Chapter 61: Misunderstandings
The bright morning sun shone right onto Feng Jiu's face, and she covered herself with the pillow to block it out. Then she started thinking back on last night. "Wait. How did I end up here?! I thought we were in Dong Hua's room, having a heart-to-heart talk?"
Feng Jiu immediately sat up, and she noticed that her hoodie was partially unzipped and it was hanging off her shoulders. "Oh my gosh! What happened last night?! Wait. Dong Hua said he's a gentleman, so I'm sure he didn't do anything to me. Right?"
Feng Jiu quickly zipped up her hoodie and ran into the guest bathroom. Then she took a quick shower and changed back into her own clothes.
She peeped out of her room and crept towards Dong Hua's room, trying to see if he was awake. Then she noticed his door was closed, "Oh. He's still asleep?"
Feng Jiu leaned closer to the door, trying to see if she could hear any noises coming from inside the room. "Hmm... I thought he would be awake by now." Feng Jiu then decided to quietly open his door to peep if he was still sleeping.
"What are you trying to do? Peeping at me early in the morning?" Dong Hua said. He was standing behind her, but she didn't notice him at all.
"Huh? No! Why would I peep at you?" Feng Jiu nervously tried to deny the fact that she was peeping.
"Oh? Then tell me what you were trying to do? It looked like you were opening my door and peeping at me."
"I...I... fine. I was peeping. But I only wanted to see if you were awake!"
"Oh? Luckily I was awake. If not, I'm not sure if you would take advantage of me. After all, you stole two hugs from me." Dong Hua replied sarcastically.
"Why would I take advantage of you?!" She pouted. Then she asked, "So how did I get back to my room?"
"You fell asleep on my bed, and I had to carry you to the guest room."
"What?! You didn't take advantage of me... right?" She glowered at Dong Hua.
"Why are you acting so shocked? It's not the first time I carried you back to your room." Dong Hua replied calmly and patted her head.
"So... You didn't see anything, right?" Feng Jiu bowed her head with embarrassment.
"Huh? See what?" Dong Hua looked at her with his side-eyes.
"Well... When I was awake... My zipper was... You know." Feng Jiu didn't dare to look at Dong Hua because she was embarrassed.
"Ohhh. I saw everything." Dong Hua teased her. Then he walked towards the kitchen and smiled to himself when he had his back turned.
"Huh?! What did you see?!" Feng Jiu panicked, and she followed Dong Hua.
"Hmm..." Dong Hua continued teasing and didn't want to tell her the truth. Then he took the bread and milk out from the kitchen and laid it on the dining table. "Come eat breakfast, Xiao Bai."
Feng Jiu wanted to know more, but she was feeling a little shy too. She sat down beside Dong Hua, and she slowly dragged her chair to sit nearer to him. "So... What did you see?" She asked shyly.
"Oh. Why are you asking? What are you afraid of me seeing?" Dong Hua replied while applying peanut butter on his bread.
Feng Jiu pouted because she didn't know how to answer his question and she poured some milk into her cup. Dong Hua then peeped at her pouty face and thought to himself, "Silly girl." Then he said to Feng Jiu, "So... I saw your bad sleeping habits. You kicked the blanket off during your sleep."
"No! I don't kick my blanket!" Feng Jiu argued. Dong Hua chuckled and shook his head, "Yes, you do. You have such bad sleeping habits, and your future husband would have to wrap you into a burrito with the blanket."
"Husband...?" Feng Jiu thought to herself, and she nervously bit on her bread and replied, "It's his bad luck for marrying me then."
"Besides that bad sleeping habits, I think he would be lucky to marry you." Dong Hua replied casually, and he picked up the newspaper and began reading it.
Feng Jiu blushed and continued to sip on her milk nervously. "Did Dong Hua just said that it would be lucky to marry me?"
Dong Hua then peeped out from behind his newspaper and replied, "I will send you back home soon. So, you have plans today?"
"Oh. Yeah! I need to meet Si Ming's girlfriend for dinner. But don't worry about sending me back home if you have work. I'll be meeting her at 6 PM anyway."
Dong Hua almost spat out his milk and replied, "Huh? Si Ming has a girlfriend? Since when?" Then he thought to himself, "I can't believe Si Ming has a girlfriend before everyone else. I thought he was gay?"
