"I also said that day that I helped you not only for your sake but also for mine. After all, it was my first time hosting a show, and I didn't want it to be a mess." The lemonade was brought by the waiter. Lin Jinran took a sip, leaned back in her chair casually, and said lazily.
Qiao Songyue was silent for a while, then nodded. "That's true, but I still have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I would definitely have made a fool of myself at the New Year's Eve party."
She took out a gift box from beside her, pushed it over, and said, "This is for you. It's a necklace. Open it and have a look."
Afraid that Lin Jinran would refuse, Qiao Songyue crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin slightly. "Don't be in a hurry to refuse. It's rare for me to give someone a gift. You can't not give me face."
In this way, she had a bit of her former self.
Lin Jinran raised her eyebrows and looked at her amusingly. "Since that's the case, then I'd better accept it."
She took it, opened the box, and a necklace came into view.
It was a necklace covered with diamonds. The diamonds sparkled brightly under the flickering lights, like the twinkling stars in the dark night sky.
Lin Jinran knew that the gift from Qiao Songyue was not ordinary, but she didn't expect it to be so valuable.
Surprise flashed in her eyes. Then she closed the box, shook her head, and explained to her.
"Qiao Songyue, I just helped you casually. There's no need for you to give me such a valuable gift."
Qiao Songyue said impatiently, "Why are you being so fussy? I said it's for you, so you should take it. And I've already bought it. If you don't accept it, what should I do?"
The young lady's temper flared up.
Lin Jinran made a prompt decision and accepted it. "Then thank you."
"Humph, that's right." Qiao Songyue nodded proudly and took a sip of her coffee.
The bitterness spread on the tip of her tongue, just like her feelings for him. "I'm leaving at the end of this semester. I'm going abroad to study."
So soon?
Lin Jinran looked up in surprise. Then, realizing her gaze was too direct, she lowered her head slightly. "You should pay attention to your safety abroad. Tone down your temper. It's not as safe abroad as it is in the country. In Wannan City, your parents can take care of you in time if something happens. It won't be convenient when you're elsewhere."
Qiao Songyue stared at her with wide, black - and - white eyes. "My temper is quite good, okay? Hey, do you have some misunderstanding about me?"
"No, no." The smile in Lin Jinran's eyes was almost overflowing. She coughed and said easily, "I'm just reminding you."
"Hey, do you still think that I'll stubbornly like Su Qinian and try to steal him away from you?" Qiao Songyue suddenly slapped the table and questioned her. "Am I your imaginary love rival?"
Lin Jinran was drinking water. Suddenly hearing her question, she was choked by the water. She quickly calmed down. "Hey, no, I don't. Don't talk nonsense."
"I won't. I can't fall for the same guy twice. There are so many good men abroad. I don't want to hang myself on just one tree." Qiao Songyue's emotions came and went quickly. It was a bit inexplicable.
"At the New Year's Eve party that day, I've already shown my attitude. I'll never take the same guy back."
You never really had him back in the first place, Lin Jinran couldn't help but think to herself.
However, Lin Jinran was quite surprised that Qiao Songyue had finally seen things clearly this time.
"Lin Jinran, at first, because of Su Qinian, I didn't like you. I thought you were pretentious and artificial. But later, after more contact, I found that you're actually not bad. Especially on the day of the New Year's Eve party, I really didn't expect that you would take such a big risk of missing the hosting to help me."
Qiao Songyue, who was making this impassioned speech, was staring straight at Lin Jinran.
Lin Jinran sat up straight, with her back stiff, facing her.
Actually, she was a bit nervous inside, not knowing what Qiao Songyue's purpose was in saying these things.
"So I've decided!" Qiao Songyue slapped the table again, attracting the attention of the surrounding guests.
Lin Jinran twitched the corners of her mouth and pretended to be calm.
"I really admire you, so I've decided to be your friend. What do you think, Lin Jinran? Isn't it a great decision?" Qiao Songyue said complacently and began to count the benefits on her fingers.
"There are many people who want to be my friend, but I don't befriend everyone. And there are many benefits to being my friend."
"For example, I'll protect you. Although I'm about to leave Wannan City, as long as you encounter difficulties and tell me, I'll definitely find someone to help you solve them."
Lin Jinran found that Qiao Songyue was not only unscrupulous but also a complete middle - school girl. How come she hadn't noticed it before?
The girl in front of her was still counting the benefits, with a serious look in her eyes. Suddenly, as if thinking of something, she took a deep breath and said sadly.
"Actually, I still like Su Qinian quite a lot. I can't stand seeing you and him together. Just thinking about this picture makes me jealous, sad, and heart - broken."
Huh? Lin Jinran became a bit interested. She leaned forward, ready to listen to what she would say next.
But then the topic changed.
"Lin Jinran, considering how generous I am, why haven't you agreed to be my friend yet?"
Lin Jinran: "..."
So after saying so much and expressing her sadness, she still ended up circling back to the topic of being friends?
"Qiao Songyue, I like your boldness and freedom, so I'm very happy to be your friend."
Lin Jinran agreed to her.
The sadness on Qiao Songyue's face disappeared without a trace in an instant. She picked up her coffee and pushed it forward. "Shall we toast? With your lemonade and my coffee."
"Sure." Lin Jinran raised her eyebrows, picked up the lemonade, clinked glasses with her, took a few sips, and then put it down.
"Actually, there's one more thing I haven't told you. You should be careful of that girl named Zhang Qiaozhi in your class. I got to know her by chance."
"Before I came back, didn't you go to an amusement park and post a circle of friends? It was Zhang Qiaozhi who sent me your group photo and told me about your relationship with Su Qinian."
"I just feel that she has ulterior motives. She wants to use someone else to do her dirty work. I was just the knife in her hand." Qiao Songyue gave a bitter smile. "At that time, I didn't really care and did what I wanted to do. Later, when she wanted to use someone else again, I didn't want to do it, so I just ignored her."
"I'm really sorry for the things I did to hurt you before. I was just too stubborn. Su Qinian doesn't like me. It took me more than ten years to see this clearly. But it's not too late. I still have plenty of time."
Who could have expected that in the days to come, she and Lin Jinran would sit at the same table, chatting calmly.
"Before, I thought I could touch his heart, so I pestered him whenever I had time. It didn't work at all. Instead, it annoyed him. In the end, I found that the one who could touch his heart was someone else. That person is you, Lin Jinran."