Chapter 9: Deliberate Affection

“So you agreed?”

On Sunday evening, Lin Chi had invited Yan Muyu out for dinner, never expecting to hear such explosive news.

Yan Muyu sat beside her. The restaurant was a pocket of tranquility amid the city’s clamor, and the private room’s floor-to-ceiling windows offered a glimpse of the secluded bamboo grove in the courtyard.

She propped her chin on her hand, staring out at the sudden drizzle, and let out a soft hum.

Lin Chi—the only true career woman in their social circle—chuckled. “I thought you actually disliked Qiu Chao.”

She recalled the bet she had made with Yan Muyu that day. “Didn’t you say that if Shen Tianqing could really move on, you’d pursue Qiu Chao?”

The mere mention made Yan Muyu’s headache throb worse.

“I really want to slap my past self silly.”

Yan Muyu poured some rice wine into her glass. The restaurant was renowned for its potent liquors and delicate small plates.

Even with the steep prices, it was always bustling, reservations essential well in advance.

It belonged to the sister of Lin Chi’s sweet, boyish boyfriend.

Yan Muyu had a lousy tolerance for booze but loved the stuff anyway. At parties, she forced herself to sip sparingly.

Lin Chi was a regular, so Yan Muyu had planned to cut loose—but she still had to head back to the variety show crew later, so her drinks were mere wets of the lips.

This rice wine was distilled from village brew, earthy and raw, scorching the throat like it might blow the top of your head clean off.

Lin Chi poured herself a glass as well. Her bob cut just grazed her ears; she didn’t strike one as stuffy at first glance, but she perfectly embodied the poised vibe of a high-end entrepreneur.

“You could still make a move now. It’s not too late.”

Lin Chi was older than both Yan Muyu and Shen Tianqing, yet she still called Yan Kai “bro.”

When she’d launched her business, Yan Kai had pulled out all the stops to help, so she held genuine affection for Yan Muyu—straight from the heart.

Compared to Shen Tianqing, though, Yan Muyu was far scrappier, lacking that endearing vulnerability, so Lin Chi’s tone was usually softer with Shen Tianqing.

Yan Muyu propped her chin and sighed. Her earrings glittered like they could headline their own jewelry boutique, making even the server delivering their food wince a little.

The woman herself had always been a free spirit, having ditched her tongue piercing only recently. It hadn’t hindered eating or drinking, but whenever she hung out with her niece, she’d put on a little show.

Yan Muyu said, “I never imagined my brother would get into an accident.”

Her hands were stunning—exquisitely graceful. Dining with her, most folks admired those hands more than her face.

Watching her wield chopsticks or pour wine felt like beholding fine art.

Lin Chi patted her shoulder. “Your brother seems to have everything squared away. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be stuck just handling Whale—you’d inherit the whole empire.”

Yan Muyu let out a theatrical wail, cradling her face. “Then I’d be totally screwed. One entertainment company wears me out enough without piling on the rest.”

Lin Chi asked, “Any leads on what caused it?”

Yan Muyu shook her head. “Everything came back normal. The other vehicle was clean, no links to my relatives.”

It was Yan Family business, so Lin Chi let it drop.

She thought of Zhen Shu, the woman Yan Kai had always fancied, and ventured, “I heard Sister Zhen Shu came back to the country. Has she seen Brother Yan Kai?”

Yan Muyu replied, “She visited, but it wasn’t visiting hours for my brother yet, so she headed out.”

Zhen Shu was most everyone’s goddess in their circle.

Three years Yan Kai’s senior and now in her forties, she lingered in Lin Chi’s memory—even after years apart—as the ultimate big-sister idol.

Lin Chi said, “I always figured Brother Yan Kai would sweep Sister Zhen Shu off her feet.”

Yan Muyu had never dwelled on it. When her brother was seventeen, she’d been seven, her world revolving around backyard barbecues, toys, and aquarium passes.

Lin Chi had been Yan Tianxing’s age that year, nowhere near as worldly as the girl.

Yan Muyu scoffed. “If my brother were that hopelessly devoted, would he have dated an eighteen-year-old Qiu Chao? For four years, no less.”

She delivered it with biting sarcasm, looping right back to the heart of things.

Lin Chi swirled the wine in her glass. Against the porcelain-pale skins of Yan Muyu and Shen Tianqing, her own wheat-gold tone stood out—her figure toned and curvaceous, lines sleek and alluring.

