breath, grabbed the wine bottle and took a big swig. She stood up and walked to the living room, picked up the other microphone, and the two of them wrapped their arms around each other, swaying their bodies as if they had gone back in time.
Listening to Xiao Luan’s words, Yu Xiaoduo’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to the past. She truly envied their friendship. In this moment, she really wished she could go back to her own body and let Gu Wan’er feel the atmosphere of reconciliation for herself.
Glancing at the piano nearby, Yu Xiaoduo thought that if Gu Wan’er were here, she would probably go play a piece right about now.
It seemed she’d still have to use her own methods. She grabbed the wine bottle and took a big gulp, then directly inserted herself between the two girls, an arm around each, and selected the song “Friends.”
A moment like this called for exactly this kind of song to set the mood.
“All these years, all alone, through wind and through rain… Friends walk together through life… One word, a lifetime.”
Yu Xiaoduo had to admit she was pretty good at setting the atmosphere. Once emotions are released, there’s no stopping them—both girls sang until their eyes were red. Yu Xiaoduo could only sigh inwardly that Gu Wan’er couldn’t be part of this.
When the song ended, all three of them flopped onto the couch in unison.
“This feels so good—just like when we used to sneak off to karaoke on weekends,” Gu Yun’er said with a giggle, wiping the corners of her eyes.
Xiao Luan laughed softly. “I remember one time we got so carried away that our families were worried sick—they thought we’d been kidnapped.”
Listening to their memories, Yu Xiaoduo felt a lot of emotions. You two snuck off to sing—I snuck off to internet cafés. I had brothers too, just like you two. But you could make up, and I can’t.
“Sister, what’s wrong? You look unhappy,” Yun’er immediately sensed her sister’s mood.
Yu Xiaoduo smiled and made something up. “Just feeling a lot of emotions. It really wasn’t easy.”
“Getting sentimental again, aren’t we?” Xiao Luan said with a gentle smile.
Yu Xiaoduo looked at Xiao Luan earnestly. “If I had let go of my pride earlier, maybe this day would have come a long time ago.”
“Ah, it’s not just your problem. I was the same way.” Xiao Luan gently held Yu Xiaoduo’s hand and spoke deeply.
Yu Xiaoduo took a deep breath and smiled. “Sister Luan’er.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve always wanted to see you dance on a pole. Could you fulfill my little wish?”
Xiao Luan was surprised—Wan’er had actually made such a request.
“I want to see Big Sister Xiao pole dance too! I’ve never seen it before. Big Sister Xiao, please~?” Yun’er brought out her coquettish charm, which was simply irresistible to both men and women.
Xiao Luan smiled helplessly. “You sisters really have strange tastes. But there’s no pole here.”
“Yun’er, be Sister Luan’er’s human pole.” Yu Xiaoduo swore—this was the last billionth time—just to satisfy my curiosity.
Gu Yun’er immediately stood up in the middle of the room. Yu Xiaoduo marveled at how obedient she was.
“Wait.” Yu Xiaoduo went upstairs, and when she came back down she was holding an unopened pair of black stockings. She’d never seen Sister Luan’er wear black stockings before—it would definitely be something else.
Xiao Luan took the stockings and pouted. “Wan’er, I think you’re messing with me.”
“How could I be? I just genuinely want to see.”
“Only guys want to see that.”
Damn, Sister Luan’er really guessed right. “Then I’ll just take a look on behalf of my future brother-in-law.”
“I really can’t do anything with you.” Xiao Luan opened the packaging and put them on right in front of Yu Xiaoduo. From Yu Xiaoduo’s perspective, it was absolutely breathtaking—with those black stockings on, her allure level went straight off the charts.
