TNSFC – Chapter 42

Que Yining was someone who had seen her fair share of big scenes. Faced with this situation, she simply calmly withdrew her leg and turned to look at Qiao Yuchu.

Qiao Yuchu carried her bag in one hand and put her other arm around Que Yining’s shoulder, leading her inside. As they walked, she specified which room she wanted and what items to bring, and the white-stockinged maid beside them quickly complied.

Que Yining: “I wouldn’t have guessed, you seem quite familiar with this. A regular?”

Qiao Yuchu shrugged. “Not really, this is probably my second time. Last time, someone told me about this place, so I came to check it out and figured out how things work.”

She raised an eyebrow at Que Yining. “What do you think? This place isn’t bad, right? The girls are all top-notch, high quality, with a wide variety, and they know a lot of tricks. You can call for whatever type you like. Of course, it’s not prostitution; if they’re not willing, you can’t touch them.”

Que Yining: “Do I look like that kind of person?”

Qiao Yuchu teased, “You don’t. After all, you’re better looking. Just looking in the mirror and touching yourself would be enough for you.”

Que Yining: “Why did you bring me here?”

Qiao Yuchu: “Didn’t we say we’d eat and drink? Of course, we need some atmosphere. Watching beauties while we eat, you know.”

They entered a private room. There was a tablet, and tapping on it revealed pictures. You could order maids to accompany you, ranging from young girls to mature women—a wide variety, offering everything one could desire.

With this setup, Que Yining couldn’t shake the feeling that she was here for prostitution.

She wasn’t interested in these people and listlessly waved her hand at Qiao Yuchu.

Looking at these people, she thought she might as well wear a maid outfit and try to seduce Gu Shanxue.

Seeing her gesture, Qiao Yuchu suddenly sighed, “You really haven’t changed.”

Perhaps she had been too suspicious before. After all, rejecting everyone else for the sake of pursuing one person was just Que Yining’s style.

Que Yining figured Qiao Yuchu had misunderstood something but didn’t explain, merely curving her lips slightly.

Influenced by Que Yining, Qiao Yuchu didn’t call for many people either. She just summoned a long-legged, mature beauty who could play a string instrument to perform in an adjacent cubicle, and then she started drinking with Que Yining.

Que Yining sipped her red wine. Seeing the way Qiao Yuchu was drinking, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Que Yining: “What’s wrong? Still in a bad mood?”

Qiao Yuchu instinctively retorted, “Who said that? I’m doing great! Aren’t I here with you, enjoying drinks and female company?”

If this were ancient times, this place would undoubtedly be a high-class establishment with female entertainers.

“This is what you call ‘drinking with female entertainers’? You might as well go to Chun Chao. That place is more like a den of debauchery.”

Que Yining took another sip and tasted the steamed fish. The flavor was surprisingly good.

“Don’t mention that place to me. Just thinking about it is annoying.”

Qiao Yuchu frowned and put her wine glass on the table.

“Is it about that little girl of yours again?”

Que Yining remembered that the high school student was the one Qiao Yuchu had rescued at Chun Chao.

“How would I dare say she’s ‘mine’?”

Qiao Yuchu said with considerable self-deprecation, a hint of grievance in her expression.

Que Yining: “Still not over that awkwardness?”

“Not exactly. She came to apologize to me, but…” Qiao Yuchu downed her drink in one gulp, coughing because she drank too quickly. “Should I say she’s too inexperienced? Even her acting isn’t convincing.”

When the girl apologized, Qiao Yuchu was secretly pleased. She played it cool for a while, then saw the little girl trying to please her, taking off her clothes.

Just as she had told Que Yining, she didn’t touch the little girl. Besides, she was a hedonist, so naturally, she was the one who would lie back and enjoy it.

As the other person was touching her, when Qiao Yuchu was halfway to her high, she suddenly wanted to see the little girl’s face. So, she propped herself up and lifted the girl’s chin. Seeing her expressionless face, all her arousal vanished instantly, and she told the girl to get out.

“I was just thinking, aren’t I doing this to have fun for myself? How did it end up like this?”

Qiao Yuchu chugged her wine, resting her face in her hands as she looked at Que Yining, her expression full of confusion.

“She’s not in the entertainment industry, so isn’t it normal for her acting to be unconvincing? Do you want her to put on a false show and flatter you, or do you want her to genuinely like you?”

