Chapter 1

S City in August was hot like a furnace.

Lin Qimian stepped out of the outpatient comprehensive building and frowned as a wave of heat smacked into her.

There wasn’t a breath of wind, and the sun, just past five in the afternoon, still blazed high overhead.

Her phone buzzed from inside her bag. Lin Qimian answered the call and strode toward the parking lot while Huang Xiaoyi’s voice nagged endlessly from the other end. “Doctor Lin, where are you? Where are you already…?”

Lin Qimian lied without a flicker of expression. “Traffic’s jammed up bad on the road.”

Huang Xiaoyi pressed. “Then hurry up, hurry! Everyone’s here but you. They’ve already started drinking…”

Lin Qimian slipped into the shadows of the hospital’s underground parking garage. “Got it.”

Huang Xiaoyi chattered on for a few more sentences, all to the effect that Lin Qimian should dress up nicely tonight—there were outsiders in the group, and the legendary beauty Doctor Lin had to make a dazzling entrance.

Lin Qimian tossed her bag onto the back seat and ducked into the driver’s seat. “Gonna hang up. I’m driving now.”

Huang Xiaoyi yelped. “Hey! Didn’t you just say the road was jammed? So you haven’t even gotten on it yet…”

Lin Qimian smiled but said nothing, ending the call.

The car rolled out of the garage. Lin Qimian fired up the navigation and picked the route most prone to gridlock.

But the gods of fate weren’t smiling on her today. The road was unexpectedly clear. Obeying every rule, she kept a steady speed and safe distance, never running so much as a single red light—and still pulled up to the restaurant forty minutes later.

It was the hottest new internet-famous spot, its massive colorful sign already blazing away before the sun had even set. Across the street, little windows glowed with neon reds and purples, and every parking spot out front was taken.

Lin Qimian spotted an open slot and eased into it with leisurely parallel parking. Out of the restaurant strode a figure decked out in garish clothes. They reached her car and slapped the window hard.

Lin Qimian lowered the glass. Huang Xiaoyi thrust her head inside, zeroing in on her face with laser focus. “This is how you showed up?”

Lin Qimian replied evenly, her tone flat. “A plain, natural look brings people closer together.”

Huang Xiaoyi snorted. “Plain and natural means no makeup?”

Her face scrunched up as if she might drop to her knees right there. “Sis, I know you’re drop-dead gorgeous by nature. Even if you skip washing your hair for three days and plunge into a crowd, you’d still stand out head and shoulders above the rest. But tonight—please—Zhao Beibei brought her new boyfriend and spent the whole evening hyping up how handsome he is, straight-up and subtle-like. I might not have a boyfriend, but I’ve got a knockout friend! Sis, we’re not here to play nice and approachable. I’ve talked you up so big—we can’t lose this…”

Lin Qimian glanced down and popped open the armrest compartment. “Does any of this even matter?”

Huang Xiaoyi smacked the car door with a sharp crack. “It matters—a ton! Fairy, you have no idea what us mortals go through…”

Lin Qimian fished out a tube of lipstick at random. Huang Xiaoyi clamped her mouth shut on the spot.

She watched in silence as Lin Qimian swept on the luxurious velvet red.

That face—like a serene landscape scroll painting—suddenly burst into vivid color.

Eyes like limpid autumn waters, lips like roaring flames.

Lin Qimian had one of those perfect faces that suited any makeup, light or heavy, and no matter how many times Huang Xiaoyi saw it, the sight still took her breath away.

Lin Qimian shook loose her low ponytail, letting her naturally wavy black locks tumble down and completely block Huang Xiaoyi’s view.

Huang Xiaoyi’s eyes burned with envy. “Sis, how do you have sky-high IQ, a job that eats your life, and hair for days?”

Lin Qimian kicked off her plush white sneakers and slipped into the high heels she’d bought yesterday but hadn’t taken home yet. She stepped out of the car. “Just spend the time you waste comparing boring people and boring stuff on sleeping instead.”

Huang Xiaoyi fell silent.

Huang Xiaoyi muttered, “…I don’t love you anymore.”

Even as she said it, she scurried to Lin Qimian’s side, grabbing her bag and fussing over her hair.

The moment they stepped into the restaurant, eyes swiveled toward them from every direction.

Amid the moody, cluttered decor and lighting, Lin Qimian—in her simple white blouse and suit skirt—cut a coldly aloof figure, utterly at odds with her surroundings.

