Chapter 56 Scheme[Part 2]

10:17 AM:

[Ah-Zhi: Look, here's a photo of us on the swings when we were kids. Remember how we promised to be best friends forever?]

[Ah-Zhi: [Photo]]

1:09 PM:

[Ah-Zhi: What's your relationship with Su Ning? Why is everyone saying you like her?]

2:24 PM:

[Ah-Zhi: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have questioned you. It's just hard for me to accept someone else becoming more important to you than me. I don't want to lose you as a friend.]

5:54 PM:

[Ah-Zhi: Yi-Gege, let's visit the orphanage this weekend. The director is sick—it's true, I'm not lying.]

Evening:

[Ah-Zhi: Talk to me~ I really know I was wrong. I promise I won't be mean to you again!]

7:40 PM:

[Ah-Zhi: Please reply to me, I'm begging you.]

Xia Qiuzhi had never felt so desperate. In the past, it was always Zhou Yi sending messages to cheer her up, doing things for her. Now, the tables had turned. By the time he read her last message, he felt it was enough.

[Zhou Yi: Got it. Just let me know when.]

As soon as Zhou Yi sent his reply, Xia Qiuzhi responded instantly.

[Ah-Zhi: Do you have to be so cold? You weren't like this before. You used to care for me so much, Yi-Gege. Can't we go back to how things were?]

[Zhou Yi: It's better if we keep some distance. I don't want Wang Xuan to get upset over nothing. If you two fight because of me, it'll be my fault.]

[Ah-Zhi: You know about him?]

[Zhou Yi: I saw his social media posts. There's no point fighting over me. You two should focus on each other. I genuinely wish you both happiness, now and in the past.]

Wang Xuan, that manipulative and seemingly innocent guy, used to talk to Xia Qiuzhi in exactly the same way—pretending to be jealous of Zhou Yi to make her comfort him. He also loved stirring up trouble, often making her angry at Zhou Yi. Over time, she grew increasingly annoyed with her childhood friend.

Now, Zhou Yi intended to give Wang Xuan a taste of his own medicine. Playing psychological games? He could do that too.

[Ah-Zhi: What right does he have to be upset? We've been friends for years. If he's petty enough to get jealous, that's his problem. Relationships don't last long with men like that.]

See how double standards work. Before, it was Zhou Yi who was considered the problem—the ungenerous one. Now, the roles were reversed.

[Zhou Yi: Why don't you arrange a meeting with him? The three of us can sit down and talk. I still consider him a brother, but being stuck between you two isn't easy for me.]

[Ah-Zhi: Okay~ Let's have dinner together after visiting the director this weekend.]

[Zhou Yi: Sure, but check with him first. He might not want to join us. If he feels uncomfortable, forget it.]

Zhou Yi's words were deliberately planting seeds of doubt. Any sign of displeasure from Wang Xuan would lead Xia Qiuzhi to resent him.

Xia Qiuzhi called Wang Xuan. "This weekend, Yi-Gege and I are visiting the orphanage to see the director. Afterward, let's all have dinner together."

Her tone was soft, but Wang Xuan remained unhappy. Ever since Zhou Yi became more attractive, Xia Qiuzhi had seemed distracted, her gaze toward him changing subtly. Worse still, he noticed she had sent Zhou Yi numerous messages, none of which he replied to, yet she persisted like a lovesick puppy.

He couldn't stand the thought of his girlfriend being so proactive with another man—even if that man was her childhood friend. Previously, he had done everything possible to drive a wedge between them because he disliked Zhou Yi. Perhaps Xia Qiuzhi didn't realize just how intimate she acted around him.

When upset, she pinched Zhou Yi's ear and scolded him. When sad, she vented to him, crying pitifully. When happy, she proudly showed off her new dress, expecting his admiration. During these moments, Zhou Yi simply smiled foolishly, prompting her to poke his forehead and call him a "hopeless straight man." When bored, she was the first person to call him, knowing he'd come running—even if she scolded him for being late.

Standing in the corner with her hands on her hips, lecturing Zhou Yi, she resembled a proud princess. To Zhou Yi, she was always "Little Princess," though he only dared use the nickname when she was in a good mood. Otherwise, she'd lash out angrily.

It could be said that Xia Qiuzhi's bad temper was entirely indulged by Zhou Yi. In those moments, Wang Xuan always felt excluded, as though Zhou Yi and Xia Qiuzhi shared a private world while he remained an outsider. Yet Xia Qiuzhi was his girlfriend—and as long as Zhou Yi stayed near, Wang Xuan could never feel truly secure.

His plan had succeeded initially; the two had drifted apart under his interference. But why did it feel like everything had returned to square one? Only this time, it was Xia Qiuzhi who had changed. Her feelings for Zhou Yi had deepened, and all Wang Xuan's efforts had been in vain. In the end, she realized she couldn't live without Zhou Yi. He felt utterly ridiculous.