After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 57

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the area outside the rehearsal hall was a sea of people.

Those nearby, drawn by the spectacle, didn’t forget to share the details with those around them. Word was that the two people involved were a senior from the College of Music and Arts, who was participating in the graduation rehearsal, and a junior one year her junior.

The senior and junior were from the same hometown; counting their time through university, they had been schoolmates for nine years. The senior had previously had a boyfriend who attended another university in the same city. They were childhood sweethearts and had reached the point of discussing marriage, planning to wed right after graduation.

However, just after the summer break of their junior year, the senior returned to school early, hoping to surprise her boyfriend who had stayed on campus for an internship. Instead, she caught him in bed with someone else. Over a decade of feelings ended abruptly then and there.

It was only after this that the junior, who had silently followed her for eight years, appeared by her side.

Supposedly, the junior had fallen in love at first sight when he saw the senior giving a speech during his freshman year of high school. From choosing his high school major to selecting his university, he had followed in her footsteps. Before her breakup, however, he had known she had a boyfriend and never interfered, not even daring to show too much interest. He maintained the relationship of a fellow hometown schoolmate—slightly closer than a regular classmate, but not quite a best friend.

It wasn’t until she broke up that he stepped forward. He didn’t take advantage of her vulnerability but acted as a friend first, caring for her meticulously for a year. After six months of ambiguity, her stance finally softened. The junior then enlisted his classmates to help organize this grand confession ceremony before the graduation performance.

The roses weren’t quite enough to “cover the entire floor” as rumored, but they were certainly striking at first glance. The junior held a guitar and sang to the senior. She stood there with a red face, holding a bouquet as onlookers cheered; her stance made her feelings clear.

Yan Guiqiu didn’t have much interest in the love story itself. While people nearby whispered about the dramatic scene of the senior catching her ex-boyfriend, Yan Guiqiu was busy calculating the logistics.

“I can definitely buy more flowers than he did…” Yan Guiqiu pondered seriously for a moment before sighing. “But I’m tone-deaf; I can’t sing love songs.”

Even if she pivoted from music to art—presenting art in front of a professional like Jiang Xuehe would just be “teaching a fish how to swim.” Photography was an option, but compared to this passionate scene, it seemed to lack atmosphere.

Jiang Xuehe found it amusing. “Are you really planning to learn from this?”

Yan Guiqiu corrected her solemnly. “I need to absorb the basics, master them, and then adapt to the local conditions to develop my own unique style.”

Jiang Xuehe: “…”

This was a bit too serious.

For a fleeting second, Jiang Xuehe couldn’t tell if Yan Guiqiu was being sincere or just trying to make her laugh. After all, given Yan Guiqiu’s personality, it wasn’t impossible for her to do something so extravagant. Regardless, the intent behind it was genuine. A faint warmth flowed through Jiang Xuehe’s heart. Being held so closely in someone’s mind was a wonderful feeling.

Suddenly, the crowd in front began to applaud enthusiastically. The two looked up and saw people chanting for the couple to sing a duet. Many nearby had already raised their phones to record.

One person right behind Yan Guiqiu was standing on their tiptoes, stretching their phone upward. She pulled Jiang Xuehe aside to avoid the throng and whispered, “Let’s go.”

The technique had been observed, and the confession was clearly a success. She didn’t have much interest in watching others flaunt their romance.

Jiang Xuehe nodded. “Should you say something to your classmate?”

The girl with the glasses had been exceptionally excited and had disappeared into the front of the crowd. Judging by her distant shouts, she had likely run into other friends.

Yan Guiqiu shook her head and led Jiang Xuehe away. “I’ll just send her a message later. Let’s go eat; I’m starting to get hungry.”

Before turning to leave, Yan Guiqiu swept her gaze around one last time. The confession had taken place just outside the rehearsal hall, which was now empty as everyone had come out to see the commotion.

Qin Xiangxi was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Jiang Xueyang had successfully taken her out for his “apology” meal.

