Miao Zhu was seized by a sudden sense of weightlessness. Mu Shanyi spoke casually, as if it were no big deal, but she knew this wasn’t a joke.
Everything had signs leading up to it—from that priceless Jade Peace Amulet to the intimate moment of removing the necklace in front of the mirror. Miao Zhu could sense that Mu Shanyi’s attitude toward her was undergoing a subtle shift.
Did those three words, “It can happen,” mean there was potential between her and Mu Shanyi? And that Mu Shanyi was handing the decision over to her?
As long as she spoke up, would there be a place for her by Mu Shanyi’s side?
—But why? Was Mu Shanyi interested in her?
Miao Zhu had no idea what had caused Mu Shanyi’s change. Before this, she had never even considered Mu Shanyi as an option.
“I… don’t know the answer.” Miao Zhu couldn’t bring herself to refuse outright. It was hard for anyone to disdain a shortcut that fell from the sky. But she also couldn’t accept it readily. Were there no other choices? Was paying that kind of price worth it? To become Mu Shanyi’s lover?
But tonight’s Mu Shanyi might just be acting on a whim. Missing this chance might mean no second opportunity.
“Give me some time,” Miao Zhu added softly.
To Mu Shanyi, time was far more precious than money. Miao Zhu wasn’t sure if she would agree.
Mu Shanyi’s fingertips tapped lightly on the steering wheel, as if considering. After the next intersection, where they hit a green light, she nodded.
For the rest of the drive, they both tacitly fell silent.
As they neared Moon Reflection Villa, Miao Zhu finally spoke: “Sister A-Heng, you don’t need to drive me all the way. I’ll get out here.”
She couldn’t let Miao Ling know that Mu Shanyi was part of tonight’s story.
Mu Shanyi pulled over as instructed.
Even though they had reached a tentative understanding, their relationship remained distant, so their farewell was ordinary.
On the walk home, Miao Zhu sorted through her thoughts.
As soon as she entered, she ran into Miao Ling in the living room, tending to freshly cut flowers. The table was covered with the stems and leaves she had trimmed.
Miao Ling peered behind Miao Zhu. Her face was slathered in a mud mask, making expressions difficult, so she opened and closed her mouth slightly: “He Zizhou didn’t drop you off? I didn’t hear a car.”
“It fell apart,” Miao Zhu said.
Miao Ling: “What fell apart?”
Miao Zhu: “He Zizhou took me to an art exhibit party, and we ran into Xingran. It fell apart on both sides.”
“…” After the initial shock, Miao Ling tossed down her flower shears, rushed to the bathroom to quickly rinse off the mud mask, then hurried back out to confirm with Miao Zhu: “You mean all three of you met up, and you broke things off with Xingran and also parted ways with He Zizhou?”
Miao Zhu: “He Zizhou’s sister knows Xingran and told her in advance that her sister would bring her fiancée along to hang out.”
“So Xingran realized the fiancée He Zizhou brought was you?!” Miao Ling couldn’t help raising her voice.
Miao Zhu added: “He Zizhou’s sister also knows me and that I’ve always been by Xingran’s side.”
Miao Ling sucked in a cold breath: “What did you say at the time?”
Miao Zhu: “There was no room for me to say anything.”
It really had fallen apart on both sides. Who knew He Zizhou’s sister would suddenly pop up?
Miao Ling’s manicured nails dug into the leather sofa’s armrest: “We can’t act rashly now. We need to see how those two families react before coming up with a plan… Perfect timing—I’m going with your dad to Su City tomorrow. Let’s let this cool off for a few days.”
Miao Ling muttered on, then suddenly clapped her hands: “Wait, no!”
She stared intently at Miao Zhu: “If Xingran minds this so much, that means she likes you! She’s jealous! Otherwise, why make a fuss? Longlong, doesn’t that make sense?”
Miao Zhu: “…”
Miao Ling grew more excited the more she thought: “The Sheng Family was our top choice anyway. You and He Zizhou were just new friends, nothing too intimate. The fiancée thing was all her sister’s nonsense—it can all be explained! No, don’t explain to Xingran yet. Wait and see. We’ll observe quietly!”
The issue with Sheng Xingran had nothing to do with He Zizhou, but Miao Zhu knew Miao Ling was just blindly optimistic.
The next day before heading out, Miao Ling grabbed Miao Zhu and repeatedly instructed her to stay calm. Whether she could win over Sheng Xingran depended entirely on this!
After finishing the morning group rehearsal, Miao Zhu went with Jiang Jingjing to a nearby tea restaurant. As they pushed open the door, they brushed past a customer with a fever patch on their forehead. Jiang Jingjing, arm linked with Miao Zhu’s, muttered: “So many people getting sick lately. I spent the morning feeling dizzy from the AC.”
Miao Zhu was distracted, scrolling her phone. In the hours she’d been working, Miao Ling had bombarded her with voice messages filling the screen. She blanked her expression, turned off the screen, and didn’t want to listen to a single one.
They found seats and ordered. Jiang Jingjing scooted her chair closer to Miao Zhu and gossiped about whether she’d checked the hot searches last night—the hot celebrity Meng Shiyi had been exposed for having a sugar daddy!
“…Really?” Miao Zhu tucked the stray hairs from her face behind her ear. Sugar daddy? Her mind involuntarily flashed to her time with Mu Shanyi last night, causing her to zone out the entire lunch break.