"Oh. It was just recent. Even Lian Song seems to be progressing well with my best friend, Cheng Yu."
Dong Hua almost choke on his bread this time, and he thought to himself, "What?! Lian Song too? What is going on?" Then he replied, "Oh? How about you?"
"Huh? Me?! I don't have anyone." She replied nervously.
"Oh, I see. A nun."
"Talk about yourself! You're a monk too."
"Oh? If I'm a monk, and you're a nun, we could live together in a temple together."
Feng Jiu then imagined Dong Hua shaving his head and chanting buddha scriptures every day. She immediately burst out into laughter, and she choked on her milk. Feng Jiu started coughing, and Dong Hua immediately stood up to go pat her back.
"You need to stop laughing while you're eating, Xiao Bai. If you choke, I'll have to give you CPR. How are you going to repay me for my 'first kiss' when that happens?"
"First kiss?!" She exclaimed, and she widened her eyes with shock.
"Oh? Why are you so surprised? You already stole two hugs from me. I wouldn't be surprised if you stole my first kiss too. I mean, I don't even have other friends, so you have the highest chance to take advantage of me."
"Why would I want to take advantage of you?!"
Dong Hua continued to sip on his milk and replied calmly, "Cause you tried to take advantage of me last night."
"What?! What did I do?!"
"Well, you fell asleep on my bed. You'd have to take responsibility for me if we slept in the same bed. I'm very traditional and conservative." Dong Hua then shook his head lightly. Then he added on, "But since I was a gentleman, I carried you back to your room."
"You're so shameless, Dong Hua!" She pouted.
"Oh? So you rather I force you to marry me if you slept on my bed instead?"
"..... That's not what I meant!"
Dong Hua smirked and glanced over to the clock. It was 11 AM, and he needed to do some work, so he said to Feng Jiu, "Okay. I'll go do some work first. Let me know whenever you're ready to go back home."
Feng Jiu finished up with her breakfast and did the dishes. Then she walked around the apartment and looked out of the huge window. "I love it here. How I wish I could stay here forever." Dong Hua then walked out of his study room and stood beside her, looking at the view.
"Nice view, huh?" Dong Hua said. Feng Jiu turned over to look at Dong Hua and replied, "Yeah, I'm sure you stand here every day to look at the view, right?"
"No. This is my first time in a long time. I guess sometimes you tend to overlook the small things in life. I'm glad that you stayed here last night because I did a lot of things that I have never done before."
"Yes. Sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses. Take some time out of your busy schedule and just relax." Feng Jiu smiled, and she also thought to herself, "It's nice that we had a heart-to-heart talk last night. It makes me feel closer to Dong Hua now."
Dong Hua smiled back and thought to himself, "I'm so glad that we are one step closer, and I also get to spend my birthday with her."
Then they stood there and thought to themselves, "I wish time would stop at this moment." At the same time, it was such a bittersweet feeling for them as they knew that it was going to end and they would go back to their 'normal' lives after this.
Feng Jiu then said, "I'm ready to go home now." After that, Dong Hua went into his room and got changed.
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"Seatbelts?" Dong Hua reminded her as usual.
"Oh! I always forget to put my seatbelts on. I wish they invented auto seatbelts!" Feng Jiu exclaimed. Dong Hua then leaned over to her side and put on the seatbelt for her and replied, "That's easy. See? Now it's auto seatbelts."
Feng Jiu had a silly smile on her face and replied, "This kind of auto seatbelts is good enough." Dong Hua then smiled warmly and drove off.
When they arrived at Feng Jiu's building, it was clear that both of them didn't want to part.
"So, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning?" Dong Hua said. Feng Jiu then asked, "What time? is 8 AM too early for you?"
"That's fine. I wake up early anyway. Okay, get going." Dong Hua waved his hand and gestured for her to head upstairs. Feng Jiu then replied with a hint of hesitation in her voice, "Okay. I'm going now..."
Then they looked at each other and smiled. Suddenly Feng Jiu recalled something, "Oh! I forgot to make coffee for you today."
Dong Hua's eyes lit up, "Oh. I forgot about it too. So can I come up to your apartment to drink a cup of coffee now?" Feng Jiu then pondered for awhile before answering, "I guess I still have some time before my dinner appointment."
