My Straight Childhood Friend Successfully Pursued Me After The Breakup - Chapter 1

The weather forecast said it would rain in the afternoon, and in Lushi, the sky had been overcast since the morning. Humidity hung in the hot air, tormenting the faces of pedestrians on the street.

A flamboyant pink sports car was parked by the roadside, exceptionally conspicuous against the gray background. Even the hurried passersby couldn’t help but glance at it.

However, the dark tinted windows obscured curious eyes, and one could only vaguely discern a woman sitting in the driver’s seat.

The next moment, the window lowered, and a stunning face emerged from the car.

The woman was dressed stylishly, her carefully permed and dyed light brown curls cascaded over her smooth, rounded shoulders, and a pearl earring of excellent quality swayed slightly in her hair.

In such irritating weather, she was like a refreshing spring, and merely looking at her soothed one’s mood considerably.

Yet, the “spring” herself seemed to be in low spirits.

She knitted her attractive brows, gazing towards the coffee shop by the street. After watching for a while, she pulled her head back inside and raised the car window again.

“Ah Xue, how about we forget it,” Zuo Xian leaned against the headrest, speaking languidly.

“It’s only forty minutes until the time we agreed upon, and you’re telling me to forget it?!” Xue Shuangxi’s piercing voice assaulted Zuo Xian’s eardrums through the headset.

Zuo Xian was startled by her voice, “Keep your voice down, I almost went deaf. I just feel whether we meet or not isn’t important.”

“What do you feel? You don’t feel anything,” Xue Shuangxi interrupted Zuo Xian, earnestly advising.

“Xian, there’s a saying that the best way to forget an old love is to find a new one. You need to shift your focus. How long have you been depressed because of that jerk, Xie Jiangting, hmm? You can’t keep going like this.”

The cold air from the car’s air conditioning blew fiercely on Zuo Xian’s forearm, chilling that small patch of skin. Hearing her ex-girlfriend’s name, Zuo Xian lowered her eyes and unconsciously began to bite her lip.

On the other end, Xue Shuangxi continued, “Speaking of that jerk, I get angry. What right did she have to dump you, and she even dared to say it was your fault! If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have absolutely gotten my bodyguards to smash up her broken coffee shop!”

“A pretentious phony. I’ve never seen her run a business seriously. She just sits in the shop all dressed up and starts inviting her friends over. She didn’t learn much about making coffee, but she has a ton of bad habits. Didn’t she once criticize you for not being able to tell the difference between her two broken coffees?”

“Stop talking, we’ve already broken up…” Zuo Xian sighed, closing her eyes, feeling a bit weary.

“Are you still defending her?” Xue Shuangxi paused, “Zuo Xian, don’t tell me you still have feelings for her.”

Xue Shuangxi waited for a moment but didn’t get a reply from Zuo Xian, then said in disbelief, “No way, do you really want to get back together with her?”

“No, I don’t want to get back together.”

“That’s good. Ah Xian, listen to me, she’s not worth it.”

“I know.” Zuo Xian gripped the steering wheel and said to Xue Shuangxi, “I need to hang up now. I don’t think I can park here for too long.”

“Okay, you must go to the date. Trust me, the person I’m introducing you to will definitely be to your liking.”

Zuo Xian casually agreed, then hung up the phone.

She glanced at the agreed-upon coffee shop. With half an hour until the appointment, even the most punctual person wouldn’t arrive half an hour early to wait.

Zuo Xian didn’t want to just sit and suffer, so she gently pressed the accelerator and left.

For some unknown reason, traffic jams in the city were always worse on overcast and rainy days. The red and yellow taillights flickered, blurry as if they were also affected by the gloomy sky.

Zuo Xian blinked hard, suppressing the stinging in her nose, and randomly found a place to park. She pursed her lips and wiped away the tears that had slid from the corner of her eye.

It had been over a month since Xie Jiangting broke up with her. She heard that Xie Jiangting already had a new girlfriend.

That was quick.

The girlfriend she had been with for three years broke up with her just like that, without any warning, and without giving her a chance to salvage the relationship.

Even if Zuo Xian’s heart were made of iron, it would still hurt, especially since she wasn’t a particularly strong person, and it took her much longer than average to get over things.

When they first broke up, she was devastated. Every day, she woke up crying, her eyes were swollen for days, and she felt lethargic.

She was better now, but occasionally when she remembered, her heart still ached dully. Zuo Xian suspected she was a harbinger of bad luck, that whenever she fell in love, she would inadvertently doom herself.

Otherwise, how could the people she liked all turn out to be scumbags, stabbing her in the heart with a force that seemed determined to kill her?

Ding dong—

Her phone, placed nearby, chimed with a notification. Zuo Xian sniffled and picked up her phone to check.

Xue Shuangxi: You absolutely cannot stand her up, okay? I’ve already told her about you. She’ll be very sad if you don’t go.

Honestly, Zuo Xian didn’t particularly want to go at first, but she couldn’t resist Xue Shuangxi’s pestering, so she had to agree.

But since she had agreed, Zuo Xian wouldn’t stand someone up for no reason; she at least needed to meet the person.

Zuo Xian: I’ll go.

Xue Shuangxi: That’s good. Don’t worry, this female guest is definitely your type: beautiful, generous, successful in her career, respectful to elders and kind to children, and most importantly…

Zuo Xian: What is it?

Xue Shuangxi: She’s super skilled (at love/dating).

