TNSFC – Chapter 7

It wasn’t until they walked into the Xiang Qing Waterside Pavilion that Gu Shanxue looked at the wooden railing, tilted her head, and spoke.

“Which floor are you going to?”

A glint flashed in Que Yining’s eyes under the light as she looked at Gu Shanxue and asked in return, “Which floor are you going to?”

Gu Shanxue: “The fourth floor.”

Que Yining’s eyes curved into a smile. “What a coincidence, I’m going to the fourth floor too.”

However, as soon as they reached the fourth floor, Que Yining knew her little lie had been exposed.

Because the fourth floor was the highest private room, a loft, in the Xiang Qing Waterside Pavilion. There was only one, and it had already been booked for a meeting.

According to the original owner’s persona, there was no way she would come here.

The corridor was L-shaped, and when they turned the corner, their view opened up.

Just as Que Yining was about to say she had gone to the wrong place to make a graceful exit, someone inside saw her through the curtain and called her name.

“Hey, why is Eldest Miss Que here? Wenjing hasn’t arrived yet, you’re early.”

The person inside’s teasing remark amused the others who were seated.

Que Yining could tell there was no malice in the teasing, but she felt helpless about their deeply ingrained perception of the original owner, especially with Gu Shanxue present.

Letting the girl she was preparing to pursue know how ‘she’ had once pursued another person so openly and with such unyielding affection was truly a terrible thing.

Que Yining decided to play along. “I just ran into him downstairs. What, is he also coming to this room for dinner?”

Liu Senxu teased, “Oh, listening to you, you’re not here for our Eldest Young Master Fu?”

Que Yining: “Of course not. Qiao Yuchu and I arranged to eat here, but she didn’t specify which floor. I ran into an older sister I recognized outside and came in with her.”

Que Yining smiled, took Gu Shanxue’s hand, and gently swayed it. “Isn’t that right?”

Que Yining’s eyes were extremely pretty, and her voice held a captivating charm that went straight to Gu Shanxue’s heart.

Gu Shanxue was a bit of a germaphobe and didn’t like others touching her casually, but when Que Yining held her hand, she didn’t feel any repulsion.

Perhaps it was because the person before her looked very clean, her palm dry and warm. Held in her hand, it felt smooth and delicate, as if boneless, like fine jade.

She calmly withdrew her hand. “Mm.”

Gu Shanxue lifted the curtain. It had two layers to keep out the winter cold. The loft was surrounded by glass, ensuring both safety and temperature control.

Que Yining didn’t go in. She stood at the doorway and waved to the people inside. “Then I won’t come in. See you next time.”

Her face had a healthy paleness even in winter. Today, she wore a dark red knitted sweater, which further accentuated the fairness and smoothness of her neck and beautiful face. Her smiling face under the light momentarily dazed everyone in the room.

Liu Senxu muttered, “Why do I feel like Que Yining is getting prettier and prettier? Even her aura has improved.”

The person next to him playfully poked his waist. “If you like her, go pursue her.”

Liu Senxu slapped his hand away. “Get lost. Who doesn’t know our Que Jie’s heart already belongs to someone? Even if she’s become prettier, it’s not our good fortune to enjoy.”

Gu Shanxue, seated to the side, listened to their discussion. Although she hadn’t heard Que Yining introduce herself, she remembered her name.

Que Yining.

Liu Senxu: “Speak of the devil, look, the main subject of our ‘good fortune’ has arrived.”

Fu Wenjing: “What?”

Yan Zishu: “He’s definitely talking about Que Yining. But she was quite strange today. Could it be she’s changed her tactics to playing hard to get?”

Just now, when they were coming upstairs, they brushed past her, and Que Yining didn’t even glance at them. It was truly quite unusual.

Fu Wenjing’s expression turned cold. “Why bring her up? Is everyone here?”

He nodded politely when he saw Gu Shanxue, and Gu Shanxue responded with a polite nod.

She looked at Fu Wenjing’s face, but her mind was on something else.

Although everyone else said with certainty that Que Yining liked Fu Wenjing, and it seemed Fu Wenjing himself thought so too, she didn’t quite think so.

But if that person was extremely good at hiding it, then it might be possible.

Gu Shanxue narrowed her eyes, suppressing the complicated thoughts in her mind.

Liu Senxu: “Everyone’s here, everyone’s here! Let’s meet our new friend, Gu Shanxue!”

In fact, Gu Shanxue’s situation wasn’t as dire as others thought. She hadn’t returned to the country with nothing; she had already made a name for herself in the international business world. Her return this time was simply due to her own plans.

Although Liu Senxu and his group couldn’t be called the elite among the rich second generation, they were indeed smart. They had money and brains; they were either heirs to family businesses or vying for inheritance rights. Naturally, they sought cooperation and mutual development, and they warmly welcomed Gu Shanxue’s arrival.

After all, if Gu Shanxue secured shares in her own family’s company, she would be a valuable ally to them. By extending goodwill now, they could expect significant returns later.

