TNSFC – Chapter 27

Gu Shanxue had been drinking, and her vision was a bit blurry.

She wasn’t sure if the person below was the one she knew, but her intuition told her it was.

But even if it was, so what?

Gu Shanxue thought this in her mind, but she still moved closer to the window and wiped away the thin layer of mist on it.

The guests in the room had all left. Gu Shanxue’s assistant saw her boss touching the window and assumed she was drunk, so she went to the door to ask the waiter for a pot of sobering soup.

Gu Shanxue squinted and looked down through the window.

That figure, that hairstyle, it was undoubtedly Que Yining. She was holding another woman in her arms, and even though that woman had stepped back two paces, they still maintained a very intimate distance.

The alcohol hadn’t dulled Gu Shanxue’s mind. She thought it might just be a close friend, but another thought uncontrollably surfaced.

Was this person so full of smiles and intimate with everyone?

She had thought… forget it.

She had already suspected the other person was only befriending her because of her face. This kind of behavior from the other person seemed normal too.

She just watched until she saw Que Yining and the other person disappear from her line of sight.

Gu Shanxue raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows.

The assistant came over with a cup and offered it to her, “Manager, have a little.”

Gu Shanxue heard the title and felt a bit annoyed. She took a couple of sips and placed the cup on the table.

She was currently negotiating and drinking for the Gu Group, and her assistant was also employed by the Gu Group. Although she was determined to achieve these things, when her emotions flared up, she couldn’t help but feel some disgust.

She hated that man, and she hated everything about that man. But this place also contained the painstaking efforts of her mother and her maternal grandfather. She would reclaim it bit by bit!

Assistant: “Manager, are we leaving now? Shall I call a designated driver to take you home?”

Gu Shanxue agreed. Without letting anyone support her, she stood up, picked up her bag, and walked out.

Que Yining was following a waiter towards the second floor with Zhang Shiyu. Zhang Shiyu was still embarrassed about what had just happened, and Que Yining, seeing her like that, was teasing her.

When she looked up, she saw Gu Shanxue walking down from upstairs.

The other person seemed to have been drinking; her face was slightly flushed, and some of the icy coldness in her expression had dissipated. Yet, when her gaze swept over, it was still frosty.

Que Yining wanted to raise her hand to greet her, but the other person brushed past her.

Que Yining froze, “Huh?”

Que Yining’s stunned expression and her gaze fixed on Gu Shanxue were too obvious. It was the first time Zhang Shiyu had seen her boss like this, so she also stood still, following Que Yining’s line of sight to look at Gu Shanxue.

In that moment, many thoughts flashed through Que Yining’s mind, the strongest being whether Gu Shanxue had done it intentionally.

Was she deliberately distancing herself, which was why she didn’t accept her invitations, wanting to avoid her and keep her distance?

Could it be that her little intentions had been exposed?

Que Yining knew it wasn’t appropriate to get too entangled at this moment. According to her usual style, she would probably just bring it up later as an excuse or express it tactfully. But right now, she couldn’t hold back.

It wasn’t that she felt the other person shouldn’t ignore her, nor was she overestimating herself; she just felt a little wronged.

Hadn’t Gu Shanxue said they were friends? Who ignores a friend like that?

Even if her intentions were exposed and she was rejected, there should at least be a reason, a process, to make her understand clearly, right?

Que Yining turned back to Zhang Shiyu, tossed out a “Wait for me a moment,” and chased after her.

Que Yining didn’t want to stage any drama with Gu Shanxue in the restaurant lobby. She followed her to the entrance before calling out to her.

Que Yining: “Miss Gu.”

The assistant stopped, glanced back at Que Yining, then at Gu Shanxue, and quietly reminded Gu Shanxue that someone behind was calling her.

Gu Shanxue stopped and looked back.

The lights of Xiang Qing Waterside Pavilion were on, complementing the antique-style surroundings. Exquisite red lanterns hung, their flames flickering in the icy cold.

Que Yining stood there. She was wearing a turtleneck sweater today, which made her face look even smaller and her complexion porcelain white. Her long hair cascaded down her front. Although she didn’t show any obvious expression, one could tell she was unhappy.

Gu Shanxue pressed her lips together lightly, a pang of guilt suddenly rising in her heart.

She hadn’t intentionally brushed past without greeting her just now. It was just that the emotion in her heart hadn’t dissipated. As she passed Que Yining, she thought that perhaps she was insignificant to this friend, that the other person was only interested in her face, and that she could find other, better friends at any time.

Gu Shanxue now realized what a childish thought that was. Perhaps the alcohol had impaired her thinking ability, making her logic so unreasonable.

She nodded slightly in response to Que Yining, saying, “Miss Que.”

Que Yining saw the other person looking her in the eye and greeting her, so she wasn’t as angry anymore and walked a few steps forward.

Que Yining: “Have you had too much to drink? Otherwise, shall I take you home first?”

Gu Shanxue: “I have a designated driver.”

Que Yining looked at her, her expression tense. “Miss Gu, would you rather have a designated driver take you than let me? Aren’t we friends?”

Gu Shanxue looked at her assistant beside her. “You can go back first.”

The assistant nodded and left in a taxi.

Que Yining’s expression softened a bit. She said, “I thought Miss Gu didn’t want me to take you.”

Gu Shanxue felt a little helpless and could only explain stiffly, “I didn’t mean that.”

Que Yining moved closer to her, staring into her eyes, forcing Gu Shanxue not to look away. “Really? I thought you were avoiding me.”