Dong Hua quickly parked his car, and they headed up to her apartment.
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"Sit here and wait for me." Feng Jiu told Dong Hua to wait for her at the living room, and she ran into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.
"Xiao Bai, can I take a look around your apartment? I mean, it's only fair since you saw mine yesterday." Dong Hua asked. Feng Jiu then passed him his cup of coffee and replied, "Alright, I'll need to get changed and prepare for the dinner tonight. Feel free to take a look around my apartment while waiting then."
Feng Jiu then ran into her room and locked the doors. Dong Hua walked around, and he also looked at her childhood photos that were placed on the shelves in the living room. He smiled and thought to himself, "Xiao Bai is really a natural beauty and she looks cute since young."
Dong Hua walked into the kitchen to wash his used cup. Then something caught the attention of his sharp eye, and it looked like a piece of paper sticking out from under the fridge. He bent down and pulled it out from under the fridge and took a look at it.
It was a piece of paper with a note on it. "I prepared lunch for you, and it's in the fridge. If you're hungry, just heat it up in the microwave." The note was actually from back then when Dong Hua was still staying with her. She pinned it on the fridge, but it fell under the fridge, and it was left there since then.
Dong Hua was shocked to see it, "What is this? It sounded like Xiao Bai had someone living here with her. But I looked around, and it looked like she was living alone. Should I ask her about it?" Then he stuffs the note into his pocket and walked out of the kitchen.
He sat back on the sofa and started thinking more about the note. Then he decided to distract himself by turning on the TV. He pushed on the remote control, but it wasn't working, so he got up to check it out. "Maybe she turned off the power to the TV."
He bent over to find the switch on the back of the TV. Then he saw a photo frame facing downwards, and it was hiding behind it.
Out of curiosity, he took it out. It was a picture of Feng Jiu and Ye Qingti. "Who is this guy? Xiao Bai mentioned that she used to like a guy, could it be him? Wait. Is the note for him too?"
His head started to hurt again, and he recalled seeing Ye Qingti before. "Who is he? Do I know him too?"
Right at this moment, Feng Jiu walked out of the room, and she saw Dong Hua holding on to the photo frame. She quickly took it from him and kept it in the cupboard. Dong Hua grabbed her arm gently and asked, "Who is that?"
"Oh. Just an old friend." She replied casually. Feng Jiu kept the photo of Ye Qingti away because it reminded her of her pain. She felt guilty towards Qingti, and she also couldn't get over it.
She quickly changed the topic before Dong Hua asked more questions. "Are you feeling okay? I noticed you look a little sick."
"I'm fine. My head hurts a little, but it's fine now. I kept having these headaches ever since we got attacked at the car park."
"Did you get yourself checked at the hospital yet?" Feng Jiu sat down beside Dong Hua.
"No. Maybe it's just stress. I just get those from time to time, not very often."
"Promise me that you'll see a doctor if it gets worse, okay?"
"I will." Dong Hua then smiled at Feng Jiu. Then she looked at the time, "Hmm... It's already 5.15 PM, why is Si Ming not here to pick me up yet?" Then she checked her phone, and she saw Yu Xi's message.
Yu Xi: It seems like there's a jam leading up to your place so we might be late.
"I can send you there instead." Dong Hua replied calmly.
Feng Jiu pondered, "Hmm... Would it be okay? I don't want Dong Hua to know about Yu Xi's situation. After all, it's their secret and not mine." Then she replied, "It's okay; I don't want to trouble you."
"Why? Are you going on a date and you're afraid that I'll see your date?"
"I'm not going on a date! I'm just meeting Yu Xi, Si Ming's girlfriend. Fine, I'll take your car there so Si Ming can avoid the jam."
She quickly gave Yu Xi a call and told them to head straight to the Cafe instead, and then Si Ming took the next exit to avoid the jam.
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Feng Jiu sat onto the car, and she looked over to Dong Hua. "Auto seatbelts?" Then she started giggling to herself. Dong Hua knocked her head gently and put the seatbelt on her. "Now you're going to rely on me for this, huh?"
