Ye Zhiqiu only hesitated for a moment before deciding to buy all those outfits.
After that, they went to pick up some cosmetics. When they spotted a new perfume collection, Ye Zhiqiu found one she really liked, so she bought a bottle for herself, and also picked up another scent that she thought would suit Yue Minghui well.
Aside from gifts for family members, she naturally couldn’t forget Lu Shuangshuang and Tian Man either.
By the time they left the mall, Ye Zhiqiu was carrying bags upon bags, and Han Siyang and Fan Xue were helping her carry quite a few as well.
Of course, Fan Xue and Han Siyang had also bought plenty—especially Han Siyang.
Shopping was one of her hobbies. When she was in a good mood, she wanted to go shopping. And when she was in a bad mood, she wanted it even more.
She didn’t have any specific category she focused on either—if she saw something she liked, she’d just buy it.
Luckily, her parents never criticized her for it. In fact, they were very supportive, especially her mother.
Back in the dormitory, they tossed their purchases onto the beds and finally felt the fatigue set in.
But even though they were tired, they were also incredibly happy.
The three of them looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Let’s get some sleep early. Tomorrow I’ll take you two around to see more of the city.”
Ye Zhiqiu and Fan Xue wouldn’t be leaving until the day after tomorrow. They were the only ones left from the Guojing group, and they’d already bought their train tickets.
“Sure.”
Fan Xue agreed while rummaging through the things she’d bought. “I remember I got some snacks. Where’d I put them? No weight-watching today—I’m going to eat my fill tonight.”
She had a sweet tooth, and the mall they’d visited had a pastry shop. She’d bought several little cakes.
“Siyang, tomorrow you’ve got to take us somewhere good to eat.”
“No problem.”
Fan Xue handed out the little cakes she’d bought to Ye Zhiqiu and Han Siyang. They’d also bought some snacks, so they brought those out too.
“Hey, look at this candle—isn’t it pretty?”
Han Siyang had bought a candlestick and some candles. She turned off the light and lit one, and the atmosphere in the room instantly changed.
Too bad Fan Xue didn’t have a romantic bone in her body. “Siyang, your candle is pretty and all, but it’s not very bright. Kind of hard to eat in this dim light, don’t you think?”
Han Siyang rolled her eyes in exasperation. “This is called candlelight dinner, hello?”
“It’s almost midnight snack at this point.”
Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Fan Xue really was a riot sometimes.
They fooled around for a while longer, and after washing up, they all fell asleep before long.
The next morning, they woke up early, completely refreshed and no longer feeling the exhaustion from the day before. Each one of them was full of energy.
Han Siyang was excited because at noon, she was taking Fan Xue to meet her second cousin.
You see, that second cousin of hers was the family’s biggest headache. He was great in every way, but his personality was just too reserved. Still, she felt that Fan Xue and her second cousin would complement each other nicely.
Fan Xue, on the other hand, was excited about the food they were going to eat.
Ye Zhiqiu wasn’t quite as thrilled—she just wanted to take a look around Jiangning. Since she rarely got the chance to visit, even a brief tour would let her experience the local culture and customs.
After getting dressed up, the three of them locked the door and headed out. But they had no idea that not long after they left, a figure slipped silently through the window into their room.
That person was none other than Wen Shengnan.
Tang Xuejun meant what she said. She reported Wen Shengnan’s actions to the leadership of her arts troupe.
Wen Shengnan’s superiors were furious, but even more so, they were deeply embarrassed.
Their troupe had initially had three people selected—the most out of all the song-and-dance troupes. But in the end, only one remained, and the other two had both caused trouble.
Jiang Miao’s incident had already made their troupe a laughingstock in front of the others, especially the Red Star Song and Dance Troupe.
And now Wen Shengnan had done something even worse.
The leaders replied to Tang Xuejun that since the training had concluded, Wen Shengnan could return on her own, and they would deal with her accordingly later.
After finishing the conversation with the leaders of the Frontier Arts Troupe, Tang Xuejun had someone release Wen Shengnan from the detention room.
As Wen Shengnan walked back to the dormitory, she happened to see Ye Zhiqiu and the others returning. The three of them were chatting and laughing, all bright and cheerful, and her eyes burned with hatred.
Ye Zhiqiu had ruined her!
If it weren’t for her, Yue Mingyuan would have married her. And with her professional skills, first place should have been hers this time too!
Why did she keep dancing even after her clothes fell off?
If she’d just made one mistake, she could have surpassed her!
Now she could already imagine what kind of punishment awaited her when she got back to the troupe. She might even be expelled, just like Jiang Miao.
How was she supposed to keep dancing after that?
She refused to accept it!
Wen Shengnan didn’t damage anything. Instead, she pulled a small vial of charm water from her pocket and poured it onto the clothes that had been bought for Yaya.
The moment the charm water touched the fabric, it seeped right in, leaving no trace behind.
A vicious smile curled on Wen Shengnan’s lips. She turned and slipped back out through the window, leaving no sign of her presence.
Because of time constraints, Han Siyang took Ye Zhiqiu and Fan Xue to Jiangning’s most famous scenic spots.
She had a camera with her and took plenty of photos of the two.
“Come on, let’s go grab some good food.”
Around noon, Han Siyang slung an arm around Fan Xue’s shoulder and led her and Ye Zhiqiu to the restaurant where she’d arranged to meet her second cousin.
“Don’t let the size fool you—this place might look small, but the food is amazing.”
Han Siyang explained, “Plus, it’s really close to my second cousin’s hospital.”
She pointed out the hospital building visible not far from the window. “My second cousin works at this hospital. He’s a neurosurgeon.”
Fan Xue had relatives working in hospitals too, and she’d heard of this particular hospital in Jiangning. She knew that neurosurgeons were highly skilled, and her expectations for Han Siyang’s second cousin grew a little higher.
The appointed time was drawing near, and Han Siyang kept glancing at her watch, worried that her cousin might be late.
She’d told Fan Xue about her cousin’s work ahead of time because she didn’t want him showing up late and leaving a bad impression.
If her cousin actually ended up with Fan Xue, she was going to make him treat her well—after all, she’d put in a ton of effort on his behalf.
But to her surprise, her second cousin showed up right on time. Han Siyang was thrilled. “He’s here!”
Fan Xue looked toward the entrance and saw a man who wasn’t very tall and was balding walk in. When the man noticed her looking, he smiled at her, and she froze in shock.
“Not him—the one behind him,” Han Siyang quickly whispered to Fan Xue, who let out a sigh of relief.
She realized she’d misunderstood—that man hadn’t been smiling at her, but at the people at the table behind them.
Then, a man wearing an iron-gray trench coat and a brown turtleneck walked in. His skin was fair, and he moved with long, confident strides.
Han Siyang waved enthusiastically at him. “Second cousin, over here!”
The man gave a slight nod and strode over to their table on his long legs.
“Ahem, let me formally introduce you two.”