Passive, boring. This is the new era, sister. Where will you find novelty in life like this? Can’t you be more romantic, be more skilled?

I’ve tried hard to compromise with you, but after three years, you haven’t changed at all. Can you blame me?

Zuo Xian closed her eyes and took a deep breath, throwing the devilish whispers of Xie Jiangting out of her mind.

Ding dong—

Xue Shuangxi: Her merits are simply too many to count. Is there anything else you want to know?

Zuo Xian: Her name. A photo. You’ve been talking for a long time but haven’t given me any concrete information, just abstract descriptions.

Xue Shuangxi, who usually replied instantly, vanished.

Zuo Xian stared at her phone for five minutes, and Xue Shuangxi was still playing dead.

What did this mean? Was the other person’s name a flaw?

It couldn’t be Iron Pillar, could it?

Or… was the female guest’s reputation in their social circle not very good, and Xue Shuangxi was afraid that Zuo Xian would refuse to go if she heard the name?

Connecting this with Xue Shuangxi’s earlier comment about “she’s super skilled,” Zuo Xian instantly conjured up an image of an experienced, seasoned “social butterfly” who flitted through the flower gardens without getting a single petal stuck.

So, was Xue Shuangxi trying to pit a “scumbag” against a “scumbag”?

The best way to forget a scummy ex-girlfriend is to find an even scummier rebound.

Achieve fully automated “scum-sucking.”

The robot vacuum cleaner of the human world.

Zuo Xian shook her head helplessly. Seeing that it was almost time, she decided not to worry about the unresponding Xue Shuangxi and headed to the coffee shop for the appointment.

This time, Zuo Xian parked the car by the roadside and didn’t peek into the coffee shop; she was even deliberately avoiding making eye contact.

The reserved seat was conveniently located in a corner, with a potted plant next to the aisle, blocking the woman who was already waiting at the table.

Looking from afar, Zuo Xian could only see the woman’s hands resting on the table.

Her fingers were clean and neat, with no rings and no nail polish, looking slender and fair, possessing an excellent aesthetic appeal.

A women’s watch was fastened on her left wrist; the chestnut brown strap looked extremely mature and understated, which didn’t quite match Zuo Xian’s imagined “social butterfly” style.

Curiosity piqued slightly, Zuo Xian quickened her pace, stepped past the potted plant, and greeted her as she approached.

She subconsciously lifted a smile, her eyes curving into pretty crescents.

“I’m sorry, I’m…”

The unfinished words caught in her throat, unable to be spoken. Zuo Xian froze in place, a sudden dizzying sensation overcoming her, nearly making her unable to breathe.

She wanted to run.

Only these two words remained in her mind.

“Long time no see, Ah Xian.”

Xue Shuangxi’s carefully selected female guest stood up, her eyes fixed directly on Zuo Xian, her lips curving slightly.

Time seemed to be particularly kind to her, carefully adding and subtracting qualities from her.

Adding mature charm, subtracting youthful naivety, and the final sum was an exponential burst of allure.

She was still beautiful, even more beautiful than when she was young.

“How could it be you?” Zuo Xian forced herself to be more composed; turning around and running away would be too embarrassing.

But in reality, she was terribly nervous, wishing she could just turn and leave right now, then furiously scold Xue Shuangxi.

Tao Ran looked at her, her gaze falling on Zuo Xian’s lips—which were unconsciously beginning to bite her own lip.

“Don’t be nervous, please sit down first.” Tao Ran walked over, attempting to pull out a chair for Zuo Xian.

Zuo Xian’s nostrils flared slightly. She caught a scent of a familiar, long-forgotten fragrance that was once deeply embedded in her memory. In an instant, countless memories flooded back.

Zuo Xian stiffened for a moment, then quickly pulled out the chair, “No need to trouble yourself, I can do it.”

Tao Ran’s hand awkwardly paused in mid-air, then slowly retreated, “Okay.”

“What would you like to drink?” Tao Ran asked instead, “Do you still like orange juice?”

Zuo Xian nodded. Tao Ran also smiled slightly and lowered her head to place the order.

While she was ordering, Zuo Xian couldn’t help but secretly observe her. After ten years, something inexplicable seemed to have changed in Tao Ran.

She wore a white dress, and her demeanor was gentle and captivating, her features as refined as before.

From the outside, there wasn’t much difference from the past; she was still the type of beauty that completely appealed to Zuo Xian’s aesthetic.

But the question was… how could it be Tao Ran?

Soon, the waiter came over with a tray and set down two drinks.

One Americano, one orange juice.

Zuo Xian bit the straw of the orange juice and took a couple of sips, finally stopping the torment of her lip. She looked up at Tao Ran.

After a moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth and asked, “Were you tricked?”

“What?”

“Were you tricked by Xue Shuangxi?” Zuo Xian explained seriously, “Did she not tell you the reason for inviting you here today? Or did she not tell you that you would be meeting me here?”

Tao Ran was stunned, “Why would you think that?”

It was normal for her to think that.

Zuo Xian looked into Tao Ran’s eyes, pursed her lips, and didn’t speak.

But she knew that Tao Ran remembered what had happened in the past, and she understood what Zuo Xian’s look implied.

Zuo Xian and Tao Ran were childhood friends who grew up together.

Ten years ago, Zuo Xian confessed her feelings to Tao Ran and was rejected.

In the ten years since, the two had never spoken another word or met more than once.

One could say they had become estranged.