Do you still smoke?

  ……

  ……

  In Xiaoxue's memory——

  In the luxurious and elegant high-end residence built in European style, the crystal chandelier suspended from the ceiling shines brightly, casting a bleak and desolate reflection on the empty and spacious living room.

  The servant would come over with a numb smile to serve tea and pour water, while the father, often wearing a pair of reading glasses and being elegant in his demeanor, would say slowly: "Study hard, I'll send you to Switzerland for further studies later. The family business will be yours sooner or later."

  The gentle and soft-spoken mother sat beside the father, always with a warm and kind smile on her face, chiming in: "Your dad is right, stop hanging out with those shady people, focus on your studies, okay?"

  Neither three nor four!?!

  Vaguely remembered, they used to be in the habit of gazing into the future with calm and gentle eyes during quiet times, expressing themselves in crowds with unique characteristics such as "playing the fool", "carefree" and "offbeat humor", defining their own style.

  She still deeply remembers what they said - if a person doesn't have their own style, how can others distinguish you?

  In her eyes, they were thought to be "funny" and "arrogant" by the people around them, but they were actually young people with ideas and principles, reliable and trustworthy.

  But everything sank into the endless darkness of that chaotic and noisy night, as if dawn would never come again, including her stunned sorrow at the time and numb nostalgia afterwards.

  They were gradually forgotten in the darkness of society and human affairs, perhaps not heroes, but also unwilling to harm others. In the chaotic and disorderly crowd at that time, they tried to bend down and help a weak person, but ultimately could not escape disaster.

  But she, small and delicate, could only cower in their protection, trembling with fear, terrified and uneasy amidst the chaotic surroundings that seemed like war was near...

  The numbness and pain that came with the sudden brightness made her never forget that night, which was wrapped in a cloak of noise and prosperity.

  Society's cold and mournful attitude, from one aspect, negated their nobility... causing the surviving her, from that day on ——

  Deeply resenting vulgarity!

  Despise those who deceive themselves and others!

  Detestable people who are incompetent and untalented, yet have high self-esteem!

  From that day on, she refused to be ordinary!

  Opposed to her parents' demands and expectations, she was scolded. She said to her parents: "Don't think that putting on a noble attitude and temperament makes you a superior person. In my eyes, you are also vulgar and still controlled by material things!"

  She had a tough attitude, silently showing her firm and stubborn stance. Her father seemed to have given up on her, no longer inquiring about her decisions and future. And she, determined to prove herself not impulsive or emotional, came to the mediocre Municipal Secondary School, aiming to turn around her parents' disappointed views with still excellent grades and conduct.

  However, the situation was not very optimistic. In her second year of high school, she encountered a strong opponent. Although she was among the top ten in her grade, the honor of being first in class was always taken away by a quiet and refined boy. Believing that her thoughts were unparalleled in the world, she began to secretly pay attention to this refined boy. She discovered that apart from having a lazy but cold friend, his interpersonal relationships were also shallow, seemingly not an ordinary guy, which made her very motivated and eager to defeat him.

  So, she and the opponent secretly competed with each other, but repeatedly lost. However, the failure was not unacceptable to her. It was the opponent's calm and gentle attitude towards the first glory that made her, who had paid a lot of sweat and effort, hate it so much that she clenched her teeth, and even more determined to defeat the opponent.

  It was unexpected that the boy suddenly disappeared from the world about half a month ago.

  It made her suddenly feel a kind of dazed and confused, as if she had just woken up from a big dream.

  However, soon she seemed to meet her match, a beautiful girl with elegant and cold demeanor, coincidentally, was arranged by the teacher in the seat of that refined boy.

  After a simple test and secret investigation, she found that the other party's answering style was almost identical to that of the previous elegant young man, similarly mediocre and unremarkable, yet making it impossible for anyone to find fault.

  However, when facing tests, especially science tests that test logical thinking, she can't maintain such a calm and peaceful mindset. She has her own biased views and is used to pondering more complex and strange answer methods. Indeed, this often leads to deductions in points, but she doesn't think it's wrong because she thinks it's her style.

