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Jin Hanshuang sat in front of her dressing table, slowly taking off her earrings.
These were the earrings she received from Lu Yunshu.
As the tassels swayed in the mirror, they reminded her of the night’s events and Lu Yunshu’s smile when she looked at her, sincere and heartfelt, as if the younger woman had been waiting for a long time just to become friends with her.
Could it be true? Jin Hanshuang wondered. Was she thinking too much, or had she been thinking too little?
Had this child really been waiting to become friends with her?
But why?
She couldn’t think of any special reason why Lu Yunshu would want to be friends with her.
Or what if…Du Mengying was right?
After Jin Hanshuang put the earrings away, her phone chimed.
It was a message from Little Classmate Lu.
[Lu Yunshu]: Have you arrived home?
A very polite concern.
Jin Hanshuang casually replied: [Yes, has Classmate Lu also arrived home?]
[Lu Yunshu]: Yes.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Make sure to go to bed early.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Goodnight.
Lu Yunshu sent a voice message: “Goodnight, Teacher Jin.”
Jin Hanshuang raised her eyebrows.
Du Mengying’s words echoed in her ear.
Is she asking you for something or…
Or what? What about her? Could Lu Yunshu really be interested in her?
Jin Hanshuang couldn’t help but think of Lu Yunshu’s gentle eyes.
She had to admit it. Sometimes when Lu Yunshu looked at her, the younger girl’s gaze turned as gentle as water.
But it couldn’t mean…
With this doubt in mind, Jin Hanshuang’s fingers unconsciously scrolled through their chat history. She had asked Lu Yunshu to send a voice message to the person Lu Yunshu liked, and as she looked through their history, Lu Yunshu’s messages were evenly split between text and voice messages. Nothing stood out, but it was clear that Lu Yunshu was very obedient.
Lu Yunshu was a good girl.
Good girls didn’t fall for flirtatious, charming women.
Jin Hanshuang set down her phone, deciding not to dwell on her thoughts. She tied her hair with the small, flower hairband on her wrist and got up to change into her pajamas.
Lu Yunshu was very happy.
Le You could sense Lu Yunshu’s mood, because Lu Yunshu had tagged her in their group chat and asked her what gift she wanted.
[Le You]: So happy, huh? So it worked?
[Le You]: You have a girlfriend?
[Lu Yunshu]: No.
[Lu Yunshu]: I have a new friend.
[Fan Jia]: Who?
[Xiao Fanfan]: Jin Hanshuang?
[Lu Yunshu]: Yes.
Lu Yunshu had waited and liked Jin Hanshuang for so long only to finally have a place in Jin Hanshuang’s life, even if it was just as an ordinary friend.
For her, this was a huge step forward. At the very least, she no longer had to hear Jin Hanshuang politely calling her “President Lu” anymore.
[Lu Yunshu]: You You[1] picked a great restaurant.
[Le You]: Of course, my taste is anything but ordinary!
[Xiao Fanfan]: They’re just friends, but President Lu is so happy?
[Fan Jia]: She’s so in love.
[Le You]: So in love.
[Le You]: Then I want the latest pearl necklace from Shen Jewelry! [Hee-hee.jpg]
[Fan Jia]: You’re so brave.
[Xiao Fanfan]: You’re so brave.
[Lu Yunshu]: Good night.
[Le You]: Hahahahhahahahaha.
After a while—
[Lu Yunshu]: Are you sure you want it?
[Lu Yunshu]: It’s not impossible.
[Le You]: ?
[Fan Jia]: ?
[Xiao Fanfan]: ?
[Xiao Fanfan]: It’s over, you’ve become a part of her mind-bending love saga @Le You
Two days later, at the Old Dream Café, Jin Hanshuang slowly pushed a small white gift bag toward Lu Yunshu. “The pearl necklace you wanted, the latest design.”
Lu Yunshu replied, “Thank you.”
Jin Hanshuang said, “You have a good eye. I also think this is the best-looking one in the entire collection.”
Lu Yunshu’s lips curved.
Jin Hanshuang asked, “Is this a gift?”
Lu Yunshu said, “Yeah.”
“Makes sense.” Jin Hanshuang understood.
Lu Yunshu was still at a standoff with Shen Wenxin, so it was obvious that she would not wear anything from the Shen family. But even if Lu Yunshu was gifting a piece of jewelry to someone else, the fact that she was buying from the Shen family was already unprecedented.
If her Wenxin found out…well, it would be something.
Lu Yunshu remained calm.
