But afterward, he told me, "Stella, honestly? Your friend isn't great. If you keep hanging around someone like that—" His face twisted with disgust. "I'm afraid you'll get dragged down too."

We fought over it. Had a cold war for days.

Naomi told me the same thing from her side. "Someone who can't even tolerate the people closest to you—how can you trust him with your whole life? Stella." She was so earnest. "Break up."

From then on, those two couldn't stand each other. Every time they met, they'd start fighting.

Now, looking back on these seven years—

I felt like a joke.

I came home from the office. Just as I was about to push the door open, a hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me back.

"Stella, why aren't you answering my calls?"

Alex reeked of alcohol. His tone was wounded, like an abandoned puppy.

"I couldn't get through to you. I waited at the restaurant forever, and you never came. Did I say something wrong?"

He leaned in.

I stepped back. Broke free from his grip.

"You're drunk."

His expression froze—like he'd suffered some enormous injustice.

"You're pushing me away?" He stared at me in disbelief. "You're actually pushing me away?"

His eyes turned red.

"Stella, we've been together seven years. You've never pushed me away like this. What did I do wrong?"

He pulled out his phone, shoving it toward me. "If you think I did something to betray you, then go ahead—check. I have nothing to hide."

"Stella."

"But you can't treat me like this."

In all these years, Alex and I had almost never argued.

Only that one time.

And it was still because of Naomi.

Now, looking at Alex's open, straightforward face, I only found it funny. I pulled out the WeChat live updates Naomi had sent me and put them in front of him.

"Stella, Alex and I have both been waiting for you for half an hour. The food is already cold."

Naomi took a photo of the dishes.

"I'm hungry."

"I'm eating first."

In the live-update photos, there was Alex's teasing voice, laughing as he said, "I've never seen someone like you, like a starving ghost reincarnated."

A very ordinary sentence. But it made me hear indulgence—an indulgent feeling I'd never carefully noticed before. Even after Naomi finished eating and took a selfie, I could still hear Alex say,

"You little glutton, you didn't wipe the corner of your mouth clean."

Naomi said, "Baby, there's so much good food, and I ate it all, so it's not wasted."