How I Accidentally Bent My Best Friend - Chapter 50.1

An inexplicable atmosphere began to spread across the dining table.

Lu Wei strongly suspected that Wang Zhizhi must have figured something out. The way she was asking now was most likely intentional. Her breath hitched, her gaze grew evasive, and she suddenly found it difficult to look Chen Yushu in the eye.

“Not yet, Auntie,” Chen Yushu spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. “Freshman year is quite busy with classes, so there’s no time for that.”

Lu Wei quickly chimed in, “That’s right.”

“You two, really. I was just casually asking, no need to be so nervous.” Wang Zhizhi took a sip of soup and said nonchalantly, “Besides, when it comes to dating, you should do it if you want to, and not if you don’t. The same goes for marriage later on. There’s no need to strictly follow conventions, what you think is what matters most.”

Lu Wei hadn’t expected Wang Zhizhi to say something like that. Surprised, she glanced at her, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. This was exactly how she felt if Chen Yushu didn’t date or get married, they could stay together forever.

Her mother was truly wise!

Tsk. Wang Zhizhi observed Lu Wei’s expression and could easily guess what was going through her mind. She sighed inwardly. Some things just can’t be forced it’s up to her own fate.

Chen Yushu listened thoughtfully, shaking her head slightly to herself. “Mm, Auntie, I understand.”

“I understand too,” Lu Wei said, grinning widely, her eyes sparkling with delight.

After the meal, Wang Zhizhi signed the book, and Lu Wei, holding the picture book, walked Chen Yushu to the car to see her off, waving goodbye.

“When is Auntie leaving Yuncheng?” Chen Yushu asked.

“In a couple of days,” Lu Wei replied.

“Should we see her off then?”

“No need!” Lu Wei shook her head vigorously. Just the sight of Wang Zhizhi made her nervous, why would she willingly get closer? “We don’t have time, so let’s not bother. We’ll see her during the holidays anyway.”

“Oh, alright then.”

Lu Wei breathed a sigh of relief and nudged Chen Yushu with her elbow, trying to sound casual. “Why did you suddenly decide to wear makeup today?”

“Jiang Jiang did it for me,” Chen Yushu bit her lip, slightly embarrassed. “She said it looks nice.”

As expected. Hmph, “Jiang Jiang” calling her so affectionately. Lu Wei pouted and snorted, “Why did she put makeup on you?”

“Why not?” Chen Yushu blinked in confusion. “She just felt like it.”

“That’s it?” Lu Wei grabbed her arm, astonished.

Chen Yushu nodded slowly. “Mm.”

Lu Wei’s heart sank. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she released Chen Yushu’s hand, puffing her cheeks in anger and muttering under her breath, “And here I thought Hmph, I knew it.”

“What are you mumbling about?”

Too upset to hold back, Lu Wei turned her head away, lips pursed high, making sure Chen Yushu could tell she was angry.

“What’s wrong with you?” Chen Yushu tugged at her sleeve. “Did the makeup upset you?”

Lu Wei dodged indignantly and grumbled, “You never wear makeup when you go out with me, but with her You’re biased! Treating us differently!”

Chen Yushu rolled her eyes in exasperation, then gave her a once-over. “Why are you so petty?”

“Me? You’re saying I’m petty?” Lu Wei pointed at herself, nearly choking on her breath. Just as she was about to argue, Chen Yushu’s little notebook flashed in her mind. Instantly, her anger deflated. She wanted to lash out but didn’t dare, so she could only bite her lip in frustration and weakly say, “Well, it’s not like I really care that much.”

“Huh?” Chen Yushu looked at her suspiciously. “Really?”

“Seriously!” Lu Wei forced a fake smile and nodded emphatically. “It’s nothing, just a small thing. I don’t mind at all.”

Chen Yushu let out a faint “Oh” and then asked, “By the way, what were you about to say earlier?”

“I thought you dressed up to meet my mom,” Lu Wei muttered with a light huff, unable to voice her anger. She shot Chen Yushu a resentful look, secretly venting her frustration.

“Why would I need to dress up specially to meet your mom?” Chen Yushu asked, puzzled. “It’s not like I’m an ugly daughter-in-law meeting the in-laws.”

In this sensitive period, Lu Wei couldn’t stand hearing such remarks. She immediately stammered, “Th-That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you say?” Chen Yushu leaned in, tilting her head to scrutinize the expression on Lu Wei’s face. “I feel like you.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s go quickly, my arms are about to break,” Lu Wei hurriedly interrupted, wailing dramatically.

“Give them to me. I’ll help you carry some.”

Lu Wei shook her head and pushed her forward. “No need, we’re almost there. Let’s go.”

As soon as they returned to the dorm, Song Xin and An Nan rushed over, exclaiming as they took the sketchbooks from her hands. “Did you get them signed? Did you get them signed?”

Lu Wei hummed in affirmation. “They’re all signed. Find yours yourselves.”

“OK, Wei, I love you! Mwah!”

“Ugh, stop being gross.” Lu Wei turned away in disgust, then sent messages for others to come to her dorm to pick up their books. After putting down her phone, she sharpened a pencil, took out her sketchbook, and began doodling casually.

Soon, people started knocking on the door one after another. After collecting their sketchbooks, they all thanked her.

Lu Wei kept her head down, drawing, occasionally looking up to respond. Gradually, she grew more and more irritable.

Not long after, a few girls knocked on the door, thanked Lu Wei, and began searching for their sketchbooks while whispering among themselves.

“Ahhh, I really can’t believe it’s not a dream! I’m definitely going to show off on my Moments later!”

“Do you think Wang Zhizhi came to our school to give a lecture because Lu Wei is here?”

“Most likely.”

Snap!

