Chapter 199 - With You (4) (2/2)

Gu Nianzhi looked around. She spotted a stone bench beneath a banana tree, and walked over to it. She sat down, got out her phone, and unlocked it as she wondered who she should call.

Mrs. Cui and her companions had stoked Gu Nianzhi’s desire to confide in someone, and she was now feeling restless and frustrated. She was dying to ask someone whether her feelings were appropriate.

Gu Nianzhi opened her list of contacts on her phone, and scrolled down the long list. She found Little Temptress’s profile picture, and tapped on it.

It was noon. Gu Nianzhi was pretty sure Little Temptress was either having lunch or taking a nap.

The phone had only begun to ring when Little Temptress answered it. She had been just about to take a nap.

“Nianzhi, is that you? Where are you now?” Little Temptress asked anxiously. “Are you all right?”

Gu Nianzhi’s former roommates had received a Christmas greeting from her on Christmas night, but they had not heard from her since.

Little Temptress, Lady Cao, and Green Tea Fang had all been worried about her.

Gu Nianzhi smiled. “I’m fine. I’m eating out with a few friends right now.”

“Oh, I’m just glad you’re okay.” Little Temptress let out a sigh of relief. “Please don’t run off without telling us again—you really gave the three of us a fright the other day.”

“I won’t do that again.” Gu Nianzhi was sure she would never react that way again—she was a lot stronger now, mentally. She switched her phone to her other hand as she asked in a hushed voice, “Is this a good time to talk?”

Little Temptress nodded. “I’m in my bedroom, all alone. I was going to take a nap, but if you want to chat, I’m up for it. I’ve been sleeping most of the holidays away, and it shows—I’ve gotten fat.”

Gu Nianzhi imagined Little Temptress letting herself go, and could not resist laughing out loud. “I wanted to talk to you. I’m feeling really annoyed and frustrated right now—”

“Is this about Mei Xiawen?” Little Temptress was immediately wide awake. She sat up and leaned against her pillow. “Do you want me to avenge you? Just say the word.”

Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head. “No, of course not. Why would this be about him? I’ll be honest with you, Little Temptress—I was never in love with him.”

She knew now what it meant to be in love with someone.

“Well, if you don’t like him, what are you all upset about?” Little Temptress was perplexed. She had found her iPad and unlocked it, fully intending to watch a TV show on it as she chatted with Gu Nianzhi.

Gu Nianzhi stammered for a moment, before finally saying in a hushed voice: “I-I have someone else that I like…”

“What?! Really?! Who is it? Tell me!” Little Temptress sat up in excitement. She tossed her iPad away onto the bed beside her. “Let’s see if he’s worthy of you.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Yeah, I’ll never know him if you don’t tell me who it is.” Little Temptress snorted. “Come on, tell me! I’m warning you, young lady—you can’t just say something like that and leave me hanging! That’s, like, a criminal offense!”

Gu Nianzhi was silent for a moment. She finally said, “I’m in love with someone, but he will never love me.”

Everything about her—her ident.i.ty, status, background, and current relations.h.i.+p to him—presented an insurmountable obstacle to her love.

Little Temptress was speechless. She checked the number displayed on her phone, before returning the phone to her ear. “I am talking to Gu Nianzhi, yes? Are you serious? Why would anyone turn down a girl like you?! What, is he blind or something?”

“Shhh, lower your voice!” She had not been using the loudspeaker feature on her phone, but Gu Nianzhi was almost certain everybody in her immediate vicinity must have heard Little Temptress. She quickly covered her phone with her free hand. “Don’t talk so loud.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll lower my voice.” Little Temptress paused. “Why are you so sure he doesn’t like you? Have you already confessed your feelings to him?”

“Of course not.” Gu Nianzhi felt her blood rush to her face—she did not have the courage for something like that!

“I see. Nianzhi, secretly crus.h.i.+ng on somebody—who would have thought?” Little Temptress laughed as she teased her. She sobered up however, and said, “Still, I think you should let him know that you like him.”

“I don’t want to,” Gu Nianzhi said automatically. “I’m afraid it’ll ruin everything I have with him. I may not even get to stay friends with him once I tell him.”

If he rejected her, she would die of embarra.s.sment. There was no way she would be able to hang around him and pretend nothing had happened, after that.

“Well, how about this then—seduce him.” Little Temptress waved her arm. “I’ll teach you a few of my best seduction moves. He won’t be able to resist you!”