Rebirth: CEO's Sweetheart Reaches the Life Pinnacle!-Chapter 54 - 52: Parting on Bad Terms

Zhou Rou couldn’t hold back her tears. "I didn’t mean to, I swear! Sometimes, I really hate who I’ve become now! But can you guys not be mad at me, please? Just treat it like I was stressed, drank too much, and talked nonsense. This drink, it’s for you guys—I’ll finish it! Consider it my apology. Let’s just forget what happened earlier, okay? Let bygones be bygones! From now on, we’re still good friends, alright?"

Li Si sighed. Even the strongest friendships could hardly withstand repeated hurt and attacks. But no one’s perfect, and giving someone another chance was also giving herself a chance. She stood up, picked up her glass, and chose to believe her this one last time.

Bai Shasha glanced at Li Si, then followed her lead and stood up. The three of them clinked their glasses together and finished them in one go.

For a long time, none of them spoke, or perhaps none of them really felt like talking.

After a while, Zhou Rou broke the silence with a smile. "Look at the three of us—prime years of youth—and yet, not one of us has a boyfriend."

"Yeah, maybe fate just hasn’t arrived," Li Si replied casually, hoping to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Fate! Everyone talks about fate. Tell me, wasn’t running into my brother today fate too? Shasha, Li Si, if one of you ends up becoming my sister-in-law, wouldn’t that be amazing? We’d be sisters for life!"

Zhou Rou rolled her eyes playfully, speaking as if joking.

"Oh, stop. Neither of us is even remotely your brother’s type. Besides, we’re still in school, and our families wouldn’t let us date anyway!"

Bai Shasha had a terrible impression of Zhou Gang, especially given his show-off behavior earlier, before Li Si had arrived. It was thoroughly off-putting.

"Since when was dating in high school anything unusual? This is nothing compared to that!"

Zhou Rou dismissed her concerns lightly. Her brother might have less money and family resources, but if he managed to make it big in Beijing someday, surely it’d be better than staying in this little North City county town.

"Li Si, my brother said before he left that he’s really into you! If you two end up together, we could actually be sisters for life. You’d even move to Beijing to work with him, maybe buy a house there—you could be a Beijing local then!" Zhou Rou teased with a charming grin.

"Zhou Rou, didn’t you tell us before that your family is still in debt? How come your brother is dressed so well? Could it be your debts are all paid off? And besides, Beijing houses don’t come cheap!" ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Li Si felt annoyed at her tone and didn’t hold back, blurting out her thoughts without regard for Zhou Rou’s pride. Any intention she had to help pay off Zhou Rou’s debts faded instantly.

Zhou Rou’s expression darkened. "So what if my family has debts? Who said people in debt can’t buy new clothes? And anyway, he’s got to maintain some sort of image when he’s out and about, doesn’t he? My mom and I scrimp and save every day—we’ll pay it all off eventually. You don’t need to worry; I definitely won’t borrow money from you!"

"You..."

Li Si didn’t even know how to respond. Was she just lashing out from feeling hurt?

"Enough, Li Si, you don’t need to apologize. We’re friends, I won’t take it personally. Let’s just call it a day—I’ve got to go take over my shift later. I’ll catch up with you guys some other time!" With that, she grabbed her bag and left the private dining room.

Li Si angrily shoved the stainless-steel skewer plate in front of her forward. "What kind of person is this?"

"I can’t stand this meal anymore. Let’s get out of here, Li Si—this is so infuriating!" Bai Shasha huffed, glaring with frustration. She was already so mad she felt full.

The two stomped downstairs, only to find out they hadn’t settled the bill yet. Li Si reluctantly paid as she was told, and the two walked out of the barbecue restaurant.

"Shasha, don’t you think Zhou Rou’s changed so much? She’s nothing like she used to be!" Li Si kept replaying everything Zhou Rou had said earlier in her mind. No matter how she thought about it, the things Zhou Rou had said didn’t sound like the kind of jokes friends would make.

"I honestly feel lucky that I didn’t let slip that the restaurant was yours. Otherwise, this could have gotten even messier." Bai Shasha patted her chest in relief. If Zhou Rou’s brother hadn’t shown up today, she might have accidentally spilled the beans!

Li Si shared her feelings. "I should feel lucky too—thank goodness I only told you about it and no one else. Going forward, let’s keep this thing to ourselves. It’s true what they say: you can know someone’s face but not their heart."

"Li Si, don’t you feel like we and Zhou Rou just aren’t on the same wavelength anymore? Maybe we should start keeping our distance from her." Bai Shasha hooked her arm around Li Si’s as they strolled down the street and chatted.

"Who knows, maybe it’s just that she’s had a tough time since entering society and has become more defensive because of it. Things change, people change..." Li Si sighed, wondering if Zhou Rou had been like this in her past life too, or whether some butterfly-wing of chance had led her to transform.

"Now, spill about your ’big brother’ already! I’ve been waiting half the day!"

"Haha, you caught me. Well, there’s not much to tell—when I went to Beijing, I happened to run into a robbery, and Brother Leng saved me!" Li Si avoided sharing certain details but gave her the gist of the story.

"Classic hero-saving-damsel moment! Li Si, be honest—did your heart flutter even a little?"

"Come on, of course not! I just look up to him like a big brother. Someday, I’ll let you meet him—you’ll see for yourself. He’s really an amazing guy!" Li Si struggled to find the right words to capture Leng Mochen’s essence but knew she simply thought he was wonderful.

"Great! I’m dying to meet someone who you think so highly of! Hehe, you know in ancient times, when a hero saved the beauty, she’d pledge herself to him for life. Any chance you’ve thought about that?" she teased with exaggerated winks.

"Get lost! Say another word, and I’ll have to teach you a lesson! Let’s see if you’ll learn why the flowers bloom red!" Li Si struck a mock fighting pose but couldn’t hide the laughter spreading across her face.

"Ha! Don’t kid yourself. You’re all bark and no bite—I know you too well! Anyway, what time is it? I’ve gotta get home early tonight."

Li Si glanced at her watch. It was just past 4 PM. "Why? Can’t you hang out a little longer? Don’t tell me you’ve got something important at home!"

"I can hang out with you anytime! But tonight, Cao Yufan’s parents are coming to my place for dinner—I gotta get back early, right?" Her voice grew quieter and quieter, leaving Li Si laughing out loud.

"Go on, then! Don’t screw up your chance to impress your future in-laws!"

"Alright, I’m off then. Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone—you know you’ll be lonely!"

"Get out of here! Rubbing salt in my wounds like that, knowing I’m all alone. I’m done talking to you—go!"

Laughing and joking, Li Si waved Bai Shasha off as she got into a taxi and left.

Sigh. She really was all alone. It was the holiday season, and many stores weren’t open, their shutters pulled down. The streets felt unusually desolate.

Li Si tightened her collar against the chill and let out a long sigh. Why did she suddenly feel so lonely? Even going home seemed unappealing. At night, the local neighborhoods would light firecrackers, filling the air with noise and smoke, making it impossible even to sleep. It was a good thing she could retreat into her special space to rest—but still, when this wave of emotion hit, nothing felt worthwhile.

Just as she was wallowing in boredom, her phone rang in her pocket. It was Brother Leng.

Li Si answered excitedly. "Brother Leng!"

"Kiddo, guess where I am?"

"Huh? You’re not in North City, are you?"

The excitement in Li Si’s voice grew as she glanced left and right, utterly thrilled by the surprise.