Chapter 41 Part 2

A question gnawed at her:

Even knowing about the ghost marriage with Lu Qingxue, theirs was nothing but pure friendship. They weren’t dating. So why was everyone so insistent that she date someone else?

Did they assume the ghost marriage meant mutual feelings? That she… liked Lu Qingxue?

Huh?

Liked Lu Qingxue?

Did she?

A dull ache bloomed in Yun Chun’s chest.

The sudden thought whipped up like a whirlwind from flat ground, stirring fallen leaves into an endless, timeless dance.

She hadn’t been seated at the island long when the doorbell rang.

Yun Chun glanced at Lu Qingxue. “Probably the stylist.”

Lu Qingxue hummed in acknowledgment and set down what she was holding. Otherwise, anyone who walked in might freak out seeing objects floating midair.

Yun Chun opened the door to reveal a tall European man.

Yun Chun had asked earlier who the stylist would be. Cris had said it was a very gentle woman, and not to be nervous.

So this burly guy clearly wasn’t from SNOW.

The man’s gaze darted past Yun Chun, searching for something. When he saw no one behind her, disappointment washed over his face. Only when Yun Chun asked what he wanted did he pull his eyes back and give a brief introduction. Then he asked, “What’s your relationship to Lu Qingxue?”

Yun Chun didn’t catch on right away. “What?”

He pressed: “Are you staying here temporarily? Or did you buy the house?”

“Temporarily.”

“So you know Lu Qingxue?”

Yun Chun nodded.

“Did she really… pass away?”

Yun Chun paused, then nodded again.

The man pressed a hand to his forehead, muttering to himself, “All this time, it’s the first person to move into her house. I thought… I thought maybe she’d come back.”

Seeing Yun Chun’s baffled expression, he added, “Sorry. I just miss her that much.”

With that, he turned and left.

Yun Chun stood frozen at the door.

She watched him drive off down the street, then turned to Lu Qingxue.

Lu Qingxue stood just three steps away, having heard the whole exchange. As Yun Chun looked her way, she said coolly, “I don’t know him.”

Yun Chun said “oh” and shut the door.

She’d barely reached Lu Qingxue, words still forming on her tongue, when the bell rang again.

This time, a voluptuous European woman with golden hair and blue eyes waited outside.

Her first question: “What’s your relationship to Lu?”

Yun Chun shot Lu Qingxue a subtle glance. Lu Qingxue explained it was someone she’d collaborated with in the past.

A colleague, then. Time to be polite.

Yun Chun smiled. “Friends.”

She kept it civil, but the woman pressed aggressively. “Even Mo Yue doesn’t live here. What gives you the right?”

Yun Chun paused, then forced a grin. “Her mom told me to stay. You can ask her yourself.”

The woman nodded. “Fine. Give me her mom’s number. I’d like to say hello.”

Yun Chun’s tone sharpened with impatience. “Sorry, that’s personal information. I can’t just hand it out.”

The woman faltered, staring at Yun Chun for a beat. “Are you really just a friend? Not her girlfriend or lover or something?”

Yun Chun’s smile faded. “No.”

The woman tossed her hair and gave Yun Chun an up-and-down look. “Makes sense. With that scrawny little body, Lu wouldn’t be interested.”

Yun Chun’s eyebrow twitched. She glanced at the woman’s ample chest, then turned to Lu Qingxue with a raised brow.

Asking if that’s Lu Qingxue’s type—sexy like that?

Lu Qingxue: “……”

The woman handed Yun Chun a business card. “Since you’re a friend of Lu’s, you’re a friend of mine. If you need anything in Milan, find me.”

Yun Chun didn’t take it. The woman stuffed it into her pocket anyway, her red lips curving in a smile. “You don’t look that old—probably Lu’s little sister, right? She and I go way back. Her sister is my sister. No need to stand on ceremony.”

With that, she click-clacked away on her high heels.

Her swaying figure made for quite the view.

Normally, Yun Chun might have watched her go. But right now—

She turned to Lu Qingxue, her lips quirking into a teasing smile. “Go way back, huh?”

Lowering her voice in curiosity, Yun Chun added, “Sister Qingxue, care to share just how far back you two go?”

