Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 152 - 105: First Blood, the Grudge of Two Lifetimes Ends Here (Please Subscribe, Vote for the Month)_2
"Bai, I remember you used to say you wanted to settle down in a big city like Modu, didn’t you?"
Bai Weixi was surprised Li Yuan even remembered that. Fearing he might think she was materialistic, she quickly explained, "My mom is from Jiangnan, and my maternal grandparents live in Sucheng, right next to Modu. After I was born, she often told me I should study here and settle down in the future. I’m her only daughter, so that way, I could also visit my grandparents..."
Li Yuan was slightly startled. He really hadn’t known about this. Bai Weixi’s mother is from Sucheng in Jiangnan? Then how did she end up marrying into a small city in Northern Anhui, thousands of miles away, just to be an ordinary middle school teacher? He knew the Jiangnan region fairly well. The economy there was developed and life was affluent—much better than in Northern Anhui. Local women rarely married men from other places, especially not from more underdeveloped areas. Moreover, from what Bai Weixi implied, it sounded like her mother meddled a lot in her life. He was beginning to understand a few things.
Li Yuan was curious. "How come you never mentioned this before?"
Bai Weixi forced a smile. "You never asked. Besides, it involves my maternal grandparents’ side of the family. My mom and her parents have a very unhappy relationship. She often cries about it and argues with my dad... I’ve only seen my grandmother three times in my entire life..."
An idea suddenly occurred to Li Yuan. Could Bai Weixi’s family background also be some kind of melodramatic urban drama? Zhong Tingyue has one, and now Bai Weixi too? No wonder they’re such good friends and roommates.
Just as he was about to ask for more details, a taxi finally pulled up. "The taxi’s here." Li Yuan took Bai Weixi’s hand and they got in.
"Sir, to Jiang—"
Li Yuan started to say "Jiangnan Garden" but caught himself. He remembered that Xia Zhijin also knew about that apartment. If he took Bai Weixi there, a total battleground could erupt in the future. He swallowed the words back down.
"Sir, please take us to Emerald Mansion."
...
Emerald Mansion was one of the three large, fully-furnished flats he had purchased, alongside his properties in Jiangnan Garden and Jinxiu Villas. Located near the bank of the river, it had a water view and spanned 148 square meters. He had paid 2.48 million yuan for it in full, making it even more expensive than his places in Jinxiu Villas.
Li Yuan had only visited this apartment once in the last half-month, so he wasn’t entirely sure of the way.
Bai Weixi gazed at the upscale apartment complex, her beautiful eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and envy.
Back home, her mother had often talked about how expensive property in Modu was. A place could easily cost one or two million yuan—an astronomical figure for an ordinary family. During their arguments, her parents occasionally mentioned their combined monthly salary, which was less than 4,000 yuan. Unlike some other teachers, they didn’t run private tutoring classes. After covering expenses for their family of three, there was hardly anything left. Buying a house in Modu was nothing more than a wild dream...
Bai Weixi’s heart ached with a touch of sadness. If Dad had managed to buy a house and settle down in Modu back then, maybe Grandma wouldn’t have cut ties with Mom.
She glanced at the tall Li Yuan beside her and shyly lowered her head, thinking, But if that had happened, I probably would never have met Li Yuan. The way things are now... it’s quite nice, too.
Bai Weixi followed Li Yuan as he wandered around Emerald Mansion for what felt like several laps. Seeing that he still hadn’t found the building, she asked in confusion, "Li Yuan, have you not found it yet?"
Li Yuan looked a little embarrassed. After buying the apartment, he had only come once during military training to do a bit of cleaning. He never came here otherwise, usually staying at Jiangnan Garden or Jinxiu Villas since they were closer to Daxia University. As for the two properties in Jinxiu Villas, he only ever went to the one registered in his parents’ names. That place was his true home.
Li Yuan was growing anxious. It was almost midnight. The night was fleeting, and every moment was precious. Once Bai Weixi’s tipsiness wore off completely, making a move would become infinitely more difficult.
"We’re almost there. It’s been a while, so I just forgot which building it is."
Bai Weixi asked shyly, "Li Yuan, you don’t come here often after buying it?"
Li Yuan subconsciously replied, "It’s a bit far from school, so I usually stay..." He stopped himself before he could finish, his eyes landing on a Garden Mansion marked with the number 20.
"This is it. Top floor, the 12th. Let’s go up."
...
The apartment was a spacious unit with four bedrooms, two living rooms, two kitchens, one bathroom, and an enormous open-air balcony.
Bai Weixi stared at this "mansion" from her dreams, feeling utterly incredulous. This is the kind of house I could only dream of, the kind my parents wouldn’t dare imagine affording... and Li Yuan bought it right after starting at Daxia University?
Li Yuan led Bai Weixi onto the balcony. "Bai, see that big river up ahead?"
Bai Weixi followed his pointed finger. Not far away, a great river flowed quietly, its banks lined with brilliant lights. All around them, the countless lights of the city sparkled, reflecting the prosperity and bustle of Modu...
With a hazy look in her eyes, Bai Weixi spread her arms to the summer wind. Bathed in moonlight, she murmured to herself, "It’s so beautiful here. Being here with the person you love, feeling the summer breeze, and admiring the moon... this has to be the happiest thing in the world."
Seeing Bai Weixi like this stirred a complex, indescribable feeling in Li Yuan. He suddenly felt that he had been truly useless and pathetic in his past life.
Money... I never earned enough. Work... I never accomplished anything. My salary and the occasional manuscript fee were all I had. After paying for daily expenses, the mortgage, and the car loan, there was almost nothing left. I was just scraping by, barely covering the basics.
