Chapter 65: 065

The banquet was already halfway through when the man who had been staring at Li Xingruo came over.

He nodded politely to Song Guiya first. “Hello, Miss Song. I’m Xingruo’s fiancé, Xu Zhe. Could I have a few words alone with my fiancée?”

“Who’s your fiancée?!” Before Song Guiya could even respond, Li Xingruo shot back, her tone dripping with hostility. “The one getting married is my brother, not me. I never agreed to this, so what gives you the nerve to call yourself my fiancé? Have you no shame?”

“Xingruo, don’t be so willful,” Xu Zhe said with a smile. He didn’t bother lowering his voice around Song Guiya. “Our marriage is the best option for future cooperation between our families. Besides, I’m not bad-looking. There’s no need to reject me so harshly, is there?” His tone carried a hint of helplessness.

Li Xingruo was utterly speechless.

Just because he wasn’t ugly, she was supposed to marry him?

What kind of backward era was this? Still thinking business marriages could lock in economic interests—what utter nonsense.

But someone who could swallow an absurdity like this wasn’t going to change his mind no matter what she said. She might as well save her breath.

She wasn’t marrying, period. Could Li Xingchen and the Xu Family actually force her?

Li Xingruo rolled her eyes and ignored Xu Zhe completely.

Song Guiya got the picture.

It was one of those high-society business marriages between powerful families—but clearly without Li Xingruo’s consent.

When Li Xingruo refused to acknowledge him, Xu Zhe turned hopefully to Song Guiya, who had stayed silent the whole time.

He was counting on her to play the social nicety card and smooth things over.

Meeting his pleading gaze, Song Guiya replied calmly to the question he’d asked upon approaching. “Sorry, no.”

Xu Zhe clearly hadn’t expected such a straightforward refusal, without even a polite softening. Color drained from his face. He frowned and walked away without a word.

Once Xu Zhe was gone, Li Xingruo finally exhaled in relief. “Thank goodness you turned him down. Otherwise, I’d have had to stomach dealing with him—totally gross and annoying.”

Song Guiya gave a small shake of her head, brushing it off politely.

Though Li Xingruo despised the arranged marriage and the Xu Family, she didn’t want to burn bridges unless she had no choice. The two families had plenty of business ties, and antagonizing the Xu Family would only hurt the Li Family with no upside.

She couldn’t enjoy her life as the Li Family’s cherished young miss while ignoring the hard work of her parents and brother that made it all possible.

“But Yaya, the Xu Family’s standing in the industry isn’t insignificant,” Li Xingruo continued after a pause, worry and guilt flickering across her face. “They’ve invested in several blockbusters the last couple of years and have connections with tons of directors. You chased him off for my sake—I’m worried he’ll hold a grudge and sabotage you down the line.”

In the heat of the moment, she hadn’t considered it, but as a friend, Li Xingruo couldn’t keep it from Song Guiya. Better to be upfront and brainstorm a fix.

Song Guiya, however, didn’t seem fazed, her expression serene. “It’s fine.”

“How could it be? You’re blowing up in popularity right now. Directors are bound to come knocking with offers. You can’t let my mess cost you those chances.” Spoiled as she was, Li Xingruo didn’t want her friend suffering because of her own impulsiveness. She grew more frantic by the second, then clenched her jaw with resolve. “Forget it. I’ll go talk to him alone.”

It wouldn’t kill her. At worst, the disgust would put her off food for a few days.

Friends mattered more than meals.

She reached for her clutch to go find Xu Zhe, but Song Guiya stopped her.

“If he’s that petty, talking to him now won’t change a thing.” Li Xingruo halted, the logic sinking in, though she still hesitated. Song Guiya added gently, “Besides, I have Teacher Xi backing me. I’m not scared of him.”

“Oh, right!” Li Xingruo’s eyes lit up.

If the Xu Family had solid standing in the circle, Teacher Xi’s was on another level entirely.

Anyone who dared trip up Song Guiya with Teacher Xi’s track record was begging for trouble.

Li Xingruo might not have bought it before, but Chen Hanxuan’s example had convinced her otherwise.

With that reassurance, she fully relaxed. Turning back to Song Guiya, she noted the other woman’s unflustered expression—no trace of embarrassment after that bold claim. Li Xingruo teased in a low voice, “I’ve never seen a kept woman as bold as you. Teacher Xi must be head over heels.”

Upon hearing this, a change finally flickered across Song Guiya’s face, though it vanished as quickly as it came. She lowered her gaze and fell silent, but anyone who was paying attention would notice her ear tips flushed red, as if they might drip blood at any moment.

Li Xingruo was precisely that attentive observer. The moment she spotted it, an urge to throw her head back and laugh welled up inside her.

She never would have imagined that someone as poised and unflappable as Song Guiya could have a side like this.

In an instant, she felt like they were longtime girlfriends and couldn’t help teasing with a naughty joke. “I’m dying to know—how exactly did you capture Teacher Xi’s heart? Is it because you’re especially dominant in bed, making things perfectly harmonious?”

In Li Xingruo’s eyes, Xi Tongyue might have a cold, commanding personality paired with devilishly alluring looks, but Song Guiya was a martial artist. Whether in terms of stamina or facial features, she had to be the one on top.

Yet when Song Guiya heard this, she blinked with pure, innocent confusion. “What aspect?”

Li Xingruo: …

Once she confirmed that Song Guiya genuinely didn’t understand, Li Xingruo grew bold and whispered two words right in her ear.

“Bed skills.”

Song Guiya: …

This was the first time in more than twenty years that anyone had openly discussed matters of the boudoir with her in public.