Lu Qingxue touched her nose—after spending so much time with Yun Chun, she’d picked up some of her little habits.

A touch awkward, she said, “It’s nothing. She just…”

For once, Lu Qingxue looked embarrassed. With a soft chuckle, she explained, “She pursued me once.”

Yun Chun said “oh.” “The guy before, too?”

Lu Qingxue hesitated. “Maybe. I don’t really remember him.”

That cleared it up for Yun Chun.

These two must have heard somehow that someone had moved into Lu Qingxue’s house and rushed over to investigate.

Maybe, in their minds, her passing was just a rumor.

They’d spent countless days and nights hoping to see the house occupied again, only to ring the bell and find Lu Qingxue herself at the door.

Yun Chun suspected Lu Qingxue’s suitors had cameras around the villa—or maybe a group chat.

Because while waiting for the stylist, one after another showed up at the door. All asking about Lu Qingxue, all probing Yun Chun’s connection to her and how she’d ended up staying.

Eventually, Yun Chun had enough.

She found a piece of cardboard, scrawled “Temporary stay for work purposes” on it, and hung it from the mailbox by the road.

Back inside, Yun Chun remarked, “Sister Qingxue, you’re way too popular.”

Lu Qingxue’s eyes softened like a gentle stream. “Sorry to put you through that.”

Yun Chun stepped closer. “I’m fine.”

Then she asked, “But I’m curious— with so many people chasing you, wasn’t there anyone you liked?”

Lu Qingxue said she was like Yun Chun—a straight woman.

Yun Chun had been pursued before, sure. But she’d always been focused on making money, and romance had never appealed to her, so she’d stayed single without a second thought.

Could Lu Qingxue feel the same way?

After asking, Yun Chun noticed Lu Qingxue’s gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds.

That look made her heart skip inexplicably.

Her mouth went dry.

When she finally lifted the cup of coffee Lu Qingxue had brewed and took a sip, Lu Qingxue looked away. A faint light flickered in her eyes. “There is someone.”

Yun Chun’s hand froze around the cup. So Lu Qingxue did have someone she liked.

A sudden stuffiness bloomed in Yun Chun’s chest.

It was probably the caffeine. But she’d only just drunk the coffee—could the side effects kick in this quickly?

Her lips parted slightly as she started to ask who the visitor had been, her mind replaying Lu Qingxue’s reaction from earlier.

Lu Qingxue hadn’t shown any particular response. She’d just stood off to the side, watching Yun Chun.

So who could it be?

The woman with the voluptuous figure? Or the beautiful lawyer in black-rimmed glasses who’d arrived later? Maybe the somewhat famous actress? Or…

No matter who it was, they were all exceptional women—perfect matches for Lu Qingxue.

The question didn’t make it past her lips. Instead, Lu Qingxue’s soft voice reached her ears: “It’s just that she doesn’t like me.”

Yun Chun jerked her head up.

“Ah?”

“How is that possible?”

Cup in hand, Yun Chun stepped forward, indignantly coming to Lu Qingxue’s defense. “Who is it? Someone that blind to true beauty?”

Even as she spoke, Yun Chun didn’t notice the stuffiness in her chest easing a little. A sneaky spark of delight crept in—probably because the person Lu Qingxue liked didn’t return the feeling.

Lu Qingxue gazed quietly at the clueless fool, a smile tugging at her lips. “Curious?”

Yun Chun nodded vigorously. “Insanely curious.”

“If a stunner like you liked me, I’d light incense and pray to the gods in gratitude. And she doesn’t like you?!”

Yun Chun tsked, venting her frustration. “Talk about no eye for true beauty!”

Lu Qingxue paused. “…Yeah, I agree.”

Yun Chun leaned in closer. “So, who is she? Do I know her? One of the people from earlier? But they all seemed into you. Oh—because she doesn’t like you, she’s not curious about who’s staying at your place, so she didn’t come, right?”

Yun Chun’s words tumbled out faster than usual, as if she were desperate to learn who Lu Qingxue liked and what that person might be like.

Noon sunlight streamed lazily through the glass, warm and drowsy—the perfect time for a nap.

