Lin Wei was truly unlikable.
Drunk Lin Wei was even more unlikable.
Jiang Nuan sat at the bar, surrounded by bodies swaying to the music. The flashing lights nearly blinded her. She wanted to go to the bathroom but couldn’t leave Lin Wei alone, so she simply sandwiched her and headed that way. Lin Wei yelped in surprise, “What are you doing!”
She could barely walk straight, yet she still fussed over her image, straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair. Jiang Nuan spotted a few guys eyeing them eagerly. They’d tried to ask for her contact info earlier and gotten politely turned down, but they weren’t giving up. They seemed to be waiting for Lin Wei—or her—to get drunk enough to try again.
Lin Wei was oblivious. As they walked, she tossed her hair.
Her looks bore some resemblance to Shi Sui—about two parts similar. Jiang Nuan was used to seeing her arrogant and overbearing side, so she’d always thought they were nothing alike. But upon closer inspection, their eyebrows and eyes were similar, especially those eyes. Just now, when Lin Wei had looked at her, Jiang Nuan had genuinely thought they were prettier than Shi Sui’s.
Lin Wei staggered along in her arms, frowning. “Where are we going? Say something—where!”
She’d ignored her earlier, and now she refused to let her lead her anywhere!
Jiang Nuan saw her suddenly plant her feet firmly. She couldn’t drag her along. With no other choice, she said, “Taking you to the bathroom.”
Lin Wei asked, “What for?”
Jiang Nuan replied, “To wash your face.”
Lin Wei touched her cheek. “Is it dirty?”
Jiang Nuan saw that she wasn’t acting up for once—answering straightforwardly, able to communicate normally. She nodded. “It’s dirty.”
Lin Wei got all jittery. “Where’s it dirty?” She was obsessed with her appearance. Jiang Nuan watched as that face suddenly loomed right under her eyes—distinct lashes, beautiful pupils, and delicately made-up features that held up even when drunk. She pointed casually at the cheek. “Here.”
Lin Wei reached up and wiped it off, scrubbing hard. “Any more?” She rubbed so forcefully that a big red patch bloomed on her cheek, but she kept babbling, “Is it clean now? I don’t want to be dirty. They don’t like dirty kids. I want to be clean. I want to be pretty.”
Jiang Nuan had only been teasing her at first, but hearing this, she asked, “Who’s ‘they’?”
Lin Wei kept wiping. “My dad, my mom, grandma, aunt…”
Jiang Nuan recalled what Lin Wei had said earlier: You think I want to compete? They’re the ones always comparing me to Shi Sui.
A bit pitiful.
Jiang Nuan pulled down Lin Wei’s flailing hand. “It’s clean now.”
Lin Wei looked up happily. “Really clean?”
Jiang Nuan said, “Yeah, really.”
“Thank you,” Lin Wei said. “You’re so nice.”
Jiang Nuan had never imagined hearing praise from Lin Wei’s mouth. She was just about to smile when Lin Wei leaned in and kissed her. Jiang Nuan froze like a wooden puppet. She jerked her head away and stared at Lin Wei in disbelief, stammering, “W-what are you doing?”
Lin Wei looked perfectly matter-of-fact. “Rewarding you. Good deeds deserve rewards.”
Was this how she rewarded people?
Who else had she rewarded like this before?
Jiang Nuan gripped Lin Wei’s waist. Lin Wei yelped in pain. Jiang Nuan dragged her toward the exit. Lin Wei followed but asked doubtfully, “You’re not going to the bathroom anymore?”
She was still hung up on it.
Jiang Nuan said, “Nah.”
Lin Wei asked, “Then where are we going? Keep drinking?”
She hadn’t gotten the info she wanted yet. What was it she needed again? Lin Wei racked her brain, her head starting to ache. Then she heard Jiang Nuan say, “Home.”
Lin Wei pouted. “So early?”
Jiang Nuan caught her tone and turned. “What do you want to do then?”
Lin Wei said, “I don’t want to go home.”
Jiang Nuan gave her a sidelong glance, staring for a few seconds. “Fine.” Her gaze burned. “No going home. We’ll go somewhere else.”
Lin Wei was satisfied. She happily followed her to the car and called a designated driver. While waiting for the driver, she opened the back door and got Lin Wei settled inside first.
Once in the car, Lin Wei’s phone buzzed nonstop. Jiang Nuan fished it out of her bag and handed it over. Lin Wei saw the name and scowled, pushing it away. “Hang up.”
Seeing that expression and the flashing “President Gu,” Jiang Nuan wondered which President Gu it was—the one in food R&D or the one in wireless tech? She asked Lin Wei, “Why not pick up?”
Lin Wei said, “He’s annoying.”
Jiang Nuan pressed, “How so?”
Lin Wei replied, “He keeps asking me out to dinner.”
Jiang Nuan nodded. “He’s chasing you?”
Lin Wei said, “Yeah, but I don’t like him.”
Jiang Nuan hung up the call. “If you don’t like him, just tell him clearly.”
Lin Wei leaned back with her eyes closed, her mind foggy, speaking on pure instinct. “I told him, but he won’t listen.”
Jiang Nuan got it—a clingy pursuer. Looking at Lin Wei’s flushed face, she said, “I have a way.”
Lin Wei didn’t even open her eyes, looking like she might pass out any second. She mumbled indifferently, “What way?”
Jiang Nuan leaned closer. “Just say you have a girlfriend.”
Lin Wei scoffed. “Where would I get a girlfriend?”
Jiang Nuan said, “I’ll sacrifice a bit and play along.”
Lin Wei finally opened her eyes. For some reason, she chuckled dazedly. “You? You’re a girl.”
