Chapter 78: Pt.1

Xu Chuanchuan shut her mouth almost immediately after she noticed something wrong with Murong Shi's expression.

Murong Shi remained motionless for a long time. The only thing telling Xu Chuanchuan that the call was still connected was the swaying leaves above Murong Shi's head.

Xu Chuanchuan dared not let out even a squeak in this situation. The atmosphere between them had gotten so silent that she could even hear herself swallowing her saliva.

After becoming frozen for some time, Murong Shi indifferently asked, "What appointment?"

Xu Chuanchuan's eyes moved from left to right. Then, with a heavy heart, she said, "It's nothing… It's nothing important."

However, Xu Chuanchuan's attempt at a cover-up only served to arouse Murong Shi's interest further. Then, Murong Shi narrowed her eyes and asked, "What other secrets are there between the two of you?"

"Nothing."

"Then, why did you stop speaking halfway through?"

"It's mainly because…I was afraid you'd be upset."

Murong Shi's expression loosened slightly. Then, she revealed a vague smile as she asked, "Am I such a petty person in your eyes?"

You're fine at other times, but you become an entirely different person as soon as I bring up Ange, Xu Chuanchuan thought to herself. Then, she let out a dry laugh and said, "You've always been generous."

"Say it, then."

Xu Chuanchuan had nothing to feel guilty about. So, after regaining her bearings, she said, "It's just an offline meeting Ange and I planned a long time ago."

"I don't understand."

"It's a meet-up between online friends."

Murong Shi came to an understanding but did not speak.

I should never have mentioned this matter… Xu Chuanchuan mentally chided herself. Then, with the person on the screen becoming motionless once more, an awkward atmosphere surrounding her once more.

"Do you want to meet her?" Murong Shi suddenly asked.

"I…"

Before Xu Chuanchuan could voice her answer, Murong Shi interrupted her and added, "You're meeting her when I'm not around. Are you doing this on purpose to anger me?"

Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but be stunned by Murong Shi's words.

If Xu Chuanchuan were to be honest, part of why she had brought up Ange's matter was unintentional, while the other half was to probe Murong Shi's reaction. All this time, Xu Chuanchuan knew that Murong Shi was very opinionated toward Ange. It might be fine if Murong Shi was simply jealous, but the words Murong Shi just said contained a deeper meaning.

After collecting herself, Xu Chuanchuan received Murong Shi's questioning gaze and said, "You don't trust me."

"What does this have to do with trust?" Murong Shi asked, frowning.

Xu Chuanchuan understood that when two people were in a relationship, they needed to learn how to make concessions and grind out the kinks in their relationship. Only by doing so could the relationship be long-lasting. Because of this understanding, Xu Chuanchuan would always do her best to avoid talking about sensitive topics. This time, however, she no longer wished to avoid it.

Feeling a little peeved, Xu Chuanchuan took a deep breath and said, "Murong, you are my girlfriend. I have already given half of my life to you. However, apart from you, I also need friends, do you understand that?"

"I never said I forbid you from having friends."

"But Ange is my closest friend."

Sunlight seeped through the gap between the leaves, shining directly onto Murong Shi's eyes. Unable to bear the glaring light, Murong Shi looked down and sat up in the swing. Then, she said, "Let's not quarrel over the phone."

"This isn't a quarrel. This is a necessary communication," Xu Chuanchuan sternly stated. "Ange and I are innocent, but your repeated suspicions are troubling me."

"How is it troubling you?"

"I haven't even been in contact with her recently out of concern for your feelings."

After staying silent for a moment, Murong Shi looked into Xu Chuanchuan's eyes and asked, "So, are you blaming me for that?"

Thinking that she was wrongly painting Murong Shi in a bad light, Xu Chuanchuan hurriedly corrected, "I'm not blaming you. I just think you're overly sensitive when it comes to Ange."

Murong Shi frowned.

"Murong, I need you, but I also don't want to lose this close friend of mine. I hope there won't be any suspicions and obstacles between you and me."

Although they weren't arguing, there was the faint smell of gunpowder hidden in their words. While trying her best to control her volume, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I'm not deliberately meeting up with Ange while you are away. Instead, it is because of an appointment I previously made with her. I don't want to lose my personal life just because I am in a relationship. I also don't want to go back on my promises."

Murong Shi became as stiff as a statue as she stared at Xu Chuanchuan, and even her eyelashes remained motionless.

Xu Chuanchuan panicked at the long silence. Then, just as she was about to open her mouth, the call suddenly got disconnected.

Xu Chuanchuan's heart thumped. Then, she hurriedly sent another video call request to Murong Shi.

The busy tone rang for a long time. However, even after the system had notified her that the other party did not answer her call, Xu Chuanchuan did not give up. After repeatedly calling several times, the other party finally answered the call.

Murong Shi's face appeared on the screen once more. By now, she had already left the swing. And based on the fact that the image displayed on Xu Chuanchuan's screen was swaying, Murong Shi was probably walking. After answering the call, Murong Shi said, "I was answering another call just now. I need to go to work now."

Holding her breath, Xu Chuanchuan tentatively asked, "Are you angry?"

Murong Shi extended a hand to straighten her slightly ruffled hair. Then, she put on her sunglasses and curtly said, "No."

Xu Chuanchuan intently stared at Murong Shi's face, paying close attention to every little expression the latter made. In the end, she couldn't help but doubt Murong Shi's words.

"I'm running out of time. Do you have anything else to say?"

Xu Chuanchuan hesitated to speak. Eventually, she feigned calmness and smiled, saying, "No, go ahead with your work. Make sure not to overwork yourself."

The video call disconnected once more.

Their conversation did not end on a happy note whatsoever.

Xu Chuanchuan dejectedly threw her phone aside and let out a sigh as she collapsed onto the bed.