And yet, that very mismatch was breathtakingly gorgeous: serious without being stiff, distant yet glowing with its own light.

It left onlookers feeling shabby by comparison.

Huang Xiaoyi shot a glance at Lin Qimian, then craned her neck toward their table, her lips twitching upward in a manic grin.

She whispered, buzzing with excitement. “We won, Fairy! We totally won. One look at you, and Zhao Beibei and her boyfriend are gobsmacked…”

Lin Qimian’s lips quirked. “No pulling me to any gatherings for the next month.”

Huang Xiaoyi bobbed her head frantically. “Sure, sure—whatever you say. No problem.”

They settled into their seats amid the lingering stares.

Besides Zhao Beibei and her boyfriend, two other girls sat at the table—friends of Huang Xiaoyi’s.

Lin Qimian dialed back her icy demeanor just a touch and offered everyone a smile as she said hello.

The other girls didn’t dare strike up much conversation with her. After a few polite questions, upon learning that Lin Qimian was a doctor, they even stopped drinking.

Zhao Beibei’s boyfriend, on the other hand, was full of enthusiasm. He flagged down a waiter to bring Lin Qimian a bowl and chopsticks, then eagerly poured her a drink.

Lin Qimian glanced up at him, and the man seemed emboldened. “I’ve been going on all night about being Beibei’s boyfriend without even giving a proper introduction. I’m Cheng Feng, from An City. Right now, I’m working with a film crew in S City.”

Lin Qimian said nothing. The man chuckled to himself. “Small world, huh? I’m from the same hometown as Xiao Yi. She mentioned you two are childhood friends—you went to No. 1 Middle School, right? Guess that makes us alumni.”

“Heh.” Lin Qimian leaned back into her chair, issuing a cold, ambiguous snort.

Huang Xiaoyi picked up on her irritation and hurried to smooth things over. “We were just chatting with Beibei and realized what a coincidence it is. Beibei, didn’t you say you wanted to order something? It’s not too crowded right now—Cheng Feng, why don’t you go put in the order?”

Before Zhao Beibei could respond, Cheng Feng raised a hand. “I’ll just call someone over. Waiter—”

He broke off abruptly and nudged Zhao Beibei’s arm. “What was it you wanted again?”

Zhao Beibei’s lips pursed. A few seconds ticked by before she mumbled, “Salad.”

“Ah, you girls,” Cheng Feng said. “Why go for salad when there’s better stuff? That dressing’s loaded with calories anyway. Fat or not—it’s all in the genes. Just accept it…”

The women at the table went quiet.

After placing the order, Cheng Feng launched into a monologue on women’s figures. “Plenty of people diet and still don’t look good. The ones who stay thin no matter what they eat? They’re the real deal. On set, when we cast actors, it’s all about how they look on camera—gotta have that natural bone structure…”

Here, he turned to Lin Qimian. “Someone like Doctor Lin, naturally stunning? That’s rare.”

He burst into laughter, convinced he’d kicked off a lively topic, glancing around for nods of approval.

No one chimed in. Zhao Beibei lifted her glass and slammed it down on the table.

Cheng Feng finally caught on and scrambled to pivot. “Speaking of No. 1 Middle School, we’ve got this classmate who’s a big deal on Orange Live—a famous shut-in goddess. You all know her? Her dance video hit Weibo’s hot list a while back, even if it wasn’t super high up…”

He ducked down and rummaged in his bag, pulling out a tablet. “Occupational hazard. With her looks, live streaming’s a waste. If she’d gone into acting, she’d be huge by now.”

“Here, take a look…” He slid the tablet into view. “Pretty, right? All-natural face, killer figure, and that name—Little Moon…”

Huang Xiaoyi froze. She snatched the tablet, her eyes widening at the screen.

The pink live streaming room was running in triple mode. A girl with bunny ears danced across the frame—almond-shaped eyes, smiling lips, her fluffy bunny girl outfit a tantalizing mix of innocence and allure. Her waist was impossibly slim, a vision of seductive beauty.

Huang Xiaoyi stared, dumbfounded. As the others clamored, “What is it? Let me see,” she tilted the tablet just enough for Lin Qimian to get a clear view.

“Looks like… Xu Yueliang…” Huang Xiaoyi whispered.

Lin Qimian didn’t stir. Her body remained still, her expression unchanged.

