“Huh? That means you’ll be living in England in the future. Won’t you be very far away from us?” Duoyao said reluctantly.“Travel is so easy right now. It’s pretty easy to meet up,” Guan Ying said softly. “Besides, we’re all working in the same country but we’re still busy with our individual work and we don’t get to meet up very often either. In the future, we will also settle down and have children…”

“That’s true, but I still hope we can be how we were in the past,” Changqing lamented. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to cherish her life right now.

When they were in university, they said they wanted to be married at the same place and go to honeymoons in 4 pairs. Even when it came time to buying houses, they wanted to buy houses together so that they could live close by.

It was only when they started growing up that they understood ideals were often just ideals.

“It seems like I have to prepare my red pocket and attend your wedding.” Ruan Yang suddenly laughed. “Then you’ll have to pick up your pace. The last one to get married might have a hard time finding someone to be her bridesmaid.”

Duoyao was stunned. Her little face fell. “That’s true. If I’m the last to get married and you’re all married, I have to get someone else to be my bridesmaid.”

“Then propose to Brother Molun quickly,” Changqing teased.

Duoyao pouted. She glanced at Ruan Yang. “Ruan Yang, you have to take your time. You must be behind me.”

“You’re so selfish.” Ruan Yang glanced at her with disdain.

Changqing suddenly said, “Right—Ruan Yang, Brother Shaobin and Chuyi are going to attend some high school class reunion. Are you going?”

“No.” Ruan Yang shook her head. “What about you?”

“I have an event at the station tomorrow,” Changqing said secretively. “I heard from Chuyi that Brother Shaobin’s first love will also be going. Aren’t you going to keep watch on him?”

Before Ruan Yang could say anything, Duoyao said, “Tsk, our Ruan Yang is so charismatic. Does she need to go there to keep watch on him?”

“That’s not necessarily the case.” Ruan Yang smiled quietly. “A first love is a person’s Mara (1. Demon of temptation in Buddhism). It’s like the idea of the forbidden fruit. Didn’t Changqing cry very badly because of Song Chuyi and Song Yunyang back then?”

Changqing blushed and said embarrassedly, “That’s not the same. Song Yunyang was unattainable to Chuchu. They had unforgettable moments together before and were even childhood sweethearts. Brother Shaobin’s first love was just a one-sided crush. Besides, you’ve changed Brother Shaobin from top to bottom right now. He’s so good-looking that his first love might suddenly find him pretty handsome when she looks back and set her eyes on him.”

“What’s yours will be yours. If it’s not yours, there’s no use in trying to force it.” Ruan Yang suddenly let out a long, helpless sigh. “If a person is going to have a change of heart sooner or later because his love isn’t strong, I would rather that he has a change of heart earlier and not wait until we’re married or when we have kids.”

“That… seems to make sense too.” Changqing and Duoyao exchanged glances thoughtfully.

“But you should still try to control your man,” Guan Ying said in disagreement. “If you don’t and allow him to play around outside, there would naturally be wild bees and butterflies swarming over. Most men nowadays don’t really have very good self-control.”

“In any case, I keep mine in control often,” Duoyao said with a snort. “Every time Yan Molun goes out with me as my bodyguard, women always come from all over the place to pick him up and I always have to teach him a good lesson every night.”

Ruan Yang said with a smile, “Are you sure that’s not jealousy?”

Duoyao was embarrassed. “That’s not the case. It’s… being possessive, you know? I wouldn’t allow others to even touch something that belonged to me.”

“But I think you can’t keep Brother Molun in control at all.” Changqing dampened her spirits.

“You know nothing. You know nothing at all.” Duoyao glared at her.

—————————

In the afternoon, the four of them sat around in Teacher Kang’s house until the evening when Teacher Kang and her husband invited them to stay longer and have steamboat with them, so they only ended up leaving the Northern City Film and Performance school after 7 pm.

When they were coming out, they ran into some surprised students who were staying at the school over the new year holiday who snapped pictures of them with their phones.

Guan Ying wanted to stop them but Ruan Yang pulled her back and said, “Forget it; leave them be.”

“Ruan Yang…” Guan Ying was stunned. Actually, she wanted to stop them mainly because of Ruan Yang. She had been avoiding the public eye and was unwilling to show herself to the public.

“I’m a public figure to begin with. Can’t hide forever.” Ruan Yang smiled lightly.

“Ruan Yang, you’re not uncomfortable with people talking about you anymore,” Changqing said carefully.

“Nope. I might’ve been uncomfortable with it in the past because I was too unhappy.” Ruan Yang opened the car door and got in. “Now that my parents have forgiven me, I’ve found someone I like, and I have such good friends, do I still need to worry about others with all of you supporting me?”

“Ruan Yang, you’re so open-hearted.” Changqing admired her a lot. “Right, Chuchu called me just now. He said that he, Brother Shaobin, and Brother Molun are having a massage at a hotel. He asked if we wanted to go too.”

