The LA midnight was still sleepless, a party for young people had just begun. Su Ruiyi and her good university friends were gathered here, they seemed to always have endless energy to release.
Su Ruiyi pulled her best friend and they darted from the lively crowd to the bar counter. Tonight, they were the most dazzling girls here.
Su Ruiyi tugged at Sasha's shoulder strap. This hot pink sequined tight dress was a gift from Su Ruiyi to her.
Sasha: "Dear, I have something to tell you."
Su Ruiyi cupped her hand over her ear and shouted, "What? Speak louder, I can't hear you!"
Sasha put down Su Ruiyi's wine glass and pulled her towards a relatively quiet corner. Su Ruiyi stumbled along with her.
"Yiyi, I'm going back home."
Su Ruiyi finally heard her and felt a bit envious. She hadn't been back home in a long time.
"Wow, going back for New Year's? When will you be back? I'll pick you up."
"I... might not be coming back," Sasha said regretfully.
Su Ruiyi grinned playfully. She thought Sasha was joking.
"Don't mess around. Didn't we promise to travel to Egypt together?"
Sasha's voice grew softer.
"Yiyi, you are my best friend from university. I never thought I'd be friends with a rich girl like you. You don't look down on me for being poor. You're not like what those people say."
Su Ruiyi didn't care what others thought of her as a rich girl. As long as she considered someone a friend, she would wholeheartedly be good to them.
"We are best friends, and what I have, you should have too!"
"Thank you, Yiyi, but I can't just play around like you forever. We come from different social classes. After graduation, I need to go back home, find a good job, then have a blind date with a suitable man, and get married..."
Su Ruiyi laughed heartily, "I'll support you!"
Sasha sternly rebuked Su Ruiyi, "Stop joking. We are from different countries, and we might never see each other again."
Su Ruiyi finally realized her best friend was serious. Sasha was leaving, and Su Ruiyi began to resent why she was only telling her now. Sasha, whom she had dressed up like a Barbie, wouldn't be her inseparable friend forever.
"It's okay, you go back to country C. I still have Peter and the others. We can go traveling," Su Ruiyi was still putting up a brave front, though her heart was already aching.
"Yiyi, they are also going back home..."
Su Ruiyi disliked hearing that. She pushed Sasha.
"Go! All of you go! If it weren't for my charity, how could you be my friend!"
"I don't need you. You country bumpkin, you're not worthy of playing with me!"
Enraged, Su Ruiyi said the harshest words to Sasha. Her friends in the distance saw this scene. Wang Ziran immediately rushed over and pulled Su Ruiyi away. The others left with Sasha.
However, Su Ruiyi, after calming down, soon regretted it. She ran to the balcony and stood at a high vantage point, watching her friends leave the party. When she saw Sasha's retreating figure, she turned her back and wept uncontrollably.
Su Ruiyi couldn't have known that Sasha was also standing on the street, gazing up at her friend from afar.
Wang Ziran handed Su Ruiyi a handkerchief. "Stop crying. They've all left."
Su Ruiyi glanced at this childhood companion who had always been by her side. Over the years, he was the only one who had stayed with her.
"Why didn't you go with them?"
Wang Ziran patted Su Ruiyi's shoulder. "Everyone else may leave you, but I won't."
"I don't believe you. Sasha also said she would be my forever best sister, and she's still going back home."
"I'm different from them. I've known you since childhood. They are just our university friends."
"I was so good to Sasha. What will she do when she goes back home without me by her side?"
"I was good to Peter and the others too, yet I couldn't keep them. It's fine, it was just a brief friendship anyway."
"It's all over... That's good. I don't have to pretend anymore, and you don't have to report to my mom about my friends anymore."
"Do you know why I could be friends with Sasha? Because she was poor. So poor that she'd secretly sell any good things I gave her..."
"But even knowing that, I never abandoned her. She'll never find a friend who spends money on her like I do."
"But before she met us, they were living just fine..."
"If I had known this would happen, I really shouldn't have abandoned those friends. At least they would have stayed by my side because of money."
Wang Ziran quickly shook his head. "Those were not friends. They harmed you..."
Su Ruiyi glanced at Wang Ziran and said, "But they never broke my heart!"
"Are we still going to Egypt?"
"No! It's just you and me left. What's the point!" Su Ruiyi sighed, leaning regretfully against the railing, looking up at the starry sky.
"Then where do you want to go?"
"Let's go find my mom."
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you, Auntie is back home."
Su Ruiyi's eyes widened. "What? When did that happen? Why are you only telling me now!"
"Just... a few days ago... Auntie said if you didn't want to come back, she wouldn't tell you."
"You should have told me as soon as you knew! I can't let my mom go back home!!!"
Wang Ziran looked at Su Ruiyi, puzzled. Su Ruiyi's furrowed brow made Wang Ziran feel that something was seriously wrong.
Su Ruiyi leaned closer to Wang Ziran and began to speak in a low voice.
"This is just between us. You can't tell anyone!"
"Okay, I swear, I won't tell anyone!"
"Do you remember that year when I was tricked into causing trouble and was taken in for questioning?"
"I remember. We went back home that year, and my father helped, which is how that matter was suppressed."
"It was during that time that I discovered my dad was seeing someone else!"
Wang Ziran's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
Su Ruiyi gently patted Wang Ziran. "Don't look like that. My parents have been living apart for years, I expected this to happen!"
"Then Auntie...?"
"My mom doesn't know. I didn't tell her. So I can't let my mom go back home. If she goes back and finds out my dad is messing around, what will happen!"
"But Auntie is already in the country now. What do we do?"
"What else can we do? We'll go back home too!"
Meanwhile, at Athena.
Ou Yunchen sat in the lounge, his left hand playing with a rolling coin, the coin flipping back and forth between his fingertips. The waiter had already knocked on the door three times.
"Brother Yunchen, why are you still here? Hurry up and make a choice!" The waiter, Amin, stood anxiously at the door, urging Ou Yunchen.
Ou Yunchen finally looked up at the waiter. He unhurriedly retracted his legs that were propped on the table.
"I know. You can go attend to other matters first."
——Ou Yunchen's memory——
A long time ago, Ou Yunchen had asked Sister Hong a question.
If you are being waited on by multiple guests at the same time, what should you do?
"If you are already the top host, you don't need to make a choice. That would devalue you."
"But I can't just not attend to either of them?"
"You need to learn to manipulate people's hearts. Unless they just want to be ordinary customers."
——Ou Yunchen's memory ends——
At that time, Ou Yunchen couldn't fully comprehend Sister Hong's teaching. He only knew that a top male host had the right to choose better clients.
But now, as this situation truly unfolded, he finally understood. Having the right to choose doesn't mean you have to make a choice. If choosing either side is not the correct decision, then wait. Because the person who needs you the most will persevere until the very last second, no matter what.
An hour had passed. Jin Youli and Mrs. Su were both waiting simultaneously. Tonight, they both had compelling reasons to see Ou Yunchen.