Chapter 23

Not Even Qualified to Be Sour

Wen Yanqing felt uneasy, but what could he do? He didn’t even have the right to be jealous. His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time. He was unwilling to let Lin Gantang have the upper hand, he typed and deleted repeatedly. Finally, he made up his mind and sent a message. “May I ask who he is?”

Lin Gantang’s response came quickly. “It’s Lin Zhaonan, who else?”

Wen Yanqing felt like his heart was on a roller coaster ride.

As Lin Gantang looked at the words on the screen, she could almost imagine Wen Yanqing’s expression at that moment.

Was he being foolish?

She chuckled softly, her eyes reflecting the beauty of an autumn lake bathed in sunlight.

Lin Zhaonan looked up, seeing a pure and innocent smile on Lin Gantang’s face, something he hadn’t seen in years. He asked, “Is it a message from Ye Qiuqiu?”

“No,” she replied.

Lin Gantang locked her phone and placed it on the dining table, her gaze fixed on the toast in Lin Zhaonan’s hand.

Lin Zhaonan put the toast on Jiang Tongtong’s plate in front of her.

Jiang Tongtong glanced at Lin Gantang, trying to gauge her reaction, and then gently pushed the toast toward her.

Lin Gantang skillfully accepted it without any hesitation.

With her chin raised defiantly, as usual, she challenged Lin Zhaonan.

Lin Zhaonan stopped eating and said, “Tongtong will accompany me to the Yin family’s banquet the day after tomorrow.”

“Ah… Do I have to go too?” Jiang Tongtong sat up nervously. “I’d rather not go. It’s perfect for you and Tangtang to attend.”

“You’ll have to get used to these gatherings sooner or later. It’s just a birthday party, nothing to be afraid of,” Lin Zhaonan said softly to Jiang Tongtong. He then turned to Lin Gantang and adopted a stern tone, “But that day, don’t run around randomly. It’s a gathering of acquaintances. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

Mr. Lin remained silent. He thought Lin Zhaonan’s advice made sense.

On the contrary, Jiang Tongtong tugged at him several times and gestured, hoping he would stop speaking. Instead, Lin Zhaonan held her hand.

Uninterested in eating with the two of them, Lin Gantang took her milk.

She was a person, not interested to join in their lovey-dovey atmosphere.

Around noon, Lin Gantang received a call from her best friend.

She and Ye Qiuqiu were so close that they could share anything. If anyone asked, Ye Qiuqiu would simply say they were good friends. However, Zhang Rongqing was different. She wanted everyone to know that they were best friends, inseparable from each other.

Zhang Rongqing’s gentle voice came through the phone, “Is Gantang free? Let’s have lunch together. It’s been so long since I last saw you, and I miss you so much.”

“Is that so? Then why haven’t you called or texted me for so many days?” Lin Gantang responded.

Zhang Rongqing seemed to be taken aback by her aggressive tone and quickly softened her approach. “I wanted to contact you too, but my dad didn’t allow me to and even forbid him from meddling with your affairs. He said it was Uncle Lin’s instructions.”

Zhang Rongqing looked like she was feeling unfair to her. “Speaking of which, Uncle Lin is something. How could he treat you like that? Luckily, you’re back home now. I called you as soon as I heard.”

“I see.”

“Do you want to come out?” Zhang Rongqing thought she had successfully mollified Lin Gantang and sounded excited, “I also invited Xiao Ai and the others. After lunch, we can go shopping together and buy a few sets of clothes.”

Lin Gantang understood.

No wonder she was seeking her out, she wanted to continue using her as an ATM.

At the upcoming birthday banquet, they wanted her to foot the bill for their outfits.

She was a good friend. It was normal to give some clothes, bags, and skincare products, right? After all, they were close to her, and their allowance couldn’t compare to Lin Gantang’s, who had Lin Mingzhuo’s supplementary card.

At that time, Lin Gantang had never thought that Ye Qiuqiu wouldn’t even ask for the cheapest lipstick from her.

“Clothes? I ordered a few sets for this season, and they’ve just arrived. So, I won’t be going. By the way, I heard that the L family has launched a new line of skincare products. Could you bring me a set?” Lin Gantang said.

Zhang Rongqing had just bought it the day before, and upon hearing that Lin Gantang wanted it, she subtly reminded her, “There are only the lotion and eye cream, and they cost several thousand…”

“So cheap?” Lin Gantang was surprised. “They’re not even as expensive as the shoes I bought you last time.”