Even though she was buying something from her mortal enemy’s company, it didn’t need to be a big deal if it wasn’t purchased directly through her mortal enemy’s hands. Shen Wenxin might have made sarcastic comments, but her beloved Jin jiejie wouldn’t.
Lu Yunshu picked up her phone. “I’ll transfer you the money.”
“No need.” Jin Hanshuang lifted a finger, gently tapping on the gift bag. “You can consider it a gift from jiejie.”
Lu Yunshu looked up at her. “What if Shen Wenxin finds out?”
Jin Hanshuang touched her unadorned pure white earlobe and said calmly, “Well, I did receive a gift from you first, didn’t I?”
Lu Yunshu lowered her eyes and smiled. “Okay. Let’s not tell her.”
Jin Hanshuang’s lips curved. “Oh, our President Lu sure has given me a lot of secrets to keep from my Wenxin.”
Lu Yunshu imitated Jin Hanshuang’s tone. “And our Hanshuang should also have her own private space, along with her own secrets. As long as it doesn’t hurt her Wenxin not to know, anything is fine.”
Jin Hanshuang silently observed Lu Yunshu.
Lu Yunshu had a point. She wouldn’t harm Shen Wenxin or the Shen family, and on that basis, she could have her own secrets.
“Sometimes, you really do think of Wenxin.”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
Lu Yunshu’s denial came without hesitation.
“Impossible.”
How could she possibly think of Shen Wenxin, that woman who she had been competing with since high school—the last person she liked?
Jin Hanshuang chuckled. “You two are actually very similar. I think your personalities would match well.”
“…”
Lu Yunshu said, “I’ll take a different route.”
“Hahaha—why are you so cute?”
Jin Hanshuang’s laughter came comfortably.
Lu Yunshu was someone who became even more interesting the more you knew her.
“But if I think about it, our family’s Wenxin is very cute too.”
Lu Yunshu: “…”
“No,” she finally said. “Not as cute as you.”
Jin Hanshuang was momentarily stunned.
After she processed Lu Yunshu’s words, she lazily raised an eyebrow. “Me?”
Lu Yunshu lifted her jasmine tea, calmly meeting Jin Hanshuang’s gaze. “Yes, you.”
After speaking, she took a sip, showing no signs of anxiety.
The sudden compliment had caught Jin Hanshuang off guard.
It wasn’t as if she had never heard someone else call her “cute” before, but the fact that it came from Lu Yunshu…
It didn’t matter. She could still keep her composure.
Jin Hanshuang leaned against the edge of the table, lifting her hand to cradle her cheek.
Smiling sweetly at the person across from her, she asked, “Tell me, what’s so cute about jiejie?”
“Hanshuang is cute in every way.”
Lu Yunshu didn’t call her jiejie.
She called her by her name.
Jin Hanshuang blinked.
Ever since that day after dinner, Lu Yunshu had become much more direct in addressing her. She no longer called her jiejie, cutting straight to her name as if they were peers.
At first, Jin Hanshuang found it strange. After all, this was Lu Yunshu—someone who she hadn’t had much interaction with but had always found polite and well-behaved. For Little Classmate Lu to suddenly stop calling her “sister” and start using her first name, it was like this child had just become rebellious and started forming her own opinions.
But eventually, Jin Hanshuang got used to it. The more Lu Yunshu called her name, the more Jin Hanshuang became acclimated. And the way Lu Yunshu summoned her name was so pleasant, Jin Hanshuang couldn’t help but indulge her.
After all, who wouldn’t enjoy a lovely-voiced beautiful little sister calling their name? Jin Hanshuang was no exception, just as vulgar as everyone else.
Now with Lu Yunshu calling her name again, the atmosphere turned a little strange. It was so odd that Jin Hanshuang couldn’t help but remark, “You never call me ‘jiejie’ anymore.”
Lu Yunshu looked at her.
Jin Hanshuang feigned a troubled expression. “It’s like encountering a child going through a rebellious phase. What should I do?”
Lu Yunshu lowered her eyes. She smiled softly, setting down her jasmine tea and leaning forward. Slowly, she imitated Jin Hanshuang’s posture by raising one hand to cradle her face.
Then, mimicking Jin Hanshuang’s tone, she asked, “What should I do? Are you going to be angry with me?”
Her lips curled. “Hanshuang. Jiejie.”
The author (热到昏厥) has something to say:
Hey-hey, a little ambiguity in the air~
[1] A friendly nickname for Le You.
