Previous | Table of Contents | Next

Lu Yunshu was a person who acted with incredible decisiveness.

Once she spotted an opportunity, she would strike immediately.

She hesitated only on the rarest of occasions—such as “how to make peace with Shen Wenxin.”

How was she supposed to go about this? What was the first step?

After being rivals for so many years, it would be too contradictory to suddenly be a Buddha.

But when she thought of Jin Hanshuang, this contradiction felt like nothing.

Could anything be more contradictory than a relationship that felt like an affair?

She must make peace with Shen Wenxin.

If she failed to make peace with Shen Wenxin, she would always be putting Jin Hanshuang in an impossible situation, stuck between the two of them.

Lu Yunshu made up her mind.

The next day, she went to the Minghai Jewelry Group office to find Shen Wenxin.

When she received the news, Shen Wenxin was in disbelief.

She stared at her phone. “Who came to see me?”

Her secretary repeated herself slowly. “President Lu Yunshu from Shengtian Capital.”

Shen Wenxin: “…”

She asked, “What does she want?”

The secretary said, “I don’t know. She didn’t tell me. She said it’s something she has to tell you in person.”

Shen Wenxin: “…”

For the first time in her life, Lu Yunshu had actually come to Minghai Jewelry.

And she insisted on saying something in person.

This had to be some kind of witchcraft.

“Would you like to see her now?” her secretary asked. “She’s waiting in the lobby.”

“Tsk…” Shen Wenxin glanced at the time, then at her schedule.

Finally, she stood up.

“Bring her to the meeting room.”

She wanted to see what kind of trick Lu Yunshu was trying to pull.

Lu Yunshu was waiting quietly in the meeting room.

After a while, the door opened, and a sharply dressed short-haired woman walked in.

Their razor-like gazes collided in the air.

Shen Wenxin didn’t sit down.

She said sarcastically, “A rare guest.”

Then she cut straight to the point. “Time is money. What do you want?”

Lu Yunshu said in a very familiar tone, “Shen Wenxin.”

Followed by a just as familiar silence.

So familiar, in fact, that Shen Wenxin was already suspecting that this woman was brewing up some awful plan to mess with her again.

Because a few months ago at the charity gala, Lu Yunshu had greeted her in the same overly familiar tone and followed up with what appeared on the surface to be truly sincere praise. It was terrifying.

This Lu Yunshu person was a little abnormal.

But little did Shen Wenxin know, Lu Yunshu’s next words would be even more terrifying—

“Do you want to…bury the hatchet?”

Shen Wenxin: “?”

Both people’s secretaries: “?”

After being stunned for a long time, Shen Wenxin’s first reaction was to laugh. “You can’t be serious. This is breaking news. You, Lu Yunshu, actually want to make peace with me? Did you take the wrong medicine today?”

Lu Yunshu frowned slightly. She wanted to retort but she controlled herself.

For Jin Hanshuang’s sake, she held herself back.

“Don’t be insensitive. Just tell me yes or no.”

Shen Wenxin bent over and rested her hand on the conference table. She gazed at Lu Yunshu with interest, not saying yes or no.

Instead, she asked, “So all your abnormal behavior was because of this?”

“What abnormal behavior?”

“The charity gala—you know what you did.”

Lu Yunshu thought for a while.

“Complimenting you? Is that abnormal?”

“That wasn’t weird enough for you?!”

“Didn’t it make me seem friendly?”

“…”

Shen Wenxin said, “Please, weren’t you good at Chinese in school? How could you understand it like this?”

“…”

Lu Yunshu decided to steer the conversation back on track. “So, are you interested or not?”

“Why?” Shen Wenxin retorted. “Why should we make peace? Why are you sitting here today, saying this? What is the reason? Tell me.”

It wasn’t Lu Yunshu’s style to be nice to others for no reason.

It wasn’t Lu Yunshu’s style to bury the hatchet either.

It was all too sudden, too strange.

Lu Yunshu remained calm under Shen Wenxin’s scrutiny.

Why?

Of course it was because she was dating Shen Wenxin’s stepmother.

But she couldn’t admit this. Not yet. Not when it would hurt Jin Hanshuang.

