Chapter 3

Mu Xia realized she liked girls in ninth grade.

That year, the respectable bookstore outside her school suddenly started renting out novels. Wanting to keep up with the latest trend, she rented a few.

Who would’ve guessed that a lesbian romance would be mixed in with all the straight love stories?

The tender, sincere feelings between the main characters opened the door to a whole new world. Little by little, Mu Xia was drawn into that mysterious circle.

She tested the waters, cautiously, and edged closer, letting her shy adolescent feelings grow in secret, far from anyone’s eyes.

Like a wilderness in spring.

At first, there were only a few scattered blades of green.

Then the warm wind blew, the rain fell, and the grass spread until it reached the horizon.

That hazy yet powerful longing settled deep inside her, in a heart that seemed calm on the surface but was turbulent underneath. It stayed there for a long time.

It wasn’t until Han Shuyan suddenly confessed to her—and Yue Qian later stumbled upon their relationship by accident—that Mu Xia’s feelings, hidden away for years, finally had a chance to be known and shared.

Mu Xia couldn’t say she was in love with Han Shuyan. Han Shuyan was nothing like the mature, gentle big sister Mu Xia adored, and that was exactly her type.

Still, Mu Xia hadn’t betrayed her. Han Shuyan had been the first person to accept the “strange” person she was.

During their two years together, Mu Xia had tried to be a girlfriend who cared without being a nuisance. They hadn’t had a whirlwind romance, but she’d been attentive.

She hadn’t expected it to end with her as the joke.

Now that Han Shuyan had had her fill, why should Mu Xia keep humiliating herself?

“Qianqian, does the place you’re taking me to have any older women?” Mu Xia asked.

“So that’s your type.” Yue Qian tsked, shaking her head with a suggestive look. “There is one. A once-in-a-lifetime beauty, too. I just don’t know if she’ll be there tonight.”

“What’s she like?”

“Let me think. I heard she had a pretty rough time of it. Her family used to own a huge company, and they were well-off. Then, just before she graduated from college, something happened. They ended up owing a lot of money and got tied up in lawsuits. Who knows if the story’s even true? People repeat things. But she really is gorgeous, and her figure is incredible. We’ll try our luck when we get there. If she’s there, great. If not, that’s fate.”

Mu Xia leaned her head against the car window and occasionally blinked at her reflection in the glass. She gave a thoroughly uninvested, “…Oh.”

Her luck had always been pretty good.

The two of them got off at South Gate Taoyuan Road. They followed the traffic circle halfway around, then turned into a narrow alley.

Bright neon lights ran from one end of the street to the other, dazzling and vibrant. Even so, they couldn’t dispel the lonely air unique to the old neighborhood.

“Qianqian, are you sure this is the place?” Mu Xia stopped beneath a streetlight and refused to go on. “I forgot—you have a boyfriend. How would you even know about a lesbian bar?”

“Come on. In front of a best friend, a boyfriend is nothing.” Yue Qian kept walking, tilting her head to follow the map on her phone. With her free hand, she reached back and caught Mu Xia by the slim wrist. “I did my homework ages ago. We’re almost there.”

Reluctantly, Mu Xia let Yue Qian drag her along. After two turns, the noise from the lively bar district hit them hard enough to make her ears ring.

Wasn’t there any way to have fun without risking deafness?

“I’m not going. I want to go home.” Mu Xia clapped her hands over her ears and ran back the way they’d come.

Yue Qian hurried after her, wrapped an arm around her, and hauled her to a bar tucked into the corner.

It was only a few steps away, but it was noticeably quieter there.

Mu Xia looked up. The bar’s entrance was shut, and a ragged old sign hung above it. Black background, white letters. It looked like a funeral home.

“What kind of taste does the owner have?” Mu Xia muttered, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms. “Who’d spend money in a place like this unless they were crazy?”

“You’d be surprised. The people who come to TONIGHT are all rich.” Yue Qian pushed open the door. “Come on. We’re going to splurge tonight, too.”

“Oh.”

“Wait, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“What?”

“The person we’re here to see is the prettiest big sister in the place. Everyone calls her the TONIGHT Top Hostess. That’s just a name people gave her, though. She comes here a lot, but she has nothing to do with all the messy stuff people get up to. She’s a law-abiding citizen, so don’t get any funny ideas. Just look and broaden your horizons.” Yue Qian lowered her voice and added a careful warning. “Also, this is your first time here, and people might notice a new face. Don’t go chatting up random strangers. Go straight to the point, okay?”

Mu Xia thought it over and nodded solemnly. “Got it.”

