Chapter 539
“Crystal, did youe to France because you divorced your ex-husband?”
Emma asked her tentatively. During the time that the four of them lived together, she found that
Crystal’s decision to live abroad seemed like a spur of the moment. For example, she was obviously
not used to the food in France.
Crystal tilted her head to avoid eye contact with Emma. She subconsciously tucked a strand of hair
behind her right ear and forced a smile. “No, I just felt that it was good to live abroad for a while. I have
also studied in the United States when I was in college.”
As she spoke, Crystal nudged Camille next to her. Her voice was soft with a hint of a smile.
“Didn’t Camille leave home because of a sudden idea too? She came to Paris just because she
watched a TV show about architecture.” Her roommates all had a free spirit, which was a quality
Crystal admired very much.
“Oh, you can drop the act.”
Camille snorted. “Crystal, every time you lie, you unconsciously tuck your hair behind your ear with
your right hand.”
Emma pped the table excitedly with a very exaggerated expression as if she was dering Crystal
guilty. “That’s right! Every time she averts her eyes and runs her fingers through her hair, she’s thinking
about how to tell a lie.”
Andrea echoed their opinion, “Yes, it seems that way.”
e
Caught in a crossfire, Crystal smiled bitterly and had to give in.
In retrospect, she did have this habit. She herself didn’t even pay attention to that. But Camille
discovered it.
“Crystal, aren’t we friends? Tell us, why did you hide from your ex-husband ande to France?”
Andrea was still very curious about Crystal’s ex-husband. “Is that man poor and ugly and not willing to
let you go?”
Emma began to use her imagination and gossiped, “I’ve heard about your cultural institutions. They say
that girls from a poor family would be sold at a very young age to rich people as child brides. Men have
many concubines, who strive to let their co-owned husband stay in their rooms for the night…”
Hearing how wide of the mark Emma was, Crystal sighed and interrupted her, “Emma, you have a big
misunderstanding about us. We are monogamous.”
Emma must have watched too many pce dramas.
“Then tell me, did youe here because of emotional damage?” Camille asked directly.
Crystal didn’t know what to say.
She couldn’t exin herself. She just knew she wanted to escape from reality. She was cowardly and
useless, burying her head in the sand
“… I used to be such a mess,” she replied frankly with a bitter smile. “There’s nothing worth sticking
around for, so I went here, hoping to start a new life.”
“What about your family!
Emma was the oldest one, so she always treated Crystal like a little sister. “Crystal, you must have a lot
of friends back there too.” After all, She had a likable character.
Emma found it strange that Chinese people liked hot drinks all year-round, but she was considerate
and served Crystal a cup of hot cocoa.
Crystal looked at these new friends who she had known for less than two weeks, took a sip of hot
cocoa, and said calmly, “I used to have a lot of acquaintances.” But most of them were not true friends.
Christina was her best friend, but… Holding the cup in both hands, Crystal lowered her head,
pondered, and added in a low voice, “My best friend, she’s special, so I rarely tell her about these trivial
things in my life.”
“Does your best friend have a physical defect?”
When Andrea heard the word “special”, she immediately thought of physical defects. These four
women were not from Paris and spoke different dialects, so they usuallymunicated in English.
Camillemiserated, “If your friend is physically challenged, it is indeed not proper for you to
Crystal made a wry face.
Her best friend at home, Christina, was not physically challenged, but stronger and healthier than most
people. What’s more, Christina was well protected. By “special” Crystal meant that Christina was a little
careless and sometimes could not fully understand many sensitive feelings. Christina was not like
Camille, who was attentive enough to recognize Crystal’s small gesture when she lied after only
knowing her for two weeks.
Emma said to her in Chinese in a not fluent but very sincere manner, “Crystal, we will be your friends.
You can alwayse to us if you have any troubles.”
Crystal was very moved. She fled to this foreign country in a sorry state, but she was lucky to meet
these
fervent friends here.
“Thank you.”
She smiled gratefully and did not exin much.
As for her family, she had never been close to them.
Even when she got married, she did not inform them. There was no need to tell them about her living
abroad.
She and Chandler got married because of aplete coincidence. She had a crush on him for so long.
One time she was sick, and Chandler came to look after her. Somehow, she dered her love. The
next thing she knew, they were naked in bed.
Chandler married her out of responsibility.
She married above herself into the Stephenson family. Worried that her greedy family would take
Chandler as a ready source of money, she didn’t even mention the marriage to them. Of course, they
never took the initiative to care about her, except when they wanted to ask her for money.
Thinking of the first half of her life, Crystal had mixed feelings, among which were mostly bitterness.
The miscarriage shattered all her illusions. Leaving the country was the best choice for her.
If she stayed, she would definitely suffer from depression, maybe even kill herself.
Christina had the support of the Dickens family, the love from Patrick, and the care from Derek and
Charles. Although she and Christina were very good friends, the gap between them was big. When she
was very young, she had to live under someone else’s thumb and learn to be subservient. Without
anyone to protect her, she must be strong and take care of herself.
That night, Emma took the three of them to an upscale Chinese restaurant and generously treated
them to dinner.
Considering Crystal’s eating habits, they ordered Yeung Chow Fried Rice, Buddha Jumping Over the
Wall, Guangfu Soup… Crystal had the least cost-effective meal of her life. These dishes were obviously
made from ordinary ingredients, but also crazy expensive.
“… Let’s go shopping for fresh ingredients this weekend. I’ll make you something delicious.” Crystal
reckoned the cost. Cooking by herself could save a lot of money.
“Really?”
“I really like this soup!” Camille had eaten up the Mung Bean Soup. She pointed to the empty bowl and
asked with excitement, “Will this be difficult to cook?”
Crystal told her truthfully, “No, not at all.”
Emma had an idea of making a fortune. Sheughed. “Why don’t we open a Chinese restaurant
together? I’ll go shopping for ingredients. Camille will help out in the kitchen. Crystal will be the chef,
and Andrea will be the waiter…”
“Oh my god, we’re going to be rich.” Camille patted Crystal on the shoulder with a bright smile.
Soaking up the pleasant atmosphere, Crystal also smiled.
Her new life abroad was not bad. Now she had friends, with whom she could daydream and have fun
together. This was much more rxing than being an overcautious housewife in the Stephenson family.
“… Oh, my foot! I hit my toe on the table!” At this moment, Christina, a married woman, wailed loudly.
Her face crumpled up in pain and she shouted, “I’m crippled. Oh, I’m crippled. Nanny Faang, can you
be gentler?”
Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.
Nanny Faang was squatting. While she rubbed the ointment on Christina’s toe, she sighed. “Junior
Mrs. Hopkins, be careful when you walk.” She couldn’t believe Christina could get herself hurt simply
by walking around.
“Anyway, when Patrickes hometer, don’t tell him. Don’t tell him!” Christina jiggled around
excitedly, which made the pain much worse.