Chapter Forty-Nine: Right and Wrong Are Difficult to Distinguish

I felt my head being patted while I was still dazed. I raised my heavy head to look, and the first thing I saw was Yang Xiaoyu’s long purple hair and her look of surprise.

"What's with that expression? Have you seen a ghost?" I wiped the corner of my mouth, rubbed my eyes, and looked around.

"Yes, I saw a ghost. It was terrifying," Yang Xiaoyu said with a laugh, waving her new handbag in front of me. She then set the bag on the table and began putting on her coat.

"You have no respect for your elders," I muttered, casually pulling out my phone. It was already five o'clock. The screen displayed one unread message.

I opened it; it was from Heroine Luo: "I want to eat fried chicken legs tonight."

"Got it," I replied briefly, then stood up and stretched my body.

By then, Yang Xiaoyu had finished changing. She walked up to me, did a quick spin, and asked, "How do I look?"

"Great."

"Tch. You don't sound sincere at all." Yang Xiaoyu pouted, then grabbed her bag, pushed open the shop door, and stepped out.

I followed her out of the cold drink shop. After locking up, I called Sister Shi Yu.

Sister Shi Yu's voice was as gentle as ever: "Chenzi."

"Sister, I'm back in Yichun. I'd like to treat you to dinner tonight. Are you free?" Actually, I felt quite guilty. I hadn't called her the moment I returned, so asking her out now felt like a request with an ulterior motive. Perhaps this lack of consideration would make her sad, given that she had always taken such good care of me.

"Hmm, of course. Where to?"

I thought for a moment and decided on the restaurant I had visited previously with Xiaoyu and Zhao Kewen. The food was good, and more importantly, I had always felt it was a pity that Sister Shi Yu couldn't join us that time.

"Alright. Wait until I get there, and then we'll have a good talk about how you've been treating me..." Shi Yu said in a convoluted way before hanging up.

I gave a dry laugh. Her words sent a shiver down my spine. She was definitely still bothered by it... This felt like the precursor to my punishment.

I called Su Xuefei next to give her the location, asking her to try not to bring little Ya along. Since we were going to be singing later, it wasn't really a place for a child. On second thought, what I was doing was quite excessive. Little Ya had no parents by her side and was clinging to the Goddess Su, yet I was casting this cute little girl aside for the sake of a dinner...

But that is reality. When you have to make a choice, you must make it. Whether it is right or wrong is a matter for the future. If you aren't decisive, you cannot make a choice at all.

After hanging up, Yang Xiaoyu and I took a taxi to the restaurant early. While in the car, she didn't forget to tease me: "It was supposed to be a candlelight dinner, but now it's turned into a family gathering. Boss Yang, aren't you going to give me a raise? Otherwise, Angel Fish is going to be penniless for the rest of the month."

After arriving at the restaurant and choosing a private room, we didn't rush to order. Seeing a deck of cards on the table, we decided to shuffle them and play a game of high-card draw.

***

About half an hour later, Su Xuefei arrived. What I found incredible was that the Goddess Su actually knocked on the door before entering.

She was wearing a pristine white cotton jacket tonight, with the white scarf I had given her wrapped around her neck. Her beautiful eyes were slightly misty, and tiny droplets from melted snow still clung to her long eyelashes. Her waist-length hair rested softly against her back, and her flawless, fair face was flushed from the cold weather. She looked incredibly pure, like an elf from the ice and snow.

Yang Xiaoyu was stunned to see Su Xuefei standing in the doorway, staring blankly for a long time. I quickly stood up to offer my seat, telling Su Xuefei to sit down and ease her awkwardness.

"This is Yang Xiaoyu, a very free-spirited girl and my former right-hand woman. This is Su Xuefei, my goddess from high school. We were classmates and are now good friends." I introduced the two women briefly and then sat down next to Su Xuefei. Yang Xiaoyu stuck her tongue out at me playfully before proactively extending her hand.

Seeing this, I seemed to realize something and quickly tugged on the Goddess's sleeve. She seemed to understand my intention, yet she still extended her small hand with a slightly stiff expression, shook hands with Yang Xiaoyu, and quickly pulled away.

Yang Xiaoyu looked at me with confusion, and I could only offer a helpless, bitter smile, hoping she would understand my predicament.

"Yang Chen..." Su Xuefei gently tugged on my finger and whispered, "Let's go back early. I'm afraid little Ya will be scared if it gets too late."

Although Yang Xiaoyu appeared distracted, her ears were sharp; she seemed to have heard Su Xuefei's words and looked at me with even greater confusion. At that moment, I had no explanation.

