TNSFC – Chapter 35

Besides the initial hot spring pool, Que Yining and Gu Shanxue also tried some other pools, but they didn’t soak for too long. After soaking, they rested in the lounge for a while, ate something, and returned to their room together around ten o’clock.

“Shanxue, do you want to shower first, or should I?” Que Yining stood in front of the bathroom, her hand on the tie of her bathrobe, winking at Gu Shanxue. “We could also shower together, you know. After all, this bathroom is especially spacious.”

Gu Shanxue shook her head. “You go first. I’ll wait for you outside.”

An expected answer. Que Yining took off her bathrobe and went into the bathroom.

Couple suites always have some strange features. The bathroom was designed with one-way glass, so people outside could clearly see the scene inside.

Although Gu Shanxue had heard of this, she had never experienced it herself. But when she stood in the living room and saw the glass gradually turn transparent, she couldn’t help but press her temples.

She had seen a bit too much tonight, and her heart was beating faster than usual. Gu Shanxue felt her body should be relaxed, but her mind wasn’t.

When she closed her eyes, those scenes seemed to appear. Things she had clearly seen by accident, yet they lingered in her mind, refusing to leave.

Gu Shanxue took a deep breath, sat down on the sofa, no longer looking at the bathroom situation. She opened her phone, saw a message from her assistant, and started handling business matters.

Que Yining didn’t take long to shower. Because she had soaked for too long today, she just rinsed off quickly and came out in her pajamas.

“Shanxue, you can go now. I’m done.”

“Okay.”

Gu Shanxue closed her phone and walked towards the bathroom.

The moment she stepped into the bathroom, Gu Shanxue suddenly realized that Que Yining outside could also see her. But she wasn’t overly worried and continued into the bathroom without stopping.

She figured Que Yining wouldn’t stare at her. After all, constantly staring at a friend’s body was a bit too perverted and vulgar. Que Yining wasn’t that kind of person.

Wasn’t Que Yining? She really wasn’t.

But if the subject was Gu Shanxue, she might just have to be perverted and vulgar for once.

Que Yining watched with great interest as the oblivious Gu Shanxue showered inside, admiring her beloved’s figure.

Although she had already seen quite a bit while they were in the hot spring, and her mind wasn’t entirely filled with lewd thoughts, when the glass turned transparent, she still couldn’t help but watch.

Gu Shanxue was tall and slender, not the bony type of beauty, but she definitely had an air of lightness.

The other person had her back to the glass, so Que Yining could only see her back.

After tracing her outline with her eyes, Que Yining didn’t continue to stare like a pervert but lay down on the bed and played with her phone.

During the time she hadn’t been looking at her phone, Qiao Yuchu and Bian Ji’an had sent her many messages. However, the original owner wasn’t very popular, and only these two friends messaged her.

Bian Ji’an asked if she wanted to hang out. Que Yining replied that she was currently at a hot spring.

【Bian Ji’an】: You actually went to a hot spring without a word! So comfortable, Eldest Miss Que.

【Que Yining】: It has to be comfortable.

【Bian Ji’an】: You seem to be in a good mood. Don’t tell me you have a handsome man with you?

【Que Yining】: Do you think I’m you, Second Young Master Bian? Surrounded by beauties wherever you go.

【Bian Ji’an】: Teasing me again. I’m not like that.

【Bian Ji’an】: But you didn’t really go alone, did you? That would be so boring.

【Que Yining】: Of course not alone.

【Bian Ji’an】: Oh? Could there be a new development?

Que Yining hesitated for a moment and decided not to tell Bian Ji’an the truth.

Although she thought Bian Ji’an was a good person, he seemed like someone who couldn’t keep a secret. It was better not to say anything unnecessary.

【Que Yining】: With Gu Shanxue. What kind of development could there be?

【Bian Ji’an】: ???

【Bian Ji’an】: I say, Eldest Miss, you’re really persistent. Are you really trying to be friends with that Gu Shanxue?

【Bian Ji’an】: I’ve only met her once. Everything else I heard from my older brother. She seems like a very arrogant person. We’re not in the same circle as them. Why do you insist on forcing your way in?

【Bian Ji’an】: You have to remember, she and Fu Wenjing are in the same circle.