  She was well aware of the reasons for her own failure, and also had a good understanding of the key factors that led to the enemy's victory. However, two successive opponents who had never met before both defeated her in the same way, which made her vaguely sense an unusual aura.

  And afterwards she was very lucky, Ye Cai pulled her and her potential enemy into friends, she could observe and guess the girl who defeated her at a closer distance, yes, friend is not a bad observation angle.

  And then, gradually, she was shocked to discover that the tall and slender girl and the gentle and elegant boy had a surprising resemblance in their facial features!

  Sister!?!

  Or is it little sister!?

  She was thinking so, but subconsciously avoiding that suspicion.

  ……

  However, at this moment, on the way to a celebratory dinner for Ye Cai, he was inexplicably implicated by Xiao Duan's careless words, and then confirmed by the other party's embarrassed and annoyed reaction. That unreasonable and unbelievable suspicion rose from the bottom of his heart once again...

  The faint streetlight stretched their three shadows into thin threads.

  Ye Cai's helpless and slightly annoyed expression was telling Xiao Xue that the "secret" was not simple, and perhaps it was what she had suspected.

  Just then, Liu Youyou, who had been posing as if she wanted to kill someone, suddenly lost her momentum and burst out laughing awkwardly. She patted Ye Cai's pale and complex face with a loud slap on the shoulder and said loudly: "Haha, I forgot to say, later I want to eat beef noodles, how about it? Is there any problem?"

  Her leaves were slightly tilted forward and backward, but Ye Cai was not moved at all, with a slight pout on her mouth, and the gaze under her hair was as sharp as a knife edge. Her usual cheerful and lively aura was also gradually suppressed by the oppressive silence.

  Her smile stiffened, her eyes gradually turned cold, her breathing became increasingly rapid, and there were signs of furious shouting.

  Under this extremely tense and oppressive atmosphere, Ye's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she turned to look at Xiao Xue. Her gaze was no longer as nervous and excited as when she had revealed the secret earlier, but instead carried a hint of solemnity and gravity.

  Seemingly hesitant, Ye Cai's lips moved slightly, but before she could speak, a coarse and heavy breathing sound filled with resentment and anger came from behind her. She pursed her lips and opened them again to suppress something, and Ye Cai's eyebrows furrowed even deeper. The cute look on her small face was completely ruined, and it really didn't look like the tolerant expression that a little girl should have.

  Witnessing Liu Youyou's face as cold as black ice and Xiao Xue's rapid breathing with her chest heaving up and down, she hastily squeezed out a awkward smile, raised her hands to her chest and gestured.

  "Haha, I still won't listen, not interested, I still won't listen."

  Reserved, yet in no way affecting the cheerful and easy tone of the words, overflowing in this area of cold land etched on the road surface by weak light.

  Liu Youyou and Ye Cai's faces were cold and angry at the same time, but they both slowed down, looking at each other in dismay. They looked at Xue Snow who was making a gesture of awkwardness, then Liu Youyou patted his chest and let out a sigh, while Ye Cai furrowed his brow again.

  Perhaps what Yecai worried about and was concerned about is different from Liu Youyou, but it's very likely that her goal has been achieved.

  Liu, who had just caught her breath, smiled wryly and explained to Xiao Xue: "You don't know, she likes to expose my shortcomings. They're all things from when we were kids... Sorry about that."

  Ye Cai seemed to be lost in thought as she glanced at Liu Youyou, shrugged her shoulders and smiled inexplicably, taking the lead with a pace that was oppressed by the atmosphere.

  "Oh, then I'd rather not hear it, so as not to make everyone feel awkward..."

  Contrary to Liu Youyou's expectations, Xiao Xue suddenly became enthusiastic and proactive, walking from the outermost position to her side, squeezing into the innermost part, then holding her arm, smiling and looking up at each other with a difference of about two centimeters in their pretty faces.

