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A sweet-looking woman with short hair hung onto Lu Yunshu’s arm, her voice low as she whispered something in Lu Yunshu’s ear. The woman guided Lu Yunshu inside—she seemed familiar with the environment.
The two of them seemed close—probably friends.
Friends…
Jin Hanshuang’s brows furrowed, then relaxed.
There was nothing wrong with bringing friends. At this party, there were plenty of straight and lesbian women to go around. And Lu Yunshu had mentioned that she knew no one else like her besides Jin Hanshuang, so this friend was probably straight.
Unless…this was the person Lu Yunshu liked? Did Lu Yunshu’s sweetheart cancel their dinner plans just so they could attend this party together?
“Hm?” Du Mengying’s voice interrupted Jin Hanshuang’s thoughts. “Isn’t that President Lu?”
She turned to Jin Hanshuang, her eyes sparking with interest. “Is she attending the party too?”
Jin Hanshuang came back to her senses.
Wearing a lazy smile, she said, “I’m not sure. She didn’t tell me.”
The next instant, Jin Hanshuang saw Lu Yunshu slowly lift her head just as she was about to cross the threshold. Her gaze swept in Jin Hanshuang and Du Mengying’s direction, as if she had sensed their attention all along.
Jin Hanshuang was stunned.
Their eyes met in the air.
—Caught.
Jin Hanshuang thought.
Lu Yunshu curled her lips slightly, as if greeting her.
Jin Hanshuang smiled in return, raising her hand.
Lu Yunshu stepped into the manor.
After a while, Jin Hanshuang and Du Mengying’s mutual friend arrived.
She had come just to find Jin Hanshuang.
She wrapped her arms around their shoulders. “Hey, I just saw Lu Yunshu. Is that a problem?”
Jin Hanshuang smiled. “What could be wrong? Don’t worry, just enjoy yourself.”
“Yeah, it’s not a problem.” Du Mengying chimed in. “This is Jin Hanshuang, not Shen Wenxin.”
Qin Xiaoliu nodded.
She turned to leave. She would let the host know not to worry.
But Jin Hanshuang stopped her. “Is the girl next to Lu Yunshu…?”
Qin Xiaoliu caught on. She said with a shrug, “I’m not familiar with her. I don’t know if she likes men or women.”
Then she teased, “Why? Are you interested?”
Jin Hanshuang shook her head. “Just curious.”
Du Mengying asked, “Have you ever seen Jin Hanshuang date a sweet girl?”
“Hey, anything’s possible~” Qin Xiaoliu said. “Or maybe not, because she’s Lu Yunshu’s friend?”
Jin Hanshuang smiled. “Exactly.”
“No problem.” Qin Xiaoliu patted their shoulders. “Later on, your jiejie will introduce you to some very pretty girls, so beautiful~”
Soon after Qin Xiaoliu left, Jin Hanshuang’s phone vibrated.
She glanced at the screen. A new message had arrived.
[Lu Yunshu]: What a coincidence.
Jin Hanshuang smiled.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Indeed.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Here with a friend?
[Jin Hanshuang]: Is she your friend?
[Lu Yunshu]: Yeah.
[Lu Yunshu]: She knew I was in a bad mood, so she invited me to relax.
As soon as she saw the words “bad mood,” Jin Hanshuang understood. Anyone would feel unhappy after they were stood up by the person they liked.
[Jin Hanshuang]: That’s good. Cheer up, have fun.
Lu Yunshu didn’t reply again, and Jin Hanshuang put away her phone.
Downstairs, Lu Yunshu was talking to the host of the party.
This was their first time meeting, so Fan Jia decided to introduce them. If you bring a friend, it’s only polite to inform the person hosting.
The host, Lin Xia, was a wealthy heiress. She hadn’t expected Lu Yunshu to come, and she was meeting Lu Yunshu in person for the first time.
Lin Xia warmly welcomed the beautiful President Lu. They introduced themselves to each other and exchanged pleasantries.
Then Fan Jia pulled Lin Xia aside.
“I need a favor.”
“What favor?”
“If anyone at the party asks about our sexual orientation, especially if they’re asking for mine, say you don’t know. Please keep it discrete.”
“?”
Lin Xia didn’t understand. “Why?”
Fan Jia said, “Ai-ya, don’t worry about it. Just help us out.”
She clasped her hands together, giving Lin Xia a pitiful look, “Please~”
Lin Xia gave in. “Okay, okay, I’ll do as you say.
Then she grabbed Fan Jia, who was about to leave.
“By the way, the late Chairman Shen’s wife is also attending. Will that be a problem?”
Fan Jia waved her hand. “Nope!”
Lin Xia asked curiously, “Why did President Lu decide to come?”
Their families had no relation, and she had never met Lu Yunshu before. What little she knew of Lu Yunshu came from hearsay—rumors of a woman smart, capable, and beautiful, but also aloof and rare to smile.
Lin Xia secretly snuck a glance behind her. The beautiful President Lu stood by the window, her arms folded across her chest, quietly observing the lively gathering in the backyard. Cold and distant, her presence resembled the moon—dazzling but forever out of reach.
