"Fine, fine, spiritual love, Platonic, right?" Jiang Xiaoya scoffed, not holding back at all. "Even if it starts in the spirit, it's gonna land on the body sooner or later. You two gonna be besties forever?"
"Ugh, you're spouting nonsense, I'm not talking to you!" Zhou Xiaomeng really didn't want to bring up Chen Mo — it felt like betraying Ferry Me, Not Her — so she shut the topic down fast.
She plopped back in her seat and eagerly opened her shopping app, tossing all those makeup, skincare, and cute clothes she'd been eyeing for ages into her cart.
Truth was, Zhou Xiaomeng's base wasn't bad — pretty face, fair skin — but with her average family situation, she'd always used the cheapest skincare and makeup, and shopped at street stalls. In a crowd of girls who dolled themselves up, she always looked a bit dull, never stylish.
Plus, being broke had beaten her confidence down, so she habitually kept her head down in public, totally lacking presence.
But now? Different story.
That fat chunk of cash in her account gave her a confidence she'd never felt before. She felt like a brand-new person — even her standards for what looked good had shot up.
"Ugh, I'm out of this face mask, and the sample packs are way too small!" Jiang Xiaoya peeled the dried sheet mask off her face and tossed it in the trash.
She had textbook bombshell looks — fair, translucent skin, sharp features, especially those almond eyes, narrow with a slight upward tilt. Unsmiling, she gave off a cool, distant vibe; smiling, she oozed charm. Absolute standout temperament.
"Just buy some then, it's not expensive," Zhou Xiaomeng said without looking up from her phone.
"Not expensive?! Are you serious?!" Jiang Xiaoya nearly jumped out of her chair. "This is Starlight Skin Whisper gold foil mask! One set is over 300 yuan!"
Hearing that, Zhou Xiaomeng finally glanced up from her screen, puzzled. "Only 300? Twenty sheets, lasts almost a month — that's a good deal."
She tapped rapidly. "I'll get it, we can use it together."
Jiang Xiaoya, curious, leaned over her shoulder.
Zhou Xiaomeng's cart was packed: from the thousand‑plus yuan La Mer serum, to CPB foundation at seven or eight hundred, to eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks she'd only seen on beauty vloggers, plus several statement dresses and jackets…
Half the stuff Jiang Xiaoya had been eyeing for ages but couldn't afford.
Jiang Xiaoya covered her mouth in shock, eyes wide. "Mengmeng! Did you win the lottery?! These must add up to thousands!"
Zhou Xiaomeng loved seeing her bestie's "small‑town" amazement — her vanity surged.
She lifted her chin, all casual smugness. "This is nothing, I haven't even added half the stuff I want. And look, the clothes I picked are only a few hundred each — not even designer!"
Jiang Xiaoya was floored by the humblebrag. Mouth open, speechless.
A few hundred yuan for clothes… not even designer?
Was this still the Zhou Xiaomeng who'd once spent an hour on the bus to save a few bucks on sale items?!
After a long pause, Jiang Xiaoya snapped back to reality. Looking at Zhou Xiaomeng's "loaded" vibe, she suddenly caught on and let out a long, envious sigh:
"Sigh… boyfriends are the best. Buy whatever, he pays."
Then she turned self-pity mode on. "Why can't I find a boyfriend who's hot, sweet, and most importantly… spends like Chen Mo on me?!"
Zhou Xiaomeng was frowning, agonizing between two lipstick shades she loved, but both would bust her self-imposed 5K spending limit.
Hearing Jiang Xiaoya, she blurted without thinking, "MoMo doesn't have money! We always split meals. He wanted a new laptop — I saved up and bought it for him!"
Her slender fingers slid back and forth on the screen, trying to convince herself to drop one.
Jiang Xiaoya curled her lip in a yeah-right face.
Chen Mo broke?
Broke enough to buy you all this? Yeah, sure.
She was about to argue, but her eyes caught a flash on Zhou Xiaomeng's screen — an order shipped tag. Product pic: the latest gaming laptop, price tag blazing ¥6,999!
That much?! Jiang Xiaoya gasped.
Seven grand for a laptop, plus everything in the cart — over ten total.
Where'd she get that kind of money?!
Before Jiang Xiaoya's head could sort it out, a new WeChat message popped to the top of Zhou Xiaomeng's screen:
Ferry Me, Not Her: BTW, you got any pretty, open-minded girlfriends? Introduce me.
Then — red envelope flash:
[Transfer: ¥520]
Ah! Zhou Xiaomeng's heart seized, as an invisible hand squeezed it.
She hadn't expected Ferry bro to hit her up now, asking something so… explosive!
Reflexively, she clutched the phone to her chest, guilty and tense, and whipped her head toward Jiang Xiaoya.
Jiang Xiaoya was on her tiptoes gathering laundry from the balcony, back turned, totally oblivious.
Zhou Xiaomeng let out a long breath, with cold sweat on her back.
"Uh… I'm kinda tired, gonna nap a bit!" she said, voice edged with nervousness.
"Okay, I'll call you for dinner," Jiang Xiaoya replied without turning around, clearly missing the screen.
Zhou Xiaomeng fled to her bed, yanked the thick curtain shut, sealing herself in.
Inside the tiny space, only her frantic heartbeat rang out.
She opened WeChat, stared at the message, and that glaring ¥520, and a fierce sense of crisis rose in her chest.
It was the first time she hadn't instantly tapped Accept.