After leaving the KTV, Li Jing arranged for a taxi to first send An Tong and Zhang Xinxin back to their rented apartment, and then he returned to the hotel himself.
Inside the rental apartment, Zhang Xinxin, who had been pretending to be drunk in front of Li Jing, suddenly became more sober. Seeing An Tong getting ready to wash up, she stepped forward, hands on her hips, and blocked her.
"Xinxin, what are you doing..."
An Tong was taken aback. Compared to Zhang Xinxin, her tolerance for alcohol was weaker, and her head was already somewhat dizzy.
"An Tong, I want to ask you what you're doing."
Zhang Xinxin rarely showed a serious expression, staring at An Tong's delicate face, frowning and questioning, "Why do you want to stop me from getting close to Li Jing?
Aren't you two just ordinary friends? If you don't help me, fine, but you're wholeheartedly hindering me. Are you still my good sister!"
Upon hearing this, An Tong's expression changed slightly. She didn't expect Zhang Xinxin to talk about this, and her momentum instantly weakened. She averted her gaze and awkwardly replied, "I didn't stop you, did I..."
"You don't even dare to look me in the eyes! Do you believe the words you're saying?"
Zhang Xinxin puffed up like an angry little bird.
Compared to the natural beauty of the long-haired, big-eyed An Tong, her features might fall a bit short individually, but the slightly narrow, upturned corners of her eyes added a touch more allure.
If An Tong's beauty is bright and sunny, Zhang Xinxin's belongs to the unique and striking.
Moreover, Zhang Xinxin knew her own strengths well. Whether in clothing or makeup, she always worked to exude her unique charm.
Seeing An Tong at a loss for words, Zhang Xinxin snorted coldly, arms wrapped across her impressive bust, and said, "Stop deluding yourself. Honestly, you have feelings for Li Jing too, don't you?"
"Ah, I didn't..."
Just as An Tong was about to object, Zhang Xinxin's words caught her, leaving her voice stuck in her throat and unable to go on.
Seeing An Tong's troubled expression, Zhang Xinxin's anger dissipated a bit. She couldn't help but frown and shake her head with resignation: "I'm telling you, An Tong, can't you face your own heart? Aren't you just making things difficult for yourself?"
Zhang Xinxin returned to the living room to sit down again: "I know what you're thinking, and I understand Li Jing is not the best choice for your goals, but you're still moved, aren't you?"
"I didn't..." An Tong couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
Zhang Xinxin directly ignored it, leaning back on the sofa, her long legs crossed, skirt hem revealing glimpses, "Honestly, I'm not afraid of you chasing him, or of you competing with me."
Seeing An Tong looking at her in surprise, Zhang Xinxin smiled with relief: "Actually, we both know we're unlikely to truly marry someone like Li Jing with money. But because of this reason, you're suppressing your true feelings while I've decided to give it a shot."
With that, Zhang Xinxin gazed at An Tong's slightly quivering eyes: "Because Li Jing meets almost all the conditions I previously set for a perfect boyfriend. If I miss this chance, given our conditions, we may never have the opportunity to interact with someone like him in our lifetime.
So I'll work hard to pursue him. Even if it ends with nothing, I won't regret it. You know my personality; if I don't try pursuing, I might regret it for the rest of my life."
After hearing Zhang Xinxin's heartfelt words, An Tong's expression was uncertain, but eventually, she sighed deeply and sat down beside her, silently holding her hand.
Like An Tong, Zhang Xinxin had also come from a small town to struggle, but besides their looks, in terms of family background, education, and work, they didn't stand out in this city.
Yet both had the same goal, which was to find someone with better conditions to be with.
An Tong wanted to settle in Celestial Sea City and have a stable life.
Whereas Zhang Xinxin didn't want to waste her youth, striving to find a wealthy second generation and live the life of a rich wife. As for the future, she hadn't thought about it and didn't want to.
But given their social circles, reaching their target audience was extremely difficult.
So they teamed up to work out, become beautiful, and manage their sophisticated social circles, all with hopes of one day meeting the right boyfriend and achieving their goals.
But after years, their economic level and cognitive ability determined the circles they occupied were destined not to admit wealthy individuals.
There was also the reason that they hadn't crossed the line of morality, and their ingrained values from childhood made it impossible for them to resort to unscrupulous means.
Thus, many opportunities arose to advance by selling their beauty, but they chose to refuse.
They wanted not to climb socially by constantly exploiting their looks for various men, but hoped their charms could directly win the affection of their ideal targets.
According to Zhang Xinxin, "I'm materialistic, but I'm not selling myself. Just any company's small boss or leader wanting to play is below my standards.
Whether in terms of appearance or financial power."
This is also the reason the two remained single after coming to Celestial Sea City.
"An Tong, honestly, we've been together for so long, knowing each other better than ourselves."
Zhang Xinxin's somewhat narrow eyes looked at the slightly dazed An Tong beside her, seriously saying, "If you want to chase Li Jing, then let's compete fairly. No matter the outcome, I can accept it.
A best friend is a best friend, and chasing a man is chasing a man; they're separate matters. Even if you win Li Jing, we'll still be good sisters, right?"
Upon hearing this, An Tong slowly turned her head. Seeing the rare rational and sincere look in Zhang Xinxin's usually proud and captivating eyes, she hesitated for a moment, finally biting her lower lip and nodding: "I'm not sure what I'll choose, but in the future... I won't try to stop you anymore..."
"That's great! Now that's my good wife!"
As soon as she spoke, Zhang Xinxin immediately reached out, excitedly cheered, and instantly transformed back into her careless self, embracing An Tong.
An Tong let out a soft cry as she was pressed into the soft sofa by Zhang Xinxin.
Zhang Xinxin deliberately showed a villainous grin and extended her hands, smiling mischievously: "Come, let me inspect whether you've secretly had feelings for him tonight."
With that, she raised both hands as if to lift An Tong's dress, startling An Tong into a red-faced struggle: "Xinxin, what are you doing?! Don't mess around!"
"Hehe, I learned a new trick. Do you want to try it? It's very enjoyable!"
"No, no, get away, or I won't be polite!"
"Come on, let's have a romantic night!"
"Alright, alright, so you're playing it like this; then I'll show you... my power!"
"Ouch! Why are you so strong now? Have you been doing anaerobic exercises? Slow down, you're hurting my hand."
"Hmph! Didn't you say you wanted a romantic night? Do you still want romance now?!"
"Romance, romance, didn't you mean I'm wild and you're slow~"