Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 71.1

Today was Christmas, and even the workaholic Xu Luwei didn’t plan to keep working, leading to their first chance encounter.

This twist of fate would generate endless entanglements.

Xu Luwei said softly, “Then bring it over.”

Yi Liang quickly responded, “Got it!”

Before the words were even finished, she nimbly darted over, picked up the bracelet, and darted back. Her speed was so fast that Xu Luwei worried she might fall, but in the blink of an eye, the girl was standing there safely, smiling at her.

With a jingle, Xu Luwei was momentarily dazed, inexplicably feeling that this tinkling sound suited the girl before her. She lowered her eyes to examine it: an ordinary silver bracelet, the purity of the silver was very low. It looked quite nice at first glance, but Xu Luzhi would absolutely never look at it twice.

When she looked up again, she found Yi Liang standing somewhat carelessly in the snow, not even holding an umbrella. The girl’s small hands were frozen red, but she still held the bracelet out to her with a smile.

Xu Luwei quickly raised her umbrella higher and gently moved it over Yi Liang’s head, watching the snowflakes landing on her hair melt in an instant.

She rarely felt pity, only compassion, but she wouldn’t usually take action.

Perhaps influenced by the Christmas atmosphere, Xu Luwei felt a sudden impulse and asked for the price.

Yi Liang stated a figure that was negligible to Xu Luwei. She scanned the code to pay, but it failed to connect.

Yi Liang flashed a mischievous, triumphant smile, though on the surface, she still acted anxious, “Jiejie, the QR code seems broken. Should we add each other as friends?”

Xu Luwei saw through her little trick almost instantly.

The reason was simple: Yi Liang was clever, but her own sister, younger and even more subtle in her thoughts, had engaged in enough sparring that Xu Luwei could immediately see through these superficial little schemes.

Moreover, Yi Liang hadn’t actually intended to deceive her.

After Xu Luwei shook her head, Yi Liang still beamed, “Jiejie rejecting me like this makes me very sad.”

Although it was self-mockery, a hint of loneliness subtly surfaced in the girl’s eyes.

Although Yi Liang wasn’t exactly a “good girl,” she never flirted with people and kept her distance from those who tried to approach her. She thought she was only interested in money, but after meeting Xu Luwei, she realized she was actually more interested in Jiejie.

Xu Luwei felt a pang of reluctance but still smiled faintly, taking a few banknotes from her bag and pressing them into Yi Liang’s hand.

Then, she took the bracelet and instructed, “Stretch out your hand.”

As if guided by an unseen force, Yi Liang obediently extended her hand, watching as Xu Luwei stood before her, smiling as she slid the bracelet onto her wrist.

The girl’s wrist was fair and white like jade. Even though she worked outdoors all day, her natural beauty was in no way diminished. Paired with the silver bracelet, it was quite fitting.

With a slight movement, a series of crisp bell sounds chimed, very pleasant to the ear.

Yi Liang stared blankly as Xu Luwei adjusted the tightness of the bracelet for her. Her eyes watered slightly, and she felt a sudden urge to kneel.

She wanted to be the kneeling monkey, submissive before the Bodhisattva, waiting for the sweet dew sprinkled from the willow branch to fall upon her head.

“It’s done. You should head back early,” Xu Luwei said with a smile. “It’s a gift for you.”

Yi Liang stood there in a daze, watching Xu Luwei walk away holding the umbrella. She remained motionless until her head was covered in white snow, instantly turning her hair white.

The gentle, elegant Jiejie had, in that moment, settled into her heart, impossible to cut away.

The snow fell in flakes, and melodious Christmas music played on the street. The girl stood alone in the busiest part of Weicheng, possessing nothing, yet feeling as if she owned the whole world.

What a coincidence the day she met Xu Luwei was also her eighteenth birthday.

At that time, and at this time.

The same two people, the same gesture of reaching out a hand. The only differences were the weather, the atmosphere, and most importantly, the state of their hearts.

Yi Liang’s eyes stung, waiting for Xu Luwei to reach out and remove the bracelet for her. But Xu Luwei only glanced at it faintly, seeming a bit reluctant, “Take it off yourself.”

She thought she was being magnanimous!

Yi Liang’s blood rushed to her head, and she couldn’t bear it, starting to cry out, acting spoiled, “No, you take it off!”

You brought it, you take it off.

It was as if, clearly, you are the one who doesn’t want me…

Xu Luwei was momentarily lost in thought, not arguing with the girl, just smiling faintly, “Alright then.”