She exuded untamable wildness wrapped in mature poise.

After a moment’s thought, she asked Yan Muyu, “You’ve never wondered…?”

Yan Muyu blinked. “Wondered what?”

The house specialty was the dried-plum pork ribs. Yan Muyu snapped a photo, already plotting to bring her little niece next time.

Lin Chi said, “I heard Qiu Chao and your brother had one of those contractual relationships.”

Yan Muyu shot back, “No way.”

She knocked back the rice wine in her glass, heat blooming across her face from the burn.

She squinted at the rain silk threading down the windowpane. “I was abroad studying those four years, sure, but I came home plenty. Qiu Chao lived right at the Yan Family place, and I surfed the net like anyone.”

She gave a short laugh. “It was wall-to-wall lovefest stories about her and my brother—flashy cars today, luxury bags tomorrow. Don’t get me started on Whale Entertainment, their one and only star…”

Qiu Chao had sparked envy left and right, her scandals piling up over the years.

They’d all been swept under the rug spotless. A quick search even now turned up decade-old headlines proving Yan Kai’s devotion.

Lin Chi pointed out, “But you just called your brother undevoted. Sounds devoted enough to me.”

She was poking the bear on purpose. Yan Muyu nudged her. “That’s exactly why I think Qiu Chao this woman…”

She trailed off.

Lin Chi arched a brow. “…is what?”

Yan Muyu sighed. “Never mind. With my brother laid up like this, how am I supposed to grill him? He went and got married, then divorced. There you go—proof no one needs marriage. It all ends in splitsville anyway.”

She shot Lin Chi a knowing look. “You’re the smart one, Sister Lin—IVF with donor sperm, now shacked up with some college boy. Total freedom.”

Half-joking, of course. Lin Chi laughed. “Not as free as you, Miss Player. How many gorgeous girls have you burned through? Can’t you commit past four months before ‘promoting to new projects’? We don’t hire staff who jump ship that often.”

Yan Muyu grinned at the corporate spin on it and shook her head. “They get stale too fast. Dating’s prime during the flirtation stage. Pop that bubble, and poof—game over.”

Lin Chi pressed, “So that’s why you bail quick?”

Yan Muyu said, “When I’m into someone, it’s the real deal. I treat my girlfriend right.”

Lin Chi replied, “Scumbag vibes, but you do know how to charm. No bitter exes dragging your name through the mud?”

Yan Muyu retorted, “As if I’m universally loved.”

Her fingertip grazed her forehead—hot to the touch, booze-fueled no doubt.

“You forgot that camping trip you roped me and Shen Tianqing into? Showed up soaked to the bone?”

Lin Chi remembered well. On that freezing day, the woman’s puffer jacket hung sodden, like someone had dumped a bucket over her.

Yan Muyu went on, “She came out swinging. I stripped off my jacket, told her to just splash the sweater—but nah, she hosed me down head to toe.”

She drew a deep breath. “Explains the giant tumbler she lugged along. Planned attack.”

Lin Chi figured Yan Muyu wore her scumbag badge proudly.

That breezy tone alone would rile anyone—especially the ex in question.

“Who told you to toy with her pure heart? She straight-up confessed her crush publicly.”

Lin Chi recalled Xuan Zhelu fondly.

The former idol had pivoted careers flawlessly, raw talent shining through; now A-list, leaving her girl-group peers in the dust.

Yan Muyu shrugged. “I hooked her up with connections, pitched her for auditions galore.”

She saw zero fault in it. “When I was smitten, I confessed straight-up and posted it all over my socials. Feelings cooled? I told her ASAP. Way cleaner than stringing her along, right?”

Rain drummed the glass, whispers of it filtering through.

In the private room’s candlelit glow—Chinese style—Yan Muyu’s face evoked some ethereal sprite from distant lands.

Stunning, yes. But no saint—the archetype of the heart thief: burns hot in passion, ghosts without remorse.

Lin Chi countered, “Doesn’t that prove your ‘smitten’ was skin-deep?”

Seasoned as she was, she shrugged. “You treated it like a checklist. Who wouldn’t blow up?”

Silver jewelry gleamed at the black-bobbed woman’s throat, sharpening her exotic allure.