Xu Chuanchuan didn't know the exact situation taking place on the other side, so no matter how much this situation upset her, she shouldn't have said all those things to Murong Shi at this crucial moment. At this point, Xu Chuanchuan started to regret her previous impulsiveness.

With her mood in shambles, Xu Chuanchuan had even less motivation to move about. So, she laid on the bed and stared at empty space. Then, after an unknown amount of time had passed, she heard a short beep coming from her phone.

After rummaging through her bed for her phone and unlocking it, Xu Chuanchuan found that Murong Shi had sent her a message. And upon reading the message, Xu Chuanchuan's spirits perked up immediately.

Murong Shi: "Make sure to give me a call before you go."

Although it was only one line of words, Xu Chuanchuan spent a long time reading it before she snapped out of her daze.

Did Murong just compromise?

No matter how close two people were, they had no right to control each other's freedom. Xu Chuanchuan could do whatever she wanted and go wherever she wanted. She did not need to ask for anyone's opinions. Even so, Murong Shi's words gave her an inexplicable sense of relief.

Xu Chuanchuan: "I'll be back before you know I'm gone! You should come back soon, too! Love you~ [Kiss]"

In reality, Xu Chuanchuan never had any intentions of going to Shanghai. However, that had somehow changed after her brief debate with Murong Shi…

Even so, Xu Chuanchuan wasn't going to Shanghai out of spite. She honestly wanted to fulfill her promise to Ange. At the same time, she also wanted to prove to Ange that she wasn't a person who would forget about her friends after getting into a relationship.

After the matter with Murong Shi was dealt with, Xu Chuanchuan quickly shared the good news with Ange.

Ange did not ask any questions about Xu Chuanchuan's sudden change of mind. Instead, she just said: "Come! Shanghai welcomes you!"

A few days had already gone by since the week-long holiday began, so Xu Chuanchuan needed to make good use of time.

At nine in the evening, Xu Chuanchuan called Murong Shi once more after the latter had returned to the hotel.

Compared to before, Murong Shi's spirit looked much worse. Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but feel her heart aching when she saw the exhaustion on her lover's face. Then, she asked, "Did things go smoothly?"

"It's almost settled. There are just a few more details we need to hash out," Murong Shi said, her voice still sounding relatively energetic.

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Chuanchuan said, "My flight is tomorrow."

Murong Shi's eyebrows moved a little. Then, in a flat voice, she asked, "What time does it take off?"

"Nine in the morning."

"Remember to set your alarm, then. Have you packed your luggage yet?"

"I did. I don't really have anything to pack. I'm just bringing a few sets of clothes."

Murong Shi stayed silent for a moment before asking, "You've never traveled far away by yourself before, have you?"

Xu Chuanchuan shook her head and said, "I'm very nerdy, and I normally don't like to move around."

"Have you ever been on a plane?"

"No..."

Letting out a long sigh, Murong Shi asked, "How am I supposed to be at ease if that's the case?"

"I already looked it up on the internet. Riding a plane is simple. If worse comes to worst, I'll just ask the airport staff for help," Xu Chuanchuan said, smiling. "Also, Ange says she lives close to the airport, so she'll come to pick me up."

…

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport:

Although this was Xu Chuanchuan's first time traveling by plane, the process went smoothly. She walked to the airport's exit with the other passengers and began checking the passersby's faces one after another. After some time, though, she couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Before Xu Chuanchuan got on the plane, Ange had already told her what she would be wearing. However, even after searching through the crowd several times, she failed to find anyone wearing a purple skirt.

Left with no choice, Xu Chuanchuan dragged her suitcase aside, pulled out a phone, and called Ange.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

Nobody's answering?

Just as Xu chuanchuan was about to panic, she felt someone lightly tapping her right shoulder, so she promptly turned around.

Nobody was there.

Then, Xu Chuanchuan felt someone tapping her left shoulder, so she turned around again. This time, the other party no longer hid, so Xu Chuanchuan got to see that familiar face.

In a long purple skirt, Ange looked at Xu Chuanchuan with a playful smile as she said, "Hey, we meet again."

Xu Chuanchuan nearly jumped up in excitement as she said, "I've been looking for you!"

"Sorry, I was in the restroom just now. When I came out and saw you, I decided not to answer your calls," Ange said while waving her phone in front of Xu Chuanchuan. Then, she scrutinized Xu Chuanchuan's face for a moment before continuing, "You feel rounder than before. It seems you've been leading quite a good love life."

Xu Chuanchuan blushed, too embarrassed to follow up with Ange's words.

Then, Ange continued joking, "Did that person at home not say anything about you coming here by yourself?"

We even nearly had an argument over it. Xu Chuanchuan didn't wish to ruin the mood, so she simply said, "She just nagged me a while before I came here. She's mainly afraid I'll get robbed."

"She's probably afraid I'll abduct you," Ange frankly said.

"..." A hint of awkwardness appeared on Xu Chuanchuan's face.

Fortunately for Xu Chuanchuan, Ange didn't probe deeper into the matter. Instead, Ange helped her drag her suitcase to the car.

Ange drove here in her own car. When Xu Chuanchuan saw Ange opening the door to the driver's seat, she asked in surprise, "Is this your car?"

"That's right. Is it strange?"

Xu Chuanchuan didn't know much about cars, but she could still tell that Ange's car was an off-road vehicle. The car was massive and had a high chassis. The car also looked very cool and should be a model that men would prefer.

Xu Chuanchuan didn't expect Ange to have such tastes. However, she quickly shook her head and smiled, saying, "I was just a little surprised. Isn't it tough to drive such a big car?"

Patting her car, Ange nonchalantly said, "It's okay. You get used to it after driving it for a while."