TNSFC – Chapter 8

Que Yining hadn’t noticed the gaze from upstairs. Blown by the cold winter night wind, she gently exhaled and rubbed her palms together.

Wang Lu drove up, opened the car door for Que Yining, and started the car slowly, waiting for Que Yining to say where she wanted to go.

Que Yining fiddled with her nails. “To Yunwu.”

Que Yining had originally planned to go home, but then she thought about how she had specially put on makeup to go out. There was no need to go back so early. She might as well take care of what she wanted to deal with, like her nails and her hair.

If the original owner suddenly returned someday, she would know her body had been occupied by someone else—of course, if such a situation were to occur.

‘Yunwu’ was a high-end beauty and skincare salon. Their products were good, and their service attitude was even better. It had a great reputation in their circle, favored by both celebrities and wealthy socialites.

The original owner often went there for skincare, and her nails were also done there.

The car arrived in front of the salon. Que Yining waved for Wang Lu to go back first and entered the salon with her bag.

As soon as she entered, a young woman in a pink uniform and wearing a mask walked over.

Xiao Lin smiled upon seeing her regular customer and said, “Miss Que, you’re here. What services would you like today?”

Que Yining wiggled her fingers. Xiao Lin immediately understood and led Que Yining towards the nail station.

“Miss Que, what kind of nails would you like this time? We’ve recently designed several new styles. Please take a look at this booklet.”

Xiao Lin handed over the booklet. Que Yining took it but didn’t open it.

Que Yining looked at her and stated her request: “Not doing them this time. Help me remove the polish and cut them.”

Xiao Lin looked astonished, somewhat puzzled, and said with a face full of regret, “Miss Que’s nails are very beautiful, and they’re very well-maintained. Are you sure you want to cut them like this?”

This wasn’t Xiao Lin just flattering her. Que Yining’s hands were indeed beautiful, and even her nails were perfectly shaped, not prone to breaking or chipping. They looked extremely good with nail art, the kind that could be featured in a brochure as a reference for others.

Que Yining didn’t hesitate. “Cut them.”

Que Yining used to keep her nails long, but wasn’t the situation different now? Cutting her nails short was a way to show her sincerity first. Who knew when an opportunity to pursue Gu Shanxue might arise.

Seeing her so certain, Xiao Lin had no choice but to take her hand and begin removing the nail art.

The chair Que Yining sat in was soft, quite comfortable for reclining. She simply closed her eyes to rest while waiting for Xiao Lin to finish.

At that moment, Que Yining was the only one in the work area getting her nails done, so it was quiet.

After Xiao Lin removed the nail art, she trimmed Que Yining’s nails neatly with clippers and applied a layer of protective oil.

“Miss Que, would you like to apply some nail polish?”

Xiao Lin looked at those slender, plain fingers, then at Que Yining’s face, feeling that these fair, unadorned, and unaggressive hands didn’t quite match the person.

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but she just felt that the person in front of her should have red or black nail polish. Whatever she held, it would make her look elegant, enchanting, and languid.

Que Yining was also considering it. Not applying any seemed too plain, but applying it didn’t seem as good as before she cut her nails.

As she hesitated, the clacking sound of high heels on the floor came from the doorway.

The person who walked in was clearly surprised to see her, but after the surprise, a meaningful smile appeared on her face. “Isn’t this Miss Que? What a coincidence to run into you here. Are you also here to get your nails done?”

The person approached, sat down next to Que Yining, and seeing Que Yining’s hands, covered her mouth in feigned surprise. “Miss Que, could it be that you’re so heartbroken you even cut your nails? Oh, no, I misspoke. How could it be heartbreak? It must be that you’ve decided to stop your unrequited love.”

Que Yining raised her eyes to look at her, her expression indifferent. “Miss Zhou is as talkative as ever.”

She looked at Xiao Lin. “Paint them red, a true red.”