Yan Guiqiu was thinking this as she walked forward, but after a few steps, she saw Jiang Xueyang standing dazed at the corner of a path. He didn’t notice them; he was staring intently toward the school gates. The gifts he had supposedly brought as an apology were still in his hands—several bags clearly containing luxury goods for a lady remained undelivered.

Seeing him there, Jiang Xuehe couldn’t very well walk around him. After a pause, she called out, “Brother.”

Jiang Xueyang jumped as if startled, shuddering before turning around. Seeing it was Jiang Xuehe, he let out a sigh of relief. “Why are you scaring me like that?”

“I was going to ask you the same,” Jiang Xuehe replied. “Weren’t you going to apologize? What are you doing standing here?”

Jiang Xueyang looked down at the bags in his hands and said awkwardly, “I… I didn’t see her, so I came back.”

It was obviously an excuse. Perhaps some inexplicable reason had made him feel he had lost face, causing him to change his mind. Or maybe Qin Xiangxi had humiliated him on the spot, leaving him embarrassed but unable to show it. Jiang Xuehe didn’t press for details; she simply asked, “Are you going back to rest then?”

“Let’s go eat first,” Jiang Xueyang said.

Since he put it that way, Jiang Xuehe had to invite him along. “This is my girlfriend,” she said, introducing Yan Guiqiu. “Her name is Yan Guiqiu.”

That was the extent of the introduction. In truth, she didn’t need to be formal; the rest of the Jiang family surely already knew who Yan Guiqiu was. As the eldest daughter of the Yan family, she was quite well-known in their circles.

Yan Guiqiu could feel a slight tension in Jiang Xuehe’s hand as she gripped hers a bit tighter. Jiang Xueyang, seemingly unaware of this, looked over as if just noticing Yan Guiqiu’s presence. He gave a brief nod in greeting. “Hello. I’m Xuehe’s brother, Jiang Xueyang.”

He offered no further introduction either. He seemed clearly preoccupied.

Jiang Xuehe let out a small sigh of relief, secretly scolding herself for being overly paranoid. While Mrs. Jiang could be unreliable, she wouldn’t truly force Jiang Xueyang into anything. Jiang Xueyang hadn’t given Yan Guiqiu a second look, showing he had no interest in her type. For now, Mrs. Jiang’s interest was likely still fixed on the eldest daughter of the Luan family.

Because Jiang Xueyang was with them, Jiang Xuehe abandoned her plan to take Yan Guiqiu to a new romantic restaurant. After asking for her brother’s opinion, they headed to a high-end restaurant in a nearby mall.

The three of them looked nothing alike. The configuration of two women and one man drew some sideways glances. However, since Jiang Xuehe and Yan Guiqiu were holding hands and clearly intimate, the primary target of the curious looks became Jiang Xueyang. The hostess at the door gave them a strange look—she seemed new—and took a moment to recover before leading them to a corner table.

Though it was in a corner, the restaurant was elegantly decorated. The wooden lattice partitions provided a natural screen, giving them a relatively private space. At first, Yan Guiqiu didn’t think much of it, simply assuming the locals loved to gossip.

However, once they sat down, she realized why they had attracted so many stares. Jiang Xueyang looked utterly soul-crushed; he nearly spilled water on his clothes just trying to pour a glass. At first glance, he looked like someone who had either just gone through a breakup or had a confession rejected. Meanwhile, he was accompanied by two beautiful, intimate women. It was impossible for people not to let their imaginations run wild.

When Jiang Xueyang began frantically wiping the table with a napkin only to sweep the chopsticks onto the floor, Yan Guiqiu turned her gaze away, unable to watch.

Jiang Xuehe held the menu, tilting her head to ask Yan Guiqiu what she wanted while marking items down and checking with her brother. Across the table, Jiang Xueyang just kept saying “Mhm” and “Sure.” Jiang Xuehe handed the menu to the waiter before noticing her brother’s clumsy behavior.

