Chapter 99
When Song Muqing came out of the banquet hall, Lin Chuwan was already sitting in the car.
She got into the back seat, and a cold wind mixed with the smell of alcohol rushed to Lin Chuwan’s face. After Uncle Wei had greeted them, he started the car. Song Muqing rubbed her temples, her slightly narrowed eyes a little less sharp due to the alcohol.
She turned to look at Lin Chuwan, and the side profile so close to her overlapped with the silhouette in her memory, instantly taking her back to the year she had first met her. At that time, the gentle and cheerful girl had always followed behind her, making her feel that special presence at all times, but she was also sensible and did not cause her any trouble.
She had thought that this time, she would finally be cherished and not be abandoned. At that time, looking at those bright eyes, she had never thought that she would feel an unprecedented coldness not long after.
Song Muqing’s gaze seemed to be in a daze, and also as if she were gazing at Lin Chuwan with concentration. The direct gaze made Lin Chuwan shrink back and move even further to the side of the seat.
Song Muqing was startled by her small action, and an indescribable sourness filled her heart.
Back at the Lin family’s house, Uncle Wei parked the car and dropped the two of them off at the main house entrance.
Song Muqing had not said a word the whole way. After getting out of the car, she shivered slightly from the cold wind and wrapped her coat around her. Lin Chuwan glanced at her, walked straight into the house, and was about to go back to her room without looking back.
Mother Lin was out, and the house was very quiet. Song Muqing followed behind Lin Chuwan, watching her leave only her back to her, that attitude of wanting to be ten thousand miles away from her making her heart ache.
Just as Lin Chuwan opened her door and was about to go in, Song Muqing quickly took two steps forward and grabbed her arm. Lin Chuwan’s whole body trembled.
“Are you very afraid of me?” Song Muqing’s low voice was tinged with a hint of a mocking smile.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Lin Chuwan asked as calmly as possible.
Seeing that she did not turn around or answer, Song Muqing’s tone became heavier. “I’m asking you, are you very afraid of me?”
“If there’s nothing, then I’m going back to my room,” Lin Chuwan said, subconsciously trying to break free from Song Muqing’s hand, her voice even trembling a little.
The emotions that had been buried in Song Muqing’s heart for a long time and could not be expressed were stimulated to the peak by Lin Chuwan’s attitude. Not only did she not let go, but she also gripped her arm even tighter and let out a soft laugh. “I have something to say to you. Do you want to talk to me in the hallway?”
Lin Chuwan turned to look and met Song Muqing’s dark eyes, which held no obvious emotion. On the contrary, Song Muqing’s whole person seemed to have been affected by the alcohol, and her sharp aura had diminished a lot.
Lin Chuwan hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently. “Come in.”
Only then did Song Muqing let go, and the tension eased a little.
After the two of them entered the room, Lin Chuwan did not close the door. She did not want to be with Song Muqing for long. Every time they were alone, she would be hurt by the thorns all over her. She was used to it, but it still hurt, and Song Muqing was unwilling to give her a clean break.
It was only when Song Muqing was standing by her bed that she belatedly bit her lip. Why had she so easily allowed her to come in?
They were silent for a long while. Song Muqing looked around the room, and then at Lin Chuwan, who was a few steps away from her. “That woman tonight, what do you think of her?”
Song Muqing’s tone was very flat, but it made Lin Chuwan shiver. “What do you mean?”
Song Muqing let out a low laugh. “I mean the woman who came up to you. She should have gone, right? She’s very capable and holds a pivotal position in the company. The most important thing is, she’s a lesbian.”
Lin Chuwan suddenly felt as if she were in a world of ice and snow, her whole body trembling with cold. She clutched her shawl and tried her best to control her emotions, asking, “Song Muqing, did you tell others about my matter?”
A wave of grievance suddenly welled up in her heart, but she could not argue, could not say a word for herself. Once she reprimanded Song Muqing, Song Muqing’s “you have to pay the price for the mistakes you’ve made” would be enough to render her powerless. Because she was at fault, from now on, she could only be at Song Muqing’s mercy, without the right to complain.
Just then, the temperature in Song Muqing’s eyes finally dropped, and she said to her with a sneer, “Of course not. It’s very easy to get her hooked. There’s no need to be so foolish. As long as I reveal to her that the Lin family’s young lady will be attending the annual meeting, she, who has been single for several months, will definitely be interested. After all, you are the legendary gentle and beautiful Miss Lin.”
Listening to those words, Lin Chuwan was stunned for a long time, her heart extremely cold. She subconsciously hugged her arms and kept shaking her head.
Song Muqing’s heart was pierced. She took a few steps closer and asked in a low voice, “In your heart, am I such a despicable person? To spread the fact that you’re a lesbian to everyone, hmm?”
Lin Chuwan did not answer. Song Muqing was so close to her that she felt scared, and her whole body couldn’t help but want to retreat. Her eyes were as if she had seen something terrifying, and she couldn’t avoid it enough.
Seeing this, Song Muqing’s lips wanted to lift, but they curved into a bitter arc. She should have been happy with this result, to make Lin Chuwan suffer and taste this feeling. This should have been something she should have been happy about.
But that feeling of satisfaction, why was the pain greater than the happiness?
Lin Chuwan’s retreating steps became faster and faster, and Song Muqing felt more and more out of breath. A sharp glint appeared in her eyes, and she quickly went over and took Lin Chuwan’s hand, pulling her into her arms. At that moment, it seemed that the emptiness of many years was instantly filled.