Que Yining watched Qiao Yuchu drink away her sorrows, offering comfort and advice while she herself ate.

Qiao Yuchu mumbled, “She should at least pretend to be happy. Who ‘works’ like that? So unprofessional.”

Before Que Yining could speak, Qiao Yuchu shook her head again. “Forget it. If she deceived me, I’d be even more annoyed. It’s better this way.”

“Let’s not talk about it. Let’s keep drinking. Fortunately, that bastard was caught. If he really did something, I don’t believe he won’t confess.”

Qiao Yuchu raised her glass, urging Que Yining to drink with her.

Que Yining had nothing else to do that night, so she drank with her, glass after glass.

When she was half-drunk, she felt someone touching her foot and looked down in confusion.

It was the long-legged girl who had been playing the instrument earlier. Dressed in a uniform, she was squatting on the floor, helping Que Yining change her shoes.

“Mistress, changing into cotton slippers will be more comfortable.”

Her voice was gentle, and her gaze lingered on Que Yining’s face from time to time. When she lowered her head, she rubbed her chest against the sole of Que Yining’s foot—a clear hint.

In this establishment, many were exclusively lesbians. Like her, she often played the ‘T’ role (top). The moment she walked into the room and saw Que Yining, she became interested. Que Yining merely glanced at her, but just that one look made her legs go weak, willing to be the ‘P’ (bottom) for Que Yining.

Que Yining stepped on her chest, looking down at her with slightly cold eyes.

“Get out.”

The person kneeling on the ground turned slightly pale, bit her lip, and reluctantly left.

Qiao Yuchu’s shoes had just been changed. Seeing this scene, she laughed. “As expected, being good-looking has its advantages.”

“But you really are beautiful.”

She moved closer to Que Yining and cupped her face. There was no hint of jealousy in her words, just sincere praise as she caressed Que Yining’s face.

Her hand had just crushed some petals from a nearby flower arrangement, and the bright red juice smeared onto Que Yining’s face, leaving a red streak. However, both of them, a bit tipsy from drinking, failed to notice.

Que Yining leaned back on the sofa. Full from eating and having had some alcohol, she squinted, feeling a bit drowsy.

Qiao Yuchu was still drinking, with the air of someone determined not to go home until thoroughly drunk.

Que Yining stopped drinking and advised Qiao Yuchu from the side to drink less, but Qiao Yuchu didn’t listen. As she got tipsier, she still looked somewhat dejected.

“Do you think I should just turn back like this?”

Qiao Yuchu looked at Que Yining with hazy eyes, slumped on the sofa, her face flushed red.

Que Yining asked with some confusion, “Turn back?”

Qiao Yuchu slurred in response, “Yeah. If your parents knew you liked girls, they definitely wouldn’t break your legs. After all, they dote on you so much. You don’t have to worry about your family’s affairs; your brother and sister are there to handle things. As for me… I don’t know.”

This path was much easier to walk than before, but in the eyes of society, it was still considered unconventional and very difficult to accept.

Que Yining’s eyes cleared a bit. Fiddling with the tail of a toy rabbit that was on display, she said with a hint of nonchalance, “It’s up to you. Your future is yours, not someone else’s. If you know what you like, don’t compromise easily.”

Qiao Yuchu was bisexual. Before, she had even invited Que Yining to check out handsome guys, seeming like a 100% straight girl. Then, suddenly, a little girl came along, and she looked like she was about to fall hard for her.

Que Yining had only met that girl once and couldn’t judge what kind of person she was. But as Qiao Yuchu’s friend, she definitely wished Qiao Yuchu well.

“But I don’t know… I kind of like her, but she doesn’t like me. It’s so annoying, Ningning. Liking someone is so annoying.”

Qiao Yuchu grabbed the corner of Que Yining’s clothes and wailed without tears, her hair getting all messed up.

“Liking someone isn’t annoying. Not getting a response is what’s annoying.”

Que Yining leaned back on the sofa, patting Qiao Yuchu’s head affectionately.

Qiao Yuchu looked up and asked her, “Then are you annoyed? Gu Shanxue seems very hard to woo. She’s so cold and icy. Let alone sleeping together, I bet you two haven’t even kissed.”

Que Yining couldn’t refute this and just remained silent.

After a while, Que Yining finally spoke, “You can’t rush things.”

Qiao Yuchu mumbled, “She seems too hard to ‘bend.’ And I heard that someone-or-other seems to want to ask her out.”

