Beware Of The Best-Friend-Kiss Friendship Trap - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Of Course I’m Trapped in Her Love Swamp

Peach’s eyes were practically bulging out, and she doubted her life right there and then.

She was only initially suspicious that the two of you had a problem, that your relationship wasn’t simple. She really hadn’t expected it to be even more complicated than she thought. What are you doing? My life is also a life. Can you wait until I’ve left before you get on with it? Did it have to be tonight? If you must do it, can you at least turn off the lights! Brightly lit, a lonely girl and a lonely woman—the rich and famous circle is truly chaotic, truly chaotic…

Eight hundred bullet comments flashed through Peach’s mind in one second. If she said the elaborate content in her head all at once, she’d pass out.

The colorful and intricate content in her mind was vividly and richly displayed on her face through her expressions.

Chu Weiyue looked at her friend’s unpredictable and complex expression, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

Where on earth had this person’s imagination gone?

Chu Weiyue was a little tired of watching her instantly changing expression. The person hadn’t come back to her senses yet, still brainstorming intensely.

Finally, Chu Weiyue couldn’t resist and turned back to call her: “Hey…”

The moment she spoke, Peach snapped back to reality, her body shaking, and she quickly took a step back, distancing herself from the two of them: “It’s not a good time for me to be here. I’ll be going!”

“Don’t…”

Without giving Chu Weiyue a chance to explain, she slammed the door shut with a “bang” and rushed away like the wind.

Coming in a hurry, leaving in a hurry.

Chu Weiyue: …

Jiang Yiqiu was still quietly lying in bed, pinned down by Chu Weiyue, obediently lying flat. She seemed completely unaware.

She looked so gentle and well-behaved that even if it wasn’t a misunderstanding and Chu Weiyue really wanted to do something to her, she wouldn’t resist.

Chu Weiyue innocently looked at the person she was pressing down: “Did she misunderstand something?”

Jiang Yiqiu smiled calmly: “Probably not. We were just applying ointment.”

Chu Weiyue regained her confidence: “Exactly, just applying ointment. What kind of expression was that? So mysterious. Forget it, she always loves to talk nonsense anyway. Let’s ignore her.”

Jiang Yiqiu smiled and replied: “Okay.”

Chu Weiyue finished speaking and turned her head. She didn’t notice how awkward and intimate their current posture was. She put on a serious expression: “Let’s get back to our main business.”

Jiang Yiqiu: “Huh?”

Chu Weiyue put on a stern face and gestured wildly: “We must clarify tonight who has the worse technique!”

The two of them messed around on the bed for a long time before Jiang Yiqiu finally managed to coax the person, tearing the “bad technique” label from her and replacing it with “still has a lot of room for improvement.” She also promised never to ridicule her again, saying they would encourage each other and progress together.

Chu Weiyue was cheered up, and Jiang Yiqiu sighed. She insisted that she tell the truth, but then she got upset when she did, and she had to be the one to coax her in the end.

Whether sincerely or insincerely, she’d just have to praise her technique more in the future.

The next day was a day off, so Chu Weiyue turned off the annoying alarm clock that forcibly woke her up every morning, just to sleep in.

However, her damned biological clock still didn’t let her sleep past 8:00.

Chu Weiyue woke up naturally and saw the time was 7:40. Waking up this early was a waste of the beautiful weekend holiday, so she immediately closed her eyes, trying to continue sleeping.

Unfortunately, the power of a natural wake-up was invincible. No matter how hard she tried to cultivate sleepiness, she couldn’t fall asleep even a little.

Chu Weiyue lingered in bed for almost twenty minutes, then finally surrendered in frustration and got up in a huff.

She made some noise when she left the room. Jiang Yiqiu half-opened her eyes and asked vaguely what time it was.

“Eight o’clock. You can sleep a little longer. I’ll call you when the food is ready.” Chu Weiyue tucked the quilt around her and stroked Jiang Yiqiu’s warm hand, smiling contentedly.

Jiang Yiqiu responded and closed her eyes again.

Chu Weiyue took one last look at the other person’s obedient sleeping face before leaving the room.

Just then, Peach walked out of the next bedroom, yawning, and greeted Chu Weiyue: “Oh, you’re up so early. Not tired after a busy night?”

Chu Weiyue noticed the hidden meaning in her words, felt that this person’s thoughts were truly filthy, and looked at her with great disdain, not bothering to pay attention to her.