Bian Ji’an was genuinely worried. Que Yining’s reputation among those elite scions was even worse. Everyone more or less looked down on her. Of course, he himself was also one of those looked down upon.

So he peacefully lay flat and acted like a salted fish, enjoying himself in his own little world. He really couldn’t understand why Que Yining insisted on pushing her way into that circle.

Fortunately, that Eldest Miss Gu was a woman. If she were a man, Bian Ji’an would probably feel even worse.

【Que Yining】: Circle or not, aren’t they all people inside? I know what you mean.

【Que Yining】: But let’s put it this way, Gu Shanxue isn’t Fu Wenjing. We have quite a connection.

【Bian Ji’an】: A connection entirely based on your chance encounters?

【Bian Ji’an】: But speaking of chance encounters, my older brother seems to be attending a bidding conference soon. I don’t know if Gu Shanxue is going. Do you want to go there and “chance upon” her?

【Bian Ji’an】: No, wait. You two are already at the stage of going to hot springs together. You probably don’t need to specifically arrange a chance encounter anymore.

Que Yining was initially amused by the phrase “entirely based on your chance encounters.” Before she could send her next message, she saw the text Bian Ji’an had sent.

【Que Yining】: Bidding conference?

Although, given the scope of the company she currently managed, there was no need to inquire about any bidding conferences, Que Yining’s occupational habit kicked in, and she subconsciously wanted to find out more.

“Yeah, it seems to be a plot of land from the East City Development and Construction. I just heard my dad mention it to my older brother. My dad wants my brother to secure a plot if possible. I remembered you wanted to ‘chance upon’ her, so I’m gathering intel for you. Loyal, right?”

Bian Ji’an sent a voice message, and a long string of words came out from the speaker.

“That plot in the East City seems to have a lake…”

Que Yining muttered to herself, quickly searching her mind for memories related to this.

When she was doing extensive research before, she had also seen this plot of land, but her impression wasn’t deep.

Gu Shanxue, who was just coming out of the bathroom, happened to hear this. She approached in her slippers and continued Que Yining’s thought: “There is indeed a lake in that East City plot. However, it was severely polluted before, practically in a derelict state, and the surrounding ecology wasn’t good either.”

“But after the new municipal party secretary took office two years ago, the situation in the East City area improved. Now he plans to tackle that long-standing problem and revitalize the East City. A subway line might even be added.”

Que Yining understood. “No wonder the Bian family wants to get a piece of land there. If that area is cleaned up, the surrounding land prices will definitely increase. Although it’s derelict now, it will probably become valuable soon.”

Que Yining suddenly propped herself up from the bed and leaned close to Gu Shanxue, looking thoughtful. “Didn’t you just return to the country recently? How do you know so much about things here?”

Gu Shanxue was very calm. “I’ve been paying attention.”

Gu Shanxue had been keeping an eye on Lu Su for a long time. She hadn’t returned unprepared.

Although she was abroad and had little contact with China, she had been observing and making some moves. This was why she was able to quickly integrate into the circle of elite scions in high society.

As long as she revealed a little bit of her hand, smart people would always come to cooperate with her.

Que Yining knew why she was paying attention, but she didn’t intend to steer the conversation in that direction. There was no need to ask obvious nonsense.

“Then do you plan to make a move on that land?”

“No plans.”

Gu Shanxue shook her head, her face thoughtful.

“That’s fine too,” Que Yining nodded. “After all, it’s not a guaranteed profit without any risk.”

Any investment comes with risks. The East City planning might be a sure thing, but cleaning it up wouldn’t be that easy, not to mention the long timeframe involved.

Moreover, there’s a lot more to bidding than meets the eye. The twists and turns involved are not for outsiders to know.

“Miss Que sees things much more clearly than I imagined.”

Gu Shanxue looked intently at Que Yining, the thoughtfulness in her eyes deepening.

She was becoming more and more different from the rumors. Can a person really change so much in an instant?

Que Yining pressed against her, tilting her head up and said, half-complaining: “Didn’t we agree you’d call me Yining?”

With Que Yining interrupting like this, Gu Shanxue’s train of thought was momentarily broken. She stopped thinking about what she was pondering before and said with a helpless smile: “Mm, Yining.”

