Chapter 18: As if No One Else Were His Friend

Lin Jie had never intended to develop any deep emotional connection with Ye Mo.

He was a pragmatic person, fully aware of the vast chasm that lay between them. Unlike other young men of his age, filled with dreams and brimming with confidence in their futures, Lin Jie could clearly see the endpoint of his own life... and it wasn't much.

He had no illusions of one day catching the eye of a rich and beautiful woman, nor did he entertain the foolish fantasies that could make him lose sight of who he was.

But now, the very issue he had so often tried to avoid stood starkly before him.

A rich and beautiful woman had indeed appeared in his life, and it just so happened to coincide with a time when his love life was in utter disarray.

Lin Jie felt as though he were dreaming, but the soft warmth of the girl beside him reminded him that this was, in fact, reality.

He liked to pride himself on being clear-headed, and for the most part, he was. Except right now. The alcohol had certainly gotten to him, clouding his mind. He downed one drink after another, abandoning all pretense, stretching out his legs over the barstool, laughing with reckless abandon.

And, emboldened by the alcohol, he brazenly wrapped his arm around Ye Mo.

Ye Mo blinked her curious eyes, watching him closely. His smile, wild and out of character, intrigued her.

She couldn't help but laugh along.

They played dice, rock-paper-scissors, the classic "15-20" drinking game, and even joined in with the DJ for a while.

Lin Jie was utterly swept up in the chaos, but soon the alcohol hit him hard, and he found himself needing the restroom. Naturally, a VIP client like him was well-attended, with staff escorting him through the crowd. Ye Mo, however, didn't follow.

As Lin Jie stumbled off, Ye Mo's once intoxicated and slightly dazed expression grew sharper.

From her handbag, she casually retrieved a slim case of women's cigarettes. When a male server eagerly approached to light her cigarette, she waved him off, lighting it herself. She leaned back in the booth, crossing her legs, her expression serene as she watched the DJ spin the crowd into a frenzy, exhaling a slow, languid stream of smoke. Whatever thoughts stirred behind her distant gaze, only she knew.

Lin Jie wouldn't be back anytime soon, not with how violently he was vomiting in the bathroom.

And so, Ye Mo found herself accosted by a steady stream of men, all vying for her attention.

It disgusted her.

Before the alcohol had taken over, perhaps these men would have had the sense to avoid embarrassing themselves. But now, caught up in the atmosphere and dulled by drink, they lacked restraint.

"Hey beautiful, care for a drink? I'll treat you…"

"You'll treat me? How about a set of Dragon's Supreme champagne?"

"You're so gorgeous…"

"And you're painfully ugly."

"Hey, babe—"

"Get lost."

The more men approached, the more irritated Ye Mo became. Suddenly, she found herself missing Lin Jie... where had that brat disappeared to? Died in the bathroom, perhaps?

Just as she was about to go find him, she noticed Lin Jie's phone lighting up on the bar.

At first, she had no intention of picking it up, but curiosity got the better of her when she saw the sheer number of missed calls. Sighing, she decided to answer.

It was a video call.

The screen flickered to life, and soon a delicate, elegant face appeared on the other end.

Ye Mo blinked in surprise, then grinned. Well, well… looks like the kid had someone worried about him, and she wasn't half-bad looking either.

"Hello, hello!"

The caller was Su Jiayu, who had been in a foul mood ever since Lin Jie declined to join her on a trip. Her frustration only worsened after hearing from her mother that Lin Jie had gone out with another girl — a beautiful one at that. That knowledge left her stewing at home, too upset to even go out shopping.

What made it worse was that Lin Jie hadn't been responding to her messages. She had tried calling him, but he hadn't picked up once.

Her anger only fueled her persistence, and she kept calling, determined to make him answer.

Finally, he had — or rather, someone had.

The video was dark, accompanied by the thumping bass of club music. Su Jiayu's heart sank, her face going pale... she knew this atmosphere all too well. She had been to places like this before.

Lin Jie was at a nightclub.

Why?

And who was this woman?

Why was Lin Jie in a nightclub, and why was this strange woman answering his phone? A barrage of questions swirled in Su Jiayu's mind, making her dizzy with unease.

As if to add insult to injury, the woman on the other end greeted her with an infuriatingly chipper, "Hello, hello!" It nearly made Su Jiayu boil over with rage.

"Who are you?!" she demanded, her voice shrill and breaking.

"Me?" Ye Mo casually began walking toward the bathroom, Lin Jie's phone in hand. "Who are you? Why do you care who I am?"

"I-I'm…" Su Jiayu faltered. Who was she, really?

A classmate? A friend?

Neither title justified her level of distress, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling this way.

Distress?

Su Jiayu's eyes filled with uncertainty. She realized, with startling clarity, that she was acting exactly as Lin Jie had that night when he had lost his cool. And for the first time, she understood the emotions he had been battling.

"Who are you?" Ye Mo asked again, this time with a tinge of impatience.

Sheesh, was this girl in love with Lin Jie or something?

"I'm his… I'm his friend," Su Jiayu replied, her earlier intensity fading.

"Friend? Then why do you care what he's doing? I know his uncle, I'm his friend too," Ye Mo said with a scoff. Ha, a friend? As if that mattered. Who wasn't his friend these days?

She knew his uncle?

Su Jiayu's face turned even paler.

How had things come to this? Was Lin Jie trying to get back at her? When had he met this woman? And after all this drinking, what were they going to do next?

Her thoughts spiraled, her anxiety rising as she gazed at the woman in the video. Though the lighting made it hard to see her face clearly, it was obvious she was beautiful.

"Is there anything else?" Ye Mo asked, her tone sharp.

"No… nothing else. I was just worried about him."

"There's no need. He's doing just fine with me."

And with that, Ye Mo ended the call.