"Um... Goddess sister," Yang Xiaoyu said, shuffling the cards and placing them in front of Su Xuefei. "Since you're here, let's play Fight the Landlord. I hear Boss Yang is quite a pro at cards."

"Does Yang Chen like to play this?" Su Xuefei looked at the cards, lost in thought, then smiled slightly and declined. "It's a pity I don't know how to play. You two go ahead, I'll just watch from the side for a while."

"No... Fight the Landlord is a three-player game... we can't play with just the two of us." Yang Xiaoyu’s expression was no longer just confused; it was bordering on horror. "Brother Yang, I suddenly feel a bit dizzy. I want to go to the restroom. Could you come with me?"

I knew this girl must have had a stomach full of questions, and I was completely defeated by her clumsy excuse. What kind of excuse is "come with me to the restroom"?

Nodding helplessly, I followed Yang Xiaoyu out of the private room. As soon as we were outside, she pulled me toward the restroom.

"You weren't actually in a hurry, were you?"

"You're the one in a hurry!"

The moment Yang Xiaoyu stepped into the restroom, she looked at me with a dissatisfied and resentful expression: "Where did you dig up this fairy? Yes, I admit she's beautiful and worthy of the title 'Goddess.' But does a goddess have to be so cold and aloof? Look at that attitude—she acted like I was forcing her to know me. Even taking a step back, fine, even if a goddess must be aloof, shouldn't she be able to read the room? Boss Yang, you're saying..."

"Hold on, listen to me," I interrupted her barrage. "Feifei has that kind of personality. She's a bit guarded against strangers. It's already much better than it used to be, isn't it? At least she smiled at you."

"That's not the point! I didn't beg her to smile at me. I, Yang Xiaoyu, am not afraid of anything, so why should I have to suffer through this?" Yang Xiaoyu grew more agitated as she spoke.

Actually, it wasn't her fault. Normally, anyone in this situation would complain. But because I understood the Goddess Su, I couldn't blame her. None of us can fully understand someone's past or what they carry in their hearts. If we judge a person's entire character based on a single encounter, wouldn't that be too selfish?

"If you get to know her slowly, you'll find she is a very simple and kind-hearted girl. Once you're familiar with her, you'll feel she's actually very wonderful."

"Heh." Yang Xiaoyu turned her head away. "You haven't fallen for your high school goddess, have you?"

I shook my head.

"Good. Don't be upset by what I'm about to say. You can say she's kind, but I won't believe she's simple. I don't believe anyone can grow up without knowing what 'Fight the Landlord' is. Is she a child? Even children these days know that." Seeing that I remained silent, her tone softened slightly. "Boss Yang, I might have been too harsh. Don't take it to heart..."

"Yang Chen... there's another woman in the room. Do you know her?" Su Xuefei appeared at the door out of nowhere.

I looked up abruptly, thinking, *Oh no.* She must have heard the last few things Yang Xiaoyu said. But what could I do? Explain? What was there to explain? Two people who didn't know each other at all—just like her and Naonao before. Besides causing more misunderstandings and awkwardness, what good would an explanation do?

"It must be Sister Wenrou. I'll go back first." Seeing Su Xuefei appear, Yang Xiaoyu felt awkward and turned to walk out of the restroom directly.

Facing the Goddess Su, I truly didn't know what to say.

"Yang Chen... I'm sorry..."

I looked with surprise at Su Xuefei, who was keeping her head down and avoiding my gaze. I didn't know why she was apologizing: "What's wrong?"

"I know my appearance has caused you trouble. I think I should go back. Besides, I'm worried about little Ya being alone..." Su Xuefei looked up at me, her eyes red.

"What are you saying?" I walked over to her and gently held her shoulders. "You've already tried very hard, haven't you? Others don't understand you, but I do. Why apologize? You are you—you're Su Xuefei, and you're the Goddess Su in my heart. Why be sad because you can't adapt?"

"Yang Chen..." Su Xuefei leaned on my shoulder, her voice muffled.

"Alright, Feifei, be good. Don't cry. If you go back like this, everyone will think I did something to you." As I comforted her, I thought to myself: Su Xuefei wasn't wrong, and the social norms Yang Xiaoyu spoke of weren't wrong either. When you're out in the world, you rely on friends, but in this world, there are those who are slick and worldly, and those who are lonely and solitary. Are those who walk alone through the wind and snow necessarily wrong?

No one's personality is perfect. At the very least, in my eyes, Su Xuefei was just like a child who didn't understand the social skills that one must learn in society. But her heart was clear and transparent. And ironically, none of us possessed that same simplicity. If people change over time, I truly hope she never loses that current simplicity. Fitting into other people's worlds is important, but is it really the most important thing?

I also wondered if I had done something wrong. Was calling Su Xuefei over in the first place a grave mistake?