My Idol Turns Out To Be My Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 28

Lin Sanyuan led Qiao Lian over and gave a brief, polite greeting to the people surrounding Yang Jiayan.

Jiayan’s social circle was vast, and she seemed to have a revolving door of new friends.

“I thought you’d bring Mianmian, why’d you bring a stranger without giving me a heads-up?” Jiayan whispered, nudging Sanyuan lightly in the ribs with her elbow.

“Oh? Was I… supposed to?” Sanyuan asked, a bit out of her element. She knew that whenever she and Jiayan hung out, Jiayan would inevitably bring along people Sanyuan didn’t know at all.

Back then, Jiayan never gave her a warning about extra guests. Sanyuan had simply assumed that bringing a new friend along was no big deal. But looking at Jiayan’s face now, she seemed genuinely bothered.

“It’s fine, since you’re already here. We’re all friends, might as well have fun together. You guys bought your tickets in advance, right?”

Sanyuan didn’t go out much, but she was a diligent researcher and had pre-purchased tickets for both herself and Qiao Lian. Since the ski resort was in a neighboring city, they’d likely stay one night at most, so their luggage was light enough to fit in the lockers.

Two guys from the group walked over to strike up a conversation. They were very enthusiastic, offering to carry their bags and buying them bottles of water, even claiming they could teach them how to snowboard.

Sanyuan realized she had never received this kind of treatment when she went out with Jiayan before. It was obvious they were drawn to Qiao Lian.

In truth, Qiao Lian looked even better without makeup than with it, she was a natural beauty. Thanks to her youth, her skin was flawless, and even when she wasn’t smiling, she had a striking, high-end look, tall and slender with delicate features and an air of cool detachment.

Adding to that, she had dyed her hair a pale linen gold, styled in soft French Barbie curls that gave her a youthful, doll-like charm. Her skin was so fair it looked translucent, and the fluffy hairstyle made her look soft and endearing. In a social setting like this, she was a total magnet for attention.

Still, the directness of these guys was a bit much, even by Sanyuan’s standards.

Qiao Lian suddenly spoke up, “Is the luggage heavy?”

Sanyuan blinked, “Not really.”

Qiao Lian smiled, “Then hold my bag and board for a second. Can you peel a milk candy for me? It’s in my pocket, and my hands are full.”

When she smiled, it was like the classic “ice-breaking” grin from a romance novel, just genuinely beautiful. The two guys looked like they were dying for the chance to reach into her pocket and peel the candy themselves. But for someone they had just met, reaching into a girl’s pocket would have been way too invasive.

Sanyuan looked at her, one shoulder occupied by a bag and the other by a board. It really was inconvenient for her to grab a snack. Sanyuan nodded, took the gear, and felt around in Qiao Lian’s pocket, pulling out a few milk candies. They were a bit soft from her body heat.

Sanyuan peeled one and fed it to her, “Only kids like this stuff.”

Qiao Lian bit into the creamy candy and leaned in close to Sanyuan’s ear. Her breath smelled sweet as she whispered, her eyes curving into a smile, “You should have one too.”

“I’m not big on sweets.”

“This brand isn’t that sweet, try it. If you don’t like it, you can give it back to me,” Qiao Lian said, her voice soft and sweet, sounding like a mix of acting spoiled and being persuasive.

Sanyuan was confused. This was a milk candy, not a drink. It was tiny. Once it was in her mouth, how exactly was she supposed to “give it back”? Who knew Qiao Lian was such a penny-pincher?

Sanyuan peeled one for herself. It really wasn’t too sweet, just very milky. She didn’t know the brand, but it was actually quite good.

After finishing the candy, Sanyuan reached out to take her luggage back, but Qiao Lian just smiled at her, “It’s fine, it really isn’t that heavy.”

The two guys who had come over to help just stood there, glancing at each other. They suddenly felt very redundant. They had wanted to lighten Qiao Lian’s load, but now she was carrying luggage for two people all by herself.

One guy with an earring wasn’t ready to give up yet. He pulled out his phone and flashed a bright, sunny smile at Qiao Lian, “It’s fate that we all met up to hang out. Let’s trade WeChat info so we can do this again sometime.”

Sanyuan glanced at him. He was decent looking, radiating confidence, and had very white teeth when he smiled.

Qiao Lian put on a conflicted expression and gave him an apologetic look, “I’m so sorry, my phone is in my bag, and I’m a bit tied up right now.”

Well, she wasn’t lying, both her hands were full. But the rejection was so obvious that even Sanyuan picked up on it.