So she slowly lifted her gaze and said without batting an eyelid, “Being rivals is exhausting. Let’s just say it’s for the sake of world peace.”

Shen Wenxin: “…”

The secretaries: “…”

Shen Wenxin turned to Lu Yunshu’s secretary. “Take your President Lu back home and make sure she takes the right medicine.”

That evening, at the sunset restaurant.

Jin Hanshuang burst out laughing after hearing Lu Yunshu’s story.

“Hahaha—oh my god, you child you are too direct!”

She’d tried to guess what Lu Yunshu might do, but she never imagined that Lu Yunshu would go directly to Shen Wenxin to propose a truce.

It was so direct that it was humorous and shocking.

And also a little cute.

Jin Hanshuang warmed her palm on a hot soup bowl. Then she reached out to softly cup Lu Yunshu’s face.

She rested her chin in her free hand and gazed at Lu Yunshu with eyes full of affection. “You are so cute~”

Lu Yunshu gently stroked the back of Jin Hanshuang’s hand. She said in a helpless tone, “What else was I supposed to do?”

“You did great,” Jin Hanshuang comforted softly. “Just taking the first step is already amazing.”

Lu Yunshu hesitated. “Shen Wenxin…”

Jin Hanshuang smiled. “It’s okay. Don’t worry, take your time.”

She repeated what she said a few nights ago. “Give her some time. And give yourself time too.”

Lu Yunshu nodded.

She really did need some time.

It took a lot of courage to take the initiative to make peace with the sworn rival she’d clashed with for over a decade. Now, she needed a moment to breathe.

Luckily, Jin Hanshuang was here.

Their fingers interlaced, swaying gently between them.

Lu Yunshu’s gaze softened. “Hanshuang, will you come to my place tonight?”

Jin Hanshuang shook her head. “I can’t. Not for a while.”

Lu Yunshu was confused. Why?”

“Wenxin said she wants to stay over at my place for a few days.” Jin Hanshuang picked up a piece of meat for Lu Yunshu. She offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. I need to keep her company.”

Lu Yunshu: “…”

She said with a spoiled face, “A grown woman still needs her stepmother to accompany her. How childish.”

Shen Wenxin was ruining her breakfast plans and preventing her from spending time with her girlfriend.

Shen Wenxin, childish!

In an instant, Lu Yunshu’s motivation to make peace with her archnemesis surged to new heights. The sooner they buried the hatchet, the sooner Shen Wenxin would know that her stepmother had a new girlfriend!

Jin Hanshuang could faintly sense that an inexplicable competitive spark had ignited inside Lu Yunshu. And it was aimed directly at her stepdaughter.

Someone was determined to win.

At around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Shen Wenxin was getting ready to go home.

Before heading back, she made a quick stop at her stepmother’s favorite café.

Jin Hanshuang had asked her to pick up some afternoon tea treats.

Shen Wenxin entered the café and walked up to the register, only to notice that the person standing beside her was someone very familiar.

Someone she never expected to run into—Lu Yunshu.

Neither had anticipated seeing the other person there.

They locked eyes, stunned.

Lu Yunshu recovered first. “What a coincidence.”

Shen Wenxin scoffed. “Seems like it.”

Then she turned to place her order first.

Lu Yunshu casually eavesdropped and discovered that everything Shen Wenxin ordered was exactly what Jin Hanshuang liked.

She quickly came to the right conclusion. Shen Wenxin was coming to buy afternoon tea treats for Jin Hanshuang.

After placing her order, Sheen Wenxin opened her payment app. Just then, a phone suddenly stretched out from beside her. It was also displaying a payment code, which the scanner picked up right away.

Payment successful.

The two long-time rivals stared at each other.

Shen Wenxin frowned. “What are you doing?”

Lu Yunshu put away her phone.

“Treating you,” she said. “Consider it a gesture of sincerity for making peace.”

Shen Wenxin sneered. “Your sincerity is worth a single dessert?”

Lu Yunshu replied, “Then what do you want? Should I buy the entire café and give it to you?”

Shen Wenxin clicked her tongue. “Tsk, that’s not enough.”

