Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

Rain——zhe——! !

Stop flirting with me so suddenly!

This sudden, mind-reading-like understanding isn't the first time!

It was truly irresistible for Qin Ruoke to succumb to it...

28. Change

noon.

Yang Qiuyun's room is the master bedroom of the seaside villa.

The huge room, which is over 40 square meters, has no luxurious decorations. Apart from essential furniture such as a dressing table, a large soft bed, and a classic desk, there is nothing else.

The empty space was used to place two rows of shelves.

Besides potted plants and stone carvings, the shelves are mostly filled with photos of Yu Zhe, Yu Che, and Zi Xiao when they were little.

Hmm... I also have photos of Su Zhenfeng, but there are few, and they're all crammed into a corner of the shelf.

These photos are the spiritual sustenance that Yang Qiuyun has held onto for the past ten years.

Yang Qiuyun wasn't taking a nap at the moment; she was engrossed in a video call with her best friend, Elisa.

The two best friends hadn't been in touch for a long time, but when they started chatting again, they had a wonderful time!

In the video chat box on Yang Qiuyun's phone, Elisa, with her dazzling blonde hair, smiled broadly. Her blue eyes exuded an innate elegance, and every gesture she made showcased her refined manners.

Elisa grew up in a Nordic aristocratic environment and married into a prominent family in Fenghai City. Her proud and glamorous temperament is impossible to conceal.

But when she spoke with her old friend Yang Qiuyun, she was much less reserved and more casual and unrestrained.

She was still in her pajamas, and there was a time difference between the two places; it was just early morning in Fenghai City.

"Yeah, yeah! Haha, Sasha, listen to me, the kids are so funny. They always tie me up... cough, they always play little jokes on me. Oh my, young people are so energetic. Being with them makes us feel young again!"

"Uh... Qiuyun? Did you just say you were tying up...?"

"No, no! Oh, don't focus on that. It was just a slip of the tongue. Besides, who in this world would dare to kidnap me?!"

“That’s true.” Elisa was relieved to see that she was still as carefree as before. “You’re right. I bet besides Yu Zhe and Yu Che, no one in this world would dare to kidnap you yet. By the way, didn’t you say you had some good news to tell me? What good news? Is it that you guys are coming back soon?”

"Hehehe, this is just one of the good news items. There's even better news! Do you want to hear it?"

"Tell me quickly, tell me quickly, you've always loved to keep people in suspense since you were little."

"Okay~ Does your chair have armrests?"

Elisa frowned, puzzled, but obediently gripped the armrests of the chair with both hands.

Qiu Yun's words are always correct.

"Yeah, so what? Do you think your news will make me fall off my chair?"

"That depends on your own mental capacity." Yang Qiuyun shook her bangs and gathered all her neatly combed silver hair in front of her.

She deliberately waited a long time before announcing it in a raised voice, as if she were finally drawing a prize.

"Time to reveal the answer! Listen carefully! Our child is now together! Just like we promised back then! Surprised? Unexpected!"

"..."

No response?

Yang Qiuyun thought she hadn't heard clearly.

So he brought it up again indirectly.

"Oh...actually, I wanted to call you to share my joy when Yuzhe and Xiaolizhi got together, but...the situation was quite chaotic back then, they were all making a fuss, and when I called you later, you were busy, so I'm only telling you now...Sasha? Are you listening?"

There's still no response.

The screen on the other end remained motionless, and Yang Qiuyun initially thought that either her or the other party's network had malfunctioned.

I was just about to shake my phone to see if I could regain some network connection.

Elisa suddenly screamed! Startled, Yang Qiuyun slammed her phone down on the table!

"Huh?! Qiuyun! Are you serious?! Lizhi...she...she slept with Yuzhe?!"

"Ugh...! So noisy! Seriously... Didn't I tell you to be prepared and not to yell? Why don't you listen?"

"How could I not yell and scream?! We've known each other for decades! Don't try to fool me with something like this!"

Oh dear... I take back what I said earlier.

It seems inaccurate to say that Elisa always maintains an elegant and composed demeanor.

For example, right now, all her poise and elegance have vanished without a trace!

Yang Qiuyun leaned back in the armchair, crossed her legs, and used her toes to hook her slippers so they wouldn't fall off, a confident smile playing on her lips.

"Hmph, I'd be a dog if I lied to you. Besides, who jokes about children's lifelong happiness? It's true, it happened in my neighbor Little Lychee's room, um... it happened yesterday."

After confirming the truth of the matter, Elisa's eyes widened and tears welled up on the screen!

Almost uncontrollably, she sprang to her feet like a spring and shouted outside.

"Honey! Honey! Your daughter has made something of herself!! Come quick! You... oh wait, he's not home."

Elisa wanted to call Ouyang Yan, the head of the Ouyang family, to share her joy, but suddenly remembered that he had already gone to the company headquarters at this time.

A little embarrassed, Elisa sat back down in her seat, trying to regain her composure, but because of her overwhelming joy, she couldn't help but laugh like a little girl who had successfully snatched food from the cafeteria.

