Chapter 83

Xiao Luyan’s irritation lingered right up until it was nearly time to clock out. She hadn’t eaten much for lunch, but it still sat heavy in her stomach, making it hard to breathe from time to time.

Her phone stayed quiet in the drawer. The occasional messages were all trivial, so Xiao Luyan gradually shifted her attention elsewhere.

With her work temporarily wrapped up, her mind had a moment of idleness, and her brain started wandering uncontrollably again.

That faint sense of stuffiness welled up once more, and Xiao Luyan had zero interest in staying late.

Cheng Yanran came to pick up the approved documents and reported on the latest work progress. “Trans and Su Yiqui have confirmed their flights. They’ll arrive in a couple of days.”

Xiao Luyan hummed in acknowledgment. “Keep a close eye on the details. No room for sloppy mistakes.”

Cheng Yanran had learned her lesson from last time and was extra cautious now. Plus, her master had preemptively sidelined Jason’s people this time, minimizing the chances of sabotage.

She had been about to leave, but after a few steps, she hesitated and turned back. “Master, are you okay?”

Xiao Luyan, who had just finished packing her bag, paused and looked up without any sign of anything amiss. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Cheng Yanran lowered her voice. “You seem like you’re in a bad mood.”

Xiao Luyan frowned slightly.

“You didn’t look too happy at lunch either.” Cheng Yanran’s tone was honest and concerned, reminding Xiao Luyan of someone else.

She lowered her gaze and said flatly, “It’s nothing. Maybe I’ve just been a bit tired lately.”

Cheng Yanran figured that was probably it. She got this way during big projects too. If anything was different, it was just the mental pressure weighing heavier.

She turned to leave, but Xiao Luyan called her back.

“Are you free tonight?” Xiao Luyan’s expression was normal. “If so, let’s grab dinner together.”

Cheng Yanran almost said, Aren’t you tired? Shouldn’t you head home and rest early if you’re worn out?

But she caught the hint of firmness in her master’s tone and nodded instead.

“Then I’ll go get ready. Be right back!”

Cheng Yanran dashed off like the wind. Xiao Luyan glanced down at her silent phone.

If she wasn’t going home for dinner, she needed to let Lu Yuezhi know.

Remembering that Lu Yuezhi hadn’t messaged about dinner tonight, Xiao Luyan’s irritation deepened.

Xiao Luyan: 【Something came up tonight. Won’t be home for dinner.】

Lu Yuezhi’s reply wasn’t as quick as usual, but faster than at noon. Xiao Luyan waited about five minutes before it came through.

Lu Yuezhi: 【Overtime again? Remember to eat on time.】

Xiao Luyan started typing that it wasn’t overtime, just dinner with Cheng Yanran. Halfway through, she decided there was no need for details—it all boiled down to not coming home for dinner anyway.

Xiao Luyan: 【You working late?】

Lu Yuezhi: 【Not sure.】

Xiao Luyan frowned. What was uncertain about it? It was her own studio—couldn’t she decide for herself?

The irritation persisted, but she had no idea what to say next.

After a moment’s thought: 【You eat on time too.】

Lu Yuezhi: 【Okay.】

A single word again! Xiao Luyan was starting to resent that word. Did it cost extra to type a couple more characters?

She pondered whether to send something else. Cheng Yanran knocked only when Xiao Luyan realized that single word was like a stoplight, signaling the end of the conversation.

From Deyounian to the restaurant, Xiao Luyan was almost completely silent the whole way.

Cheng Yanran had assumed her master was free tonight, which was why she’d been invited out. But Xiao Luyan kept checking her phone, like she was waiting for something important.

She didn’t pry, though. If Xiao Luyan thought it needed sharing, she wouldn’t have ignored her like this for so long. Cheng Yanran concluded it was her master’s personal business—best not to butt in.

But one of them staring at her phone meant the other couldn’t just do the same. Cheng Yanran smoothly pulled out her own.

Too busy lately to even like her bestie’s posts. The moment Cheng Yanran opened the app, she dove straight into her good friend’s feed to hype things up.

She hadn’t checked in days, and the girl had posted a ton! Cheng Yanran sighed in admiration as she liked them one by one, boosting the vibe.

So absorbed, she didn’t notice someone watching. Only after finishing a bunch of new posts did she realize Xiao Luyan had been looking at her screen for a while.

“Master.” She smiled sheepishly. “Got too into it.”

So she forgot about you for a bit.

Xiao Luyan didn’t mind. She wasn’t the type to demand top priority from others. She just found the interface on Cheng Yanran’s phone awfully familiar—even the background music felt like yesterday.

She had clicked on the same posts herself just yesterday. She hadn’t expected Cheng Yanran to follow the same blogger.

Seeing her glance at the phone, Cheng Yanran didn’t hold back. “My bestie started her own business. Figured I’d give her some moral support.”

Xiao Luyan raised a brow. “This blogger is your bestie?”

“Yeah.” Cheng Yanran hadn’t expected her master to be interested and opened up. “Back in high school, she loved analyzing our love lives. Could talk all afternoon without getting tired.”

Xiao Luyan thought to herself that these big data algorithms were getting ridiculous.

