Chapter 6: Rosy Cheeks

What a coincidence—this was her ex-girlfriend.

The little beauty froze for a moment upon hearing this, a trace of embarrassment appearing on her exquisite face. “You’re telling me to get lost?”

When they had been together before, no matter how much she threw tantrums or made a fuss, Chu Susu had always patiently coaxed her and never said anything so harsh.

But why, just a few days after breaking up, had she completely changed her attitude?!

Xia Zilu took off her sunglasses. Her tube dress outlined the rise and fall of her chest—she was clearly furious. She bit her lip and slammed her chain bag against the car door again, not caring if it would scratch the paint.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” she demanded sharply, her big eyes full of hurt. “No time for me, but time to take another woman out to eat?”

The moment she saw that perfume packaging, Xia Zilu had already decided Chu Susu was cheating, even though she hadn’t seen the “other woman” in person. Even if it wasn’t cheating, it was a seamless connection!

They had been parked here for a while without moving forward, and the drivers behind were already impatiently honking.

Chu Susu took a deep breath. Seeing that Xia Zilu had moved aside a bit and stood at the side of the car, she ignored her, released the brake, and drove forward. Xia Zilu jumped in fright and fell awkwardly to the ground.

A resentful shout came from behind: “You hate me that much?!”

Chu Susu parked the car as quickly as possible, then got out and headed toward the restaurant without looking back once—like even one extra glance would dirty her eyes.

Though Xia Zilu wasn’t ready to give up, she was wearing fine high heels and couldn’t keep up with Chu Susu’s walking speed, so Chu Susu successfully shook her off.

Afraid of keeping Han Xuan waiting too long, she checked and saw no message from Han Xuan urging her, so she breathed a slight sigh of relief. But in the moment she looked down at her phone, a Weibo push notification popped up.

Chu Susu thought it was news at first, but it turned out to be some astrology fortune. She was about to close it when she caught a few keywords and couldn’t help but read more.

“Ascendant Gemini with Mercury in the fifth house—Mercury retrograde recently, so pay extra attention, especially in relationships. Ascendant Geminis may unintentionally run into past flings or exes, and they might cause some trouble. Please handle interpersonal relationships carefully…”

She didn’t believe in this mystical stuff—astrology, fortunes, all so vague. But this line matched exactly what had just happened, giving her an inexplicable sense of coincidence.

In any case, Chu Susu tapped in to read the full post. By the time she reached the restaurant entrance, she followed the account on impulse.

It was troublesome enough, she thought mockingly.

Chu Susu had been to this pet restaurant many times and always booked a window seat. A familiar waiter led her to the table, where Han Xuan had already been waiting for a while.

Han Xuan was there for a company interview today, so she was dressed formally: a black suit jacket with a white blouse inside, and a slightly prim short skirt below. It suited her temperament perfectly—reserved and restrained.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Chu Susu said with a smile by way of apology. “Parking took a bit longer. Have you looked at the menu? Any dishes you want or anything you’re allergic to?”

Han Xuan kept her head slightly lowered, as if afraid to look straight at Chu Susu’s face. She said softly, “Anything’s fine with me. Whatever you decide.”

Her pretty hands fidgeted, clasped together; faint blue veins were visible under her fair skin, soon turning slightly red from her own grip.

“Alright.”

Setting aside that little interlude earlier, the atmosphere was pretty good overall. Chu Susu was great at keeping a conversation going, and under her lead, Han Xuan gradually relaxed.

Just then, Chu Susu’s phone on the chair beside her lit up.

She glanced and saw the name “Li Le’er.” Without a change in expression, she picked up the phone and smiled at Han Xuan. “I’ll be right back—going to the restroom.”

She’d been so focused on her little lamb that afternoon that she’d neglected these messages.

“Hello.” Chu Susu answered the call in the restroom, not yet realizing what the other wanted. “What’s up?”

Li Le’er’s words came rapid-fire, laced with anxiety. “Why didn’t you reply to my messages? Are you on a date right now?”