Chu Weiyue went to the bathroom to wash up. Peach followed her in, draped an arm over her shoulder, and said in a high-pitched voice: “Good Weiyue, I’m hungry. I want to eat.”

Chu Weiyue knew she was deliberately acting cheap to provoke a beating, so she lifted her eyelids and decided not to stoop to her level: “I’m going to make it now.”

It was rare to see her treat her with such kindness, and a warmth surged in Peach’s heart. She regained a glimmer of confidence in their years of tenuous plastic sisterhood: “You make food immediately when I say I’m hungry. You really are my good friend of many years.”

Chu Weiyue glanced at her lazily, squeezed out toothpaste, and brushed her teeth, her voice muffled as she clarified the relationship: “You’re thinking too much. It’s because Qiūqiū is hungry and wants to eat. Otherwise, you’d still be waiting.”

Peach: …

Peach gritted her teeth and fiercely severed that tenuous piece of plastic in her heart.

Confidence recovery? No way! She was just an afterthought!

After breakfast, Peach had other plans for the afternoon, so she definitely couldn’t go out and play anymore. She planned to meet the little girl when Tóngtóng arrived and then leave.

When Peach and Chu Weiyue were together, they always bickered and quarreled. But when they were separated, they missed each other a little, so they quickly chatted with the two of them.

Chu Weiyue even thoughtfully brought out peanuts and melon seeds.

The topics of conversation were mostly the usual things. As they talked, they eventually discussed the celebrities in the entertainment industry recently. Peach was energized, cracking melon seeds and chattering away about a little-known idol she had just become a fan of, describing how strong her professional abilities were and how beautiful she was.

When she mentioned the name, Chu Weiyue hadn’t even heard of her: “Who is this? Didn’t you say you were a fan of someone else last time?”

Peach was not embarrassed at all: “I changed, didn’t I? Women must always keep things fresh.”

Peach was obsessed with following celebrities and idol survival shows, changing her idols like changing clothes. If she was a fan of someone for more than three months, that was considered a golden anniversary.

Chu Weiyue: Too lazy to criticize.

“She’s really had it tough. She debuted at 18, and it’s been 5 years now. She clearly has skill and good looks, but because she has no background and no one to support her, she just isn’t popular.” Peach spoke enthusiastically, not knowing what the other two thought, but she managed to move herself to tears and snot.

Having vented enough, she asked Chu Weiyue if she had any favorite celebrities recently.

Chu Weiyue, of course, brought up Jin Ning.

“Her? I see many people betting that she will likely win the Best Actress award this year.”

“She’s popular for a reason. Her acting is indeed good,” Chu Weiyue evaluated objectively.

Peach was unhappy: “She’s popular for her reasons, and my little obscure idol is obscure for her reasons. She works super hard; she just lacks a push.”

One was an idol and the other an actress. There was no way to compare them, but these two were fierce, arguing about whose idol was more talented.

Jiang Yiqiu listened silently from the side. Compared to these things, she was more concerned with investment issues in the entertainment industry, so she couldn’t interject much and just listened quietly.

Only when Chu Weiyue kept praising Jin Ning for her talent and acting skills did she find Jin Ning in her contacts and, poker-faced, sent a string of beating-up-a-small-figure emojis.

The two of them argued back and forth endlessly. After a while, Chu Weiyue paused to catch her breath, then belatedly shivered, feeling a chill down her spine. The temperature in the room was a little low.

Was the floor heating broken?

There was no conclusion to the argument. Chu Weiyue said: “We’ve been talking for ages, and I still don’t know what she looks like. Show me first how beautiful your little obscure idol is, and I’ll give an objective evaluation.”

Peach thought, How could you possibly be objective in this situation? But she had absolute confidence in her taste, so she pulled up a photo from her album: “Look.”

She held the phone up to Chu Weiyue’s face.

Chu Weiyue examined it seriously for a moment, her expression showing no significant change. Peach guessed that she probably wouldn’t have anything nice to say.

Peach thought she was going to use Jin Ning to belittle her idol, but then this person spoke: “Hmm, she’s quite pretty. But, well, she’s still a bit behind Qiūqiū.”

Jiang Yiqiu, who was radiating coldness nearby, her hand trembled, and she sent a “heart” emoji, then quickly retracted it.

Jin Ning: ?

Jiang Yiqiu replied: I forgive you.

Jin Ning: ???

Jin Ning was full of question marks. She didn’t understand why she was suddenly beaten up with emojis and then mysteriously forgiven while she was filming properly on set and taking a short break to play on her phone.