“Don’t pick them up,” Jiang Xuehe said, steadying her breath. She signaled the waiter. “Could we have another pair of chopsticks, please?”

Jiang Xueyang finally snapped out of it and gave an awkward smile. “Maybe I’m just too tired; I’m a bit out of it.”

Jiang Xuehe didn’t care to argue about why he was out of it. She had already heard his plans at the gallery: he had booked a hotel and would leave tomorrow after staying the night. Neither Jiang Xuehe nor Yan Guiqiu had anything urgent to do, so returning to the Jiang house early wasn’t an issue. Jiang Xuehe asked about his schedule.

“Are you sure you’re going back tomorrow?” she asked. “Straight to Grandpa’s?”

Jiang Xueyang nodded, then added, “Let’s go home first. Mom was helping tidy up your room before I left. She hasn’t seen you in a long time and misses you. If I hadn’t come, she wanted to pick you up herself.”

That meant dinner with the elder Mr. Jiang would be the day after tomorrow at the earliest. They would likely stay at the Jiang house for two nights. Jiang Xuehe nodded and said nothing more.

Jiang Xueyang, finding his enthusiasm, began telling Jiang Xuehe about recent family life: the new flowers their mother had bought, and how she had wanted to get a dog but gave up after being scared by a neighbor’s toy poodle while walking. As he spoke, he made sure to include Yan Guiqiu in the conversation.

However, once the food arrived, Yan Guiqiu’s attention shifted entirely to eating. Jiang Xueyang didn’t find it awkward; Jiang Xuehe never neglected her companion, and the siblings chatted about trivial matters. The only mention of business was a brief complaint from Jiang Xueyang about his frequent business trips. He caught himself quickly, however, and seamlessly shifted the topic to a neighbor’s son who had gotten a green afro, infuriating his father so much he chased him around the neighborhood with a rolling pin.

Yan Guiqiu ate quietly while listening. She could tell that Jiang Xueyang’s attitude toward her was friendly, but it felt forced—as if he were trying very hard to put on a front, which made it seem abrupt and slightly jarring. Given Jiang Xuyu’s experiences, however, this wasn’t surprising. Even though same-sex marriage was legal, traditional ideas were deep-seated in some people, and prejudices weren’t easily changed.

But for Jiang Xueyang, the fact that his sister was a lesbian might actually be a good thing. At the very least, his parents would be more inclined to favor him over her. There was no benefit to him in breaking up Jiang Xuehe and Yan Guiqiu. Perhaps his mother had even lectured him on this, so he naturally showed no hostility.

As they finished and paid, Yan Guiqiu reminded him as they prepared to leave, “You forgot your things.” She pointed to the bags in the booth. A quick glance suggested they were high-end cosmetics—lipsticks and perfumes. Judging by the sizes of the boxes, he had generously bought entire collections. It was quite a lot of money.

Jiang Xueyang blinked, quickly gathered the items, and thanked Yan Guiqiu.

After leaving the restaurant, Jiang Xueyang sat at the gallery for a short while, checking the time frequently. Finally, he announced he had things to do and had to head out. Jiang Xuehe, naturally, didn’t stop him.

“Something’s up,” Yan Guiqiu said, sitting at the bar and stroking her chin as she watched his retreating figure thoughtfully.

“He looks like he’s in a rush to see a girlfriend,” Xiao He chimed in from the side.

Jiang Xuehe hadn’t thought in that direction at first, but seeing Yan Guiqiu’s smiling expression, her heart stirred. She turned to Yan Guiqiu. “What do you think?”

“When we came out of the school gates earlier, I saw the Qin family’s car just leaving,” Yan Guiqiu said. Aside from the time they stopped to argue with her, the Qins never lingered when picking up their daughter. That meant Qin Xiangxi had likely just left.

