My Straight Childhood Friend Successfully Pursued Me After The Breakup - Chapter 11

Jiang Ningxiu was stunned, then immediately broke into a smile, “That child probably just heard her name and ran off.”

Tao Ran also looked a little helpless, but when she turned back to Jiang Ningxiu, her expression became serious again.

“Mother, since I’ve made this decision, I will never regret it.”

She lowered her gaze and said softly, “If I’m going to go abroad, at least… wait until I’m an adult. Before I turn eighteen, please let me spend time with you.”

Jiang Ningxiu looked moved. The gaze she fixed on Tao Ran was tender and loving, mixed with a hint of helplessness.

“Forget it. You’re all grown up now. Do as you wish.”

The night wind in November was already bone-chilling. The mother and daughter chatted for a while before heading inside.

Zuo Zhimi was setting the table and called out, “Quick, quick, come sit down and eat. Xianzai is such a scatterbrain. She said she was going to call you, but where did she run off to?”

Jiang Ningxiu saved face for Zuo Xian. “We didn’t see her.”

“I… I went to the restroom.” Zuo Xian emerged from some corner, looking flustered. The three people present could all tell something was amiss.

Zuo Zhimi was about to say something but was stopped by a look from Jiang Ningxiu. She nodded knowingly, figuring her daughter had probably done something silly again.

On this joyful day, it was best to give her some leeway.

Zuo Xian sat down and immediately started shoveling food into her mouth, unusually quiet. Fortunately, Zuo Zhimi’s presence kept the dinner table full of laughter and chatter.

After dinner, Zuo Zhimi prepared to leave with Zuo Xian.

The two mothers were chatting on one side. Zuo Xian stood by the door and looked up at Tao Ran, who was standing by the entrance, smiling.

Tao Ran was backlit, her features exceptionally gentle, and she looked to be in an excellent mood.

Zuo Xian pursed her lips and whispered, “Ranran…”

“Hmm?”

Zuo Xian held it in for a while, her face nearly turning red. She closed her eyes and blurted out, “We’ll be best friends forever!”

“…Hmm?” Tao Ran was bewildered by this sudden declaration and watched her with a smile.

Seeing Zuo Xian’s face getting redder, Tao Ran said softly, “Okay, we’ll be best friends forever.”

In Zuo Xian’s eyes, she had practically forced Tao Ran to say this.

However, her first reaction to hearing the promise was not relief. Zuo Xian looked at Tao Ran’s light smile and felt that she was going too far, that she was truly a terrible person.

She was simply scum.

It wasn’t wrong to like someone.

But why did she have to force Tao Ran to say such a thing? Why did she take advantage of Tao Ran’s affection for her and selfishly hurt her?

Zuo Xian regretted it almost instantly.

She fidgeted and mumbled a quiet correction, “I didn’t mean to force you. If you don’t want to… then, then that’s your free will.”

But the smile on Tao Ran’s face grew even wider.

“It’s fine. This is my choice.”

Zuo Xian, you truly are a piece of trash!

Carrying a mind full of self-reproach, Zuo Xian followed Zuo Zhimi home, bolted into her bedroom, closed the door, and plunged herself into the soft silk duvet without even turning on the light.

“Ah—” She shouted with her face buried in the quilt, then collapsed on the bed, cosplaying a corpse.

“Ding dong” the phone rang three times.

The “corpse” pulled her phone from her pocket. The screen’s light reflected her face, which was plastered with a look of existential despair.

Xue Shuangxi: How did it go? Did the surprise work out smoothly?

Xue Shuangxi: Did Tao Ran instantly fall in love with you? You made it so romantic, my role as strategist was useless.

Xue Shuangxi: Reply soon as you see this.

Zuo Xian rolled over, held the phone up to her face, and typed word by word.

Zuo Xian: Strategist, help me.

Xue Shuangxi: What happened, report immediately! Immediately!

Zuo Xian: Let’s meet tomorrow to talk. My head is a mess right now.

Throwing the phone aside, Zuo Xian lay on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The clear moonlight spilled into the room, illuminating half the ceiling. Zuo Xian gradually drifted into a daze.

—Mother, I’m not afraid of the hardship.

That sentence suddenly flashed in her mind. Zuo Xian scrunched up her face, rolled over, and buried herself in the quilt, groaning.

How did the little boat of friendship capsize in the sea of love so easily!