But she kept her composure, acting like she hadn’t delved into it before. Casually, she asked, “Are these posts copied from online, or her own analysis?”

“A bit of both.” Cheng Yanran pulled up a few with the most likes to show her. “Stuff like zodiac breakdowns—she finds similar takes online and adds her own insights.”

Xiao Luyan glanced over and spotted the exact one that had first caught her eye.

Her tone stayed casual. “Do Scorpios get a lot of online buzz?”

Cheng Yanran paused, realizing her master was one too.

“Probably because people of this sign are so charismatic. Draws a bigger crowd.”

Xiao Luyan thought, Not entirely. Most of what she’d seen was complaints—Scorpios seemed like the internet’s public enemy in relationships.

But she played it cool, chatting idly. “Are zodiac signs and love really that linked? Aren’t people all different anyway?”

She believed that herself. Reducing someone to a zodiac template was underestimating human nature.

Still, after following for a bit, she couldn’t deny some points rang true.

Cheng Yanran took her master’s sudden interest and dove in. “Not like you have to follow it to the letter. It’s just people with shared gripes gathering to vent and heal.”

Vent? Heal?

Xiao Luyan chuckled inwardly. Spot on. Under those posts railing against cold-hearted Scorpio women, tons of heartbroken netizens had piled on.

Heartbroken…

That aggrieved face, those reddened eyes, that choked plea about fearing she’d slip away—it all flashed through her mind.

Xiao Luyan faltered, and the stuffiness she’d barely suppressed came roaring back.

Seeing her face fall, Cheng Yanran quickly reassured her. “Scorpios aren’t the only targets, though. There’s another sign that gets it even worse.”

Xiao Luyan didn’t have much free time, so she mostly skimmed Scorpio-related stuff. This piqued her curiosity.

“Who else?”

“Virgos!” Cheng Yanran said soothingly. “Scorpios are unrequited love; Virgos drive people insane.”

Drive people insane?

Xiao Luyan laughed in disbelief. “That exaggerated?”

“Perfectionism—they’re so picky they can push people ten kilometers away.” Cheng Yanran spoke from experience.

Xiao Luyan fell silent. She remembered Lu Yuezhi’s recent birthday—they’d even gone back to the Lu Family for a meal.

No big banquet because the Wu Family thought it too close to the wedding and overly flashy, and Lu Yuezhi saw no need for the fuss.

Xiao Luyan had never cared much for zodiac talk, but checking the dates, Lu Yuezhi was definitely a Virgo.

The thought that someone shared a “target alliance” with her made her laugh out loud.

Cheng Yanran blinked—this wasn’t the reaction she’d expected from her master. Why did it feel a little wicked?

Xiao Luyan quickly smoothed her smile, keeping it casual. “Being a perfectionist isn’t so bad. If everyone slacked off, the world would be worse.”

“But nitpicking in love torments your partner.” Cheng Yanran pulled up a mega-liked post. “See? Tons of sufferers.”

Xiao Luyan didn’t read the content, just noted the like count. Yeah, these two signs were confirmed public enemies.

She’d been a bit down before, but thinking of Lu Yuezhi sharing the load made it less bothersome.

Xiao Luyan couldn’t help defending her. “Not every Virgo is like that.”

Recalling recent days, Lu Yuezhi did have some OCD tendencies—like neatly aligning shoes in the cabinet after changing, wiping the stove right away, not leaving a speck on the table.

But those weren’t flaws. She only held herself to that standard, never forcing it on others.

Xiao Luyan never felt nitpicked or tormented. She actually enjoyed Lu Yuezhi’s gentleness and tolerance.

Her lips curved up unconsciously, but thinking of those unanswered questions from yesterday sank her mood again.

Logic told her Lu Yuezhi’s evasion confirmed her suspicions. Lu Yuezhi might not mean to deceive her, but it wasn’t the miracle she’d hoped for.

A heavy sense of powerlessness wrapped around her heart, dragging down the rare good mood.

Back home, she entered the living room and saw Lu Yuezhi coming out of the kitchen with a glass of water.

Seeing her return, Lu Yuezhi’s first instinct was to grin, but she pulled the smile back halfway before it fully bloomed.

The smile lingered, but Xiao Luyan clearly saw that deliberate restraint.

“You’re back? Overtime must’ve been tough.” Lu Yuezhi spoke first.

Xiao Luyan curved her lips slightly. “Not tough. Grabbed dinner with Cheng Yanran.”

Not overtime after all—Lu Yuezhi relaxed a bit. It was good to unwind with friends occasionally; she had no issue with that.

Seeing she didn’t even ask for details, Xiao Luyan’s smile faded.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the hem of Lu Yuezhi’s loungewear sticking up a bit. It reminded her of the post. See, she thought, Virgos aren’t perfect every second. Lu Yuezhi got casual at home.

Before she could mention it, Lu Yuezhi absentmindedly smoothed the hem. She even adjusted the other side for symmetry.

Caught in Xiao Luyan’s gaze, Lu Yuezhi glanced down.

Aside from that minor imperfection earlier, nothing was wrong.

“What are you looking at?” Lu Yuezhi asked curiously.

Xiao Luyan stared at her face, wondering: For a Virgo who doesn’t nitpick or push in love—is it love too deep, or not deep enough?