"Of course!" Feng Jiu replied proudly. Dong Hua shook his head and smiled to himself. Then he drove off to their destination.
When they were about to reach the Cafe, Feng Jiu told Dong Hua to drop her off at the end of the street so she could walk there on her own.
"Why can't I send you right to the doorstep of the cafe?" Dong Hua asked calmly, but he was already feeling upset deep inside.
"I don't want Si Ming to see us together. He would tell Lian Song about it, and the whole company would spread rumours about us dating."
"Oh? So you're afraid of rumours after all?"
"I... I... just don't want people to gossip about me in the office. I mean, I ... never mind. Please, just drop me off here."
Dong Hua then stopped the car at the end of the street, and Feng Jiu thanked him before running off towards the Cafe.
Dong Hua then sat in the car and thought to himself, "Why is she always pushing me away? Does she still have someone else in her heart? Who is that guy? Who is the note for?" Then he did a U-turn and parked across the street from the Cafe to see what she was up to.
Then he noticed Si Ming arriving at the Cafe and he dropped Yu Xi before driving away. "Wait, isn't Si Ming joining them for dinner? Weird." Then he continued to observe.
After 15 minutes, he noticed a guy walking into the semi-empty Cafe, and then he sat down on the same table as the two girls.
"Su Moye? What is he doing with Xiao Bai and Si Ming's girlfriend?" Dong Hua immediately recognized him as they worked a lot together. He was also on the same business trip with Su Moye.
"What is Xiao Bai up to?"
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"Hey, Feng Jiu! Sorry, I was a little late." Yu Xi said politely. Feng Jiu then told her to sit down and replied, "I just got here not long ago too. Are you feeling nervous?"
"Yeah, I'm a little nervous. It's my first time doing something like this. I mean, I have seen him a few times but we barely even talked."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Let me do the talking, and I'll make sure he can't bully you." Feng Jiu said. Then she waved for the waiter to come over and they ordered drinks and some finger foods.
After 15 minutes, a refined-looking man walked into the Cafe. Yu Xi immediately recognized him, and she subtly pointed at him, "That's him. Su Moye."
Feng Jiu then stood up and looked at him. The moment Su Moye laid eyes on her, he couldn't keep them off her. He held out his hand politely and said, "Hi, I'm Su Moye. You must be Feng Jiu, and I heard that you wanted to talk to me about something important. Sorry, I was late because I was caught in a jam on the way here."
Feng Jiu thought to herself, "He doesn't sound like a womanizer. But I can't judge a book by its cover. Observe him first." Then she shook his hand and replied, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Feng Jiu, and I'm Yu Xi's good friend. Let's settle down first, and we can start talking." Su Moye shook Yu Xi's hand politely as well, and then he ordered a drink.
Su Moye couldn't keep his eyes off Feng Jiu, and she noticed him staring. Feng Jiu felt annoyed, and she thought to herself, "No wonder he's a womanizer. What is he even staring at?!" Feng Jiu then asked rudely, "So, are you going to call off the engagement?"
Su Moye was shocked to see Feng Jiu getting so annoyed, so he replied politely, "Do you have any misunderstandings towards me?"
"Well. Yu Xi already has someone she loves so she won't marry you. It's not nice to break the lovers up. I mean, there are so many other women out there for you to marry. So why do you have to force her to marry you?" Feng Jiu was harsh in her words because she hated womanizers. She then held onto her cup of water, ready to 'attack' anytime.
Yu Xi then tried to calm her down, and she whispered to Feng Jiu, "Don't be mad. Let's see what he has to say first." Feng Jiu then whispered back, "Sorry, Yu Xi. I lost control over myself."
Then she looked over to Su Moye and apologized to him. "I'm sorry if I was being harsh with my words, but I'm just concerned about my friend."
"Hey, no worries. I'm sorry if you misunderstood my intention in coming here. To be honest with you girls, I'm against the marriage too."
"What?" Feng Jiu was shocked as she didn't expect to hear such answers from Su Moye. She assumed that she would have to do a lot of talking today so that she could convince him to call it off.
"Well. If you could give me some time, I'll explain everything." Su Moye replied politely.
Feng Jiu and Yu Xi then thought to themselves, "Maybe he's not a bad guy like what the media portrayed him out to be?" Feng Jiu then nodded her head and replied, "Sure. We have time anyway."
