“Were there a lot of people chasing her back then too?”
Zhong Ruo didn’t hesitate. “Tons. Most out of anyone in our crew. She was super popular in those circles—tons of girls dying to meet her.”
Bai Jin withdrew her hand and calmly took a bite of her food. “What kind of people chased her? And how did she respond?”
Zhong Ruo put her phone away, rolling her eyes upward in thought as she recalled the types of girls who’d hung around Lu Huan. “Mm, probably the sweet-smiling little sister types. That’s her vibe.”
“As for her attitude, she’d give it a shot if she clicked with someone. But they never made it official.”
“You know her personality. Us childhood friends get a pass, but with outsiders? Her boundaries are ironclad. She doesn’t trust easy, always suspicious. Hardly anyone cracks that shell.”
“So at most, it’s the ambiguous phase: hugs, kisses, nothing more—”
She cut herself off abruptly, remembering who she was talking to. Zhong Ruo stared at Bai Jin and let out an awkward laugh. “Uh, forget I said anything. Let’s eat.”
Bai Jin murmured an acknowledgment, her long lashes half-veiling her eyes, shadows pooling in their depths.
She’d done those things with other people too.
Hugged them. Kissed them.
Her grip tightened viciously on her chopsticks, something raw tearing at her inside.
Zhong Ruo tried probing for more, but Bai Jin gave only curt replies, her thoughts elsewhere.
Eventually, Zhong Ruo picked up on her mood shift. Guessing her earlier words had struck a nerve, she wisely shut up. They finished eating and returned to the company together without further questions.
—
Meanwhile, in one of the executive offices upstairs.
Lu Huan spun idly in her desk chair a few times before standing and drifting to the window. She frowned at her phone screen, where her messages hung unanswered.
[What do you want for lunch?]
Some time later.
[Where are you?]
[Where’d you go?]
Even more time.
[?]
…No reply.
She’d sent another question mark after a long wait. Still nothing.
The chat was barren, her messages dangling in limbo.
She’d gone to Bai Jin’s desk after lunch started and found it empty, with no clue where she’d gone. Everyone else had cleared out too, so no one to ask.
Lu Huan furrowed her brow, racking her brain with no luck. She still hadn’t eaten, stewing over it.
Whatever. With a sigh, she pocketed her phone and headed out for food. On second thought, she swung by the Planning Department first.
The seat was still empty. She turned to leave—and nearly bumped into two familiar figures approaching.
Lu Huan froze, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“…Zhong Ruo?”
She could hardly believe it. Zhong Ruo and Bai Jin, walking back together?
“Hey, what a coincidence!” Zhong Ruo lit up at the sight of her, bouncing over to sling an arm around her shoulders—only for Lu Huan to dodge.
At the same time, Zhong Ruo’s gaze caught the nasty cut on Lu Huan’s lip.
Damn, she thought. They got wild.
Lu Huan’s tone chilled. “Coincidence, huh? Why are you two together?”
“What’s the big deal? We’re all friends. Just lunch.”
Lu Huan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Friends?”
Zhong Ruo straightened up, crossing her arms. “We’ve known each other forever. Your girlfriend’s my friend too, obviously.”
Lu Huan’s mind snagged on that word, repeating it a few times. She glanced at Bai Jin, then back at Zhong Ruo, and let out an incredulous huff. “Who said she’s my girlfriend?”
“She’s not?”
Zhong Ruo sensed something off and dropped her arms, looking to Bai Jin—who remained aloof and silent.
Lu Huan scoffed. “Guess you never been to my place. Never seen for yourself.”
“What nonsense. I’ve been to your house loads of times. Back when—” Zhong Ruo started dredging up old memories, then caught the implication.
As kids, she’d visited the sprawling Lu Family villa with its grand gardens and fountains. Lu Huan’s mom was stunning. And there was that pretty little girl with soft wavy hair, beautiful eyes, always cool and distant.
Wait. A little girl?
Zhong Ruo whipped her head toward Bai Jin.
Those eyes…
Kinda familiar.
They matched up with her hazy recollection.
Hold on.
So…
“You’re her little sister?!” Zhong Ruo yelped, stumbling back a step.
The adopted Lu Family daughter?!
How?!
Weren’t they always at each other’s throats? So why were they both here at the company now? And why did the vibe feel so off? Zhong Ruo short-circuited, finally getting why Lu Huan had laughed like that.
Zhong Ruo: “Why didn’t you say anything?!”
Bai Jin gave her a flat look. “Say what?”
Zhong Ruo replayed the conversation. True, she hadn’t asked outright about their relationship—just assumed everything in her head.
What a mess!
Under Lu Huan’s death glare, Zhong Ruo wanted to sink into the floor. She forced a few hehes. “Oh, so that’s how it is! My bad, my bad!”
“You sisters catch up. I gotta run—catch you later!” True to form, she bolted for the elevators at top speed.
Lu Huan watched her flee until she vanished, then turned back. She started to speak to Bai Jin, but the other woman spun on her heel to leave.
On instinct, Lu Huan grabbed her slender wrist, stopping her escape.
“Why are you dodging me again?”
Bai Jin glanced back, her expression as impassive as ever. She held Lu Huan’s gaze for all of two seconds before looking away and wrenching free. She walked off without a word.
Her face was stormier than before.
This time, she was so mad she wouldn’t even spare her a single syllable.
Lu Huan started to follow, but it was the office—too many eyes. She halted.
Her mind raced. She knew Zhong Ruo inside out: all bluster on the surface, but straightforward to a fault underneath. She blurted out everything, appropriate or not.
