Chapter 14: A Hard-Fought Battle

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The day Lu Manman returned, Si Mingming drove her battered little car to the airport to pick her up. From a distance, she saw a "snake spirit" approaching, revealing a glimpse of a beautifully slender waist. As soon as she reached Si Mingming, she wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her fiercely. Si Mingming desperately dodged, but in the end, Lu Manman held her tightly and planted several solid kisses on her cheek.

"Lu Manman, are you crazy?" Si Mingming wiped her face and pushed her away, while Lu Manman laughed out loud. "Look at you! I’m not trying to have a lesbian relationship with you!"

Si Mingming glared at her, then looked her over from head to toe. Although Lu Manman often sent photos and videos, they never quite captured the full picture. Now, her good friend stood right in front of her, radiating sunlight, vibrant and unrestrained. Even Si Mingming’s iron heart warmed, and finally she opened her arms and embraced her.

"Don’t pretend with me!" Lu Manman said. "Hurry up and take me out to eat! I’m craving it!"

"Let’s go! Lele and Yiyi are already waiting there!"

They were headed to the Xinjiang restaurant near their old high school, reputed to be the best Xinjiang cuisine in Beijing. Back then, after school, they often went to eat skewers of red willow charcoal-grilled meat and hand-pulled noodles, washed down with a bottle of soda, then happily went home to burn the midnight oil doing homework. Later, that restaurant became famous and opened chain stores, so now you had to queue to get a table.

On the way there, Lu Manman’s phone kept ringing. Si Mingming asked, "Is that your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend? Zero to eight," Lu Manman joked. She had no concept of boyfriends or not. She just pursued happiness—together if it fit, apart if not. Lu Manman never wasted her energy on men; her demeanor was much like her name—like a wealthy young lady from the Republican era, seeing through the world with a certain clarity.

"By the way, the good thing I promised to bring you, I’ll give it to you as soon as my luggage arrives! I picked it carefully!" Lu Manman hyped it up: "Realistic feel, delicate texture, many modes..."

Si Mingming teased, "Do you think I’m dead to want that?"

Lu Manman immediately widened her eyes. "Are there any alive?"

Si Mingming laughed out loud. When she was with her close friends, she was a different person—happy and bold. Heaven was kind to let someone like her have two lifelong friends. But it seemed that having these two friends exhausted all her luck; since then, she never had anyone she could truly call a close friend. All her relationships were as fluid as water; maintaining gentlemanly friendships was already a rare feat.

Her air conditioning still wasn’t fixed, and the scorching sun outside baked the inside of the car. Lu Manman tapped the air vent and said, "Si Mingming, where does your money go?"

"No time to fix it."

"I mean, can’t you get a better car? You’re a female executive after all..."

"Middle management," Si Mingming corrected her, "I’m not an executive."

"Middle management driving this junk?"

"My boss drives a little electric car to work."

"Your company must have a lot of weirdos."

"Probably none of them care about appearances."

Si Mingming really had no desire for these things. The company shuttle left early, and since she wanted to sleep a bit longer, she borrowed the car that Nie Rushuang had discarded. The car was over ten years old, clearly outdated amidst the ever-changing streets of Beijing. Sometimes when she was in line waiting, many cars would try to squeeze her out, probably thinking she was poor and weak and wouldn’t demand much compensation if they accidentally scratched her car.

When they arrived, Zhang Lele had already saved them seats and dishes began arriving one after another. Yiyi had fallen asleep in her stroller, her little legs dangling over the side like lotus roots. Though Lu Manman was against marriage and having children, she adored other people's kids. She kept pinching Yiyi’s feet, making playful sounds: "Oh my! What’s this texture? So chubby and fun!"

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"Fun? Then go have one yourself," Zhang Lele teased her.

"You could have another one and give it to me," Lu Manman draped an arm around Zhang Lele’s shoulder. "How about it, Ms. Zhang Lele? You seem quite enthusiastic about having children. Tell your Bai Yang to try harder and have another."

"Nonsense!" Zhang Lele playfully pushed Lu Manman away, but Lu Manman wouldn’t let go and kept pestering her about her next baby-making plan.

Zhang Lele was definitely not planning another child; Yiyi had already drained all her energy. Though she was working hard to regain her pre-pregnancy fitness, sometimes she still saw fatigue in the mirror. Bai Yang had hurried back this time and finally had a truly thorough encounter after childbirth.

But something had changed.

Zhang Lele used to have abundant vitality and didn’t need much encouragement; her love alone was enough to prepare herself. But that day was different. Bai Yang spent a long time trying to stimulate her, with only initial success. In the end, Zhang Lele opened a drawer and used the lubricant Lu Manman had gifted her.

Perhaps it was just too exhausting.

After giving birth, she felt more distant from Bai Yang. His job kept him on frequent business trips. Every time he came home, she was eager to prove her charm, trying again and again, all in vain. This time Bai Yang regained enthusiasm, but hers seemed to vanish in an instant.