"Sasa...Sasa? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Elisa tilted her head back, took a deep breath, and looked at the screen again, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Ha, Qiuyun, tell me quickly, what happened back then? Did Lizhi really know how to do it? She's completely clueless about this kind of thing! Did she make a fool of herself and get laughed at by Yuzhe? Did she fall off the bed?!"

"Haha, how would I know the details? You, as her mother, should give your daughter more confidence. Let me tell you..."

Yang Qiuyun told Elisa what she knew about the situation at the time.

Elisa nodded repeatedly, indicating that she was quite satisfied.

but...

She was happy, as she was.

Yang Qiuyun has something to tell you.

"

"Um... Sasha, I think I should have told you this sooner or later. Although Xiaolizhi and Yuzhe got together, but... not just Xiaolizhi, but all the girls who came on vacation with Yuzhe, they all..."

"So you're all with Yu Zhe, right? Tell me, who has already succeeded?"

"You actually knew that?!"

Yang Qiuyun thought she would have to explain this to Elisa frantically and nag her every day before she would accept it!

To everyone's surprise, Elisa waved her hand dismissively: "Alright, alright, I've held Yuzhe when he was little before. This kid has always been arrogant and proud. I'm easygoing about it, and I also know what Lizhi is worth. My Lizhi thinks she can monopolize your Yuzhe? Heh, she can dream on. Her? She's nothing, silly."

"..."

You're not showing a lack of confidence in your own daughter.

Are you just going to start cursing?!

Yang Qiuyun smiled wryly and said, "When I first found out that Yu Zhe wanted to have it all, I was actually quite confused, but thinking about it... if he really has that ability, then so be it."

“At least for Lizhi, it’s not a bad thing,” said Elisa, Lizhi’s mother.

Elisa propped her cheek up with one hand and smoothed her blonde hair with the other, seemingly having anticipated this situation.

Her eyes seemed to be recalling memories, telling the story behind it all.

"Qiuyun, you've been away for so many years, you probably don't know, but before Lizhi met Yuzhe... although this child seems optimistic and loves to laugh, she actually doesn't have much ambition in life. Her father often says that it was fine before he didn't let Lizhi study business management, but now that she's grown up, she has to study it. But as soon as she starts studying it, she secretly hides in her room and cries at night. She's not really stupid, but she might not be suitable for managing a company. She's also afraid of what we'll say about her, so she's under a lot of pressure, and... she doesn't have much motivation herself."

“I used to think… if it’s not suitable, then let’s not let her study. Find an opportunity to marry Li Zhi off to a young master with good character and a good family. The family doesn’t matter, but at least let Li Zhi, who is simple-minded, enjoy happiness.”

"But... the more I think about these things, the more painful it becomes. If Lizhi leaves like that... it feels like a piece of my heart is being torn apart, I can't bear it."

"Until the day she met Yu Zhe, she had a lot more to talk about after returning home. I don't know when it started... When she was learning business management knowledge, although she was still very slow to understand and comprehension, she learned with great optimism, as if she had some kind of motivation... She would even take the initiative to ask me questions. I think her motivation should be Yu Zhe, whom she talked about every day."

29. Confidence

Elisa finally felt relieved after having this worry for several years.

"That's why I said before... it's definitely not a bad thing for Lizhi to be with Yuzhe, but she can't do it on her own. Her personality can't satisfy that kid Yuzhe. Maybe she can occasionally jump around and lighten the mood, but if you really ask her to be thrifty and manage the household, Yuzhe would be driven crazy by her. So if Xinye and the others are there, wouldn't that achieve a wonderful balance?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's the balance! Sasha, you really understand!"

"I don't know as much as you do~"

"Haha, not at all! I'm so happy we reached a consensus on this! Okay, I'll treat you to dinner when I get home! Let's invite Zhenfeng and Ayan too. It's been ten years since we've all gotten together at the same table. We'll drink until we drop!"

"Come on~ I can't drink much alcohol, and you can only handle about two ounces of baijiu, so don't pretend to be a heavy drinker."

"Ha, don't expose me, you boring woman."

"Go away, go away, you're so energetic, you've been so energetic all these years and you still haven't matured at all."

"Mind your own business~ I am who I am."

"Too."

The two best friends chatted and laughed, as if they had returned to more than ten years ago, or even longer ago, feeling nostalgic and wanting to laugh at the same time.

They're all grown up now, and Elisa thought she'd never be associated with words like "childish" or "immature" again, but can't she still be childish?

Elisa laughed loudly, devoid of any elegance.

Suddenly, her smile froze.

Her sudden silence made Yang Qiuyun a little flustered: "Uh... Sasha? What's wrong?"

"Wait... I suddenly thought of something. You said he's tolerant of all the girls who travel with Yu Zhe... You wouldn't be including Zi Xiao and Yu Che, would you?!"

"Yes, including, so what?"

"I...! Oh well... When I talk to you, I feel like nothing is surprising, I understand the logic, and you understand it too. I can barely understand Zixiao... but Yuche... what did you tell them?"

"Are you curious?"

"Isn't this your own family's business?! Don't ask me, okay?! Are you just curious?!"

"Pfft, from now on, my family's affairs are your family's affairs. Aren't we about to become in-laws? Although our two families have always had a good relationship, now we can be considered even closer."