She is the most beautiful rose

Chapter 334 We'll Always Be Friends
Before the meal could even begin, I was rushed over to break up the fight.

Shen Manzhi had been busy since returning from the Dominican Republic yesterday, and only got to rest after finishing her work in the evening. She was still thinking about Qin Yanfeng's words, "I'll contact you later." As a result, she fell asleep in bed after taking a shower and slept until dawn, until she was woken up by a phone call.

As always, Afei was loud and boisterous, "Sister Zhi, that red-haired guy and Jiang Zai are fighting again!"

His tone was deafening, as if he was afraid the person on the other end of the phone wouldn't hear him.

Shen Manzhi buried half her face in the pillow, then wrapped her whole body in the soft blanket. After calming down for a moment, she asked in a soft, hoarse voice, "Someone died?"

Afei blinked, "...Not yet."

"Then you can wait to get beaten up by me."

Shen Manzhi hung up after saying that. Afei stood there, stunned. He looked at his phone and then at the tense scene not far away where everyone was "damaged" and ready to fight again.

He looked at the approaching person with a pleading expression, "Brother Jia, I...I..."

“It’s nothing,” He Jia patted his shoulder, “I must have woken her up.”

Afei felt a little wronged. He glanced at the time; it was eleven o'clock.

What time is it?! Still sleeping?!

He Jia pushed him over, "Take Jiang Zai to the attic, I need to chat with Lu Zhe for a bit."

Jiang Yue heard A Fei's phone call. It was so loud that it was hard not to hear in the empty hall during closing time. However, he didn't know exactly what the other party said, but he could guess from A Fei's expression.

She won't care.

Jiang Yue expressionlessly shifted his gaze from Lu Zhe to A Fei, who was walking over. The latter subconsciously touched the tip of his nose. "Jiang Zai, don't bother with that redhead. Brother Jia will teach him a lesson."

Jiang Yue took a half step back, avoiding A Fei's outstretched hand.

Ah Fei's hand froze in mid-air, his puppy eyes drooping slightly. "Jiang Zai? Jiang Zai!"

Jiang Yue turned and left without giving anyone a chance to react.

He Jia had just chased Lu Zhe to the back door when he heard this and turned around to look.

Afei was at a loss, wondering if he shouldn't have made that phone call. "What should I do, Jia-ge!"

He Jia squinted, watching the child's departing figure, lost in thought.

Jiang Yue left the tea house by taking a detour through the alleyways. He stopped for a while at the barbecue street and turned his head to look at one of his favorite restaurants.

No, it's the shop that Shen Manzhi loves the most.

The proprietress called out her wares, beaming as she wrote out bills, carrying food around the small tables on the street to deliver it to customers—it was as lively as ever.

He paused for a moment, then looked away and quickened his pace as he left.

Winter in Huaicheng is bitterly cold. Jiang Yue wore a black hoodie under his down jacket, but the cold wind still managed to seep in through his collar.

It was a slightly cold, astringent pain.

After leaving the East District, he took a taxi back to his residence on Xuefu Street.

After returning to China yesterday, I went to school to register before I even had a chance to unpack. Today, I went to a tea house again...

He opened the door and stood in the entryway, staring at the suitcase spread out in the living room. He paused for a moment, his half-closed eyes showing a hint of coldness.

Her relationship with Lu Zhe was not good from the first time they met.

The boy, with his flamboyant red hair, sat down next to Shen Manzhi without any hesitation, teasing her without restraint.

It was also immediately obvious that he liked Shen Manzhi.

Being young and impetuous with a strong sense of possessiveness, he couldn't stand others showing favor to Shen Manzhi, so he made a few provocative remarks.

They met again during dinner on New Year's Eve, and Shen Manzhi bent down to treat Lu Zhe's wounds.

Later, after he confessed his feelings, he and Lu Zhe fought for the first time, but he never received the same tenderness and care from her.

Their relationship had become so irreconcilable that, during the year he was away, Lu Zhe had become friends with them at the tea house.

In his former spot, his friend stood beside him, holding a guitar and learning to sing with great enthusiasm.

Jiang Yue lowered his eyes, dismissing his emotions, took off his coat, removed his hood, rolled up his sleeves, and began to slowly and methodically pack his luggage.

What about her?
The ceramic cup fell off the table and shattered into pieces. He squatted down, stared at it for a few seconds, picked up the shards, and slowly clenched his fist.

"Ding," a long, drawn-out doorbell rang.

Jiang Yue suddenly released his grip, his palm already bearing bloodstains. His expression grew increasingly cold as he got up and walked towards the kitchen. He slowly washed his hands before opening the door.

His indifferent expression froze for a moment.

Shen Manzhi stood outside the door with a guitar on her back and a bag in her hand. She raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly at him, "Not welcome?"

Jiang Yue's heart skipped a few seconds. After regaining her senses, she stepped back to let her in, but forgot to even address her.

Shen Manzhi's sharp eyes spotted the broken ceramic pieces on the ground, and Jiang Yue quickly went over to clean them up. "I haven't had time to clean them up yet, please sit wherever you like."

She put the things in her hands aside, then gently took the guitar case from behind her and placed it on the coffee table.

After tidying up, Jiang Yue washed his hands, took a bottle of water from the refrigerator, put it back a moment later, and went to the kitchen to boil water.

Shen Manzhi looked at him for a while, then tore open the bag. "Don't bother with anything else, come here."

