CHAPTER 483: CHAPTER 483: WILL YOU HELP ME?

On the eleventh day of Song Yuanhuan’s mission, Xu Xiuxiu had gone from calm to anxious. She constantly hoped that when she woke up and opened her eyes, she would see the man she longed for. Unfortunately, that hope was ultimately shattered as Song Yuanhuan had been on his mission for several days without contacting her once.

It was Monday again, and after sending the three kids at home plus the little troublemaker Shi Yu to school, Xu Xiuxiu, with nothing else to do, took some recently purchased supplements for Wei Dafang to the post office to mail. Just after mailing the supplements, Xu Xiuxiu unexpectedly encountered someone on her way home she never thought she would see.

Lu Xiangxiang. She had an unexpected encounter with Lu Xiangxiang in the Imperial City. At first, when she saw Lu Xiangxiang suddenly appear in front of her, she could hardly recognize her, because the Lu Xiangxiang before her was completely different from the one she remembered. Initially, Xu Xiuxiu even hesitated to recognize her because Lu Xiangxiang had changed so much—extremely thin and listless. It was only when she saw her that her eyes sparkled.

"Xu Xiuxiu!" Lu Xiangxiang’s voice was weary and hoarse, but her demeanor was one of excitement when she saw Xu Xiuxiu, like someone who had been adrift at sea for a long time and finally found a life-saving piece of driftwood.

"Lu Xiangxiang?" Xu Xiuxiu also raised her eyebrows, her tone full of doubt, "What are you doing in the Imperial City?"

"I..." Lu Xiangxiang began to answer but, upon facing Xu Xiuxiu, who seemed radiant and unchanged after ten years, her excitement began to fade. In that moment, she realized the vast disparity between herself and Xu Xiuxiu.

"..." Xu Xiuxiu looked at her with confusion.

Biting her dry lips, Lu Xiangxiang hesitated for a long time, "Xu Xiuxiu, please save me! Can you please help me? I beg you, save me. I don’t want to go to jail. I will never bother Song Yuanhuan again. I don’t love him anymore. I won’t think about him anymore. Please, will you save me?" In Lu Xiangxiang’s voice there was not only amazement but also nervousness and worry, and her gaze bore such an imploring look that Xu Xiuxiu found hard to believe. She had never imagined that one day Lu Xiangxiang would become like this—with a hoarse voice, dry hair, and so thin it was incredulous.

The Lu Xiangxiang of her memories was a beautiful and proud woman from a superior family background, of average looks but seemingly outshining Xu Xiuxiu in every way. Although she had always coveted Song Yuanhuan and refused to give up, which caused Xu Xiuxiu some minor disappointment, she always felt that competing with Lu Xiangxiang was a crushing insult to her in every respect and also a test for Song Yuanhuan.

She believed that if Song Yuanhuan could be caught by a woman like Xu Xiuxiu, then she would act as if she had never loved Song Yuanhuan at all. Such a Song Yuanhuan was truly not worth her effort or love. As it turned out, even if she didn’t care, Lu Xiangxiang remained a clown, and Song Yuanhuan had never paid her any attention from the start. From Lu Xiangxiang’s perspective, it might seem cruel, but from Xu Xiuxiu’s stance, she couldn’t help but love Song Yuanhuan even more for it.

"Lu Xiangxiang, clarify what you’re saying first? What exactly happened to you? And why do you need me to save you?" Frankly speaking, Xu Xiuxiu was no saint, but it must be said that Lu Xiangxiang was the kind of person who wouldn’t die unless she sought death—foolishly so, hardly a match for Xu Xiuxiu. Xu Xiuxiu could hardly bring herself to think highly of her. Thus, Xu Xiuxiu didn’t really despise Lu Xiangxiang because, after all, Lu Xiangxiang hadn’t touched Xu Xiuxiu’s soft spot.

"Xu Xiuxiu, I know you hate me. I promise I’ll disappear, distance myself far from you, and I won’t appear before you again. Can you please help me, save me? I really don’t want to go to jail..." Lu Xiangxiang’s speech was somewhat incoherent, her mental state seemingly not quite right, overly excited, then she, in her tattered clothing, clutched Xu Xiuxiu’s sleeve, unwilling to let go.

She kept repeating herself, and Xu Xiuxiu couldn’t understand a thing.

"..." Watching the utterly disheveled Lu Xiangxiang in front of her, Xu Xiuxiu couldn’t possibly imagine that one day Lu Xiangxiang would be in such a sorry state, with pride crushed and shattered. Even after speaking for so long, she hadn’t gotten to the point. Xu Xiuxiu had no idea why Lu Xiangxiang had come to seek her help or why she appeared in Imperial City from City Z in such a wretched condition.

Even the beggars on the streets looked no worse.

"Xu Xiuxiu, I beg you..." Lu Xiangxiang continued to cling to Xu Xiuxiu desperately, like she had finally found a lifeline, anxious and afraid, guilty yet unwilling to tell the truth, only begging relentlessly. It had to be said that, even after all these years, she was still as nonsensical as ever, which left one feeling helpless.

"Lu Xiangxiang." Xu Xiuxiu calmly called out Lu Xiangxiang’s name, took her hand, and then stared firmly into her eyes, forcing Lu Xiangxiang to come back to her senses.

Only then did Lu Xiangxiang’s eyes begin to focus, but her expression remained particularly complex and hazy.

"Lu Xiangxiang, tell me the truth! Why are you in Imperial City? Why are you coming to me for help? And why do you say you might go to jail? Although I don’t believe your encounter with me in Imperial City is a coincidence, as long as you haven’t done anything illegal, I will help you with money or other things within my power. Even if it’s just because you once loved Song Yuanhuan, I am willing to help you this one time," Xu Xiuxiu instinctively offered her help, watching Lu Xiangxiang become what she was now.

After all, helping a love rival is the highest realm for a woman.

"Really?" Lu Xiangxiang’s expression and tone were full of doubt.

Xu Xiuxiu rolled her eyes inwardly, feeling somewhat helpless at being doubted by Lu Xiangxiang, considering she had always been a person of her word. Yet, she still patiently nodded.

"I..." Lu Xiangxiang seemed to believe Xu Xiuxiu, but as soon as the word ’I’ left her mouth, she still couldn’t finish her sentence.

Xu Xiuxiu stood aside, silently waiting for Lu Xiangxiang to finish speaking. At this moment, she was ready to give Lu Xiangxiang ample time to think and hesitate. Judging from Lu Xiangxiang’s reaction, it would take a while for her to tell everything.

"Xu Xiuxiu, if I committed a crime, would you help me?" Lu Xiangxiang, though slightly distraught, didn’t seem to be lacking in intelligence, and at that moment, she was still hesitating, as if trying to gauge Xu Xiuxiu’s response.