I Love Her Because She’s Dim-Witted And Filthy Rich - Chapter 37.2

Duan Bainian smiled and returned the greeting, while Su Miao also turned around and greeted Baron with great enthusiasm.

Baron clicked his tongue. “Who would have thought that you, Little Cutie, would have such an enthusiastic day with me?”

Su Miao found it extremely annoying when Baron called her “Little Cutie.” When they first met, this man had called her that while chatting and laughing with Duan Bainian. She still remembered that scene vividly.

However, she needed a favor now, and their identities had long since changed; he was no longer that annoying rival. Thus, Su Miao deliberately ignored the teasing in Baron’s tone and changed the subject with a grin. “You’re looking particularly handsome today.”

Baron winked. “Of course. I have to be a good actor today and give Duan Bainian some face. How could I not dress up?”

When they arrived at Su Miao’s home, He Aizhi had already prepared a feast, and the maid brought out a full table of food.

He Aizhi invited everyone to eat, and the three of them took their seats, each with their own hidden thoughts.

At the round table, Duan Bainian sat opposite He Aizhi. Baron sat beside her.

Su Miao looked around and chose to sit next to her mother.

He Aizhi sized Baron up secretly and said with a smile, “I had heard that a genius screenwriter named Baron had emerged recently. Seeing you in person, I realize you’re not only talented but also very handsome. Truly, you and Bainian look like a ‘Golden Boy and Jade Girl’ couple.”

Baron replied humbly, “It’s just that the seniors aren’t competing with a junior like me; otherwise, it wouldn’t be my turn to stand out… Auntie, this is our first time meeting. Let me toast you!”

He Aizhi took a sip of wine. “I heard you and Bainian were college classmates?”

Baron smiled. “Sort of. Same department, different classes.”

He Aizhi asked curiously, “You’ve known each other for so long, why did you only just become a couple?”

A flash of bashfulness crossed Baron’s face. “Bainian started working in her freshman year. She was entirely immersed in her work; how could she have time for campus boys like us? This time, seeing each other again two years after graduation, we’ve experienced more and found we get along well. That’s how we ended up together.”

Duan Bainian listened in a daze. If she weren’t one of the involved parties, she would have believed Baron was telling the truth.

She sipped her fruit drink cup after cup, quietly listening to Baron spin tall tales in front of He Aizhi. Occasionally, she glanced at Su Miao, who was obediently playing the role of a “best friend,” never stepping out of line.

He Aizhi was very satisfied with Baron. She glanced at Su Miao. “Baron, since you are so excellent, your friends shouldn’t be bad either. If you have any suitable single friends, introduce them to my daughter.”

Su Miao was startled. She instinctively looked at Duan Bainian and said hurriedly, “Mom, I’m only 19! Why do I need a boyfriend? Just a few years ago you were worried about me dating in high school. How did you suddenly get so anxious?”

Baron chimed in, “Exactly. Your daughter is still young; there’s really no rush. Besides, she’s so outstanding that if she really wanted a boyfriend, would she need me to introduce one? I bet they’re lined up in droves!”

Even if it was flattery, He Aizhi enjoyed it. She liked Baron more and more.

She gestured for Baron to eat and said, “Dating too early was definitely not okay, but she’s at the perfect age now. She can spend half a year getting to know someone, then date for two years—she’ll be 22. Another year to get engaged, another to marry—she’ll be 24. A girl’s youth only lasts a few years; she needs to seize the time. I think you are very reliable, so your friends must be good too. Just keep an eye out for me.”

Su Miao was fuming, but she didn’t dare argue. She could only hope the meal would end quickly.

Seeing that He Aizhi wasn’t joking, Baron could only politely agree. “Alright. I’ll look around, and if there’s someone suitable, I’ll let you know.”

He agreed just to agree. They wouldn’t meet again anyway; people would surely forget as time went on.

At 8:00 PM, Baron and Duan Bainian stood up to leave.

Seeing them go, Su Miao wanted to follow, but He Aizhi stopped her. “When she didn’t have a boyfriend, it was fine for you to follow her every day. But now that she has one, what does it look like if you keep tagging along?”

Su Miao was desperate to talk to Duan Bainian. She had a gut feeling that Duan Bainian was angry again. If they didn’t clear things up soon, there would be more trouble.

She scrambled for an excuse. “I left something at Duan Bainian’s apartment. I’m going to go get it.”

He Aizhi didn’t understand. “What is so urgent that you have to go now? Can’t you go tomorrow during the day?”

Su Miao couldn’t explain clearly, so she stopped trying. Ignoring her mother’s protests, she rushed out and climbed into the back seat of the car just before Duan Bainian drove off.

