TNSFC – Chapter 43

Cheng Yijia looked at Gu Shanxue’s expression, her heart screaming, It’s over, it’s over! For Gu Shanxue herself to see the insulting things she’d written was simply agonizing.

She stammered, “That… my… phone…”

Gu Shanxue snapped back to reality, placed the phone in Cheng Yijia’s hand, and shot her a warning glance. “Be careful what you say and do.”

Cheng Yijia didn’t dare utter a sound. Even after Gu Shanxue had walked away, the bone-chilling coldness still seemed to linger around her.

It took her a while to recover, and she shivered, trying to shake off the goosebumps.

Holding her phone, she hesitated, wondering if she should tell Gu Qianqian about this. But then she thought, if Gu Qianqian found out that Gu Shanxue had seen her phone, Gu Qianqian would undoubtedly give her an earful.

Cheng Yijia put her phone down, deciding against it.

As for Gu Shanxue’s earlier warning, Cheng Yijia assumed Gu Shanxue was referring to the chat history and didn’t consider any other possibility.

Que Yining was completely oblivious to all of this. After leaving Qiao Yuchu’s place, she hailed a car to go home.

On the way, she sent Gu Shanxue a message, her usual daily greeting asking if she had eaten.

Gu Shanxue leaned against the balcony railing, looking at the message on her phone. The screen reflected her expressionless face.

She remained in that position until the screen’s light naturally dimmed and went out.

The sudden turn of events had filled her with simmering anger. Gu Shanxue felt it was justified to be angry about someone slandering her friend, but her emotions felt disproportionately strong, to the point where even the thought of Que Yining made her angry, and she had no desire to reply to her message.

Reason and emotion waged a relentless tug-of-war in her mind. Gu Shanxue tried hard to convince herself.

What did Que Yining do wrong? she thought. She just went out drinking with a friend, that’s not wrong at all. I shouldn’t be sulking and ignoring Que Yining’s messages.

Yet, she still didn’t move, her phone still clutched in her hand.

She gazed at the view beyond the balcony, her mind belatedly processing what Cheng Yijia had said.

A lesbian club?

Gu Shanxue didn’t want to be rude and ask about her friend’s sexual orientation. Besides, going to such a place for a drink didn’t necessarily mean Que Yining was a lesbian.

Gu Shanxue held no prejudice against lesbians, but the more she thought about it, the faster her heart pounded.

If Que Yining really did like women, then was it possible that she… towards her…

She recalled the details of their past interactions, and it seemed increasingly plausible. But this thought only flickered for a moment before she pushed it away.

Perhaps Que Yining always made friends this way. Even if her sexual orientation was indeed towards women, it didn’t mean she would develop feelings for every woman she met.

But Que Yining liked her face; she had befriended her because of her face.

Lost in this cycle of internal monologue and rebuttal, Gu Shanxue’s brow furrowed unconsciously.

The phone screen lit up again. Gu Shanxue’s fingers traced the edge of the phone for a moment before she slipped it back into her handbag and returned to the banquet hall.

However, her mind was in turmoil. After exchanging toasts and drinking a few glasses of wine, she found a quiet corner and finally replied to Que Yining’s message.

Que Yining was already home when she received the message. She had initially asked if Gu Shanxue had eaten, but there was no reply. So, when she got out of the car, Que Yining had sent another message.

She asked if Gu Shanxue was busy and even sent a cute cat meme. Still no reply, until just now.

【Dear Miss Gu】: At a banquet

Que Yining slipped off her shoes and replied as she walked inside.

She had changed Gu Shanxue’s contact name to this while she was out drinking earlier. There was no particular reason; she just suddenly felt like it. If she weren’t worried Gu Shanxue might accidentally see her phone, she would have already changed it to ‘Baby’ or ‘Sweetheart.’

【Que Yining】: Socializing? You’re still there so late. Don’t drink too much, okay?

