Chapter 27

It had already been three months since he last saw Jin Yizhu.

During Tokyo’s most beautiful cherry blossom season, Jin Yizhu was so busy that she was elusive, appearing only fleetingly. Not only did she not come over for a short stay to watch the cherry blossoms with Wei Shuyu or visit Mount Fuji, but even their routine evening calls had vanished.

All Wei Shuyu received were mere snippets from her.

Along with transfer red envelopes.

Jin Yizhu had little interest in sharing her daily life with her. The daily photos she sent were mostly of her clothes and bags.

In contrast, those snippets were packed with updates on luxury brand releases, from Hermès to Chanel, all complete, urging her to use the card to buy whatever she liked.

Wei Shuyu was amused yet exasperated and bluntly told her, “I don’t want them.”

Jin Yizhu squeezed in a call amid her busy schedule and asked her, “Why not?”

She had originally wanted to ask if she disliked them or preferred other brands.

However, Wei Shuyu merely gazed at her with a gentle smile in the video, her deep brown eyes seemingly glowing. The sight made Jin Yizhu cast aside all the company’s messes, feeling her mood gradually calm, as if she sat by the sea, gazing at the brilliant setting sun.

The next second, Wei Shuyu said to her, “I want you to come keep me company.”

Her voice rose slightly at the end, sounding less like a request and more like coquetry.

Even that usually aloof face bloomed with a tender smile. For some reason, Jin Yizhu’s heart raced, and she felt a bit short of breath.

“Do you want me to come accompany you shopping?” Jin Yizhu pondered for a moment. “That’ll take a while. Why not find a friend to go with you?”

Wei Shuyu said nothing, just looked at her with the smile deepening, though her eyes held a trace of loneliness, as if suppressing something.

“Alright then…” She raised her eyes, leaning closer to the camera. “Can’t I wait for you?”

Jin Yizhu was momentarily stunned. She recalled how, when Wei Shuyu linked arms with her, a bit of warmth would lean toward her, soft beyond belief.

As if bewitched, Jin Yizhu nodded. “I’ll see… Next week. Sunday’s a public holiday; I can squeeze in four days.”

When Jin Yizhu arrived in Tokyo, the weather had already turned quite hot.

Uncle He went to the school first to pick up Wei Shuyu, then headed to Narita Airport.

Narita Airport was built in Chiba, over an hour’s drive from Tokyo, farther than Haneda Airport.

Uncle He had stayed in Tokyo during this period, per Jin Yizhu’s instructions, shuttling Wei Shuyu to and from school. He had gradually become acquainted with her.

“Uncle He, I want to listen to Mozart!. The German version.”

After getting in the car, Wei Shuyu reached over first, swiping through Uncle He’s collection on the navigation screen to select her favorite song, not giving him a chance to choose.

“The songs in this one are all great. You should give it a try.”

“I’ve heard it. It’s very popular; it gets restaged every year,” Uncle He didn’t change her song but asked, “Not sitting in the front passenger seat today?”

Wei Shuyu smiled faintly. “Jin Yizhu will be here soon. It’s more convenient to sit in the back.”

Normally, when going to school, she sat in the front out of courtesy, so Uncle He wouldn’t feel displeased, thinking of himself merely as a driver serving her.

But today was different. With Jin Yizhu coming, sitting in the front would be shameless.

So what if she was nominally a Canary?

She wasn’t someone who existed solely to serve Jin Yizhu anyway.

Uncle He gave no opening for retort. He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, said nothing, and silently drove on.

Wei Shuyu propped her chin, gazing at the scenery outside the window. The cherry blossoms had all fallen; now it was the season of the blazing sun.

Summer…

The perfect time for falling in love.

It was a pity that someone was oblivious to romance. She clearly fell for the coquetry bit, yet didn’t know why her heart raced.

Wei Shuyu napped in the back seat. When she opened her eyes again, Narita Airport was already in sight.

Uncle He pulled into the parking lot, turned off the music, switched on the dome light, and looked at her through the rearview mirror.

“Miss Wei, do you know why the Eldest Miss suddenly came over?”

Why? Wei Shuyu was still a bit groggy and subconsciously thought, of course because I whispered in her ear.

Though it wasn’t quite pillow talk yet…

“What’s wrong?” She didn’t answer directly. “Is there a problem?”

“I’m just curious. If Miss Wei doesn’t know, pretend I didn’t ask.”

Uncle He was a seasoned veteran. He had no intention of spelling it out but scrutinized Wei Shuyu’s expression, probing once more.

“They say in Hong Kong that the Eldest Miss has been swamped lately. It doesn’t seem like she has time for a vacation.”

“What if it’s not for a vacation?”

Wei Shuyu’s expression didn’t change as she calmly replied,

“I invited her to see my end-of-term exhibition. Is that not allowed?”

While Uncle He sized her up, she sized him up too.

In the spacious Maybach cabin, their cold gazes clashed like sparks in the small rearview mirror.

Wei Shuyu didn’t flinch.

She knew exactly what Uncle He meant. He wanted to pry words from her mouth, deduce what she knew. If he could force her to reveal Jin Yizhu’s purpose, that would be ideal.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know precisely what Jin Yizhu was up to and certainly wouldn’t let anything slip.

Uncle He stared at her, as if judging the truth of her words.

When coming to Tokyo, he had left Little He in Hong Kong, and now it proved useful.

Rumor had it that on the first day the Eldest Miss returned to Hong Kong, she caused a huge uproar at the Mid-Levels Villa.

