Xu Zhi's message reached Shen Shuang while she was retouching their group photo in Meitu.
Even a little beauty whose charm had hit 80 points still insisted on a beauty-cam, followed by meticulous editing.
Jiang Cheng had already browsed Shen Shuang and Xu Yan's moments.
To be honest, in Jiang Cheng's eyes the airbrushed shots looked worse than their real, everyday selves.
True beauties, once over-edited, picked up an odd, uncanny-web vibe.
For an average girl, Meitu is a plus; for a natural stunner, it's a distortion tool.
Jiang Cheng noticed that only Jiang Churan, among the three girls, had sat quietly beside him after the shot—no retouching, no posting.
Just as Shen Shuang finished the color tune and turned to show Xu Yan and Jiang Churan, a wechat notification popped up.
On the bright screen, Xu Zhi's short, peremptory line stabbed into her eyes like an icy needle.
In an instant the smile froze on her face.
Half her blood seemed to chill; her knuckles whitened around the phone, panic and struggle flickering in her eyes.
Almost instinctively she darted a glance at Jiang Cheng, who was murmuring something to Jiang Xin.
Seeing he wasn't looking, she quickly swept her gaze toward Booth E where Xu Zhi sat.
There, Xu Zhi had just set down his glass and was heading for the stairs to the second floor.
For a moment Shen Shuang didn't know what to do.
Should she tell Jiang Cheng?
But she had no idea what Xu Zhi wanted.
If it was only routine business, dragging Jiang Cheng in would make her seem hysterical.
Besides, Xu Zhi and Jiang Cheng already knew each other.
Running to Jiang Cheng would feel odd and might even cause him trouble.
Especially since Xu Zhi's glare just now had carried clear resentment and scrutiny—would complaining now only escalate things?
Yet not telling Jiang Cheng… the coercion in Xu Zhi's text made her uneasy.
She was sitting in Jiang Cheng's booth—effectively "on his side"—so slipping off alone to meet Xu Zhi, who was openly hostile to Jiang Cheng, felt treacherous.
In mere seconds countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
In the end, the old social reflex drilled into her in complicated circles—"leave well enough alone"—won out.
Along with her fear that the Xu family might hurt her own family's business.
She drew a quiet breath and forced her expression back to normal.
Then she leaned slightly and whispered into Jiang Churan's ear, "Ranran, I'm going to the restroom."
Jiang Churan, suspecting nothing, nodded. "Sure, go ahead."
Shen Shuang, wanting to look "open" or perhaps seeking a kind of psychological clearance, turned to Jiang Cheng and said as lightly as she could, "Boss, off to the ladies'—be right back."
When Shen Shuang repeated it to Jiang Cheng, Xu Yan, absorbed in her edit, glanced up in bewilderment, then at Jiang Churan; luckily Jiang Churan's face stayed blank.
Jiang Cheng, who had been listening to Jiang Xin talk about rare-earth dealings, gave Shen Shuang a puzzled look.
His first thought: another one of those best friend tests.
As a certified good guy, Jiang Cheng turned blankly to Jiang Churan.
Only then did he look back at Shen Shuang.
That second look let him catch the unnatural flicker on her face.
It wasn't her usual teasing grin.
The smile was stiff, her eyes evasive, even a little guilty.
Exactly the expression people wear when they've done something underhanded.
So why feel guilty about a bathroom trip?
Jiang Churan didn't know either, but assumed it was a joke.
Under Jiang Cheng's gaze she merely smiled. "What are you staring at me for?"
Jiang Cheng slipped an arm around her waist. "Bold little thing—another best friend test? You'll pay for it tonight."
With so many watching, Jiang Churan's cheeks flamed.
She sat primly, but only she knew how sore her inner thighs were.
After that prolonged split against the window…
The stretch, plus Jiang Cheng's finishing move—keeping a dignified posture now took real grit.
Maintaining a brave smile, Jiang Churan gently pushed him.
She whispered shyly, "I didn't… don't…"
Xu Yan had been sitting very close to Jiang Churan.
When Jiang Cheng reached around her waist his hand brushed Xu Yan's side.
Only for an instant, yet sometimes an instant is enough to feel intimate.
The tingling, plus the murmur she overheard, made Xu Yan's heart itch even more.
She quickly dropped her gaze and pretended to focus on her already over-edited photo.
While retouching she chanted silently, "This is Ranran's boyfriend… this is Ranran's boyfriend…"