42 Escalation of Contradictions

Xia Xin simply wanted to do what she loved for work, spend more time with her parents, and so she politely declined the enticing offer from Zhou Tian. Disappointed, Zhou Tian settled the bill and left.

Throughout dinner, Zhao Nan hardly said a word, her lack of enthusiasm evident as she listened to Zhou Tian and Xia Xin's conversation.

Xia Xin had thrown countless inquiring glances at her, but it seemed like Zhao Nan hadn't noticed at all. This left Xia Xin feeling somewhat disheartened. Zhao Nan was her best friend from university, and she didn't want their relationship to be affected by some jerk.

Xia Xin decided to address the issue directly, "Nan, you've been responding to my messages less lately. Is there some misunderstanding?"

Zhao Nan hesitated, eventually let out a long sigh, and said, "Xia Xin, you're a social media influencer now. We're different."