Peach suddenly remembered something: “You like Jin Ning so much; won’t Qiūqiū get jealous?”

Chu Weiyue couldn’t understand: “I simply like her acting, the movies she makes, and I admire her as a person. I’m not lusting after her body, so why would Qiūqiū be jealous?”

Peach’s mouth twitched. Shouldn’t the normal answer be, “Why would my best friend be jealous?”

Seeing her enjoying the moment so much, Peach was too lazy to remind her.

Conversations between friends were always casual, jumping from one topic to another, and any random sentence could spark a new discussion.

They talked about Jin Ning, then about the celebrities they had followed before, from idol-chasing to fun college stories, and from fun stories to their teachers from school.

“Are you still in touch with your former teachers?” Peach asked. “I checked my contacts the other day and realized I haven’t added many.”

“Mostly no,” Chu Weiyue waved her hand. “We’re not social butterflies. Once we graduated, we didn’t have anything to talk about anymore.”

As she said that, she remembered something and smiled.

“Speaking of that, I remember when I graduated from elementary school, I added all my classmates’ Q/Q accounts, and the homeroom teacher’s too. It was the first time being separated from classmates, and I couldn’t handle it. I cried, snot and tears, hugged the homeroom teacher and soaked her shoulder, saying, ‘Teacher, I’ll miss you, I’ll come back to see you every year,’ and so on.”

Peach laughed heartily: “You were so dramatic as a kid.”

“Tell me about it,” Chu Weiyue recalled and felt embarrassed, curling her toes. “I only kept it up for two years and never went back again, and I even forgot what she looks like.”

“That’s still good; at least you lasted two years,” Peach chuckled. “Better than my university advisor. I was her slave every day, and I deleted her the moment I graduated. Such a drama queen.”

“What about you, Qiūqiū? Are you still in touch with your university teachers? I remember you were the class monitor,” Peach asked casually. “Oh, right, what was your university advisor’s name? I remember it was a funny name.”

Jiang Yiqiu thought for a moment: “Funny? I don’t think so.”

“How can that be? Didn’t you forget that we even gave her a nickname back in university? What was it…” Chu Weiyue frowned in thought, the name was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn’t say it.

Jiang Yiqiu: “Xu Jing. Nothing special, right?”

Chu Weiyue looked confused: “Ah, who is that?”

As she spoke, she finally remembered, knocking her head: “Her name was Fei Yangyang!”

She burst out laughing, then started to analyze with Peach whether the teacher had a sister named Mei Yangyang.

Jiang Yiqiu instinctively wanted to argue, but then she remembered something, and her expression changed slightly. She took back her retort, laughed self-deprecatingly: “It was Fei Yangyang. It hasn’t been that long, and I already forgot.”

Chu Weiyue’s mind stirred, and she thought of something. She wanted to ask, but ultimately kept quiet.

She just laughed: “Your memory is declining so fast after graduation. You can’t even remember your own department advisor as clearly as I do. Who is that Xu Jing you mentioned? Completely irrelevant?”

Jiang Yiqiu, however, said no more, only remarking blandly: “No one. Maybe I misremembered.”

The three chatted about this topic for a bit, then quickly moved on to something else.

While waiting and chatting, they finally waited for the little girl Peach had been eagerly anticipating.

Chu Weiyue received a call from her cousin saying she had arrived downstairs with Ruoxi, and Chu Weiyue agreed to go down and meet them.

It had to be said that the good looks of Chu Weiyue and her mother were largely due to Chu Weiyue’s maternal grandmother. Seeing Chu Weiyue and her mother, one would know they were both great beauties. Chu Weiyue’s cousin was the campus belle back in the day, and little Ruoxi was also a beautiful child, with fair skin and a pair of dark, bright eyes, showing the strong genes of the family.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, a small, pink-and-white ball of a child rushed over. Her two braids swung back and forth, and she shouted loudly, “Auntie!”

Chu Weiyue half-crouched down, smiling as she hugged the little dumpling, rubbing her head: “You’re here. Did you miss Auntie?”

The little girl’s voice was clear and sweet, and she was very articulate: “I missed Auntie so much! I talk about Auntie with Mama every day~”

No one could dislike such a pretty, well-behaved, and adorable little child. Chu Weiyue picked her up and pinched her cheek: “Auntie missed Ruoxi too.”