The next day, the old master ordered her cousins not to come to Mid-Levels anymore, in very stern terms, saying the Mid-Levels old residence was for family reunions—what did it look like with outsiders coming and going?

A week later, Jin Yuancheng, the most promising young man of the Jin Family’s generation, was kicked out of headquarters.

Little He wasn’t in the group headquarters, just a housekeeper position, so he couldn’t get details. But even the scattered bits were enough to send chills down Uncle He’s spine.

He had followed Jing Sheng Hua since age eighteen, witnessing firsthand how the man ruthlessly wrested the group from the old master step by step. Having seen Jing Sheng Hua’s decisive ruthlessness, Uncle He was utterly loyal, betraying the old master to follow him.

Now… was the tide turning?

He felt uneasy, but Wei Shuyu’s face revealed nothing.

After a while, Wei Shuyu reminded him, “Uncle He, the plane’s about to land.”

He gritted his teeth, about to say something, but Wei Shuyu had already opened the door and got out without hesitation, waving to him. “I’m going ahead. Can’t keep Jin Yizhu waiting.”

Wei Shuyu controlled her steps, not letting Uncle He spot any flaw.

Only after exiting the parking lot and entering the airport hall did she bite her lip and exhale softly.

That was close; she had nearly given herself away.

Even if she didn’t know what Jin Yizhu planned, as long as it concerned Jin Yizhu, she absolutely couldn’t show weakness or bring trouble to her.

That was Wei Shuyu’s principle.

After waiting a few minutes at customs exit, Wei Shuyu finally saw her.

Dazzling golden hair, exquisite makeup, impeccably tailored shoulder-pad suit—Jin Yizhu carried a small bag as she emerged from the airport. The pure white doors slowly closed behind her, accentuating her tall, striking figure.

Wei Shuyu took a deep breath, casting everything aside.

She hurried over, not waiting for Jin Yizhu to react, and plunged straight into her embrace. She wrapped her arms around her waist, gently nuzzled her shoulder, then tilted her face up toward Jin Yizhu.

“Jin Yizhu, I missed you so much.”

Warm, fragrant, soft jade filled her arms, and Jin Yizhu’s mind went blank.

Her thoughts hadn’t yet pulled free from that gladiatorial arena in Hong Kong when the fresh scent of Hermès Un Jardin Sur Le Nil reached her nose.

The sweet, alluring fragrance enveloped her, leaving Jin Yizhu momentarily dazed.

Before she realized it, Jin Yizhu hugged the person before her. She lowered her head, instinctively craving more of Wei Shuyu’s scent.

“I missed you too,” she murmured.

As Jin Yizhu hugged her back, Wei Shuyu let go.

She stepped back, her smile tender. “Jin Yizhu, long time no see.”

Jin Yizhu’s arms emptied, the sweet fragrance drifting away with it. She felt a restlessness in her heart, an inexplicable anxiety rising.

“Indeed, a long time,” Jin Yizhu took her hand. “Over three months. Spring’s already over.”

“What a shame,” Wei Shuyu replied. “The cherry blossom season has passed.”

“There’ll be next year,” Jin Yizhu had no regrets. “What’s wrong? Your hand’s so cold?”

They had walked halfway before she thought to properly look at Wei Shuyu. At this glance, she seemed a bit different from before.

“What have you been up to these three months?” she asked. “You look even prettier.”

Wei Shuyu’s outfit hadn’t changed much—a linen maxi dress—but due to the hot weather, it was a lighter style.

Creamy beige, with delicate spaghetti straps that made her collarbones appear even more slender, her skin nearly translucent white. A dainty necklace adorned her neck; upon closer look, it was the gift from Jin Yizhu, filling her with satisfaction.

It was best if this person wore nothing but things she had given her.

Marked as hers—that felt right.

“Nothing much. Maybe the makeup?” Wei Shuyu replied. “Is my hand that cold?”

She pulled her hand back and pressed it to her cheeks, only then noticing her fingertips were icy, her palms slick with cold sweat.

“Ice-cold. It’s summer— are you not feeling well? Should we get a checkup?”

Jin Yizhu examined her seriously. Her jet-black long hair fell over her shoulders, framing a face of delicate beauty, evoking pity at first sight.

“It’s not the makeup… Your vibe feels different somehow.”

That fragile, little white flower aura was gone.

In its place was a cold sharpness, like a blade unsheathed, hidden in those calm eyes, impossible to look away from.

“Really? I don’t think so,” Wei Shuyu replied evenly. “This is how I’ve always been.”

This is how I’ve always been.

Not the pure little jasmine, but thorny brambles.

Would you still want to keep someone like me by your side?

“Really?” Jin Yizhu stopped, her gaze sweeping over Wei Shuyu’s face, locking with hers. “So before, you were deceiving me?”

She liked both the current Wei Shuyu and the previous one. But if Wei Shuyu had deceived her, pretending to be gentle and harmless just to win her favor…

She couldn’t accept that.

“How could I be deceiving you?” Wei Shuyu chuckled helplessly. “I just hadn’t figured some things out.”

“I see. Everyone has off days,” Jin Yizhu nodded. “But…”

She stared fixedly at Wei Shuyu and said out of nowhere, “You’re too good-looking now.”

Jin Yizhu’s tone was full of bewilderment. “I feel like I’m about to fall for you.”

“I fell for you long ago,” Wei Shuyu shrugged nonchalantly. “Now it’s your turn.”