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Jin Hanshuang fulfilled her promise and took Lu Yunshu to the most popular karaoke bar on Binhai Road for a meal.
Lu Yunshu quietly watched Jin Hanshuang order from the menu on her phone. Lately, they had been dining out frequently, so they were familiar with each other’s tastes. Lu Yunshu trusted Jin Hanshuang to order for her. Before ordering their drinks, Jin Hanshuang thoughtfully asked if Lu Yunshu could have cold beverages.[1]
The drinks arrived first.
Jin Hanshuang slid a special, orange-flavored drink in front of Lu Yunshu.
“Since you’re always eating orange candy, I ordered an orange drink for you.”
“Thank you,” Lu Yunshu said. “I really like it.”
“You haven’t even tried it yet.”
“I’m saying it in advance.”
“What if it doesn’t taste good?”
“I trust Hanshuang’s taste.”
“And if I mess up?”
“Then…” Lu Yunshu looked into her eyes. “I’ll pretend it’s good?”
Jin Hanshuang couldn’t help but laugh. “That won’t be necessary. Just tell me if it’s not good. We can always order something else. You have to be honest in front of me, got it?”
Lu Yunshu said, “Okay.”
Then, without a change in expression, she looked at Jin Hanshuang. Even though she agreed, she had been anything but honest…
The food was served.
Jin Hanshuang, ever the caretaker, put all the food in front of Lu Yunshu, starting with the braised pork and rice. This was her top recommendation.
Lu Yunshu had also said she wanted to try it.
As she arranged the side dishes, Jin Hanshuang asked, “Have you eaten here before?”
Lu Yunshu helped Jin Hanshuang set the table. “Some friends brought me here once.”
It was Le You and the other three. Her friends were always getting her to try something new when she wasn’t busy.
Jin Hanshuang nodded in understanding.
She asked with a smile, “Does our President Lu sing?”
“No.” Lu Yunshu said. “I also only eat.”
Jin Hanshuang teased, “How impressive.”
Lu Yunshu echoed her. “Very impressive.”
There was laughter in the younger woman’s voice.
“Master of mimicry.” Jin Hanshuang pinched Lu Yunshu’s cheek. “Try this place. If it’s good, bring your friends again—and the person you like.”
Lu Yunshu didn’t answer. She tried the orange drink. It was sweet and sour, with a refreshing after taste. “Really good.”
“As long as you like it.” Jin Hanshuang was relieved.
Lu Yunshu tried the braised pork and rice. “This is delicious too.”
Jin Hanshuang said proudly, “Right? Their braised pork and rice is always good. Last time, a younger girl came to the party. I also recommended it to her, and she said it was delicious too.”
Her tone was casual, with no hidden meaning—just an offhand comment.
But to Lu Yunshu’s ears, it sounded completely different.
The moment she heard Jin Hanshuang mention another young woman, Lu Yunshu’s expression grew serious, as if she was facing a dangerous rival.
“A younger woman? New beauty?”
Jin Hanshuang thought for a while, then didn’t deny it. “Well, she is beautiful. Quiet and gentle.”
The words hung in the air.
Two seconds later, a voice came from beside her.
“Is she prettier than me?”
Jin Hanshuang turned to look at the serious little puppy Lu.
“So silly, what’s there to compare?”
After considering the question for a moment, she returned her attention to the food. She didn’t take Lu Yunshu’s concern seriously. “It’s not a competition. You both have your strengths.”
Lu Yunshu pressed on. “Is hers the type you like?”
Jin Hanshuang laughed softly. “If you ask it like that, then I have too many types.”
Lu Yunshu said, “Does she count as one of them?”
“No,” Jin Hanshuang responded.
Lu Yunshu immediately felt relieved. So Jin Hanshuang wasn’t interested in that younger woman. They weren’t together. Good.
“What’s going on?” A frown appeared on the older woman’s face. “Why are you so bothered by this? Don’t tell me you actually want to drag me into singlehood with you. Just because you’re not dating, I can’t date either?”
“…”
For Lu Yunshu, this was a tough question to answer.
But seeing Jin Hanshuang frowning, she could only gently deny it. “Of course not…I’m just afraid that you will forget me because there are too many beautiful women around you.”
Jin Hanshuang thought it was funny. “I’m not the kind of person who forgets her friends because of a few pretty faces.”
Lu Yunshu brought up an old grievance with a serious tone, “Last time, you said you were having so much fun you forgot about me.”
She still remembered it.
Jin Hanshuang—heartless.
Jin Hanshuang: “…”
She couldn’t hold back her laughter. What was this—still holding a grudge?
“Silly, I was just teasing,” Jin Hanshuang said. “I even ate the candy you gave me. It was orange flavored. I remember it very clearly. I never forgot about you.”
Hearing this, Lu Yunshu’s mood brightened instantly. Her eyes sparkled, and her expression became cheerful again. She smiled softly, her lips curling upward.
“As long as you never forget, that’s good.”
Jin Hanshuang smiled. What an easy-to-appease little puppy. Her eyes started shining as soon as she cheered up.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to do with you.” Jin Hanshuang shook her head. “So, when are you going to make it happen?”
