Chapter Five: Free Food and Drink

Sheng Jiaoyang stepped out with her pass, and the staff waiting outside gave her a surprised look.

"Wow~ she actually got a pass!" exclaimed the girl closest to the door.

A murmur rippled through the crowd of contestants behind her, all craning their necks to see what the pass holder looked like.

Those further back, their view blocked by the people in front, started shouting, "Who is it? Who is it?"

"Quiet!" a staff member snapped.

"Hey, how did you get the pass? Share your secrets!" a girl near the door grabbed Sheng Jiaoyang's arm, asking curiously.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at the girl, brushed her hand away, and turned to walk towards the exit without a word.

"Fine, don't tell me then. Why look down on me like that? Tch!" a girl's disdainful voice came from behind.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn't care about such comments. She herself didn't know the secret to getting the pass, and even if she did, she had no obligation to tell others.

Besides, she was hungry, very hungry!

She hadn't eaten breakfast and it was already past ten o'clock.

Strolling past roadside stalls, Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't stop; she simply couldn't force herself to eat at them.

When taking the subway, she chose Anyuan Plaza without a second thought—a place she frequented since returning to China.

Stepping out of the subway and seeing Anyuan Plaza's iconic fountain, Sheng Jiaoyang realized a very serious problem:

she was broke!

Anyuan Plaza, a multi-functional plaza built a few years ago, integrates shopping, leisure, office buildings, high-end residences, and international hotels. Located in a newly developed area, it boasts ample space, excellent landscaping, and robust security. It houses numerous international first- and second-tier luxury brands, as well as many mid-to-high-end domestic brands.

The food here is expensive; even a simple snack can cost tens of yuan.

Sheng Jiaoyang stopped, looking up sadly at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

Truly, even a penny can stump a hero!

Although the money in her pocket could temporarily cover her food, knowing it was the only large denomination bill in Xu Qing's wallet, she couldn't bring herself to do something as careless as spending it all on food.

Her stomach was growling, and after thinking for a moment, she decided to go home. Being so poor, she could only afford a bowl of instant noodles.

"Xu Jiaojiao?" Just as she turned to walk back to the subway station, a surprised voice called out from about a meter to her right.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn't initially realize it was her; she only glanced instinctively in the direction of the voice, only to see the young man staring at her before belatedly realizing who it was.

The person who called her was a well-dressed, well, polite young man, standing next to him was a girl with long, straight black hair. The young man looked complicated, while the girl was wary.

Had she run into her ex and his current partner?

Seeing this, Sheng Jiaoyang's first thought was that she had encountered someone with a past relationship with Xu Jiaojiao.

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

"Isn't it normal for girls to change a lot as they grow up?" Sheng Jiaoyang said calmly. She often had to deal with people who wanted to rekindle old flames but whom she didn't remember at all, so she wouldn't panic in this unexpected situation.

"Xu Qi, aren't you going to introduce her to her?" The girl next to her, holding onto the young man's arm, interjected.

"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 remember her boyfriend's cousin. She had seen a family photo in Xu Qi's phone album before, and in the photo, there was a girl standing next to Xu Qi who looked rather plain than him. She had asked Xu Qi about it then out of curiosity, and when she found out she was his cousin, she found it unbelievable that the handsome Xu Qi had such a cousin.

He's her cousin... Sheng Jiaoyang's eyes lit up, and a plan formed in her mind.

"Cousin, so this is my future sister-in-law! You're so inconsiderate, not introducing her to me first and making me feel rude 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, his usually taciturn cousin suddenly becoming so enthusiastic was quite a surprise.

The girl was also taken aback. Xu Qi had told her that this cousin was a bit of a bookworm, but since she hadn't met her before, 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 said affectionately, taking Zhang Aiyan's other arm. "Sister Aiyan, when did you and my cousin meet?"

Because Sheng Jiaoyang's demeanor was very natural, and she looked refreshing and pleasant, Zhang Aiyan didn't feel any wariness and instead felt more favorably towards her, naturally becoming closer to her.

