Having known Yu Qiao Qiao for three or four years, Lu Man had a very good understanding of Yu Qiao Qiao's character and thoughts.

This was a very well-behaved and kind girl.

Perhaps because she grew up in an orphanage, her disposition was gentle; she lacked a strong will in the face of issues and easily aggrieved herself for the sake of others.

Simply put, she was a bit insecure and had a people-pleaser personality.

Even though Chen Yan had intentionally been cultivating her confidence and a more outgoing personality for these past years, the nature of a person is hard to change.

Therefore, with Chen Yan now facing such a great crisis, no matter what measures he took, there was a 99% probability that Yu Qiao Qiao would choose to forgive him and continue to stay by his side.

Even if this matter would cause Yu Qiao Qiao great heartache, given her character, she would contain her inner sorrow and choose to stand with Chen Yan.

Given Yu Qiao Qiao's personality and Chen Yan's shamelessly persistent nagging, once she didn't choose to leave or break up at the beginning... then she would never be able to escape.

Even if one wasn't a person of logic, such a simple logic was clear to Lu Man: this was truly a rare opportunity.

An opportunity to have Chen Yan keep Yu Qiao Qiao that might not come again in a lifetime...

Thinking of this, Lu Man herself felt a bit confused.

Because even though she had noticed this opportunity, she... hesitated.

Her hesitation mainly stemmed from two reasons.

One was... would this be too cruel to Yu Qiao Qiao?

She could have had many more opportunities, could have re-chosen her life. But at this moment, to restrict her choices by a moral abduction.

If one day in the future, she regretted or wasn't living well, then one could really say that it ruined her life...

The second was... Lu Man's own selfishness.

She had also known Chen Yan for four or five years. Because of her status, Lu Man was actually the woman who understood Chen Yan's romantic life the best.

Other women either didn't know as much as she did (like Yu Qiao Qiao) or came later and didn't know Chen Yan's romantic history (like Yang Rou, He Mengxue, Zhao Ying).

Only she had experienced everything about Chen Yan.

Thus, she knew that Yu Qiao Qiao was special to Chen Yan.

Even though Chen Yan himself seemed confused, as an observer, Lu Man knew that Chen Yan's feelings for Yu Qiao Qiao were different from those for his other women.

Perhaps because Yu Qiao Qiao was the first to know Chen Yan, perhaps because Yu Qiao Qiao's personality was just too heart-wrenching and likable, or perhaps because Yu Qiao Qiao's appearance fit Chen Yan's ideal.

In any case, these years, Yu Qiao Qiao had always lived in the softest part of Chen Yan's heart.

Lu Man was also a woman; she too wanted to monopolize Chen Yan's love.

Even if she couldn't monopolize it, at least she wanted to be the most unique one, like Yu Qiao Qiao.

But if Yu Qiao Qiao truly stayed and kept by Chen Yan's side, then maybe she wouldn't get this chance in her whole life...

To use a metaphor from court dramas: if Zhen Huan doesn't die, Zhen Huan will never have her day....

So... should she consider Chen Yan and help him to keep Yu Qiao Qiao or pretend she hadn't noticed the opportunity and let Yu Qiao Qiao leave.

The more she thought, the more confused Lu Man felt, and even her previously clear head was now a total mess.

At this point, perhaps sensing something was off with Lu Man, Yu Qiao Qiao's large eyes curiously looked at Lu Man and asked, "Sister Man Man, are you alright? You seem a bit absent-minded."

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's words, Lu Man was brought back to reality from her thoughts.

Perhaps because what she was thinking was so important, she grew nervous and accidentally pulled a bit on Cotton Candy's fur.

Cotton Candy let out a "Meow~!" in protest, indignantly flicking its tail and jumping down from her lap.

Seeing Lu Man's behavior, Yu Qiao Qiao became even more puzzled. She stood up, sat beside Lu Man, and gently wrapped her arms around Lu Man, softly expressing her concern, "Sister Man Man, are you okay?"

Lu Man felt her heart nearly leap out, she reflexively broke free from Yu Qiao Qiao's embrace and found an excuse, "I need to use the restroom for a bit. Please stay seated."

After that, she ran off swiftly.

Looking at her hasty retreat, Yu Qiao Qiao's delicate face was a picture of confusion as she muttered to herself, "Sister Man Man is so strange today... what's wrong with her?"

Arriving at the restroom, Lu Man gently patted her face, which could bring down kingdoms and states, then locked the door, took several deep breaths to calm her heart rate.

Once she'd gradually collected herself, Lu Man went to the vanity, turned on the tap, and splashed her face with cold water.

Now, there were two paths in front of her: one was to "hurt herself", hurt a friend, and help the person she loved; the other was to betray the person she loved, realize her own happiness, and fulfill her friend.

To be honest, it was really hard to choose.

She wanted Yu Qiao Qiao to have her own choices, she wanted Chen Yan to be happy, and she also wanted to be happy herself.

But... it seemed there was no such thing as a perfect world, right?

The cold water splashing on her face didn't cool her thoughts.

And just then, suddenly, her pajama pocket vibrated with a buzz.

Lu Man wiped her face, then took out her phone to look.

On the phone was a WeChat message from Chen Yan...

[Miss Puff, what are you up to? Work hasn't been busy, but don't neglect your practice. Remember, you're Lu Man, destined to be a superstar. Love you~]

Simple words of affection, but they were sent by Chen Yan almost every day.

She didn't know when it started, but Chen Yan would chat with her every day, sometimes during the day, sometimes at night.

Gradually, Lu Man had grown used to her days with him nearby.

Before, she wanted to be a superstar, she wanted to be an attention-grabbing celebrity, but now when the night fell silent, she just wanted to stay by his side.

