Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

The air in the dessert shop on the top floor of the mall is filled with the sweet aroma of cream and fresh berries.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the skyline of a bustling city unfolds.

Liu Yunshu and Shen Qing were casually scooping up their low-sugar mousse, their hands supporting their chins.

From a booth by the window not far away, a soft, sweet female voice drifted over.

"Ah Ming, I heard... you're getting married to that Miss Liu?"

The voice was sickeningly sweet, tinged with a cautious, tentative approach.

Liu Yunshu paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the small silver spoon, raised her eyes, and glanced over indifferently.

By the window, Su Manli was practically leaning into Fu Jingming's arms.

Her fingertips were drawing circles on his wrist almost imperceptibly, and her watery eyes shone with a pitiful light.

"But I always feel... you still have feelings for me. Otherwise, why would you take the time to come with me for dessert on such an important day as trying on wedding dresses?"

Fu Jingming's body seemed to stiffen for a moment, and his voice was somewhat hoarse:

"Manli, you left the country without a word three years ago, and Yunshu was there for me through it all. Isn't it right for me to marry her?"

Su Manli's shoulders trembled slightly, her eyes reddened instantly, tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice choked like a wisp of smoke in the wind:

"Back then... I had no choice. My father was seriously ill, and the family company was on the verge of collapse. I had no choice but to go abroad to find a way out... I thought you would understand me, that you would wait for me..."

She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but her fingertips "inadvertently" brushed against the back of Fu Jingming's hand, her tone as soft as a sigh.

"Amin, I know you have to take responsibility for her now... but the thought of you marrying someone else makes this place hurt so much..."

She clutched her chest, tears welling up but not falling.

Fu Jingming's Adam's apple bobbed, a look of struggle crossing his face. Finally, he reached out and patted her back, his voice softening unconsciously.

"Alright, Manli, don't cry... It's my fault, I made you suffer."

She took in the entire scene. A faint, cold smile curved her lips as she put a spoonful of mousse into her mouth.

The sweetness melted on the tip of my tongue, but it couldn't suppress the cold mockery in my heart.

Shen Qingqing was so angry she almost bent her fork, gritting her teeth and suppressing her rage:

"You two are such a bastard! Hugging and kissing in public! Fu Jingming, you heartless scoundrel! I'm going to shove their faces into a cake right now!"

Liu Yunshu gently pressed down on her agitated wrist, her fingertips slightly cool, her voice trembling with a weak sob: "Qingqing, don't... don't go."

She lowered her eyelashes, her thick lashes casting small shadows on her fair eyelids.

Her nose was slightly red, and her appearance—a picture of suppressed grievance and pitiful sight—would soften anyone's heart.

"Let's...let's go. I don't want to cause a scene here, it's too embarrassing..."

Seeing her like this, Shen Qingqing felt extremely distressed and tightly grasped her cold hand.

"Leave?! They're the ones who should get lost! Look at Fu Jingming's behavior, he's completely fooled by that scheming woman's words, and you're actually thinking of him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Jingming on the other end seemed to notice something and turned to look over.

Their eyes met, and a hint of panic flashed across his face. He instinctively tried to push away Su Manli, who was leaning against him.

Su Manli, however, reacted even faster than him.

Following Fu Jingming's gaze, she saw Liu Yunshu, and her eyes first lit up slightly, but then quickly dimmed with a layer of guilt.

She stood up, smoothed her skirt, and walked with delicate steps toward Liu Yunshu's table, her face bearing just the right amount of apology and unease.

"Sister Yunshu, what a coincidence, you're here too..."

She stopped in front of Liu Yunshu, her head slightly lowered, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her skirt.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... It's all my fault. I insisted on dragging Ah Ming along with me. Don't be angry with him. Blame me instead."

Liu Yunshu raised her head, her eyes still brimming with tears, and forced a stiff smile: "Sister Manli, you flatter me."

Fu Jingming quickly followed, his tone deliberately calm:

"Yunshu, don't misunderstand. Manli just returned to the country and is unfamiliar with many places. I'm just doing my duty as a friend by showing her around."

"Friendship?"

Shen Qingqing scoffed, showing no politeness whatsoever.

"Fu Jingming, your fiancée is trying on her wedding dress today, and you have the leisure to accompany your 'old friend' to eat at this newly opened trendy dessert shop?"

"You've certainly timed your 'hostly hospitality' perfectly! What, have you forgotten you're getting married soon?"

Fu Jingming's face darkened: "Shen Qingqing, this is between Yun Shu and me, it's none of your business to interfere."

"An outsider? I'm Yun Shu's best friend! I can't stand seeing her being bullied!"

Shen Qingqing's voice trembled with anger.

"Yun Shu treats you like a treasure, but what do you treat her like? A backup plan that you can call on and dismiss at will?!"