Then, Xu Qi, who had originally planned to enjoy some alone time with his girlfriend, watched as she and her cousin started chatting. The conversation grew increasingly animated, seemingly unstoppable, and they even threatened to bring up his embarrassing confession. Xu Qi quickly interjected, "Let's find somewhere else. Standing here is tiring, and the sun is blazing."

"That's true, Sister Ai Yan must be thirsty after talking so much," Sheng Jiaoyang, who had been guiding Zhang Ai Yan's conversation, chimed in.

Zhang Ai Yan smiled at Sheng Jiaoyang, feeling even more fond of her considerate cousin.

After settling down in a cool dessert shop, Sheng Jiaoyang proactively asked Zhang Ai Yan about her preferences and then ordered food accordingly. This left Xu Qi, as her boyfriend, with no opportunity to demonstrate his boyfriend skills, relegated to the role of a mere bystander paying the bill.

"Sister Aiyan, you just mentioned that my brother came to confess to you with roses, but got splashed with mud by a passing car on the way. And then, he came to see you like this?" After ordering the food, Sheng Jiaoyang started urging Zhang Aiyan to talk again, her intimate attitude from beginning to end leaving no doubt that she was there to freeload.

Sheng Jiaoyang had the ability to approach anyone she wanted without any awkwardness, a skill she honed after living abroad. Back home, her reputation was ruined, leading to isolation from those around her. Abroad, she faced further isolation from foreigners. Unwilling to live in a small world forever, she gradually learned to be socially adept.

Of course, her nature was hard to change, and she couldn't be truly socially adept. She would only intentionally approach those she found agreeable or those with whom she had ulterior motives.

"Yeah, he just ran up to my dorm and confessed to me like that. It was the first time I'd ever seen him so disheveled, and I was really touched, so I said yes," Zhang Aiyan said with a smile, picking up where Sheng Jiaoyang left off.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at Xu Qi. This guy's got some tricks up his sleeve. He acts all high and mighty in front of girls, then gets all disheveled for the confession, making the girls feel like they're being treated specially. Girls would feel guilty if they didn't say yes.

Xu Qi received a sidelong glance from his cousin, his face expressionless. He didn't know what expression to wear. In just a short while, his girlfriend and her cousin had hit it off immediately, not just sharing details of the confession, but even details of their first date.

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

After filling her stomach, Sheng Jiaoyang smiled contentedly, her eyes crinkling. While Zhang Aiyan paused to drink water, she suggested, "Aiyan, let's go shopping! You're so pretty and have such a great figure, you'll look good in anything."

"Speaking of figure, how can I compare to you? Your figure is better than a model's! Your brother…" Zhang Aiyan glanced at Xu Qi with a smile, "...isn't even as tall as you!" She then covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Height isn't a problem, looks are what matter," Xu Qi couldn't help but defend herself.

"But I think your cousin is much prettier than you," the honest girl immediately retorted, contradicting her boyfriend's boast.

Xu Qi looked up at the sky with a sense of utter despair… Life is short enough, why rub salt in someone's wounds?

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

The beautiful girlfriend and the tall, short-haired girl walking hand-in-hand ahead looked more like a couple. Xu Qi regretted it; she shouldn't have called her cousin when she recognized her. Now, her girlfriend had been snatched away.

Meanwhile, the two girls in front of them were already chatting about skincare. Zhang Aiyan giggled, amused by Sheng Jiaoyang's witty compliments.

Truly worthy of being the school beauty; even her laughter was melodious. But Xu Qi wasn't happy at all, because it was someone else who had amused his girlfriend! Someone else!

Xu Qi glared resentfully at his cousin's back—who had better grades, was taller than him, and now even more beautiful—and decided he'd definitely find out her whereabouts before their next date. "

Why are you, a girl, so good at flirting?" he thought

. Sheng Jiaoyang, oblivious to Xu Qi's thoughts, had already led Zhang Aiyan into a cosmetics store.