I Helped My Best Friend with Her Romance—and Fell for the Enemy’s Strategist - Chapter 54

The so-called seafood feast was essentially just boiled seafood with a few dipping sauces.

It only highlighted the natural flavors of the ingredients, particularly the tender parts.

However, all the seafood served was farm-raised, though guests on the island could also choose to catch their own, but that activity was only available during the day, not at night.

Lin Shuyi had been most looking forward to that particular activity.

She found a table for six and sat alone by herself.

Watching the four people in front of her being all lovey-dovey didn’t make her envious at all… really.

She truly wasn’t jealous; this was definitely not a case of saying one thing and meaning another.

What’s the point of having a partner? Once you have one, you end up with less food to eat.

Yeah, that’s right.

She lowered her head to play on her phone and scroll through videos.

As long as she didn’t look, it was fine.

Besides, what was so great about it anyway? It was all just the stench of love!

Having been single for twenty years, what difference would a few more years make?

Seriously!

Since kindergarten, Lin Ruocheng had always had lots of little boys wanting to play with her.

But she had turned them all away.

Lin Shuyi had been her most loyal protector, shelling shrimp, pulling out chairs, fetching napkins, all tasks she had taken care of herself.

Now, seeing all her duties taken over by Fu Yanxi made her a little uncomfortable.

Oh well, from now on, she could eat all the shrimp herself, every last bit of it.

She could eat however she wanted!

To be honest, she was starting to regret it a little.

Why did there have to be a sister-in-law?

Couldn’t the two of them just wait a few more years before getting into a relationship?

Fu Yanxi noticed her mood.

In order to infiltrate the “enemy camp,” he had made sure to learn all of Lin Shuyi’s preferences.

“Do you like this? The first-generation LABUBU with brown freckles. I’m not even sure how much it costs now, but I bought one for you. It should arrive in a couple of days, just make sure to sign for it. I had it shipped to your school. I have a friend who’s a partner with the company, so it was easy to get.”

Fu Yanxi pulled up the purchase record on her phone.

She knew Lin Shuyi liked these little collectibles, so she had casually bought one for her.

It wasn’t too expensive anyway.

Just over 600,000 and it seemed like it might even appreciate in value.

So why not buy it for her to enjoy?

After all, now that she was with her sister, she needed to avoid any potential conflicts.

Naturally, she had to offer the younger sister some benefits too.

Lin Shuyi instantly perked up. She knew how hard it was to get that brown-freckled LABUBU!

And it was really expensive, her allowance was nowhere near enough.

But now, her sister-in-law had bought it for her!

Her sister-in-law was the best! She decided then and there that even if Lin Ruocheng broke up with her, she would personally tie her sister up and throw her onto their bed.

Lin Ruocheng: “…”

Typical forgetting your own sister for money!

Was there no humanity left?

Who’s your real sister here?!

“What thing? LABUBU? That one’s super expensive! Fu Yanxi, I know your family is rich, but you can’t just spend money like that! Besides, aren’t you a Taurus? Shouldn’t Tauruses be more into saving money? And why are you buying her such an expensive gift?”

Lin Ruocheng had also seen the payment record.

It showed a completed payment of 620,000.

What was going on in this girl’s head? Shouldn’t Tauruses be super possessive, incredibly naughty-minded, highly career-driven, and money-loving? How did Fu Yanxi turn into a money-scattering saint instead?

“It’s fine, this… isn’t expensive.”

For Fu Yanxi, this item truly wasn’t expensive. The Fu Corporation’s daily net profit alone amounted to a small fortune. Compared to that, this amount of money was negligible, just buying a toy, really. If she liked it, then it was worth it.

“Thank you, sister-in-law. I really like it, but of course, I can’t take the money. I’ll have my sister pay you back.”

Lin Shuyi immediately turned to her own sister, putting on an exaggerated act of helplessness.

“Sis, could you pay sister-in-law back? I don’t have the money, I’m broke.”

What could Lin Ruocheng do? The Lin family had gradually begun letting her take over some responsibilities. Although they still lagged behind the Fu family, their financial strength was almost on par. A little over 600,000 yuan wasn’t a huge sum, but it still stung a bit.

“Alright, consider this a debt you owe me.”

Instead of returning the money directly to Fu Yanxi, Lin Ruocheng exchanged it for a ladies’ watch of roughly the same value. Discussing money, especially repayment, with one’s girlfriend could strain the relationship. It was better to turn the money into a gift, a much smoother approach.

For families like the Lins and the Fus, such an amount was trivial, like an itch barely worth scratching.

Fu Yanxi didn’t really care whether Lin Ruocheng returned the money or not. Spending on his girlfriend’s younger sister felt only natural.

Lin Ruocheng picked up a piece of abalone and ate it, deliberately letting some sauce linger at the corner of her mouth.

Fu Yanxi noticed immediately. She grabbed a few tissues and gently wiped her lips, attentive and meticulous, a woman of action. With just one glance, she understood what she wanted. If there was no opportunity, she’d create one, bridging the distance between them.

Lin Ruocheng glanced at the two “NPC” ladies nearby.

Yu Qiuli caught on. She also picked up a piece of abalone, ate it, and “accidentally” left a smear of sauce at the corner of her mouth.

Song Wanqing looked over and understood instantly. She had observed the two “strategists” earlier. The move was simple enough to mimic.

The two NPCs followed suit, doing a decent job. For a moment, it felt like they were finally teachable.

Still, some dating tactics just didn’t suit NPCs.

“I did that on purpose earlier. In a relationship, if there’s no chance, you create one, find ways to get close. Your mission, before the October holiday ends, is to manage a kiss. Sometimes, you two don’t need to be such robots.”

Logically, earth signs were supposed to be the robotic ones, but Fu Yanxi didn’t seem like a typical earth sign at all. Nor did she fit the stereotype of a true Taurus.

Lin Ruocheng’s lips were slightly swollen and tender. Upon closer inspection, one could even make out a couple of faint tooth marks, left by Fu Yanxi’s kisses earlier.

Fu Yanxi glanced over, then feigned calm as she took a sip of water.

Hmm, she was the one who’d done that. She’d lost control a little.

Once they started kissing, she just couldn’t hold back.

But at least she managed to rein herself in eventually.

Wasn’t dating all about the subtle tension, the unspoken intimacy?

The little Cancer turned her head to look.

The little Taurus was pretending to be proper again.

In truth, Lin Ruocheng had already sensed that a certain little Taurus had a rather… passionate side.

Especially since it was the little Taurus who had initiated that daring, lingering kiss.

Because when we kissed just now, I deliberately took a small step back.

That little Taurus didn’t notice at all, leaning slightly forward and taking a small step, unwilling to pull away.

It really seemed like they had been secretly in love with me for years.