She then turned her gaze to Zhou Yueyi. This Miss Zhou in front of her also occupied a significant place in the original owner’s memories; she could be said to be one of the people the original owner disliked the most.

The reason was related to Fu Wenjing, because the original owner considered Zhou Yueyi a love rival.

Zhou Yueyi also liked Fu Wenjing, but unlike the original owner who boldly declared her love and seized every opportunity to show it, Zhou Yueyi adopted an understanding and considerate persona.

She appeared poised and generous, didn’t deliberately feign weakness, was well-read and sensible, a graduate of a prestigious university—a talented woman. She called Fu Wenjing a friend, like a perfect, understanding flower.

But she wasn’t as gentle and harmless as she appeared on the surface. Que Yining discovered from her memories that this person was actually very scheming, often framing the original owner, causing Fu Wenjing to misunderstand her, or provoking the original owner to make her appear incompetently furious, thereby enhancing her own image.

The original owner believed Zhou Yueyi was a scheming woman trying to steal her man, but Que Yining didn’t think that was entirely the case.

At least in her view, Zhou Yueyi didn’t seem to like Fu Wenjing as obsessively as the original owner did. She seemed to view Fu Wenjing more as a very suitable marriage partner and was scheming to achieve that.

Therefore, all of Zhou Yueyi’s framing and attacks on the original owner were like preemptively dealing with a woman pestering her husband, always maintaining a sense of superiority in front of the original owner.

Que Yining found it quite amusing; such self-righteous people were the most laughable.

However… she wasn’t entirely useless.

Zhou Yueyi felt a bit uncomfortable under Que Yining’s scrutinizing gaze, couldn’t help but touch her own face, and even forgot to retort to Que Yining calling her talkative.

Que Yining’s stare made Zhou Yueyi’s hair stand on end, and she couldn’t help frowning. “Why… why are you looking at me like that?”

Zhou Yueyi wondered if it was her imagination, but she felt that today’s Que Yining was different from usual, looking exceptionally unfamiliar. Even her expression upon seeing her lacked the usual disdain and resentment, instead appearing unusually calm—so calm that it alarmed Zhou Yueyi, making her feel as if something had slipped beyond her control.

Could it be that Que Yining really intended to give up on Fu Wenjing, and that’s why she seemed like a completely different person?

This wasn’t impossible. After all, everyone knew Que Yining had liked Fu Wenjing for so many years. If she truly let go, she would definitely give off a different impression.

But Zhou Yueyi still found it hard to believe. Had Que Yining really given up just like that?

Hearing this, a smile bloomed on Que Yining’s face. She said, “I noticed Miss Zhou is looking very well today, and your outfit really shows off your temperament.”

Que Yining wasn’t just flattering her; she genuinely felt that Zhou Yueyi knew how to dress well, highlighting her advantages.

Zhou Yueyi, upon being praised by her, had an expression as indescribably awful as if she had stepped in something foul. She looked at Que Yining searchingly, wondering which of her nerves had gone haywire.

“But changing your lipstick to a different shade would be even better. An orange-toned one would make your skin look fairer.”

Que Yining offered her suggestion. Zhou Yueyi looked at her skeptically, picked up the mirror on the workstation to examine her makeup, and mentally pictured the different lipstick shade, realizing it might indeed look better.

Xiao Lin was very quick. While Que Yining and Zhou Yueyi were idly chatting, she had already painted all ten of Que Yining’s fingers with red nail polish, making her hands look even fairer, with even her fingertips exuding charm.

Que Yining stood up, beckoned to Xiao Lin to follow her, then turned to Zhou Yueyi with a light smile. “Miss Zhou, I wish you success in achieving your heart’s desire.”

Her words were pointed. “Good luck.”

Don’t disappoint me.

Zhou Yueyi didn’t know what act Que Yining was putting on. She looked at her with a slightly horrified gaze, feeling somewhat dazed. Being praised by Que Yining inexplicably angered her, but she didn’t know how to retaliate.

Que Yining left in a rather good mood, asking Xiao Lin to take her for a skincare treatment.