Sometimes, lying in his arms doing nothing but watching TV shows or movies made Lu Man feel incredibly content.

What filled Lu Man's heart was knowing that even though she no longer held such lofty aspirations, he still deeply remembered her past wishes and dreams and was working hard towards them.

Having known Chen Yan for several years, Lu Man knew that Chen Yan had no interest in the film and television industry, and yet the corporation's film and television sector had the most employees and investment within the company.

Lu Man understood that all of this was for her.

Considering this, certain small thoughts in her mind began to solidify.

Lu Man, who had many conflicting thoughts just a moment ago, was now decisively setting her resolve.

Perhaps because her thoughts had cleared, Lu Man suddenly felt she had figured something out.

Maybe there was a way to have the best of both worlds...

With this in mind, she washed her face again, tucked her phone back into her pocket, and walked straight out of the bathroom.

Yu Qiao Qiao was still sitting on the sofa, and upon seeing Lu Man appear, she keenly sensed something different about her from before.

She couldn't help but look up at Lu Man and meekly ask, "Sister Man, are you alright?"

Lu Man shook her head, then she sat down and looked at Yu Qiao Qiao, asking, "Qiao Qiao, I want to ask you. What are your feelings towards Chen Yan?"

Hearing Lu Man's sudden question, Yu Qiao Qiao blinked her large eyes and asked in return, "Sister Man, why do you ask this question?"

Lu Man said earnestly, "Just answer me."

Yu Qiao Qiao pondered for a moment, then seriously replied, "I want to be by Chen Yan's side all my life."

Lu Man sharply sensed the difference in Yu Qiao Qiao's use of the phrase "all my life" compared to other women; she asked, "Why is that?"

"Why?" Yu Qiao Qiao seemed to be asking Lu Man as much as herself before saying,

"Maybe because he is so good to me."

"Maybe because he has completely changed my life."

"Maybe because he makes me feel like I can do anything I want to do."

"Maybe because he realized my dreams."

"Maybe because he made me truly understand that I too can be treated gently..."

Speaking of Chen Yan, Yu Qiao Qiao's eyes grew immeasurably tender.

Though it was a series of parallel phrases that should become more forceful, her voice grew softer, so soft that by the end, it seemed only she could hear that final "maybe"...

"Maybe because he is the first person who came into my life and was different from the rest..."

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's final remark, Lu Man softly asked, "Is he really that different to you?"

"Maybe it's just because you haven't met another man who would do these things for you?"

"If someone else did what he has done, you might also fall in love with him, right?"

Yu Qiao Qiao smiled warmly and honestly said, "Maybe so."

"But I'm a simple-minded person."

"I think, even if others might do the same for me, since he did it first, isn't that fate?"

"My heart is small, once he entered it, he'll be there for my entire life."

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's words, Lu Man's heart clenched, and she struggled internally before probing, "What if... his heart is vast?"

"Or... what if he did something to wrong you?"

Yu Qiao Qiao shook her head unconcerned, "What can I do then?"

"Who made me fall in love with him?"

"I can't possibly leave him."

Lu Man felt increasingly settled then continued to probe, "Maybe this is because of the material things Chen Yan gives you? Or because he can make your life much better. That's why you feel he's different and can't leave him?"

"If one day, he has nothing. You might… find out he's not any different? That he's no different from others?"

Yu Qiao Qiao shook her head earnestly, "Sister Man. Actually... my life hasn't really changed."

"You might not believe it. Other than living in the house that Chen Yan gave me, I've never used the money, car, or other things he's given me."

"I'm not greedy; having meals each day and a loved one by my side is enough."

With that, Lu Man felt she had nothing else to inquire about.

Having spent many years with Yu Qiao Qiao, Lu Man believed she understood her character and behavior quite well.

She rarely lied, and when she did, it wasn't like this.

So... maybe just as she said, whether Chen Yan truly touched her, or if Chen Yan was the first man to enter her heart, anyway, she decided on Chen Yan for life, no matter what he did.

As for Chen Yan...

Seeing Chen Yan's WeChat that moment, Lu Man thought: to love someone, perhaps you have to let them have their way.

If you win his heart by driving away the person he loves most with schemes and trickery, that's not really a victory.

Besides, you might never be able to lift your head up again because of it.

As a future superstar, Lu Man believed she could rely on her own charm to become the most important person in Chen Yan's heart!

So, she decided to help Chen Yan keep Yu Qiao Qiao.

But because she also had a good relationship with Yu Qiao Qiao, Lu Man didn't want to hurt her, which was why she wanted to confirm Yu Qiao Qiao's intentions after coming out, to avoid harming her for life.

Now, having confirmed Yu Qiao Qiao's intentions, Lu Man had finally decided to clarify things between them.

In the bathroom, she thought, if it was bound to happen, better now than later.

And if someone must be the scapegoat.

Then let it be her.

If it failed, Chen Yan at least had someone to blame or vent out on.

If it succeeded, then the person who morally blackmailed Yu Qiao Qiao afterward wouldn't be Chen Yan.

With this in mind, Lu Man looked into Yu Qiao Qiao's eyes and solemnly said, "Qiao Qiao, since you are so certain of your feelings. Then I will tell you something."

"This matter might shatter your worldview or make you doubt everything you've seen and heard before as false. But I hope... no matter what, you must be strong."

Hearing Lu Man's words, Yu Qiao Qiao seemed to sense something and couldn't help but look up at Lu Man.

Lu Man, facing that pure gaze, suddenly felt a bit panicky.

She swallowed to calm herself down before speaking, "Actually... Chen Yan isn't devoted to just one girlfriend."

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