Chapter 047: You Are the Best, A-Yao

Jiang Yao stood by the roadside, unable to shake off the image of He Yunqing from her mind.

A Lamborghini slowly pulled up in front of her.

Cheng Yanchi lowered the window, resting his hand on the frame as he leaned out to look at her. “Hey.”

Startled, Jiang Yao snapped out of her trance, pressing a hand to her chest as she looked at Cheng Yanchi.

“Get in,” Cheng Yanchi said, tapping his finger on the car door.

Jiang Yao glanced down at her dirty clothes, then at the expensive luxury car, and shook her head.

“If you don’t get in, are you planning to walk back?” Cheng Yanchi frowned. “Do you really think I’d let you walk all the way home?”

Resigned, Jiang Yao circled the car and got into the passenger seat.

Cheng Yanchi started the car and drove for a while without saying a word.

Jiang Yao pulled at her clothes, doing her best not to let the ink stains touch any part of the car, remaining silent as well.

After a long stretch of quiet, Cheng Yanchi couldn’t hold back any longer. “Yao.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Yao turned from gazing out the window to look at him.

“Do you really like that pretty boy?”

The sudden question left Jiang Yao speechless. The memory of that earlier kiss flashed before her eyes once more.

She pressed her lips together involuntarily. “You’re talking nonsense out of nowhere.”

Cheng Yanchi let out a dismissive snort. “You like that pretty boy.”

This time, his tone was utterly certain.

“Hey, Cheng Yanchi, can you just—”

“Can you stop saying one thing and meaning another?” Cheng Yanchi interrupted, suddenly agitated. He repeated, “You like He.”

Jiang Yao fell silent, turning her head to the window, gazing into the pitch-black night and the scenery flashing by, retreating into deep silence.

The question of whether she liked him or not—until today, she had never considered it.

For her, merely surviving had already consumed all her strength. She had no right to ponder who she liked or didn’t like. She could never have a pink-tinted dream like other girls.

Her dreams had been painted in black and white ten years ago.

Cheng Yanchi heard nothing from her, but he could feel the sorrow and resignation welling up from her very soul.

He regretted his earlier insistence, wondering if he’d pushed too hard on a subject that should have been left alone.

“Yao.” This time his voice was soft.

Jiang Yao bit her lip, neither looking back nor answering.

“I saw him kiss you.”

Her fists clenched, and she whipped around. “Cheng Yanchi, must you talk to me about this?”

His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “I just want you to know—you’re the best, Yao.”

She hadn’t expected that from Cheng Yanchi. All the sadness lodged in her throat, neither able to swallow nor cry out.

“What do you know?” Jiang Yao turned away, her eyes suddenly red.

“There’s nothing I don’t know.” Cheng Yanchi’s voice was so low it was barely audible even to himself.

He took a deep breath, staring into the darkness ahead. “Yao, you deserve the best. No matter who it is, you are worthy.”

Jiang Yao let out a sudden laugh, tears sparkling in her eyes—whether she was laughing at Cheng Yanchi or at herself, even she wasn’t sure. “Only you and Ye Yiyi would think that.”

“Well, that’s because we’re your friends.” Cheng Yanchi donned his usual devil-may-care attitude, saying in the lightest tone what he meant most seriously. “If you like him, be with him. I won’t stop being your friend.”

“As if it’s just that easy, as if I could be with anyone I wanted,” Jiang Yao replied with a small smile.

She suddenly realized that in saying so, she had unwittingly admitted to a feeling she herself hadn’t noticed before.

The car lapsed into silence once again.

“In any case, remember, I’ll always be on your side. If he ever breaks your heart, come back and cry to me.”

Jiang Yao rolled her eyes and laughed drily. “Thank you, really. Could you wish me something better for once? By the way, why are you so hostile towards He Yunqing?”

“It’s a grudge,” Cheng Yanchi replied through gritted teeth.

Just hearing the name He Yunqing changed his expression completely.

“What grudge? Did he steal your girlfriend?” Jiang Yao cocked her head, genuinely curious. “No, with your personality, you’d chase any girl away yourself long before he could!”

He shot her a glare.

He didn’t think so. He was popular with girls too, wasn’t he?

“When I was a kid, I went to his family’s wretched hospital for an injection. I couldn’t hold it in—I cried from the pain,” Cheng Yanchi admitted, a little embarrassed.

Jiang Yao was puzzled. “And then?”

“He saw me and laughed.” Cheng Yanchi sounded stuffy.

“That’s it?” Jiang Yao’s face practically spelled out her speechlessness.

“What else do you expect?” Cheng Yanchi huffed indignantly. “A man can be killed, but not humiliated. He laughed at me like that—I let him off easy by not knocking his teeth out!”

Jiang Yao tried to stifle her laughter, tried and failed, and finally burst out laughing.

“You’re laughing at me too!” Cheng Yanchi shot her a glare.

Jiang Yao quickly suppressed her laughter, covering her mouth, clearing her throat. “I’m professionally trained—I don’t laugh unless…it’s truly funny…”

“Pff—” She couldn’t help it, laughing again.

When Jiang Yao got home, the place was shrouded in darkness—no lights on.

It seemed Ye Yiyi hadn’t come back yet.

Jiang Yao worried for her, dialing her number as she flicked on the lights.

Before the call connected, the lights revealed a sight that startled her.

Ye Yiyi was sitting alone by the balcony, legs dangling over the edge like a puppet, utterly motionless.

“Yiyi…” Jiang Yao called her name softly, approaching with care.

Ye Yiyi didn’t answer.

Growing more anxious, Jiang Yao knelt beside her, speaking gently, “Why are you sitting here in the dark?”

Like a robot, Ye Yiyi slowly turned her head to look at her. “Yao.”

“I’m here.”

“He Yunqing said he has someone he likes,” Ye Yiyi said blankly. “Who do you think it could be?”

Jiang Yao lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. “Yiyi, there’s something I need to tell you about He Yunqing. Actually, I—”

Ye Yiyi held up a hand to stop her. “I know everything.”

“You do?” Jiang Yao was surprised.

Ye Yiyi nodded. “He Yunqing doesn’t like me. So what? Who cares if he does?”

“Ah?”

Jiang Yao was stunned as Ye Yiyi pulled out her phone, showing her the screen. “Isn’t he handsome? His name is Luo Yixian. I just met him at the event tonight. He’s so talented and good-looking. As for He Yunqing—he’s already old news…”