Gu Shanxue was a bit puzzled. “Why would I avoid you? Miss Que, have you misunderstood something about me?”

Que Yining: “Then why didn’t you reply when I asked you out for a meal? I even wear the perfume you gave me every day. We agreed to be friends, but when we met, you clearly saw me, yet you walked straight past and ignored me.”

Que Yining didn’t mean to accuse, but the more she spoke, the more wronged she sounded.

Gu Shanxue: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to not greet you. I had a bit too much to drink at a social engagement today.”

Gu Shanxue thought about the scene just now. She couldn’t very well say it was because she saw Que Yining being touchy-feely and intimately hugging someone else that she sulked and didn’t greet her. She also felt her emotions were strange and childish, so she made an excuse.

Gu Shanxue: “Don’t you have a companion? Is it okay for you to take me home first?”

Que Yining: “That’s my assistant. I was originally going to treat her to dinner, but she can eat by herself.”

This wasn’t a problem. Zhang Shiyu didn’t absolutely need her company to eat.

Que Yining used her phone to transfer two thousand yuan to Zhang Shiyu, telling her this meal was on her, she could eat whatever she wanted, and that she had something to attend to and had to leave first.

Zhang Shiyu accepted the money and happily replied, “Thank you, Boss.”

When Gu Shanxue heard what Que Yining said, her mood didn’t improve much. If it was an assistant and not a close friend, then being that close was even more problematic.

But Gu Shanxue didn’t dwell on it for long. The thought that actually swirled in her mind was whether that assistant was very good-looking.

Que Yining opened the back door of Gu Shanxue’s car, let Gu Shanxue get in, then got in herself, leaning close to her, and then looked down at her phone.

Gu Shanxue: “Miss Que?”

Que Yining: “I’m calling a designated driver.”

Gu Shanxue was taken aback. “Hmm?”

Que Yining said very frankly, “I don’t have a driver’s license.”

Although she really wanted to drive herself, Que Yining remembered she didn’t have a license yet. Even if she knew how to drive, she couldn’t.

Tonight might be a good opportunity, and Que Yining didn’t want it all to be ruined by a traffic police check.

Gu Shanxue couldn’t help but smile. Seeing Que Yining’s straightforward and frank manner, she inexplicably found her really cute.

Que Yining, on the other hand, stared fixedly at Gu Shanxue’s smiling face. An iceberg’s smile—though not as exaggerated as spring blossoms warming the land—was beautiful. She had to admit, it was truly beautiful.

Que Yining traced her features with her eyes and praised her sincerely, “You look beautiful when you smile.”

Gu Shanxue stopped smiling. She thought to herself, she knew the other person was only after her face.

Slender, warm fingers brushed across Gu Shanxue’s face, gently tucking a stray strand of hair aside.

The spot that had been touched quickly tingled. Gu Shanxue froze slightly, unaccustomed to it, and raised her hand to touch that spot again.

Que Yining explained her action, “Your hair was messy just now.”

Gu Shanxue: “Thank you.”

The air fell silent. The car lights weren’t on, nor was the heater. Every breath in and out was cold.

Que Yining didn’t let the silence last too long. She asked, “Have you been particularly busy these past few days?”

Gu Shanxue responded softly, “My schedule has been very full, which is why I had to decline your invitations several times. I’m sorry.”

Although Gu Shanxue had indeed previously intended to keep her distance and avoid contact, the other person kept appearing in her life and left a good impression on her. Gu Shanxue was willing to be friends with her.

Since she had decided to be friends, Gu Shanxue no longer harbored thoughts of distancing herself. Declining the invitations repeatedly wasn’t intentional; her schedule was genuinely very busy.

Que Yining: “It’s okay. That reassures me. I thought you were avoiding me.”

Gu Shanxue was puzzled. “Why would I avoid you?”

Que Yining: “I was afraid you’d think I’d ruin your reputation. You know Lu Su City also has its social circles, right? My reputation isn’t good, and I was afraid you’d think being friends with me would tarnish you.”

Of course, Que Yining wasn’t really being self-deprecating. She was just stating other people’s opinions and, at the same time, playing the victim a bit for Gu Shanxue.

However, she really did want to “tarnish” the other person—not in terms of reputation, but physically.

Gu Shanxue frowned. “I don’t think that way. You don’t need to belittle yourself like that.”

Gu Shanxue certainly knew that Que Yining wasn’t well-liked by some people, for example, in her own small circle. Although she hadn’t truly integrated into it, on the surface, she was considered part of that circle. When those people mentioned Que Yining, it was always with a teasing, mocking, and disdainful attitude. Ultimately, it was because Que Yining’s obsession with Fu Wenjing had caused others to dislike her.

But Gu Shanxue always felt something was off. The Que Yining sitting beside her—in her heart, she didn’t believe she would do such things.

In the rumors, the one pursuing Fu Wenjing was someone who had almost lost herself due to infatuation. But the Que Yining she knew was very clear-headed and confident, possessing her own unique charisma.

Gu Shanxue: “You’re not tarnished. You’re very clean. Don’t worry.”

Que Yining didn’t expect her to answer so seriously. She burst out laughing and raised her arms to hug Gu Shanxue.

“Miss Gu, you’re so cute.”

Que Yining only hugged her for a few seconds, then tactfully withdrew her arms.

For Gu Shanxue, it was like a warm breeze gently enveloping her, momentarily isolating her from the world’s icy cold. But it only lingered for an instant before departing, like an incredibly gentle dream.

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