Sheng Xingran ignored it. She stepped forward, grabbed Miao Zhu’s wrist, and dragged her away.
He Zizhou instinctively blocked their path with her body, her puzzled gaze shifting from He Zishan to Miao Zhu.
Miao Zhu didn’t resist, merely furrowing her brow slightly, as if she’d already anticipated this turn of events.
Sheng Xingran wanted no entAngelment with He Zizhou. She veered off immediately, pulling Miao Zhu upstairs.
He Zizhou moved to follow, but He Zishan hurriedly blocked her.
He Zishan leaned close to He Zizhou’s ear and whispered rapidly.
There were far fewer guests on the second floor. Sheng Xingran’s face was stormy as she hauled Miao Zhu to the end of the corridor. Bypassing a “Staff Only” sign, she pushed open the door beyond it.
The room was lit, but empty. Sheng Xingran locked it behind them, trapping herself and Miao Zhu inside.
Her chest heaved rapidly, her mind consumed by the image of Miao Zhu secretly dating behind her back.
Sheng Xingran struggled to steady her breathing. She shook off Miao Zhu’s hand and tried to control her tone. “A couple days ago, He Zishan came to me all excited, saying her big sis would be bringing her fiancée to tonight’s party. Miao Zhu, how come I didn’t know you were already engaged?”
No wonder Sheng Xingran had confirmed He Zizhou’s identity first. No wonder her reaction was so intense. Miao Zhu rubbed her sore wrist. “You know she’s not.”
Sheng Xingran: “Not what? Isn’t her last name He? Didn’t you snag that Dream Lake project thanks to the Hes? What, now that you’ve used up my family, you’re climbing another ladder?”
Miao Zhu fell silent for a moment. “Xingran, you’re not in a good state right now. Should we cool off and talk later?”
Caught red-handed and still so composed—Sheng Xingran laughed bitterly at Miao Zhu’s gall. “Talk about what? How He Zishan’s going to describe our relationship to He Zizhou? Or how I’ve ruined your family’s perfect plan tonight, and what you’ll have to explain when you get home?”
Miao Zhu: “…”
Sheng Xingran: “Why package yourself as some luxury toy for people’s amusement? You enjoy it that much? Miao Zhu, do you have any sense of shame at all!”
Miao Zhu clenched her fists, her cheeks burning—whether from shame or anger at Sheng Xingran, she couldn’t tell.
In any case, Miao Zhu thought, she should say something to soothe Sheng Xingran’s emotions first.
Sheng Xingran was pure-hearted and always easy to placate.
Miao Zhu took a few breaths.
“Xingran, we’ve known each other so long—I thought we had a tacit understanding.” Her words contradicted her thoughts as she curved her lips into a perfect smile. “Haven’t I been pleasing you all this time too?”
The words landed, and disbelief flooded Sheng Xingran’s face.
“You—” She was speechless. She couldn’t deny it: she’d just humiliated Miao Zhu’s dignity, yet she herself was the primary beneficiary of it all.
What right did she have to judge Miao Zhu?
She’d only appeared a bit earlier, stayed by Miao Zhu’s side a bit longer. What difference was there from He Zizhou? Maybe in Miao Zhu’s eyes, they were all the same.
A whirlwind of thoughts assailed Sheng Xingran’s mind.
Weren’t you supposed to empathize with Miao Zhu? Weren’t you heartbroken for her? Why hurt her with reckless words today?
Miao Zhu must be under family pressure to date He Zizhou. Even if she went willingly, it was forgivable. Sheng Xingran had never made any promises; Miao Zhu was free to choose others.
But even so, after more than a decade together, could it all be summed up as “pleasing”? Was that how Miao Zhu saw their relationship? Had Miao Zhu never truly cared for her?
Anger, self-reproach, grievance—all emotions tAngeld together. Sheng Xingran wanted to scream at Miao Zhu, but a quiet voice reminded her: Don’t you know where the real problem lies between you two?
After a long silence, Sheng Xingran unlocked the door and walked out past Miao Zhu.
Only after Sheng Xingran’s footsteps faded away did Miao Zhu unclench her fists.
She’d imagined exposing her true colors to He Zizhou and falling out with Sheng Xingran—but not so soon. She should have felt relieved, yet her emotions remained heavy.
She only felt apologetic toward He Zizhou, but toward Sheng Xingran, who occupied two-thirds of her life…
“A-Heng, I saw your sister leave. She—”
Someone barged in. Miao Zhu suddenly locked eyes with her, and the intruder’s face lit up. “Hi~ It’s you.”
“…Hi.” Miao Zhu remembered her—one of Mu Shanyi’s friends from their last encounter at Moon.
Was she looking for Mu Shanyi?
The room was plain to see; the person she sought wasn’t there.
“Did A-Heng tell you to come here?” Li Baozhu’s gaze drifted to the velvet floor-length curtain by the wall. Miao Zhu followed her look puzzledly.
A slender, bony hand adorned with stacked jade bamboo-segment rings parted the heavy curtain from outside.
Miao Zhu’s pupils dilated. So the curtain didn’t hide a window—it concealed a terrace!?
Mu Shanyi stepped in from beyond the curtain and said to Li Baozhu, “Wait outside for me. Close the door on your way out.”
“Oh.” Li Baozhu ducked her head with a suppressed smile and complied.
Now, only Mu Shanyi and Miao Zhu remained.
—
Author’s Note:
Miao Zhu: Who gets it? I flipped the car—flipped it hard TOT