“That’s more like it.”

Que Yining nuzzled her cheek and then very naturally pulled away.

Gu Shanxue watched Que Yining lie back down on the bed, dangling her legs, and touched her own cheek.

The double bed in this couple’s suite was very large. Que Yining lay on one side playing with her phone, while Gu Shanxue sat on the other side looking at her phone. Although there was no communication, they looked exceptionally harmonious.

Que Yining praised Bian Ji’an for his loyalty on one hand, and replied to Qiao Yuchu on the other.

When she sent her first message, Qiao Yuchu sent back three question marks.

【Qiao Yuchu】: You’re still playing on your phone at this hour?

【Qiao Yuchu】: I gave you the battle robe for you to fight!!!

【Qiao Yuchu】: And yet you’re still on your phone, messaging me!!!

【Que Yining】: ……Our relationship really isn’t that simple and crude.

【Qiao Yuchu】: Dare you say you’re not after her body?

【Que Yining】: I’m after more than just her body!

【Que Yining】: And about that outfit you mentioned, why didn’t you tell me earlier about its effect!

【Qiao Yuchu】: What’s wrong? Isn’t it alluring? Paired with your figure, the effect should be explosively good.

【Que Yining】: I’m more subtle.

【Qiao Yuchu】: Come on, you can’t fool me. Have you forgotten about how you wanted to knock Fu Wenjing out and force yourself on him a year ago? Fierce as hell.

【Que Yining】: What was that?

Que Yining pressed her temples. She couldn’t find any related memories.

【Qiao Yuchu】: Oh, sorry. You said not to mention that scumbag man anymore. I won’t, I won’t. Let’s talk about you and your unattainable beauty.

【Que Yining】: Tell me about that incident again. I feel like I don’t have much memory of it.

Que Yining’s memories were trigger-based. She was now blindly guessing that the original owner’s death was related to Fu Wenjing, so she didn’t want to miss the chance to understand this matter.

【Qiao Yuchu】: You were drunk at that time.

【Qiao Yuchu】: It was on your birthday the year before last. You got drunk and went crazy, saying you were going to give Fu Wenjing a striptease, called him, and I couldn’t even hold you back.

【Qiao Yuchu】: I took you home, but you ran out again later by yourself. Heaven knows how you managed it.

【Qiao Yuchu】: You called me. When I arrived, Fu Wenjing was unconscious next to you. You were stammering and couldn’t say anything clearly. But when you were drinking, you had boasted that you were going to knock Fu Wenjing out and do him.

【Qiao Yuchu】: Who would have thought you actually did it? Luckily, you didn’t actually go through with it. I quickly sent Fu Wenjing to the hospital and then took you away.

【Qiao Yuchu】: The next day, we even laughed about you. It’s just that you don’t seem to remember the details yourself.

Que Yining looked at the screen full of text, but no related fragments appeared in her mind.

Although generally speaking, human memory has a shelf life, impressive ones are usually remembered when something related is triggered. Such a big incident, even if she was drunk, it’s impossible to have no impression at all.

Fu Wenjing was knocked unconscious and fell beside the drunk original owner.

A drunk girl, how could she possibly knock out a young man much taller than herself with something?

Unless the original owner had superhuman strength. But from the memories she currently possessed, the original owner didn’t have this ability.

Que Yining sensitively perceived that this should be a key issue. But this happened two years ago, and it was now untraceable, unless she asked Fu Wenjing.

Que Yining’s fingers tapped on the bedsheet, and her legs dropped down, no longer dangling.

She tried to search for something in her memories, but it was difficult.

Her brows were tightly furrowed. Lost in her own world, she didn’t notice Gu Shanxue approaching.

Cool fingers pressed onto her glabella, smoothing out the creases between her brows bit by bit.

Que Yining looked up and met Gu Shanxue’s eyes.

“Is something troubling you?”

Gu Shanxue asked in a low voice. Her eyes were calm, like snow-capped peaks mingling with white clouds on a mountaintop, unconsciously calming people down.

Que Yining held her hand and shook her head with a smile.

Her biggest worry was probably how to charm Gu Shanxue.

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