“Yeah, didn’t check my phone.”

“With the little lamb?”

“So what?”

Li Le’er cursed, “Holy shit. You’re moving fast. Anyway, the real talk—Xia Zilu’s been harassing me these past few days, asking me to feel you out for her. I’ve been refusing. Then she just called me all pissed off, asking if I know who your new flame is. I was baffled and told her you don’t have a new one. She didn’t believe me, said she just ran into you and is about to come catch you in the act.”

Li Le’er was also a friend of her ex-girlfriend, but just an acquaintance—nowhere near as close as with Chu Susu.

Chu Susu frowned. “She called you? When?”

“Like two minutes ago. That’s why I’m tipping you off quick,” Li Le’er said cautiously. “But… are you really not gonna give her another chance?”

“Hm?”

“Xia Zilu was pretty over the top before, sure, but she apologized later, right? You know her temper—bowing her head is a big deal for her. How about… forgiving her? You’ve been together almost half a year; there’s some foundation there.”

Chu Susu stared at herself in the mirror, her face expressionless, almost cold:

“What do you think?”

So what if there were feelings.

Spilled water couldn’t be gathered back. Some bottom lines crossed could never be undone.

“Huh?”

“She’s probably coming to make trouble. Gotta go, bye.”

Chu Susu hung up abruptly, then strode quickly outside. She knew Xia Zilu’s temper—when she said she was coming to “catch in the act,” she meant it, consequences be damned.

There was only one pet restaurant here; it’d be easy for Xia Zilu to find her.

Too bad this meal with Han Xuan was probably ruined.

Suddenly, Chu Susu’s footsteps halted.

In the time she’d gone to the restroom, a familiar figure in high heels had already appeared at their table.

The waiter nearby couldn’t stop her and didn’t know what to do.

“You’re her new fling, right?”

Xia Zilu spotted Pipi at once. Seeing Han Xuan holding it intimately in her arms, she flung her bag onto the table in rage.

Faced with this sudden trouble, Han Xuan seemed to shrink back. She said something softly, but it only enraged Xia Zilu further, who reached out to grab Han Xuan’s sleeve.

Chu Susu’s heart sank, displeasure crossing her face. She stepped forward in time to stop Xia Zilu before she touched Han Xuan. “Stop it.”

She shot a look at the waiter, who got the hint and moved to block her further.

Xia Zilu had stormed in so dramatically that she’d drawn plenty of attention. Nearby guests heard words like “new fling” and “mistress” and couldn’t help looking over. But then another woman showed up.

Wait—was this some lesbian drama? Some busybodies were already filming discreetly with their phones.

Tears streamed down Xia Zilu’s sweet face. She glared sobbing at the two of them, her trembling hand pointing back and forth. “I knew it—you definitely brought a woman. When did you two get together? While we were still dating? Fine, well played, Chu Susu. What a massive green hat you’ve put on my head.”

Chu Susu took a deep breath.

Just because she was dining with Han Xuan, Xia Zilu fixated on calling it cheating and threw this public tantrum without a care for her image.

She should’ve realized long ago—Xia Zilu was just this immature.

“Don’t make a scene in public,” Chu Susu said calmly, her last shred of patience nearly worn out. “You’re ridiculous when you lose it like this.”

The little dog Pipi shrank into a ball the moment it saw Xia Zilu, looking terrified and burrowing nonstop into Han Xuan’s arms.

But seeing the standoff, its protective instincts kicked in. It jumped down from Han Xuan’s lap, stood between them, and barked fiercely at Xia Zilu:

“Woof!”

It wouldn’t let this woman near its owner!

“I’m losing it?”

Xia Zilu glared viciously at the loyal protector Pipi, wiped her tears, and kept muttering those words. “You’re really heartless, Susu.”

She cried uncontrollably yet still vented her temper—her diamond-studded manicured hand slammed the bag onto the table again, knocking over a clear glass there. It shattered right by Han Xuan’s feet.

