Chapter 151: Returning the Goods

Jian An'an had previously spared no effort in front of Deng Jinfeng to boast about herself, emphasizing how popular she was. Coupled with the fact that Shen Yue would constantly visit her, and Deng Jinfeng—who had barely watched any variety shows since her son returned—she actually believed Jian An'an’s words.

Originally, Deng Jinfeng thought that although Jian An'an came from a humble background, she was talented, capable of being a celebrity, and knew how to socialize, which made her passable. Now, however, she suddenly felt that Jian An'an might have been exaggerating all along. She thought to herself, "Typical of someone from a small-minded family; she isn't even honest in her speech."

Deng Jinfeng’s impression of Jian An'an dropped another notch. Having already looked down on her because of her family background, she now looked down on her even more.

Jian An'an looked flustered for a moment but quickly tried to compensate. "Oh, Aunt Jin, Song Wanning is notorious in our variety show for being difficult to please. I gave her a dress last time and she promised to be friends with me, but I spent 100,000 yuan on it, and she just discarded it as if it meant nothing."

She spoke in a very low voice, inaudible to anyone else except Deng Jinfeng. Deng Jinfeng looked slightly skeptical but did not choose to believe her immediately, as she had never had any personal contact with Song Wanning. Instead, she remarked, "Is this how you go around bad-mouthing people behind their backs?"

Jian An'an’s expression almost crumbled. *This hateful Deng Jinfeng, why does she have to retort to everything I say? It’s as if she’d die if she didn’t.*

When Jian An'an looked up again, she realized, *Huh? Where is Song Wanning?*

It turned out that at some point, Song Wanning had already left with Cheng Mu.

In this lifetime, Gu Yan had not yet met Jian An'an and did not know that she also had designs on Wen Jingxing. She only sensed that the woman seemed to dislike Song Wanning, which might serve as a breakthrough to drive a wedge between Song Wanning and Wen Jingxing. Seeing that Song Wanning had left, she hurriedly tagged along. For now, it was better to get closer to Song Wanning. They say you must know yourself and your enemy to win every battle; having not seen her for so many years, she wanted to get to know her properly.

Gu Yan caught up to Song Wanning. "Wanning, do you like dresses? Shall I buy you one? I promise I won't ever ask for it back!"

Before Song Wanning could reply, the audience in the live stream started laughing.

[Who is this woman? That line made me laugh so hard, she’s so blunt! Hahahaha~]
[She just said she knew Song Wanning from childhood, right?]
[As expected of a childhood playmate, even their speaking styles are so similar.]

Song Wanning didn't agree and declined the offer, giving a reason that stung Gu Yan’s heart.

"No need. Jingxing has already bought me so many that even if I wore a different one every day, I wouldn't be able to finish them in a year."

"Oh..."

Song Wanning watched as Gu Yan’s expression dimmed for a moment before she regained her spirit. "That’s fine! A girl can never have too many dresses! Let’s go browse; if we don’t find anything we like, we just won’t buy it."

For a fleeting moment, Gu Yan almost couldn’t hide her indignation. Wen Jingxing had actually been so good to Song Wanning while she was away, buying her so many clothes. *We only played together as children, didn't we?* Yet, she had accompanied Wen Jingxing throughout his entire youth, and he had never even looked at her properly. At the school anniversary party, she had confessed her feelings, only for Wen Jingxing to show her no respect and even throw her over his shoulder in a judo move.

Gu Yan felt so aggrieved that she wanted to compare herself to Song Wanning to see who was truly the best. Suddenly, she reached out and linked her arm with Song Wanning’s. She was determined to see just how good Song Wanning really was to make Wen Jingxing like her so much.

Gu Yan had watched the variety show, though she had taken the shortcut of only watching the latest episode. The result, as expected, was that she was force-fed "dog food," with the screen filled with fans shipping the couple. Furious, she had turned off the show to avoid the irritation.

This behavior reminded Song Wanning of Jian An'an. Wasn't this exactly the same tactic the other woman had used at the beginning? But there was one difference: their eyes. Jian An'an looked like an innocent rabbit but was actually malicious inside, with a gaze that occasionally felt eerie and terrifying. Gu Yan, on the other hand, was arrogant from head to toe, but her eyes held a pure light.

However, if Gu Yan knew that Song Wanning already knew she liked Wen Jingxing, she would have been scared off by now—how would she have the guts to keep approaching her? She only liked Wen Jingxing and was resentful of why he liked Song Wanning; she wasn't shameless enough to keep pestering her.

Song Wanning did not pull her arm away, perhaps because the look in Gu Yan’s eyes was different from Jian An'an’s. She suddenly became remarkably broad-minded.

The two visited many shops, but Song Wanning wasn't satisfied with any of them. Eventually, they wandered into the shopping mall at the center of Flower City Plaza. Song Wanning remembered that she and her group had come here before. The clothes inside were quite nice, though the prices were a bit steep.

Gu Yan noticed Song Wanning’s gaze lingering for a few extra seconds and immediately said, "I think this place looks good, let's go in and take a look!"

Song Wanning thought it was too expensive and refused. Gu Yan insisted, "It’s fine, looking doesn't mean we have to buy."

Having finally found something Song Wanning was interested in, how could she let the opportunity slip? In the end, Song Wanning couldn't resist her and walked inside.

One of the sales assistants recognized Song Wanning immediately and stepped forward to greet her warmly. "Miss Song, you’re here! Is there anything you’d like to see today? I can introduce some items to you."

"It's okay, I'll just browse for a bit."

"Very well, please let me know if you need anything."

"Sure, thank you."

After the assistant left, Gu Yan remarked, "Are you a regular here? I couldn't tell you were so wealthy."

"No, I've only been here once." Song Wanning said, walking toward the elevator.

"Really? She seemed so familiar with you. Where are you going? Wait for me..."

Gu Yan continued to chatter, but Song Wanning only responded with a word or two. When the elevator doors opened, Song Wanning looked up and, to her surprise, bumped into an old acquaintance.

She hadn't seen Jian An'an for an hour and didn't expect to run into her here. Because the elevator faced the counter directly, Song Wanning saw her, but Jian An'an didn't notice her.

The next second, Song Wanning heard the sales assistant saying, "Are you looking to return this? That’s fine, but your..."

She didn't catch the rest, so she closed the elevator doors again.

Gu Yan asked curiously, "Why aren't you going anymore?" She hadn't recognized that the person at the counter was Jian An'an.

"I suddenly lost interest."

Over there, Jian An'an was still arguing with the sales assistant when she suddenly heard what sounded like Song Wanning’s voice.