How I Accidentally Bent My Best Friend - Chapter 36.1

Wen Yan wore a flax-colored long dress with a cloth bag slung over her shoulder, exuding an artsy vibe. When she spotted the two, she smiled faintly and turned to Lu Wei, saying, “What a coincidence. I knew you’d like it here.”

“Haha, really?” Lu Wei forced a smile, feeling so awkward she wished she could vanish into thin air.

“Mhm.” Wen Yan shrugged, her expression unchanged. “You told me before that you liked this artist don’t you remember?”

Lu Wei scratched her head, puzzled. “Really? When was that?”

“During training camp. We even looked through her portfolio together back then.” Wen Yan blinked and added, “There are plenty more interesting paintings on the second floor. Want to go take a look?”

Lu Wei glanced around Wen Yan and asked, “Are you here alone?”

“Yeah.” Wen Yan sighed, her tone implying something more. “I originally wanted to come with someone, but she turned me down. Luckily, I ran into you here anyway.”

Lu Wei grew even more embarrassed, rendered speechless and regretting having brought up such an awkward topic.

Chen Yushu stood where she was, watching the exchange between the two. Her gaze eventually settled on Lu Wei’s face, and she couldn’t help but think that if she and Lu Wei ever ended up in a similar situation, she probably wouldn’t have even half of Wen Yan’s courage.

In that case, they would inevitably become strangers though, admittedly, that might be exactly what Lu Wei wanted.

“Shall we head up to the second floor?” Wen Yan smoothly changed the subject.

Lu Wei breathed a sigh of relief. “We’ll go in a bit. Let’s finish looking at the ones down here first.”

Wen Yan replied, “Perfect timing. I’ve already seen most of the second floor, so we can go together.”

“Huh?” Lu Wei’s jaw dropped in surprise. Her attempt to avoid the situation had backfired, and refusing now would seem too deliberate. Reluctantly, she agreed.

Fortunately, Wen Yan didn’t engage in further small talk afterward, keeping the conversation focused on the artwork. At first, Lu Wei still felt awkward and only offered brief responses, but as they discussed their favorite paintings, the two gradually began talking more.

Wen Yan pointed at one painting. “You’d definitely like this style free and untamed, like a wildfire. And the brushstrokes are just gorgeous!”

Lu Wei’s eyes lit up, and she nodded unconsciously before raising her camera to snap several photos.

“Try from this angle. The change in lighting gives it a different feel,” Wen Yan suggested, beckoning Lu Wei over.

“Wow, that’s really good!” Lu Wei couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up.

Chen Yushu walked over to take a look but couldn’t see any noticeable difference. By then, Wen Yan had already pulled Lu Wei over to the next painting.

“This painting’s style reminds me of a foreign artist, what was his name again?” Wen Yan thought for a moment, then sighed helplessly. “The name’s too long; I can’t remember.”

“Haha, I know who you’re talking about!” Lu Wei chimed in immediately. “But I can’t remember his name either.”

Chen Yushu trailed along beside them, unable to follow their conversation or contribute in any way. She felt like a silent, moving vase.

A long-suppressed feeling of suffocation slowly crept over her, her chest tightening as if stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe. Watching the two standing side by side, her heart ached unbearably. Yet, to avoid letting them notice her discomfort, she maintained a composed expression.

But the overwhelming sense of awkwardness was the hardest to bear. It felt as though her limbs had nowhere to rest, and no matter what she did, it seemed forced and clumsy. Every turn of her body was stiff and wooden.

Even though the three of them were so close, she felt as if she had been isolated in another world.

Chen Yushu couldn’t stand it any longer and turned her back, pretending to look at a nearby painting. However, her attention wasn’t on it at all, she just stared blankly at the messy tangle of black lines at the center of the artwork.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind: the way Wen Yan always stole the spotlight whenever she appeared, the awkwardness of Chen Yushu’s own forced composure…

And then, for some reason, she recalled the vow Lu Wei had made under the dormitory building that night, and the mischievous way Lu Wei had dodged Qi An at the karaoke bar.

Chen Yushu’s eyes suddenly grew hot, and the black lines in the painting blurred into a shapeless mass, like a bottomless black hole.

If only she hadn’t come.

Look, if Lu Wei had come alone and run into Wen Yan, the two of them could have happily enjoyed the exhibition together.

At least it would have been better than having her here.

So unnecessary.

Chen Yushu bit her lip hard, tilting her head upward as she struggled to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

Lu Wei was such a liar! How could you trust the words of a liar? Taking a joke seriously she was such a fool.

“Chen Yushu, why are you still standing there? Let’s go.”

Lu Wei’s voice suddenly rang out, and Chen Yushu’s body stiffened instantly. Pretending to be uncomfortable, she rubbed her eyes and deliberately replied with impatience, “Got it.”

After adjusting her expression, she walked over as naturally as she could.

Lu Wei was fiddling with her camera, head lowered, while Wen Yan watched her with downcast eyes.

Though it was a bit painful to witness, it also made Chen Yushu feel somewhat more at ease.

“There’s another exhibition like this next March. If you want to go, I’ll save a ticket for you,” Wen Yan said. “These kinds of exhibitions are best enjoyed with someone else. After all, ordinary people usually struggle to understand abstract art, let alone appreciate the techniques involved.”

As the only “ordinary person” present, Chen Yushu couldn’t help but suspect that those words were aimed directly at her.

