TNSFC – Chapter 28

The designated driver arrived as quickly as possible. Que Yining sat next to Gu Shanxue, watching the night scenery slip by outside the window.

Gu Shanxue was actually only half-drunk and still lucid, so after the designated driver reached the destination, she got out of the car and refused Que Yining’s help.

Gu Shanxue: “Miss Que, I’m not drunk yet.”

Que Yining said without blinking, “Drunk people always say they’re not drunk. Let me hold your hand while we walk. What if you accidentally fall?”

Before Gu Shanxue could refuse, a hand touched hers.

Que Yining: “Your hand is so cold. Let me warm it up for you.”

Que Yining warmed her own hands a bit and held Gu Shanxue’s hand again.

The warmth from her palm seemed to travel up her arm and into her heart. Gu Shanxue didn’t refuse this time. She silently followed Que Yining forward.

Que Yining’s hand hovered over the elevator buttons. She looked at Gu Shanxue and asked, “Thirty-fourth floor, right?”

Que Yining didn’t remember it from her last visit, but she recalled it clearly from when she was leaving.

Gu Shanxue nodded: “Mm.”

The floor number on the digital display kept jumping upwards. Gu Shanxue lowered her eyes, silent, her gaze falling on their clasped hands.

Very warm and smooth. She had no thought of pulling away.

But she wasn’t drunk. She’d see her guest out later, she thought.

After the elevator dinged, Que Yining led Gu Shanxue out of the elevator. She watched Gu Shanxue open the fingerprint lock, memorizing which finger she used.

When the door closed and Gu Shanxue was sitting on the sofa, she belatedly realized that even though she wasn’t drunk, she had still let Que Yining in, forgetting to mention seeing her out at the door.

Never mind, Gu Shanxue sighed inwardly.

Que Yining walked to the open-plan kitchen, took out some milk, and said to Gu Shanxue, “Miss Gu, wait a moment, I’ll warm up some milk for you.”

Gu Shanxue: “Thank you.”

Gu Shanxue sat on the sofa, her gaze fixed on empty space. Occasionally, her eyes would sweep over Que Yining’s back.

Que Yining had her back to her. The warm yellow light cast a gentle silhouette of her.

It was clearly Gu Shanxue’s own home, but Gu Shanxue inexplicably felt a little ill at ease.

Que Yining finished warming the milk for Gu Shanxue. After letting it cool down a bit, she placed it in front of Gu Shanxue. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Gu Shanxue thanked her again in a low voice. Que Yining smiled and said, “You’re welcome,” then returned to the kitchen.

Que Yining: “Miss Gu, may I check your fridge? To see if there’s anything to eat. I haven’t had dinner yet.”

Gu Shanxue: “Okay, but there might not be many ingredients.”

Que Yining opened the fridge. She saw a few eggs, a few ham sausages, and some frozen fatty beef and shrimp. There was nothing else.

Que Yining searched in the cabinets again. “Do you have instant noodles or anything like that?”

Eldest Miss Que, in both her lifetimes, had never had to lift a finger for household chores. Except for instant noodles, she basically couldn’t cook anything.

Gu Shanxue was a little surprised: “You eat instant noodles?”

She had no prejudice against instant noodles; she was just surprised that Que Yining would eat them. After all, given her status, she should be used to very refined food. Gu Shanxue herself didn’t eat them.

After closing the cabinet, Que Yining looked up and smiled. “They’re convenient.”

In her previous life, when her game development reached its most critical stage, Que Yining basically lived at the company and didn’t go home. At that time, she was too busy to eat properly, and instant noodles were a good choice. Eating them occasionally, she felt they tasted pretty good.

Gu Shanxue slowly drank her milk, her perception of Que Yining refreshed once again.

She had thought Que Yining was a precious rose, carefully cultivated in fertile soil, who should be delicate. Even if she faced emotional setbacks, her lifestyle should be particular. But Que Yining didn’t seem to care much about her external environment, which was not quite what she had thought.

At this moment, Gu Shanxue thought Que Yining was a rose that had weathered a storm. Her heart was scarred, but her radiance was even more brilliant.

But much later, Gu Shanxue would learn that Que Yining hadn’t just weathered a storm. She had been uprooted, trampled, and crushed, then nourished with poisoned water, in hopes she would wither sooner.

Gu Shanxue put down her milk cup. She looked at Que Yining and said, “There might be nothing to eat at my place. Thank you for bringing me back, Miss Que. I know a good restaurant. If you’d like, Miss Que, I can have my driver take you there.”

Hearing this, Que Yining walked out of the kitchen. She sat down on the sofa, resting her chin on her hand and looking at Gu Shanxue.

The sofa beside Gu Shanxue dipped slightly as Que Yining settled in, facing her.

Que Yining: “Miss Gu, are you trying to show me the door?”

She lifted a strand of Gu Shanxue’s long hair, twirled it around her fingertip, and brushed the ends against Gu Shanxue’s cheek. She said in a rather plaintive tone, “Such a cruel friend.”

“Just now in the car, you praised me for being clean, but now that we’re home, you want me to leave quickly…”

Que Yining’s voice trailed off as she moved closer and closer to Gu Shanxue.

Her chest pressed against Gu Shanxue’s arm. Even though it was winter, Gu Shanxue could feel the soft, yielding pressure, and her body tensed inexplicably.

Her eyes shimmered with light. The lamp hung overhead, and the light reflecting in her eyes looked like a bright star.

Her warm breath was light and shallow. She had a faint fragrance about her, unreservedly enveloping Gu Shanxue’s senses.

Que Yining had a very strong presence. Especially when she stood before you, locking your gaze. Her eyes and brows were full of charm, her gaze focused. It seemed as if all the brilliance of the world was contained in her eyes, and then reflected in yours.