The pencil broke on the paper, leaving a deep scratch. Lu Wei froze, staring at the paper for a long time. Suddenly, she gripped the pencil tightly, scribbled all over the page, tore it out, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can.

Most of the girls had collected their sketchbooks, and the dorm grew much quieter, but Lu Wei still couldn’t calm down.

Just then, her phone chimed repeatedly with notification alerts. Lu Wei quickly cleared them, but Wang Zhizhi’s name flashed by briefly.

“Song Xin, look, you’re in this photo! Hey, why isn’t Lu Wei.”

Hearing her name, Lu Wei couldn’t help but ask, “What are you calling me for?”

“We’re looking at the photos from today’s lecture,” An Nan said, walking over with her phone and handing it to Lu Wei. “Lots of media outlets are reporting on this. We’re benefiting from you we even made the news.”

Lu Wei swiped through the screen a couple of times and frowned. “She is who she is, and I am who I am. What does that have to do with anything?”

“If it weren’t for you, how would Wang Zhizhi come to our school to give a lecture?”

Lu Wei: “Come on, is Yun University that bad?”

An Nan pondered for a moment and nodded. “Compared to the other two art academies, they’re definitely stronger. By the way, how did you get into Yun University?”

“How else?” Lu Wei said helplessly. “Of course, through the regular process, step by step, scoring point by point.”

“Ah, that’s not what I meant,” An Nan replied. “I just feel that, as Wang Zhizhi’s daughter, you definitely have the ability.”

“Alright,” Lu Wei interrupted, handing her phone back. “Have you finished your assignment? It’s due in a couple of days.”

“Not yet, I’ll just pull an all-nighter to finish it.”

Lu Wei: “Well, I’m going to start working on mine. Get lost, don’t bother me.”

“Have you been possessed lately? So diligent?”

After sending An Nan away, notifications about Wang Zhizhi kept popping up shortly after. Many people also sent her private messages on Weibo asking about it. Out of sight, out of mind Lu Wei simply turned off her phone.

Little did she know, An Nan and Song Xin had gathered and were still eagerly discussing the matter.

Feeling restless and annoyed, Lu Wei simply got up and left the dorm.

“Shushu, do you know where Lu Wei went?”

Chen Yushu had just returned to the dorm after showering when Jiang Yuran asked this. Puzzled, she replied, “What’s wrong? Shouldn’t Lu Wei be in the dorm at this hour?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Yuran nodded. “Senior Jiang just messaged me saying Lu Wei hasn’t returned to her dorm yet, so she asked if she was with us.”

Hearing this, Chen Yushu immediately grabbed her phone and called Lu Wei. The call went through, but no one answered.

“Lu Wei left her phone in the dorm,” Jiang Yuran said.

Chen Yushu hummed in acknowledgment. “Does anyone know how long she’s been gone?”

“About two hours or so.”

“Oh.” Chen Yushu anxiously bit her knuckle, thinking about where Lu Wei might have gone.

“By the way,” Jiang Yuran added, “Lu Wei seemed to be drawing in the dorm earlier, then left not long after. Maybe she’s in the art studio.”

Hearing this, Chen Yushu breathed a slight sigh of relief. She checked the time there were only five minutes left before the dormitory gates closed. Still worried, she decided to go out and look for her.

“It’s almost curfew, there’s no time,” Jiang Yuran said, quickly grabbing her arm.

“It’s fine. Once I find her, we can just stay at a hotel for the night if we have to.”

“But we have class early tomorrow morning.”

“Right,” Ye Chiwan chimed in. “Even though it’s an easy class, that little old lady takes attendance every session. You’re the class monitor there’s no way you can skip it.”

“I won’t skip. I’ll just wake up early and rush over,” Chen Yushu said as she changed her shoes. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Jiang Yuran didn’t try to stop her further. “Then be careful, and call us if anything happens.”

Chen Yushu agreed and dashed out just before the dorm supervisor locked the gates.

The campus at night was eerily quiet, with only the buzzing of mosquitoes and chirping of insects. Chen Yushu used her phone’s flashlight to light the way, alternating between walking and running toward the art studio.

The main gate of the teaching building was still open. The entire building stood dark and imposing. Nervously licking her lips, Chen Yushu stepped on the motion-sensor lights and mustered the courage to climb to the third floor in one go.

The long corridor echoed only with the sound of her footsteps. As she passed by the restroom, the drip-drip of water falling into the sink was drawn-out and sticky, sending a shiver down Chen Yushu’s spine. She couldn’t help but rub her arms and quickened her pace toward the art studio.

A faint glimmer of light seeped through the window, and Chen Yushu’s heart lifted with relief. Pushing the door open just a crack, she called out softly, “Lu Wei, are you in there?”

“Who is it?”

The voice was unmistakably Lu Wei’s. Chen Yushu hurriedly pushed the door open. “It’s me.”

“Shu Shu.” Lu Wei stood up and turned on the light, looking at her in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Of course, I came to find you. It’s so late, and you haven’t returned to the dorm. You didn’t even bring your phone.” Chen Yushu walked over and noticed the floor littered with crumpled paper balls. Combined with what had happened during the day, she could vaguely guess the reason.

“Oh, I forgot.” Lu Wei lowered her head, wiping the pencil dust from the side of her palm. “What time is it now?”

“10:42.”

Lu Wei hummed in acknowledgment, then suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “Is the dormitory gate closed?”

Chen Yushu nodded. “So, we need to hurry. If the teaching building locks up, we’ll have to spend the night in the art studio.”

Lu Wei opened her mouth as if to say something, perhaps that she had originally planned to stay in the studio overnight, but she swallowed her words and said to Chen Yushu, “Alright, let’s go. I’ll walk you back to the dorm and beg the auntie to open the door for us.”

“Let’s not trouble the auntie. We can find a hotel outside instead.”

“Sure.”