My Idol Turns Out To Be My Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 27

Qiao Lian got up to use the bathroom and saw Lin Sanyuan rummaging through the medicine cabinet. Sanyuan popped a pill out from the hidden upper compartment of a box and poured herself a glass of cold water.

She saw Qiao Lian, but she didn’t have much desire to speak. She was afraid that if her mind became too stimulated, she really wouldn’t be able to sleep at all tonight.

Perhaps because Sanyuan’s visit to meet the parents had gone so well, He Ye hadn’t caused any more trouble. Sanyuan’s life returned to its usual, stagnant routine. Qiao Lian was also very well-behaved living at her place, looking every bit the part of someone genuinely dedicated to her studies.

Lin Sanyuan’s company had passed its off-season, and she now had to go into the office to clock in for regular work.

Ever since returning from He Ye’s sister’s house, it truly felt like a dream. Tang Hengzhi hadn’t sent any more messages, nor had she updated her videos or started a live stream on Weibo. It made sense, after all, she was an artist. Drawing manga was just a hobby; whether she felt like working or not was entirely up to her whim, a far cry from the “corporate slave” life people like Sanyuan led.

Speaking of manga, there seemed to be some issues with Puka-nyan, the website where she posted her updates. Rumor had it that the site was changing owners. Based on Sanyuan’s experience, “changing owners” was a nice way of putting it, in reality, it was likely being acquired by a large animation conglomerate. Once a site like that was bought out, major restructuring usually followed. Most of the original creators would likely leave for various reasons, or their works would be censored or taken down.

Sanyuan felt she was quite unlucky. She had been updating her manga on Puka-nyan for four years, and before she could even reach the day of publication, the site was already facing its twilight years. She really wasn’t cut out to be a “big shot” creator, it seemed like luck had never once favored her.

Because of the situation at Puka-nyan, the app was undergoing maintenance and restructuring, making it impossible to update her work for the time being. Consequently, after finishing her day job, she just spent her time writing, feeling quite idle.

With only two months left until the Lunar New Year, Sanyuan calculated her time off and realized she still had seven days of annual leave left. She wasn’t very keen on combining her annual leave with the Spring Festival holiday. For someone like her, single and without a partner, returning to her hometown for the New Year meant being looked down upon even by the village dogs. She’d rather squander the time now while things weren’t busy.

However, the thought of going out to play presented a new challenge: where should she go?

She thought about saving the travel money and buying a few games on Steam to stay at home forever as a “gaming dog.” But no, she suffered from 3D motion sickness; that plan would likely land her in the hospital.

While she was torn, her friend Jiajia called.

“Let’s go out and play!”

Jiajia’s full name was Yang Jiayan. Like Zhang Mianmian, she was a childhood friend. Though their personalities and social circles differed, they had stayed in touch all these years.

Yang Jiayan was the first of the three to get married. She hadn’t gone to high school; instead, after finishing middle school, she enrolled in a vocational college for hotel management and entered the workforce early. Her philosophy in life was that a woman only has two chances to change her destiny: one is birth, and the other is marriage.

Obviously, anyone who was childhood friends with Lin Sanyuan didn’t necessarily have a “bad” birth, but it certainly hadn’t met Yang Jiayan’s expectations. Her personality was the exact opposite of Sanyuan’s. One could stay at home until the end of time, while the other could stay out at bars and clubs until she was wild and lawless.

Sanyuan had been single since birth, a literal “male repellent.” Yang Jiayan, on the other hand, had been dating different boys since elementary school. She was beautiful and had always been popular with men; in Sanyuan’s memory, she never lacked suitors.

Yang Jiayan was also very ambitious. Since middle school, she had the grand aspiration of marrying the son of the lady who ran the school convenience store. She once made a bold declaration that if she married into a wealthy family, she would cover all the spicy strips, instant noodles, and little bear cookies for Sanyuan and Zhang Mianmian.

Unfortunately, that wish didn’t come true. It wasn’t that the son didn’t like her, but as she grew older, Jiayan’s ambitions “inflated daily.” After graduating, she had a five-year-long relationship. Her boyfriend was supposedly a second-generation rich kid whose family was in the tourism industry, though his lineage wasn’t exactly “legitimate.” To a commoner like Sanyuan, his background was already incredibly distinguished and noble.

As a result, Sanyuan had spent those few years following the trend of “daydreaming,” waiting for her best friend to get rich and take her along for the ride into high society. But the five-year marathon was a long-distance relationship, with more time spent apart than together. In the end, it didn’t work out, and she was even gifted two “green hats” (cheated on). The grievances involved were too complex, and since Sanyuan tended to side with her friend regardless of logic, she didn’t say much about it.

In the following years, Yang Jiayan continued to date a string of boyfriends. She had an almost pious obsession with marrying into wealth, something Sanyuan deeply admired. Jiayan learned to swim, went cycling, rode motorcycles, and practiced skateboarding, not because she actually liked those hobbies, but because, in her words, they were ways to expand her social circle and meet high-quality men. She used her beauty to the fullest, marketing her youth to change her fate.

Sanyuan always felt that Jiayan was someone who could fall in love with incredible passion. Sanyuan couldn’t do it. she couldn’t get “fired up,” and she lacked the vitality young people should have to enjoy their youth. She didn’t even really know what “adolescence” was before it had passed, leaving her in her current state as a perennially low-battery, “gloomy woman.”

“Where are we going?”

“Skiing! The weather’s cold now, so it’s the perfect time to go to Jiuque Mountain. I heard from your mom that your last blind date failed again, right? I know a guy who’s not bad, his family is in the car dealership business. Want me to introduce you?”

