Chapter 2
Feng Ruixue appeared somewhat alarmed
Feng Ruixue's eye corner twitched violently
Jiang Xiaoyuan frowned, hung up the phone, and turned off the device. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the coffee on the table. She had the urge to throw the remaining half bowl of coffee in Feng Ruixue's face, but was also afraid that the drink would splatter and stain her sleeves
"You are not jealous of me," Jiang Xiaoyuan interrupted her again, speaking each word deliberately. "Jealousy is not like this; you actually look down on me and mock me in this way—Feng Ruixue, we have already torn off our masks, why do you bother trying to please me? What, are you afraid I will take back the investment in your little shabby shop?"
When a melodramatic love triangle occurs involving a close friend and a man, if love is deeper than friendship, then it is a matter between the man and the woman. However, if friendship is deeper than love, then it indicates that there is a problem between her and Feng Ruixue
The more she spoke with "magnanimity" in her words, the more painful and unwilling Feng Ruixue felt—this truth need not be taught by others; women in war inherently understand it
If she were to fly into a rage, spill coffee, throw a tantrum, threaten to withdraw her investment, and demand that Feng Ruixue repay her, then Feng Ruixue would be able to endure it, as these reactions were somewhat anticipated by her. She could even regain her subtle psychological balance from Jiang Xiaoyuan's hysteria
Jiang Xiaoyuan held a meaningful smile without responding. With these words, Feng Ruixue had undoubtedly lost.
Feng Ruixue suddenly said: "Yes, you are wealthier than I am, you are wealthier than most people in the world. While others toil from nine to five, you can casually spend recklessly on several credit cards and there are people to help you pay them off. You live more comfortably than others, you can afford to be reborn, but does this mean you are truly impressive?"
Jiang Xiaoyuan, "Feng Ruixue called her by both her first and last name, then took a deep breath and gently said, 'I do not understand, you clearly have everything, why must you cling to so much superiority in order to survive?'
Thus, Jiang Xiaoyuan sought out Feng Xuerui, rather than going to find Huo Boyu. In her eyes, Huo Boyu was merely a plaything, whereas Feng Xuerui was a person
She took a deep breath: "I appreciate you, I am sorry for you, I did wrong because I was jealous of you, I am willing to make amends, but today we need to clarify things—Jiang Xiaoyuan, what you just said is that I am not jealous, but actually it is because you think I am not worthy of being jealous of you, right?"
Jiang Xiaoyuan interrupted her, saying: "I am not being unreasonable."
Huo Boyu claims to be an artist, but in reality, it is art that is manipulating him
Feng Ruixue is a very ambitious person, living her life with meticulous budgeting. The only two types of luxury brands that appear on her are either clearance items from last season discounted to below 20% or miraculous knockoffs from the vast online marketplace. Sometimes, Jiang Xiaoyuan cannot help but feel a sense of disdain, but due to their deep friendship, this disdain is quickly suppressed. Instead, she feels that Feng Ruixue has it quite tough, having pretended not to know or care for so many years, and she has never mentioned a word to Feng Ruixue about it.
She then transformed the coffee into words and splashed it all over Feng Ruixue's face: "Is it still this identity of my so-called boyfriend?"
Jiang Xiaoyuan: "If you want to deny it, then there's no need; no one is trying to instigate trouble between us. That day—just last Thursday—I left a pair of newly bought shoes at his place. I only remembered it in the evening and drove back to get them. I saw with my own eyes you holding his arm and going upstairs with him."
The incessantly beeping and nagging car is also quite annoying
Jiang Xiaoyuan glanced and sneered, "What is Huo Boyu? Let me be straightforward with you, in my eyes, he is worth less than this bag. He is nothing but a tasteless piece of garbage, a chicken rib that is a pity to discard. What exactly do you see in him? His face? His mysterious soul? Or..."
