Chapter 34

Chu Su was afraid of any awkward silences, so she called over a few more people from their circle to join them. Lu Yao wasn’t close friends with these folks, but they often ended up drinking together, so they were all familiar faces.

A little after eight in the evening, Lu Yao had Jiang Chen drop her off at Crown Bar before sending him home. Once inside, she made a beeline for the booth where she and Chu Su usually relaxed—and sure enough, Chu Su was already there drinking with four friends.

When Lu Yao approached, Chu Su waved her over enthusiastically. “Lu Yao, come on over! It’s been two months since we last saw you. We finally got everyone together tonight—we’ve missed you!”

Lu Yao shook her head with a chuckle at her friend’s exaggeration, but her mood inexplicably lightened. “You guys are the best at sweet-talking. Order whatever you want—it’s on me tonight.”

“Alright then, thanks a bunch, CEO Lu.” Zhao Ke grinned as he spoke. He was a rich second-gen whose family was in the appliance business. He was good friends with Chu Su, which made him an acquaintance of Lu Yao’s too.

“No need—I’m the one who should thank you all for coming out to keep me company.” Lu Yao took a sip from her glass and leaned back lazily on the sofa.

The bar’s lighting was dim, and Shen Zhirou and Zhao Tongtong were deep in conversation, so they didn’t notice the person who had just passed by their booth. They vaguely caught voices from the booth behind them that sounded familiar—like Lu Yao’s.

Shen Zhirou shook her head, figuring Lu Yao was too busy with work to hit up a bar for fun, and let it go, turning back to Tongtong.

“Hey, I heard you got a girlfriend? What kind of person caught your eye?” Zhao Ke asked with a gossipy grin. Lu Yao had a reputation in their circle for her icy demeanor, and they’d all privately speculated that no one could melt that frost.

Lu Yao took another sip of her drink before replying. “We met through a blind date.”

Zhao Ke nearly spat out his drink, choking and coughing uncontrollably until Fan Wei handed him a napkin.

After a few coughs and wiping his mouth, Zhao Ke stared at her in shock. “A blind date? You didn’t just say that, right? You went on a blind date?”

Lu Yao arched a brow at him. “What? Can’t I go on one?”

“Damn, you mean it actually worked out? That’s straight-up unreal—not your style at all.” Zhao Ke felt like his world had turned upside down.

“Let me correct you: I didn’t get a girlfriend. The person I’m living with now is my fiancée. I’m not interested in dating anyone.” Lu Yao spoke calmly, her expression unchanging.

“Isn’t that the same thing? Fine, whatever you say.” Zhao Ke muttered, not daring to pry further. Lu Yao was terrifying when she got mad—he couldn’t handle that.

“So what’s got you in a bad mood today? Did you two fight? No need to talk if you don’t want—we’re here to drink with you.” Chu Su smiled and shot glances at the others to liven things up.

“Yeah, little lovers’ quarrels are normal. Just let her sweet-talk you, and it’ll be fine,” Fan Wei chimed in with a teasing laugh.

Lu Yao seemed to mull over Fan Wei’s words. In her time with Shen Zhirou, she was always the dominant one—even in bed, Zhirou would respect her wishes and stop whenever she said the word.

Zhirou seemed willing to compromise on everything for her sake. In comparison, Lu Yao hadn’t given much of herself. She didn’t even think of their relationship as true romance; she just felt they were a good match.

Her first love had been Wen Jin. Lu Yao still remembered how heartbroken she’d been after their breakup, to the point where she’d developed an aversion to dating altogether.

She didn’t love Wen Jin that much anymore—time had faded it all—but that first youthful crush lingered in her memory.

As the chatter from the booth behind grew louder, Shen Zhirou became more convinced it was Lu Yao’s voice. She wavered on whether to go say hi, worried it might annoy her if she showed up uninvited, so she stayed put.

Shen Zhirou sipped her drink now and then, chatting idly with Tongtong while the voices from the nearby booth drifted over. They were so close that she could even hear Lu Yao sigh.

She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop—it was just that their booths were too damn near each other.

“When we were together, she was always the one making concessions for me. She has such a good temper and never pries into my affairs. I really think she’s a good match for me.” Lu Yao reflected on her impressions of Shen Zhirou, and that was exactly right—even in bed, Shen Zhirou had always been so gentle. Lu Yao let out a sigh, realizing the source of her foul mood these past few days: she and Shen Zhirou hadn’t been intimate in ages, and there were also Shen Zhirou’s family troubles weighing on her.

Hearing this, Chu Su’s inner gossip fiend was fully ignited. She grinned at Lu Yao. “You’re that satisfied with her? You two must get along great in bed too, right?”

Lu Yao let out a light chuckle, her eyes sweeping over the group. “Of course. Way better off than you single dogs. You’ve got all this free time to come out drinking with me, so you all must be unattached.”