【Que Yining】: Remember to eat something to line your stomach.

【Que Yining】: I just went out to eat with a friend too. I’m already home.

Que Yining had initially wanted to take a pretty selfie, but when she opened the front-facing camera, she realized Qiao Yuchu had messed up her hair a bit, her makeup was slightly smudged, and there was a red mark on her face from who-knows-when.

She definitely couldn’t take a picture like this. Que Yining wiped the red mark off her face with a wet wipe, tidied herself up a little, and then sent Gu Shanxue the selfie.

Gu Shanxue looked at the photo, noticing the red mark was gone. Her brow unconsciously relaxed a little.

She wanted to reply to Que Yining’s message, but someone approached her with a wine glass, striking up a conversation.

Seeing that Gu Shanxue hadn’t replied for a while, Que Yining started to worry that she might have had too much to drink.

She glanced at her contact list, thinking about when she should get in touch with her own assistant; otherwise, at times like this, it was hard to know Gu Shanxue’s whereabouts.

Que Yining thought for a moment and contacted Bian Ji’an.

【Bian Ji’an】: Okay, I’ll go ask my brother right away.

【Bian Ji’an】: I think you can change my contact name now. Just call it ‘Dedicated Tool for Finding Gu Shanxue’.

【Que Yining】: Stop messing around. You’ll get your reward.

【Bian Ji’an】: You got it!

There were no more messages from his end; Bian Ji’an had probably gone to ask.

Que Yining didn’t ask Gu Shanxue directly because she figured Gu Shanxue would reply if she saw the message. However, she didn’t know when that would be, and Que Yining couldn’t wait.

She touched up her makeup and called Zhang Shiyu.

She had also considered hiring another driver to save her personal assistant from running back and forth, but she felt a little uneasy about it. A driver would be the person most privy to her movements, and Que Yining felt she needed to pick one herself to be at ease, but she didn’t have the time for that at the moment.

Bian Ji’an replied after a good while, providing an address.

【Que Yining】: Thanks.

【Bian Ji’an】: No problem, we’re friends.

Que Yining got into the car and gave Zhang Shiyu the address.

Zhang Shiyu didn’t ask what her boss was going there for and obediently started driving.

By the time the car engine cut off and they were parked in a spot along the road, Que Yining still hadn’t received a message from Gu Shanxue.

Could she really be drunk?

Que Yining frowned, a wave of worry washing over her.

She rolled down the car window, looked at the brightly lit villa, and turned on her phone screen.

There were still many cars both inside and outside the villa, indicating that most people hadn’t left yet. However, she didn’t know if Gu Shanxue had departed.

Zhang Shiyu asked, “Boss, aren’t you getting out of the car?”

Que Yining replied, “Not yet.”

Que Yining sent another message to Gu Shanxue. Still no reply.

Que Yining put her phone away. “You wait in the car. I’m going to go take a look.”

Zhang Shiyu nodded, watching Que Yining get out of the car.

There were guards stationed in front of the villa. Upon seeing Que Yining, one of them reached out to stop her.

Que Yining’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Her gaze swept over them, imperious and sharp. She snapped, her voice laced with irritation, “I just stepped out for a smoke, and now I can’t get back in? Are you tired of your job?”

Many people were coming and going that night, mostly influential and wealthy individuals. Seeing Que Yining’s demeanor – that of a spoiled young lady from a rich family – the two security guards didn’t dare to stop her further and let her walk in.

The click-clack of Que Yining’s high heels echoed as she walked. Her eyes scanned the crowd relentlessly, and she finally spotted the person she was looking for on the second floor.

Beautiful people are always the center of attention, especially when they also possess the aura of being one’s ‘crush.’

Que Yining saw her back and breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though she knew Gu Shanxue couldn’t have come to such an event alone and would surely have an assistant or someone similar waiting outside, Que Yining was still worried that she might get drunk and someone would take advantage of her.