The guy’s face stiffened. It would have been one thing to be rejected by a stranger on the street, but this was a group outing with mutual friends. Usually, people would exchange info out of politeness so as not to seem like they were looking down on anyone.

“Haha,” the guy gave a dry laugh, then turned his gaze to Sanyuan, “Hey, how about I add you instead? If it’s cool with you, you could push your sister’s contact info to me later? Please? I’ll buy you a milk tea.”

The way he asked for the contact info was… something else. Sanyuan adjusted her glasses awkwardly, unsure if she should agree. She hesitated. Being added just as a middleman for her friend felt pretty lousy.

The smile vanished from Qiao Lian’s face. She gave him a cold, indifferent look, “Sure. And once you’ve added her, could you push the contact info of that guy in glasses to me? You guys seem to be together. Please? I’ll buy you an ice cream.”

Her words mirrored his, but her tone was flat, like a student reciting a textbook. And it was freezing outside, yet she was offering to buy him ice cream.

No matter how thick-skinned the guy was, he could tell Qiao Lian was annoyed. Her cold demeanor was actually quite intimidating. He didn’t dare push any further, just chuckled awkwardly and walked away with his friend.

While they were checking their luggage, Sanyuan asked, “Do you really have your eye on that guy in glasses?”

Sanyuan used the word “man” instead of “guy” because he looked significantly older than Qiao Lian, at least in his thirties. With his gold-rimmed glasses, he looked like a successful professional. Sanyuan could tell from his mannerisms and poise that he had a refined air that younger guys lacked.

He was clearly the center of attention in the group. Sanyuan noticed Jiayan and a few other girls kept glancing his way. Based on her experience, this man was likely Jiayan’s new “target” for the trip.

Sanyuan didn’t really understand the social dynamics of adults. Jiayan hadn’t married poorly, her husband wasn’t a “rich second generation,” but he was well-educated and smart. He had started his own business, bought a house and car in Huacheng, and owned his own physical store. Jiayan was essentially a small-business owner’s wife. But it seemed she felt she still had “opportunities” before having kids.

Sanyuan had known her for over a decade, but she didn’t interfere in her personal life. To put it simply, some people enjoy the chase, and some enjoy being chased.

“Men become incredibly sensitive in competitive situations. It’s clear your friend is popular in this circle, but that man in glasses is even more popular among the women. It’s not just women who get jealous of other beautiful women, men also feel threatened by competitors who are more impressive than them.”

Qiao Lian looked at Sanyuan and gave a small smile, “If I hadn’t said that, those two would have kept bothering us. I don’t like being harassed when I’m out trying to have fun.”

“Won’t that make us seem a bit anti-social?” Sanyuan worried.

Qiao Lian asked her, “Would being ‘social’ actually make you feel happy or relaxed?”

“Probably not…”

Qiao Lian laughed, “If anyone else asks for your WeChat, don’t give it to them.”

Sanyuan didn’t think anyone else would ask, but she still questioned, “Why?”

Qiao Lian glanced toward the crowd, her smile fading, “Because I saw someone I dislike.”

“What?”

Qiao Lian looked a bit helpless, “Do you have face blindness or something?”

Sanyuan felt a bit guilty, “I’m just not great at remembering what people look like. Why?”

It wasn’t that she was bad at remembering faces, it was just that her social anxiety made it hard for her to actually look at people long enough to memorize their features.

Qiao Lian signaled toward someone in the crowd, “If I remember correctly, that’s the male nurse who insisted on giving you an EKG at the ER the other night.”

Sanyuan felt a chill run down her spine, “You mean that nurse, Xiao Chen?”

Qiao Lian warned her, “He’s been staring at you ever since you said hi to your friend. I bet he’ll look for an excuse to ask for your WeChat. Just remember to ignore him.”

Being pestered by someone like that wouldn’t necessarily be a huge problem, but it would definitely ruin the mood. Sanyuan felt a bit annoyed, her excitement for the trip dampening slightly.

Fortunately, skiing is a high-intensity sport that isn’t really meant for hanging out in large groups. She could just avoid the crowd.

The real tragedy for Sanyuan, however, was that she couldn’t ski at all, and she had mistakenly bought a snowboard, which is notoriously unforgiving for beginners. Once she was strapped onto the board, she felt like a fish in a frying pan, unable to move without flailing.

Qiao Lian was a little better, but only just. She didn’t have much experience either. However, Qiao Lian was naturally athletic. After tinkering with it for a while, she managed to look somewhat competent, which left Sanyuan feeling incredibly envious. Sanyuan’s athletic ability had been non-existent since she was a child.

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