Water splashed in an arc, soaking her chest completely.

Han Xuan couldn’t dodge in time and hurriedly covered the wet spot. She drew in a small gasp, her cheeks flushing pink with shame and embarrassment.

Seeing her still harassing an unrelated person, Chu Susu’s eyes grew even colder.

“You were sleeping with me just a second ago, and now you’re all lovey-dovey with another woman. You trimmed your nails—what, planning to go at it later? Hotel? Your place? In the car…”

Xia Zilu wouldn’t let up.

The onlookers erupted in whispers. Whoa, that’s some heavy info dump—is this for our ears?

“Watch your mouth.”

Chu Susu interrupted her, her words laced with an intimidating warning, enunciating each one clearly: “Let me tell you, Miss Xia—this is my colleague. Don’t impose your filthy thoughts on others. We’ve already broken up. If you harass me again…”

She then lowered her voice: “I will call the police.”

“You dare?!” Xia Zilu hadn’t expected her to threaten her like this. “You cheated on me, and now you’re scaring me with the police? Pfft. I’ll go find your parents right now and let them know you’re still fooling around with women…”

“Suit yourself.”

“Hah?”

“Do whatever you want. Go ahead and make a scene if you want to get detained.” Chu Susu stared at her, her gaze icy cold. “My sister is a cop—you know that. Feel free to test who has the bigger balls.”

Xia Zilu froze, involuntarily taking a step back.

Chu Susu turned to the server and said, “Have those people who were recording delete the videos. Also, deduct the money directly from my card—no need to serve the dishes.”

She didn’t want to waste even a single glance on Xia Zilu anymore. She just wanted to get out of there.

She crouched down, picked up Pipi, and stroked its nape to soothe it. Then she turned to Han Xuan with gentle warmth: “Sorry, I didn’t handle my own mess well and got you involved. I’m really sorry—did I scare you? Can we leave this place first? I have clothes in my car for you to change into.”

Han Xuan’s clothes were still soaking wet and clinging to her body, making her look utterly disheveled and pitiful. Chu Susu took off her own jacket and draped it over her.

The difference in her attitude toward Xia Zilu couldn’t be more stark.

Han Xuan showed no displeasure, simply nodding obediently and quietly. She stood up and left the restaurant with Chu Susu.

Xia Zilu stood there in a daze. The server politely asked her to leave, but she acted like she didn’t hear a thing.

She had never experienced anything like this in her entire life, and a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her heart. The person who had always been so gentle to her was now a complete stranger, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head.

The one who had actually been splashed was that little homewrecker, yet Xia Zilu felt chilled to the bone.

Chu Susu used to indulge her every whim, never getting angry no matter what she did. But why, why had a single small mistake turned her so heartless?

She thought Chu Susu would forgive her like always, but instead, she had decisively suggested breaking up. Was there really no room left for them to salvage things?! What the hell had their relationship even been…

She had apologized already! Even coming here to make a scene was out of jealousy and possessiveness! Why wouldn’t she forgive her? Why say such harsh words?!

Even if it really was just a colleague, even if she really had misunderstood… couldn’t Chu Susu at least try to coax her a little?

A wave of desolation washed over her entire body. Xia Zilu stared blankly out the window at the two figures passing by outside. Suddenly, Han Xuan quietly turned her head, their eyes meeting.

That timid, makeup-free face abruptly changed expression.

Her quiet lips curved into a smile, her eyes flickering with amusement, brimming with open mockery as she arched a brow at Xia Zilu.

It was the smile of a victor.

In an instant, flames nearly burst from Xia Zilu’s eyes. She didn’t even bother fixing her messy bangs as her delicate features twisted in rage, her blood boiling over.

What bullshit colleague! She knew those two had to be screwing around!

That little bitch hadn’t said a single word the whole time, playing all fragile and innocent, only to turn around and blatantly provoke her like this.

If she could swallow this insult, she wouldn’t be a Xia!