Just now, she had sincerely wished Zhou Yueyi success. After all, she hadn’t forgotten that Fu Wenjing was the male lead of this book.

She hadn’t read this book, so naturally, she didn’t know how Fu Wenjing and Gu Shanxue got together, nor how they moved each other. Therefore, she couldn’t intercept and prevent everything from happening.

However, Que Yining didn’t need to stop it. Otherwise, it would be like snatching someone else’s destined marriage. She was here to pursue a woman, not to snatch one. If she could win her over, she would; if not, so be it. Currently, she was just intrigued, not particularly attached.

If she were to walk the path meant for others, it would be uninteresting and tasteless for Que Yining. If she was going to do it, she would do it in a ‘Que Yining’ way, using her own methods to flirt, and incidentally trip up her love rival. Miss Zhou Yueyi was a good candidate, but whether Fu Wenjing would accept her was another matter. If Zhou Yueyi was too sensible and consciously changed her target, there was nothing Que Yining could do; she would just let fate take its course.

Tonight might be Fu Wenjing and Gu Shanxue’s first formal meeting. After all, at the entrance of Xiang Qing Waterside Pavilion, they had seemed very unfamiliar with each other, so they probably didn’t know each other. However, Que Yining wasn’t sure if they had other connections, like on social media.

When Que Yining arrived at the private room for her treatment, Xiao Lin closed the door. As Que Yining lay down on the bed, Xiao Lin used makeup remover to gently cleanse Que Yining’s face and began the skincare routine.

“Miss Que, your skin condition has been a bit poor recently. Have you been staying up late continuously?”

Que Yining hummed in agreement, her mind starting to whirl.

In fact, she didn’t know. She had only arrived in this world yesterday afternoon. Although seeing some people and things could trigger some memories, she had no impression of small details, like what she had eaten or done.

She didn’t even remember what the original owner had done before last night, whether she had stayed up late, or where she had gone to have fun. She knew none of it.

Even remembering this skincare place only came to mind when Que Yining herself was thinking about where to get her nails done. This memory point wasn’t actively recalled but was triggered by Que Yining’s thoughts.

“Do you remember when I last came here?”

Xiao Lin recalled for a moment and said, “Your last visit to the salon? It should have been a week ago.”

Then, as if remembering something, she added, “But I think I saw you yesterday afternoon.”

Que Yining opened her eyes. “Yesterday afternoon?”

Hearing her tone, Xiao Lin, fearing she might be displeased, quickly denied it: “Maybe I was mistaken. It probably wasn’t you. Thinking about it, it likely wasn’t. It’s just that the back view was so similar. I probably have poor eyesight and misidentified you.”

Que Yining: “Tell me, what did you see?”

Seeing her rather interested, Xiao Lin recounted what she had seen yesterday: “It was around six in the afternoon. I saw that person walking into an alley, looking completely drenched. It’s winter now, so it must have been freezing. So, maybe I was dazed at that moment and saw wrongly.”

Que Yining: “You didn’t see the person’s face?”

Xiao Lin: “I think… but I can’t remember clearly. Strange, my memory should be quite good.”

Xiao Lin’s memory was indeed good, and she was particularly accurate at recognizing people, especially since Que Yining was her customer and she had done her skincare more than once. So yesterday afternoon, Xiao Lin felt she hadn’t been mistaken.

But in this cold winter, with sub-zero temperatures, how could a wealthy young lady like her walk into an alley completely drenched?

Xiao Lin herself was getting confused. It felt like she remembered, yet she didn’t. Now she was starting to doubt whether she had seen anything at all.

Xiao Lin: “Oh, Miss Que, please don’t mind my ramblings. Maybe I’ve been too tired lately and started hallucinating. Shall I use the same product for you as last time? It’s very effective for closed comedones.”

Que Yining hummed in agreement, but she mentally noted this down, and the image of the person floating on the river under the moonlight resurfaced in her mind.