Given Bai Jin’s expression, Zhong Ruo had probably said something she shouldn’t have.
Back in her office, Lu Huan dialed Zhong Ruo without a second thought.
“Hello?” The call connected on the other end, accompanied by the faint hiss of tires rolling over pavement. Zhong Ruo was clearly out on the road.
Lu Huan cut straight to the chase. “What did you tell Bai Jin?”
Zhong Ruo sat in her car, her eyes darting nervously as she stared out the window. “Nothing! Just the usual—grabbing a bite and chatting.”
Lu Huan wasn’t buying it. “Then why do you sound so guilty?”
“I… I…” Zhong Ruo knew the truth would come out sooner or later, so she might as well confess. “I didn’t say anything bad. I just told her tons of girls have chased you over the years. You’re super popular.”
“Then she asked how you felt about it, and I was straight-up honest—a hug here, a kiss there, but nothing ever stuck. Pretty objective, right?” It was all true, after all.
A hug, a kiss… Last time, a mere lipstick mark had blown up into a huge deal. She figured Bai Jin had heard about this and flipped out again.
“Tsk, you…” Lu Huan wanted to tear into her but couldn’t find the words.
She gritted her teeth. “And here I was, kindly getting that comfy sofa you raved about for my office. I’m returning it right now! No more handouts from me.”
“Zhong Ruo, one of these days, I’m sewing that mouth of yours shut.”
“Sofa? Wait—what? Okay, hold on—ah!! No, don’t!” By the time Zhong Ruo caught on, the line had gone dead, replaced by an endless beep-beep-beep.
“Such a cheapskate. Once it’s bought, there’s no returns!”
Ugh, she really shouldn’t have shown up today. If she had to come, she should’ve at least waited until the sofa arrived…
She grumbled under her breath, slumping against the window to watch the scenery roll by. Memories of the earlier drama replayed in her mind, and suddenly, she spotted something off in the details.
She bolted upright.
Blinking, she thought to herself.
Hold on—that’s not right.
If those two weren’t in a relationship, then chatting with Bai Jin about Lu Huan’s romantic history shouldn’t have been an issue at all.
So why had Bai Jin acted so strangely? And why was Lu Huan mad about it too?
Zhong Ruo furrowed her brow, utterly baffled. Something just didn’t add up.
“Huh??”
—
By evening rush hour, Lu Huan had hastily wrapped up her work early and stationed herself at the entrance to the Planning Department.
“President Lu.”
“Good evening, President Lu.”
Colleagues passing by offered restrained smiles and quick greetings before hurrying off.
Lu Huan nodded politely, holding her post without budging.
A few coworkers walked off together, then glanced back to see her still standing there. One whispered to her friend, “Hey, what’s President Lu doing just standing around? Waiting for someone?”
“Who?”
“No clue.”
“Eh, whatever—the boss’s mind isn’t for peons like us to figure out.”
Their voices faded into the distance as the office gradually emptied out.
Bai Jin lingered at her desk, glancing up through the half-frosted glass to see Lu Huan rooted in place outside.
Finally, with everyone gone and no choice but to leave, she grabbed her bag and stepped out.
Bai Jin shot her a cool glance. “What are you doing standing here?”
“If I didn’t stand guard, you’d just sneak off on me.” Without giving her a chance to protest, Lu Huan took her hand. “Let’s go home.”
Bai Jin’s pupils contracted slightly as she tried to pull her fingers free. “Have you forgotten this is the office?”
What if someone saw?
But Lu Huan’s grip didn’t loosen. She tugged her toward the elevators. “So what if they do? I don’t care. Do you?”
Seeing no way to evade it, Bai Jin sighed softly. “Fine, I’ll go with you. Let go first.”
Only then did Lu Huan release her hand and step aside.
The elevator doors slid open. When they stepped inside, they ended up separated by half the car’s width.
The silence stretched all the way home.
Neither of them spoke a word.
The quiet tension lingered right up until bedtime. Lu Huan warmed some milk and called out for her to drink it.
“I’m full. Don’t want any. I’m heading to bed.” Bai Jin averted her eyes and retreated to her room.
The door clicked shut, severing the space between them. Lu Huan stood frozen in place, her lips parting but no words coming out.
Inside the room, Bai Jin leaned against the door, strands of hair falling over her ear and her face shrouded in shadow.
Once her emotions settled, she made her way to the desk and retrieved a small jar of medicinal powder.
She dipped her fingers in it and gently applied some to the bite mark on her shoulder and neck.
“…”
This was only getting worse…
Lu Huan stared at the firmly shut door for a long moment before finally looking away.
She downed both glasses of milk by herself, then returned to her own room. Her mind raced as she searched for a way to fix things.
In the midst of her swirling thoughts, her peripheral vision caught the plain water glass on the bedside table. Her gaze darkened.
She couldn’t let this drag on—the conflict was only growing, and all her recent efforts would go to waste. She wouldn’t be able to achieve her goal like this.
With that, Lu Huan picked up the glass and deliberately splashed the water across the bed.
A dark wet patch quickly bloomed on the minimalist gray sheets.
Without missing a beat, she stripped off the soaked bedding and hung it out the door to dry. Her eyes didn’t so much as blink the whole time. Once the bed was made up fresh, she strode over and knocked on Bai Jin’s door.
There was no hesitation in her movements, no second-guessing.
A moment later, the door opened. Bai Jin regarded her with a cold expression, only to hear—
“I accidentally spilled water on my bed. Can’t sleep on it.”
Lu Huan met her eyes as she spoke.
“Mind if I… squeeze in with you tonight?”
