Even though Shi Li's words weren't pleasant, Gu Yuqing, owing her a great favor, still maintained her polite smile.
Shi Qiuyu, on the other hand, was not as composed; she wanted to cover both her face and her ears out of embarrassment. If she couldn't hear or see anything, she wouldn't be embarrassed for Shi Li.
There's a saying – if you're not embarrassed yourself, then the embarrassment is on others. Shi Li, oblivious of the awkward situation she has created, remained nonchalant, while her close friend Qiuyu was dying of embarrassment.
"Ah, she still calls me Ah-Li," thought Qiuyu, who had gone from wanting to cover her ears to wanting to gag Shi Li. Enough is enough, she thought.
Several people surreptitiously glanced at Gu Yuqing to gauge her reaction to Shi Li's comments, worried that they had upset her.
In their interactions in the class, they knew Gu Yuqing wasn't an easy-going person. Some feared she might immediately lose her temper when hearing Shi Li’s words.
The class representative was already prepared to protect Shi Li, should Gu Yuqing lose her temper. The first year class would be gravely impaired without Shi Li--like the West without Jerusalem.
To everyone’s surprise, Gu Yuqing's tone was even more gentle. "I honestly hope you'll come. I hope you will honor us with your presence," she said.
At this, even Shi Qiuyu began to suspect Gu Yuqing had ulterior motives for Shi Li. She's never seen Gu Yuqing being this accommodating.
But she quickly dismissed her own speculation. After all, Shi Li had just helped Gu Yuqing find her sister. If Gu Yuqing were to turn against Shi Li, it would not be too soon.
Gu Yuqing didn't take offense at Shi Li's candid words; she started reflecting on herself instead. It was her fault for not being kind enough to Shi Li in the past, making Shi Li doubt her intentions. She pledged to alter Shi Li's impression of her in the future!
Shi Li, ever the diplomat, dipped her head slightly, saying, "Thank you for inviting me. I'll definitely come."
Gu Yuqing, who had previously found Shi Li's two-faced nature derogatory, was now mentally screaming, "She's so cute!"
Her naive best friend had offended someone unknowingly, and Shi Qiuyu was left to handle the fallout.
Back home, she added Gu Yuqing's contact information (stressing how artificial their previous relationship had felt, not even having her contact before).
For the sake of her clueless friend, an apology was inevitable. She was genuinely afraid Gu Yuqing would hold a grudge and mess with Shi Li in the future.
Bracing herself mentally, Qiuyu was the first to break the silence with a light-hearted emoji.
Shi Qiuyu: [Please don’t take any of Shi Li’s words seriously. She tends to speak her mind in private.]
Gu Yuqing: [It's fine. I didn’t take it to heart. Shi Li is a benefactor to our family. If anything, I’m grateful to her]
Gu Yuqing: [Moreover, don’t you find Shi Li's insincerity adorable?]
Shi Qiuyu: ... I think I get it now. Shi Li's not the crazy one, you are.
For a moment, Qiuyu didn't know whether Yuqing was being sarcastic or serious.
It's normal for Gu Yuqing to be sarcastic, but if she genuinely finds Shi Li cute, then she must be the one who's crazy.
Even as a close friend of many years, Qiuyu sometimes found herself so overwhelmed by Shi Li’s candid words that she thought she might need blood pressure medication.
In consideration of their many years as close friends, she had repeatedly held her tongue.
Shi Qiuyu: [She has a sharp tongue but a kind heart. She can be very annoying with her words sometimes, I have known her for almost ten years, sometimes I feel like I could die due to her temper]
Gu Yuqing: [I know that Shi Li has a good heart. I misunderstood her in the past, which cost me losing a friend with the worth of gold.]
Shi Qiuyu had not expected Gu Yuqing to bring up such a shocking topic. Otherwise, she would have certainly refrained from drinking water.
Water choked her airway, and it took her a while to cough it out.
