In hindsight, there might have been signs. That night at the bar, when Xu Zhi sang a song for Jiang Man, their eyes had seemed a bit intimate.
But she had just chalked it up to the bar lighting. So maybe oblivious people just don't have that sensitive nerve.
Jiang Man didn't reply immediately—maybe she was busy.
"May all lovers be united?!"
After a while, she sent this message, followed by a cry-laughing emoji.
Jian Ran blinked. Huh? They liked each other and were together—didn't that mean 'lovers united'?
What was wrong with that?
Just as she was staring at her phone in confusion, Jiang Man actually called her via voice.
He Ailin had just come back from the restroom, so Jian Ran pointed at her phone to indicate she was stepping out to take a call.
Leaving the bar, she looked around and finally settled under a nearby big tree before answering.
"Sister Jiang," she said softly.
"Is this a bad time?"
"No, I was just with a friend. It's fine now."
Jiang Man laughed. "Good."
Jian Ran hesitated before asking her question. "Sister Jiang, is there something wrong with saying 'may all lovers be united'?"
Jiang Man chuckled again.
"Little sister Jian Ran, you might have misunderstood. When I said we're 'together,' I meant it euphemistically. To be precise, I'm keeping him."
So it wasn't really 'lovers united'.
If anything, it's more like 'birds of a feather flock together.'
Jian Ran: "???"
Keeping... keeping him?!
Her eyelashes fluttered. Did she mean what she thought?
"Exactly what you're thinking," Jiang Man said, as if reading her mind.
Jian Ran let out an 'ah,' momentarily stunned. "But... Xu Zhi... He's okay with that?"
Jiang Man laughed heartily. "Why wouldn't he be? Boys nowadays are very open-minded. You don't think I forced him, do you?"
"No, no," Jian Ran said sheepishly. "I'm just surprised."
Jiang Man paused, finally realizing what the issue was.
As a woman who had been through the wringer in business and seen plenty, she always took matters of men and women lightly. If she liked something, she went for it. It was mutual consent, each taking what they needed.
Nothing wrong with that in her book, but she understood not everyone would accept it.
"Sorry, I thought you were like me," Jiang Man said with a smile.
That's why she had told her.
Jian Ran paused, then smiled. "No need to apologize. I just hadn't considered it, but that doesn't mean I can't accept it."
Jiang Man's laughter came through the phone. "Well, good thing. Otherwise, I'd be corrupting an innocent girl's pure heart—that would be a crime."
Jian Ran joined in the laughter.
Then Jiang Man seemed to think of something and clicked her tongue. "If you don't have such intentions, what about little Chu? What's he going to do?"
Jian Ran was confused. "What does he have to do with this?"
Hearing this expected response, Jiang Man laughed uncontrollably.
"Ha ha ha ha, suddenly I feel a bit sorry for little Chu. All those flirtatious glances in the villa were wasted on a blind person."
Jian Ran wasn't stupid; she immediately understood.
So Jiang Man thought Chu Lulin was like Xu Zhi, looking for a rich older sister to be kept by?
And the target of that rich older sister seemed to be her?
Impossible!
At least she was sure Chu Lulin had never thrown flirtatious glances at her.
"Sister Jiang, I think you're mistaken. Chu Lulin doesn't have such intentions. He's just serious about his work—he's the same with everyone."
Jiang Man let out a meaningful 'oh.' "Are you sure he's the same with everyone?"
Jian Ran fell silent. That question was too tricky; she didn't know how to answer.
After all, during his summer job at the villa, Chu Lulin had only served her as a guest. There was no comparison to be made.
Jiang Man laughed to herself again over the phone.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. But as far as I know, of the college students who went to work at the villa, maybe not all, but at least half had the same purpose as Xu Zhi. Otherwise, why do you think they'd travel all the way from Jing City or Nan City?"
Jian Ran opened her mouth to argue. "...Maybe because the pay is good?"