Surprised that Su Miao had followed them out, Duan Bainian’s tone was cold. “What are you doing out here?”

Su Miao looked awkwardly at Baron in the passenger seat. “I’m going back to the apartment with you.”

Duan Bainian wanted to say something, but out of consideration for Baron, she kept her mouth shut.

Baron noticed the tension and immediately acted like a bystander. “You two say whatever you need to say. Just pretend I’m invisible.”

How was she supposed to treat such a large living person as air?

Duan Bainian started the car, maneuvering through several turns to exit the villa area.

After dropping Baron at his home, they returned to the apartment. It was already 10:00 PM.

Door open, lights on, slippers changed. Duan Bainian sat on the sofa, her face expressionless.

Su Miao asked guiltily, “Are you unhappy?”

Duan Bainian didn’t answer.

Unhappy?

Of course she was unhappy. But more than that, she felt a sense of bewilderment regarding the future. This made her start to wonder if she had been right to force Su Miao into a relationship with her in the first place.

Were their days to be spent in hiding forever?

She was, after all, an ordinary person. She could be happy upon confirming Su Miao’s feelings, but she was also human enough to feel disappointment at Su Miao’s cowardice.

But it wasn’t as if Su Miao had only just become cowardly. She had known this since the day she met her.

So why had her desire to be in a relationship with Su Miao been so urgent back then?

Perhaps… they shouldn’t have started at all.

Startled by this thought, Duan Bainian’s heart jumped. She stood up irritably, intending to pour a glass of water to soothe her emotions.

After returning with the water, Duan Bainian sipped it absentmindedly, saying nothing.

Ergou circled between them, meowing.

Realizing the cat was begging for treats, Duan Bainian stood up again and opened a venison can for him.

Sitting back on the sofa, Duan Bainian bit her lip and spoke. “Have you thought about coming clean to your mom?”

Su Miao picked at the sofa one stroke at a time, her eyes darting around. “Aren’t we just waiting for the right time?”

Duan Bainian let out a cold laugh. “I’m afraid you’ll never find the ‘right time’ in this lifetime.”

Exposed, Su Miao’s spirit instantly deflated.

She was right. She probably would never find a suitable time.

She truly did intend to hide it for a lifetime. She knew it would be hard to keep a secret, but what else could she do besides hide it?

Su Miao stood up gloomily and muttered, “I… I’m going to sleep.”

Duan Bainian felt utterly discouraged.

Even though she was so angry her heart ached, she had tried to communicate calmly to see how they could solve the problem. She wasn’t trying to force Su Miao to confess to He Aizhi immediately; she just wanted a real conversation.

But she had forgotten that “calm communication” only worked with adults.

Su Miao was essentially a child—a child who didn’t understand responsibility and only knew how to avoid problems. What could be achieved through communication?

Like now—while she was still trying to solve the issue, Su Miao had already made an excuse to leave.

She could almost foresee that for every future disagreement, Su Miao would likely choose escape as her solution.

Watching Su Miao pass in front of her, Duan Bainian reached out and grabbed her. “How about… let’s break up.”

Su Miao looked at her in shock. “Break up?”

She didn’t understand. She was the one struggling every day, yet she had never thought of breaking up. How could Duan Bainian say those words so easily?

Unable to believe it, she couldn’t help but confirm. “You’re saying we should break up?”

Duan Bainian’s face was wooden, showing no emotion. “Yes. Let’s break up.”

Su Miao thought for a long time and asked, “If we break up, will we still be best friends?”

Break up and still be friends? What kind of bizarre logic is in this idiot’s brain?

Duan Bainian was so angry she didn’t even want to speak.

Su Miao waited for a long time without an answer, so she smiled sheepishly and asked again, “Can we still be friends?” If they could still be friends, then breaking up might be okay.

Duan Bainian said mockingly, “So if we can be friends, you’ve decided to break up?”

Su Miao couldn’t help but explain in a low voice, “Actually, I thought from the start that we shouldn’t be dating. After all, there are too many problems for two girls to date. So if we can go back to being friends, I think that would be good.”

Going back to being friends meant she wouldn’t have to be separated from Duan Bainian, and she wouldn’t make her mom angry. How great would that be?

Duan Bainian laughed. “You thought it was inappropriate yet you still dated me? These past few months must have been very difficult for you then. Fine. Go home. I won’t cause you any more trouble in the future.”

Su Miao panicked. “Why should I go home? Didn’t you say we’d still be friends after breaking up?”

Duan Bainian was actually amused by the anger. “When did I ever say we could still be friends after breaking up?”