Su Moye then took a sip of his drink before talking, "So... As you already know, I'm a well-known womanizer. But in actual fact, it's all just an act."
Feng Jiu couldn't help but interrupted his sentence, "What? Is it because you like guys?"
Su Moye chuckled and replied, "No, no. Don't worry; I still like girls. It was mainly due to my past. About eight years ago, I met the love of my life in school when I was studying overseas. We dated for five years, and I was going to propose to her after we graduated from school. I think Yu Xi would understand my situation, and if you're born in a rich family, you often lose your freedom. When my parents found out about her, they tried all ways to break us up because they felt like she wasn't a good match for me. She wanted me to elope with her, but I was still pretty young, and I was afraid to do so. My family even tried to pay her a huge sum of money to get her to break up with me, but she refused it. She stuck with me and gave me so many chances. But I was scared, and it drove her even further away. Then one day, my family lied to her that I was going to marry another heiress. She finally gave up on me and left the country. By the time I found her again, she was already happily married to another man. To this day, I regret not eloping with her."
Feng Jiu softens up instantly, and she replied, "I'm sorry to hear that. So you became a womanizer to get revenge on your family?"
"Yes. So that no girls would dare to marry me. I want to marry someone I love and not just for my family. By the way, I'm sorry If I offended you when I was staring at you. It's just... You looked so much like her. I just thought of the past, that's all. Please don't take it the wrong way." Su Moye replied politely.
"Oh? We look alike?" Feng Jiu asked curiously. Su Moye then took out his wallet, where he kept a photo of them from back then in it. Then he showed it to the both of them.
"She really does look like you, Feng Jiu!" Yu Xi said. Feng Jiu also nodded her head and replied, "Yeah, I see the similarities. What a coincidence!"
"Yeah. I was shocked when I first saw your face, and I thought that I was hallucinating. But your personalities are really different, and she was mostly quiet and serious. To be honest, I was a little taken aback when you confronted me just now." Su Moye smiled.
"Oh! Sorry about that, I didn't mean it! I totally misunderstood your intentions. Now, I feel embarrassed about my actions. I'll pay for your drink today then!" Feng Jiu frowned.
Yu Xi also felt bad and replied, "Sorry, I don't have money right now, but once everything is settled, I'll get a job and treat you to a good meal."
Su Moye smiled and replied, "I envy you, Yu Xi. You're so brave, and you went against your parents to be with your love. I wished I was like you back then. Promise me that you won't just give up on your relationship."
"Thank you. I would gladly give up everything to be with Si Ming." Yu Xi smiled sweetly.
Feng Jiu then asked, "So how do we call off this engagement?"
"I actually have a plan, but I don't know if Yu Xi would be able to follow it." Su Moye said.
"Tell us about it!" Yu Xi replied.
"Okay. Knowing how traditional your parents are, the best plan is to 'Cook the raw rice'.
Just get married to Si Ming without approval, or even better, get pregnant first. By that time, the 'rice would be cooked', and they would have to accept reality."
'The raw rice has already been cooked.'
shēng mǐ zhǔ chéng shóu fàn
Chinese Idiom (生米煮成熟饭)
Meaning: What's done is done, and there's no turning back.
It could also mean a couple slept with each other/got pregnant, so they have to get married to each other.
Yu Xi pondered for a while before replying, "I'll do it. But only if Si Ming agrees with the plan. I will respect his wishes and not push him for it."
Feng Jiu then gave her a thumbs up, "You're a fighter in love, and I'm so proud of you, Yu Xi."
Then they started to talk about their lives, getting to know each other better. Feng Jiu then told Su Moye about her working in Tai Chen Group.
"Oh. You're working in Tai Chen Group? Guess I'll see you more often then. West Sea Group will be working closely with Tai Chen Group to host a big competition this year. I can't reveal more details now, but it would be announced really soon."
"I want to join the competition." Feng Jiu replied. Su Moye smiled and replied, "I'll be one of the judges for this competition, so I await to see you in the final round."
Feng Jiu immediately replied, "If it was an architectural design competition, I'm confident that I would get into the final rounds. So I'm just waiting for them to announce the details of the competition."
