The masked ball had been going on for a while, but there weren’t many people in the dance hall overall. It was clear that everyone had drunk a bit of alcohol. Several pairs of men and women swayed unsteadily to the soothing music, moving along with the rhythm.
It took Chu Susu a little time to spot where the clients were sitting.
Under the dim and ambiguous lighting, a variety of dishes had already been laid out on the table in front of them. The group was eating while chatting with two young men sitting across from them. The atmosphere seemed pretty good.
After circling around, Chu Susu finally saw the two men’s faces clearly and let out a soft “Ah”: “Someone else is here.”
She found the two a bit familiar; she’d seen them before at some exchange seminar. They were colleagues from another consulting firm.
No wonder about that. In any industry, there were more monks than porridge. She’d tossed away this opportunity, and plenty of others were scrambling for it. Look, now they’d beaten her to the punch.
The scene made Chu Susu hesitate a bit.
They were chatting happily right now. It didn’t seem like a good idea to barge in and interrupt.
“Maybe we should forget it,” she said, turning back softly. “Not safe in front of so many people.”
What if they got found out?
Han Xuan shook her head gently: “It won’t happen.”
After saying those two words, without waiting for Chu Susu to say anything more, she walked straight over and sat down in an empty chair.
The conversation was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the girl.
Her uninvited seating made displeasure clearly show on the clients’ faces, but considering that everyone here today was likely rich or noble, one of them politely asked: “Miss, you…”
Before he could finish, he saw ripples of an unusual pattern suddenly appear in the girl’s pitch-black eyes, calm as a stagnant pond.
Specks of purple light spots spread from a single point to fill the entire pupil, like electric waves or an invisible magnetic field, instantly transmitting into everyone’s eyes. In just a few short seconds, everyone’s eyes at the table were tinged with a faint purple.
Chu Susu was stunned on the spot.
Even though she’d known about her special ability for a long time, every time she witnessed it firsthand, she couldn’t help but feel amazed by this inhuman power.
“What were you talking about just now?” Han Xuan asked.
People farther away might not notice anything unusual, but Chu Susu saw it clearly. Those few people had become like her puppets, their bodies rigid and unmoving, only reacting when Han Xuan spoke.
“A new project,” the two young colleagues answered mechanically. “Our company got the news…”
They gave a brief summary, and Chu Susu listened attentively, secretly breathing a sigh of relief in her heart. So these two had come to chat up the clients about a product under one of the client’s subsidiary companies.
The new project that the clients had discussed with Chu Susu’s company hadn’t been signed yet, so despite how well the talks had gone before, everything was still up in the air. Learning at this moment that the colleagues weren’t here to poach the deal was undoubtedly good news.
“Alright.” After confirming that information, Han Xuan interrupted before they could finish. “You can go now.”
The two young men obediently shut their mouths, rising in unison like worker bees obeying their queen, and left without another word.
“You all.”
Han Xuan turned to the clients, her face devoid of extra expression. The light from the side cast shadows over half her cheek.
The half exposed to the light was still as fair and pure as ever; but the other half, which Chu Susu couldn’t see clearly, seemed shrouded in dark, lurking gloom.
“Have you seen Susu earlier?” she said softly.
The words were like flipping a switch on the clients. They shook their heads stiffly in unison:
“No, we didn’t see Miss Chu at the birthday banquet.”
Watching the whole scene up close, Chu Susu felt a chill rise from her feet to her head.
She could manipulate minds so easily. If she misused this ability, wouldn’t she be able to do anything she wanted?
Han Xuan nodded, then stood up and offered her the seat: “Alright, come on over.”
The clients’ dazed gazes gradually cleared up.
Han Xuan quickly noticed the change in Chu Susu’s gaze toward her. She froze for a moment, then realized something and lowered her head gently:
“Did I scare you?”
She bit her lip, her downcast eyelids trembling lightly, her palms clenched tightly into fists. Her voice carried a hint of sensitive, timid self-deprecation:
“Did I seem really weird just now? Sorry, I just wanted to get it over with quickly. I didn’t want to be found out…”
It was as if the expressionless interrogator from moments ago wasn’t her.
That lost and vulnerable fragility instantly softened Chu Susu’s heart again. She suppressed the unease from that scene, reached out, and patted her head: “How could that be? Don’t overthink it.”
In truth, she had been a bit scared, but on second thought, it wasn’t a big deal.
Such a powerful ability, if used improperly, could have incalculable consequences. Exaggerating it, it could harm ordinary people, incite wars, or even turn the world upside down long ago.
But Han Xuan was introverted and low-key, clearly not ambitious. If she wanted to, she could have become famous in all sorts of ways by now.
Instead of living like this as an “ordinary girl” hidden in the city.
What was scary wasn’t the ability itself, but the person wielding it.
While she was lost in thought, the clients had already snapped out of it, seemingly with no memory of what had happened.
