The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Has Completely Moved On - Chapter 18

“Did I not tell you never to look for her again?”

Arriving at the front door, Fu Jiao stepped out of the car in a daze. Feeling a bit hungry, she suggested, “Shall we find a place to grab a bite?”

Jin Yuzhen nodded as she tucked away Fu Jiao’s back cushion.

They did not employ help at home; Jin Yuzhen was not in the mood to cook, and Fu Jiao avoided the kitchen at all costs. Ordering delivery would take too long.

They headed to a private restaurant. The owner recognized Jin Yuzhen and offered them complimentary drinks.

Fu Jiao took off her coat, grumbling about the weather in Taozhou, which was oddly cold and muggy at the same time. Suddenly, she remembered something. “Have you talked to Ning Sui? I recall your Third Uncle’s death anniversary is coming up in a couple of days.”

A look of blankness crossed Jin Yuzhen’s face. She froze for a few seconds. “Sui Sui does not care about those things.”

Fu Jiao understood. “True, you are the one who raised her.”

Jin Yuzhen closed her eyes wearily.

She remembered that shortly after the school term began, her Third Uncle’s threat had come as a complete surprise. A blood-stained knife was hidden behind a cabinet, he had said. The blood had already dried.

Third Uncle was convinced that what happened to Jin Bing was her doing. He wanted to blackmail her.

Jin Yuzhen had not cared. Her priority was to return to Yangon and figure everything out. The cryptic letter, the crippled Jin Bing, the voice in her head; it was all too bizarre.

Just as she finally managed to persuade her grandmother and prepared to leave, tragic news arrived from Yangon.

Third Uncle was dead.

It was a gruesome death. He had been tossed in boiling oil several times until even his bones were crisp.

It was a rainy day in Taozhou when Zhu Huai brought the news and took Ning Fang to identify the body. Since then, Jin Yuzhen truly felt as though she were being haunted. She never entertained the thought of returning to Yangon again.

Twelve years later, the eerie events she thought she had buried were resurfacing. Perhaps some unknown force was watching her from the shadows. Or, perhaps, it was just people playing ghosts.

She lived her life with a clear conscience; she feared nothing.

At the checkout counter, a pair of eyes watched them, gleaming with calculation. After paying her bill, the woman ordered three more cups of roasted tea and walked toward the window table.

Jin Yuzhen was currently poking at the greens on her plate. She thought to herself, “Had I known, I would not have come.” The owner said the chef had just returned from a stint at a Michelin-starred restaurant; apparently, all he learned was how to put grass on a plate.

She was quite frustrated, but seeing Fu Jiao eating heartily, she felt awkward saying anything and forced down a few bites.

In reality, Fu Jiao felt like she was being tortured. She was starting to question Jin Yuzhen’s taste. This plate looked like something scraped out of a donkey’s trough. It had not tasted this weird the last time they came.

Both ate in miserable silence.

Feng Hui walked up to them, blocking the overhead light. Like a dark cloud settling over them, the table dimmed.

Jin Yuzhen already found the food unpalatable; with the light gone, the atmosphere vanished too. The food suddenly tasted like sawdust. She looked up, expressionless.

Feng Hui smiled. “I thought it was you from across the room. It really is you. What a coincidence.”

She familiarly pulled out a chair and sat down, signaling the waiter to place the tea on the table, one for each of them.

Jin Yuzhen’s brows slumped. Coincidence?

Feng Hui spared a condescending glance at the person beside her. “Oh, Fu Jiao is here too.”

Fu Jiao’s gaze was unfriendly. She put down her utensils and glared. “The food is bad enough; the people I run into are even more nauseating.”

Feng Hui’s face darkened. If she were not trying to maintain her image, she would have had a real argument with Fu Jiao. Everyone called her Jin Yuzhen’s follower, but Fu Jiao did not even qualify for that title, did she?

She expected Jin Yuzhen to speak up for her, but Jin Yuzhen only frowned and remained silent.

Pressing down her resentment, Feng Hui said gently, “I am the one managing this restaurant now. Fu Jiao, mind your manners.”

Upon hearing this, Jin Yuzhen had an epiphany. “I was wondering why the food here suddenly became so terrible. Case closed.”

Feng Hui stammered, “Zhenzhen, are you still mad at me?”

Jin Yuzhen could not be bothered to settle scores with her. The food was unrecognizable, and now knowing who was behind the business, it was even harder to swallow. She looked at Fu Jiao. “Let us go.”

Fu Jiao sneered, wiped her hands with a napkin, and said to Feng Hui, “You did not come here specifically to corner us, did you?”

Feng Hui gritted her teeth and did not reply.

She had intended to do exactly that, but only as a last resort. Her family background was not great. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to the high life by following Jin Yuzhen. Now that she had dived into the collectibles circle, she realized she was helpless without Jin Yuzhen’s support.

The fake painting she bought for hundreds of thousands earlier had severely drained her resources. She could not help but think that if she had stayed on good terms with Jin Yuzhen, she would not have suffered that loss.

Her resentment grew.

She had finally run into Jin Yuzhen, but Fu Jiao was there being an eyesore. She forced a smile. “It is still raining outside. If you are not in a hurry, why do we not have some tea together? I know you do not like alcohol, Zhenzhen.”

As she spoke, a hint of self-satisfaction played on her features, as if remembering her friend’s dislike for alcohol was a great act of grace.

