I Helped My Best Friend with Her Romance—and Fell for the Enemy’s Strategist - Chapter 24

Lin Ruocheng never expected that Fu Yanxi was also a lesbian.

No wonder she had never appeared on any confession walls or similar platforms.

Even if her name had shown up there, she probably used her privileges to have them all removed, right?

But to secretly admire someone for years without ever speaking up, what a little love-struck fool.

Is this the consequence of a lesbian falling for a straight girl?

They say every lesbian has a straight girl as their white moonlight, but Fu Yanxi didn’t.

She didn’t even have an ideal type.

If she liked someone, she would take the initiative to pursue them.

The problem was, she hadn’t yet encountered someone she truly liked, so she could only take it slow. After all, she wasn’t in a hurry.

“It’s fine, having a crush is just having a crush.”

“Since it’s a secret crush, the other person probably doesn’t like you back, right?”

Before Fu Yanxi could respond, Lin Ruocheng immediately apologized, feeling a pang of sympathy.

With Fu Yanxi’s impressive track record, the person she liked must be even more outstanding, right?

But even so, her crush still didn’t like her back.

What a puzzling situation.

Fu Yanxi seemed pretty great, both in appearance and character.

Maybe she just came across as a bit boring.

“Sorry, don’t take it to heart. I’m just used to being blunt.”

Fu Yanxi adjusted her glasses, her eyes growing noticeably gloomier.

Yes, that person didn’t like her.

She had even deliberately lowered her exam scores to get into this university, all just to be in the same school as that person.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. I’m used to it by now.”

Lin Ruocheng smiled apologetically, feeling genuinely sorry for her quick tongue for the first time.

Especially since Fu Yanxi’s tone sounded like that of a homeless stray puppy, indescribably pitiful.

To ease the awkwardness, Lin Ruocheng shifted her gaze to Song Wanqing, who was walking not far away.

At some point, Song Wanqing had let go of Yu Qiuli’s hand.

“Do you think Lin Ruocheng’s idea of a simulated relationship will ever turn into something real?” Yu Qiuli asked, still concerned about Fu Yanxi.

As Fu Yanxi’s childhood friend, she knew that Fu Yanxi had very few people to talk to and rarely spoke much.

She had only uncovered Fu Yanxi’s secret crush through observation.

Back in high school, Fu Yanxi had often paid attention to a girl named Lin Ruocheng from a neighboring school. Her notebooks were filled with sketches of oranges, drawn with striking likeness. Yu Qiuli had also found out that Lin Ruocheng and Fu Yanxi were polar opposites in personality, not to mention their vastly different family backgrounds.

She worried that Fu Yanxi’s hopes would be dashed.

If that were the case, it would be better if they had never been together at all.

Not even in a simulated relationship.

“Maybe, I’m not sure. After all, we can only provide them with a platform to meet. The rest is up to them. We can only play a supporting role, nothing more. Meeting someone is hard enough, let alone falling in love.”

Yu Qiuli sighed.

Yes, that was true.

But who wouldn’t hope for things to get better in the future?

For now, it seemed she and Song Wanqing could only play their roles as human intermediaries, hoping to speed up the development of feelings between those two.

Although Lin Ruocheng talked about love, she had never actually been in a relationship.

She was all talk and no action, a classic case of empty promises.

These couples were simply brought together by empty talk, nothing more.

Sometimes, when I couldn’t act or speak certain things myself, I’d just mentally manipulate these people to say them instead.

And coincidentally, it worked.

Sometimes, having only theoretical knowledge without actually dating makes it hard to know how a relationship should really work.

You can’t just have explicit scenes anytime, anywhere, right?

If that were the case, I might easily get caught up in it myself.

Although it wouldn’t be much of a loss, it still wouldn’t do.

…

Lin Ruocheng felt inexplicably awkward, her hand clutching the lily nervously.

Even though it wasn’t the first time she had received flowers, being with Fu Yanxi made her inexplicably tense.

“Do you have time tomorrow evening?”

“Yes.”

“Teach me how to dance.”

“Okay.”

Fu Yanxi took out her phone and marked the next day’s calendar with a star.

She cleared her evening schedule.

She informed her company assistant to cancel her prearranged plans for tomorrow, as she had something to attend to.

Song Wanqing walked back, followed by Yu Qiuli.

Both of them noticed the delicate lily in Lin Ruocheng’s hand, which seemed to emit a faint fragrance.

What was this?

Who gave it to whom?

It must have been Fu Yanxi who gave it to Lin Ruocheng.

“See? When you’re in a relationship, you should give flowers. You two haven’t given each other flowers, have you?”

Knowing that the two of them liked each other made it even easier.

If they liked each other, the only thing left was to start dating.

“Not yet.”

Yeah, right. From the moment they confirmed their relationship, they had already given each other flowers and everything. Pretending to be clueless was just to give these two “strategists” a chance to meet and get to know each other.

Given Fu Yanxi’s personality, she would never make the first move, and Lin Ruocheng didn’t even remember her existence.

So, the task of bringing the two together fell on their shoulders. If they liked each other, why not give it a try? What if it worked out? What if they could win over the one they loved?

Only by taking the initiative could a story unfold, right?

“You’re in a relationship and haven’t even given each other flowers? Look, even our simulated relationship involves receiving flowers. You two are falling short here. Isn’t it said that a relationship starts with a bouquet? You should learn from this. Even Fu Yanxi knows more about dating than you two. You still have a lot to learn.”

The two of them nodded.

Lin Ruocheng reached out her hand, and without a second thought, Fu Yanxi placed her hand on top.

“Watch and learn, you two. In a relationship, you should be closer to each other. The distance between you two could fit two of me. Get closer, like linking arms or something, to show more intimacy. With the distance you keep, people might think you’re fighting.”

Lin Ruocheng leaned against Fu Yanxi like a delicate bird.

She could hear the other’s heartbeat racing.

It seemed to be getting faster and faster.

Her body was also a bit stiff. Thinking about it, it made sense, after all, Fu Yanxi had a crush on someone. Such a sudden closeness from her probably wasn’t appropriate.

So, she straightened up.

“What about holding hands? Is that okay?”

Lin Ruocheng reached out her hand.

Fu Yanxi glanced at it and then placed her hand on top.

Like a cautious kitten, but not overly so.

Easy to lure away.

Even in the heat of summer, her hands were still cold.

Almost like blocks of ice.

“Baby, why are your hands so cold?”

It seemed Fu Yanxi still had a bit of poor circulation, but her mind was preoccupied with the way Lin Ruocheng had just addressed her.

Did she just call me baby?