Jiang Nuan replied, “So what if I’m a girl?” She leaned in even closer, her gaze dropping straight to Lin Wei’s lips. Whatever lipstick she’d used, after all that drinking, they were still a vibrant red, untouched by the glasses.
Lin Wei closed her eyes. “How can a girl be my girlfriend?”
Jiang Nuan swallowed, leaned forward, and kissed Lin Wei’s lips. “A girl can still kiss you.”
Lin Wei’s alcohol-numbed mind was a haze. She only felt something soft on her mouth, like eating jelly—super bouncy. She touched her lips, opened her eyes, and asked Jiang Nuan, “What did you just feed me?”
Jiang Nuan bit her thin lip and slipped her tongue inside.
The phone in the bag vibrated and buzzed with messages, but neither paid it any mind. Reason was trampled, instinct took over. In the cramped space, the air heated up. Jiang Nuan pulled Lin Wei onto her lap, locked the car doors, and lowered the rear window shades. In the pitch-black world, only a sliver of light escaped from the edge of the bag, casting their overlapping shadows in its faint glow.
Shi Sui had called twice with no answer. She frowned. Before dinner, Jiang Nuan had told her she was drinking with Lin Wei and trying to fish for info. Shi Sui wasn’t worried about Lin Wei getting anything out of her—she just fretted over Jiang Nuan and Lin Wei alone in a bar. It wasn’t entirely safe. Jiang Ruoning noticed Shi Sui barely talking to anyone after dinner, just staring at her phone. Sitting close, she glanced down and saw Jiang Nuan’s name on the screen. “Can’t reach her?”
Several calls had gone unanswered.
Shi Sui said, “Mm.” She turned. “I’m a bit worried about them.”
Jiang Ruoning asked, “Where are they?”
Shi Sui replied, “At a bar.”
Jiang Ruoning immediately set her phone down. “Then let’s go check.”
Shi Sui looked at her. “Can you drive?” Before Jiang Ruoning could answer, she handed over the keys. “My head’s dizzy.”
Jiang Ruoning: …
She hadn’t seemed dizzy during dinner, and now it hit after eating? But Jiang Ruoning cared about Jiang Nuan’s safety too. Without seeing for herself, she wouldn’t sleep easy. She nodded. “Which bar?”
Shi Sui said, “Heart Joy.”
Jiang Ruoning told Wu Jie, and Shi Sui said goodbye to the others. They left together and returned together. The photographer pondered for a moment and asked Wu Jie, “I heard Miss Jiang likes girls—is that true?”
Wu Jie tapped her arm. “No gossip tonight. Eat up.”
The photographer got the hint and grinned. “Eating.”
Jiang Ruoning drove Shi Sui, navigating to Heart Joy. On the way, she asked, “Is she alone?”
Shi Sui said, “No, two of them. With Lin Wei.”
“Lin Wei?” Jiang Ruoning said. “Didn’t she have beef with Assistant Jiang…”
They didn’t get along at all—major bad blood. Jiang Ruoning had shot at Less twice and heard plenty of rumors about these two not seeing eye to eye: clashing at meetings, sniping at each other, mutual disdain. Rumor had it Jiang Nuan once got slapped by Lin Wei in her office.
Stories varied, and though Jiang Ruoning wasn’t super gossipy, she’d caught bits and pieces.
Shi Sui explained, “They have some friction, but they needed to discuss something recently.”
Jiang Ruoning grew curious. “What about?”
Shi Sui turned to look at her. What about? Their business.
Jiang Ruoning sensed the gaze beside her—and realized she’d pried too deep on impulse. She changed the subject, pointing ahead. “That it?”
Shi Sui didn’t answer. Jiang Ruoning pressed her lips together, a flicker of irritation rising. It felt like Shi Sui was hiding something by not answering, and she hated secrets.
Shi Sui nodded. “Yeah, that’s it.”
Just then, the phone Shi Sui had been using to call Jiang Nuan finally picked up. A low voice came through. “Hello.”
It was Jiang Nuan.
Shi Sui asked, “Where are you?”
Jiang Nuan said, “Heading home.”
Shi Sui frowned. “Why didn’t you pick up?”
Jiang Nuan replied, “Drank too much, head hurts. Didn’t see the calls in the car.”
Her excuse sounded perfectly reasonable. The person in her arms, breathless from kisses, slumped on her shoulder. As Lin Wei opened her mouth to speak, Jiang Nuan clamped a hand over it. Shi Sui heard a couple muffled “mmphs” and asked, “You gonna puke?”
Jiang Nuan said, “Yeah, too much to drink.” She rushed, “Gotta hang up.”
Shi Sui didn’t even get to say goodbye before the call ended. Jiang Ruoning pulled over to the curb and turned to Shi Sui. Shi Sui said, “She’s heading home.”
Jiang Ruoning asked, “What about you?”
Shi Sui had no more worries. “Me too.”
Jiang Ruoning hadn’t expected to play personal chauffeur tonight, ferrying Shi Sui here and there. It was a novel experience—usually Shi Sui was the one dragging her around. Halfway back, her phone buzzed. Jiang Ruoning was driving, so Shi Sui pulled it from her bag. She thought it might be Wu Jie checking in, but it was Jiang Qin.
Shi Sui saw Jiang Ruoning’s pupils contract, her hands tightening on the wheel, slender wrists going rigid. Shi Sui said softly, “Pick up now?”
Jiang Ruoning said, “Yeah.”
She reached for the phone, but Shi Sui answered and held it to her ear, her fingers gently brushing Jiang Ruoning’s temple and hair. Jiang Ruoning recalled the changing room—those fingertips grazing her face, always so tender. The tension eased, her heartbeat steadied, and her voice softened. “Mom.”
Jiang Qin asked, “Are you still shooting?”
