TNSFC – Chapter 13

Que Yining followed the crowd out. To avoid encountering Que Linyang and being taken home by him first, she found Bian Boyan in the crowd and got into his car.

Bian Boyan remarked, “Miss Que, you really know how to make thorough use of a ‘tool’.”

Bian Boyan had thought Que Yining wouldn’t approach him again. Who knew she’d not only hitched a ride with him to get here but also wanted to hitch a ride back.

Que Yining smiled brightly. “Well, one should see things through to the end.”

“It seems you’ve accomplished what you set out to do,” Bian Boyan said. “You’re in a very good mood.”

“Yes,” Que Yining replied. “And it’s all thanks to you for bringing me here.”

Throughout their lighthearted conversation, Que Yining didn’t reveal a thing. Bian Boyan couldn’t decipher anything from her expression and could only end with a smile.

Que Yining didn’t have Bian Boyan drive her all the way home; she got out of the car midway.

It wasn’t even two in the afternoon yet, so Bian Boyan naturally didn’t have to worry about Que Yining’s personal safety.

Que Yining watched the car drive away, then took out her phone and called Qiao Yuchu.

Qiao Yuchu’s voice sounded groggy and sleepy. She yawned as she asked, “What’s up?”

“I’m thinking of changing my hairstyle,” Que Yining said. “Do you have any good salon recommendations?”

Qiao Yuchu perked up. “Oh yes! That salon I went to with a friend last time. The stylist, Tony—he’s exceptionally good, and very good-looking too. I even tried to hit on him, but it turns out he’s gay and a total bottom. All my charming glances went to waste.”

Que Yining wasn’t bothered about the stylist’s sexual orientation and asked Qiao Yuchu for the address.

“Let me go ask,” Qiao Yuchu said. “Wait for me, I’ll go with you. I happen to want to get my hair washed too.”

Que Yining twirled the ends of her hair and said, “Don’t wear heavy makeup. I’m already out waiting.”

The sound of running water on Qiao Yuchu’s end made her voice a bit muffled. “Got it. I’ll wash my face first and try to get to you as quickly as possible.”

Que Yining didn’t stand waiting in the cold wind. She found a coffee shop to sit in, looked at herself in a compact mirror, and wondered what kind of hairstyle she should get.

After looking at herself for a moment, she opened a social media app on her phone and sent a message to the Miss Gu with the cat avatar.

【Que Yining】: Miss Gu, I’m planning to change my hairstyle. Do you think short hair would look good on me?

Que Yining wasn’t actually looking for hairstyle advice. She was merely using this planned change as an opportunity to gauge the other woman’s thoughts and make her feel a sense of involvement in her life.

Gu Shanxue didn’t reply immediately. Que Yining wasn’t anxious and clicked on Gu Shanxue’s social media feed.

Her feed was completely blank. The background image was a cat, and there were zero posts.

Que Yining didn’t know if Gu Shanxue had looked at her feed, but even if she had, she likely wouldn’t have seen anything.

The original owner actually had many posts. Que Yining hadn’t deleted them but had set them to be visible for only three days, effectively archiving them. Que Yining had previously reviewed the original owner’s feed content; it contained no significant clues, mostly just daily trivialities and some posts about Fu Wenjing.

Only after several tens of minutes did Que Yining’s phone chime with a message notification.

【Gu Shanxue】: It would look good.

The reply was very concise, without any unnecessary questions.

【Que Yining】: But I’ve never tried a short hairstyle before, so I’m a bit worried about the result. I don’t know if short hair or long hair suits me better.

【Que Yining】: I’m still hesitating. Miss Gu, do you think it’s better for me to keep my long hair, or go for short hair?

Que Yining actually had no intention of cutting her hair. After all, she considered hair to be an excellent weapon.

Long hair could brush against someone’s cheek, touch a person’s leg, and accomplish many subtle flirtations, but it was more difficult for short hair to achieve the same effect.

On the other end, Gu Shanxue stared at the screen, pondering for a moment. She had initially wanted to say that Que Yining should just follow her own preference, but she couldn’t resist imagining Que Yining with short hair, comparing it to her current long-haired look.

It had to be said that Que Yining with long hair was indeed very feminine. Paired with her alluring eyes, Gu Shanxue, despite being a woman herself, had to acknowledge Que Yining’s charm.

Though not very old, she possessed a kind of mature allure—not frivolous, yet captivating.

In the end, Gu Shanxue answered honestly from her heart.

【Gu Shanxue】: Personally, I think long hair would be better.

【Que Yining】: I think so too. In that case, I’ll try it some other time when I feel like it. Sorry to bother you, Miss Gu, and thank you for your suggestion.

Que Yining also sent a cute cat emoji and idly twirled the ends of her hair with her fingers.

Gu Shanxue didn’t respond further, and the chat window fell silent.

Que Yining took out her compact mirror again, looked at her hair, and mentally filed away the idea of cutting it short someday in the future.

Although she hadn’t actually planned to cut her hair short, she had given Gu Shanxue this impression. Gu Shanxue would surely believe that she was keeping her long hair because of her suggestion. Then, on a day when she needed to leverage this, she could go and get her hair cut short.