Lin Chi added, “If not for your history with Qiu Chao, I’d swear you were crushing on her.”

She savored a bite of green tea crisp. “All those relationships, zero real highs or lows. Dating or dumping—like killing time.”

She’d watched Yan Muyu grow up. Nothing like Shen Tianqing, even without childhood overlap.

Lin Chi compared regardless.

Shen Tianqing might be a hollowed-out shell of a woman now, but kid-Sweetie had been pure sugar.

Yan Muyu? Never sweet. Her roster ran schoolgirl crushes to cougar types, a masterclass in fervent flings masking ruthless detachment.

Hedonism veiling abyssal solitude.

Love denier, nursing doubts about her own cynicism.

Yan Muyu exclaimed, “Me, crushing on Qiu Chao?? Get real!”

Mid-pour, wine sloshed out. Outside, wind whipped up, scattering rain in rivulets down the pane.

Unbidden, it summoned memories of nights past: Qiu Chao, lost in waves of ecstasy, tears streaming as she clung tight.

Reflex tears amid bliss, eyes wild with a frenzy so raw it stuttered Yan Muyu’s pulse.

As though they’d shared lifetimes.

As though Yan Muyu had wronged her across the years.

But how could that be?

Yan Muyu’s first encounter with Qiu Chao had clearly been at the gates of the Yan Family home, right there in Yan Kai’s car.

The little sister-in-law had been shy and timid, her big brother gentle and attentive. Even knowing that this sister-in-law might just be his transference of feelings from Sister Zhen Shu, Yan Muyu still hoped Yan Kai could move on from his unrequited longing and start fresh with someone new.

There was nothing shameful about being a stand-in. The one who came out on top was the winner.

And even through all that shyness, this sister-in-law’s ambition shone through.

A woman with ambition was ideal—nothing like her own mother, who let other women waltz right in and then weakly stepped aside.

Back then, Yan Muyu had thought: If Big Brother really marries this woman, I’ll be the wedding photographer, no matter what.

She never imagined that four years later, this sister-in-law would be the one sleeping with her.

Rather than fulfilling Yan Muyu’s wishes, Qiu Chao had parted ways with Yan Kai on amicable terms and completely severed ties with Whale Entertainment.

Now she had set off down Azure Cloud Road. Whale Entertainment, which had witnessed it all, was no longer just a one-artist agency dependent on Qiu Chao—it had gained a small but solid reputation in the industry.

“You talk about Xuan Zhelu like it’s no big deal, like asking if you’ve had dinner,” Lin Chi said. “But mention Qiu Chao, and you light up.”

She let out a laugh, propping her chin in her hand as she gazed at Yan Muyu. “Sister might not like women, but after all these years, I’ve got your type figured out.”

“You used to go for pure little white flowers. Now it’s all about those mature, opulent peonies.”

Lin Chi tsked twice and clinked her glass against Yan Muyu’s. “Qiu Chao’s the perfect mix of both—no wonder she’s stayed so popular all this time. Even I, as a fellow woman, can’t help but be a little dazzled by her.”

She patted Yan Muyu’s shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. She’s been broken up with your brother for years. If you two click, why not date? It’ll be fun.”

“Pretty thrilling, even.”

Yan Muyu roughly shook off Lin Chi’s hand. “Are you nuts?”

“Even if Xuan Zhelu and I rekindled things, I wouldn’t touch that ungrateful woman Qiu Chao.”

She ground her teeth. “She’s trying to hold her status over my head. I have to find out what she and my brother talked about right before his car accident.”

“Why not just ask her outright?” Lin Chi suggested.

Yan Muyu shook her head. “She won’t say. Not unless I…”

She drew in a deep breath. “Not unless I agree to do that variety show with her.”

Lin Chi shrugged. “Then do it. It’s your company’s show—guaranteed win, no risk.”

The mere thought of the show’s concept gave Yan Muyu a headache. “Do you even know what it’s about?”

Lin Chi tilted her head. “Variety shows are usually indoor stuff like escape rooms or puzzle-solving. Or travel tours. Or lifestyle challenges—like that one where they cooked in a village, right?”

Yan Muyu let out a cold laugh. “Yeah, and raising chickens, feeding pigs, chopping firewood.”

“Oh?” Lin Chi perked up. “Is it live-streamed? I wanna watch when it airs.”

Yan Muyu: …