Que Yining continued to idly brush Gu Shanxue’s hair against her cheek. Her eyes danced, her red lips slightly parted. “So, Miss Gu’s words have such a short expiration date? Or were you just deceiving me earlier?”

Que Yining’s lips were beautifully shaped, exuding an undeniable sensuality.

Gu Shanxue had always intuitively felt the captivating charm of this woman. The impression she gave was never just flirtatiousness, nor was it vulgarity; it wasn’t lewdness, but desire.

She had to admit, Que Yining was an absolute stunner—the kind of woman who could capture the attention of the opposite sex, and even those of the same sex couldn’t escape her allure.

Like right now. Like her.

Warm jade emitting fragrance, delicate and soft.

Gu Shanxue’s voice was a little low: “I didn’t deceive you.”

“I knew you wouldn’t deceive me.”

Que Yining let go of her hair. A smile bloomed on her face, like a sweet dumpling oozing sweet syrup, exuding a sugary sweetness.

“Then why were you in such a hurry to send me away? Even if I were starving, I wouldn’t eat you.”

Que Yining’s voice lilted upwards at the end, like a seductive hook.

Gu Shanxue’s eyelashes fluttered. She didn’t know how to explain, merely pressing her lips together. “Sorry.”

A flush still lingered on her face. The sight made Que Yining’s heart itch even more, but she couldn’t act recklessly.

Gu Shanxue was very guarded. She liked to keep her distance from people, even unconsciously alienating them. If Que Yining made one wrong move and startled her, it would probably be difficult to restore their previous relationship.

Que Yining felt a little regretful inwardly, but her interest hadn’t diminished.

After all, people like to conquer. The harder something is to get, the more one wants it.

“You haven’t done anything to wrong me, why apologize?”

Que Yining sat up a bit, no longer pressing against Gu Shanxue.

The ambiguous atmosphere was suddenly dispelled. Gu Shanxue felt a sense of emptiness where Que Yining had been, and her heart inexplicably felt empty too.

Que Yining was still smiling. “But if Miss Gu truly feels apologetic, then let me stay for a meal at your place. If you don’t mind me ordering takeout.”

Gu Shanxue: “Of course I don’t mind.”

Que Yining pondered for a moment and then said, “Actually, never mind. The weather is cold now. By the time it’s delivered, it might be mostly cold. It’s better if I have the supermarket deliver a pack of instant noodles and cook them myself.”

Seeing that Que Yining was really planning to buy instant noodles from the fresh food supermarket downstairs, Gu Shanxue raised her hand to stop her.

Gu Shanxue: “Let me do it. I’ll order some vegetables. Can I make you some pasta?”

“Miss Gu, you can cook?” Que Yining showed surprise, but the surprise quickly turned into hesitation. “Actually, never mind. It would be too much trouble for you. Besides, you just had a drink, you should rest.”

Que Yining was genuinely trying to persuade her. Although her intention to cook instant noodles at Gu Shanxue’s place was indeed to test the waters—wanting to understand her better and see if she could cook—she truly didn’t intend for Gu Shanxue to cook for her. She had just been drinking; it was better for her to rest.

Furthermore, Que Yining really hadn’t eaten instant noodles in a long time.

Gu Shanxue: “It’s okay. I’ve mostly sobered up. Let me order. You sit for a while.”

Gu Shanxue metabolized alcohol faster than most people, so as long as she drank slowly, her tolerance was actually quite good. Today, she had only been half-drunk to begin with. Plus, after so much time and having drunk a glass of milk, although there was still a bit of an aftereffect, it was no longer a problem.

She couldn’t just watch Que Yining cook instant noodles in her home; that would be too neglectful as a host.

Gu Shanxue placed an order from the fresh food supermarket. She not only bought ingredients for tonight but also bought some other things to put in the fridge.

The supermarket’s delivery was very fast. Soon, there was a knock on the door.

Gu Shanxue opened the door, brought the items in, and placed them on the kitchen counter.

“Miss Que, please wait a moment. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Que Yining sat on the carpet in Gu Shanxue’s home and waved at Gu Shanxue. “It’s fine. I’m already mooching a meal off you. No hurry, Miss Gu, take your time.”

Que Yining didn’t snoop around Gu Shanxue’s house. She waited properly in the living room, playing on her phone.

Gu Shanxue could see what Que Yining was doing whenever she looked up. She quickly washed the vegetables in her hands and put water on the stove to boil.

Que Yining was messaging Qiao Yuchu. To be precise, Qiao Yuchu was asking her for help, asking if she knew how to solve a physics problem.

Que Yining thought, What the hell? How could she possibly still know how to do high school physics problems?

【Que Yining】: Look it up yourself.

【Qiao Yuchu】: This damn problem was made by the little girl’s teacher herself. I can’t find it on Baidu. I don’t understand it at all, damn! But I can’t lose face in front of the little girl! Do you have any friends who know this stuff? Like a teacher or someone?

Que Yining didn’t even have all of the original owner’s memories. She wouldn’t know where to find a physics teacher for Qiao Yuchu on such short notice, so she simply messaged her assistant.

Zhang Shiyu hadn’t expected that on her first day as a personal assistant, she would be helping her boss solve a high school physics problem.

【Zhang Shiyu】: Boss, I’m sorry. Although I’m highly educated, I really didn’t take physics as an elective!

Que Yining looked up towards the kitchen, at Gu Shanxue who was cooking noodles, and called out to her.

Gu Shanxue turned around, waiting for her to speak.

Que Yining: “Miss Gu, can you do physics problems?”

Gu Shanxue was slightly taken aback: “Miss Que, you have interests in this area too?”

This woman was truly unfathomable.

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