Que Yining looked at her smiling reflection in the mirror and poked it with her finger.

She murmured, “You’re so mischievous.”

Que Yining snapped the compact mirror shut and took a sip of her coffee.

Sure enough, Qiao Yuchu didn’t keep Que Yining waiting long. Forty minutes after the phone call, she appeared at the location Que Yining had shared.

Qiao Yuchu wasn’t wearing heavy makeup, so her features were finally clearly visible to Que Yining.

“What time were you out until last night?” Que Yining asked. “Your eyes are all swollen.”

“I drank a bit too much, can’t remember what time it was,” Qiao Yuchu said. “I rushed out and didn’t even put on mascara. Say, do you think I should get eyelash extensions? I could go to the same clinic where I got my double eyelids done; their skills seem pretty good.”

“If you want to, then go for it,” Que Yining replied.

“Then let’s go after we get our hair done,” Qiao Yuchu said. “Actually, I’ve also been thinking about getting my nose done. It would be great if it were like yours, but on second thought, maybe not.”

Qiao Yuchu held up her phone as a mirror, examining her face from side to side, and muttered, “What if one day I get into a catfight with some little vixen and my nose gets knocked crooked? That would be a huge mess. A natural face is better; you can throw down anytime without worrying.”

Her words made Que Yining chuckle, and the more she thought about it, the funnier it seemed.

“I’m serious, I’m not kidding,” Qiao Yuchu insisted. “Last time, it was… I can’t remember who, but his mistress was caught by his fiancée. And that fiancée was truly ruthless! A group of us were just sitting there when she slapped the other woman so hard she fell to the ground. The mistress’s surgically-altered face was knocked completely crooked.”

“Wow, impressive,” Que Yining remarked with a click of her tongue.

Qiao Yuchu hailed a cab, gave the destination, and continued chatting with Que Yining, “That fiancée must have had some training; she was incredibly strong. And seriously, seeing a surgically-altered face knocked crooked is pretty terrifying.”

“Anyway, let’s drop it,” Qiao Yuchu said. “I was exhausted from last night. You, on the other hand, have been keeping such really healthy hours lately, huh? Dressed like that, where did you just come from?”

“I went to see my sweetheart,” Que Yining replied.

“Fu… Gu Shanxue, you mean?” Qiao Yuchu asked.

Qiao Yuchu’s mind almost didn’t make the switch in time. She had subconsciously started to say the other name, but after uttering the first syllable, she realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself.

“Yes,” Que Yining confirmed.

“Well, aren’t you moving fast!” Qiao Yuchu exclaimed. “Any progress?”

“A little,” Que Yining replied with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, she asked Qiao Yuchu, “And speaking of that place, I also saw my older brother there. What do you think of him?”

Que Yining didn’t ask this without reason; some fragmented memories had just suddenly surfaced in her mind.

The original owner and Qiao Yuchu had become acquainted because the original owner had initiated contact.

They had attended the same high school but moved in different circles and didn’t interact much. It was only later, after the original owner saw Qiao Yuchu walking with Que Linyang, that she had approached Qiao Yuchu.

In the original owner’s mind, Que Linyang was a reliable older brother she depended on. So, when she saw him close to another girl, she was naturally curious. Later, after befriending Qiao Yuchu, she asked about it. Qiao Yuchu claimed there was nothing going on between them. Not long after, Que Linyang got married, and the original owner put the matter out of her mind.

It wasn’t until just now, as Que Yining looked at Qiao Yuchu and recalled her encounter with Que Linyang, that those memory fragments resurfaced from the depths of her mind.

Qiao Yuchu paused for a moment upon hearing the question before replying, “Your brother? He’s… quite nice, I guess.”

Que Yining detected a slight hesitation in her tone and immediately pressed, “Are you hiding something from me?”

Qiao Yuchu tried to laugh it off. “What could I possibly hide from you?”

Que Yining stared into her eyes. Qiao Yuchu flinched slightly under her gaze and, as if unable to bear it any longer, blurted out, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you! It’s really not a big deal… It’s just…”

She leaned close to Que Yining’s ear and whispered, “Back in high school… I was actually dating your brother. And… he was my first.”

For a moment, Que Yining was speechless, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Hey, don’t give me that look, okay?” Qiao Yuchu said. “Back then, he was a really charming older guy! And I happened to be into that type. By the time you asked, we had already amicably parted ways. He got married later, right? So I just didn’t mention it, to save you from asking.”

Qiao Yuchu said with an envious expression, “But your brother is really good to you. I knew him before you and I became friends, and he used to ask me about how you were doing in school. Later, after we became friends, he often asked about you. Even after we broke up, he’d still occasionally ask how you were. Some of the gifts I gave you were actually from him. A brother like that is so great; I wish I had one.”

“Oh, we’re here!” Qiao Yuchu exclaimed. “Enough talk, let’s go get our hair done!”

Qiao Yuchu pulled Que Yining out of the car, failing to notice the slight darkening of Que Yining’s expression.

Que Yining’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts. In her heart, she placed Que Linyang’s name on her mental watchlist.