“Ouch, Lu Yao, that’s a low blow. No way—I’m ordering another bottle. Time to make you spend a little more.” Zhao Ke laughed and waved over the server, calling for two more bottles.

“But if you’re so happy with her, why the bad mood? Do you actually like her? Is that why you’re together?” Chu Su asked, curiosity piqued.

Lu Yao shook her head without a moment’s hesitation. “No chance. Back then, I only decided to give it a shot with her because her eyes reminded me of Wen Jin’s—bright, with that soft, gentle spark. Truth be told, I made up my mind the first time we met. Later on, I realized she clicked with me in other ways too. I’m not one for hassle, and I didn’t want to waste time breaking someone else in, so we made it official.”

“So you’re basically with her because of Wen Jin…” Chu Su was still prattling on when the sharp crash of glass shattering against the floor echoed from the booth behind them.

“What happened? Did you cut your hand?” Zhao Tongtong rushed to check on Shen Zhirou.

Shen Zhirou’s fingertips trembled faintly. Lu Yao’s words had drowned out everything else, leaving her deaf to the rest. So Ye Qi and Zhang Huichun had been telling the truth—Lu Yao had only gotten together with her because her eyes looked like Wen Jin’s?

Shards of memory stitched themselves together in her mind: that first meeting, when Lu Yao had stared so intently at her eyes; the way Lu Yao only locked gazes with her and murmured “Jie Jie” over and over in the heat of passion, only to turn cold and distant by morning; Lu Yao admitting she wasn’t interested in dating, just in finding someone suitable to marry; their WeChat chat window, forever filled with her one-sided messages that went forever unanswered.

These scattered pieces formed a conclusion Shen Zhirou refused to accept: Lu Yao didn’t like her at all. In Lu Yao’s heart, she was nothing more than a stand-in for Wen Jin.

A chill seeped through Shen Zhirou’s entire body, her breaths coming shallow and labored. She’d thought she could weather the chaos from her own family and Lu Yao’s, and then she and Yaoyao could be together happily. She’d believed Lu Yao cared for her, at least a little. But now reality had shattered every illusion, forcing her to confront the truth.

Zhao Tongtong recoiled at the sight of Shen Zhirou’s reddened eyes. She quickly steadied her, concern flooding her voice. “Zhirou, what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick somewhere? You’re shaking.”

Lu Yao was half-listening to Chu Su’s endless gossip about her love life when she caught someone calling Shen Zhirou’s name from the booth behind. Curiosity tugged at her, and she twisted around for a look. The high back of the booth blocked most of her view. Earlier, she’d heard a voice that sounded just like Shen Zhirou’s—and for no reason she could name, tension coiled in her chest.

Shen Zhirou drew in a shaky breath and rose to her feet, eyes still rimmed red as she peered toward the back booth. In the dim haze of the bar, her gaze locked with Lu Yao’s. She simply stood there, staring silently.

A flicker of panic stirred in Lu Yao’s chest, but she tamped it down swiftly. She stood as well, meeting Shen Zhirou’s eyes. Her thin, pink lips parted, her voice devoid of warmth. “Let’s talk.”

Shen Zhirou gave a bitter scoff, shaking her head faintly. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to let them fall in front of Lu Yao. Every moment of their time together replayed in her mind, signs that had always been there if she’d only looked—yet she’d trusted Lu Yao so completely, never once suspecting. “There’s nothing left to talk about. I’ll move out tonight.”

Zhao Tongtong hadn’t caught the exchange from the back booth, so she was still piecing it together, her eyes darting between Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao. “That’s Lu Yao?”

“Tongtong, something came up. I’m heading out. We’ll hang out another time.” With that to Zhao Tongtong, Shen Zhirou quickly settled the bill and hurried out of the bar.

Zhao Tongtong shouted from behind her, “If anything happens, don’t tough it out on your own—remember to call me.”

Shen Zhirou didn’t even turn her head as she waved goodbye. Tears had already slipped down her cheeks unnoticed, and when she lifted a hand to wipe them away, she found they wouldn’t stop.

Lu Yao’s brows knitted together. She hadn’t expected to run into Shen Zhirou drinking here of all places, and from the look on Shen Zhirou’s face, it seemed she had overheard Lu Yao’s words. A flicker of panic stirred in Lu Yao’s heart, but she also knew everything she’d said was the truth. Shen Zhirou knew now, and that was that. After all, when they had decided to give things a try, Lu Yao had been upfront from the start—she wasn’t looking for romance, just a marriage partner.

“Who’s that? What’s going on?” Zhao Ke asked curiously, glancing at Lu Yao. But when his eyes met her cool gaze, he wisely clamped his mouth shut.

“You all keep drinking. I’m heading out first.” Lu Yao hurried after Shen Zhirou out of the bar, only to see that Shen Zhirou had no intention of waiting—she had already flagged down a cab and driven off.

Lu Yao quickly hailed her own cab, eager to catch up. There were some things they still needed to talk about.