Chapter 5: Invited to Be a Bridesmaid
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Only then did she realize Xu had been standing by the window, smoking silently as he watched their conversation without a hint of emotion. Just then, a phone call came through, and he turned to answer it in the bedroom.
Meng Tang escorted Zhao Baitong to the villa’s entrance.
After a moment’s thought, Zhao Baitong said, “Sister Meng Tang, Brother Xu is quite particular. His underwear must be hand-washed, and he prefers the Forever New little daisy scented detergent. Otherwise, no matter how expensive the clothes are, he won’t feel comfortable wearing them.”
Having spent her life reading others’ expressions, Zhao Baitong noticed the subtle change in Meng Tang’s face but she maintained her usual poise.
“Understood. I won’t see you off,” Meng Tang said lightly, as if nothing had happened.
Zhao Baitong nodded and left.
Jing Pei, who had been invisible until now, put down his game controller and emerged from the shadows. “Sis, what does it mean when she says Brother Xu’s underwear must be hand-washed and it has to be that little daisy scent detergent?”
Meng Tang’s expression turned cold. “If you don’t keep quiet, no one will treat you like a mute.”
Jing Pei watched Zhao Baitong’s departing figure. “She looks so pure. Do you think she’s slept with Brother Xu? Maybe one day if I get her, I’ll find out what it’s like.”
Meng Tang’s eyes darkened. “You really think she’s innocent? She’s twenty-four, she just looks young, but she understands a lot.”
Jing Pei grinned wolfishly. “If Brother Xu doesn’t back her up, what does she have to provoke you with? No relatives, no parents. Sis, once I sleep with her, Brother Xu will think she’s dirty and regret it!”
Zhao Baitong left the villa straight for the veterinary hospital.
She truly loved animals; being with them felt healing. She believed animals were more faithful than humans and was willing to spend time and energy caring for them.
At nine o’clock, the veterinary hospital closed.
Zhao Baitong was changing in the locker room when Li Xueya happened to come in.
“Oh, what’s wrong with your neck?” Li Xueya hung her white coat on the rack. “Looks like something happened last night.”
Zhao Baitong’s skin was fair and delicate, easily leaving marks after even slight roughness.
She tightened her collar; today’s hoodie conveniently concealed the marks on her neck. “Xueya, there’s something I want to tell you.”
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Li Xueya had been busy all day and hadn’t had a chance to talk to Zhao Baitong. Seeing her friend upset now, she softened her usual bluntness. “What’s wrong, Baitong? Did he bully you?”
“No, I have a plan. I want to leave South City.”
“You can’t give up a city just because of a breakup. If you leave, who benefits? They do. Who suffers? You, and those of us who care about you.”
Li Xueya wrapped an arm around Zhao Baitong’s shoulder. “Baitong, you still have me, okay?”
Zhao Baitong embraced her, resting her head on Li Xueya’s shoulder to draw warmth. “Xueya, Professor Mu Shian has come to South City.”
Zhao Baitong’s desire to leave was not impulsive; she had weighed it carefully.
She had studied biological sciences in university but gave up graduate school for Xu Zhixu. Now, her most respected university professor, Mu Shian, had come to South City with her team to investigate a project.
Zhao Baitong saw this as a great opportunity. She wanted to meet her mentor and had plans to continue her studies.
Mu Shian’s reputation at Jiang University and the prestige of her projects made joining her team a rare and coveted chance for students in this field.
Besides, Zhao Baitong had witnessed today how deeply Xu Zhixu and Meng Tang loved each other.
Why should she stay and be controlled here?
Her departure would surely please Meng Tang—one less thorn in her side.
As for Xu Zhixu, he would be even happier; she would become a mere transaction, erased from his world as if she had never existed.
The phone rang.
Zhao Baitong pulled her thoughts back and said to Li Xueya, “I’ll take this call first. Let’s leave together after work.”
The night air in South City was cold, and Zhao Baitong stood outside the veterinary hospital shivering, having forgotten her jacket.
She hadn’t expected Xu Zhixu to call so soon. His voice trembled from the cold when he spoke, “Hello?”
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“Baitong, I want you to be my bridesmaid. Is that okay?”
The caller was Meng Tang, dialing from Xu Zhixu’s phone.
Zhao Baitong felt even colder, instinctively clutching her phone tighter.
She couldn’t understand their meaning. Wasn’t it enough to invite her to their bridal chamber and wedding? Now they wanted her to witness their marriage as a bridesmaid?
“Sorry, Sister Meng Tang, I…”
“Baitong, even if I begged you to help, my bridesmaid is pregnant. By the time Xu and I have the wedding, her bridesmaid dress probably won’t fit. You know I designed every piece myself, spent so much time on it, and it’s the only one made by hand. After careful thought, Xu and I concluded only your size can fit that bridesmaid dress.”
Zhao Baitong could hear it clearly: Meng Tang wanted to sever any lingering hopes she had for Xu Zhixu.
A proud, elegant, and charming man was never someone she could dream of.
When Meng Tang received no immediate reply, she urged, “Or… should I have Xu talk to you?”
“No need!” Zhao Baitong’s voice was brittle, like a broken kite string.
She was used to swallowing her grievances, bottling up her pain. If she had already seen their bridal chamber, what was so different about being a bridesmaid?
Since Xu Zhixu silently consented, why listen to him again, only to have her heart pierced once more?
She was leaving.
She would no longer live this life.
“…I’ll agree to it, Sister Meng Tang.”
After hanging up, Zhao Baitong’s spirits plummeted to their lowest.