Jiang Xueyang had almost certainly seen her. As for why the gifts weren’t delivered and why he was so distracted afterward—Jiang Xuehe had initially assumed Qin Xiangxi had scolded him, making him too embarrassed to give the gifts but also too shy to tell anyone.

In reality, Jiang Xueyang was a person with strong self-esteem. He had liked girls before, but if a girl showed him any disdain or made things difficult for him, he would immediately lose interest. He might even turn to hate them and hold a grudge for years. Perhaps that just meant his feelings hadn’t been deep enough.

But listening to Xiao He, Jiang Xuehe realized his attitude didn’t look like that of someone whose pride had been wounded.

“It can’t be…” Jiang Xuehe found it hard to believe. “It’s not like they haven’t met before.” They had known each other since they were young, even if they likely didn’t remember what the other looked like. But back then, Jiang Xueyang had never shown any special treatment for that little girl.

“Maybe it’s just fate,” Yan Guiqiu smiled.

Jiang Xuehe was surprised, but Yan Guiqiu wasn’t. That was mainly because Yan Guiqiu knew the plot. In the original story, Jiang Xueyang had actually fallen in love with Qin Xiangxi at first sight—or more accurately, he was struck by her beauty. Before that, he had had many girlfriends, but he always expected them to cater to him. If anything displeased him, he would end the relationship cleanly. To put it bluntly, he was overbearingly chauvinistic in romance.

Yet this “trait” of his vanished the moment he met Qin Xiangxi. He doted on her excessively, not only tolerating her temper but doing everything in his power for her, benefiting everyone around her as well. While this excessive “kindness” eventually sowed the seeds of his own downfall, the sincerity of his feelings was beyond doubt. Even after Qin Xiangxi lost everything and they divorced, he never kicked her while she was down. Given his mother’s personality, she would have wanted to tear Qin Xiangxi apart, but Jiang Xueyang had stopped her.

He might seem unreliable, but his love for Qin Xiangxi was real. Such a singular exception could only be explained by “true love.” In this different world, falling in love at first sight again wasn’t that strange.

Jiang Xuehe’s first reaction was that it was bad luck. If Jiang Xueyang truly had feelings for Qin Xiangxi, they would undoubtedly be lingering around her constantly in the future.

“Qin Xiangxi graduates in a few months,” Yan Guiqiu comforted her. “Given her current state, her parents will likely drag her back home even if they have to tie her up.”

Jiang Xuehe agreed. Qin Xiangxi didn’t seem prepared to continue her studies; whether she looked for a job or entered her parents’ company, it was unlikely she would stay in Yunhua City. Thus, the impact on Jiang Xuehe would be limited.

“I have a feeling the next few months won’t be very peaceful,” Jiang Xuehe sighed.

The good news was that if Jiang Xueyang was distracted by this, it would only benefit her. “In the long run, this is a great thing,” Yan Guiqiu said, gesturing with her hands. “You won’t be living with your parents in the future, right?”

Jiang Xuehe gave a soft “mhm.” Her mind wandered for a moment before something occurred to her as well.

Yan Guiqiu leaned in with a smile, touching her fingers together. “Then let them go off and fight their own battles.”

Qin Xiangxi’s parents and Jiang Xueyang’s parents had put on quite a show in the original plot. Without Jiang Xuehe there to mediate, it might even be better to watch this time. Jiang Xuehe realized this and let out a smile, nodding her head.

Seeing that she understood, Yan Guiqiu shifted the topic. “So, are we leaving tomorrow too?”

Jiang Xuehe nodded. “The tickets are for 3:00 PM. We’ll land a bit late, but there’s time for lunch before we go. When we arrive, my brother can pick us up on his way back from his meeting.”

Yan Guiqiu raised her hand. “Let’s go shopping tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Xuehe had no objection but asked, “To buy clothes?”

Yan Guiqiu nodded solemnly. “As the saying goes, ‘clothes make the man.’ I should look presentable when visiting.” She didn’t care about the others, but she didn’t want to embarrass Jiang Xuehe, and she hoped to leave a good impression on those Jiang Xuehe actually cared about.