Gu Yuqing sent another message — [So, you’ve been friends with Shi Li for almost a decade. I really envy having a friend like Shi Li. I hope I get to get along well with you and Shi Li in the future, and become good friends.]
[Shi Li might have some misunderstanding about me. I hope you can mediate and help us settle this dispute. Could you please help me with this?]
Shi Qiuyu was puzzled. Was Gu trying to befriend Shi Li rather than opposing her?
This realization left her flabbergasted.
Shi Qiuyu packed up the conversation and sent it to Gao Yun, asking for her advice.
As soon as she sent the message, she remembered that Gao Yun was still in class.
And besides, Gao Yun left school early today; she had no idea about the drama in class.
Now that Shi Qiuyu had sent it, she had to explain the entire story to Gao Yun again.
Shi Qiuyu felt it was trouble, so she retracted the conversation.
As she thought, Gao Yun didn't check her phone at all, responding with a question mark after an hour.
Shi Qiuyu: [Focus on your books, kid. Stay out of adult stuff.]
Gao Yun: [Okay]
At the weekend banquet hosted by the Gu family, there were not too many guests, only close family and friends of the Gu family. Yet, they weren’t few either, considering that just Gu Yuqing’s classmates numbered thirty.
Among the students invited by Gu Yuqing, besides Gao Yun, who couldn't squeeze in any free time because she had to study, all others attended.
Other people also had classes on the weekend, but everyone rearranged their class schedule to an earlier day so they wouldn't miss out on the gossip.
But Gao Yun didn't know Shi Li would also be attending; she assumed that because Shi Li and Gu Yuqing weren’t on good terms, Shi Li wouldn't be coming.
Moreover, Gao Yun's weekend schedule was jam-packed. Even if she wanted to adjust her classes, she was helpless.
At the banquet, everyone was dressed modestly, especially Gu Yuqing's classmates—they didn't wear formal attire, only casual outfits, to avoid burdening students from ordinary households.
The class president had announced in the group chat (the one with Shi Li) Friday night that as it was a casual family banquet, everyday wear would suffice.
At Gu Yuqing's request, anyone with a sibling the same age was to bring their siblings with them.
The Gu family members at the banquet were also dressed modestly.
Sft Shi Li’s first encounter with Gu's mother a week ago showed her a pallid face, she was now all smiles with a rosy hue to her cheeks, holding tightly to the hand of a tall, slender girl with a dark complexion.
Upon seeing this girl, everyone knew this was the youngest daughter of the Gu family, who seemed to have suffered a fair share of hardship living outside.
Gu Yuqing was sitting by the side of her mother and sister when a group of classmates caught her attention. "Mom, my classmates are here, I'm taking my sister over to hang out with them."
Her mother nodded in agreement, "Your little ones would feel more comfortable in each other's company, go on and accompany your sister."
Their daughter, once lost but now found, made her unwilling to let Gu Yuqing out of sight. However, she knew that her younger daughter should spend more time with her peers now, instead of following her around for various social occasions.
There will be plenty of opportunities to meet the elder relatives later.
The most important task at hand is to adapt to the surroundings.
Clasping her sister's hand, Gu Yuqing led her to her group of classmates.
She introduced each of her classmates to her sister, leaving Shi Li to be introduced last.
"This is my very best friend, isn't she pretty?" she asked her sister.
'Wait, when did I become her best friend,' Shi Li wondered silently.
'I highly suspect that Gu Yuqing finds me attractive and feels proud to have a gorgeous friend like me. She is saying that I'm her best friend just to elevate her own social standing,' she added her silent commentary.
Everyone present wondered aloud, “Who said that beautiful women aren’t aware of their own beauty? She sure looks confident to me."
Shi Qiuyu sighed for the umpteenth time, "Oh, my dear friend, if only you knew that your inner thoughts are audible to everyone, you would be mortified enough to bury yourself in a hole."