As soon as Wen Yan finished speaking, Lu Wei’s movements paused. The atmosphere instantly turned chilly. She glanced up at Wen Yan, then continued adjusting her camera, saying calmly, “Abstract art inherently has no fixed meaning. It’s art without a theme, logic, or narrative a life experience beyond the ordinary. So, as long as you can feel the beauty in the painting, that’s enough. There’s no need to understand such profound techniques.”

With her last sentence, Lu Wei looked up at Chen Yushu, set down her camera, and gave a faint smile. “Seems like your basics still need work. We’re done here let’s head to the second floor.”

Before Chen Yushu could react, she felt someone grab her wrist. Stumbling a couple of steps, she hurried to keep up. “Lu Wei, slow down.”

From a side angle, Lu Wei’s profile was tense, her lips downturned, her entire being shrouded in a low-pressure aura.

Chen Yushu rarely saw her this angry and, for a moment, didn’t know what to say.

Once they reached the second floor, Lu Wei slowed her pace and stopped in front of a painting. She let out a sigh, turned to Chen Yushu, shook her hand, and whined in a coaxing tone, “I’m thirsty. I want water.”

Chen Yushu took a bottle of mineral water from her bag, opened it, and handed it over. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re asking what’s wrong?” Lu Wei took a big gulp of water, her chest rising and falling slightly. “You dummy.”

“She’s not wrong either,” Chen Yushu muttered under her breath, staring at her toes in frustration. “I really couldn’t understand it anyway.”

“You actually believe what she said? Did you not hear a single word I said after that?” Lu Wei retorted irritably. “She did it on purpose! Just because I turned her down and came with you instead, she deliberately said that to upset you!”

Chen Yushu stole a glance at her and asked pointedly, “Oh, so you do know?”

“I’m not stupid!” Lu Wei huffed, shoving a water bottle into her hand. “Forget it, let’s not talk about her. Let’s finish looking at the paintings and then go get something good to eat.”

“Okay.”

After the exhibition, they had lunch nearby and then boarded the high-speed train back.

“Let me see what you took pictures of,” Chen Yushu said.

Lu Wei handed her the camera. “Here.” Then she propped one foot on Chen Yushu’s lap, rested her chin on her shoulder, and looked at the photos with her.

Chen Yushu scrolled through the images one by one, starting from the most recent. Suddenly, her finger paused on the button, her eyes widening slightly in confusion as she turned to look at Lu Wei.

In the photo, she stood sideways, gazing up at a black-and-white painting. Soft light and shadow fell around her, creating a strangely harmonious blend with the surroundings.

Lu Wei explained, “You were standing there for so long, so I took a few shots.”

“A few?!” Chen Yushu quickly scrolled forward. The person in the photos barely changed her pose. Instantly, her cheeks flushed with heat. She hugged the camera and shrank to the side, frantically zooming in as she thought, I hope I wasn’t crying then.

Ahhh, this is so embarrassing!

The more she thought about it, the more mortified she felt. Unable to hold back her frustration, she snapped, “Who told you to take pictures of me?”

“W-What’s wrong?” Lu Wei was taken aback by her outburst and leaned in to look. “I think they turned out pretty nice.”

“Get away from me!” Chen Yushu carefully inspected the photos, relieved to find no particularly unflattering expressions. She huffed at Lu Wei, “You didn’t ask for my permission that’s a violation of my portrait rights!”

“Portrait rights?” Lu Wei stuck out her tongue playfully, then suddenly raised her phone with a grin. “I took them anyway. Sue me, go on, sue me!”

Chen Yushu hurriedly covered her face with one hand and reached out to block the camera with the other. “Go away! Stop taking pictures! Lu Wei, you’re so annoying!”

“Alright, alright, I didn’t take any just teasing. You almost knocked my phone out of my hand.” Lu Wei put her phone away and grabbed Chen Yushu’s wrist. “You can lower your hand now.”

Chen Yushu peeked out from between her fingers, glaring at her indignantly. “Hmph.”

“Ha ha ha.” Lu Wei burst into laughter, then snatched the camera back while Chen Yushu wasn’t paying attention. “What were you looking at for so long anyway?”

“None of your business!” Chen Yushu swatted her hand but couldn’t resist adding, “You and Wen Yan seemed to be enjoying yourselves just fine.”

“Heh, so you were jealous,” Lu Wei said, looking as if she had seen right through her.

Chen Yushu gritted her teeth, grabbed the bag beside her, and swung it at Lu Wei.

“Taking your jealousy out on me?” Lu Wei dodged, adopting a knowing tone. “Were you hiding somewhere feeling sorry for yourself earlier?”

“Lu Wei, shut up!” Chen Yushu grabbed her by the collar, her face quickly turning red with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Lu Wei remained unfazed and continued, “Not only that, I bet you were cursing me in your head the whole time, weren’t you?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Wuwuwu, Lu Wei is such a liar.” Lu Wei mimicked her tone, “Everything she said was fake, wuwuwu, this damn liar. I shouldn’t have believed her.”

“I didn’t!”

“As soon as someone else showed up, she ran off with them, completely ignoring me.”

“Lu Wei, aren’t you annoying! Shut up!”

“If I’d known she’d be here too, I wouldn’t have come.”

Chen Yushu, driven to desperation, spoke without thinking, her voice growing softer until she could no longer bear the irritation and angrily covered her ears.

Lu Wei leaned in close to her ear and laughed, “Alright, put your hands down. I won’t expose you anymore.”

“Get lost!” Chen Yushu pressed her hands even tighter over her ears and turned her back to Lu Wei.