Xu's mother was in a bad mood, which ruined her good trip. Xu Zifan comforted her, "Mom, you and Dad can just enjoy yourselves. If you don't want to play anymore, find a beach to stay for a while and relax. Just turn off your phone and don't worry about Yue Lingling. You can't control these kinds of relationship disputes, and knowing about them will only make you feel worse. It's better not to know. I won't do anything to her, so there's nothing to worry about."
Xu's mother thought about it and sighed, "Then you decide what to do. Lingling was wrong in this matter, but... well, let bygones be bygones. Don't argue with her. She has a hard time on her own. Let's just be more careful in the future to prevent any more accidents from happening."
"Okay, I won't argue with her. At most, I'll just ignore her. Wei Yan is taking care of her, so don't worry. We're almost thirty, what could possibly happen to us? Mom, Dad, don't rush back. Stay out and have some more fun, so Yue Lingling won't take advantage of your soft hearts and cause me trouble again."
"Alright then." Xu's mother thought that she wouldn't be able to help much if she went back. She doted on Yue Lingling like a daughter, and she would definitely soften her heart if she saw her. In the end, it would only cause trouble for her son and make things worse. So she decided not to go back.
Their tour group hadn't arrived yet, so Xu's mother inquired around and booked a seaside guesthouse. She planned to stay there for ten days to two weeks after the trip, and then return home.
Once Xu Zifan had settled his parents in, he was free of worries. Whether Yue Lingling was heartbroken or causing trouble was none of his concern; he had his own work to do.
He had received a response to his self-recommendation; his previous magazine shoot was excellent, which served as a stepping stone, gaining him the approval of a talent agency, and leading to a contract signing.
This brokerage firm is very powerful, headquartered in Beijing. This branch is just a branch in their provincial capital. As a result, Xu Zifan received a lot more work in other places. He left the city and Yue Lingling couldn't find him at all.
Xu Zifan did some magazine and advertising shoots, and also took on two runway shows, keeping him busy for half a month before finally returning home. These past few days, two friends, unable to resist Yue Lingling's pleas, called Xu Zifan to mediate, but Xu Zifan made it clear that he no longer wanted any contact with Yue Lingling. His and Yue Lingling's entire circle of friends knew that these childhood sweethearts had fallen out.
When Xu Zifan got home, he received another call from Li Dong. Li Dong said awkwardly, "Zifan, I...I'm sorry."
Before he could finish speaking, Yue Lingling snatched the phone away. She said urgently, "Brother Zifan, don't hang up on me. I really know I was wrong. Please give me another chance. I promise I'll be a good little sister from now on and I won't have any other thoughts."
Xu Zifan said calmly, "Lingling, don't overthink it. Everyone has work to do. Let's leave it at that. I have something to do, so I'll hang up now."
"No, Brother Zifan! Hello? Brother Zifan?" Yue Lingling listened to the busy tone on the phone, distraught. "Brother Zifan still won't forgive me."
Li Dong took back his phone and said speechlessly, "If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? If you liked him, you could have just said so. Why make such a fuss? It's understandable that Zifan is angry."
Yue Lingling closed her eyes briefly. "He doesn't like me. If he knew I liked him, he would definitely distance himself from me, just like he is now. Would you want to distance yourself from someone you like?"
"Of course I don't want to, but I won't ruin her relationship because of this." Li Dong shook his head. "The goddess is willing, but the king is not. There's nothing I can do about it. You should give up now and stop making a fuss. Also, I've repaid your favor this time. Don't come to me with anything about you and Zifan in the future. I'm leaving."
Li Dong strode away, and Yue Lingling sat alone in a private room at the coffee shop, forcing herself to calm down and think of ways to soften Xu Zifan's heart and make him forgive her. After thinking for a long time, she took out her phone, found Zhao Xin's number which she had gotten from Wei Yan, and invited Zhao Xin out.
That evening, Xu Zifan received another call from Li Dong, who said apologetically, "Zifan, I didn't want to get involved in this mess, but I really had no choice. Today, Yue Lingling went to apologize to Zhao Xin. She said she wanted the forgiveness of those two girls and then asked you for forgiveness. Then, somehow, she got into a conflict with Zhao Xin, got slapped twice by Zhao Xin, and even rolled down the stairs and twisted her ankle."
"Tsk, Wei Yan said her foot is terribly swollen, but she refuses to go to the hospital, saying she wants to punish herself. Wei Yan asked me to talk to you about it, hoping you'd take a look. Sigh, this is the last time I'm calling you about Yue Lingling's matter; I won't get involved in this mess anymore."
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "Oh, I see. Yue Lingling is twenty-eight years old and has the right to decide what she wants to do. It has nothing to do with me. I have to go now."
Li Dong hung up the phone and immediately told Wei Yan the result, then told them not to contact him unless absolutely necessary. He cursed under his breath, quite dissatisfied with Wei Yan and Yue Lingling. Anyway, he had done his duty as a friend this time, so he would let it go in the future.
Yue Lingling suffered a significant loss of connections; her cheeks were bright red from Zhao Xin's slap, and her ankles were swollen, yet she still received no concern from Xu Zifan. She was somewhat desperate. Even with a thousand methods, what could she do if Xu Zifan ignored her and wouldn't see her?