Que Yining sobered up instantly. Staring into Qiao Yuchu’s eyes, she asked, “Who?”

It couldn’t be Fu Wenjing, could it?

Is the plot starting so soon?

Qiao Yuchu was very drunk and a bit dazed. Being stared at by Que Yining like that, she tried hard to recall who it was.

She hiccuped. “I can’t remember.”

Que Yining: “Is it Fu Wenjing?”

Qiao Yuchu thought for a moment and shook her head. “Didn’t you tell me not to mention him? It’s not him.”

Que Yining looked at Qiao Yuchu with relief. This friend was pretty good; even when drunk, she remembered what she had said before.

Que Yining was relieved. As long as it wasn’t Fu Wenjing, anyone else didn’t matter; Que Yining didn’t consider them a threat.

Que Yining: “Alright, Xiao Qiao, stop drinking. Let’s go home.”

She patted Qiao Yuchu’s face, which was burning hot from drinking, and planned to pull her up.

Qiao Yuchu, it wasn’t clear if she’d heard Que Yining, kept muttering softly after being pulled up, but no one could make out what she was saying.

Que Yining had someone come in to put Qiao Yuchu’s shoes on for her, while she herself planned to pay the bill.

Qiao Yuchu overheard a bit and started waving her bag, her voice boisterous, “I’ll pay! Am I afraid to pay? I’m treating you today!”

Que Yining stopped her, paid the bill herself, and then half-supported, half-carried Qiao Yuchu out.

At the entrance, Qiao Yuchu got another burst of energy and insisted on taking a selfie with Que Yining.

Que Yining couldn’t dissuade her, so she had to nod. “Okay, snap, snap, snap.”

After taking the picture, Qiao Yuchu finally quieted down for a bit.

She called a car and first sent Qiao Yuchu back to her home.

In the car, Qiao Yuchu, with drunken, hazy eyes, was still fiddling with her phone, posting on her social media feed.

They finally arrived at Qiao Yuchu’s home. Just as Que Yining was about to use Qiao Yuchu’s fingerprint to unlock the door, it opened from the inside.

The young woman, wearing pajamas, reached out and took Qiao Yuchu.

Que Yining: “Take good care of her.”

The young woman nodded, looking as if she was ready to see Que Yining off.

Qiao Yuchu was still wailing “Ningning.” Que Yining, somewhat amused, soothed her and met the young woman’s gaze, finding it rather intriguing.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, wine glasses clinked at a lively party.

Gu Shanxue had just made many toasts and, avoiding the crowd, was sitting in a corner sobering up.

Someone nearby was on the phone. She had no intention of eavesdropping, until that person mentioned a name familiar to her.

“Qianqian, guess what I just found out?”

“Okay, okay, I won’t keep you in suspense. Que Yining and Qiao Yuchu are hanging out at a lesbian club! Don’t you dislike them? This is perfect leverage! Next time you see them, you can call them damned lesbians and see if they still dare to bully you!”

“It’s absolutely true! Would I lie to you? Just check Qiao Yuchu’s social media feed. She got drunk and posted a photo. Someone I know is into that scene, has also been there, and posted photos. I compared them—it’s definitely correct.”

“Okay, I’ll send you the photo!”

Cheng Yijia excitedly hung up the phone and sent the saved photo to Gu Qianqian. Suddenly, she sensed a gaze and turned around to see an ice-cold face.

“Gu… Gu… Gu…”

She didn’t know why she felt intimidated but braced herself and looked at Gu Shanxue.

She knew this was Gu Qianqian’s half-sister. Behind her back, she had often joined Gu Qianqian in mocking her. But face to face, she lacked the courage to say anything insulting and could only look at Gu Shanxue timidly.

Gu Shanxue: “Phone.”

Cheng Yijia handed over the phone. Only after doing so did she realize her mistake, biting her tongue and cursing herself for being an idiot. Why had she obediently handed over the phone? The chat history on it still contained messages of her and Gu Qianqian badmouthing Gu Shanxue!

Gu Shanxue’s expression showed no ripple at the words in the chat box. She opened the photo.

It was an out-of-focus photo taken at night. But despite this, one could still see that the other person being embraced, even with only her side profile visible, had a beautiful face.

Gu Shanxue stared fixedly at the red streak smeared on Que Yining’s side profile in the photo, her eyes unconsciously turning cold and dark.

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