Chapter 5: Mooching Food and Drinks

Sheng Jiaoyang walked out holding her pass, and the staff guarding the entrance gave her a surprised look.

"Wow~ She actually got a pass!" the girl closest to the door exclaimed in shock.

The contestants queuing behind her broke into an uproar, many of them stretching their necks out, wanting to see what the contestant who secured a pass looked like.

Those further back in line had their view blocked by the people in front, so they began clamoring, "Who is it? Who is it?"

"Quiet!" a staff member barked with a stern face.

"Hey, how did you get a pass? Share some experience with us!" The girl by the door reached out to grab Sheng Jiaoyang, asking curiously.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at the girl, brushed her hand away, and turned toward the exit without saying a word.

"Fine, fine, don't tell. Why are you being so condescending? Tsk!" a disdainful voice drifted from behind her.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn't take such comments to heart at all. She herself didn't know the secret to getting a pass, and even if she did, she had no obligation to tell anyone.

Besides, she was hungry. Very hungry!

She had come out without eating breakfast, and it was already past ten o'clock.

Passing by the roadside stalls, Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't bring herself to stop; she simply couldn't force herself to eat street food.

When boarding the subway, she chose Anyuan Plaza without a second thought; it was a place she frequented often after returning to the country.

As she walked out of the subway exit and saw the iconic fountain of Anyuan Plaza, Sheng Jiaoyang realized something very serious.

Her, pocket, had, no, money!

Anyuan Plaza was a diversified plaza built a few years ago, integrating shopping, leisure, office buildings, high-end residential areas, and international hotels. Located in a newly developed district, it featured vast space, excellent greenery, and top-notch security. It housed many international first- and second-tier luxury brands, as well as numerous mid-to-high-end domestic brands.

Food here wasn't cheap; even a simple snack could cost dozens.

Sheng Jiaoyang stopped in her tracks and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle with a sorrowful expression.

Truly, a single cent can stump a hero!

Although the money in her pocket could temporarily tide her over, knowing that this was the only large denomination in Xu Qing's wallet, she really couldn't bring herself to be so thoughtless as to eat it all at once.

Her stomach had been growling for a long time. After thinking it over, she decided to go home; being this poor, she could only cook a bowl of instant noodles.

"Xu Jiaojiao?" Just as she turned to walk back toward the subway station, a startled shout came from about a meter to her diagonal right.

At first, Sheng Jiaoyang didn't react to the fact that she was being called; she merely glanced instinctively toward the sound, only realizing a moment later when she saw the young man staring at her.

The person calling her was a young man dressed quite smartly—cough, quite decently—and standing beside him was a girl with long, straight black hair. The young man had a complicated expression, while the girl looked wary.

*Could it be that I've run into an ex and the ex's current partner?*

Seeing this scene, Sheng Jiaoyang's first thought was that she had encountered someone involved in an emotional entanglement with Xu Jiaojiao.

"It really is you. You've changed quite a bit; I almost didn't recognize you," the young man said, walking closer with the girl.

"Isn't it normal for a girl to change as she grows up?" Sheng Jiaoyang said calmly. She was used to dealing with people who often tried to rekindle old flames despite her having no memory of them, so she wouldn't lose her composure in such a sudden situation.

"Xu Qi, aren't you going to introduce her?" the girl beside him interrupted, clinging to the young man's arm.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you. She's the cousin I mentioned to you before; you've seen her in my phone's photo album."

"Ah!" The girl looked at Sheng Jiaoyang, covering her mouth in surprise. She did have an impression of her boyfriend's cousin. She had previously seen a family photo while browsing Xu Qi's phone; seeing a plain-looking girl standing next to Xu Qi who was even taller than him, she had curiously asked Xu Qi about it. Now that she knew it was his cousin, she found it hard to believe that the handsome Xu Qi actually had such a cousin.

*It's my cousin-in-law...* Sheng Jiaoyang's eyes flickered as a plan formed in her mind.

"Cousin, so this is my future sister-in-law! You're so unkind, not introducing her to me first and making me act impolitely in front of her." After scolding Xu Qi, Sheng Jiaoyang turned to the girl and said, "Hello, Sister-in-law, I'm Jiaojiao."

Xu Qi opened his mouth, but he couldn't quite adjust to his usually taciturn cousin suddenly becoming so enthusiastic.

The girl was also stunned for a moment. Xu Qi had told her this cousin was a bit of a bookworm, but since they hadn't interacted, she didn't find it strange. She smiled and said, "My name is Zhang Aiyan. You can just call me Sister."

"Then I'll call you Sister Aiyan from now on," Sheng Jiaoyang stepped forward affectionately and took Zhang Aiyan's other hand. "Sister Aiyan, when did you and my cousin meet?"