Her cousin smiled, watching the large and small figures interact. Chu Weiyue wanted to invite her cousin up to sit for a while, but the cousin was busy with other things, giving a few instructions before saying she would come to pick her up tomorrow morning.

“Ruoxi, be good and listen to Auntie. Don’t cause Auntie any trouble, you hear?”

Xu Ruoxi nodded vigorously like a miniature adult, her two little braids swinging back and forth, looking incredibly cute: “Don’t worry, Mama. Bye, Mama!”

After sending her cousin off, Chu Weiyue led the child upstairs. Ruoxi chattered incessantly about fun things from kindergarten, gesturing wildly and speaking vividly.

She smiled and held Chu Weiyue’s hand, her tiny hand kneading her palm softly: “I love coming to Auntie’s place the most.”

Chu Weiyue smiled and replied: “I also love having Ruoxi come and play with me.”

“Hehe, Auntie is super nice. I always have a blast playing with Auntie!”

She then lowered her voice, asking Chu Weiyue to lean down to share their little secret: “And, Auntie and I both don’t like vegetables. When I come to Auntie’s place, Mama can’t force me to eat vegetables. We can eat delicious meat together!”

She giggled as she said it.

If this were before, Chu Weiyue would definitely have smiled and agreed. After all, they had a common enemy—vegetables—and had long formed an alliance, resolutely resisting such hateful food. She would also discuss with the little one what meat to eat tonight, and conveniently criticize all vegetables. But now…

Chu Weiyue thought of a certain someone who was currently at home, oppressing her with authoritarian power to eat vegetables every day. She really couldn’t smile.

Thinking about this, Chu Weiyue felt heavy-hearted. She didn’t have the heart to tell her this cruel truth.

And the clear and innocent little Ruoxi was happily anticipating the all-meat feast tonight.

Chu Weiyue led the person upstairs. As soon as she opened the door, Peach was the first to greet them, smiling as she called the little girl’s name: “Ruoxi, you’re here!”

She then took the child from Chu Weiyue’s arms and pinched her little face. Ruoxi’s skin was fair and tender, her face was plump, and she was incredibly cute.

Little Ruoxi affectionately babbled something to Peach, making the adults laugh heartily.

Ruoxi was four and a half this year. Before, her cousin worked in another city, so they didn’t have many chances to meet. They moved to Z City a year ago, and Jiang Yiqiu had never met the little one.

Chu Weiyue then introduced Jiang Yiqiu to Ruoxi: “Ruoxi, quickly look who this is?”

Jiang Yiqiu greeted the little girl with a smile: “Hello, Ruoxi.”

Ruoxi was young, very cheerful, and lively, never shy. She would sweetly greet adults, and when she met other children, she would play with them openly. She was very likable.

This was even more true when she was in front of Jiang Yiqiu.

Chu Weiyue hadn’t had time to introduce her. Seeing Jiang Yiqiu wave at her with a smile, Ruoxi’s eyes sparkled. She ran forward with her two little legs and, not at all shy, pounced on her. Although she wasn’t tall enough, she desperately tiptoed, hugging Jiang Yiqiu’s waist with her small hands. She stared at her with her dark, grape-like eyes and sweetly called: “Pretty Sister!”

Chu Weiyue was between laughter and tears. Before explaining, she first stepped forward and scooped the person away from Jiang Yiqiu.

She picked up the person and bounced her a little, assessing in her mind that little Ruoxi was small and short-armed, making her easier to scoop up than Peach.

Then, she seriously explained: “You can’t call her sister. That messes up the seniority.”

Ruoxi wrinkled her two tiny eyebrows, looking very troubled: “If not sister, then what?”

“Uh…” This question stumped Chu Weiyue. By seniority, she should call her Auntie, but that made her sound too old. So what should she call her?

Seeing that she couldn’t answer either, little Ruoxi looked smug: “I’ll just call her sister!”

She ran over to Jiang Yiqiu with a “deng-deng-deng” sound: “Pretty Sister, what’s your name?”

“My name is Jiang Yiqiu,” she answered seriously.

Ruoxi’s eyes curved into two crescent moons, and she softly called out: “Yiqiu Sister~”

Chu Weiyue’s two ears instantly pricked up, twitching alertly.

Such a soft and adorable human child was impossible for anyone to refuse, and Jiang Yiqiu smiled and agreed.

Chu Weiyue frowned deeply.

What was wrong with this little girl? Her voice was all cutesy when she spoke to Jiang Yiqiu!

