Sophia didn't say anything. After a moment, she sighed, raised her hand, and patted Jiang Ruoqi, who was leaning on her shoulder.
She thought, Seven really knew what she was thinking.
Out of friendship, she felt Gangcheng was good for Jiang Ruoqi's future development.
But out of her own selfishness, among the three friends, Ada was already married. If Jiang Ruoqi was transferred to Xinhai now, there would be no one left in her monotonous life to go out drinking with.
She sighed and pushed Jiang Ruoqi's head away: "Who would believe that? Once you start dating, you won't remember me."
Hearing this, Jiang Ruoqi subconsciously recalled her own past relationships that had fizzled out.
Although she thought Sophia might be referring to today's bride, she still hugged her tightly and acted cute to show loyalty: "Sisters are like limbs; men are like clothes! I'm not Ada; I wouldn't stand up a friend."
Jiang Ruoqi was naturally beautiful. When she furrowed her brows and lowered her eyes, then softened her voice to coax someone, it was hard to be firm.
"Lies." Sophia sighed.
"Wow! Caught you red-handed! You two sneak off to the terrace to gossip about me while I'm away, huh?"
Before Sophia finished speaking, a strikingly bright red figure crossed the arched floral gate and walked straight toward them.
Speak of the devil. Jiang Ruoqi rubbed her temples and looked up at Sophia for symbolic help, but she only got a look that said "save yourself."
The newcomer was today's bride, Jiang Ruoqi's close friend, and also a colleague who joined the company at the same time: Ada Lei, Li Shiyi.
Among the three, Jiang Ruoqi and Ada had known each other longer, having met through a university club activity. When chatting privately about their families, they realized they might have met even earlier.
Both had connections to the company and were nepotistic hires who had secured headcounts before graduation, both with opportunities to coast along in irrelevant positions.
But Ada was a legitimate heiress of the group's top management, while Jiang Ruoqi... was only there thanks to her stepmother's care. In Gangcheng, she was essentially "living under someone else's roof."
That's why Jiang Ruoqi didn't dare to coast in the secretarial office. After working her ass off in the marketing department for years, she finally got a legitimate chance to go home.
"That's right, I'm saying that ever since you started dating, you've become all about romance and forgot your friends. If it weren't for us working in the same company, you'd have forgotten who we are by now."
Ada was a fiery personality. Knowing she couldn't outtalk Jiang Ruoqi, she turned to Sophia for support: "Look at Seven. I already let her off the hook for skipping being a bridesmaid, and now she calls me lovesick?"
Jiang Ruoqi had known Ada for a long time, and Ada and Sophia were both in the secretarial office. The three had always been close. Such teasing jokes were never taken seriously.
It was just that the "judge" had a headache from the racket.
Sophia looked around, not seeing the groom who usually stuck to Ada like a shadow, so she quickly changed the subject: "Where's your husband? Why isn't he sticking to you today?"
Ada laughed shyly at this, turned to look into the banquet hall, and quickly spotted her beloved in the crowd. Her voice carried a hint of coyness that set the other two's teeth on edge: "He ran into two old friends and is chatting over there. He'll be here soon."
Jiang Ruoqi couldn't help rolling her eyes. She exchanged a glance with Sophia, confirming that the woman before them was indeed lovesick. They had just asked casually; they didn't actually want to see the groom, okay?
Ada was an only child, always well-off materially, but without the arrogance of a privileged princess. Back then, her father had introduced many local eligible bachelors to her, but who would have thought she would fall for Su Yansheng, who was from the mainland?
Jiang Ruoqi didn't know much about her friend's husband, only that he had studied in Gangcheng for graduate school and later stayed to work. He came from a middle-class family with above-average means, but compared to Ada, it was a bit of a reach.
So before her parents agreed to the marriage, Ada had put up quite a fight, saying things like "Daddy, he's not some poor boy."
Fortunately, lovers eventually got married.
Jiang Ruoqi's gaze also followed Ada's into the room, landing on the best man standing beside the groom in a suit—taller and more slender.
His features were deeper than when he was younger, his profile clear and sharp, and his aloof eyes wandered, as if hiding a trace of boredom and impatience.
Jiang Ruoqi's eyes curved. Through the crowd, her interest suddenly piqued.
Ada was still chattering, mentioning something and calling Jiang Ruoqi twice without a response. When she turned and saw her staring at someone, a sudden inspiration struck.
She knew Jiang Ruoqi well enough; this reaction clearly meant she had spotted a "fish" she wanted to hook.
"Who are you eyeing?"
Ada stopped talking, tilted her head, and leaned close to Jiang Ruoqi, her matchmaking instincts stirring: "You've been single for a while. Young and beautiful, it's time for another relationship! Come on, who is it? I'll set you up right now!"
Sophia was still puzzled, but Jiang Ruoqi pursed her lips and smiled, unabashedly pointing her chin in the direction of the person she was looking at.
The gesture was not subtle; a few strands of hair fell from behind her ear, tracing an ambiguous arc. And the subject, Jiang, spoke with a clear voice tinged with teasing, making it impossible to tell if she was genuinely interested.
"I've got my eye on your best man."
"That guy, called... Meng Shang, right?"