Volume Ten: Those Few Years After She and I Broke Up
Friends
Fang Meihuan sat slumped on the grass, powerless, her lonely and bleak appearance making anyone who saw her sigh in pity.
Wen Nuan watched the departing back of Yi Jing and Wen Xiuning beside her, rubbing her fingertips together a few times.
With Fang Meihuan gone, the party became lively once again.
Goblets and wine cups crossed paths, red lanterns and green wine1.
Wen Nuan looked at the male and female leads, who were like the moon cupped by all the stars2, then turned and walked into the winery.
Yi Jing ignored the pleasantries and flattery from those around her. Watching Wen Nuan’s departing back, her expression changed.
The winery was huge, styled like something from a past century in the West—classical, elegant, and mysterious.
The wine cellar was on the first basement level, open for exhibition and viewing.
Wen Nuan smelled the fragrance of wine and felt like she was about to get drunk. But before she passed out, she had to deal with the drunkard in front of her.
“Little beauty, are you lost?” The mixed-race man had bold features and stood nearly two meters tall, his presence very imposing.
Wen Nuan didn’t want to bother with him and planned to walk around him.
Her wrist was gripped tightly, and the mixed-race man pulled her entire body over. “Little beauty, you’re so pretty. Can I take you on a date?”
A date?
He put it so elegantly.
“Are you fucking trying to hook up?” Wen Nuan narrowed her eyes, looking at the wrist he was holding. “I’ll give you a count of three, now get the hell out!”
The mixed-race man thought Wen Nuan was feigning rejection while actually being welcoming3 and deliberately pulled her closer. “Little beauty, a hookup works too.”
Wen Nuan sneered, “You want to hook up with me? You fucking think you’re worthy?”
“How much?” The corner of the mixed-race man’s mouth curved up as he said confidently, “Fifty thousand US dollars to have you. How about it?”
Wen Nuan pressed her tongue against her cheek. “You really don’t plan on letting go?”
“Then one hundred thousand US dollars, as long as you… Ah…”
Before the mixed-race man could finish, Wen Nuan hit him with a shoulder throw, slamming him directly onto a nearby wine barrel.
The barrel split open with a crack, and the wine inside flowed all over the floor, making the aroma in the air even richer and more mellow.
Wen Nuan looked at the mixed-race man’s sorry state, put her hands on her hips, and cursed furiously, “You fucking think you’re worthy of asking me out? One hundred thousand US dollars to hook up with this old man4? That little bit of shitty money isn’t even enough to touch the corner of this old man’s clothes, you piece of trash.”
She kicked the mixed-race man viciously in the abdomen twice more, making him howl in pain. He collapsed into the puddle of wine on the floor, as pathetic as a dog that has fallen into the water5.
Wen Nuan was already in a bad mood, and someone just had to provoke her. It was perfect timing for someone to show up at her door and let her vent her anger. It would be a waste not to use him.
She kicked him one more time, then turned and left the wine cellar.
The mixed-race man struggled to his feet. He looked at his expensive suit, now completely soaked in wine and ruined, like a bundle of rags.
Clutching his stomach, he roared in the direction Wen Nuan had left, “FUCK! You stinking bitch, truly giving you face but you don’t want it6. Just wait until this old man fucks you to death….”
“Who are you going to fuck to death?”
A cold, clear inquiry sounded from behind him.
The mixed-race man turned around and saw the person who had arrived. He paused. “President Tan?”
He immediately and awkwardly tried to straighten his tattered clothes, forcing a smile. “What brings you here?”
A layer of coldness veiled Yi Jing’s dark eyes. “Who did you just say you were going to fuck to death?”
The mixed-race man’s face stiffened. He stammered out an explanation, “There was a social flower7 just now who tried to seduce me. I rejected her, and she flew into a rage out of humiliation and pushed me over. See? She even broke a wine barrel. I was just indulging in the pleasure of a sharp tongue8, just joking around.”
Yi Jing picked up a bottle of red wine from a nearby rack. “Do you know wine?”
Seeing Yi Jing take the initiative to talk to him, the mixed-race man was instantly delighted. “I do. I’m French, so I know red wine best. President Tan, whatever you want to know, I’ll be sure to tell you everything.”