They stayed in that afternoon to pack. The next morning, Jiang Xuehe drove to pick up Yan Guiqiu, and they went straight to the nearest large mall.

“Do you have your ID?” Jiang Xuehe asked as they got out of the car. Their luggage was already in the trunk; they planned to head straight to the airport after shopping and lunch to save time. Yan Guiqiu checked her small bag and confirmed she had everything.

As soon as they stepped into a clothing store, Jiang Xuehe’s phone rang. She told Yan Guiqiu to look around while she stepped aside to take the call. Yan Guiqiu kept an eye on her, and when Jiang Xuehe returned, her expression was clearly displeased.

“What happened?” Yan Guiqiu asked in a low voice.

“My brother.” Jiang Xuehe pressed her temples, regaining her composure. “He just called to say he has something to do here, so he cancelled his flight and told us to head back first.”

In truth, Jiang Xuehe had asked about his travel plans when she woke up. According to his original plan, he should have been on a plane back for a meeting before noon; he should have landed by now. However, he hadn’t replied to her messages, and his assistant claimed not to know anything. The call had only just come through—the assistant awkwardly explained that Jiang Xueyang had something come up and his phone had been on silent, hence the missed calls, and conveyed his apologies.

But any fool could tell it was an excuse. Jiang Xueyang was likely feeling guilty and didn’t dare answer her calls, forcing the assistant to come up with a plausible reason.

“Never mind him,” Jiang Xuehe said. They didn’t have to go back with him anyway. She just wondered what could have distracted his intense desire to suck up to their grandfather.

Neither had much interest in digging deeper, so they turned back to the clothes.

“How about this one?” Yan Guiqiu held up a light-colored sweatshirt, but after looking at it, she felt dissatisfied. “Is it too casual?”

“It’s nice; it suits your skin tone,” Jiang Xuehe said.

Yan Guiqiu shook her head and moved to a shirt. “This one?”

“Also good; the cut is very pretty,” Jiang Xuehe replied.

Yan Guiqiu felt the fabric and put it back. After nearly touring the entire floor, she had only bought one coat. No matter what she looked at, Jiang Xuehe said it was “pretty.” At first, Yan Guiqiu thought she was being perfunctory, but then realized she was actually being quite thorough, finding solid reasons even for her casual remarks. Perhaps this was just the “girlfriend treatment.”

“You look good in everything,” Jiang Xuehe said.

“That’s not what you said last time.” Yan Guiqiu remembered when they looked at clothes before they were dating; back then, Jiang Xuehe’s eye was very objective, and she would immediately point out if something didn’t suit her. She wasn’t like this “it’s all good” version of herself.

However, after a while, Yan Guiqiu realized Jiang Xuehe was being sincere. The shop assistant praised them, saying they were so beautiful that everything looked good on them. Jiang Xuehe felt that since they were just going back for a meal, there was no need to be overly formal, so anything would be fine.

While being praised by a lover was wonderful, it defeated the purpose of preparing for the visit. Finally, Yan Guiqiu turned to the shop assistant for help, asking for an outfit that met the general standard for “meeting the family.”

Yan Guiqiu didn’t wear skirts often, and since it wasn’t summer yet and still a bit chilly, she usually chose whatever was most practical for movement. The change of style was striking. The dress was simple and elegant without excessive decoration. The hemline fell below the knees and was slightly tapered at the waist, visually emphasizing her tall and slender frame. It complemented her fair skin, adding a sense of elegance and sophistication.

Jiang Xuehe was clearly stunned. Yan Guiqiu walked up to her and did a slow turn to show off the dress. “Does this look good?”

Jiang Xuehe nodded. “It looks good.”

“How does it compare to the others?” Yan Guiqiu pressed.

Jiang Xuehe studied her quietly for a moment, then blinked and gave an indirect answer: “You are the most beautiful.”

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