Her gaze locked onto the screen and lingered there for a long moment.

The girl onscreen beamed, her lips and eyes curving like crescent moons.

A gust from the overhead air conditioner brushed Lin Qimian’s face, lifting a stray lock of hair that tickled past her ear.

Lin Qimian reached up and tucked it behind her ear.

She fished her phone from her bag, avoiding everyone’s eyes, and stood. “Excuse me, I have to take a call.”

No one dared stop her. Lin Qimian made her way out of the restaurant. The moment she pushed open the door, a slender moon hung in the deep blue sky.

Behind her, the sunset painted the clouds red.

Back in her car, the live streaming app and room number were seared into her mind. She downloaded the app and entered the stream.

It was Xu Yueliang.

No one else could look like that. No one else could make her spine straighten inch by inch, her fingertips go numb, her heartbeat falter.

Lin Qimian clutched her phone until a message from Huang Xiaoyi popped up. She exited the stream.

Huang Xiaoyi had sent a timid emoji along with: 【Qimian, are you coming back?】

【Coming back.】 Lin Qimian replied without hesitation.

When she reentered the restaurant, even the veneer of polite courtesy was gone from her face.

Her expression had turned icy, her aura downright intimidating. Huang Xiaoyi watched her approach and couldn’t help thinking of their formidable middle school principal. Her mouth opened several times, but no words of reconciliation came out.

Lin Qimian reached the table but didn’t sit down. Instead, she turned to her and said abruptly, “Xiao Yi, sorry.”

Huang Xiaoyi froze like a clock that had run out of batteries. “Huh? What? It’s nothing…”

Cheng Feng, oblivious as ever, grinned and jumped in. “No big deal, no big deal. Where’d you run off to? You were gone forever…”

Lin Qimian ignored him completely. She pulled out her phone and set it down in front of Zhao Beibei.

The screen displayed a user profile on Orange Live. Cheng Feng leaned over for a peek, and the grin finally slipped from his face.

Lin Qimian swiped through the screen, pointing out each detail to Zhao Beibei. “This is Cheng Feng’s Orange Live account. The username is his name in pinyin plus his birthday—you should recognize it.

“This is his account level: Prestige Imperial Diamond. It requires a fixed monthly fee of eighteen thousand yuan. That string of numbers shows his consecutive consumption streak, so at the very least, Cheng Feng has dropped ninety thousand yuan on this account over the past five months.

“He registered four years and eight months ago.

“Here’s his following list.

“Open any one at random—he’s second on this streamer’s fan leaderboard, complete with a manager badge.

“Fan contributions: 5,970,328 points, which comes out to about fifty-nine thousand yuan.

“You can see his tastes are all too consistent. Before he hid his profile, anyone could look up exactly how much he’d shelled out for every streamer.”

“What the hell are you on about!” Cheng Feng bellowed, lunging for Lin Qimian’s phone. “Can’t a guy watch some streams?!”

“You can watch. I don’t care.”

Lin Qimian put heavy emphasis on the “I” as she yanked her phone back first. She swiped again.

She held the screen right up to Zhao Beibei’s eyes once more. This time, she said nothing, letting the image speak for itself.

It was a WeChat friend request from Cheng Feng, sent while she’d been out of the room. Right there in front of Zhao Beibei, Lin Qimian dragged his contact straight into her blacklist.

Zhao Beibei balled her fists, her face burning red.

Cheng Feng grabbed for her hand. “Baby, just hear me out…”

“Get lost!” Zhao Beibei shouted, shoving him away. She bolted for the door without even grabbing her bag.

Cheng Feng jabbed a finger at Lin Qimian, his expression vicious. “You got some kind of problem…”

He didn’t finish. Huang Xiaoyi shot to her feet clutching a wine bottle and jabbed right back at him. “Say one more word and see what happens!”

Chaos erupted. Eyes turned from every corner of the restaurant, and the manager hurried over.

Cheng Feng wagged his finger at Lin Qimian a couple more times before snatching up Zhao Beibei’s bag and chasing after her.

Huang Xiaoyi’s hand shook around the neck of the bottle.

Lin Qimian finally took a seat. She poured herself a cup from the teapot.

She drained it in one go and apologized once more. “I’m driving, so tea in place of wine. Sorry for messing up your dinner.”

She glanced up at the two panicked girls across from her, her lips curving into a gentle smile. “Feel free to keep going. I’ll pick up the tab.”