She goes crazy, he'll cover for her; the darling of the group is someone no one dares to mess w

"bet?"

"I'm betting on whether you and Song Yuchen will stay together, and for how long."

Fang Li chuckled: "What did you bet on, senior?"

Zhou Yufan shrugged: "It's a pity we couldn't block it."

"why?"

"Because the entire drama club doesn't think highly of you two. Everyone is betting that you won't end up together and will break up soon."

Fang Li was taken aback, then burst into laughter. "It seems I'm the only one who's blinded by my own involvement, wasting so many years of my life."

"Was it all for nothing? I don't think so." Zhou Yufan picked up his water glass, took a sip, and thought for a moment before saying, "Everyone has their own life script. What you meet is what God arranged for you to meet, and what you experience is what you were meant to experience. All of the good and the bad together make up the complete you. Just like now, I think you look great, like a butterfly that has just emerged from its cocoon, beautiful and free."

"Really?" Fang Li couldn't help but chuckle. "As expected of the most outstanding talent in the history of the directing department, your words are like profound truths. It seems that it was a wise choice for me to spend so much money to invite you back to China."

Zhou Yufan raised an eyebrow: "Let's cooperate for mutual benefit."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

A short while later, the waiter came over and said, "Gentlemen, it's your turn."

The three of them got up and followed the waiter into the store. Once inside, they discovered that the seemingly ordinary little shop was actually quite a hidden gem.

The decor is designed to evoke the Hong Kong style of the 80s and 90s, with deliberately aged walls covered in posters of Hong Kong-style women, and the furnishings mostly consisting of old objects like record players.

The restaurant has two floors, and it was packed with people. The newly available seats were on the second floor, so they walked through the tables toward the stairs.

Yu Tian and Zhou Yufan walked ahead. The two hadn't spoken until now, when Zhou Yufan took the initiative to speak, and Yu Tian politely replied.

Fang Li followed behind, her gaze involuntarily scanning the crowd of diners, but she didn't see Jiang Bei or that girl.

They quickly went up to the second floor, and as soon as she turned the corner, she saw the person she had been searching for.

Jiang Bei sat in a chair with his back to the stairwell. The girl opposite him ate until her cheeks were flushed, and the occasional hissing sound from her mouth did not stop her from reaching for her chopsticks.

Fang Li and the others were separated from the two by a wall. They entered from this side, and Jiang Bei did not notice her.

After sitting down, Zhou Yufan started ordering food. Fang Li was facing Jiang Bei and the girl, seemingly holding a water glass, but her eyes kept glancing over there.

Zhou Yufan asked, "Junior sister, how is your tolerance for spicy food?"

"......"

“师妹？”

Fang Li suddenly came to her senses, "Huh, what did you say?"

Zhou Yufan smiled helplessly: "What are you looking at? I asked you how you like spicy food. They not only have hot pot, but also Sichuan cuisine. Do you want to order some to try?"

Fang Li smiled and said, "I'm fine with anything, it's up to you."

Watching Zhou Yufan and Yu Tian discuss ordering food, Fang Li's gaze couldn't help but drift to the opposite side.

At this moment, several more people came up from downstairs; they were all young girls.

The one in the lead wore a light purple dress, her hair styled in a princess updo with curls draped behind her head. Her skin seemed a little dull, but with makeup, she looked quite pretty at first glance.

She seemed to know the girl across the river from Jiangbei, and walked towards her as soon as she saw her.

The curly-haired girl was very enthusiastic; she not only chatted with the girl across the river but also greeted Jiangbei.

During this time, Fang Li kept an eye on them and noticed that although the girl's smile was gentle, her eyes kept glancing towards Jiangbei across the river.

They chatted for a bit, but the girl across the river didn't seem to want to talk to them, so the curly-haired girl said goodbye and came over.

The four girls sat in the four-person seat behind Fang Li.

The group sat down, seemingly using tablets to order food, but their attention was actually still on Jiang Bei's table.

Someone whispered, "Is she that notorious gold digger from your department? She's just average-looking, how come so many men are willing to spend money on her?"

"What do you know? The more innocent and pure a girl looks, the more promiscuous she is in private. Maybe those men are only after her abilities?"

"What ability?" the other person asked, knowing the answer already.

The curly-haired girl, who had been staring at the tablet, didn't even look up and said, "The ability to serve men, I guess."

Upon hearing this, Fang Li frowned.

"Hey, did you guys see the guy sitting across from her? Doesn't he look a bit like that movie star, the one from last year's movie, the one who looked really cool riding a horse?"

"Ah! I know, you're talking about the second male lead in The Message, right? He does look a bit like him, especially his eyes."

"Right, right! I really don't know what kind of magic that gold digger has. It's one thing for those fat, old men, but she can even seduce a handsome guy like him."

"If Ruoruo hadn't said that he was outstanding in a certain area, how could we compare? No matter how handsome a man is, he's still an animal that thinks with his lower body. If he suppresses himself for too long, he'll naturally become indiscriminate in his desires."

As they were talking, the curly-haired woman's voice broke in: "Alright, stop talking about these disgusting things. Can't a person eat?"

Silence fell behind her, but Fang Li's brows remained furrowed ever since they had been drawn up.

She told Wen Yang to delete the photos and not to mention last night's events again, but she couldn't help but think about and speculate about them.

So, that girl was actually a student at Peking University?

He appeared in Haicheng last night... he went there with Han Xi.

People in the industry always say that rich men like to keep a female college student as a mistress, and Han Xi is no exception. That's why he ordered the media not to pry into his private life.

Fang Li could no longer hear what Zhou Yufan and Yu Tian were talking about.

Her mind was filled with the photos Wen Yang had sent her.

If you suppress your feelings for too long... you'll become desperate and indiscriminate in your choices...

Suddenly, the scene from the last time at Guanlan Pavilion, when she helped him untie his tie, flashed through his mind—his body burning with desire at that moment…

Fang Li silently took a breath, picked up her phone, and swiped to open it.

On the page, apart from the two call records from last night that he had missed, there were no new messages.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Li closed the chat window between the two and clicked on Wen Yang's profile picture.

"I forgot to ask you last time, when does this summit end?"

A few seconds later, Wen Yang replied: "Do you want to know when the summit ends, or when your husband will be home?"

"What, finally can't sit still anymore?"

"..." Fang Li bit her lip and pressed the key: "Shut up."

Wen Yang: "Getting angry is tantamount to admitting it, Little Pear. What did I tell you before? You have to seize the opportunity to have a quality man in your grasp. I told you to be so smug, and now look what happened! The duck that was already in your mouth has gone to another duck!"

Fang Li: "Get lost! What male duck or female duck? He's just a man, I don't care."

Wen Yang: "Is this something rare or not? It's a matter of dignity and face! Sister! You haven't even enjoyed your man yourself, and you're letting other women have him for free? Are you willing to accept that?"

Fang Li: "I'm willing. It was just a marriage of convenience, and we both got what we needed. I don't need to feel guilty anymore."

Wen Yang: "Fine, let's see how long you can keep up this stubbornness."