"I've never considered Yun Shu as a backup plan!" Fu Jingming's voice suddenly rose, drawing sidelong glances from several other tables of customers.

A flash of anger and embarrassment crossed his face, but when he turned to Liu Yunshu, he forced himself to soften his tone.

"Yunshu, believe me, Manli and I really have nothing going on. It's just that she just came back, and her family situation is bad. She's all alone and I can't just leave her like this."

Liu Yunshu looked up at him quietly, her eyes glistening with tears, her long eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings fluttering in the wind and rain.

She didn't speak, but simply bit her lower lip gently.

That restrained, vulnerable, and hesitant demeanor was more impactful than any tearful outpouring.

Upon seeing this, a dark glint flashed across Su Manli's eyes.

She suddenly reached out and grabbed Liu Yunshu's hand, which was resting on the table. Her fingertips were icy cold and trembling deliberately.

"Sister Yunshu, please forgive A-Ming this time. It's all my fault..."

As she spoke, her fingernails, hidden in her palm, dug fiercely into Liu Yunshu's hand!

Liu Yunshu winced in pain and abruptly pulled her hand back.

Su Manli cried out in surprise, as if she had been forcefully pushed away.

She staggered back two steps, her skirt "just so happened" to brush against a glass of water on the next table.

"Splash—!"

The sound of shattering glass was crisp and piercing, and water instantly splashed onto the hem of her off-white dress.

She collapsed to the ground, clutching the back of her hand, which had been scratched red by tiny shards of glass.

His face was pale, and the tears that had been welling up in his eyes finally rolled down his cheeks; his voice trembled.

"Yunshu... I know you're angry because I took Amin's time... but... but you can't push me like that..."

Fu Jingming's pupils contracted sharply. Without thinking, he rushed over, lifted Su Manli up, and carried her in his arms.

When he looked at Liu Yunshu again, his eyes had turned completely cold, filled with undisguised disappointment and reproach:

"Liu Yunshu! Haven't you made enough of a scene?! Manli has already apologized to you in a huff, what more do you want? Why have you become so unreasonable?!"

"I didn't push her..." Liu Yunshu's voice was very soft, trembling with disbelief.

"That's enough!"

Fu Jingming interrupted her sharply, picked up Su Manli, turned around and walked out, his tone more anxious than ever before.

"Manli, bear with it a little longer, I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup right away!"

He took a few steps, then stopped, and without turning his head, threw down a sentence, each word icy cold.

"Liu Yunshu, your performance today has been very disappointing."

Su Manli nestled obediently in his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest.

From an angle where Fu Jingming couldn't see, she slowly turned her head, her gaze passing over his shoulder and landing precisely on Liu Yunshu's face.

A fleeting, victorious smile played at the corners of his lips. The provocation and smugness in his eyes were crystal clear.

Liu Yunshu stood frozen in place, the spot on the back of her hand where she had been pinched throbbing with pain.

"Bastard! Blind man! Idiot!"

Shen Qingqing was so angry that she trembled all over. She pointed in the direction where the two disappeared, wishing she could chase after them and yell at them.

"He actually believed that scheming woman's terrible acting! Fu Jingming, have you lost your mind?! Su Manli, you just wait!"

After she finished scolding, she quickly turned around and hugged the slightly trembling Liu Yunshu, her voice filled with both anxiety and heartache:

"Yun Shu, it's alright, it's alright. I know it wasn't you. That bitch did it on purpose!"

"Fu Jingming is completely blind! We don't want a man like that anymore, okay? Let's go home and never talk to him again!"

Liu Yunshu leaned on her shoulder, sniffed, and spoke in a muffled voice with a heavy nasal tone:

"Qingqing... I really didn't push her..."

"I know! Of course I know!"

Shen Qingqing gently patted her back, "Come on, I'll take you home first. You should get some rest. Don't get angry over someone like that, it's not worth it!"

Just then, Xiao Ba's excited notification sound rang in Liu Yunshu's mind:

"Bro! Urgent report! Target Fu Yanshen will be at the famous 'Butterfly' bar in the west of the city tonight! Around 9 PM!"

Liu Yunshu's eyes flickered slightly, her thick eyelashes still damp.

She lifted her head from Shen Qingqing's embrace, her eyes red as she looked at her friend, her voice carrying a broken and willful tone:

"Qingqing... I feel so suffocated and upset... I don't want to go home."

"Would you... would you come with me for a drink? Just one... Let's go to 'Butterfly,' I heard it's a quiet place."

Looking at her pale face and swollen eyes, Shen Qingqing felt all her words of advice stuck in her throat, leaving only a deep sense of heartache.

She sighed and took Liu Yunshu's arm:

"Alright! Drink up! I'll drink with you tonight, until we're drunk! To hell with scumbags, to hell with wedding dresses! The most important thing is for us sisters to be happy!"