Chapter 86: Bai Jianlian

The jewelry store’s decor was elegant and luxurious, with the lighting exceptionally bright.

It was like how a watermelon seller would turn on a red light to make the fruit look more appealing.

Some things, though essentially the same, had vastly different prices depending on whether they were bought at a street stall or a clean, well-kept Pinpindian.

The extra cost actually came from the better store decoration and superior service.

The Sales Assistant, dressed in a professional outfit, was leading Mu Nanqiu around the store.

Regarding the ring, Mu Nanqiu had been quietly troubled by it.

When Su Yao hadn’t accepted the ring inside the Game at first, Mu Nanqiu thought she wouldn’t care much about it, but she had clearly underestimated how important it was to her.

“What kind of person is the one you’re giving the ring to?”

Hearing the Sales Assistant’s voice, Mu Nanqiu looked up at her, then shifted her gaze to the rings in the display case and spoke softly.

“She is a…”

Mu Nanqiu recalled her time with Su Yao.

Before, she thought Su Yao was someone who longed for love but didn’t dare to step out of her comfort zone—an insecure person with a cute appearance, gentle and fragile, evoking sympathy.

But as time went on, Mu Nanqiu’s view changed.

She herself was a golden-spoon-born heiress who had never had to worry about survival.

She only needed to maintain or squander her wealth, but even that was no longer necessary; everything she did was based on her own wishes.

Therefore, Su Yao’s ability to spend two whole years alone struck Mu Nanqiu as remarkable—especially with all the unhappy experiences she’d had—still able to stay strong and hold onto a sliver of optimism.

Otherwise, their relationship might have remained just two strangers, or at best, former online acquaintances.

“She’s a lovely girl, a little clumsy.”

“Oh?”

The Sales Assistant was a bit surprised to see a different emotion flicker in Mu Nanqiu’s eyes.

In recent years, same-sex relationships were no longer taboo to discuss.

Although she herself was not, she respected others’ choices.

What concerned her was that Mu Nanqiu didn’t seem like someone being supported or kept by others, but rather a wealthy and beautiful young woman in her own right—an identity that seemed more prone to these relationships within that circle…

Of course, it could be survivor bias—just her observation from a few years of work.

“Well, take a look at this one.”

Mu Nanqiu glanced at the pair of rings the Sales Assistant pointed out, her eyes deepening.

Some say a ring is a promise—whether it’s a twisted wire band, a string of code, or real gold and diamonds.

In essence, there’s no difference; they’re all just carbon structures.

At that time, Mu Nanqiu hadn’t thought much of it, only felt that marriage in the Game was a commonplace thing, since many players would post looking for partners just for the stats.

In reality, it was equivalent to gaming the system for benefits.

Since her character’s other attributes were difficult to improve, Mu Nanqiu planned to marry Su Yao in the Game to gain some stats.

She believed their two-year online friendship meant marriage would be something they could agree to without hesitation.

But the result was… Mu Nanqiu was soundly defeated.

“This one, right?”

“bit…”

“Wrap it up.”

Price?

What price?

Love is priceless!

Mu Nanqiu raised an eyebrow, glanced at the Sales Assistant beside her, then took out a Card from her pocket, pointed casually at a few other items to be packed together, and said,

“Hurry up, I’m in a rush.”

“Ah? Okay, I’ll check you out right away!”

The Sales Assistant nervously broke into a sweat, but her smile grew much more ingratiating.

She caught the Card lightly in her hands, afraid of dropping it but not daring to grip too tightly.

Holding it, she felt an invisible weight pressing down on it and quickly took small steps toward the counter.

In all her years of working here, she’d seen spendthrift tycoons who treated buying jewelry like grocery shopping—picking whatever caught their eye without looking at prices.

The only reason she was shaking now was that her salary depended on it!

If lucky, she could make a big commission!

Mu Nanqiu grabbed her items and rushed out of the store, opened the car door, and tossed everything onto the passenger seat.

After sitting down, she took out a pair of Mianbuxie from the storage compartment, slipped off her Hougen Xuezi, and changed into the cloth shoes before igniting the engine.

She reached over to the passenger seat, found the box holding the ring, and stuffed it into her coat pocket.

Glancing at her phone to check the time, she unlocked it and dialed.

“Mom, I’m going back to school today. I won’t be home for dinner.”

“Nothing much.”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t worry, I can handle myself. You don’t need to interfere.”

Mu Nanqiu pursed her lips.

Her mother still loved to control her, but it was much better than before.

With a light sigh, she started the car.

Mu Nanqiu’s Home and school were not in the same city.