She reached out. Her hands were as beautiful as before, but now they were performing such a cruel act, slowly taking off the bracelet from Yi Liang’s wrist, as if cutting a gash into Yi Liang’s heart.

Yet, Xu Luwei remained habitually slow and composed, outwardly unmoved, as if indifferent to everything in the world.

She only cared about herself, not caring about anyone else’s fate.

Yi Liang suppressed a breath, and the bracelet was removed, leaving only a faint red mark on her wrist, an indentation from wearing it for too long.

She thought everything was over, but unexpectedly, Xu Luwei took out cotton swabs and an antiseptic from her bag and began to slowly wipe her wrist.

“What are you doing?” Yi Liang exclaimed, instinctively trying to pull away.

Xu Luwei said lightly, “Your wrist might turn red; let me disinfect it.”

Yi Liang choked on her breath, almost suffocating from anger.

Look, the woman before her was so good and gentle, praised by everyone, without a single flaw to be found. Yet, she was so cruel to her alone, even bringing antiseptic with her out of meticulous consideration for others.

“I don’t need it,” Yi Liang said coldly, the corner of her mouth twitching. “I’m used to getting hurt; it will heal on its own.”

Despite her words, her hand remained still, allowing Xu Luwei to focus on applying the medicine. A wave of warmth welled up in her eyes.

Applying the medicine was actually quick. Xu Luwei’s technique was delicate; only the cotton swab made contact, leaving a slight tickle on Yi Liang’s wrist.

But for Yi Liang, it felt like half a century had passed.

Xu Luwei leaned down. Dressed lightly by the sea, she could almost easily see everything that shouldn’t be seen from her neckline things she was familiar with, things that once stayed in her mouth all night.

Now, they were just within sight but out of reach no, they were beyond even sight.

After finishing the application, Yi Liang watched as Xu Luwei straightened up, about to leave.

She finally couldn’t hold back and questioned, “Xu Luwei!”

Xu Luwei turned to look at her, and her expression seemed a little unsteady.

Yi Liang took a deep breath and managed to confront her calmly, “Do you only like my body?”

Have you never cared about me as a person? That’s why even after nights of pleasure, she would hide herself so she wouldn’t be seen, remained silent when I asked if I was her girlfriend, and ended all contact without hesitation when I got angry and blocked you.

The more beautiful the woman, the more heartless she is.

Xu Luwei’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, focusing on Yi Liang’s glamorous face and her youthful figure, her hands always full of tricks, clever and cunning.

Yes, she liked that.

But given her status, how could she give Yi Liang what she wanted?

A moment of infatuation was already a mistake. Yi Liang was only a year older than Zhizhi; she couldn’t let her sink any deeper.

After a long pause, Xu Luwei slowly nodded, “Yes.”

Looking at the woman’s frank expression, Yi Liang was nearly driven mad. With no one around, she finally vented all the words she had suppressed for so long, shouting without restraint, “Xu Luwei, you are a coward! Do you think you’re some emperor who needs to consider this and that? If I’m not worthy of being your girlfriend, then why did you even look at me?”

The sound traveled along the coastline in waves, reaching far, far away.

Yi Liang felt a release after shouting and stopped, lifting her chin stubbornly, confronting Xu Luwei with aggression.

No matter what, she couldn’t continue living in such ambiguity. She would rather shatter than live ignobly.

Watching Yi Liang question her in anger, Xu Luwei was momentarily stunned by her intensity and almost blurted out all her concerns.

But in the end, she only faintly shaded her expression, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to take all the blame. I’m the one who let you down by being unable to give you what you want,” Xu Luwei shook her head in a daze. “It won’t happen again.”

Yi Liang was too stubborn. She lived simply, loved clearly, hated clearly. She had cunning and resourcefulness, but she could only use them on people in the lower strata.

The people around Xu Luwei smiled while hiding daggers; they killed without shedding blood. Yi Liang couldn’t possibly cope with that society.

She couldn’t bear for Yi Liang to face that kind of world.

Yi Liang should properly mind her street stall and study, earning a living with a skill one day.

Perhaps one day, she would understand what she was thinking then, understand the difficulties of the Xu family’s eldest daughter. But she probably wouldn’t understand.

Even if she did understand, Xu Luwei admitted, it was truly her fault.

Regardless of status, being unable to give a title to the person you love was the greatest mistake of all.

Furthermore, deceiving the affections of such a young girl made her feel immensely guilty.

That was why she dared not meet Yi Liang’s gaze, afraid she would involuntarily shed tears.

In her twenty something years, Xu Luwei had lived a life adhering strictly to rules and conduct, always upright and open, yet in matters of love, she had been a complete deserter.