Friendship

"Young man, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No. Are you offering, Auntie?"

"My niece is quite a catch—a teacher at the county's No. 1 high school, very pretty. Shall we exchange WeChat and have a chat?"

"Auntie..."

"And what do you do for work, young man?"

"I work at a pharmacy."

"A drug salesman, or a cashier at the pharmacy?"

Su Die was nearly doubled over with laughter. Who would have thought the rightful heir to the world's largest pharmaceutical company had such moments of embarrassment in him?

"Look at that fancy suit of yours—you must be one of those drug salesmen. Business must be good, eh? Which pharmacy is it?"

"Auntie, I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now. My circumstances aren't good—I'd hate to waste your niece's time."

"Oh, so modest! My niece loves exactly your type—handsome, mature, rich."

It was the first time in his life Lu Yu had felt that being a financial heir's son could be a nuisance. He couldn't fathom how painful it must have been for Su Die to hide who she was all those years.

Getting rid of this auntie was harder than handling the old foxes on the board. Luckily, Uncle Chen came over and ended the conversation.

"Young man, you're strong—help Xiao Die move a few more sacks of feed."

Lu Yu thought: Uncle, you are my savior.

That Su Die, princess of BR Group, had grown used to this life—and even enjoyed it—genuinely commanded Lu Yu's admiration.

When the hauling was done, a message came through on Su Die's phone: her manuscript had been accepted.

She grabbed Lu Yu's dust-covered sleeve in delight, beaming. "I have to tell Mosheng-ge the good news."

"What good news?"

"The script I wrote passed the first round of review. I know Mosheng-ge will be happy for me."

So she shines even brighter than I imagined. Perhaps she and I are the same kind of people—we love literature, love art, come from the same kind of families—yet we have lived entirely different lives.

Zhen, this is the sister you loved so deeply. She can live well without anyone's protection or help. A true princess can protect the prince she loves—just as you once protected Su Die.

"Uncle Chen, can I come help Su Die move feed again sometime?"

"Of course. Next time, don't wear the fancy suit. Come in something ragged."

"I didn't know the first time. Xiao Die didn't tell me either."

"No matter. I've already sent your wages to Xiao Die. She'll pass them on to you when she gets back."

With a chime from her phone, Su Die transferred him a little over a hundred yuan.

For some reason, Lu Yu felt happier at this moment than he ever had closing a multi-billion-yuan pharmaceutical deal.

And at the same time, he felt a flicker of fear—as if something had gently shattered his sense of authority.

"Lu Yu, this is what your labor earned. Take it!"

"You clearly don't know me. I've already accepted it. I'm a man who puts profit above all else."

"Thank you—for protecting Zhen back then, and for helping me haul feed today."

"No need for such formality. We're friends forever. I know we could never have been husband and wife—curse Su Mosheng for being more handsome than I am."

Su Die looked at this man—who had accepted a hundred yuan, then thrown his designer suit into the trash—and had a feeling: they really could become friends.

But in this world, no one could ever take Su Mosheng's place in her heart.

Love and friendship are different things. That was a truth both Su Zhen and Lu Yu had taught her.

"Lu Yu—besides Fitzgerald, which writers do you love?"

"William Faulkner."

"Me too!"