Wei Yan tried to comfort her, but she kicked him out. He then sat on the floor, hugging his knees, and broke down in tears.
Zhao Xin, on the other hand, felt relieved after beating up the bitch who ruined her relationship. She treated her friends to a big meal and then went on more blind dates.
Xu Zifan was cooking steak at home when Yu Sisi knocked on the door and said with a smile, "You're back? How's work? Is it going well?"
Xu Zifan stepped aside and walked in. "Come in and sit down. Work went smoothly. I'll rest for two days before heading to Beijing. You..."
"How is Grandma?"
Yu Sisi followed him into the house and said, "My grandma has been discharged from the hospital and is staying at my second uncle's house. She can walk slowly now and just needs to rest for a while longer. By the way, my grandma said she'd like to invite you to dinner. Do you have time tomorrow? Let's go to Zuixianglou."
Xu Zifan went to the kitchen to continue frying the steak. Hearing this, he looked at her in surprise, "Why would your grandma invite me to dinner?"
"I wanted to thank you for saving me that day, and for teaching me how to cook these past few days. My grandma loves it, and the doctor said those soups and broths are very nourishing and good for her health. You've helped me a lot, and I haven't properly thanked you yet. I'll treat you to a big meal tomorrow," Yu Sisi said with a smile, leaning against the kitchen wall.
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll gladly accept your offer. What does Grandma like? It's customary to give a gift when meeting an elder for the first time, so I can't refuse this."
Yu Sisi was about to refuse when she was stopped. She shook her head and chuckled, then thought for a moment and said, "My grandma likes pastries that aren't too sweet and are very soft and chewy. You're such a great cook, why don't you make a box of pastries for her?"
"Okay." Xu Zifan cut the steak in half, put it on two plates, arranged the side dishes, and brought it to the table. "Come on, try the steak I made myself and see how it tastes."
Yu Sisi bent down at the dining table and smelled it. "It smells so good! You really have a talent for cooking. I just made a vegetable salad. Let's eat it together."
Yu Sisi ran home to get a vegetable salad and her treasured red wine, and the two had dinner together. This was Yu Sisi's first time eating at Xu Zifan's house. Xu Zifan was wearing casual clothes, which made him seem more homely and gentler than usual. One idea after another kept popping into Yu Sisi's head.
As soon as she finished eating, she put the dishes in the dishwasher, told Xu Zifan, and ran home to draw design drafts.
Last time her inspiration was for high-end formal wear, but this time it's for everyday casual wear, very homey, giving people a sense of leisure and enjoyment, as if life is full of comfort.
She drew until the early hours of the morning again, and the design was so complete that it was ready to use without much modification. It was truly a result of inspiration flowing like a spring.
Yu Sisi carefully put away all the design drawings and smiled happily. She was so lucky to have met Xu Zifan!
The next morning, Xu Zifan prepared some delicious snacks and drove Yu Sisi to Zuixianglou.
Grandma Yu had already arrived; Uncle Yu had brought her there. Afterward, Uncle Yu left first so as not to disturb their meeting.
Grandma Yu smiled as soon as she saw Xu Zifan and beckoned to him, "You must be Zifan, right? Come and sit down, let me take a good look at you."
Xu Zifan smiled and sat down, opening the pastries and placing them in front of her. "Grandma Yu, I'm Xu Zifan. I live across from Sisi. I've been away on a business trip and haven't been able to visit you in the hospital. Are you feeling better?"
"Alright, alright, Sisi is such a filial child. She makes soup for me every day, and even the doctor says I'm recovering quickly. I heard you taught her how to cook? That's amazing! I've wanted to teach her to cook for so many years, but you taught her." Grandma Yu called Yu Sisi to sit on her other side, holding the hands of the two children on either side, beaming with joy.
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Grandma Yu is really amazing. Sisi only decided to learn to cook in order to be filial to you."
Grandma Yu was even happier. "Yes, Sisi is so filial. I'm not bragging, but our Sisi is beautiful, has a good personality, and is good at studying. She's such a good girl, just a little lonely. Her parents passed away early, and she used to live with me. Now that she's grown up, she lives alone, and sometimes I really worry about her. Now that I know she has such a good friend as your neighbor, I feel relieved. I also heard about that drunkard from Sisi last time. It's all thanks to you for running into him, otherwise I don't know how much he would have suffered. Thank you, Zifan."
"Grandma Yu, don't be so polite. It's only right for friends to help each other."
"Okay, okay, you're welcome. Come on, let's eat and talk while we eat."
Grandma Yu greeted Xu Zifan warmly. She was a very kind and gentle old lady, no wonder Yu Sisi and her grandmother had such a good relationship. Grandma Yu was a university professor when she was young. Now retired, she lives with her second son. She has a good attitude and is very talkative. She and Xu Zifan had a very pleasant chat.
When Yu Sisi went to pay the bill, Grandma Yu watched her back with a smile, held Xu Zifan's hand and smiled at her, saying, "Zifan, our Sisi is such a good girl. I asked her if you were her boyfriend, and she said no, so I didn't ask any more questions. I just thought that if you two like each other, you must get along well."
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Grandma Yu, we're just friends. If we really become a couple in the future, I'll definitely treat her well."
Grandma Yu patted his hand happily, "Okay, then Grandma can rest assured."