It was mid-November. The temperature plummeted, and the chilling, desolate wind traveled all the way from the northern continent to Lu City, passionately slapping every person venturing outside.

Fortunately, the heating in most businesses in Lu City was set very high. Customers would get warm enough to take off their coats shortly after stepping inside.

In a quiet and elegant dessert shop, the air was filled with the aroma of butter from baking bread, which the warm air made feel particularly cozy.

In a corner booth, two young girls sat across from each other. One looked utterly distressed, while the other’s eyes were full of excitement.

Zuo Xian finally finished recounting the events of the previous night. She took a sip of the freshly squeezed orange juice in front of her, letting the sweet and sour fruit juice smooth out the creases in her brow.

“Oh my god, so Tao Ran not only gave up the chance to study abroad for you, choosing to stay in the country, but she also came out to her mom directly?” Xue Shuangxi looked astonished, as if she were listening to some supernatural tale.

“Are you kidding me? How can there be someone in this world who is pretty, smart, and also deeply affectionate and responsible?”

Zuo Xian felt a sharp pang in her teeth from Xue Shuangxi’s words. “Are you here to help me figure things out, or to praise Tao Ran?”

“Is this praise? I’m just stating the facts.”

“…I knew you were unreliable.”

Seeing that she was about to irritate Zuo Xian, Xue Shuangxi quickly became serious. “Alright, no more messing around. The strategist is now going to get serious. Zuo Xian, quickly tell me your objective.”

“Strategist, I just want to be friends with her.” Zuo Xian clasped her hands together, bowing wildly. “Do you have any way to make her stop liking me?”

“Hmm…” Xue Shuangxi stroked her chin. “It is said that one cannot know where love begins, but it runs deep. Feelings are the hardest things to control.”

Zuo Xian immediately let her eyebrows droop and bumped her head against the table.

“But,” Xue Shuangxi slammed the table, “You have me! I have researched relationships for over ten years, and my profound insights in this area are enough to fill a book!”

“Excuse me, could you please speak quieter?” The girl at the table behind, startled by Xue Shuangxi hitting the table, offered a smiling suggestion.

Xue Shuangxi immediately shrank her neck. “Sorry, my apologies.”

A long sigh echoed. Zuo Xian propped up her head and looked at Xue Shuangxi, unable to help but doubt her decision to choose Xue Shuangxi as her strategist.

Of course, Xue Shuangxi was completely unaware of Zuo Xian’s internal complaints. She rested her elbows on the table, raised her right hand, and held up three fingers.

“I have three brilliant strategies.”

Seeing her looking so mysterious, Zuo Xian couldn’t help but get involved. She leaned closer and whispered, “Which three strategies?”

Zuo Xian’s curiosity was piqued, but Xue Shuangxi wouldn’t say directly and began to play coy.

“Do you know the principle of liking someone?”

Zuo Xian: “No.”

“Liking someone isn’t achieved overnight. It’s the accumulation of small points of goodwill over time, which eventually leads to a qualitative change.” Xue Shuangxi’s eyes were deep. “So, if you want her to stop liking you, you need to start with the ordinary details. ‘A thousand-mile dike collapses through an ant-hole.'”

Zuo Xian still didn’t quite understand. “So what should I do?”

“The first strategy: Change yourself first.”

“Change myself?” Zuo Xian was startled.

“Yes. No one wants to keep putting themselves out there for a cold response. Starting today, your attitude towards Tao Ran needs to cool down. It’s best to be a little harsh and impatient. Reduce contact between you two and lower her emotional temperature.”

Xue Shuangxi grabbed Zuo Xian’s hands and stared into her eyes. “Zuo Xian, tell me you can do this, right!”

“…Right?” Zuo Xian was a little hesitant. “But Tao Ran hasn’t done anything wrong for me to distance myself from her.”

“What do you mean, ‘distance yourself’!” Xue Shuangxi corrected her. “This is called the boundary that friends should have. Your two lives are too close. Haven’t you ever noticed?”

“But we’ve been like this since we were kids…”

“That’s not right, Zuo Xian. Friends should also have their own worlds and their own social circles.” Xue Shuangxi was unusually serious, which was quite intimidating.

She stared at Zuo Xian. “Think about it carefully. What is left of your life apart from Tao Ran? Zuo Xian, you bear half the responsibility for Tao Ran falling for you. You rely on her too much.”