As everyone cheered and headed out the door, Chi Qingya glanced at the food left on the table.
The girls were all thoughtful and considerate of one another.
So the portions had been generous.
Most of them had eaten just enough to feel full, which meant there was a lot of food left over.
“Yaya, we can’t finish all this. Since it was your treat, we won’t bother packing anything to take with us.”
“Thanks for the meal, Yaya. I gathered up the bones for you—you could still use them to make soup. I saw on a variety show that broth made from leftover bones tastes amazing.”
“Yeah, Yaya, if you get hungry later tonight, you could treat yourself to a little midnight snack.”
Chi Qingya looked at the table. What they said made some sense.
Her girlfriends really were looking out for her.
Not like Su Li—who did nothing but make her angry and was otherwise completely useless.
So Chi Qingya followed behind the excited group, leaving the leftover takeout untouched on the table.
Bones and bits of half-eaten food were left strewn across the table.
No one bothered to clean up, and no one planned to.
Chi Qingya got into a cab with the others, heading to Happy Valley amusement park.
She’d thought about going before, but the steep ticket prices had always made her give up on the idea.
Besides, even if she went, it’d just be wall-to-wall crowds—not much fun.
But now, she was finally going to fulfill that long-held wish.
Just as she was about to step out the front door, her eyes instinctively drifted toward the room Su Li used to stay in. Then she shook her head.
Whenever she was alone and things got quiet, she couldn’t help but think of Su Li.
Even though Su Li had been in the wrong, she still found herself wondering—should she reach out first?
The girls were right. She was just too softhearted…
After getting out of the cab, Chi Qingya generously covered the fare for all of them.
Immediately, her friends started praising her.
Spending money on her girls? She didn’t mind at all.
Totally worth it!
But as she looked out at the massive crowd at Happy Valley, a thought struck her: if Su Li were here, she’d probably be thrilled.
She wondered what Su Li was doing now.
“Yaya, Yaya, I love you so much!”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known Happy Valley was this amazing.”
“I’ve only ever seen pictures online, but seeing it in person is on a whole other level.”
Seeing how generous Chi Qingya was, the girls quickly forgot the awkwardness they’d felt earlier during the gathering.
Thanks to the ¥1,000-per-person VIP tickets she’d bought, they didn’t have to wait in any lines—they could just breeze through the exclusive VIP entrance.
“Yaya, cheer up! We’re here to have fun. Don’t let someone as depressing as Su Li weigh you down.”
“Seriously, you were way too good to her. If she had acted even a little bit normal, wouldn’t we have brought her along today too?”
On the roller coaster, as the scenery whooshed past, Chi Qingya gripped the safety bar tightly.
Her friends were screaming with excitement, but from the highest point, she looked out over the park, as if searching for something—yet saw nothing.
“Exactly! Yaya, you should totally post about this outing on your Moments feed. Su Li will definitely see it, feel sad and helpless, and still give you a like. Just imagining her reaction makes me laugh.”
“That broke girl probably doesn’t even know what Happy Valley looks like. Maybe she’s only read about roller coasters and Ferris wheels in books. Even if she makes money someday, I bet she’d be too stingy to come here.”
“Haha, even if she did come, so what? Could she ever feel the same joy of youth that we’re experiencing now? It’d just be a way to make up for lost time.”
“She has no one to blame but herself for treating Yaya so badly. If she hadn’t, Yaya would’ve totally brought her along.”
“Exactly, exactly.”
A gentle breeze lifted Chi Qingya’s hair as her friends’ voices echoed in her ears.
But she didn’t respond.
It was Su Li’s fault.
All Su Li’s fault!
If she’d just behaved better, maybe she would’ve been the one here with her today.
If Su Li had been even a little more agreeable, Chi Qingya might have rewarded her—maybe even brought her here to enjoy herself.
But even if she had, Su Li probably wouldn’t have shown much reaction.
Better to be here with her girlfriends. At least they praised her.
Su Li was like a block of wood—probably would’ve just muttered a quiet “thanks.”
Spending money on her girlfriends? That was money well spent.
They were her real friends. Su Li wasn’t.
Su Li was just a parasite who’d been squatting in her home.
Losing Su Li wasn’t a tragedy. It was the start of a new life.
She was moving forward now—facing the rising sun, embracing her rebirth.
“Ahhhh~~~~!”
As Chi Qingya let out a scream on the roller coaster, her friends screamed along with her.
Even after they got off, her face was still a little pale.
“That’s what I’m talking about! Let it all out—scream out everything you’ve been holding in.”
“Yaya, you’re way too patient. If it had been me living with Su Li, I would’ve kicked her out long ago.”
Being without Su Li?
That was a good thing.
At the very least, from now on, she could freely have fun with her girlfriends without worry.
No more having to deal with Su Li tagging along, always nagging in the background—killing the mood every single time they went out.
Chi Qingya forced a strained smile as she watched her girlfriends chatting excitedly.
“I want to try the Giant Frisbee ride—it looks so fun!”
“I’m going on the Rapids Ride! I’ve heard it’s the best one in Happy Valley!”
“Then I’ll do the Twin Heroes drop tower!”
As the girls got caught up in their discussion, Chi Qingya found herself unable to get a word in, so she just stood quietly to the side.
“Let’s split up for now,” one of them suggested. “Time’s limited, and we can meet back here at the roller coaster later. Sounds good?”
“We can’t waste those VIP tickets Yaya got us!”
Before Chi Qingya could say anything, one of her friends had already made the decision for her.
“Sounds good.”
“Okay, we’ll coordinate in the group chat.”
“But what about Yaya?”
“She must have something she wants to try too. Let’s just meet up later and save our longer chat for the next stop—the bar.”
When the others turned to look at her, Chi Qingya finally spoke up:
“Alright, since everyone has their own favorite rides, let’s split up for now and regroup at the bar later.”
“Yay!”
“Yaya, you’ve got to celebrate properly today. Only we know how hard it’s been for you to get to this point.”
“Exactly! Alright, see you soon, Yaya!”
Chi Qingya mustered another smile and watched as her girlfriends broke off into pairs and walked away together—leaving her alone, standing beneath the looming roller coaster.
Her phone buzzed.
She took a deep breath and pulled it out, but there were still no new friend requests.
Instead, her girlfriends had already started posting group photos to the chat after splitting up.
She wondered what Su Li was doing right now…
Chi Qingya looked down at the expensive Happy Valley VIP ticket in her hand, but she had no idea what ride she actually wanted to go on.
Just one ticket was probably enough to pay Su Li to hang out with her ten separate times.
The price of four tickets could easily cover a month of rent.
In the end, Chi Qingya simply sat down on a nearby bench, watching the clusters of people milling around Happy Valley, clutching her phone tightly.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed again. She immediately pulled it out.
But when she saw the contact labeled “Mom,” Chi Qingya’s heart sank again.
Still, she opened the message to see what her mother had said.
Her mother couldn’t read or write, so she always sent voice messages.
Instead of playing them out loud, Chi Qingya tapped the “convert to text” button.
[Mom: [Voice message, 5s] (Sweetie, what are you doing?)]
[Mom: [Voice message, 10s] (We’ve got some money now. Don’t go skimping on yourself at school. If there’s something you want to eat, just eat it, okay?)]
[Mom: [Voice message, 8s] (If you’re short on money, just tell me. I’ll send you more.)]
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