Love Apartment: Yifei is my junior aunt

Chapter 741 The World is Bright and Splendid

"This is unbelievable! A perfectly good diamond ring—no one hid it, no one stole it—could it just disappear like a ginseng fruit falling to the ground?"

Youyou sat on the edge of the bed and said in frustration, "If I can't find it, I have no way to go to the South China Sea to ask for the sweet dew of willow branches."

"I'm doomed! If Yu Mo finds out, she'll definitely kill me!"

"It's not as exaggerated as you think. After all, Yu Mo herself has lost diamond rings quite a few times."

Wanyu patted Youyou's shoulder to comfort her, "Youyou, don't worry too much. Anyway, Ocean Star is in the suite, so it can't run away. We can just search for it properly after Xinling leaves."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely find the diamond ring."

"Ugh."

Dejected, Youyou lay on the bed and began to frantically scratch at her limbs.

What on earth is going on here?!

……

With Wan Yu's comforting words, Youyou finally accepted the frustrating fact that the diamond ring could not be found for the time being. When they came out of Guangu's bedroom again, Yu Mo had already finished doing Xinling's manicure.

"How's it going? Have I improved my skills?"

Yu Mo proudly took Xin Ling's hand and showed it to everyone.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked down and examined Xinling's pinkish-orange short nails.

Perhaps due to her illness, Cyndi's hands are paler than those of a normal girl, but the pinkish-orange color of her short nails makes her hands look rosy and healthy, appearing delicate and bouncy.

"Yes, it's really good."

Nanfeng praised, "It seems my time as a guinea pig hasn't been in vain."

"That's right." Yu Mo said with a grin, leaning on Nan Feng's shoulder. "I have to live up to your selfless dedication."

Her eyes darted around, and she whispered, "How about... I give you a proper manicure tonight?"

Nanfeng smiled gently at Yumo, but her words were the quickest to refuse: "Impossible, don't even think about it."

Upon hearing this, Yu Mo pouted.

Ziqiao, standing to the side, examined Xinling's hands and suddenly sighed.

"what?"

Yu Mo looked at Zi Qiao: "Do you have a problem with my cooking?"

Ziqiao shrugged: "No objection."

"Then why did you suddenly sigh?"

He pursed his lips and replied, "It's nothing, it's just..."

"Oh dear, you wouldn't want to hear it anyway."

Everyone rolled their eyes at Ziqiao, then they heard him stroke his chin and say, "But it doesn't seem right not to say anything..."

"Then just say it."

"It's nothing important. I told you I'm not just making trouble for myself."

Even Zhanbo started to get annoyed with him: "Then why don't you just stop saying a single word from now on?"

"But I can't hold it in."

……

……

……

Everyone stared silently at Ziqiao until he started to feel uneasy.

His eyes darted around. "Are you... sure you want me to say it?"

"Speak quickly!!!"

The crowd, unable to bear it any longer, roared in unison.

Startled by the shout, Ziqiao then said under the fierce gazes of the crowd, "I just feel that Xinling's overall look after getting her nails done... is a little off."

"Why does the overall look seem out of place?"

Everyone muttered and looked at Xinling, finally understanding what Ziqiao meant.

If you only look at the hands, the manicure Yu Mo did for Xinling is definitely fine, but overall it's a bit lacking.

In other words, Cyndi's simple clothing and makeup don't quite match her current manicure.

Xinling looked down at herself, still not quite understanding Ziqiao's meaning: "Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, it's perfect, just a little bit of finishing touches are needed."

By the end of the day, Yu Mo felt that her relationship with Xin Ling was already quite good. She pulled Xin Ling up and said, "Come on, I'll do your makeup properly. I'll make you the most stunning person there."

"Hey, this is interesting, I'll help too."

Meijia excitedly got up and pushed Xinling toward the door.

"I……"

Xinling instinctively wanted to refuse, but her body, which was recovering from a long illness, was no match for Yu Mo. She had barely opened her mouth when Yu Mo forcibly pulled her to 3604.

Seeing that Xinling had temporarily left 3602, Guangu finally couldn't help but ask, "There's a question I've been wanting to ask just now: how come Yumo and Meijia are so close to Xinling?"

"That's right."

Having failed to find the diamond ring, Youyou finally turned her attention back to Xinling. She asked curiously, "It's only been an afternoon, and the friendship between the three of them has progressed so quickly."

"Yu Mo is planning to let Xin Ling dominate the entire audience. What am I going to do if she does dominate?"

Youyou wasn't trying to form cliques, but her relationship with Xinling was indeed quite special. Now, seeing her best friends' relationships with Xinling progressing rapidly, she felt somewhat awkward.

"No, I need to change my clothes and redo my makeup too."

As she spoke, Youyou immediately got up to go back to Guangu's bedroom; she was unwilling to be instantly defeated by Xinling.

"Youyou, calm down."

Nanfeng sipped his lemonade and said slowly, "Actually, I asked the two of them to temporarily forget about Xinling trying to steal your man and to treat Xinling with a normal attitude."