Some people might look respectable on the surface, but who knew what disgusting thoughts they harbored. Que Yining herself had suffered in the past and was utterly repulsed by the idea of such a thing happening to Gu Shanxue.

She didn’t approach Gu Shanxue, merely watched her from a corner.

She hadn’t come to make a show of herself in front of Gu Shanxue; she simply wanted to see her.

Que Yining was surprised at herself for not using this opportunity to do something. It wasn’t in her character. But right then, she truly had no desire to do anything else but quietly watch Gu Shanxue, intending to leave only after seeing her safely get into her car.

It was a foolish act. If someone had described this to her past self, that past self would have definitely thought the person was out of their mind.

Seeing her once was one thing, but she couldn’t watch over her every time. This was the business world; one naturally had to learn how to survive.

But now, Que Yining thought, If I can see her, even just this once, that’s enough.

Gu Shanxue drained another glass of wine. Her vision was starting to blur, but fortunately, she maintained her usual composure, so others couldn’t detect anything amiss.

She knew she had reached her limit. She pressed the speed dial for her assistant to come pick her up, set her wine glass aside, and let out a hot breath.

She was mentally calculating the potential returns from attending this banquet when her gaze inadvertently drifted in a certain direction.

Gu Shanxue gently shook her head, thinking she must have really had too much to drink. Otherwise, how could she be seeing Que Yining here?

She looked again, then disappointedly retracted her gaze.

She didn’t know why she felt disappointed. Thinking of Que Yining, Gu Shanxue wanted to lift her hand to take out her phone and check her messages, but she felt extremely dizzy, and the emotions she had suppressed earlier came rushing back.

She steadied herself and went to the restroom. Looking at her own bloodshot eyes in the mirror, she then saw a familiar figure in the reflection.

She subconsciously turned, pressed against the door that was about to swing shut, and squeezed inside.

Que Yining froze. She had just come to the restroom to avoid Gu Shanxue’s line of sight. She was about to leave when she saw Gu Shanxue heading her way, so she had quickly hidden back in a stall. She had intended to peek out quietly to check on Gu Shanxue, but she hadn’t expected to be caught red-handed.

She absolutely hadn’t wanted Gu Shanxue to know she was there; it would expose her intentions far too much. What kind of friend would go to such lengths? Even if they were very good friends, she could have approached openly. Why hide?

Either way, Que Yining couldn’t explain her actions clearly.

Gu Shanxue grabbed her hand and pressed her against the wall, making her sit on the closed toilet lid. Que Yining blinked, looking up at Gu Shanxue who loomed over her.

Gu Shanxue’s gaze was heavy, her expression still frosty, just as it always was.

Que Yining wasn’t sure if Gu Shanxue was drunk, but she suspected she probably was. Otherwise, how could the usually polite and aloof ‘iceberg’ be holding her hand and pinning her in this cramped space?

Up close, Gu Shanxue’s eyelashes were so long.

Shadows fell across her fair cheeks, like a resting butterfly.

Que Yining’s lips curved into a smile. “Shanxue, you…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, interrupted by Gu Shanxue’s movement.

A cool hand caressed her cheek, the thumb rubbing back and forth over her cheekbone. The pressure was a little firm, causing Que Yining a slight pang of pain and a sense of bewilderment.

“Que Yining.”

Her voice was cool, carrying the scent of alcohol.

The sound seemed to unfurl languidly from the tip of her tongue, each word enunciated with extraordinary clarity.

She eased the pressure of her hand, her misty eyes meeting Que Yining’s, her voice tinged with a hint of displeasure.

“You’re not well-behaved.”

Que Yining’s heart pounded wildly. She placed her palm over the back of Gu Shanxue’s hand.

The effects of the alcohol had clearly worn off for Que Yining, yet she felt as if she were drunk all over again.

“I am well-behaved.”

She gazed at Gu Shanxue, her voice delicate and soft.

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