“They’re really living the life.” Duoyao snorted coldly. “Let’s go together then.”

“I’m not going. You guys go ahead.” Guan Ying smiled.

Changqing and the other two were stunned for a while and didn’t attempt to persuade her. After all, things were still awkward between Guan Ying and Song Chuyi.

Ruan Yang drove to a hotel by the beach after taking Guan Ying home.

…

When they arrived at the suite, aside from Li Shaobin, who had a male masseur, Song Chuyi, Yan Molun, and Zhan Mingwei all had female masseurs.

Li Shaobin lifted his head and grinned when he saw them. “Yangyang, look at how obedient I am. All of them got female masseurs. I’m the only one who got a male masseur.”

When Song Chuyi heard that, he felt like kicking Li Shaobin out. Is he trying to sow discord?

Ruan Yang felt pretty satisfied with his self-awareness and nodded with a smile. “Good.”

“Then do I get a compliment when I get back?” Li Shaobin showed his white teeth with a smile.

Ruan Yang only smiled but didn’t say anything.

Changqing and Duoyao pulled a long face. Yan Molun explained calmly, “Don’t misunderstand. It’s really because it’s not as comfortable with a male masseur.”

Li Shaobin interrupted him: “I think it’s pretty good.”

Yan Molun glared at him. “When did you not have a female masseur in the past? You even wanted to have pretty and busty ones.”

“That’s in the past. Now that I have a girlfriend, I’m very obedient.” Li Shaobin glanced at Ruan Yang as though he was waiting for a compliment. “Whether the masseur is good or not isn’t important. What’s important is that no other woman other Ruan Yang can touch my body.”

“I feel like puking,” Song Chuyi dissed him.

Ruan Yang’s face heated up and she pretended to have heard nothing as she continued to remain silent.

Changqing snorted coldly and pointed at Song Chuyi as she said, “Listen to how much sense Brother Shaobin makes. This is how a good man should act.”

“You listen too. I agree with Changqing,” Duoyao also said to Yan Molun. “Forget it, Changqing, let’s get a massage too. We’ll get handsome guys to massage us. They must be handsome. It’d be best if they were young and fresh. So fresh that water would drip out when you pinched them.”

Yan Molun’s face sank. He sat up and didn’t let the masseur continue. “You dare?”

Zhan Mingwei laughed softly. “Molun, I didn’t think your girlfriend would like that kind.”

“Then I want a tougher, stronger one,” Changqing told the manager in the suite.

“I couldn’t tell that you actually liked tougher and stronger ones.” Song Chuyi scoffed. “Why did you like Fu Yu then?”

“It’s because both of you aren’t strong, so I want a change of taste.” Changqing snorted proudly.

“The two of you have such peculiar tastes.” Li Shaobin gloated. “One likes the fresh and tender kind but got a tough guy and the other one likes the tough and strong kind but got an old, tender guy.”

“Molun, let’s not invite him along the next time we go for a massage,” Song Chuyi said through gritted teeth.

Yan Molun nodded in agreement.

“Alright, cut it out,” Ruan Yang said with a smile. “Get two good male masseurs and a female masseur. The men will swap with their female masseurs. How does that sound?”

“Sure, sure, sure.” Song Chuyi and Yan Molun quickly nodded.

“I’ll let you off this time around.” Duoyao glared at Yan Molun before she turned to enter another room.

Changqing also walked out without even looking at Song Chuyi.

Zhan Mingwei said with a smile, “I’m the lucky one. I didn’t tell my wife.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll tell on you later,” Song Chuyi said rudely.

…

When they came out after the massage, they had more or less digested their food. Song Chuyi said he would treat everyone to barbequed lamb.

The few men played cards for around 40 minutes before the fragrant, barbequed lamb was served. It was propped up over a charcoal fire. The aroma of the lamb, together with the smell of cumin, wafted out, almost making the two gluttons, Changqing and Duoyao, drool.

However, they rarely had barbequed lamb and when they did, they weren’t good at cutting it up. Changqing and Duoyao tried cutting for a very long time but the pieces they got were very small and they were already getting frustrated with cutting.

When they lifted their heads, Li Shaobin, who was sitting opposite them and next to Ruan Yang, helped her cut the meat out panderingly, piece by piece. “Yangyang, try this meat from the back of the lamb’s leg. It’s the best part.”

“Do you want to dip it in some sauce?”

“It’s okay. I think it’s quite good with its original flavor.” Ruan Yang tasted the mutton meticulously.

“Then I’ll help you cut more meat. This won’t be tender if it’s cooked for too long.” Li Shaobin started to sharpen the knife and slice the meat.

“It’s okay. You should eat as well.”

“Then I’ll cut the meat and you can feed me.” Li Shaobin was full of smiles.

…

Duoyao and Changqing looked at each other, then at the forks and knives in their hands, and then at the men beside them who were chatting, playing on their phones, and smoking. What a big difference.