“Is this bottle of wine expensive?” Yi Jing caressed the bottle, her fair fingers looking even more delicate against the red wine bottle.
The mixed-race man glanced at the label’s ingredient list, vintage, and origin, and said confidently, “This red wine is from Portugal. The vintage is very recent and the alcohol content is on the lower side. Its market price is only around a hundred thousand-plus. It’s not at all worthy of your esteemed status, President Tan.”
“Oh?” Yi Jing put the bottle back. “Then which bottle on this rack do you think is most worthy of my status?”
The mixed-race man, no longer caring about his drenched clothes, walked to the wine rack and carefully made a selection. He took a bottle of red wine from the top shelf and handed it to Yi Jing with meticulous care. “This bottle is from Wali Manor9 in the United States. It has a viscous, thick texture, with rich aromas of fruit, coffee, and Asian spices. The taste is complex and wonderful. Though upon careful tasting, one might feel the acidity is a bit high, but overall, this red wine is absolutely top-grade.”
Yi Jing took the red wine and weighed it in her hand. “How much is this bottle?”
The mixed-race man held up a number with his fingers. “At least 500,000 US dollars. This red wine has a low production volume, with only about ten bottles brewed a year. The most expensive bottle sold for nearly 1 million US dollars at auction. I didn’t expect Jinxiu Winery10 to have this vintage as well. It truly opens one’s eyes wide.”
Yi Jing nodded. “I see.”
Grandpa’s little hobby of collecting wine really is just about collecting the expensive ones.
The Tan family held a nearly one-hundred-percent stake in Jinxiu Winery. However, since Yi Jing had always been managing the Fei Li Group, the management of Jinxiu Winery was left to others.
Having earned Yi Jing’s approval, the mixed-race man lifted his chin. “I know a lot about red wine. If President Tan would like to learn more, why don’t we set a date? I can take you to see some other wineries.”
The woman before him was also very beautiful. Although not as stunning as that bitch from before, she possessed a kind of ascetic, high-class feeling. Her skin was as white and smooth as snow, her pupils as dark as ink.
Her features were three-dimensional, her eyebrows sharp yet tinged with a refined grace.
Her lips were rosy and slightly upturned. She wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and the tear mole11 at the corner of her eye added a touch of mature allure to her intellectual aura.
The mixed-race man’s thoughts were beautiful. He could completely rely on his looks, physique, superior conversation skills, and vast knowledge to win over President Tan. When that time came, beauty, money, and power—he would have it all.
“What are you thinking about?” Yi Jing’s gaze darkened. “Your smile is so disgusting.”
The mixed-race man was still lost in his fantasy. Hearing Yi Jing’s question, he blurted out, “Thinking about President Tan.”
Yi Jing twisted her wrist, gripping the neck of the wine bottle. “Thinking what about me?”
The mixed-race man smiled confidently. “Thinking what an extreme honor it would be to be able to taste wine with President Tan.”
“Is that so?” Yi Jing smiled. “I hope you’ll still find what happens next to be an extreme honor.”
The mixed-race man paused. “What…”
BANG——
Before his words could fall, the mixed-race man’s head blossomed12, and he passed out.
Yi Jing tossed aside the shattered wine bottle, licked the red wine from her fingertips, and frowned. “You were right. This wine is indeed a bit sour.”
Wen Nuan didn’t stay at the party for too long. She let her class president know and then left. Before she left, she couldn’t find Yi Jing, and the male lead was also gone. She figured the two of them had probably already left the party.
Returning to the villa, Wen Nuan saw An Siya sitting alone in the first-floor hall. Cong Hui was nowhere to be seen by her side. She figured the two of them had probably gotten into another fight.
She was just about to sneak past An Siya’s notice and go back upstairs.
“Come here.”
Wen Nuan sighed. “Can you not just single me out to torment?”
After living in the villa for over a week, those two fought every day and then made up in an instant. It was making her mentally and physically exhausted.
An Siya pouted. “Zhai Yi has to practice. You’re the only one with the most free time.”
“…..”
Although that was true, Wen Nuan wouldn’t admit it.