Since Lu Manman had just returned, Zhang Lele didn’t want to bring up such depressing topics at the table. They talked a lot about their high school days, and Lu Manman asked about the question that had puzzled her for years: "Tell me, what was actually written in that letter Ye Jingqiu gave you? The day we rode our bikes to Changping County."

Ye Jingqiu...

Si Mingming smiled without speaking.

"Can’t get it out, huh?" Lu Manman snorted. "Anyway, I saw him hand you the letter."

"I didn’t read it. I tore it up and threw it in the trash in Changping County. Didn’t you see it?"

"I don’t believe you, Si Mingming, you sly old fox." Lu Manman went back to pinching Yiyi’s feet. Old stories were just that: which teacher or classmate had done what, reminiscing and sighing. Then they moved on to the present.

Lu Manman showed great interest in Si Mingming’s newlywed husband and insisted on dragging Si Mingming to the Su Jingqiu Bar for a while.

Si Mingming, who hated the noise of bars, immediately shook her head and refused: "If you want to go, go alone. I’m not going."

"Then take me to the door at night."

"Okay."

After dinner, they accompanied Zhang Lele and Yiyi to the amusement park. Three adult women with a drooling, adorable little girl made quite the sight. A little boy suddenly ran over to Yiyi, shouting, "Sister! Sister!"

They all looked over and saw the man behind the boy.

Zhang Lele recognized the boy and his father and smiled. The man returned the smile and followed the children’s footsteps. The amusement park required going up and down a lot. Yiyi was small and kept stumbling; Zhang Lele had to keep steadying her. Crawling through the rides required bending over. Zhang Lele wasn’t short, but the man was tall. Yet he remained patient and never raised his voice once.

Zhang Lele thought of Bai Yang. If Bai Yang were at the amusement park, could he be this considerate and proper? Lu Manman and Si Mingming, standing near the slide, kept their eyes on Zhang Lele. Although she pretended to be happy, they could tell she was not. But they didn’t say anything. Sometimes leaving room between friends isn’t a bad thing.

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Lu Manman, blunt as ever, quietly complained to Si Mingming: "I just can’t stand that idiot Bai Yang. From the first time I met him, I was annoyed. Over the years, I’ve barely tolerated him for Zhang Lele’s sake. If he ever bullies Lele, I swear I’ll skin him alive." Then she thought a moment: "Well, maybe I won’t get the chance—maybe you’ll be faster than me!"

Si Mingming avoided the topic but reminded her: "When we get to Su Jingqiu Bar, don’t mention me."

"Have you two slept together or not?" Lu Manman pressed.

"Eventually."

"Tsk, tsk," Lu Manman sighed. "If his brain were any smaller, you’d have wrapped him around your finger by now!"

Si Mingming couldn’t argue further and drove her to the bar. She didn’t actually know the bar’s name; she’d just glanced at a review app and picked one based on its name style. She parked across from the bar and checked the time; it was still empty, and her husband was probably at home getting ready. Lu Manman’s rowdy friends arrived, and as soon as they got out of the car, they hurried Si Mingming away.

Back home, Si Mingming ran into Su Jingqiu, who was about to go out. She pointed at his mouth and asked, "Pretty bad, huh? Still not healed?"

Su Jingqiu still couldn’t remember who bit him. Whenever Si Mingming mentioned it, he got inexplicably angry. Plus, he felt guilty about his uncontrollable body. And with Si Mingming looking at him meaningfully, he felt he’d left some leverage in her hands.

He left quickly. Si Mingming followed him to the elevator and, thinking of how troublesome Lu Manman could be, felt sorry for Su Jingqiu.

That night, the bar was rented out entirely.

The woman in charge was very influential; her friends went wild drinking. Not only did they drink themselves crazy, but they also insisted the bar staff drink too. The woman strode up to Su Jingqiu, wrapped her arms around his neck, and asked, "You’re the boss, right?"

"You’re Su Jingqiu?"

Su Jingqiu had run the bar for many years and had seen all kinds of people. Usually, an opening like that meant trouble. He wasn’t afraid of trouble, so he nodded. "Yes, I’m the boss. What’s your name?"

"Call me Sister Man." Lu Manman squeezed his arm a little harder. "Come on, have a drink with Sister Man."

Su Jingqiu thought, "Sister Man, huh? After a few shots of this cat’s piss, you forget your place." Before drinking with Lu Manman, he warned the waiter: "When the bill comes, I don’t care if they leave or not. Keep an eye on that woman for me."

"Boss, I think they’re going to cause trouble."

What’s there to fear from trouble? Su Jingqiu had smashed up this bar twice himself. Hands in his pockets, he went to Lu Manman, grabbed a glass, and drank it in one go. His mouth still hurt, and after finishing, he hissed and asked Lu Manman:

"How do you want to drink? You tell me!"