Chapter 53: Senior sister help…

A Shocking Accusation

“You’ve gone bad, Diandian! Not only betraying our friendship, but now you’re lying too? I don’t believe there’s such a thing!”

Su Keke immediately searched Baidu with the same question as Yi Diandian, finding the same answer.
As she read, her brows furrowed deeper, occasionally glancing at Lin Lu.
This felt tailor-made for him—like it could’ve listed his ID number!

“Diandian, you wrote and posted this yourself this morning, didn’t you? Lin Lu, you don’t actually believe this, do you?”

Lin Lu nodded repeatedly, disclaiming, “I believe it! Isn’t it written by some big-shot emotional guru?”

A Heated Rebuttal

Su Keke laughed in frustration.
“Only an idiot would believe that! Look, it was posted this morning. I bet this so-called guru is either Diandian’s self-directed act or someone she paid to write it!”

“Don’t… don’t make baseless claims. Where’s your proof?” Yi Diandian brushed her bangs, her gaze shifting from the phone screen.

“I…” Su Keke faltered, her suspicion evident but lacking solid evidence.

Lin Lu had considered the possibility Su Keke mentioned, but it seemed too far-fetched.
What would Yi Diandian gain from crafting an elaborate “guy bestie” excuse just to let him take advantage of her?
That’d be crazy.

A Softened Approach

Not wanting to ruin her friendship, Yi Diandian softened her tone.
“Keke… I’m not trying to steal your boyfriend. I want… to get even closer to you.”

“You’re holding my boyfriend’s hand and talking about getting closer to me? You want to two-time him like before? No way!”

Su Keke firmly rejected returning to their past messy dynamic.
Back then, Lin Lu was too dominant for her to change things.
Now, anyone could step on him—he had no right to have them both as girlfriends.

Clearing Misunderstandings

Yi Diandian denied it outright.
“Of course not! Didn’t we agree he’s our enemy? How could I spoil him like that? I’d never…”

She paused, thinking of Lin Lu as Su Keke’s state-assigned boyfriend, an unchangeable fact.
Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I’d never date this enemy again, so what are you worried about?”

Su Keke was stumped.
Logically, it made sense, but she couldn’t fully trust Yi Diandian, sensing some ulterior motive toward Lin Lu.
Even now, she was still holding his hand!

A Novel Proposal

“I mean getting closer like…” Yi Diandian raised their joined hands to the screen, then lifted her free right hand.
“In the future, I can hold my guy bestie with my left hand and my best friend with my right, and we’ll all hang out together~”

Lin Lu and Su Keke were stunned by her innovative idea.

It actually solved a big issue.
Everyone knows when A, B, and C are friends, they’re fine together, but without A, B and C get awkward.
For them, with Su Keke present, all three could have fun.
Without her, Lin Lu and Yi Diandian’s interactions became sensitive and easily misunderstood, especially since many guys cheat with their girlfriend’s best friend.

A Perfect Solution?

Yi Diandian’s plan neatly resolved this.
With Lin Lu as her guy bestie, cheating wasn’t an issue, and any pair could hang out without awkwardness.

For a moment, Su Keke was speechless, unable to criticize Yi Diandian—she might even owe her thanks…

Seeing Yi Diandian’s smug “praise me” look, Su Keke felt inexplicably annoyed.
Yi Diandian held Lin Lu’s hand first, went on a date before her—what kind of girlfriend was she? They might as well complete the state-assigned task together!

A Fragile Truce

Still, they didn’t fall out.
Yi Diandian’s reasoning was airtight, leaving Su Keke no grounds to argue, so they remained best friends on the surface, though their true feelings were unclear.

With nowhere to vent, Su Keke glared at the innocently smiling Lin Lu.
“Hmph, your reward tonight’s canceled!”

“Reward? What reward?”

Yi Diandian asked curiously, but Su Keke, fuming, hung up.
Turning to Lin Lu, he shrugged.
“No idea.”

Probably just face wash again.

A Bold Display

Leaving the theater, Yi Diandian walked with newfound confidence, holding Lin Lu’s hand proudly.
Having passed Su Keke’s scrutiny, no one could stop her now.

Not content with hand-holding, she mimicked nearby couples, hugging Lin Lu’s waist, her head buried in his chest, cooing in a cutesy voice, “Xiao Lin, where to next, ducky~”

Lin Lu’s whole body tingled.
What tough guy could resist such an adorable girl?

Planning Lunch

“Let’s grab lunch. What do you want?”

“Up to you~”

Good—at least not “whatever,” “anything,” or “I’m fine with anything.”

Lin Lu opened his phone, browsing Meituan for girl-friendly options, finally splurging on a trendy Chinese-style sushi place—think intestine sushi or preserved egg salmon sushi.

A Generous Gesture

At the restaurant, they scanned the code to order.
When it came time to pay, Yi Diandian, aware of Lin Lu’s spending that day, offered to treat, but he stopped her, tearfully footing the hefty bill himself.

She assumed it was his macho pride, not wanting others to see a girl paying.
Smiling faintly, she decided to split the cost later to ease his burden without hurting his ego.

Setting the Stage

Seeing Yi Diandian in high spirits, Lin Lu felt satisfied.
The mood was perfect, the favors stacked—it was time after a morning of effort…

While placing a freshly made roast duck sushi on her plate, he casually asked, “Diandian, you’re doing well with your social media videos, right? With millions of followers, taking a few brand deals must be easy money.”

A Surprising Revelation

Yi Diandian nodded without much thought.
“I make some pocket money, but I don’t like taking brand deals—it ruins the vibe. I’m not short on cash. My mom just gave me a card with two million yesterday, and I don’t even know where to spend it. This is just a hobby, not for profit.”

Two million?!

Once, Lin Lu wouldn’t have cared, but now his eyes gleamed.
He subtly leaned closer, and noticing this, Yi Diandian’s face flushed…

The Real Motive

“Diandian, there’s something I’d like to discuss…”

Her voice soft as a mosquito’s hum, she murmured, “Mm…”
After the movie and lunch, following the date’s final step, it should be…

“Senior, I was wondering if I could borrow some money.”

“Huh…?”