“Song Muqing! Let go of me!” The fear in Lin Chuwan’s heart expanded to the extreme, and she pushed against Song Muqing’s shoulders with both hands.
But the next second, her movements stopped, and her whole person was as if she had lost all her strength, because she heard Song Muqing murmur in her ear, “Xiao Wan, you are very beautiful today.”
This tone made a hint of red instantly appear at the corners of her eyes, and she was no longer able to resist.
That year, the lonely girl, after avoiding her several times, had hugged her in a corner of the library just like this, and had murmured in her ear many times, “Xiao Wan, I like you. What should I do?”
Song Muqing held her tightly and placed a light kiss on her lips. But in just a moment, Song Muqing’s breathing became heavy, and she kissed her fiercely, with a scorching heat, almost melting the person in her arms.
But Lin Chuwan did not get what she wanted. Just as she was hoping to go back to the past, hoping so much that her heart ached, Song Muqing bit her lip hard. The bite hurt her, and she immediately let go, her eyes cold as she wiped the corner of her mouth.
“That woman tonight, consider it. If it’s not suitable, tell me again,” Song Muqing said with a blank expression, her trembling hands hidden behind her back.
“What did you say…” Lin Chuwan’s heart was pounding, and her eyes also hurt. She grabbed Song Muqing’s sleeve, and tears fell. “Song Muqing, what on earth do you want? After all this time, I’ve accepted whatever revenge you want. Yes, I was wrong, but why do you have to give me hope!”
“Because you once gave me hope too,” Song Muqing said, hardening her heart and forcefully prying Lin Chuwan’s hand from her sleeve. “I once thought that you wouldn’t abandon me, that I was important to you, but I was wrong. It was only when you told me that you didn’t like me, that you continued to be with me because your brother liked me, and you begged me to accompany him in his final moments, that I truly realized that I had never had any hope. You could give me up for others, not want me, and discard me like an object.”
Lin Chuwan couldn’t believe it. Just now, Song Muqing had kissed her so passionately. She had thought that her suffering had come to an end. Who would have thought that Song Muqing just wanted her to experience that feeling, the despair of having a wisp of hope extinguished.
The sourness and bitterness in her heart made her tears fall incessantly. She grabbed Song Muqing’s sleeve again and cried, “Can we just end it here? I really don’t want to go on like this. We can never speak again, we can be far apart…”
Song Muqing was silent for a moment, then she broke free from her hand, lowered her eyes, and said in a low voice, “Impossible. We can only continue like this. As much pain as I’m in, you have to be in as much pain. When it’s paid off, we’ll end it.”
After she finished, she turned and left. Lin Chuwan’s vision was blurred with tears, and her whole person could not support herself. She retreated to the edge of the bed and fell, having lost all her strength.
She did not see that outside her room, a figure was standing there for a long time.
In early February, the whole of Qinzhou was covered in a layer of pure white silver by the falling snow.
The end of the year was approaching. After a period of hard work, she was finally a little free. Bo Muyu heard from Su Man that Lan Yuxin’s contract with Jiayi was about to expire. When she heard this, she had no thoughts, but looking at Su Man’s smile, she always felt as if something was about to happen.
This feeling became even clearer when she was sitting in Su Man’s office.
Su Man’s assistant walked in, and after a nod from her, she reported her work, “President Su, I have already contacted Miss Lan’s assistant. From what the assistant said, Miss Lan’s intentions are not clear, but she has not refused your request to meet with her. But she said that she hopes that when she meets with you, Supervisor Bo will also be there.”
Hearing this, Bo Muyu frowned, not understanding what was going on.
Su Man also frowned and said to her assistant, “You can arrange a time with Miss Lan’s assistant, and then find a place to book a table.”
“Okay, President Su,” the assistant said and then left the office.
Only then did Bo Muyu ask, “President Su, what’s going on?”
Su Man rubbed her temples and sighed. “I asked Lan Yuxin to meet. I want to poach her to our company. Her contract with Jiayi is about to expire.”
Bo Muyu was silent with a frown. Lan Yuxin was a heavyweight artist at Jiayi, with a high value, and was a pivotal figure in the entertainment industry. Jiayi was involved in many fields, and Lan Yuxin could be said to be one of Jiayi’s trump cards in the entertainment industry. If Jiayi still wanted to keep this piece of the pie, then losing her would definitely be a loss.
She was in a difficult position. She was now a person of Hongsheng, but if Lan Yuxin were won over by Su Man, she believed that it would definitely be a blow to Jiayi.
Su Man looked at her for a few moments and said softly, “Xiaoyu, if we can get her, it will be a great advantage for our company. I know she has dealings with President Jiang, and you have a good relationship with her. I won’t force you to do anything. I just hope that if you have time, you can go with me. Leave the rest to me.”
With things having come to this, Bo Muyu could only nod. Su Man had never forced her to do anything. She was serious about her work, but always gentle in private. She had already rejected her in terms of feelings. Now that Su Man had taken such a big step back in her work, it would be unreasonable for her not to nod.
“Okay, I’ll go with you.”
But after she left Su Man’s office, Bo Muyu was a little puzzled. Why did Lan Yuxin have to have her there when she was talking business with Su Man?
She was not familiar with Lan Yuxin. The only time they had contacted each other by phone was last year when she had called to find out about Jiang Chenyin’s matter. There was no reason to support their private contact. If she had to find a reason, it would be Jiang Chenyin.
But what on earth was it that was making Lan Yuxin be so roundabout? Bo Muyu couldn’t figure it out.