He is passionate about creating figures with pancake faces and big bellies, as well as small characters with exaggerated features. Due to the bizarre nature of his works, even someone with an art background like Jiang Xiaoyuan cannot appreciate them, let alone the general public. In summary, despite his high output, he has consistently failed to gain any recognition.
However, Jiang Xiaoyuan was not finished yet; she calmly delivered the final blow: "I am not so ruthless as to leave no survivors; after all, there isn't much money involved, so you need not worry."
Who is Huo Boyu
She caught a glimpse of Huo Boyu rushing out with a flushed face, and without even fastening her seatbelt or properly closing the car door, she slammed down on the accelerator amidst the car's "beeping" alarm and took off like the wind.
Jiang Xiaoyuan thought to herself: "Oh, so that's really how it is"
It is indeed Huo Boyu
Just as she was thinking this, a turn brought a medium-sized business vehicle rushing towards her as if it were in a hurry to deliver a baby
I really crashed into a tree
Nominally, he is Jiang Xiaoyuan's current boyfriend, but she does not take him seriously
Jiang Xiaoyuan purely found it amusing to watch him indulge in his neurotic self-absorption, and coupled with the fact that Huo Boyu was quite good-looking, she was willing to lower herself to spend time and money on him.
The sections of the road that have fallen into disrepair over the years are even more detestable
Jiang Xiaoyuan did not expect her counterattack, and was momentarily taken aback
Jiang Xiaoyuan caught a glimpse of the handsome man in the café who was watching her intently, his gaze so clear that it seemed as if his eyes were made of inorganic material, which appeared rather unpleasant.
What am I doing here? she asked herself, Is it necessary?
Jiang Xiaoyuan stood up without saying a word, pushing the handbag she had promised in front of Feng Xuerui, as if she were offering a bundle of exquisite parting gifts, not even glancing at the male vase, and strode out, making her way into her own car
This man possesses a handsome and refined appearance, reminiscent of the charming leading men from classic films. His style is quite versatile; at times, he resembles a sharp-witted individual ready to collect scrap, while at other moments, he embodies the melancholic spirit of an artistic youth. When he shaves, he can appear youthful, and when he grows a beard, he takes on a more disheveled look
If a person is like an unshapable vase, providing no benefit to others in terms of material or spirit, then they truly have no grounds to demand that others take them seriously
Feng Ruixue saw her expression and suddenly realized that Jiang Xiaoyuan was like a princess high above, needing neither friends nor Huo Boyu. What she wanted were servants, dolls, who were responsible for making her happy, accepting her favors, and in endless gratitude, elevating her sense of superiority, chanting her praises.
Jiang Xiaoyuan chuckled softly and said, "Ruirui, I just want to know what you people are thinking."
Her voice was interrupted by the ringing phone once again, it was still Huo Boyu
At that moment, the door of the café made a "ding" sound, and a handsome young man hurriedly walked in. After glancing around, he spotted Jiang Xiaoyuan and Feng Ruixue sitting in the sunlight. He paused for a moment, appearing somewhat anxious, yet also seemingly hesitant to approach.
Feng Ruixue's fingernails turned white from her own pinching
Feng Ruixue leaned slightly forward and said softly, "I am sorry for you, but you need to calm down first..."
Feng Ruixue felt as if she were parading through the streets in the nude, stripped of all dignity and warmth. The moment Jiang Xiaoyuan's scornful upper lip met her lower lip, terms like "friend" and "partner" all abandoned her, leaving her as a loathsome beggar, tail between her legs.
Jiang Xiaoyuan suspected that behind all these actions, it might be the effeminate heart within him that was causing trouble—he regarded himself as a dress-up Barbie.
The pleasure of revenge and the raging anger intertwined in her heart, forming a web. She tightly pressed her lips together to prevent herself from cursing in public. After enduring for a while, she finally asked in a low voice: "Feng Ruixue, are you sick?"
Jiang Xiaoyuan is determined to drive this annoying car up a tree, heading straight to the 4S store to buy another one—when feeling frustrated and unable to relieve it, only "buying, buying, buying" can alleviate it a little.
