“Want me to drive?”
In the parking lot, Wei Shuyu rummaged through her bag for a moment and pulled out her international driver’s license. She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good thing I brought it.”
Jin Yizhu said, “Hong Kong’s road conditions are bad. Let me drive.”
“I drive in Shanghai all the time,” Wei Shuyu stared at her. “I’ll do it.”
Jin Yizhu stared at her fixedly. Was this another side of Wei Shuyu? Where on earth did this inexplicable sense of responsibility come from? Did she act like this toward others too?
Jin Yizhu didn’t know and couldn’t figure it out, but she stepped back and handed over the car keys.
Wei Shuyu opened the passenger door for her. Once she was seated, she leaned in and clicked the seatbelt into place with a snap.
After Wei Shuyu got in, Jin Yizhu said, “I’m not a child. You don’t have to do that.”
Wei Shuyu inserted the key into the ignition slot. The Lexus’s engine roared to life, and she stepped on the accelerator.
Away from the streetlights, in the dim car interior, Wei Shuyu’s expression flickered between light and shadow. It accentuated the mockery on her otherwise aloof face—mockery that Jin Yizhu couldn’t quite read.
“I know,” Wei Shuyu replied. “Sorry.”
Her response was airtight. Jin Yizhu frowned.
She didn’t want Wei Shuyu’s overly attentive care, but she even less wanted to be shut out of Wei Shuyu’s world.
Was it this hard to be friends with someone? It was just friendship—did it have to be this difficult?!
Jin Yizhu was on the verge of getting angry. She’d never realized it was such a tough thing. The people she liked, the people she didn’t—they all came to her side with just a glance, no effort required. Why was Wei Shuyu different?
In the rushing night scenery, she turned her head to look at Wei Shuyu.
Wei Shuyu drove with intense focus, completely unlike her usual aloof and distant demeanor, her thoughts unreadable.
One hand on the steering wheel, she gazed at the endless elevated highway. Seeming to notice Jin Yizhu’s gaze, her free hand reached over and spread its fingers toward her.
Jin Yizhu had no idea what she was doing and didn’t react for a long moment. Then she heard, “Didn’t you want to hold hands?”
Her puzzled tone rose slightly at the end, carrying an unusual lilt.
Traffic surged on the elevated highway. Multicolored lights flashed across her face, adding a hint of gentleness to those amber eyes.
“You can if you want.”
Jin Yizhu placed her hand in Wei Shuyu’s palm and asked, “Like this?”
Wei Shuyu curled her fingers around it, belatedly feeling a twinge of embarrassment.
“Once we’re off the highway, it won’t be so empty,” she said. “Soon.”
Jin Yizhu laughed. “There are so many cars here—it’s never empty.”
“Haha.” Wei Shuyu wanted to let go but felt it would seem too deliberate. “I thought you were scared.”
“Really?” Jin Yizhu looked at her face. “Going to the bar lounge later? I haven’t used this week’s card yet.”
Wei Shuyu wanted to refuse, but before she could speak, Jin Yizhu added, “Come with me.”
It wasn’t quite an order or a whine—just an unquestionable tone.
Wei Shuyu said nothing. She didn’t mind going; she just sensed danger.
She stayed silent, and so did Jin Yizhu.
When they reached the city streets and hit a red light, Wei Shuyu glanced over. Jin Yizhu had fallen asleep.
When Jin Yizhu slept, she looked different from usual.
That beautiful, seductive face was so serene in slumber, even carrying a faint trace of exhaustion.
She must get pretty tired normally too.
Wei Shuyu let go of her hand and gripped the steering wheel with both. Then she heard a mumble: “Don’t.”
Jin Yizhu’s hand reached out, as if to hold hers again.
City traffic was chaotic. Wei Shuyu quickly grabbed her hand and, just before the light turned green, placed it back on her own lap.
“There are too many cars. It’s not convenient to hold hands. We’ll be there soon.”
Wei Shuyu glanced at the navigation and estimated the time.
“At most ten minutes.”
Jin Yizhu quieted down and stopped moving.
When they pulled up to the hotel entrance, the valet approached to park the car. Only then did Wei Shuyu realize Jin Yizhu had woken up at some point. She stared out the window silently, lost in thought.
The valet opened the door. “Eldest Miss.”
“Oh.” Jin Yizhu finally snapped back and instructed him, “Bring the keys up tomorrow. Don’t disturb us tonight.”
Wei Shuyu glanced at her. What did that mean?
“What’s wrong?” Jin Yizhu met her gaze. “Let’s head to the bar lounge first. It’s on the sixteenth floor.”
Wei Shuyu swiped her room card and pressed the button for the sixteenth floor. Her fingertips felt cold.
No way—from high school art classes to now, countless overt and covert advances had vanished under her feigned obliviousness. Once she gained some fame, no one dared serve her up on a platter anymore. Wei Shuyu thought she’d long escaped those unspoken rules. And yet here it was, waiting for her?
What was funnier was that she’d walked right into it.
She’d accepted Jin Yizhu’s invitation, entered the hotel with her—and Jin Yizhu hadn’t even bought any of her paintings.
So what was this? A one-night stand?
The elevator stopped at the sixteenth floor. The doors opened straight into the bar lounge.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, Hong Kong Island’s night view glittered as always, exuding decadent luxury.