The topic abruptly shifted.
Lu Yunshu was stunned. “Isn’t the transition a little sudden?”
Jin Hanshuang laughed. “Aren’t all conversations like this? I’m concerned about you.”
“Thank you for your concern, but I don’t know either.”
Lu Yunshu really didn’t know.
Maybe even the heavens didn’t know.
No one knew whether Jin Hanshuang would ever like her or be willing to have her.
Meanwhile, Jin Hanshuang started feeling sorry for Lu Yunshu again. Her expression turned gentle and compassionate.
She patted Lu Yunshu’s head.
“Poor little Lu…But don’t worry. I believe you will see the results soon.”
“Why?”
“Aren’t you two close?”
“…Hmm?”
Lu Yunshu furrowed her brows slightly.
Something about Jin Hanshuang’s comment sounded off—almost like Jin Hanshuang could see it with her own eyes.
Had she figured it out?
But if she did, why was she acting like this?
Jin Hanshuang noticed Lu Yunshu’s confusion and withdrew her hand. She said, “I saw you with the person you like.”
Lu Yunshu was stunned.
“Saw…what?”
Where? In a mirror?
When did they look in a mirror together…?
Jin Hanshuang said, “At Sifang Pavilion. I saw you when I went to pick up Wenxin.”
Lu Yunshu started piecing together Jin Hanshuang’s words.
“You gave her a bouquet of roses.”
Roses…
“And two gifts.”
Two gifts…
“One was our Shen family’s pearl necklace, and the other was what we picked out at the gift shop that day.”
—Le You.
The correct answer surfaced in her mind.
Lu Yunshu fell silent—or rather, she was speechless.
Who could have thought that Le You would end up appearing between them in this way?!
“Hanshuang, she is not the person I like.” Lu Yunshu immediately clarified the misunderstanding. “She’s my friend. We’re just very close.”
Now it was Jin Hanshuang’s turn to be stunned.
“She’s not your crush? Then why did you give her those flowers?”
“I didn’t. She brought them herself.”
“What about the gifts? Didn’t you say those were for your sweetheart?”
“Some were for the person I like, others were just for friends.”
“…”
A brief silence passed between them.
“Pfft.”
Jin Hanshuang was the first to laugh. Her laugh was full of helplessness and a touch of embarrassment. “Sorry, I misunderstood you.”
She should have asked at the time.
But fortunately, it wasn’t too late now.
Lu Yunshu gave her a wry smile. “It’s okay. Clearing up the misunderstanding is what’s important.”
But now Jin Hanshuang was curious. Because the person Lu Yunshu liked had once again become a mystery.
She couldn’t help herself. She wanted to toe the line a little. “So, who does our Yunshu like? Don’t you want to tell me?”
She crossed her legs and rested her cheek on her hand as she gazed over at Lu Yunshu. Lu Yunshu returned the look. The two of them were staring at each other like children.
The warm orange light illuminated their faces and their eyes. Jin Hanshuang watched as a gentle curve formed on Lu Yunshu’s lips.
“I’ll tell you someday,” Lu Yunshu said. “I can’t keep it from you forever.”
It was a very ordinary sentence.
But as it fell into Jin Hanshuang’s ears, it made her slightly absent-minded.
What did this mean…? Something about it seemed off.
They went their separate ways. Their only planned activity was having dinner together, and they both brought their cars. Jin Hanshuang planned on running some errands after dinner, so it had been more convenient for her to drive to the karaoke bar herself.
In Lu Yunshu’s group chat, the others were nagging her.
Every time she went out with Jin Hanshuang, they would gossip.
They loved to ask and talk about everything. What happened, whether she’d made any progress with her jiejie, if there was any hope…
As Lu Yunshu sat in her car and scrolled through the chat, she suddenly remembered the misunderstanding at dinner.
[Lu Yunshu]: Today went well.
[Lu Yunshu]: But I discovered something.
[Fan Jia]: Spill the tea, Wi-Fi[2].
[Le You]: Spill the tea, Wi-Fi.
[Xiao Fanfan]: Spill the tea, Wi-Fi.
[Lu Yunshu]: The day that You You came back, we met up at Sifang Pavilion. Remember? Well, Hanshuang happened to be there too.
[Lu Yunshu]: She saw Le You and I waiting for the elevator.
[Le You]: Oh wow, I play a part in this drama?
[Le You]: Did she say anything about me? Wait, does she think I’m pretty?
[Le You]: [Giggling.jpg]
[Lu Yunshu]: She said she thought you were the person I liked.
[Le You]: ?
[Fan Jia]: You’re kidding.
[Xiao Fanfan]: That’s so outrageous, hahahahahahaha
Miss Le, the person in question, responded:
[Oh no, I’ve become another piece of their mind-bending love story.]
[Not laughing anymore.jpg]
The author (热到昏厥) has something to say:
Switching to a new audience, hehe.
[1] Many Chinese people believe that you cannot drink cold beverages if you’re on your period.
[2] I think here “wifi” (the literal English term) is being used as a slang that basically means “hurry up.”