"You'll have a good chance then." Su Moye smiled.
"You know, I actually didn't expect that this meeting would go well." Feng Jiu chuckled.
"I know, I know. I hope that you didn't think of splashing a cup of drink on my face." Su Moye smiled. Feng Jiu then laughed out loud, "Uh... Actually, I did think of that."
Su Moye then held out his hand to shake Feng Jiu's hand again, "I would love to be friends with you. I like how genuine you are, and you don't have any ulterior motives." Feng Jiu shook his hand, but she was feeling a little confused as to why he said that.
Yu Xi immediately nodded her head and replied, "Yes! I agree too. Feng Jiu is one of the nicest people I have met. She offered to help me out despite not knowing me that well too." Then she turned over to Feng Jiu and said, "Feng Jiu, it's hard for us to make friends, especially true friends. I'm so glad to have you as my friend."
Su Moye smiled and replied, "Yes, she's right. In our circle of friends, almost every single one would only come to you for help. If you need help, they are nowhere to be found. All for themselves."
Feng Jiu smiled brightly at Su Moye and replied, "I'll gladly be your friend."
Then they continued talking, and it seemed like they were enjoying each other's company.
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On the other side, Dong Hua, who was still observing them, was boiling in vinegar (jealousy). He thought to himself, "Why is Su Moye there? Wait. Why is Su Moye touching Xiao Bai's hand?"
Dong Hua took out his phone and called Feng Jiu. Then he saw her rejecting his call. "Wait, why is she rejecting my call?"
Feng Jiu actually rejected his call because she was in the middle of a nice conversation with the both of them and she didn't want to be rude. So she quickly texted Dong Hua, "Hey. I'll call you back later, as I'm a little busy here."
Dong Hua looked into the Cafe and noticing her smiling and having fun talking to Su Moye. "Busy? Busy with flirting with Su Moye?"
Then he replied to her message, "Oh. What are you busy with?"
Feng Jiu was so engrossed in their conversation that she failed to realize that Dong Hua texted her.
Dong Hua stared into the Cafe and waited for her to look at his messages. "What? Now she's ignoring me because of Su Moye? Is there something going on between them?"
Finally, Feng Jiu picked up her phone and replied to him. "Oh, sorry. I was just busy talking to a friend."
"Friend? Is it Si Ming's girlfriend?" He replied immediately. Dong Hua didn't want her to know that he was jealous and she wanted to test her reaction.
Feng Jiu replied, "Oh, yeah. Her name is Yu Xi by the way. Okay, I'll text you back later when I'm done talking here." Feng Jiu didn't mention Su Moye because this meeting was supposed to be 'low profile'.
"She didn't even mention Su Moye. That's weird. Is she hiding something from me? Maybe I'll try to ask her about it tomorrow." Dong Hua then sat in his car and continued observing. He felt terrible seeing Feng Jiu smiling and talking happily to Su Moye. He wished badly that he was the one sitting there with her. This was the first time in his life that he felt so jealous and possessive.
Suddenly, Dong Hua came up with an idea. "Since I didn't drop her off at the Cafe's doorstep, Feng Jiu wouldn't be able to guess that I'm following her. I'll act like I'm a regular customer in that Cafe and just head in to buy a drink."
Then he quickly texted Feng Jiu, "Oh. No worries, just text me back when you're free. I'm busy now, anyway. After I dropped you off, I did some errands around the corner since I'm in this area. Now I'm just feeling thirsty, and I'm heading to one of my favourite Cafe to get a drink."
Feng Jiu saw his text message and immediately replied, "Oh, nice! Yeah, get a drink and even a snack if you're hungry. Send me a picture of it when you're at the Cafe!"
"Oh, sure. I'm just parking my car now, and I'll be walking over to the Cafe." Dong Hua replied.
Then he smirked and got out of the car. He swiftly crossed the road and walked towards the Cafe. He also acted like he didn't know Feng Jiu was there.
Dong Hua headed straight to cashier counter and avoided looking at Feng Jiu. She then instantly spotted him as the Cafe wasn't crowded at all. She thought to herself, "Wait. This is Dong Hua's favourite Cafe? Oh no, he's going to know about Su Moye."
"Should I hide or say Hi to Dong Hua?"
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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