Yet in this relaxed atmosphere, Yun Chun showed no signs of sleepiness. Whether it was the coffee buzzing through her or Lu Qingxue’s revelation holding her attention, her eyes sparkled with energy.

Lu Qingxue stared at Yun Chun’s obliviousness when it came to emotions, wondering if her own behavior had been too proper. Had she let Yun Chun pigeonhole her as the “good big sister”? No matter how intimate her actions got, did Yun Chun just see them as normal friend stuff?

Would she have to spell it out right in front of Yun Chun—”I like you”—before the message sank in?

What a dense idiot.

If that was the case, then why was Yun Chun so curious about the person Lu Qingxue liked? Was it concern from a friend’s perspective, or just plain nosiness?

After asking, Yun Chun fell silent, waiting for Lu Qingxue’s answer. Lu Qingxue watched her without a word.

Lu Qingxue hesitated. If she confessed those four words right now, what were the odds Yun Chun would believe her? Would she write it off as a joke?

Of course she would—in a moment like this, telling Yun Chun “I like you” would just make the idiot think she was hiding the real person’s identity.

What if she kissed Yun Chun instead? Would that short-circuit her stubborn thought process? Though it might just stun her into silence without permission.

Should she say it?

A few seconds ticked by, and Lu Qingxue’s silent lips finally twitched.

But just as they parted, the doorbell rang.

Yun Chun—the queen of emotional obliviousness and a total workaholic—had her attention yanked away instantly. She turned to Lu Qingxue. “This time it should be the stylist.”

She set her cup down and headed to the door.

A black-haired, dark-eyed young woman stood outside. The moment she saw Yun Chun, her eyes widened in surprise. “Yun Chun?”

Seeing it was someone from her home country who knew her name, Yun Chun assumed she was the stylist. She swung the door open and stepped aside. “Teacher Li, right? Come on in.”

Zhu You blinked. “Who’s Teacher Li?”

Yun Chun straightened up. “Aren’t you?”

“I’m Zhu You. I’m a reporter.”

Yun Chun tilted her head. “Then how do you know me? Here for an interview?”

Zhu You frowned. “Of course not.”

A beat passed before she added, “I know you because I’m a reporter. I’ve seen you in magazines.”

Yun Chun got it. If she wasn’t here for her, then there was only one other possibility.

She smiled. “Here to ask what my relationship is with Sister Qingxue? And why I’m staying here?”

Zhu You nodded emphatically. “Exactly.”

Great. Another one of Lu Qingxue’s admirers.

Yun Chun eased the door mostly shut, still smiling. “Did you see the nameplate on the mailbox?”

Zhu You glanced at the mailbox, then back at Yun Chun, staring intently. “I did. But I wanted to see for myself who moved in. Now that it’s you, I’m not surprised.”

That last part puzzled Yun Chun. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

Zhu You clearly didn’t want to elaborate. She pursed her lips and tried again. “But I’m Qingxue’s girlfriend, so you—”

Yun Chun cut her off. “You’re her girlfriend?”

Zhu You jutted out her chin. “Yeah.”

“Does she know that?”

“Of course.” Zhu You blinked, a flicker of guilt in her eyes.

Yun Chun glanced back over her shoulder.

Lu Qingxue stood there, shaking her head.

Fine. Another one claiming to be Lu Qingxue’s girlfriend. That made three today—not counting the two guys insisting they were her boyfriend…

…

In the span of just one short hour, Yun Chun gained an even deeper appreciation for Lu Qingxue’s magnetic charm.

She didn’t even want to imagine how obsessive these people would get if Lu Qingxue were still alive.

Yun Chun was still waiting to hear who Lu Qingxue actually liked, though. She’d lost all patience for dealing with these admirers.

“You’re her girlfriend,” Yun Chun repeated. She bent her arm, propping it on the doorframe as she leaned forward slightly. An intangible pressure bore down on Zhu You.

She was half a head shorter than Yun Chun. The sudden intimidation flustered her. She held her breath for a second, then looked up, intending to nod in agreement again. But Yun Chun’s expression stopped her cold—she couldn’t get a word out.

Yun Chun’s lips curved into a distant, icy smile as she arched a brow. “But I’m her wife~”