Chapter 131: The Apartment Part 2

Seeing that the two were about to start another round of bickering, Xu Yinian decided to pretend she was still sulking. She puffed out her cheeks, her rose-white face swelling with lingering baby fat.

“…I’m still mad.”

The corners of Shen Ruoshuang’s lips quirked up almost imperceptibly. “Then talk to me when you’ve calmed down.”

What… what are you laughing at?!

Xu Yinian’s act immediately fell apart. The “Strawberry Daifuku” cheeks deflated as a crimson flush spread all the way to her ears. She buried her head and changed her shoes, truly ignoring everyone now.

Since it was getting late, Xu Yinian used the excuse of washing up to hide in her room, which luckily came with its own ensuite bathroom.

Everything felt foreign. Xu Yinian even leaned against the door to listen carefully for a moment. After confirming the soundproofing was excellent, the tension of holding a day’s worth of secrets finally eased.

She pulled out both phones, realizing that moving out of the dorm actually made things more convenient.

But as she looked at the messages from Bai Ran, Qin Jiashu, and… the other woman’s secretary, her heart sank.

Why does this ‘convenience’ feel like… an affair?

She was startled by her own thought. Her pale pink face crumpled in distress before she resigned herself to dealing with the messages.

Despite her busy schedule, Secretary Zhou hadn’t forgotten to relay CEO Shen’s hidden concern to the “Little Ancestor.”

[CEO Shen noticed that Miss Xu was dressed too lightly. If there hadn’t been outsiders present, she would have ordered me to drive you back. Please dress more warmly next time to avoid catching a cold.]

Shen Yi hadn’t just “noticed” she was dressed lightly…

Recalling the incident with the high-low skirt, Xu Yinian bit her lip in shame. That woman was clearly staring at her legs! She must have planned that for a long time!

Xu Yinian assumed this thoughtfulness came entirely from Secretary Zhou. How could a woman as cold and aloof as Shen Yi care about such trivialities? She sent a polite reply.

As she exited the chat, her gaze lingered on a blank profile picture.

There were no messages from that person.

Aside from relief… there seemed to be another, strangely inexplicable emotion.

Xu Yinian shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to her own phone.

The message from her Senior Sister had been sent in the afternoon. She mentioned that her social circle was hosting a hot spring hotel party this Friday, and her obsessive ex-girlfriend, Zhang Yi, would be there.

[Zhang Yi actually told people I have a new girlfriend. Now my entire circle knows, and they’re clamoring to meet you…]

[Even if I find an excuse to refuse this time, there will definitely be a next time. If you never show up, they’ll definitely get suspicious.]

Xu Yinian’s finger trembled as she went to decline.

How… how did everyone find out so suddenly?!

She had only agreed to pretend to be the girlfriend to deal with Zhang Yi. She never expected that one lie would require countless more to sustain.

Feeling conflicted, she could only send a reply: [What if I run into someone I know?]

Specifically, Ji Yan and the others…

On the other end, Qin Jiashu had just finished her shower. Amidst the swirling steam, seeing the word “Baby” on her screen turned her irritation into a catalyst for flirtation.

Her red-tipped fingers swiped across the screen, leaving a trail of moisture over Xu Yinian’s softening message. The hot steam blurred the tiny characters.

A cunning glint sparked in her fox eyes as she watched Xu Yinian walk into her trap, just as she had predicted.

Much like the “girlfriend photo” she had posted to her Moments, Qin Jiashu was perfectly content to let people misunderstand. She enjoyed the fact that the whole world thought they were a couple, while her “little girlfriend” remained blissfully unaware.

A “contract” relationship only became real when enough people believed in it.

The hot spring party was actually something she had orchestrated. She had personally vetted the guest list, using the party as an excuse for a date. Those predatory rivals of hers wouldn’t be allowed to ruin her fun.

[I’ve checked the list. No one knows you. When the time comes, I’ll just say you’re shy around strangers, and we’ll stay in our own private pool.]

[Don’t worry, I don’t want Ji Yan or Lu Zhou to know either. If word gets back to Zhang Yi, the whole act will be for nothing.]

Seeing that Qin Jiashu had considered everything, Xu Yinian found no reason to refuse. After all, her Senior Sister had helped her so much… Finally, she gave her reluctant consent.

Thinking about the fact that they were now neighbors, Xu Yinian hesitated for a moment but decided not to mention it.

Maybe we won’t run into each other? she thought hopefully.

Sister Ran’s messages had stopped since this morning. When Xu Yinian had lied about being busy and unable to return, Sister Ran had gently told her that those men hadn’t come back and not to worry.

True to her word, she hadn’t said another thing all day, fearing she might disturb her. She was as considerate as ever.

Assuming Sister Ran was already asleep, Xu Yinian turned off her phone and went to wash up.

The luxury apartment was fully equipped like a high-end hotel, including a washer-dryer. However, Xu Yinian was used to washing her delicates by hand.

She stepped out onto the terrace connected to her room to hang her clothes.

On the other side, Qin Jiashu, wrapped in a bathrobe, walked onto her own terrace with a glass of red wine, feeling quite pleased with herself.

But the moment she stepped into the night air, she realized something was wrong.

The neighbor’s unit, which had been dark for months, was now glowing with a soft light.

Wasn’t that the Ji family’s property? Did Ji Yan move back? Or did she rent it out?

Since neither owner lived there, the barrier between the two terraces was merely a waist-high wooden trellis covered in flowers—something that could be easily hopped over. Qin Jiashu had never bothered with it since the other side was vacant.

Curious, she walked toward the trellis to see what was happening.

As she approached, she saw a familiar figure with her back turned, standing on her tiptoes as she struggled to reach the retractable drying rack.

“Xu Yinian?!” Qin Jiashu blurted out.

What is she doing here?

Xu Yinian never expected anyone else to be out there. Terrified, she spun around, only to see a familiar, sultry figure who had clearly just come from the bath.

Damp, seaweed-like hair draped over the woman’s shoulders, and the water dripping down her skin seemed to carry a tint of red.

Remembering that her Senior Sister lived next door, Xu Yinian’s gaze drifted to the wooden trellis.

…Are the two terraces connected?

She was about to stammer a response when she suddenly heard the sound of a door opening nearby.

Xu Yinian had assumed only her room had access to the terrace.

The split second she spotted Ji Yan’s figure, Xu Yinian’s mind went utterly blank. Acting on pure instinct, she shook her head violently at Qin Jiashu, frantically mouthing the words for her to hide.

…Wait, why is she even more practiced at sneaking around than I am? Qin Jiashu wondered. Despite the silent jab, she stepped back into the gloom, melting into the shadows to conceal herself.

It was already too late to do much else. Xu Yinian flattened herself against the wooden trellis, attempting to hide the gap with her own body. Behind her back, she gripped the clothes hanger—and the intimate wear still pinned to it—with a white-knuckled, desperate intensity.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yan asked, her voice drawing closer.