Because Sheng Jiaoyang's expressions and gestures were very natural, and her current clean and fresh appearance was pleasant to look at, Zhang Aiyan didn't feel the slightest bit of suspicion. Instead, she felt a growing sense of goodwill toward Sheng Jiaoyang and naturally became more friendly.

And so, Xu Qi, who had originally come out for some quality time alone with his girlfriend, found himself standing aside watching his girlfriend chat with his cousin. The conversation grew more and more spirited, showing no signs of stopping; she was even prepared to bring up the embarrassing details of his confession. He hurriedly interjected, "Let's find a place first. Standing here is tiring, and the sun is quite strong."

"That's true. Sister Aiyan has talked so much, she must be thirsty," Sheng Jiaoyang chimed in, having been the one guiding Zhang Aiyan to speak.

Zhang Aiyan smiled at Sheng Jiaoyang, feeling even more fond of this considerate cousin.

After sitting down in a cool dessert shop, Sheng Jiaoyang took the initiative to ask about Zhang Aiyan's preferences and ordered food based on them. This left Xu Qi, the boyfriend, with no chance to show off his "boyfriend skills," relegating him to the role of a mere bystander responsible for paying the bill.

"Sister Aiyan, you just said my cousin brought roses to confess to you, but he got splashed with mud by a passing car on the way. What happened next? Did he just show up to see you like that?" After ordering, Sheng Jiaoyang began drawing more stories out of Zhang Aiyan. Her consistent, intimate attitude made it impossible to suspect she was just there for a free meal.

Whenever she wanted to, Sheng Jiaoyang had the ability to approach the people she wished to get close to without any sense of incongruity. This ability was mainly honed during her time living abroad. In her home country, she had been isolated by those around her due to her ruined reputation, and even abroad, she had been isolated by foreigners. Unwilling to live her whole life in a small world, she had gradually learned to be socially versatile.

Of course, being unable to change her true nature, she couldn't be truly versatile with everyone; at most, she would only make an effort to interact with those she found agreeable or those she had an ulterior motive toward.

"Yes, he ran all the way to my dormitory building to confess to me like that. That was the first time I saw him looking so disheveled. I was quite moved at the time, so I agreed," Zhang Aiyan replied with a bright smile, picking up where Sheng Jiaoyang left off.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at Xu Qi. This guy had quite the routine—acting all decent in front of girls normally, then making himself look disheveled for a confession to give a girl the feeling of being specially treated. A girl would feel guilty if she didn't agree.

Receiving his cousin's sidelong glance, Xu Qi's face remained expressionless; he no longer knew what kind of expression he should even make. In just a short while, his girlfriend and his cousin were acting like old friends, and they weren't just discussing the details of the confession—they were even spilling the details of their first date.

Zhang Aiyan was completely unaware of her boyfriend's inner turmoil, feeling only that she got along well with his cousin, and before she knew it, she was even talking about things from her own childhood.

After filling her stomach, Sheng Jiaoyang smiled with satisfaction, her eyes squinting slightly. During a break while Zhang Aiyan was drinking water, she suggested, "Sister Aiyan, let's go shopping. You're so beautiful and have such a great figure; you'll definitely look good in anything."

"Speaking of figures, how can I compare to you? Your figure is no worse than a model's. As for your cousin..." Zhang Aiyan smiled and glanced at Xu Qi, "He's not even as tall as you!" After saying that, she covered her mouth and giggled.

"Height isn't an issue as long as one has looks," Xu Qi couldn't help but defend himself.

"But I think your cousin is much better looking than you," the honest girl immediately countered her boyfriend's self-praise.

Xu Qi looked up at the ceiling with a sense of hopelessness... Life is short, why must one poke at another's weaknesses?

Sheng Jiaoyang smiled; this cousin's girlfriend was quite cute.

The sight of the beautiful girlfriend walking ahead arm-in-arm with the tall, short-haired cousin looked more like a couple. Xu Qi regretted it; he shouldn't have called out to her when he first recognized her. Now, look—his girlfriend had been lured away.

By this time, the two girls ahead had moved on to the topic of skincare, and Zhang Aiyan was laughing merrily, amused by Sheng Jiaoyang's various creative compliments.

Truly worthy of being a school beauty; even her laughter was melodious. But Xu Qi couldn't join in the joy, because the one making his girlfriend laugh was someone else—someone else!

Xu Qi glared indignantly at the back of his cousin—who had better grades than him, was taller than him, and now even had better looks than him—and decided that before their next date, he must investigate her movements beforehand.

*You're a woman, why are you so good at flirting with girls?*

How could Sheng Jiaoyang know what Xu Qi was thinking? She had already steered Zhang Aiyan into a cosmetics store.