Su Jingwen had not yet asked Li Mumei when another woman called her. This woman was none other than Ning Qingsnow, who was married to Ye Mo.
Su Jingwen knew why Ning Qingsnow married Ye Mo, but her intuition told her Ning Qingsnow didn't like her very much. So why would Ning Qingsnow call her?
When Su Jingwen arrived at a small coffee shop, Ning Qingsnow had been waiting for quite a while. Seeing Su Jingwen walk in, Ning Qingsnow quickly stood up.
"Qingsnow, you called me?" Su Jingwen asked immediately.
"Yes, Jingwen, have a seat. What would you like to drink?" Ning Qingsnow casually asked.
"I don't like coffee. Just a juice, please." Su Jingwen said, only then noticing that Ning Qingsnow also had a glass of juice in front of her.
The two of them drinking juice in a coffee shop was somewhat amusing.
"Qingsnow, um, how are you two doing?" Su Jingwen originally wanted to ask how Ye Mo was, but the words changed to "you two."
"Oh, um, we're okay." Ning Qingsnow took a sip of juice, unsure how to put it, then after a moment composed herself and said, "Jingwen, actually, there's something I want to ask you to help with, but, well…"
After hesitating for a while, Ning Qingsnow still couldn't bring herself to say what she really meant.
"Qingsnow, just say it directly. Besides, Mumei is my good friend and also your cousin. Even though we weren't close before, I think we'll get closer from now on." Su Jingwen's meaning was clear—no need to hide anything since they weren't strangers.
"Alright, then I'll be direct. Can you tell me something about Ye Mo? And…" Ning Qingsnow said halfway, but couldn't finish the sentence.
Su Jingwen smiled gently and said, "Actually, it's nothing special. I met Ye Mo by chance when he was taken to the police station. I bailed him out because I thought he looked like someone I knew. Later we had a meal together, and then I invited him to my birthday party."
Su Jingwen didn't mention that Ye Mo was a master who sold talismans to her, since Ning Qingsnow and Li Mumei both didn't believe in such superstitions.
She hadn't expected that Ye Mo had been to the police station. Ning Qingsnow didn't ask more, but continued, "Jingwen, um, at your birthday party, Ye Mo gave you a bracelet. If you don't like it, I was thinking, maybe…"
Ning Qingsnow was too embarrassed to say she wanted Su Jingwen to give her the bracelet, since it was a gift from Ye Mo to Su Jingwen. If she hadn't overheard Li Mumei say that Ye Mo and Su Jingwen were just casual acquaintances, she wouldn't have asked. Even now that Su Jingwen admitted their relationship was superficial, Ning Qingsnow still hesitated.
Though Ning Qingsnow didn't say it, Su Jingwen understood. Ning Qingsnow probably wanted the bracelet. Could it be that there really was some feeling between her and Ye Mo? But even if feelings were there, since Ye Mo made that bracelet for Su Jingwen, he could surely make one for Ning Qingsnow. So why ask Su Jingwen for it?
To be honest, Ye Mo's bracelet was crudely made, but Su Jingwen liked it because it symbolized the purest friendship between them. Ye Mo was a calming friend, and though they met rarely, there was no hidden meaning.
But after hearing Su Mei's words and seeing Yun Bing's attitude toward Ye Mo, Su Jingwen felt confused. She didn't know what kind of person Ye Mo truly was. Though she trusted him, deep inside she was still hesitant.
"How is Ye Mo?" Su Jingwen didn't answer Ning Qingsnow's question directly but instead asked something unrelated.
Ning Qingsnow expected Su Jingwen might say she would try to find Ye Mo or didn't know where he was. She didn't believe Su Jingwen would still wear the rough bracelet Ye Mo gave her. To Ning Qingsnow, the bracelet was trivial, so she asked for it. But she was caught off guard when Su Jingwen asked about Ye Mo.
"Ye Mo left. He probably left Ninghai. I don't know where. I haven't seen him for days. Mumei and I will leave Ninghai tonight too. I'm going to Yuzhou." Ning Qingsnow quickly recovered and told Su Jingwen she was leaving too.
"Ye Mo already left? Isn't he still at Ning University, not graduated yet?" Su Jingwen was surprised but soon realized from Su Mei's words that Ye Mo was known as a "failure" at Ninghai University, unlikely to graduate even after four years.
Su Jingwen suddenly smiled and said before Ning Qingsnow could reply, "Actually, I like that bracelet. Since you're his wife, why not ask him for one? If you tell me why you want it, maybe I can give you half."
Ning Qingsnow knew Su Jingwen's tone was deliberate, but she still answered, "You know I married Ye Mo as a cover. But now it's unnecessary. When Ye Mo left, he didn't give me anything. I feel I owe him, so…"
One reason Ning Qingsnow wanted the bracelet was envy of the one Ye Mo gave Su Jingwen. The bracelet was crude, and someone as rich as Su Jingwen probably didn't like it and might have lost it somewhere. Since Su Jingwen didn't want it, Ning Qingsnow thought it would be fine to take it.
But she hid one main thing: Ye Mo, although he didn't give her anything when leaving in haste, left his small medicine box behind. But she wouldn't say that—the medicine box was already hers.
"The bracelet is on me." Su Jingwen took off the bracelet and showed it. To her, Ning Qingsnow's guilt toward Ye Mo was because she had used him. Ning Qingsnow was also a pitiable person; it seemed Ye Mo was angry at her too, since he left without a word.
"Ah!" Ning Qingsnow was taken aback. She hadn't expected Su Jingwen to still wear the bracelet. This meant Su Jingwen really liked it, not that she had lost it as Ning Qingsnow assumed. Suddenly, Ning Qingsnow felt an inexplicable emotion she couldn't understand.
"I'll give you three beads from it. These are all handmade by Ye Mo. You can string them yourself." Su Jingwen said, opening the bracelet and handing three beads to Ning Qingsnow.
If she hadn't heard Yun Bing curse Ye Mo and Su Mei's words this morning, maybe she wouldn't have been willing to give Ning Qingsnow three beads. But after those two events, she felt the beads didn't hold as much weight for her as before.
Now that Ning Qingsnow asked, she was willing to give her three beads. Maybe the reason to keep three was to commemorate that pure friendship. After returning, she might put away the remaining three beads and stop wearing the bracelet.