Sanyuan’s enthusiasm for going out dropped by half. “Jiuque Mountain is in another city. It’s so far and such a hassle. I think I’ll pass.”

“Hahaha, I’m just kidding! He just went through a breakup and isn’t in the mood for romance anyway. He’s just coming out to relax. You should come too. Cooping yourself up at home like you’re nesting isn’t healthy. Last time I saw you, you looked like you were about to grow mold.”

Sanyuan knew that staying inside for too long made her feel “off.” However, she didn’t like hanging out with big groups. Even though she and Jiajia were close, these gatherings were usually Jiajia’s “parties,” where Jiajia had to control the atmosphere. Most of the time when they went out, Sanyuan just stayed in a corner by herself.

Sanyuan whispered to Qiao Lian next to her, “Skiing, do you want to go?”

Qiao Lian had two days off this weekend, which coincided with the school’s two-day sports meet. Qiao Lian had already told her that her heart wasn’t great, so the principal didn’t require her to participate. She had nothing to do at home those two days.

“Let’s go,” Qiao Lian said, a hint of interest in her eyes. she was quite curious to see if this guy from the car dealership was actually “not bad.”

“I can go, but do you mind if I bring someone along?”

Hearing the tone, Yang Jiayan asked nervously, “Your boyfriend?”

Qiao Lian blinked.

Sanyuan laughed. “No, just a friend. A girl.”

Yang Jiayan knew Sanyuan didn’t have many friends. Using the process of elimination, she deduced it was most likely Zhang Mianmian. It sounded like there were other people on Jiayan’s end, and it was quite noisy, so she didn’t say much more.

“Sure, let’s go together then. We still have a few days, so buy your own ski gear.”

After hanging up, Sanyuan started shopping online. “Wow, these snowboards are actually pretty expensive.”

She could afford it, but Qiao Lian was still a student. Going out for a few days, the gear alone would cost several thousand yuan, which might be hard for her to handle. Since Sanyuan had invited her, although it hurt her wallet a little, she didn’t mind paying for her.

Sanyuan handed her phone to Qiao Lian. “See if there are any styles you like.”

Qiao Lian said, “Send me the link to the one you just added to your cart.”

When Sanyuan shopped, she wasn’t very “feminine.” She didn’t like wasting time browsing; once she set her sights on something, she wouldn’t bother looking at other options. It was as if for her, the first thing she liked was the only one worth having.

“Why do you want the link?” Sanyuan asked.

“I’ll buy it for you.”

Sanyuan frowned. “You’re a student, why would you buy me something so expensive?”

Qiao Lian was amused by Sanyuan’s “auntie-like” tone. “You said yourself it’s expensive, so why were you going to buy it for me?”

Sanyuan couldn’t win the argument.

Qiao Lian tapped her phone. “Did you forget? My dad transferred 50,000 yuan to me.”

Sanyuan was stunned.

Qiao Lian smiled again. “I think I’m a bit wealthier than your average student girl.”

“Fine then, buy it yourself. I’ll send you the link.”

Qiao Lian flipped her phone over against her stomach and smiled. “Actually, don’t send me the link. You buy it for me.”

Sanyuan was confused. “Why? Didn’t you say you have money?”

“I don’t want to buy them separately.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, for something this expensive, if you order two at once, won’t there be a discount?”

Sanyuan asked the customer service, and surprisingly, there really was a discount, saving them over 300 yuan.

Watching Sanyuan, who couldn’t hide her “heartache” over the money, Qiao Lian burst out laughing. She seemed to be in a great mood, looking at Sanyuan with a beaming smile.

“Lin Sanyuan,” she called out softly, her voice as gentle as a rising tide.

Sanyuan felt a slight prickling sensation behind her ears. “What now?”

“I think you said something once that was particularly good.”

Qiao Lian’s smile was slight. “You raise me while I’m young, and I’ll take care of you when you’re old. Now you’re spending money on me.”

“In the future, I’ll earn money to take care of you.”

Sanyuan blinked, and the prickling behind her ears disappeared.

“That… why does that sound so familiar? Oh, I remember. My brother says the same thing every time he wants money from me. You saying it now actually gives me a sudden sense of parental fulfillment, as if I have a son and a daughter now.”

Qiao Lian looked at her in silence for a long time and sighed softly.

Items costing several thousand yuan were usually prioritized for local delivery, so they arrived the next day. Sanyuan had never been skiing before. Looking at the new gear, she found it novel and couldn’t resist taking a photo and posting it on her “Friend Circle” (WeChat Moments), sharing her travel plans.

Qiao Lian asked with surprise, “You actually post on Friend Circle?”

Sanyuan couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I’m a shut-in, not an elderly person. Why wouldn’t I post on Friend Circle?”

Just as she spoke, her phone vibrated. Sanyuan looked down. Someone had liked her new post. The ID was: September Watches My Vow.

The weekend arrived quickly. Jiuque Mountain Ski Resort was located in a city adjacent to Huacheng. It wasn’t far, taking only two hours by high-speed rail. Once they exited the station, they took a taxi to the ticket office instead of crowding onto the subway since they had luggage.

Yang Jiayan had driven her husband’s car and arrived earlier than Sanyuan with her group of friends. From a distance, Sanyuan could see groups of men and women walking together.

“Sanyuan, over here!”

Yang Jiayan raised her hand to wave, but her gaze fell on Qiao Lian, and she froze for a moment.

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