She had chosen the quieter option for her college application, which her mother often complained about.

The distance wasn’t far, just over an hour on the highway.

The trip was tedious.

But her heart carried a sense of anticipation; even one hour could feel like a lifetime.

After exiting the highway, Mu Nanqiu headed straight for Su Yao’s Home.

Traffic in the city was even slower—stop at red lights, go at green lights—very frustrating.

Mu Nanqiu frowned at the immobile car ahead, her mood souring.

“Can you start moving faster already!”

Mu Nanqiu nearly cursed.

After passing a somewhat congested commercial street, she arrived at the road leading to Su Yao’s neighborhood.

She was about to message Su Yao but changed her mind, deciding to surprise her.

She already knew Su Yao’s building and apartment number.

She could knock on the door, suddenly pull out the ring, and it would definitely work!

The only downside was that she had no flowers.

Mu Nanqiu frowned deeply, growing a bit impatient along the way.

She hadn’t thought of this before and was debating whether to find a place to buy some now.

While she was hesitating, Mu Nanqiu spotted a bright red figure.

She remembered buying Su Yao a red piece of clothing just yesterday.

Looking closer, she confirmed it was Su Yao, carrying a big bag of something, then putting it into the Luse Tie Xiangzi, and happily walking away.

She felt a little pleased and intended to drive over, but suddenly noticed a woman’s silhouette appear.

Su Yao was taking quick, light steps, just about to cross the street, when she felt her arm grabbed.

She was startled.

Turning around in alarm, she was even more shocked.

It was a girl with yellow-dyed hair, her face somewhat fierce, half a head taller than Su Yao, exuding strong pressure.

She opened her eyes wide, staring fixedly at Su Yao, and said in a somewhat low, hoarse voice,

“You’re Su Yao?”

Seeing her staring at her face, Su Yao quickly turned her head.

Tossing her hair, she covered half her face, preventing the yellow-haired girl from seeing her full expression.

The yellow-haired girl leaned in to look, but Su Yao dodged her gaze again.

At the same time, Su Yao struggled to break free, but the seemingly slender hand was surprisingly strong, tightly gripping Su Yao’s wrist, pinching until it hurt.

The force made Su Yao uncomfortable.

She hated being forced and grit her teeth, angrily snapping at the yellow-haired girl,

“I’m not Su Yao. My name’s Yao Su. You’ve got the wrong person.”

Trying to scare off her attacker with anger, Su Yao’s appearance and physique clearly lacked any intimidation.

That gaze only made the yellow-haired girl more certain: this woman in front of her was indeed Su Yao, her old high school classmate!

“No, you are Su Yao!” Discovering this shocking truth, the girl’s voice was excited.

“How did I never realize before? So this is your true self, hahaha.”

“I said I don’t know you…”

Su Yao’s words were cut off mid-sentence as she suddenly slammed on the brakes.

She stared at the yellow-haired girl’s back.

That was when the girl turned her head—and Su Yao saw a fist hurtling toward her at high speed.

“What… what’s going on?”

The yellow-haired girl staggered back a few steps, her eyes dazed and blurry.

She took several seconds to recover from the shock.

She looked toward Su Yao’s side, only to see a woman standing extremely close to her.

Su Yao appeared worried about that woman.

That expression made the yellow-haired girl furious.

She touched the place on her face that had just been hit—it burned fiercely even with just a light touch.

Gritting her teeth, she sucked in a cold breath.

She had never been treated like this since childhood.

On top of that, Su Yao’s cold indifference toward her and care for that woman only fanned her fury.

What’s worse, she had been humiliated.

She clenched her fists and charged forward, screaming.

Su Yao’s heart pounded fiercely watching the scene.

She had thought her high school classmate was a notorious delinquent who had fought many times, so she was worried Mu Nanqiu might be at a disadvantage.

But unexpectedly, this sudden fight was one-sided, leaving Su Yao, standing dumbfounded nearby, swallowing nervously again and again.

After regaining her senses, the shocked Su Yao quickly wrapped her arms around Mu Nanqiu’s waist and shouted,

“Nanqiu, stop fighting!”

The scene instantly fell silent except for the sobbing sounds of the panicked girl being held down, clearly in pain…

After releasing Mu Nanqiu, Su Yao stepped in front of Bai Jianlian and said awkwardly,

“You… are you okay?”

Bai Jianlian turned her head to hide her bruised face, biting her lip in silence.

Su Yao glanced at her old classmate, then looked back at Mu Nanqiu, whose face was icy cold and showed no sign of a better mood.

This was definitely going to give Su Yao a headache.