Seeing Jiaojiao sit up, Yang Xiaona followed suit and sat up as well.
"Xiaona, weâre friends now, so I canât hide it from you. Actually, my luck has been really bad recently. A master once said I wouldnât live to adulthood and would die young. So Iâm particularly unlucky now; I get hurt every day. You see, on the first day we became friends, you got hurt. This proves itâs true, and I might get even unluckier and drag you down with me. Knowing this, do you still want to be friends with me?"
Ruan Jiaojiao had let her hair down. Although it wasnât long, it was shiny and black with a lovely texture. Now hanging loose over her shoulders, it made her petite, delicate face even more charmingly fair, invoking sympathy.
Yang Xiaonaâs third sister was about the same age as Ruan Jiaojiao, and looking at her was like looking at her own sister.
Upon hearing Jiaojiaoâs words, instead of fear or worry, Yang Xiaona felt a bit of heartache.
She shook her head without hesitation, "Iâm not afraid. Iâve been tough since I was a child."
Yang Xiaona wasnât lying; she had indeed been tough since childhood, or she wouldnât have survived back then.
Thinking of the past, Yang Xiaonaâs gaze turned somber. She pulled Jiaojiao down to lie beside her, turned, and took an album from her bedside, asking softly, "Jiaojiao, whatâs your brotherâs name?"
Seeing her react so calmly, Jiaojiao initially thought Yang Xiaona didnât understand how serious her words were and wanted to reiterate them. But when she saw Xiaona take the album and ask about her brother, all her attention was drawn in.
Following the direction Xiaona pointed, she looked at the person and answered, "Thatâs my second uncleâs son, my fifth cousin, named Ruan Chi." Jiaojiao tilted her head asking, "Xiaona, do you know my cousin Chi?"
Yang Xiaona was still looking at the photo of Ruan Chi, and after hearing Jiaojiaoâs query, she nodded after a while.
"I know him; he doesnât know me." She shook her head, her expression tinged with bitterness, "Your fifth cousin once saved me."
"Huh? When?" Jiaojiao looked at her in surprise, instantly wide awake.
"A year ago," Yang Xiaona said, her gaze distant, as if she had returned to that sweltering afternoon.
Jiaojiao watched her, expecting an explanation about what happened. But Yang Xiaona just smiled and then looked up at her, "So, Jiaojiao, my life was saved by your brother. If it can shield you from misfortune, I think thatâs fate."
"Donât say that. In this world, everyone is equal, and thereâs no such thing as shielding someone from disaster. But Xiaona, Iâm genuinely unlucky. I think you should seriously consider this."
Does Jiaojiao fear death?
Of course, she fears it.
But no matter how much she feared death, she couldnât bear the thought of using someone as a shield for her own calamity.
After all, no one owed her anything; why should her misfortune be swapped with someone elseâs misfortune?
Yang Xiaona didnât say anything but simply looked at her and smiled.
She had lived for seventeen years, and all the beautiful experiences she had came from the Ruan family. No one understood her feelings; the Ruan family was like a ray of light in the darkness, compelling her unwillingness to let go.
"Jiaojiao, we are friends," Yang Xiaona finally said. Even though there was a five-year age gap, she was the first to say she wanted to be friends with her, making her the only friend she had.
"Mm, weâre friends," Jiaojiao nodded, yawned a little, and responded softly.