They found a seat and called over a server to order.

Mu Xia’s gaze had been wandering ever since they walked in. When the server came over, she said offhandedly, “Alcohol, please.”

Yue Qian covered her mouth with the back of her hand and whispered, “Juice is fine.”

Mu Xia said, “The strongest stuff you’ve got.”

Yue Qian said, “Mix it with some fruit beer. Just enough to pretend.” Then she pointed at Mu Xia, closed her eyes, and shook her head as if to say, She looks like a nice girl, but she’s a fool. Easy to trick.

The server was laughing on the inside, but her professional training held. She smiled without showing her teeth. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait.” Mu Xia’s gaze finally settled on the server. The moment she spoke, she silenced Yue Qian. “Where’s the prettiest big sister in this place?”

The server’s smile faltered for a moment, then returned. “She isn’t here tonight.”

“Oh.” Mu Xia couldn’t explain why she felt so disappointed.

As soon as the server walked away, Yue Qian leaned over. “How could you just ask her that?”

Mu Xia looked confused. “Weren’t you the one who told me to go straight to the point?”

Yue Qian was horrified. “Not like that!”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Everything.” Yue Qian gave up trying to explain. “Do you know what ‘the prettiest’ means? Everyone wants to make her theirs, but the Top Hostess has never accepted anyone’s invitation. What’s the saying? The harder someone is to get, the more people want them. You’ve just arrived and you’re already asking for her by name. It’s like you came here to pick a fight.”

Mu Xia’s mouth fell open. After a moment, she understood. “Oh, I see.”

“Right? You need to learn. Oh my god!” Yue Qian suddenly sat up and grabbed the back of the sofa, staring toward the bar. “That looks like the Top Hostess! She’s the only person in here drinking plain water!”

Mu Xia turned to follow Yue Qian’s gaze.

Someone had taken the empty seat opposite the bartender. The woman wore white, with a matching suit jacket beside her. Her waist-length curls fell over her back, partly hiding her angular shoulders.

She looked nothing like the heavily made-up, flamboyantly dressed crowd around her. She looked, well, like a high-powered executive who’d just gotten off work.

Her features were clear and her profile clean-cut. Her straight shoulders lent her a poised elegance. When she spoke to the bartender, the faint curve of her lips seemed particularly cool.

If Mu Xia had been lucky enough to receive the GN Scholarship from GN’s owner, Han Qingshi, in person that afternoon, she would have realized that the Top Hostess Yue Qian had described looked exactly like Han Qingshi—even down to what she was wearing.

Unfortunately, Mu Xia had not been that lucky.

“Is tonight some kind of officewear party?” Yue Qian wondered. She’d been to plenty of bars, but this was the first time she’d seen someone wear a blouse and suit jacket inside. Still, there was no denying the woman’s striking height, even seated. Her slender, beautifully proportioned figure was all the more pronounced in her well-fitted clothes.

“Mumu, see? I wasn’t lying.” Yue Qian turned to Mu Xia, who sat stiffly beside her.

Mu Xia murmured, “Mm.” An idea was beginning to stir.

The light overhead swept across Han Qingshi’s face, bringing her features into sharper focus.

Composed and confident. Cool and reserved.

Mu Xia knew at once.

This is who I came here to meet tonight.

“Wait, did I get the information wrong?” Yue Qian said, startled. She pointed to a woman who had walked straight over to the bar and was practically draped across Han Qingshi’s shoulder. “Since when does the Top Hostess have someone?”

The two women looked dressed alike and gave off a similar air. They both seemed powerful, and together they had the tension of two sharp points meeting.

Yue Qian silently looked Mu Xia over for a few seconds. Her heart sank.

Short sleeves, jeans, and far too much of a student vibe.

Mu Xia already had the kind of sweet, harmless looks that could wreak havoc on young men. On top of that, she’d tied her hair into a fluffy bun that made her look even younger.

With that… forget it.

Yue Qian shook her head and sighed so dramatically that Mu Xia couldn’t help giving herself a once-over. “Do you think I’ve got a chance?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Yue Qian replied without hesitation. “I only brought you here to look, anyway. I never planned on letting you actually make a move. Take a look, cheer yourself up, and move on. Oh! My mom’s calling. I have to go outside and answer. If she finds out I’m at a bar, she’ll wring my neck!”

Yue Qian made a snapping gesture at Mu Xia and ran off with her phone.

Left alone, Mu Xia sat watching the bar, deep in thought.

A little while later, the server arrived with the “fake drinks.”

“Enjoy,” she said, bowing slightly.