“Huh, where’d those two guys from Kexun go?” Kexun was the company of those two colleagues.
“Your memory’s something else. Didn’t they finish chatting and leave? It’s been several minutes.”
“Oh, right. How’d I forget that all of a sudden?”
As they spoke, they looked over at the woman in the apricot-colored long dress, finding her a bit familiar, and soon recognized her:
“Oh, aren’t you… the girl who presented the report for your company before?”
Time waits for no one. Having missed once, Chu Susu wouldn’t miss a second time. She stepped forward with small steps and sat across from them: “Yes, it’s me. What a coincidence running into you all here.”
She actively answered the clients’ questions while presenting the proposal she’d prepared for the new project.
But out of the corner of her eye during the conversation, she caught sight of Han Xuan’s retreating figure.
She was just leaving as ordinarily as could be, but her black skirt swayed gracefully.
Like a dark butterfly vanishing into the night, shimmering with a strange, brilliant light that only Chu Susu could see.
In another lounge room decorated even more lavishly in gold and jade tones, a woman in an elaborate evening gown lounged casually on the sofa. She looked at the few people brought over by the special assistant and frowned.
“Just these few?”
The speaker was a man in a suit, his tone quite respectful: “Yes, Miss. We’ve checked the surveillance footage. These were the ones who spoke rudely to Miss Han Xuan just now.”
The several young women standing in the center of the lounge were uneasy and awkward, growing fearful at those words and hurriedly saying:
“Miss Han Yao, it’s not like that…”
“Miss Han Yao, please hear us out…”
The special assistant shot them a cold look, signaling them to shut up, so the rest of their words were swallowed back down.
Han Yao’s head ached a bit from all their chattering. Ignoring them, she continued asking the special assistant: “Give me a rundown of what happened.”
“They surrounded Miss Han Xuan and mocked her background and outfit.”
“And then? What was Han Xuan’s reaction?”
“Miss Han Xuan didn’t say anything. She just stood there quietly. Later, another young lady stood up for Miss Han Xuan and pulled her away.”
“Chu Susu?”
“Yes.”
Han Yao’s big eyes blinked in confusion: “I don’t get it.”
Han Xuan wasn’t a kid anymore. When did she ever let others bully her?
The special assistant didn’t quite understand either and scratched his head, unable to provide a reasonable explanation.
Just then, the lounge door suddenly opened.
The person they’d just been talking about walked in gracefully, not even glancing at the girls as she got straight to the point: “Lend me an outfit.”
Han Yao on the sofa was even more puzzled and asked: “What for? Didn’t you go off with your Chu Susu to…”
Done that fast?
Tsk tsk, young people these days weren’t up to much.
“Thanks for your concern.” Han Xuan smiled, but her words held little warmth. “Lend me a skirt, something easy to dance in.”
Han Yao waved her hand, having the special assistant fetch a spare one from the wardrobe. The two were about the same build, so size wouldn’t be an issue.
Taking the suitable skirt, Han Xuan added: “Don’t say random stuff in front of Susu.”
She never spoke so bluntly. This icy tone laced with warning didn’t anger Han Yao; instead, it sparked an intrigued look in her eyes: “Oh?”
Han Xuan was silent for a moment before explaining: “She doesn’t remember the past.”
“I see.”
That explained everything.
Earlier, Han Yao had been wondering—after knowing each other for so many years, did the other side not know what kind of person Han Xuan was? Why bother putting on such an elaborate act?
Old spouses… wait, no, old wives now. Was it really necessary?
But she was too lazy to meddle in Han Xuan’s private affairs, saying lazily:
“Whatever. But your Susu had me stand up for you. So, want me to help? Or should I craft your ‘poor little thing’ persona? Then you’ll owe me another favor~”
Han Xuan didn’t speak, merely casting a faint glance at the few people standing frozen in place, not daring to move.
Immediately afterward, their bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground simultaneously.
She then said, “Just toss them anywhere. Sorry for the trouble.”
Then, without any reluctance, she hugged the skirt and walked out.
Standing there, the special assistant was at a loss, frozen on the spot. Though he was already accustomed to such scenes, he still asked in bewilderment, “Miss, what should we do now? Should we do as Miss Han Xuan said?”
Han Yao took a deep breath, waved her hand expressionlessly, and signaled him to quickly drag these people back to the dining area.
By the time these girls wake up, they’ll probably have no memory of what happened and just think they blacked out from drinking.
But how did that Chu Susu lose her memory? It sounds like she doesn’t remember anything from before. I just feel like there’s more to it—otherwise, she’s perfectly fine and doesn’t look like she’s been in a car accident or any other mishap. How could she suddenly lose her memory for no reason?
Han Yao lowered her head and pondered for a moment, suddenly arriving at a bold conjecture.
——No way, something happened between them, and then…
Han Xuan erased people’s memories, right?
That would be too interesting.