Even though she knew modern society was open-minded, she couldn’t help feeling deeply embarrassed.

Besides, such things were one thing between men and women, but how could two women possibly engage in that?

Song Guiya had never even considered it, and neither had the original host’s memories contained anything related.

Even the first time Xi Tongyue had asked her to “warm the bed,” she’d assumed it meant nothing more than kissing, caressing, and sleeping together—like those secret same-sex couples in the imperial palace.

Li Xingruo watched Song Guiya’s expression with keen interest, then suddenly understood. She exclaimed in shock, “No way? You two haven’t slept together?”

A gold master and her lover without an intimate relationship—who would ever believe that?

Song Guiya didn’t want any baseless misunderstandings to tarnish Xi Tongyue’s reputation, so she gave the tiniest nod, barely perceptible.

Li Xingruo’s mouth fell open and stayed that way for ages. But on second thought, it made sense. With Song Guiya’s old-school personality—always jogging, reading, sipping tea, and feeding cats—it wasn’t surprising she knew nothing about this stuff.

Teacher Xi must have taken Yaya as a kept lover purely because she was a hardcore looks enthusiast.

After all, Song Guiya’s beauty could hold its own anywhere in the entertainment industry.

Still, since Song Guiya was clueless, Li Xingruo felt it her duty as a friend to enlighten her on such matters.

What if she needed the knowledge someday?

Li Xingruo clapped Song Guiya on the shoulder with righteous fervor. “Yaya, rest easy. You’re my friend now, so I won’t hold out on you. Once we’re back, I’ll share my prized collection that’s been my secret for years.”

Song Guiya: ?

Somehow, those words struck her as oddly familiar.

Even so, her instincts warned her against pursuing the topic further, so she deftly changed the subject. “How have things been going between you and Teacher Qin lately?”

“How did you know?” Li Xingruo looked utterly surprised, her cheeks turning pink.

Song Guiya: ??

Before Song Guiya could even respond, Li Xingruo fidgeted with her fingernails and muttered to herself, confessing without prompting. “I sensed it back on the island, but it probably wasn’t that obvious, was it?”

Song Guiya arched a brow. “You like Teacher Qin?”

Li Xingruo buried her face in her hands. “Aiya, don’t put it so bluntly! I still don’t know how she feels. What if she turns me down? I’d lose all my dignity.”

Song Guiya gave Li Xingruo a complicated look and blurted out, “Maybe she likes you too.”

“Huh? For real? What makes you say that?” Li Xingruo gazed at her with eager anticipation.

Song Guiya thought back to what Qin Yi had told her on the Sea Island. She didn’t want to reveal too much and meddle in their budding romance.

Whatever history they shared, and whatever feelings were involved, Qin Yi should be the one to explain it all to Li Xingruo herself.

So Song Guiya cut herself off, skipped the answer, and turned the question back on her. “Why do you think you like her?”

Li Xingruo recalled their time on the Sea Island, and a smile tugged unconsciously at her lips.

“I don’t know. At first, I just thought Sister Yi had such a kind face—like a playmate from my childhood. There was no distance between us; she even felt comforting and familiar. Then, after Teacher Xi joined the show, I worried she’d get jealous if I hung around you too much, so I ended up spending even more time with her.”

“I don’t know why, but I always feel like she pays extra attention to me and puts up with me like no one else. She even threw caution to the wind and risked her own safety to save me. Before I knew it, I’d grown so dependent on her that I couldn’t bear the thought of being apart.”

“After we got back from Sea Island, we started video calling all the time. We’d chat about every little thing under the sun, and it just felt so good. Growing up, I’d never imagined anything like it. I just kept thinking, I hope it can stay like this forever.”

“That’s more or less the feeling.”

Song Guiya fell silent for a long moment after hearing this, then finally spoke. “Sounds pretty good.”

Pretty good? That’s it?

Li Xingruo pressed, “You still haven’t told me why you think Sister Yi might be interested in me too.”

Song Guiya shook her head. “I’m not entirely sure myself. But if you really like her, why not give it a shot? Tell her how you feel and see what she says.”

For a fleeting instant, Li Xingruo wavered. “But what if she doesn’t feel the same way? What if she turns me down?”

If that happened, they might not even be able to stay friends.

After all, not everyone could accept feelings like that between girls.

Seeing the unease on Li Xingruo’s face, Song Guiya paused to think, then said, “I once had a crush on someone too. Out of cowardice, I kept it buried inside for years and never got the chance to confess.”

“Even now, when I think back on it, I regret it so much. I keep telling myself it would’ve been better to speak up sooner—even if it meant being hated.”

“If she’d liked me back, we could’ve had more time together. And if she didn’t, I couldn’t have kept pretending she was just a friend forever. Spending so much time around her would’ve bred resentment eventually, and it would’ve ruined everything.”

There was something soothing in Song Guiya’s tone, and Li Xingruo really took it to heart. After mulling it over for a bit, it suddenly clicked for her.

“You’re right. I’ve got plenty of friends. If I like her, I need to let her know.”

“But…” Li Xingruo suddenly leaned in close to Song Guiya, her eyes darting around suspiciously as she whispered, “Yaya, that person you had a crush on—it sounds like they’re no longer in this world. Does Teacher Xi know about it?”

If Teacher Xi found out Yaya had someone in her heart, would she mind?

The answer was yes—Teacher Xi was the jealous type, after all.

But with Teacher Xi’s no-nonsense personality, would she dump Yaya over it?

The thought made Li Xingruo worry a little.

Song Guiya: …

She knew.

She knew all too well.

But how was she supposed to explain that she’d never confessed because she herself had died?