Youyou was stunned upon hearing this, and the question that had been bothering her immediately popped out of her mouth: "Why? Nanfeng, are you being overly sympathetic again?"

Everyone looked at Nanfeng in confusion, unable to understand his purpose in doing so.

Nanfeng said seriously, "I'm helping you and Guangu. Don't you two realize things are getting better?"

Youyou and Guangu exchanged a glance, and then exclaimed "Oh!" as if they had just realized something.

"Oh……"

Nanfeng's face revealed a smug expression: "You're quite the child..."

"We still don't understand."

Nanfeng's smug smile vanished instantly.

He sighed, too lazy to keep them in suspense any longer: "Didn't you guys notice that Xinling's advances towards Guangu have decreased significantly this afternoon?"

"Huh?"

Everyone suddenly realized that this was indeed the case.

Zhanbo asked curiously, "But isn't it because Xinling believed Guan Gu's drunken promiscuity and infidelity?"

Before Nanfeng could reply, Ziqiao interjected, "It might be possible with other girls, but Xinling is willing to be Guangu's concubine. Even if she can't accept it at first, once she calms down, why would she care about Guangu's one or two drunken misbehaviors?"

"Um."

Everyone nodded.

Youyou said thoughtfully, "I understand. Nanfeng, you used Yumo and Meijia to draw Xinling's attention away, and then used nail art and casual conversation to prevent her from launching an attack on Guangu."

"If it gets late, we can then legitimately send Xinling away?"

"Oh my God."

Curry Sauce gasped in shock, covering her mouth. "Teacher Nanfeng, is this your scheme? Was their friendship entirely your doing?"

"You are so sinful!"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Curry Sauce's opinion.

"Exactly, Nanfeng, you're so sinful!"

"Wait, what is all this about?!"

Nanfeng's face fell. Curry Sauce's words made it sound like he was some kind of schemer who manipulated people's hearts and trampled on feelings.

He quickly explained to everyone, "From beginning to end, I just hoped that Yu Mo and Mei Jia could treat Xin Ling with a normal attitude. I absolutely did not force them to become friends with Xin Ling."

"In fact, I'm just as surprised as you are that the three of them could get along like this in just one afternoon."

Nanfeng shrugged: "But as long as they do as I say, Guan Gu, your problem will be more than half solved."

Nanfeng's words only made everyone present more confused.

Guan Gu asked, "Then how can you be so sure that what Yu Mo and Mei Jia are doing will definitely have an effect on Xin Ling?"

Nanfeng smiled and said, "That's because I'm incredibly smart and have exceptional wisdom."

In his inner world, Nanfeng stood still and chuckled dryly a few times.

Actually... I'm not entirely sure if doing this will have any effect on Cyndi.

Seemingly a little guilty, he coughed a few times, then straightened his back and said confidently: "Even if I think my ideas are correct, I don't really know Xinling, so I really can't make a judgment."

If I were certain my method would be foolproof, I would have stopped Guan Gu and the others from coming up with those stupid ideas in the bedroom long ago.

But now that it's succeeded, then...

[Nanfeng, hands on hips, looked up at the sky and laughed loudly: Now that I've succeeded, of course I have to show off a bit!]

Hahaha, hahaha...

As Nanfeng's laughter grew increasingly smug, a cacophony of boos erupted from all sides of his inner world.

【Tch~~~】

"Tch~~~"

Everyone has known Nanfeng for so long and knows his personality.

The more this guy tries to show off, the calmer he becomes. If all of this is really as he expected, Nanfeng will definitely keep saying "calm down" and humbly say that everything is just a piece of cake.

This kind of self-promotion, like a vendor praising their own wares, usually only happens when the vendor themselves aren't very confident, but somehow manage to pull it off by sheer luck.

"Hey, don't be such a spoilsport with your reactions."

Nanfeng pouted in dissatisfaction: "I don't feel any sense of accomplishment at all when you guys do this."

Zhanbo said, "But Nanfeng, your idea is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

"Even if Yu Mo and Mei Jia can kill some time for Xin Ling this time, if Xin Ling still hasn't given up on Guang Gu, the two of them can't keep dragging Xin Ling out for casual chats and manicures every time, can they?"

Nanfeng retorted, unconvinced, "Who said that? My method is absolutely a cure-all!"

"The way of salvation is in it, you don't understand."

"Enough with the nonsense."

Youyou looked up at Nanfeng and said, "I just want to know, Nanfeng, how exactly do you plan to resolve this matter?"

Nanfeng smiled upon hearing this, and still kept him in suspense, asking, "I'll just ask you one question: Do you think Xinling really loves Guangu?"

"This problem..."

The group exchanged bewildered glances.

To be honest, they don't think it's a problem.

If Xinling doesn't like Guangu, then why is she doing all this unnecessary stuff?

Since Nanfeng had asked such a mysterious question, everyone could only ponder the mystery behind it.

"no."

After a while, Ziqiao spoke first.

Nanfeng remained noncommittal, simply raising his lemonade and saying while taking a sip, "Please elaborate on your opinion."

