But he looks really unhappy...

Time always changes many things imperceptibly.

By the time one suddenly realizes it, they are caught completely off guard.

Little Jin glanced with some dissatisfaction at her heavily made-up best friend beside her.

For some reason, meeting again after more than a year, she had suddenly become mean-spirited, speaking in a cynical and passive-aggressive tone.

And she was especially targeting Sister Gu Yue!

It was as if Sister Gu Yue wasn't her friend, but her enemy.

In their once inseparable trio, Sister Gu Yue had gotten into college, Youyou went out of state for work, and she herself had found a job at a bubble tea shop near her home.

Every time Sister Gu Yue came back for the holidays, she would come hang out with her.

Youyou, who worked out of state, rarely came back.

This year she finally managed to come back once, but upon inviting her out, they found she seemed like a completely different person.

Her words were full of thorns whenever she spoke to Sister Gu Yue.

What was supposed to be a highly anticipated girls' get-together ended up making everyone unhappy.

Thinking of this, Little Jin turned her head to look at Sister Gu Yue on the other side.

She realized that Sister Gu Yue had truly changed.

She no longer looked like she did in high school, where, like most girls at school, she dyed her hair, wore ear studs, and dressed up like a rebellious, alternative street girl.

Now, her skin was fair, her makeup light, and she wore thick, puffy clothes. A plaid scarf wrapped around the lower half of her face, and her slightly plumper cheeks made her look quiet and cute.

However, Little Jin knew very well.

Her Sister Gu Yue was not a quiet person at all.

Before, she was tough and active; now, she could be gentle and refined too.

She had evolved into a lively version of Sister Gu Yue who was both tough and gentle!

But perhaps Sister Gu Yue had also noticed that Youyou was constantly targeting her in every word she said.

So she was a bit heartbroken, which made her appear somewhat quiet.

Sigh.

Little Jin couldn't help but sigh softly in her heart.

Perhaps with Youyou turning out like this, she was the one who was the most heartbroken...

Right at this moment, Little Jin suddenly noticed Sister Gu Yue's dim eyes light up, like a streetlamp dispelling the gloom, radiating a vibrant aura.

In an instant, she seemed to turn back into that lively Sister Gu Yue.

Curious about what had caused such a sudden change in Sister Gu Yue, Little Jin followed her gaze.

Soon, she saw Lin Yu at the entrance of the mall.

Immediately after, she saw the few stunning beauties surrounding Lin Yu.

Among the three, she could only recognize Tang Manman. She had seen the other two beauties in their group chat but didn't know their names.

Rumor had it that those two great beauties were Lin Yu's rumored girlfriends.

Judging by their intimate state now, it didn't seem like just a rumor.

Little Jin froze for a moment, then immediately thought of Gu Yue beside her. She whipped her head around to look at her, only to find that the intense joy in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a hint of sadness.

Little Jin's heart sank. As Gu Yue's good friend, she naturally knew about Gu Yue's feelings for Lin Yu. In a slight panic, she wanted to pull Gu Yue away.

But unexpectedly, Lin Yu seemed to have a radar. He spotted Gu Yue, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face, and he excused himself from the three women to walk over.

"You're back?"

"Is your school on break now too?"

Lin Yu greeted her with a smile.

"I'm back!"

Sister Gu Yue nodded with a bright smile, though her smile looked a bit too perfect, like an actor in a commercial, so perfect that it felt deliberate.

"How were your finals?"

"You didn't fail any classes, did you?"

Lin Yu teased with a smile.

"Of course not!"

Gu Yue scoffed lightly and said proudly:

"I passed all my subjects, and I even took the CET-4."

"I haven't just been slacking off in college, you know~"

"Hahaha."

"Alright."

"You're better than me."

Lin Yu said with a laugh.

After a brief exchange, Lin Yu seemed ready to end this hurried encounter.

It was obvious he was still thinking about the three stunning beauties behind him. The smile on his face from the unexpected encounter faded as he said his goodbyes:

"Well then."

"I've still got things to do here."

"I'll hang out with you when I have time."

"Okay."

Gu Yue nodded emphatically, speaking in a cheerful tone.

Lin Yu turned and left, returning to the three women and walking away with them.

Little Jin looked at Sister Gu Yue.

As expected, the smile on her face had faded, replaced by a silent calmness as she quietly watched Lin Yu's retreating back.

"Heh."

Just as Little Jin realized Gu Yue was in a bad mood and was struggling with how to comfort her, Youyou, standing to the side, let out a laugh as if she couldn't hold it in.

Looking at Lin Yu's back, she said with profound amusement:

"I didn't expect the things they were saying in the group chat to actually be true?"

"Lin Yu is really cheating, juggling multiple boats, and he can still make these women coexist peacefully?"

"Impressive!"

After saying that, Youyou looked at Gu Yue beside her and said passive-aggressively:

"Gu Yue, don't you like him?"

"If you go confess your feelings now, he might not even say yes."

"Seeing him like this, he probably doesn't need you anyway."

"You!"

"..."

Hearing Youyou's mockery, which was like twisting a knife in Gu Yue's heart, Little Jin couldn't take it anymore. She was just about to stand up for Gu Yue.

But suddenly, she heard Gu Yue speak. Her voice was faint, as soft as a breeze, mixed with a hint of confusion and carrying a deep sadness.

This time, Little Jin heard it clearly.

The sadness in Gu Yue's tone didn't seem to be for herself.

She seemed to be feeling sad for Lin Yu.

"But he doesn't look very happy."