When Jiang Yiqiu smiled, Ruoxi’s eyes practically became two little light bulbs. She shouted, “Yiqiu Sister, you look like a fairy when you smile,” and then chased after her, calling “Sister, Sister” non-stop.

The surrounding ten meters were enveloped by “Sister, Sister,” and Chu Weiyue was puffed up like a pufferfish.

She called her sister!

And she called her so many times.

Chu Weiyue couldn’t stand listening anymore. She righteously pulled the little girl in front of her, sternly saying with a fierce look: “Ruoxi, no. You can’t call her that.”

If this were an ordinary child, they might be scared, but Xu Ruoxi wouldn’t be. Moreover, she was so familiar with her auntie that she wasn’t scared of her at all.

Xu Ruoxi put her hands on her hips, lifted her small head, and looked up at the person who was twice her height: “Why can’t I call her that? I want to call her that.”

Chu Weiyue had a valid excuse: “Didn’t I say it messes up the seniority?”

Ruoxi wouldn’t listen to her. With her hands on her hips, she was full of momentum: “I don’t care. I want to call her that! Sister, Sister, Yiqiu Sister!”

Chu Weiyue slightly opened her mouth, not expecting her to be so blatant and aggressive.

The little girl had 40 pounds of weight and 39 pounds of rebelliousness.

Chu Weiyue couldn’t out-argue this four-and-a-half-year-old child. She frowned and leaned toward Jiang Yiqiu. It wasn’t as hard for her to pick up Jiang Yiqiu as it was for that short-armed little person. She wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly, burying her face in her neck, muttering: “Yiqiu Sister, tell her off!”

Jiang Yiqiu knowingly asked: “Tell her off for what?”

Chu Weiyue gritted her teeth, feeling embarrassed, but because this matter was too important, she whispered her complaint: “Only I can call you that.”

Jiang Yiqiu felt helpless. She couldn’t really speak ill of Ruoxi, and besides, there was nothing wrong with the child calling her that. She could only comfort the “big friend” in her arms: “She’s a child. Don’t hold it against her.”

While coaxing her, she was secretly thinking about something else.

It used to be as hard as reaching the heavens to get her to call her “Sister,” but with the little one as a comparison, she was calling her that so easily.

Sure enough, competition could stimulate a sense of crisis.

Jiang Yiqiu decided that she could invite little Ruoxi to come and play more often in the future.

After finally coaxing the person, Chu Weiyue no longer obsessed over the matter of the address, but she was still a little moody.

Only Peach, who witnessed the entire scene, watched Chu Weiyue silently sit on the sofa and turn on the TV, intently staring at the NBA game she was completely uninterested in, clicking her tongue in wonder.

She was even jealous of such a small child. She was truly a lost cause.

Peach sat next to her, draped her arm over her good friend’s shoulder, sighing and lamenting: “Yue-er, you’ve completely fallen into it.”

Chu Weiyue pushed her hand away: “What nonsense are you talking about? Fallen into what?”

Peach was rarely in a good mood enough not to bicker with her. She wrapped her arm around her again, with an air of profound wisdom: “Fallen into what else? Of course, you’re trapped in Qiūqiū’s love swamp.”

“…” Chu Weiyue’s face darkened at her words, finding them completely absurd.

Especially when combined with the system’s “official match theory,” she avoided such topics like the plague.

She pushed the person’s arm away again, retreating several steps: “Don’t start with that. Stop talking nonsense all the time.”

“Qiūqiū and I have been good friends for many years. How could that be?”

Peach thought, You’re still being stubborn. As the saying goes, the person involved is often confused, while the onlooker sees clearly. She saw through these two completely.

Peach reminded her: “You can eat whatever you want, but don’t carelessly make declarations.”

“How am I speaking carelessly? I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart,” Chu Weiyue unconsciously raised her voice, speaking with righteous indignation and integrity, waving the flag of declaration vigorously against the wind.

“Is that so?” Peach raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure.”

“Do you dare to swear?”

“I’ll swear, who’s afraid of who!” Chu Weiyue’s momentum suddenly surged, and she agreed without a second thought.

“I’m laying down my words today: My feelings for Jiang Yiqiu are purely those of a close friend, with absolutely no romantic feelings between women! It was true yesterday, it is true today, and it will be true tomorrow!”

Peach looked at her stern and serious appearance and sneered internally: “Good, remember what you said today.”

Chu Weiyue raised her chin: “I’ll remember, I won’t go back on my word!”