The rumors were true, Lin Xia thought. President Lu doesn’t like to smile.
She retracted her gaze.
Fan Jia smiled. “Well…she wasn’t in the best mood, so I invited her to relax.
Lin Xia said, “Ah, so that’s it…”
In a bad mood, no wonder why she wasn’t smiling.
Lost in thought, Lu Yunshu knew nothing of their conversation. But as she pretended to watch the gathering outside, her thoughts drifted to the person upstairs.
She was at this party because of Fan Jia—but also because of Jin Hanshuang.
Like Lu Yunshu, Fan Jia was a lesbian. But unlike Lu Yunshu, Fan Jia was familiar with Lin Xin, so she knew that Jin Hanshuang would be at this party. She promptly shared this crucial information with Lu Yunshu.
[Want to come?
[This party is open to friends.
[By the way, I won’t be the only lesbian around.]
Fan Jia received a simple reply.
[Lu Yunshu]: Address.
And so, here they were.
Fortunately, not many people recognized Lu Yunshu, so there wasn’t much gossip about the Lu and Shen families. Instead, the attendees were drawn to Lu Yunshu’s face, but seeing her cold and distant demeanor, they hesitated.
“Come on.” Fan Jia’s voice grew clearer as she approached. “You’re here for a party, but why do you always have that ‘stay away from me’ face? No one dares to make friends with you.”
Lu Yunshu came back to her senses and slowly turned in Fan Jia’s direction. Looking over her friend’s shoulder, she could see that Lin Xia had happily rejoined the party and wouldn’t be coming over to disturb them.
She frowned at Fan Jia. “I didn’t come here to make friends?”
Fan Jia smiled slyly. Leaning forward, she whispered conspiratorially, “…What if I just go ahead and snatch your jiejie? Tie her up right next to you so no one else can hook her?”
Lu Yunshu said, “Okay, let’s do it.”
Seeing Lu Yunshu’s serious expression, Fan Jia turned to leave.
But Lu Yunshu changed her mind and caught Fan Jia’s arm.
Fan Jia couldn’t help but laugh.
“Stop teasing,” Lu Yunshu said softly. “Go have fun. I’ll head to the front yard for some quiet.”
The party sprawled from the manor to the backfield. But at this hour, the front yard should be peaceful and unoccupied.
“You’re really feeling down?” Fan Jia asked.
“A little,” Lu Yunshu admitted.
“Why?”
Lu Yunshu glanced in the direction of the staircase. “I’m afraid she might meet someone she actually likes here.”
Jin Hanshuang was free—and so was her heart. There was no telling when she might fall for someone else. This nagging feeling had nestled itself within Lu Yunshu’s heart, making itself known ever since the day Jin Hanshuang teased her with that photo of Shen Wenxin’s hand,
She was terrified that Jin Hanshuang might find a new love, slipping away again into the distance. Worst of all, she wouldn’t even have the qualifications to ask, “What about me?” What was she to do with such a fate?
The complicated relationship between the Lu family and the Shen family prevented her from speaking up so easily. Her bond with Jin Hanshuang wasn’t strong enough for Jin Hanshuang to choose her, not yet.
Fan Jia patted her back sympathetically.
“But since you’re here, why not go find her?” she asked. “You could spend the whole night by her side, make sure no one else even gets the chance to talk to her!”
“That’s a good idea.” Lu Yunshu smiled, giving Fan Jia’s arm a gentle pat before grabbing a glass of champagne. “Go enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about me.”
With that said, she headed for the front door.
Fan Jia’s eyes drifted from Lu Yunshu’s back to the second floor.
She took out her phone and typed a message into the group chat:
[Our President Lu is super unhappy. I’m thinking of going upstairs to kidnap Jin jiejie and throw her into President Lu’s arms!]
She switched to her camera, planning to snap a picture of the staircase to pair with her joke. But just as she was about to take the shot, a figure dressed in black suddenly appeared in the frame.
She blinked in surprise.
—It was Jin Hanshuang.
Champagne in hand, Jin Hanshuang’s eyes twinkled with delight as she gracefully descended the stairs. Even now, she remained the center of attention, drawing people’s enchanted gazes as she floated by on tall heels, carving a path to the front door.
Front…front door?
Fan Jia’s eyes widened. “Huh?”
Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoliu headed upstairs to find Jin Hanshuang and Du Mengying. But in the end, she only found Du Mengying.
“Where’s Hanshuang?” Qin Xiaoliu asked. “I’m going to introduce you both to some beautiful girls!”
Du Mengying took a sip of her juice. She smiled knowingly.
“Oh, Hanshuang’s already off to find a beautiful girl.”
The author (热到昏厥) has something to say:
Qin Xiaoliu: Where is she? Where is this beautiful girl?
Fan Jia: You two really don’t have any drama, right? I feel like something’s a bit off. [Xiao Guo’s[1] voice.]
[1] Not sure who 热到昏厥 is referring to here. Maybe a meme character?