The atmosphere in the room was harmonious. Meanwhile, Que Yining had met up with Qiao Yuchu.

Qiao Yuchu: “Your wingman reporting for duty! What are we going to do now?”

Qiao Yuchu rubbed her hands together, full of enthusiasm. “Should I go create some opportunities for you? For example, bump into that Jiejie, or accidentally bump into you so you fall into her arms? Or maybe you should be holding a drink, and I accidentally bump you, spilling it on her?”

Qiao Yuchu was quite adaptable. Having been in their social circle for a long time, she had seen all sorts of things. In her eyes, Que Yining’s situation seemed like a case of a painful breakup, leading her to avoid men and turn gay. It seemed quite reasonable.

Anyway, this was better than continuing to be hung up on Fu Wenjing. Anything was better than that.

Que Yining’s temples throbbed from her barrage of words. “Where did you learn these cheesy scenarios?”

Qiao Yuchu: “Hey, isn’t this a common way they hit on people? You see it three out of ten times at parties. The methods might be a bit dumb, but they’re always effective. Let that Jiejie feel your fiery passion, your soft and delicate body!”

Qiao Yuchu looked enviously at Que Yining’s chest, then patted her own, which was still flat even under two layers of clothing.

Que Yining: “Forget it. Let’s eat first. You might have to be on standby today.”

Qiao Yuchu was disappointed. “Ah, why?”

Que Yining: “Fu Wenjing is also here.”

Qiao Yuchu: “You still care about him? Can’t forget him?”

Que Yining: “I don’t want to give Gu Shanxue the impression that I’m straight.”

Que Yining’s deadpan delivery of this sentence made Qiao Yuchu burst out laughing.

Qiao Yuchu: “Alright, no problem. What the hell, ‘straight girl impression,’ hahahahahaha! But hey, is Gu Shanxue straight or gay? Do you even know before you go for it?”

Qiao Yuchu: “I really don’t want you to just get out of one pit only to jump into another.”

Que Yining: “Probably straight, I guess.”

Que Yining thought, since Gu Shanxue is the female lead of this book, and the book also has a male lead, it means Gu Shanxue should be a woman whose sexual orientation is towards men.

Qiao Yuchu: “Probably? She is straight!”

Qiao Yuchu’s startled reaction clearly showed her inner turmoil. Que Yining covered her mouth with her bag, looked at the approaching waiter, and gestured for her to be quiet.

After booking a private room and sitting down to eat, Qiao Yuchu eagerly resumed the previous topic, almost starting to persuade her earnestly.

“Ningning, although I don’t really understand that scene, there’s a type of person in this world who is truly a ‘steel straight girl.’ Don’t go hitting another brick wall and end up battered and bruised again.”

Que Yining casually tucked her long hair back, her tone nonchalant yet intrigued, and smiled at Qiao Yuchu. “Let’s give it a try for now.”

That glance, full of charm and allure, was so captivating that Qiao Yuchu was momentarily dazed.

Qiao Yuchu snapped back to her senses, savoring the lingering effect, and shivered involuntarily. “Wow, that look you just gave was amazing! It gave me chills! Where did you take an advanced course for seductresses? Coach, I want to learn that too!”

Que Yining’s lips curved upwards. “It’s all about intuition.”

Qiao Yuchu pouted. “Well, that’s no fun.”

Que Yining had chosen a seat with a view of the staircase landing, so she could see anyone coming down from upstairs. But even after she finished her meal, the person she wanted to see hadn’t come down yet.

Que Yining didn’t plan to pursue relentlessly. After all, pursuing someone depended on opportunities, so she simply called Qiao Yuchu to go home.

Qiao Yuchu: “That host club yesterday was quite interesting. Too bad, sis, you can’t enjoy it with me now. If you want to go home, go ahead. I plan to go have some more fun.”

Que Yining: “Don’t drink until you black out. It’s fine to have fun there, but don’t get too serious.”

Qiao Yuchu: “Relax, I know. They have a pretty good drink there. I’ll bring you a bottle next time.”

Que Yining nodded and waved goodbye to her.

Qiao Yuchu took a taxi to her pleasure den, while Que Yining stood by the roadside waiting for her driver.

The weather was dry and cold. Lu Su City was located towards the north, and the outdoor temperature had already dropped below zero.

Que Yining exhaled a puff of white mist, gazing at the pitch-black night sky. Her eyes, tinged by the mist, held a somewhat vacant look.

She had been here for almost a full day. Apart from the people around her being different, her life wasn’t drastically different from before.

Perhaps there were differences. At least, it was much more relaxed. She didn’t have to see those annoying enemies or exhaust herself scheming and plotting. But after shedding such a heavy burden, faced with this easier situation, Que Yining still felt a little lost.

Gu Shanxue looked down from the loft and happened to see this scene.

Against the night, the lights, and the neon, the girl in the dark red clothes looked like a beautiful painting.