Chapter Twenty-Five: Making Up for a Missed Birthday

Early the next morning, Xue Ran stationed herself at the door of Zhou Xiaoqi’s house, claiming with righteous airs that she was there to make up for Zhou Xiaoqi’s missed birthday.

“Xiaoqi, are you up yet? Hurry and get ready, we’re heading out!” Xue Ran unleashed her famous lion’s roar, pounding on the door.

Zhou Xiaoqi, still deep in sleep, was yanked from her dreams by that thunderous voice. She opened the door, wild-haired and dressed in pajamas, looking for all the world like a madwoman, and shouted irritably, “Xue Ran, I’m breaking off our friendship! Don’t you know disturbing someone’s sleep so early in the morning is a crime? Huh?” Still not feeling vindicated, she raked her hands through her hair in frustration.

“Hehe… I just thought, since I missed celebrating your birthday with you yesterday, I’d come today to make up for it. Now you’re yelling at me. Boohoo… Poor me, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have come at all.” Xue Ran looked pitiful, as if she’d burst into tears if Zhou Xiaoqi kept scolding her.

Ever since she’d gotten close to Xue Ran and the others, Zhou Xiaoqi felt less and less like herself. She smacked Xue Ran lightly on the head, saying, “It’s a good thing you got into the film academy, otherwise with acting like that, who would you fool? Unless their eyes were blind. If you want to trick me, at least squeeze out a few tears when you cry! Just wailing like that counts for nothing.”

With each word Zhou Xiaoqi spoke, Xue Ran shrank a little further, almost crouching on the ground. But then she realized—wait, today she was here to make up for Xiaoqi’s birthday, not to discuss acting skills. Besides, if Xiaoqi had answered her call yesterday, none of this would have happened! The more she thought about it, the more indignant she became.

Suddenly, she sprang upright, hands on her hips. “Zhou Xiaoqi, I’m here out of kindness to celebrate your birthday belatedly, and you dare talk about sleep! Do you even know what time it is? The sun’s nearly burning your backside and you’re still in bed. And be honest: what were you doing yesterday? Why didn’t you answer my call?”

Now it was Zhou Xiaoqi’s turn to feel a jolt of panic. She knew that yesterday’s time with Cui Hao was not something she could mention right now. Besides, Xue Ran was her only friend; she feared Xue Ran would never accept her relationship with Cui Hao. Any normal person would probably find it shameful.

“I… I just fell asleep at home yesterday. Who else would I spend my birthday with? Every year I eat instant noodles and go to bed.” Her eyes darted evasively; she wasn’t used to lying, especially to her best friend.

Luckily, Xue Ran was oblivious, and didn’t notice anything amiss. She pushed Zhou Xiaoqi back inside. “Alright, alright, I’ll believe you this once. Now go brush your teeth, wash your face, and get changed. I’m taking you out to have some fun.”

Xue Ran’s family was better off than Zhou Xiaoqi’s; her parents were businesspeople, so she never felt short on spending money and was far from thrifty.

Their first stop was for breakfast. Xue Ran took Xiaoqi to a Sichuan hotpot restaurant famous for its fiery spice. Zhou Xiaoqi couldn’t handle spicy food, but not wanting to spoil the mood, she decided to give it a try—only to end up tearing up as soon as the first bite touched her tongue.

“Xue Ran, I can’t, it’s too spicy,” Xiaoqi gasped, fanning her tongue with her hand.

Watching Xiaoqi struggle with even the mildest spice, Xue Ran couldn’t help but laugh. “Honestly, Xiaoqi, how can you be so hopeless? You can’t handle any spice at all? Wait for me to finish, and then I’ll take you somewhere else.”

So the meal consisted of Zhou Xiaoqi watching Xue Ran eat. Xiaoqi could hardly believe her eyes: the giant pot was filled with red chili oil and numbing peppers, yet Xue Ran polished off enough hotpot for two, finishing with a satisfied pat on her belly.

Afterwards, Zhou Xiaoqi stopped by a bakery and picked up a random dessert.

“Come on, I’ll take you shopping for clothes. Consider it my birthday gift to you,” Xue Ran said excitedly, dragging Zhou Xiaoqi into a store whose elegant facade seemed to demand the confidence of someone with money in their pocket.