“Who says I have the most free time? I’m very busy, okay?”
An Siya didn’t believe her. “Busy with what? Busy sleeping? Busy roasting people? Busy eating? Busy smoking?”
She patted the sofa. “Come here. We won’t talk for long, just a five-minute chat.”
Wen Nuan shook her head, her attitude resolute.
An Siya took out her phone. “One hundred per minute.”
Wen Nuan’s face bloomed into a smile. She sat down next to An Siya and said with a grin, “An all-nighter is also an option.”
An Siya: “…..”
Although she knew Wen Nuan loved money, she didn’t think her bottom line was this low.
The bullet comments13, however, were completely charmed by Wen Nuan’s “money-loving” little act, showering her with praise like “little cutie” and “little money-worshipper.”
“Spit it out. What did you two fight about this time?”
An Siya sighed. “She wrote a new song and played it for me, asking for my critique. After listening, I said that the rhythm in one part of the song was too high and needed to be tuned down. But she insisted on stubbornly doing things her own way, believing that only by maintaining a high level could the song be performed to its most perfect state.”
The words went in Wen Nuan’s left ear and out her right14. She replied perfunctorily, “And then?”
“And then I told her to change it, but she refused to, saying that if she changed it, the song wouldn’t be worthy of being written.”
“Oh, what next?” Wen Nuan scrolled through her phone.
“Next, she started trying to sing it and discovered that she really couldn’t hit that part. Afraid that I would discover her problem, she just strained her neck and shouted it out. As a result, she shouted her voice hoarse.”
Wen Nuan saw someone leaving a comment under her Weibo post, cursing her out with absolutely no skill. She said with disgust, “And in the end?”
“In the end, she ran back to her room and started ignoring me. I told her to drink some hot water to ease the strain on her throat, and she got angry. I told her to eat some throat lozenges, and she got angry. I told her to eat a meal, and she got angry too. Tell me, why is this? Where does she get so much anger to feel every day? I just said the song she wrote was too high. I gave her a serious critique. Was I wrong?”
“There’s nothing wrong with critiquing a song.”
An Siya, having received validation, said emotionally, “You think so too, right? My good friend.”
Wen Nuan put away her phone and sighed. “The fault lies in you being too straight. But it’s not your fault. You’re both pretty straight, you deserve to clash hard against hard15 and always be fighting.”
“….”
An Siya stared blankly as Wen Nuan got up and went upstairs.
Straight?
What’s straight?
Is the musical staff straight?
Wen Nuan had been sleeping soundly but was woken up by bursts of screaming and crying.
She got out of bed with an annoyed look, scratched her hair, and opened her door to see what was going on. She saw all the contestants gathered downstairs, one moment hugging and laughing, the next hugging and weeping.
Cong Hui and An Siya had made up again. The two stood together, and upon seeing Wen Nuan get up, Cong Hui immediately shouted, “Quick, check if there’s an envelope at your door! The results of the second round of evaluations are out. See what your score is!”
Wen Nuan frowned and looked back. Sure enough, there was an envelope under the crack of her door.
She opened it and saw that the score was quite auspicious.
888.
Seeing her open the envelope, Cong Hui immediately asked, “What’s your score?”
Wen Nuan yawned and walked downstairs. When she reached the first floor, she tossed the score card to Cong Hui. “See for yourself.”
Cong Hui took one look and exclaimed in shock, “HOLY SHIT, 888 points?”
Everyone else’s attention was instantly drawn to her.
“The judges’ scores don’t even add up to one hundred. The rest of your points are basically all from the public vote.” Cong Hui lamented, wondering if Wen Nuan’s appeal with the audience was just too good.
Wen Nuan was perplexed. “This score… is it considered high?”
She felt that the way everyone was looking at her was not very friendly.
Zhai Yi opened her own score card and said lightly, “Before you opened your envelope, I was first place.”
Wen Nuan looked at Zhai Yi’s score: 825 points.
Her score from the judges was high, and her score from the audience was also high.
Wen Nuan pointed at herself, astonished. “So I’m first now?”
Cong Hui nodded. “You’re first, Zhai Yi is second, An Siya is third, and I’m fourth, hehe.”
