"We need to be more tolerant of each other than ordinary couples..."
"Seven, I still want to sit on the terrace."
Accompanied by the low, bluesy bass guitar, Ada sat on a barstool at the counter, chin in hand, voicing her dissatisfaction to Jiang Ruoqi for the nth time.
Jiang Ruoqi's lower back was also aching from the high stool, but she hadn't expected Ada to be the one coming. After a full day of meetings, there was no time to book a booth or a terrace at this trendy bar, so they had to settle for the counter seats.
"You need to reserve a week in advance," Jiang Ruoqi said, like a playboy who couldn't get a good spot and tried to badmouth the scenic area. "Besides, it's freezing outside. Even with heaters, it's useless."
Ada didn't say a word, just stared at Jiang Ruoqi with her big, beautiful eyes, silently accusing her.
"Oh, I really didn't expect it to be you." Jiang Ruoqi looked helpless. She dreaded Ada's persistent pestering the most.
"Hmph, you didn't expect me? What nice place were you going to take Sophia if she came?" Ada snorted, her Mandarin suddenly perfect when she was picking a fight.
Jiang Ruoqi thought for a moment, then said seriously, "A coffee shop, maybe. And I'd catch up on any major company news and gossip from when I was away."
What a terrifying workaholic.
Ada was speechless. Then she thought again—Sophia was hardly the gossiping type. Clearly, Jiang Ruoqi was just talking nonsense. Ada grew even more resentful. "If you want gossip, shouldn't you come to me?"
No, no, better not...
Jiang Ruoqi didn't dare say it out loud, but she felt that what she wanted to know definitely wasn't gossip about who was dating whom, or whose cat or dog had just given birth.
"Here, try this ham and melon. It's pretty good."
Jiang Ruoqi couldn't find a response, so she picked up a piece of melon wrapped in ham from the snack plate, rolled it in a bit of burrata cheese, and brought it to Ada's mouth.
Ada was still huffy. Normally, she would have jumped up, but today she was oddly calm. She glared at Jiang Ruoqi, then bit down, a small bulge appearing on her cheek as she chewed quietly, saying nothing more.
The one who usually made the most fuss was now silent—what could be more unsettling than that?
Jiang Ruoqi immediately gave in. She glanced up and lowered her voice. "How about you scold me a little? Your silence makes me anxious."
Ada slowly swallowed the last bite of melon and began to complain in her Hong Kong-accented Mandarin, "Now you're anxious? You told no one when you got the marriage certificate! You've only been back in the mainland a few months and you've already forgotten about us? Are we not friends anymore?"
"No, no! I've just been too busy to tell you! I swear, you two will always be my very best friends! Really!" Jiang Ruoqi hugged Ada's arm and swayed it back and forth—her usual way of showing weakness and making peace.
Ada was soft-hearted; without Sophia around, she couldn't hold out for three minutes. She clearly wasn't angry anymore, but still pretended to be awkward, reaching into her Birkin 30, which was being treated like a regular travel bag, to pull something out.
"Here, this is Sophia's wedding gift for you. She said because you weren't honest, this year's Christmas gift and wedding gift are combined into one. Only one."
"This deer head matches your fox figurine, right? You always liked this scent, but back then you said you had no partner, so buying it would be useless. Hmph, now you can finally use it, right?"
Under the dim lighting, the gift box was exquisitely wrapped, the dark-toned figure on it indistinct. Jiang Ruoqi had thought Sophia was still angry with her since she hadn't gone to make peace, but now Sophia had asked Ada to bring the gift.
She picked it up, gently stroked it, then set it down again. Suppressing the sudden sting in her nose, she still wanted to correct the character relationship: "I'm touched, but Lord George is the father of the Rose Duke. The deer head is a pair with Blonde, the leopard lady."
"Isn't that perfect? I've always felt Meng Shang's demeanor is pretty daddy."
Jiang Ruoqi was choked. It was a perfectly innocent conversation, but suddenly it had turned dirty.
Ada never thought before speaking. After a moment of reflection, she asked again, "Isn't there a peacock in this perfume set with a woody amber scent? What's her story? I remember that scent vividly. It smells extremely showy like a peacock spreading its tail. I always thought it was awful."
"The peacock is Lady Clara, Lord George's mistress. They have an illegitimate son named Radcliffe, the lion head." Jiang Ruoqi even kindly explained the rest of the character relationships.
Ada wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Forget it. Who cares who's with whom? This backstory just implies that the upper-class aristocratic circles are all messy—mistresses, illegitimate children, and flings. We're just buying perfume. Why bother figuring out such complicated relationships?"
Her Hong Kong accent was awkward, and she was getting thirsty from talking. She downed her cocktail in one gulp, making Jiang Ruoqi, a heavy drinker, frown.
Fortunately, the freshly mixed cocktail had a low alcohol content.
Jiang Ruoqi raised her hand and ordered two more from the bartender. "How's Sophia?"
"Just a common cold. Her fever had already gone down when I left. She can rest for a few days over the holiday." Ada picked up a piece of dried fruit, tore it into small pieces, and popped them into her mouth. "Don't worry. I told my Filipino maid to cook for her. I'll make sure she's well taken care of."
Jiang Ruoqi listened to Ada speak methodically, so different from her usual style, and grew curious. "It's only been two months since we last saw each other, but our Ada seems like a different person. So logical and organized. Are you and Sophia about to become the twin stars of the president's office?"
Ada didn't understand, so she only answered what she could. "Lose? I only win; I never lose!"
Jiang Ruoqi held her forehead and laughed. She felt she was thinking too much.
"Oh, right, and mine." Ada suddenly remembered and pulled out another exquisitely wrapped small box from her bag. "I know you don't like those flashy, useless plates, aromatherapy, or champagne glasses. So I picked something nice and practical for you. Open it and see!"
Jiang Ruoqi was skeptical. The one who loved to create atmosphere the most was clearly the person in front of her.
She opened the pink gift box, revealing a golden gleam.
Jiang Ruoqi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
It was understandable. She figured even the coldest person would find it hard not to laugh at that.
"Like it? This has a meaning: love is stronger than gold." Ada said, raising an eyebrow.
It was a solid gold rose ornament, about ten grams or so, and even the box felt a bit heavy in her hand.
"I like it. I like them all." Jiang Ruoqi took a deep breath. "Ada, thank you both."
"Don't mention it." Ada took the drinks from the bartender, pressed one into Jiang Ruoqi's hand, and then proactively clinked glasses. "Sophia and I both want you to be happy. Since you've chosen Meng Shang, we trust your judgment."
"Of course, if it doesn't work out, that's fine too. It was a temporary solution after all. If you can find love, go for it. If not, we're in Gangcheng. You can come back anytime."
The clinking of glasses, the sound of ice cubes hitting glass, and glass touching glass—all were drowned out by the saxophone melody.
This was a whiskey with a heavy peat flavor, which Jiang Ruoqi didn't particularly like. She nibbled on some dried fruit and nuts, but they didn't pair well with the drink.
Ada, on the other hand, was unusually quiet tonight. Her gaze drifted through the floor-to-ceiling window to the terrace, as if she really longed for the bone-chilling wind of Xinhai at night.