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墨書 Inktalez
She shook her head, "Qin Xian, this is such a hassle."
He lived in the northern part of the city, making a special detour every day to drop her off at work, and then driving back to the north after that.
Was he really so idle?
"Then just accept the car." This statement felt like his final compromise. Shu Ran looked at him, knowing she ultimately couldn't refuse.
Since the moment she met him, everything he did felt like a relentless push, leaving her no chance to say no.
So that evening, Shu Ran noted down another debt for the car in her notebook.
Looking at the amount recorded in her notebook, with a long string of zeros following those numbers, made Shu Ran's heart ache.
While others were striving hard at 25, she was struggling with debt.
What kind of grudge was this?
...
However, the next morning, Shu Ran still didn't have the courage to drive that car. She continued along her usual route to the subway station. Halfway there, her phone suddenly rang.
It was Qin Xian's voice questioning her, "Why didn't you drive?"
Shu Ran looked around in surprise but didn't see him anywhere.
Furrowing her brows, she wondered how he knew she hadn't driven.
"Speak."
Not receiving a response from her, he pressed on insistently.
"I..."
Shu Ran bit her lip, struggling to find a suitable reason to explain.
"Are you afraid to drive, or do you just not want to?" His voice was cold and indifferent, tinged with a hint of anger.
Shu Ran felt a bit guilty as he guessed her thoughts.
She was both afraid and unwilling to drive.
Hearing his displeasure, Shu Ran was worried about making him angry again, so she could only softly concede, "Got it, I'll go drive now."
When Shu Ran finally returned to the car and slowly made her way to the restaurant, Zhou Jiajia had already finished a cup of coffee.
Shu Ran hurriedly rushed in, "Sorry, Jia Jia, I'm late."
"It's fine, I'm not busy anyway." Zhou Jiajia waved her hand and called over the waiter, casually ordering two cups of coffee. One cup was specifically noted to have extra sugar because she remembered that Shu Ran didn't like bitter flavors.
After finishing that, she closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter.
"I just saw you drove here yourself; it's a white Audi."
Zhou Jiajia stated what she had seen through the window, looking at Shu Ran, eager for an explanation.
"Mm." Shu Ran lowered her eyes and responded lightly, her emotions unreadable.
"Mm? That's your answer?" Zhou Jiajia stared at her with wide eyes as if trying to bore a hole into her face.
Shu Ran sighed and met her scrutinizing gaze, finally answering truthfully, "It was bought by Qin Xian."
Zhou Jiajia instantly felt defeated, her face turning pale. She felt guilty for the words she had said. She had caused such trouble for her boyfriend's company, putting her best friend in a position where she willingly jumped into the fire to save them.
Shu Ran did not want to see her like this and explained, "What are you thinking? I’ve said it before, my choice to be with Qin Xian is my own decision. It has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to feel guilty."
Zhou Jiajia did not believe her at all. She shook her head, "If it weren't for my situation, would you really want to be with him? Don't lie to me, Shu Ran."
Shu Ran bit her lip and said firmly, "Yes, I admit that is part of the reason. However, that alone is not enough to make me so determined to be with him. I made this decision by following my own heart."
"I am very satisfied with this outcome and have no regrets at all."
"Moreover, he treats me very well. You really don’t need to feel guilty or worry about me."
Zhou Jiajia hesitated a bit, but seeing Shu Ran's determined and calm gaze didn’t seem fake. She quietly confirmed, "Really?"
Shu Ran smiled and replied affirmatively, "Really."
Zhou Jiajia breathed a sigh of relief, "You scared me! I've felt guilty for so many days that I couldn't even eat. Even Zheng Tong said I've lost weight."
Shu Ran joked, "Then you should eat more today and make up for the weight you've lost tenfold."
Seeing that she could still joke around and that her face showed no signs of the sadness and depression she had imagined, Zhou Jiajia finally believed her words completely.
She suddenly became serious and said, "Shu Ran, this time it’s something that Zheng Tong and I owe you. If you ever need our help with anything, just let us know. We will definitely help you."
Shu Ran smiled and didn’t take it too seriously.
They didn’t need to say these things between them.
Zhou Jiajia had always treated her well; she remembered everything from their school days when she protected her and never let her be bullied in school.
If there had been any bullying, she would have definitely helped her get back at them tenfold.
Looking back at all the little things over time, Zhou Jiajia had always acted in her best interest, ensuring that she wouldn’t get hurt.
So, what does her effort this time even count for?
Compared to how good Zhou Jiajia has been to her, this is nothing at all.
She changed the topic and asked a question she had been pondering, "Jia Jia, what do you do when Zheng Tong buys you things?"
"Ah?" Zhou Jiajia seemed a bit confused, not understanding why she suddenly asked this question, but she still answered, "I just accept them."
"Then, do you buy him something in return?"
At this point, Zhou Jiajia understood her meaning and tentatively asked, "Are you thinking of buying something for Qin Xian?"
Just from one sentence, Zhou Jiajia guessed it, and Shu Ran felt a bit embarrassed, only able to nod awkwardly.
"He has helped me a lot and given me many things; I have always felt bad about it."
"So I thought I should give him something too, so I wouldn't feel so indebted."
"I see," Zhou Jiajia twirled her big round eyes, helping Shu Ran think of suitable gifts.
After a moment, she said, "Actually, gifts for guys aren't hard to buy. Things like ties, watches, cufflinks—those are all good options."
"But if you want it to be more meaningful, then give him something he wants or something he lacks."
Shu Ran was stumped by this question. What could Qin Xian possibly lack?
He is so wealthy and powerful; anything he wants is within reach. What could he possibly be missing?
Thinking about it, she sent him a WeChat message.
Shu Ran: What do you lack?
Zhou Jiajia continued, "But don't let him know yet. Wait until one day when you suddenly give it to him as a surprise; that way, he'll be incredibly touched."
However, Shu Ran looked up at Zhou Jiajia and said, "I asked him."
Zhou Jiajia was bewildered. "Asked what?"
"Asked him what he wants."
Zhou Jiajia almost choked, cursing, "Shu Ran, are you an idiot? Who asks directly? It's all about subtle hints; otherwise, how can you give him a surprise?"
"Hurry up and take it back!"
"Oh."
Shu Ran reluctantly opened her phone. Just as she was about to long-press to recall the message, Qin Xian sent a reply with only two words.
Qin Xian: Missing you.
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