Then she just had to say something outrageous. “Give me Shengtian, and I might consider becoming sworn sisters with you.”

Lu Yunshu: “…”

She looked at Shen Wenxin very calmly. “I won’t give you Shengtian, but if you’re tired of living, I can send you on your way. How about that?”

Shen Wenxin burst out laughing. “Hey, there’s the tone I’m used to. Keep Shengtian for yourself, President Lu. I plan on living well~”

With her takeout bag in hand, she happily pranced off.

A free meal? If it’s free, why not?

Lu Yunshu: “…”

That brat Shen Wenxin.

But she won’t admit defeat.

She’d made up her mind—like it or not, Shen Wenxin was going to be her daughter!

Shen Wenxin started running into Lu Yunshu much more often.

Some encounters were by chance, while others were clearly intentional.

In this short period of time, they probably met more than they had in years.

Lu Yunshu hadn’t given up on showing her sincerity.

At the same time, she was still very sensible and never forced Shen Wenxin.

She gave Shen Wenxin time to think.

Did they really need to stay enemies?

Was there a point anymore?

Why not just bury the hatchet and talk things out like normal people.

But what truly surprised Shen Wenxin was Lu Yunshu’s persistence.

At first, she thought Lu Yunshu was just messing with her.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that neither she nor Lu Yunshu were the kind of people to joke about something like this.

On a good day, they’d spare each other a single sarcastic remark. But trying to reconcile? That was unheard of.

Yet Lu Yunshu had persisted for so many days.

It really seemed like she wanted to make peace.

To Shen Wenxin, this was all too sudden.

The very idea that her childhood nemesis, the same person who had been fighting with her since they were kids, would one day come and ask to bury the hatchet was ludicrous.

But Lu Yunshu actually took the initiative to do such a thing.

The sun rises from the West, and the moon probably does too.

It was weird.

She wasn’t used to it.

Something felt wrong.

That night, Shen Wenxin decided to confide in her feelings to her stepmother.

Jin Hanshuang listened as she recounted all the events from the past few days.

“What exactly feels off?” Jin Hanshuang asked, tossing a small blanket over her legs. “Tell me more.”

Shen Wenxin said, “Don’t you think it’s too sudden?”

“Mm, is it sudden? Didn’t she compliment you in the past? Maybe she was…laying the groundwork back then?”

Shen Wenxin retorted, “Even so. That compliment came out of nowhere.”

Jin Hanshuang said, “Ah…if you want to look at it that way…”

“Random kindness usually means trouble.” Shen Wenxin’s imagination started running wild. Her expression turned sour, “Tsk, could it be that this Lu woman wants to steal our company’s trade secrets?”

Jin Hanshuang: “?”

She opened her mouth, wanting to defend her girlfriend. But Shen Wenxin beat her to it. “No, I doubt it. As much as we don’t get along, I understand Lu Yunshu. She is not like this.”

They quarreled with one another, but they never did anything to hurt each other, let alone the interest of each other’s businesses.

Because there was no need to. And it wasn’t that kind of hatred.

Their goal was always to surpass one another. To be the more successful businesswoman. Not to bring the other person down or destroy them.

Jin Hanshuang closed her mouth again.

See? They really did understand each other.

They were born to be friends.

Then Shen Wenxin fell silent.

She seemed lost in thought.

Jin Hanshuang quietly accompanied her.

Sometimes, saying less was more.

Less room for mistakes.

This was something between Shen Wenxin or Lu Yunshu. As long as the situation remained tolerable, she’d stay neutral. But if either of them went too far, she’d step in to pull them back.

After a long time, Jin Hanshuang finally heard Shen Wenxin’s voice again.

Her stepdaughter sucked in a sharp breath. “Hiss…”

Jin Hanshuang raised an eyebrow. “Huh? What’s the matter? Did you think of something?”

Shen Wenxin suddenly turned and asked, “Stepmom, do you think she might be gay?”

“?”

Jin Hanshuang: “….Huh?”

The author (热到昏厥) has something to say:

Let’s just say that our child is very intuitive.

Previous | Table of Contents | Next