Ziqiao's lips twitched, and he said jealously, "I'm so much better looking than Guan Gu, and I'm also better at charming girls. My ex-girlfriends who truly loved me could line up from my apartment all the way to Paris."

"But not one of them said they'd be willing to be my concubine!"

Ziqiao shook his head frantically, repeating over and over, "This is definitely not love! It definitely isn't!"

"no!"

A deathly silence fell over everyone present.

"Lu Ziqiao..."

Everyone stared disdainfully at Ziqiao, whose cheek was swollen like a pig's head, thinking that Meijia hadn't hit him hard enough.

"Why didn't Mika just slap you to death?!"

Everyone said in unison.

When Ziqiao saw that everyone was looking at him with eyes as sharp as steel knives, he smiled awkwardly and made a zipping motion with his hand over his mouth.

Nanfeng sighed: "Never mind him, you guys keep thinking about it."

After thinking for a while, Curry Sauce said weakly, "I think... it's true and it's not."

Nanfeng's eyes lit up: "Tell me your thoughts."

"I don't know how to say it."

Curry Sauce scratched his head: "Teacher Nanfeng, you know I'm not good with words, but I just feel like I can understand Xinling quite well."

Nanfeng encouraged him, "It's alright, just say whatever you want."

"How should I put it..."

After hesitating for a while, Curry Sauce finally said hesitantly, "As everyone knows, my parents divorced a long time ago."

"I lived with my mother when I was very young. Later, because of my family's poor financial situation, I started working in society at a very young age... Although I was taken back to the apartment by Teacher Nanfeng after only a few months, I have at least experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships."

Even though she knew that what Curry Sauce said was rather sad, Nanfeng still couldn't help but want to laugh a little when she heard it.

"Retrieved" and brought back to the apartment...

Was the creature I brought back a little apprentice, or some stray animal?

Curry Sauce continued, "When I was living alone, I felt that life was really, really hard, and I felt..."

She paused, then awkwardly explained her theory of food.

"I feel like the world is a giant restaurant, with our family, friends, and loved ones sitting around a round table."

"Reality is a very capricious and cruel chef. He will just hand us dishes that we can't refuse to taste, and he will call all these dishes 'life'."

"Some people are born into a life where they have a Manchu Han Imperial Feast on their table, while others may spend their entire lives eating cornbread."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Curry Sauce stuck out her tongue and said with lingering fear, "Anyway, I'm sure I ate nothing but bitter melon back then!"

"Even though I know I'm eating bitter melon, there's nothing I can do. I can only taste the bitterness of life day after day."

She looked up at everyone and shrugged casually: "Zhanbo, Wanyu, Guangu, Sister Youyou, Brother Ziqiao, you and I are completely different people."

"You are all very strong-willed people. If the dishes on the table are not to your liking, you will eat them with a smile and then try every means to make 'reality' give you a different dish until you taste the 'life' you've always dreamed of."

"But not everyone in this world is as strong and brave as you. They have no way to change reality, so they can only silently endure life."

"...At least neither the past me nor the present Cyndi could do that."

Curry Sauce paused, then continued, "We can't change reality, so we can only hope that there will be one more person at our round table."

"Perhaps he also has no way to change reality and experience a new life."

"But as long as he's there, at least when I'm eating bitter melon, I'll have someone to keep me company and make me laugh. Maybe with him, I can taste even a tiny bit of sweetness in the bitter melon."

She scratched her head and grinned, "But I was very lucky. I didn't suffer for more than a few months before I met Teacher Nanfeng. He pulled me to his own round table for dinner."

"With everyone here, I'll never have to suffer again!"

Curry looked at Guan Gu and said hesitantly, "Guan Gu, I think Xin Ling's feelings for you are mixed with a lot of dependence."

"She sees you as the reason she keeps going. Perhaps with you by her side, she can taste even a little bit of sweetness."

The crowd remained silent, staring in astonishment at the curry sauce.

"curry."

Zhanbo immediately looked at the curry sauce with newfound respect. His eyes widened, and he asked admiringly, "Has anyone ever told you you're a genius?"

"Me?"

Curry Sauce grinned, revealing her two rows of perfectly white teeth in a silly way.

"I said that."

Wan Yu gave Curry Sauce a thumbs up: "I told you a long time ago, Curry Sauce, you're a genius."

"I understand now, I understand everything."

Youyou looked at Nanfeng, and said with a sudden realization, "So, Nanfeng, what you're having Yumo and Meijia do now is the same as what you used to do for Yumo and Curry Sauce?"

"Well... you could say that."

Nanfeng smiled faintly: "If Guan Gu is the only ray of light in Xinling's dark world, then it is too difficult for us to find a way to make Xinling give up this light on her own."

"I'm a rather lazy person and don't like doing things that are strenuous and thankless. Besides, that young girl is really quite pitiful."

Instead of going against Cyndi Wang and fighting against her, we should come behind her and give her a push.

Nanfeng paused, then turned to look at 3604.

"If Xinling can see a bright and beautiful world, she probably won't be so fixated on the light in her hand."

(End of this chapter)