Jiang Xiaoyuan interrupted her: "Don't, don't come with that, there's no need to rush into repentance"
By this time, friendship was clearly approaching its end
Feng Ruixue's lips pressed into a line, and she was speechless for a long while. Suddenly, in a moment of resignation, she let out a breath, her tense shoulders relaxing in the process. It was as if she had shed a heavy burden, and her entire being, along with the slightly drooping corners of her eyes due to neglect, appeared extremely weary
Spoiled individuals are not necessarily sharp-tongued, nor are they always likable, but they typically share a common instinct—hitting where it hurts with remarkable accuracy. Jiang Xiaoyuan is undoubtedly a standout in this regard
After a period of aimless wandering, Jiang Xiaoyuan deeply realized that this male vase was likely a sincere fool, who not only regarded his nonsense as art but also did not feel that he was being nonsensical at all. Huo Boyu genuinely believed himself to be an artist who was unappreciated, sometimes considering himself the Van Gogh of the sculpture world and the Du Fu of the mud pit
Unfortunately, Jiang Xiaoyuan did not, as expected, maintain her strong demeanor. With just this one sentence, she not only delineated the relationship between the two individuals with stark clarity but also exhibited a pronounced sense of superiority, meticulously showcasing it to Feng Ruixue.
Feng Ruixue's raised voice nearly drowned out the music in the café, and the staff cautiously glanced over.
Jiang Xiaoyuan's expression was calm; she considered herself a refined young lady. Although she had already spoken sharply and lost a deeper sense of grace, she still maintained an outward elegance.
There is perhaps no more splendid garment in the world than the "sense of superiority". She, Feng Ruixue, is merely a decorative bow on Jiang Xiaoyuan's coat.
Huo Boyu is a spineless individual with a slim waist and long legs. After poking around for a while, he finally hesitantly chose to side with Jiang Xiaoyuan. He first glanced at Jiang Xiaoyuan, his gaze containing a request for permission, waiting for her to invite him, a resolute double agent, to sit down.
Jiang Xiaoyuan's foot was still on the accelerator, trapped by her high heels and unable to turn. She could only frantically steer the wheel to the side, crashing directly into the roadside guardrail
When she said "you people," her gaze, filled with sarcasm, deliberately lingered for a moment on Feng Ruixue's bracelet. It was a rose gold bracelet from a certain luxury brand, which later became a hot item on Taobao, with prices ranging from 20 to 200. The one on Feng Ruixue's wrist was likely a mid-range product, which could be bargained down to around 100 yuan.
I..." Feng Ruixue began to speak, "I have always been worried that you would find out. Last night, I was still harboring a glimmer of hope, thinking that if you could get tired of playing with Huo Boyu and break up before you found out... it would be great, then this matter could be swept under the rug, and no one would know.
Feng Ruixue seems to have been slapped by someone
"You gave me money..." Feng Ruixue struggled painfully, "But that is not earned by you yourself; everything you have is not earned by you, Jiang Xiaoyuan. Sometimes I wonder what exactly is different between us. Why is it that you can zoom past in a BMW while I have to ride a broken electric bike in the cold winter, and still be honked at by others in their cars?"
Feng Ruixue lowered her head, and the bangs on both sides of her cheeks fell down, curving into a somewhat enchanting arc
Her voice involuntarily rose, even startling the handsome man at the front desk who had not lifted his head. He glanced at the two of them with some curiosity
Feng Ruixue: "If I say ... ... I sometimes feel very jealous of you, that should be understandable, after all ... ... "
Feng Ruixue lowered her head, blinking her eyes rapidly several times, and said in a pale whisper: "I'm sorry, I..."
"Deceiving oneself," Jiang Xiaoyuan said, "You still haven't told me, what is it that you see in him? Or—are you looking down on something about me?"
Upon seeing him, Jiang Xiaoyuan suddenly felt a sense of boredom, realizing how tedious her inquiry and reprimand had become