Seeing this, Fu Jiao sighed in genuine mock-admiration. “I wish I were as thick-skinned as you.”

Feng Hui frowned, her eyelid twitching. She pointed at the tea. “That cup costs eighty-eight.”

Fu Jiao was caught between anger and laughter. “Eighty-eight for something even my dog would not drink? You have gone mad for money!”

Feng Hui remained unfazed. “You can leave; I am not stopping you. For Zhenzhen’s sake, this meal is on the house for you.”

Fu Jiao was never one for a good temper. Hearing this, she almost wanted to splash the tea in the woman’s face. Fortunately, Jin Yuzhen spoke up.

“I do not think you can call this ‘on the house.'” Jin Yuzhen poked the greens on her plate. “I am doing you a favor by not asking for compensation after serving this to customers, and you are talking about a free meal? Can you not tell good food from bad?”

Feng Hui bit her lip.

Harsh words are cold even in midsummer, let alone late autumn. No matter how well she masked it, the smile faded from her face. “Is the food really bad, or do you just have a prejudice against me, Zhenzhen?”

Jin Yuzhen replied sincerely, “Both.”

Feng Hui opened her mouth, but no words came out.

This was actually considered polite; the last few times, Jin Yuzhen had insulted her openly. She could not understand where things had gone wrong.

In the end, without touching the tea, Jin Yuzhen and Fu Jiao prepared to leave.

Feng Hui insisted on the meal being free. As Jin Yuzhen reached the door, Feng Hui followed closely. “You have suddenly become so distant. Did Fu Jiao say something to you?”

She still did not understand why the promised contract never materialized, or why Jin Yuzhen had not told her the painting was a fake despite knowing.

She had considered that she might have been seen through, but seeing Fu Jiao tonight, she pushed all the blame onto her. Fu Jiao had always loved bad-mouthing her.

She was just a girl who writes bugs for a living; did she really think she was a hacker?

Anxious and angry, Feng Hui blocked Jin Yuzhen’s path at the door. “If I did something wrong, you can just tell me. Are we not friends? Yet I had to find out about you being on the show from other people.”

Since she had put it that way, everything became clear.

Fu Jiao stood still and laughed. “I wondered why you suddenly showed up. It turns out you saw Zhenzhen on the show and got jealous.”

Feng Hui was furious. “Jealous? Watch your mouth!”

Fu Jiao corrected her, “Right, not jealous. You just want to clout-chase. I know you too well.”

Feng Hui felt like getting into a physical fight. She bristled, defending herself. “I do not!” She just wanted to reconcile with Jin Yuzhen.

It was only during this period without the protection of the Second Miss of the Jin family that she realized how good her life used to be.

Jin Yuzhen spared her a fleeting glance.

Feng Hui shivered inwardly. She felt guilty, especially now that the night was so thick it felt like it could be ladled into a bowl. Jin Yuzhen’s skin was pale, yet even in the dim light, she looked radiant and healthy.

Feng Hui could not quite find the words, but from the first time she met Jin Yuzhen, she thought she looked healthy. She had round almond eyes, a gentle jawline, and a well-proportioned, elegant figure.

Initially, she thought all rich people were like this. Later, she learned Jin Yuzhen had excellent lifestyle habits and frequently read books on Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was hard not to be healthy.

She mustered her courage. “Even when people break up, there is a formal ending. We have known each other for so long. If I really did something to upset you, can you not just say it?”

Jin Yuzhen replied, “If I told you directly, would you not know? Then how could I enjoy watching you struggle in your confusion?”

Fu Jiao stepped outside, opened a large umbrella, and waved.

Jin Yuzhen smiled slightly, walked past the stunned Feng Hui, joined Fu Jiao under the umbrella, and walked into the rain.

Feng Hui stood frozen, filled with immense regret. The Jin Yuzhen in her memory was not like this. She always thought they could go back to the way things were.

Was it because of Cen Shu?

Admittedly, Cen Shu had gone too far over the last few years, and she and Cui Man had been accomplices.

Jin Yuzhen was too lucky. Her family was wealthy, she was beautiful, well-educated, and had integrity. To make matters worse, she actually had a business mind and could easily inherit the family empire.

Everything good happened to her. Was it fair?

Feng Hui simply wanted to see Jin Yuzhen stumble in front of Cen Shu. She had done many things to embarrass Jin Yuzhen, but deep down, she truly did not want to part ways. Without Jin Yuzhen, who would give her money? Who would recommend projects to her and help her climb the ladder?

In truth, if she had not become friends with Jin Yuzhen, she would have admired such a rare young talent. But when the moonlight falls into your palm, you cannot help but look for flaws.

Occasionally, she wondered if Jin Yuzhen was not worthy of admiration. Did she not know how much unspoken pain lay behind today’s glory?

But they were too close. The fragile parts of human nature took over, and she could not think rationally.

With a heavy sigh, she returned to the counter. Just as she was about to sit down, someone entered. Thinking it was a customer, she did not pay much attention. A waiter would take the order.

But the person walked straight toward her.

Feng Hui looked up and saw a woman with a deathly pale face wearing a turquoise coat. Her eyes widened, and she stood up abruptly. Suddenly, she caught the scent of amber ink from the woman.

In an instant, the woman was in front of her.

Feng Hui looked into her gloomy eyes, which were darker than the night outside.

She was confused and asked with a hint of dissatisfaction, “Did I not tell you never to look for her again?”