Jin Yizhu didn’t like the bar counter. She called over the waiter and had him lead Wei Shuyu to a scenic spot first while she watched the bartender.
Once she left, Wei Shuyu felt even more at a loss. She followed the waiter, feeling prickly all over.
“Miss Wei, please have a seat,” the waiter said. “This spot is quite private—no one will disturb you.”
It was Jin Yizhu’s dedicated spot in the corner of the lounge, with glass on two sides, offering a panoramic view of all Hong Kong.
Seeming to sense her tension, the waiter reassured her, “Our Eldest Miss is particular about her drinks. She likes watching the bartender to make sure it turns out right.”
Who cares about the drinks? I drink anything.
Wei Shuyu felt irritated. Her fingers tapped on the glass, making a da-da sound.
She glanced at the waiter again. He stood a step behind her, polite but with no intention of leaving.
What was this? I’m not going to bolt suddenly.
Wei Shuyu looked at him expressionlessly and asked, “Does Jin Yizhu often bring women here?”
A crack appeared in the waiter’s expression—his pupils dilated in shock, as if stunned by her tone and words.
“The Eldest Miss,” he said stiffly, searching for the right words, “usually only brings close girlfriends here for parties. She doesn’t bring regular friends to our place.”
“Our place?” Wei Shuyu latched onto the key phrase.
“Yes. For new friends, the Eldest Miss prefers outside bars,” the waiter looked troubled, as if he’d said too much. “Or depending on what she’s into that period—Tokyo Disneyland, tennis, golf, crafting, hiking. It depends on what she feels like doing.”
“So, no overnight stays?” Wei Shuyu asked calmly.
“Uh, well,” the waiter looked awkward, “if someone drinks too much, we’ll help book a room.”
“…”
With things spelled out this clearly, she’d have to be dense not to get it.
“Sorry, I overthought it.”
Wei Shuyu pulled a bill from her bag and slipped it into his hand discreetly, offering an apologetic smile. “Pretend I watch too many dramas.”
“Mm-hmm.” Buoyed by the tip, the waiter’s smile grew more genuine. “Don’t worry, our Eldest Miss isn’t like that.”
“You know Jin Yizhu well?” Wei Shuyu asked. “You were the one who brought her coffee this morning too.”
“My dad’s in the group company. Whenever the Eldest Miss comes to the hotel, I’m in charge of reception.”
The waiter eyed the bar station, looking for an exit cue.
“Here’s my number. Call if you need anything.”
Wei Shuyu found a business card pressed into her hand. Jin Yizhu walked over, set the drinks on the table, and snatched the card from her hand for a glance.
“Keep it,” Jin Yizhu said. “Their whole family loves meddling.”
Wei Shuyu said, “He told me to call if I need him.”
“Yeah, he’s scared I’ll drink myself to death in the room and he won’t know how to explain to my parents.” Jin Yizhu pushed a glass toward her. “Finally, someone to keep an eye on me. Aren’t you going to seize the chance?”
“Really?” Wei Shuyu said. “Looks pretty. What is it?”
The drink Jin Yizhu brought was mainly for her—a vibrant martini glass with striking layers.
For herself, it was whiskey on the rocks.
“It’s got everything—not pure martini,” Jin Yizhu gazed out the window, her attention seemingly elsewhere. “Drink less. You don’t seem to hold your liquor well.”
“I’m fine,” Wei Shuyu said. “Can you drink a lot?”
“Yeah, I drink a lot of whiskey.” Jin Yizhu turned back. “What were you chatting about with him?”
“About you. I asked if you often bring girls here.”
Wei Shuyu lowered her head slightly, stirring the cocktail into a whirlwind as she said flatly, “He said you only bring girlfriends for parties, not regular friends.”
She hesitated, then continued, “And no overnight stays.”
She hadn’t expected that answer when she asked.
In truth, she just wanted to know where she stood. Now she did—this was a game of friendship. Admitting her thoughts to Jin Yizhu was still a bit awkward.
But better to offend upfront than let the waiter tell her later, which would be even more embarrassing.
“So that’s what you were worried about.” Jin Yizhu burst out laughing. “Relax, I’m not a lesbian.”
“…”
Wei Shuyu paused, picked up the colorful drink, and downed half in one go.
She stared at Jin Yizhu and said deliberately, word by word, “But I am.”
“What kind?” Jin Yizhu’s expression didn’t change; she didn’t seem surprised at all. “Mentally into girls, or physically too?”
Wei Shuyu’s face burned. She simply drained the rest of the glass.
She had no clue how the conversation had veered here.
“Both,” Wei Shuyu said. “You?”
She propped her chin on one hand and reached for Jin Yizhu’s glass, but Jin Yizhu pinned her hand down.
“I told you to drink less. These two have high proof.”
Jin Yizhu looked into her eyes and asked, “Why ask that?”
“Because normal people don’t split it into mental and physical,” Wei Shuyu’s smile turned a bit cold. “Jin Yizhu, what about you?”
“Can’t you just say I read too many books?”
Whether helpless or bewildered, Jin Yizhu looked out the window again. The distant night enveloped her completely.
“I can only accept liking girls mentally.”