Mu Xia gave a numb little nod. The next second, an idea struck her. She quickly pulled her gaze away from the bar and gave the server a sweet, innocent smile. “Is that big sister over there scary?”

The server froze for a few seconds, a laugh caught in her chest.

She’d worked here for three years and seen plenty of women try to hit on Han Qingshi, including seasoned flirts with killer figures. This was the first time she’d seen someone so “naturally harmless.”

Brave, at least.

Whether she could handle the rejection was another question.

When Han Qingshi tore into someone, she didn’t spare their feelings.

Just last month, a rich and famous lesbian had come all the way here hoping to hook up with Han Qingshi.

At first, Han Qingshi had turned her down politely. But the woman refused to take the hint and actually tried to force herself on her.

Han Qingshi was obviously not someone who could be pushed around. What did the woman think was going to happen?

Han Qingshi had sent her packing with a parting shot: “Most people put a little powder on their faces. You’ve got enough for your whole neck, don’t you?”

That was only one recent example, and a relatively mild one. There were plenty more like it.

No one had ever managed to take Han Qingshi home from here. Not in the three years the server had worked here, anyway.

This young woman was probably headed for the same rejection.

Ah.

The server sighed inwardly, then gave Mu Xia a hint in the form of a question. “She usually isn’t.”

Mu Xia stared at her. “…” That was no answer at all. Who was scary only some of the time?

“All right. Thanks,” Mu Xia said politely.

After the server left, Mu Xia thought hard about what the answer meant. Once she’d found an interpretation she liked, she worked up her nerve and made her first approach.

“Big sister.” Mu Xia stood beside the woman, wearing her sweetest expression.

She hadn’t lied when she’d spoken to Han Shuyan earlier.

Since the two of them had gotten together, she really hadn’t called any other girl that.

She liked to mess around, but she knew where the line was.

Deep down, she would never bring anything that might be mistaken for flirting into a relationship that was still going on.

Now it didn’t matter.

Mu Xia found the thought bitterly funny.

She’d put that name away for two years. Calling someone that again felt strangely unfamiliar.

I wonder if I smiled sweetly enough just now.

As Mu Xia’s nerves began to get the better of her, Han Qingshi turned from her conversation.

Their eyes met. Surprise flickered across Han Qingshi’s face, then vanished. Her gaze was clear and her expression calm. “Were you talking to me?” she asked, her voice cool but gentle.

This was Mu Xia’s first time doing anything like this. She was still nervous, so she nodded stiffly. “Big sister, you’re beautiful.”

Up close, the woman’s features were even more striking. Her skin was flawless, and even a casual lift of her brow or parting of her lips carried the restraint and composure of a mature woman. Her sharp edges were softened, but not hidden.

Han Qingshi showed little reaction to Mu Xia’s answer. She propped an elbow on the table, let her hand fall naturally, and brushed her pale fingertips over the rim of her glass. “Thank you.”

Just as Mu Xia thought that was the end of the conversation, Han Qingshi raised her lowered eyes. Her voice was low. “Do you like what you see?”

Thump. Mu Xia felt as if something had struck her hard in the chest.

What beautiful eyes. Dark and tranquil, seemingly untouched by the world at first glance. Look deeper, and there was a sharpness in them that refused to bend against the wind.

Mu Xia was lost in them and couldn’t find her way out. It took her a long moment to mumble, “I do.”

A faint smile touched Han Qingshi’s lips, warm and bright—the opposite of the coolness she’d shown when she was still.

The woman who’d been draped over her earlier was now leaning against the bar, a straw between her teeth. Apparently she’d seen enough. She snapped her fingers at Mu Xia and teased, “So, you’ve got a thing for our—”

The woman nearly said Han Qingshi’s name, but caught her warning look and changed course without missing a beat. “For this big sister?”

Mu Xia came back to herself. She glanced at Han Qingshi, uncertain. “Mm.”

The woman laughed and collapsed onto the bar.

Her laughter was loud enough to make people nearby look over. Whispers followed, threaded with snickers that seemed to mock Mu Xia for thinking she had a chance.

Mu Xia wanted to turn around and leave.

Before she could take a step, Han Qingshi, who had been watching her the whole time, suddenly lost her smile. In a low voice, she asked the laughing woman, “Is it that funny?”

The woman didn’t answer. She shrugged, pushed her empty glass toward the bartender, and ordered another.

Mu Xia breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to apologize and give up on the ridiculous idea in her head when the woman beside the bar picked up her jacket and stood. Looking Mu Xia in the eyes, she said, “If you like me, then tonight I’m yours.”