  Liu Youyou was taken aback by Xiao Xue's sudden move, her smile somewhat perfunctory and bitter. Meanwhile, Xiao Xue seemed oblivious to this, leaning in close to her and excitedly asking for tips on skincare and figure maintenance.

  "Hehe, sleep, get enough sleep, have a regular routine, anyway, whatever science says..."

  "Science? Don't understand, apart from sleep, is there anything else to pay attention to?"

  "Hmm... balanced nutrition, I guess... I don't really understand it either..."

  "Balanced nutrition... what do you usually eat?"

  "I, I don't... No, me too, just eat whatever."

  "Are you eating casually? Such a big butt..."

  "Ah!"

  "Hey, be honest and give me a massage for a bit..."

  "Huh? No, this, this... okay..."

  "Hmm, I had it when I was a kid too..."

  The giggles and whispers behind her made Ye Cai's nerves relax, a gentle smile spreading across her face as she glanced over at Xiao Xue, who was walking beside Liu Youyou with a sly and sweet grin on her face, revealing a hint of gratitude.

  It must be admitted that this world is quite strange, shrouded in deception and masks. No matter how complex and entangled the past may have been, it will all be condensed into a simple figure and face in the eyes of others.

  Every seemingly indifferent and simple person who passes by has countless causal chains connecting their heart, complex and interconnected, this is society.

  ……

  ……

  A barbecue night market at a corner of a pedestrian street.

  Although Xiao Xue was shocked, she thought about Liu Youyou and Ye Cai's past and let it go. However, she immediately started worrying again because she didn't know how to drink beer.

  It was around 10 pm, the peak hour for barbecue business. After ordering a string of food, the three girls quickly occupied a small wooden table near the pedestrian street. Ye Cai eagerly picked up her chopsticks and looked longingly at the barbecue rack, swaying back and forth in her chair, while Liu Youyou leaned slightly against the back of her chair, propping up a charming and seductive leg, striking a comfortable yet elegant pose.

  The surroundings were extremely noisy and chaotic, with most of the middle-aged men exposing their chests and laughing loudly. Some people shook their glasses with a playful expression, while others scowled and downed an entire bottle of beer in one gulp. The atmosphere was heated as people at the table urged some poor guy to drink or take off his clothes. This extremely crude and chaotic atmosphere made Xiao Xue feel completely out of place.

  At this time, Liu Youyou seemed to have noticed that Xiao Xue was not used to such a scene, so she took out a pack of black, exquisite packaging of women's cigarettes from her bag, slowly lit one and put it between her lips, then gently tossed the cigarette box towards Xiao Xue, along with a playful glance.

  Xiao Xue subconsciously arched her back in resistance, then perfunctorily laughed "haha" twice, but didn't rush to express anything, instead asking: "You... still smoke?"

  "Hmm..."

  Liu Youyou gently closed her eyes, and with her right hand, she picked up a light purple lip balm-like luxurious item. Suddenly, there was a crisp "ding" sound, and from the front end of the lip balm, a cluster of dark red flames shot out, sweeping across the cigarette butt.

  A pale blue mist, wafting gently from the rosy lips, golden curls framing a charming and elegant face, in this dimly lit barbecue night market, highlighting a few dreamy and enchanting airs.

  She was speechless, and Xiao Xue felt a strong urge to stare at him with her eyes wide open. She recognized the thing that looked like lipstick, it seemed to be a DuPont lighter or something, quite a luxurious item.

  She seems to be quite wealthy...

  At this time, Ye Cai turned his head upon hearing the noise and immediately gave a disdainful look to Liu Youyou who was seductively blowing out smoke rings. Then he searched around for a pack of cigarettes, opened it, smiled at Xiao Xue and said: "Want one?"

  Cigarettes were handed over to her, Xiao Xue smiled and took it between her fingers, looked at Liu Youyou's appearance, imitated and sucked it into her lips, a 1.5-meter tall loli head, sucking on a cigarette, tsk...

  （……）