“Then who’s eleventh?”
An Siya lifted her chin. “The original Number Fifteen is glaring at you.”
Wen Nuan turned her head and met Number Fifteen’s resentful gaze. She shrugged awkwardly. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t want to debut.”
Her tone was sincere and serious, but it made Number Fifteen burst into tears and run out of the villa.
“Well, that’s a mess,” Wen Nuan sighed.
She posted on Weibo.
#Wen Nuan: Don’t you guys hate me?
The Weibo post instantly received many comments, but this time, the comment section was unusually peaceful.
All the comments said the same thing.
#Who will we curse at if you leave?#
#We can’t control our own destinies, but we can control your debut.#
Wen Nuan looked at the nearly identical comments and rolled her eyes, speechless.
Zhai Yi saw Wen Nuan’s dejected expression. “You really don’t want to debut?”
Wen Nuan sat on the sofa, resting her chin in her hands. “It’s a good thing that debuting can make money, but I have too much black history16. If I team up with you, it’ll affect you.”
She might not be a great person, but she didn’t want to harm others.
“I don’t mind,” Zhai Yi said.
Cong Hui pulled An Siya over. “She and I don’t mind either. I’ve said it before, being black-red is also red17.”
Seeing that none of them minded, Wen Nuan’s heart warmed, and she sighed with emotion, “Good people get good rewards.”
The three of them: “….”
They all felt like Wen Nuan was insulting them.
The eliminated contestants were quickly sent away, and the villa instantly became empty.
The third evaluation would be in five days. Lin Guan Entertainment required the ten remaining contestants to form teams for the evaluation. The ten of them were free to form their own teams.
A few contestants had already taken the initiative to try and win over Zhai Yi and the others.
Wen Nuan couldn’t be bothered to participate in this kind of recruitment activity. She went back upstairs, planning to catch up on sleep.
The people in the live stream room saw how unambitious Wen Nuan was and all expressed that their hearts ached and heads hurt18, looking at Wen Nuan as if they were looking at an unfilial child.
Just as Wen Nuan was about to fall asleep, she heard a knock on her door.
Wen Nuan took a deep breath, walked over to open the door with a ferocious and grim face19, and snapped, “Can’t you just let a person get a good night’s sleep?”
Cong Hui popped her head in, grinning. “Sleep for what? Little buddy, let’s go practice!”
“What did you call me?”
An Siya smiled. “Little buddy. The little buddies of a four-person band.”
Wen Nuan was perplexed. “What the hell?”
Zhai Yi explained, “The third round of evaluation requires us to form our own teams. How about the four of us team up?”
“Why bring me along?” Wen Nuan said. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll drag you down?”
Cong Hui waved her hand dismissively, saying confidently, “Don’t worry, we can carry you to victory20!”
They could definitely get Wen Nuan to debut, and then they could have Wen Nuan be their visual.
Wen Nuan’s expression was moved. This was the first time she had felt a kind of emotion other than romantic love and familial love.
【This should be friendship.】the system said.
Yeah, friendship.
A friendship that truly belongs to her.
Unlike before, where her friends were always the original host’s good friends in the mission worlds.
But the three people in front of her were good friends she had made after showing her true self.
They were people who were still willing to get close to her after knowing about her disastrous life.
Wen Nuan was a little touched. She smiled brilliantly. “Okay, since you’re not afraid, what do I have to be afraid of?”
The three of them smiled in unison; everything was understood without being said.
“Then let’s go practice?” Cong Hui was full of fighting spirit.
Wen Nuan paused. “Right now?”
She hadn’t even woken up properly.
Zhai Yi saw through Wen Nuan’s true intentions, gave An Siya a look, and stepped forward to grab Wen Nuan’s wrist. “Practice first, then sleep!”
An Siya restrained Wen Nuan’s other hand, while Cong Hui pushed her from behind.
“HOLY SHIT, YOU GUYS ARE FORCING ME?!”
“Let’s go, time to practice!”
In that instant, Wen Nuan felt that having friends was truly a great feeling.
But sometimes, it was also quite annoying.
The author has something to say:
The wine descriptions are from Baidu21. This author is a wine idiot22.
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