SBAB Chapter 27

It seems I’ve gained a bit of weight…

Lin Xin pinched the soft, comfortable rolls on her stomach, then ran over to poke He Xiangtong’s abdomen. Despite eating about the same amount, His stomach was firm and toned. In terms of post-meal belly expansion, Lin Xin took the lead.

Time to lose weight, Lin Xin told herself. But she casually picked up a piece of meat left on He Xiangtong’s plate and popped it into her mouth. This is the last one, she reassured her guilty conscience. Then another.

It wasn’t until she heard Shang Xiaoxia and Wu Lian discussing tonight’s accommodations that Lin Xin finally lifted her face from the plate, puzzled. “We’re not going to class tomorrow morning?”

“You… didn’t check the group chat?” He Xiangtong, watching Lin Xin eat her leftovers, shook her head in admiration of Lin’s obliviousness.

Hearing this, Lin Xin dug her phone out from her pants pocket, hidden beneath her shirt, and confirmed the school’s holiday announcement. She quickly turned to Cheng Shiyin, who wasn’t from their school. “What about you? Should I drive you back?”

Cheng Shiyin, touched by Lin Xin’s concern but unwilling to appear like a careless third-year slacker to the freshman, fibbed, “Actually, I don’t have class tomorrow either. Don’t worry.”

Relieved by Cheng Shiyin’s response, Lin Xin cheerfully returned to her “final meal before dieting” campaign.

Meanwhile, Shang Xiaoxia and Wu Lian reached an agreement on the lodging issue. She called everyone over to the housekeeper to collect their room keys. At some point, Shang Xiaoxia had effortlessly assumed the role of hostess.

He Xiangtong claimed the room closest to the kitchen; Zhang Yun didn’t have any preferences and randomly picked a key. By the time Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin wandered over, only one double room remained. Shang Xiaoxia, of course, hadn’t bothered with the scramble—Wu Lian had prepped a private room for her, and he handed her the key.

As for Wu Lian, he’d planned to return to his main house. However, if Shang Xiaoxia insisted, he didn’t mind crashing into the small villa for a night.

“Thank you very much. See you tomorrow.”

Bang!

Before Wu Lian could respond, Shang Xiaoxia shut the door in his face, leaving no room for fantasies.

“Let’s go,” Wu Lian said helplessly, summoning his driver. He left behind a few guards and departed.

Seated in his white suit in the golf cart used around the estate, Wu Lian pulled off the jacket, muttering to himself. “She’s just as cold and distant as she was when we were kids.”

“Sir, your phone.” A servant handed him the ringing device. Wu Lian glanced at the name and hung up—it wasn’t important.

But the caller was persistent. After several rounds of ringing and declining, Wu Lian finally decided to answer, if only to stop the noise.

“How did it go today? Did that girl Shang Xiaoxia fall for your charm?” The voice was filled with curiosity about the outcome but was mostly self-satisfied as if expecting credit for his advice.

Wu Lian felt his irritation spike. Without needing to keep up appearances, he snapped, “You dare ask? It was your idea to wear a white suit and strut around like a runway model! And what happened? I felt so awkward I could barely stomach it. You think Xiaoxia would give me a warm welcome?”

“What? No way! I got that advice from top models…” The person on the line trailed off, seemingly realizing something. After a pause, a burst of laughter erupted. “Oh, man, you copied the women’s runway video I sent you? That was a rare treasure, and you just—”

Beep, beep, beep.

Wu Lian hung up again, fuming.

Though the caller didn’t ring again, he sent a text: Don’t be mad. We still have one move left.

Thinking of the next step in their plan, Wu Lian’s lips curled into a faint smile. He slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Lin Xin unlocked the room with the key. Cheng Shiyin glanced around and was immediately satisfied—not because of the decor, but because being in the same room as Lin Xin made scheming easier without the risk of being overheard in the hallway.

Lin Xin was equally pleased. She’d have another long night of heart-to-hearts with Cheng Shiyin, and with two single beds, there was no worry of revealing anything awkward. The room seemed tailor-made for her comfort.