Jiang Yue walked over and watched her take out iodine swabs and medicine powder, and felt a strange lump in her throat.

He accepted it and thanked him, saying, "I can do it myself."

The two kids were fighting, hitting each other in the face, completely disregarding their handsome faces.

Jiang Yue went to the bathroom and came out. He saw the violin case on the coffee table, looked away, and slowly walked over.

Shen Manzhi broke off one end of the iodine swab and handed it to him.

"It's done."

She slightly raised her chin to indicate, "The palm of my hand."

Jiang Yue's eyes flickered slightly as he sat down next to her, one seat away from her, and wiped his cut palm.

A moment of silence fell, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. But perhaps only Jiang Yue himself felt this way.

In fact, every time he was injured before, Shen Manzhi would prepare the medicine and watch him apply it, almost never doing it herself.

There have been countless times when they haven't been able to talk to each other, but they never feel awkward or out of place.

The iodine solution stung as it seeped into the wound. He pursed his lips slightly, tossed away the cotton swab, and looked up at the violin case on the table.

Shen Manzhi gestured for him to extend his hand, sprayed the powder from the small bottle into his palm, and, noticing his gaze out of the corner of her eye, smiled and said, "A gift."

A hint of surprise flashed in Jiang Yue's eyes. "My birthday isn't this month."

"A Gift for Reunion".

Since his hand was inconvenient, Shen Manzhi simply bandaged it up a few times.

"See if you like it."

Jiang Yue felt a slight warmth in his heart. He was already somewhat surprised when he saw the logo on the guitar case—a special custom-made Martin guitar.

He picked it up and tried it, and it was quite unexpected.

The design and sound were made entirely according to his personal playing style.

When a group of people get together to play music, they know each other's preferences and strengths to some extent, but they never expected to be remembered so clearly.

Jiang Yue put down the zither, but felt a strange sense of relief.

Actually, nothing has changed.

It was because he crossed the line and had inappropriate thoughts that I felt awkward being with him.

Aren't you going to ask me why I fought with him?

Shen Manzhi leaned back on the sofa with her arms crossed. "So, did you win?"

Jiang Yue raised her eyes, then lowered her head again.

Shen Manzhi clicked her tongue, "Was all the teaching I gave you before a waste of time?"

He felt a strange sensation in his heart; that feeling seemed to have returned. "...You used to tell me to fight less."

"Didn't I say that you should just endure being wronged?"

He suddenly looked up.

Shen Manzhi turned slightly to the side, seemingly casually dragging out her words in a lazy tone, and said with a smile, "Afei was extremely worried on the phone, afraid that you would get hurt. You were just reported by foreign media as the most charismatic young guitarist in China, you can't be unaware of how important your hands are, can you?"

Jiang Yue blinked.

It turns out that Afei wasn't trying to "tattle," and everyone wasn't biased towards Lu Zhe.

His ears turned slightly red. "Sis... don't tease me about that."

Shen Manzhi laughed, "Can't I even say the truth? These past few days, Afei has been stopping everyone he meets to watch your videos, as if he himself has won an award."

Videos of Jiang Yue collaborating with mainstream international bands have gone viral online, showing him as a completely different person on and off stage. However, the coverage is mainly focused on international media, with no domestic media outlets yet reporting on it.

"I thought you didn't know."

"You're our darling, there's nothing we don't know about you."

After a moment of stunned silence, Jiang Yue felt a mix of emotions swirling within him.

It is precisely because of this constant concern that we were able to access the relevant information immediately.

Shen Manzhi went to the kitchen and turned off the "whooshing" kettle.

"Jia and the others have prepared other gifts and are waiting for you to have dinner together. Shall we go?"

She saw through his awkwardness and sensed his disappointment, so she soothed him in this gentle way.

Jiang Yue nodded quickly, put the guitar in the room, and followed Shen Manzhi out.

On the way to the parking lot, Shen Manzhi walked beside him, twirling the keys in her fingers, and said something.

"Friends who come together with shared ideals will always be friends."

After all, the unforgettable times we shared can never be replicated.

And the contact and care will not fade because of his brief year-long absence.

Jiang Yue slowed his pace, looking at her slender and tall figure.

But we can only be friends.

He should have realized long ago that when a friend has a partner, keeping your distance is the best way to respect each other.

In fact, Shen Manzhi has always been like this, always having boundaries with everyone. It was his greed for more that made him feel that she had changed.

Over the past year, I've gradually come to terms with it.

I'm just worried that we won't even be able to be friends anymore, that without emotional support, my former place will be taken by someone else...

Now, the last bit of gloom that had been weighing on my heart has finally been dispelled.

The car was parked on the side of the road, and Jiang Yue had just followed Shen Manzhi when he was suddenly hugged by someone who rushed out.

"Little Ginger!"

Ah Fei clung to his waist like a koala, burying her face in his chest and whimpering pitifully, "I really shouldn't have told Zhi-jie on me, please forgive me! Please forgive me, okay?"

Only Ah Fei could pull off such a coquettish act.

Jiang Yue looked helpless and turned around to see Shen Manzhi leaning against the car door, smiling.

He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and patted the person in his arms. "You're not angry."

Ah Fei looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Really? You scared me to death just now! I knew my Jiang Zai was the best!"

He straightened up and put his arm around Jiang Yue's shoulder, expressing his feelings frankly, "You're finally back! We've all missed you so much!"

Jiang Yue smiled and got into the car with him. No one could resist the charming Afei.