Chapter 2

Lin Yanan was another friend from high school. They had shared everything with each other. Yet she had known all along about Wen Ran and Jiang Zhixu and never told her.

“I've called Zhixu. He'll come and take you to the hotel. Have a proper talk, all right? No more scenes.”

Something inside Ji Shu froze solid. Cold spread from the deepest corners of her heart until she couldn't stop shaking.

Without a word, she opened the car door, took her suitcase from the trunk, and walked away.

Lin Yanan panicked. “Shushu, what are you doing? Where are you going on your own this late?”

Ji Shu ignored her and kept walking.

“Shushu!”

Jiang Zhixu came hurrying over, Wen Ran behind him. Wen Ran's eyes were swollen from crying, her cheeks puffy, her whole appearance a sorry sight. She had never been pretty. Neither her face nor her figure came close to Ji Shu's. She could even be called ugly. And yet Jiang Zhixu had betrayed Ji Shu for her.

Ji Shu couldn't understand it. What did she lack?

He looked at her with aching concern. “Don't make a scene. I've booked a hotel. Let me take you there, okay?”

Wen Ran chimed in through her sobs. “Yes, Shushu. I'm sorry. If you really don't like me being with Zhixu, I'll break up with him now. All right?”

Ji Shu gave a cold laugh. “Break up? You're the other woman. What right do you have to talk about breaking up?”

“Ji Shu! Enough. Ranran's apologized. What more do you want? She's your best friend. You hit her in front of all those people, and she hasn't held it against you. Stop making a fuss.”

Jiang Zhixu held out a cup of milk tea, a kind sold only in Nancheng.

“You said you wanted to try this, remember? They don't have it at Jiang University. I made a special trip. No added sugar. Have some and stop being angry with me, okay?”

He had always been like that. He remembered everything she said.

When she said it was cold, he sent scarves and gloves. When she complained about the heat, he ordered iced milk tea to her door and bought her hats and umbrellas. When she had period cramps, he transferred money to her roommates and asked them to buy painkillers, then thoughtfully ordered them milk tea to say thank you.

He was wonderful in every way—except that he had never once come to Jiangcheng to see her.

She had thought he was busy.

He had been busy. Taking high-speed trains for over five hours to visit someone else.

“You think a cup of milk tea will make this go away?”

Ji Shu looked at him, her voice thick with tears.

“Tell me, Jiang Zhixu. On my birthday the year before last, you said you had a competition at university and couldn't come. Was that true?”

## Chapter 4

Jiang Zhixu shook his head. “I don't want to lie to you, Shushu. Ranran had a fever that day. I was worried, so I came from Beicheng to see her in Nancheng.”

“Last New Year's Day, I was in the hospital for three days with stomach trouble. I called and asked you to come. You said your professor had given you work and you couldn't get away…”

He hesitated. “That was the day of Ranran's singing competition. She said she really wanted me there.”

Ji Shu bit her lip to hold back her tears.

“During winter break, I asked you to pick me up in Jiangcheng so we could go home together. You said you'd already gone home.”

“I was in Harbin with Ranran. She wanted to see the snow, go skating…”

He couldn't go on. He pulled Ji Shu into his arms, choking on his words.

“I'm sorry, Shushu. I didn't mean to lie to you! I promised Ranran four years. After that, we'd pretend none of it had ever happened. There are only three months left. Wait another three months for me. We'll get married after graduation. Then I'll stay with you. Whatever you want, I'll do it!”

“You don't have to wait three months!”

Wen Ran cut him off, crying.

“It's over as of today. Jiang Zhixu, I'm not your girlfriend anymore. You belong to Shushu. I won't come between you again!”

Then she turned her tear-streaked face to Ji Shu.

“Shushu, we're still best friends, aren't we?”

Ji Shu could feel the warmth of Jiang Zhixu's chest and the strong beat of his heart. Inside her, there was only cold.

Then Lin Yanan spoke up for Wen Ran again.

“Exactly. Let it go, Shushu. You know how hard Ranran's had it. She's an orphan. She's been alone all her life. She liked Zhixu ages ago, but she felt too guilty to tell you. Everyone wanted to keep it from you. Nobody expected you to find out all of a sudden!”

“Enough! All of you, shut up!”