Both collapsed onto their beds, exhausted. Lin Xin, especially, regretted eating so much, curling up with a painfully full stomach. She didn’t let on, though, eager to start discussing their matchmaking plans.

But Cheng Shiyin suddenly raised a finger to her lips, softly whispering, “Shh.”

Lin Xin instinctively quieted, her curious eyes fixed on Cheng Shiyin.

Cheng Shiyin handed Lin Xin a glass of warm water, then held up her phone, signaling for them to text instead of speak.

“The walls have ears,” Cheng Shiyin messaged.

Lin Xin raised her head and glanced around the room. Judging by the décor, the soundproofing didn’t seem bad. However, since Cheng Shiyin had mentioned it, Lin Xin naturally followed her advice without question.

Sipping the water Cheng Shiyin had handed her, Lin Xin gradually felt the discomfort in her stomach subside. Did she notice? Lin Xin thought. She found herself growing even fonder of Cheng Shiyin’s quiet attentiveness, even if it was likely just a basic act of friendship.

Cheng Shiyin was right—Lin Xin might not have a habit of eavesdropping, but others did.

At that very moment, Shang Xiaoxia was pressed against the wall like a gecko, her ear to the divider, trying to catch whatever Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin might be scheming behind her back.

After all, she owed Cheng Shiyin a favor.

Blame that unreliable He Xiangtong for not even managing to out-eat the slender Lin Xin.

Shang Xiaoxia had practically glued her ear to the wall, but she couldn’t make out anything useful. Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin alternated between silence and inexplicable bursts of laughter, sounding more like deranged characters from a low-budget horror film.

The night quietly fell, and a bright full moon replaced the sun in the deepening indigo sky. Specks of starlight, rare in the concrete jungle, shimmered faintly above.

Despite the serene beauty of the night, Shang Xiaoxia continued her ungraceful reconnaissance—until Wu Lian’s phone call exposed her completely.

Determined not to abandon her eavesdropping yet unwilling to ignore the benefactor funding her indulgences, Shang Xiaoxia divided her attention. One ear remained glued to the wall, while the other and her mouth were reserved for dealing with Wu Lian’s call.

“What is it?” she whispered into the phone.

“Uh… nothing much,” Wu Lian replied, failing to detect the oddity in her voice. He seemed eager to chat.

Shang Xiaoxia, however, cut him off coldly. “If it’s nothing, then hang up. I’m going to sleep.”

Hearing her abrupt tone, Wu Lian hurriedly got to the point. “Go look at the moonlight outside…”

“The moonlight?”

Three voices repeated Wu Lian’s words simultaneously.

Thanks to the vibrations traveling through the wall, Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin accidentally overheard the exchange and beat Shang Xiaoxia to the window.

The two leaned side by side against the windowsill, gazing at the moon hanging in the night sky. It was beautiful and tranquil, just like countless other nights—nothing extraordinary.

Then, in the next moment, fireworks erupted, lighting up the sky and turning the darkness into day.

No longer was the night adorned solely by stars. These dazzling bursts of light, brilliant but fleeting, painted the heavens in vivid colors.

“Look! It’s so beautiful!” Cheng Shiyin exclaimed, pointing at the fireworks. Ever since the city banned pyrotechnics, she hadn’t seen such a grand and stunning display.

“Quick, take a picture!” she urged Lin Xin, her excitement making her seem like a child.

Obediently, Lin Xin lifted her phone—not to capture the fireworks, but Cheng Shiyin, bathed in the glow of the bursts. Half-silhouetted and backlit, she seemed as dazzling as the display itself.

Together, yet with entirely different meanings, they both whispered, “Yeah… so beautiful.”

From the moment Lin Xin first met Cheng Shiyin, she had always thought Cheng’s beauty surpassed even the most magnificent fireworks.

“Do you like it?” Wu Lian’s voice was faint under the crackling explosions, but Shang Xiaoxia heard him. She stared at the endless fireworks outside, her face betraying none of her emotions. In an icy tone, she replied, “It’s ugly.”

“Terribly ugly…”

A strange familiarity washed over Shang Xiaoxia—toward the dazzling fireworks and her own words, which seemed utterly contrary to her true feelings.