Su Miao froze. “Didn’t you just say that?”

Duan Bainian: “…”

Su Miao realized she had imagined it. She was both embarrassed and anxious. “I don’t care if you said it or not! Anyway, I’m not going home!”

Duan Bainian replied, “We’ve broken up. Why are you still lingering here?”

Su Miao stared at Duan Bainian huffily and shouted, “Who said we broke up? I didn’t agree!”

Duan Bainian didn’t feel like arguing with her. She knew Su Miao too well; if they started bickering, Su Miao would definitely be crying hysterically within two sentences.

If that happened, the neighbors might report her for kidnapping.

She walked straight to the door and opened it. “Hurry up. I’m taking you home.”

Tears welled in Su Miao’s eyes. “You’re always like this. As soon as you’re angry, you want to kick me out.”

Duan Bainian’s chest felt tight, and her tone became impatient. “Are you going or not?”

Su Miao turned her head away. “I’m not going.”

Duan Bainian went back inside and walked toward Su Miao without a word.

Su Miao was stunned. Realizing something, she grabbed the bookshelf beside her. “You’re trying to drag me again!”

Duan Bainian looked indifferent. “Then get out yourself.”

Su Miao’s face turned red with anger. “I won’t leave. Even if you drag me out, I’ll stay at your doorstep. Wherever you go, I’ll follow!”

After a moment of silence, Duan Bainian turned around. “If you won’t leave, I will.”

Watching Duan Bainian’s figure disappear out the door, Su Miao was dumbfounded. How could Duan Bainian just leave? It’s the middle of the night—where can she go? What if she encounters danger?

In her panic, Su Miao forgot to be sad. She chased after her to the elevator, only to see that it had already reached the first floor.

Desperate, she pressed the button for the other elevator. After finally making it downstairs, she couldn’t find Duan Bainian anywhere.

She broke into a jog to look for her. After running for a short distance, she finally spotted Duan Bainian’s back through the gaps in some shrubs.

This cluster of greenery was the corner of a park. Normally, Su Miao would be a law-abiding citizen and walk around it, but right now she was so anxious she feared Duan Bainian would disappear again if she took the long way. So, she climbed over the fence, intending to cut through the bushes.

To her surprise, she startled a dog.

People and animals weren’t allowed in this particular green space. How could Su Miao have known there was a dog inside?

The dog was naturally startled by someone entering. It barked in panic and then bit Su Miao’s calf.

Su Miao cried out in pain and collapsed onto the ground.

The sound of the barking dog and Su Miao’s cry of pain were particularly sharp in the quiet, empty night. They reached Duan Bainian’s ears perfectly.

Duan Bainian followed the sound and found Su Miao sitting disheveled among the shrubs. She frowned. “You got bitten?”

It was fine until she spoke, but once she did, Su Miao couldn’t help but start crying. “It hurts so much, Duan Bainian.”

Duan Bainian climbed into the bushes and used the faint light from the streetlamp to check Su Miao’s calf. It seemed to have been a small dog; it wasn’t a horrific wound like she had imagined, but there were several small holes the size of mung beans. Blood trailed from her calf to her heel, leaving small dots on the grass.

Duan Bainian didn’t know whether to be angry or heartbroken. She looked at the sobbing Su Miao. “Can you get up? Go wait by the road. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Su Miao sniffled and scrambled to her feet, limping toward the exit.

Duan Bainian stood still for a moment, then went to support Su Miao, helping her step over the fence. “Wait here for a few minutes. Don’t wander off. I’ll go get the car.”

Su Miao gave an obedient reply.

Ten minutes later, Duan Bainian picked up Su Miao and sped toward the nearest disease control center.

By now, Su Miao was starting to realize the gravity of the situation. “Do… do I need a rabies shot?”

Duan Bainian said flatly, “If you don’t get the shot, are you going to wait for the disease to set in?”

Thinking of something, Su Miao suddenly burst into loud wailing.

Duan Bainian felt a massive headache coming on. When is this person ever going to fix her habit of crying at the drop of a hat?

She said impatiently, “What are you crying for? Aren’t we already on the way to the hospital?”

Su Miao spoke between sobs, “I’ve seen news before where people still got sick even after getting the vaccine. Will I get sick too? I heard the death rate for rabies is 100%… I don’t want to die, waaaah. I heard Frozen 2 is coming out next year. If I die, I won’t get to see it, waaaah…”

Duan Bainian wished she could slap Su Miao.

What kind of bizarre logic does this idiot have? Her fear of death is because she won’t see Frozen?

She slammed on the brakes in frustration. “We’re at the hospital. Get out.”