The Regret of the Green Plum, Su Bai's Gauze

"Oh, this? It's because Su Bai is so mature and outstanding, so I call him that. Don't you think having a brother like him would make life so much happier?" Wan Xinyan replied with a dreamy expression.

Her answer felt like a knife twisting in Jiang Qiuran's heart.

It was true—Su Bai had always been far more mature than his peers.

Not the cringey, try-hard kind of maturity… that would be his roommate Xue Tao’s style.

No, Su Bai had this effortless aura that made people feel at ease just being around him.

The reason Jiang Qiuran had felt like something was missing this past month since school started was precisely because Su Bai wasn’t there.

Back then, she had Su Bai—a friend who knew her inside out—to vent to whenever she was upset.

But now, that was gone.

The irony was that Jiang Qiuran had cut ties with Su Bai to "fish for bigger opportunities," sacrificing their emotional connection in the process.

Only to realize too late that Su Bai was the biggest catch of all.

Seeing Wan Xinyan’s eyes light up at the mere mention of Su Bai made Jiang Qiuran sick to her stomach.

Unable to hold back, she let a hint of sharpness slip into her tone: "Won’t his girlfriend mind you calling him ‘brother’ like that?"

"Hmm, not sure. But Su Bai doesn’t seem to care, and Yusheng is really easygoing—she even complimented my sister’s driving skills!"

"...Oh, really?"

Lunch ended.

Everyone returned to the hotel to rest.

Su Bai and Wang Haoran shared a room. The latter, brimming with energy and not one for naps, had temporarily grown bored of grinding games and was now watching anime with headphones on.

"Hey, Bai, want me to clear out so you can hang with your girlfriend?" Wang Haoran suggested.

"Nah, no need. Just resting up for the afternoon. After we tour the ancient town, I’m taking them to the lakeside villa."

"All four of them?"

"Obviously."

"Damn…"

Su Bai flopped onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.

Half an hour later, he woke up right on time, feeling refreshed.

Ever since his body had undergone enhancement, his sleep quality had improved drastically.

In a way, sleep quality was a direct reflection of one’s physical health.

For many people, the first sign of their body breaking down was the inability to sleep properly.

And Jiang Qiuran? She was clearly struggling.

She shared a standard room with Chen Yusheng.

That made sense—Wan Xinyan and Wan Xinyue were twins, after all.

But being alone with this cold, aloof academic overachiever left Jiang Qiuran feeling awkward.

After witnessing all their public displays of affection throughout the trip, she couldn’t help but seethe.

Her treasured childhood friend had been snatched away by this woman!

Jiang Qiuran wanted to be angry, but she couldn’t even muster the energy.

This mess was entirely her own fault—she’d played her cards horribly.

With that in mind, a mischievous idea began forming in her head.

She refused to just sit back and accept defeat.

Pulling out her phone, she switched to a rarely used alternate QQ account.

Truth be told, she and Su Bai had fought plenty of times back in middle and high school.

That was just how childhood friendships worked—countless arguments over the years. It was normal.

But Jiang Qiuran had too much pride to ever apologize first.

This QQ alt was their backup communication channel.

Whenever she wanted to reconcile, she’d post something vague or change her status—Su Bai would get the notification.

And so—

Just as Su Bai stretched by the window after waking up, his phone buzzed with a notification that made him pause.

Huh?

[ASUka] had just updated her status: 【Mango Sticky Rice】.

The username was a reference to Asuka from that classic anime.

Thinking she’s Asuka, huh? Well, guess that’s just tsunderes recognizing their own kind.

Su Bai found it amusing, but 【Mango Sticky Rice】 was their prearranged safe word.

It meant Jiang Qiuran was waving the white flag.

Not that it mattered now—they were already done.

Still, out of respect for Aunt Jiang’s years of kindness, he decided to humor her.

[FlakyWhiteGoose: Luckin Coffee, hotel lobby.]

He threw on some clothes and headed downstairs.

At Luckin, he grabbed a window seat and ordered two red velvet lattes.

Jiang Qiuran arrived shortly after.

"Sudden summons—what’s up?"

"...Can’t I just want to talk?"

"Sure, just didn’t want to ruin your carefully curated campus image."

Jiang Qiuran bit her lip. "Su Bai… are you still mad at me?"

"Nope. I just find being friends with you exhausting. Life’s been great without that baggage, so I’d rather not pick it back up."

"You—!"

Watching her face flush red, Su Bai burst into laughter. "Haha, sit down. Got you a red velvet latte."

"...Hmph."

Jiang Qiuran smoothed her skirt as she sat.

Today, she wore a lolita-style dress—though without the petticoat. More accurately, it was a lolita-inspired sundress that accentuated her slender figure.

No denying it—Jiang Qiuran radiated youthful charm.

Even though he saw her as one of the guys, purely from an attractiveness standpoint, Su Bai had to admit she was appealing.

Or as the meme went—Bro, you smell nice!

Clearly, she’d put effort into her appearance today.

Whenever multiple beautiful girls gathered, competition was inevitable—it was in their nature. Or as Xiaohongshu would say, "female rivalry."

Yay for girl-on-girl competition!

"Why here? You can afford Starbucks now, can’t you?"

Jiang Qiuran was beating around the bush.

What she really wanted to ask was how Su Bai had gotten so wealthy—but she was afraid of being mocked if she asked directly.

"Starbucks tastes like garbage. Price has nothing to do with it—I just prefer Luckin’s flavor." Su Bai sighed. "And this is exactly where you and Chen Yusheng differ. She judges things by experience, not price tags."

"Su Bai, you—!" Jiang Qiuran’s chest heaved with anger. "If you’ve got a problem with me, just say it!"

"Me? Qiuran, you’re the one with issues. Back at driving school, I gave you a few pointers, and you blew up like that? Please—you were just looking for an excuse to cut me off. Guess our friendship wasn’t as important as your gold-digging plans."

Su Bai’s tone turned uncharacteristically sharp, each word striking deep.

Jiang Qiuran froze.

He… he knew everything!

Flustered, she stammered, "Su Bai, don’t misunderstand, I—"

"No need to explain. You’re free to craft whatever persona you want and chase whatever life you desire."

Pausing, Su Bai smirked. "We’re just childhood friends. I don’t like you that way, and I’ve never wanted to be your boyfriend."

"If anything, you betrayed our friendship first. The only reason I’m sitting here is out of respect for Aunt Jiang, who’s looked after me all these years. I promised her I’d watch out for you—that’s basic decency."

"Whether I forgive you or what I think of you? That’s my call. Not yours to dictate."

A barrage of mockery left Jiang Qiuran utterly humiliated.

Even she, who was always sharp-tongued, couldn’t help but show a hint of surrender in front of Su Bai:

"Su Bai, I was wrong… I’m sorry…"

"Good that you know it!"

With that, Su Bai stood up and walked away with a cool demeanor.

He took both cups of red velvet latte with him.

The other cup, of course, wasn’t for Jiang Qiuran—it was ordered for Chen Yusheng.