Summer had arrived.
That was why Litchi had suggested swimming for today’s team-building outing. The outdoor pool was spacious enough to accommodate all of them with room to spare, especially since Lin Cheng was the only man in the Fruit Shop anyway. And none of them would have minded.
Jiang Lingxue wore a black T-shirt and white hot pants, her red hair simply cascading down her back. The outfit was plain and unassuming, yet on her, it took on an extraordinary allure—perhaps because of the glimpse of collarbone peeking from her T-shirt, or the subtle sheen on her perfectly proportioned legs beneath the shorts.
She carried a bag containing her own swimsuit. Her arrival left everyone momentarily stunned. A moment later, Litchi said softly, “Sister Lingxue’s here.”
Jiang Lingxue turned her gaze toward her.
In contrast to Grape’s perennial detachment, Jiang Lingxue’s eyes held a different kind of aloof pride. But when she looked at Litchi, it softened just a touch. She gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, then shifted her attention to the pool, where Xu Wanyue was currently holding Lemon and tickling her. “Who’s she?”
“She’s our newest member. She doesn’t have a codename yet—her name’s Xu Wanyue, and her ability is Luck,” Litchi explained quickly, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. Deep down, she was filled with eager anticipation, wondering what kind of spark might fly between Xu Wanyue and Jiang Lingxue.
Litchi knew full well that Lin Cheng had been spending nearly all his time at Xu Wanyue’s house lately. He’d stayed out overnight several times. A guy and a girl alone together like that—who knew what might happen? Litchi wasn’t one to speculate.
At that moment, Xu Wanyue’s eyes also drifted to Jiang Lingxue’s face. Her lips parted slightly as she froze for a second. “Jiang… Jiang Lingxue?!”
It was their first meeting. Xu Wanyue climbed out of the pool, her pale, slender feet stepping onto the grass. She approached Jiang Lingxue, her eyes sparkling brightly. “Y-you… why are you here?”
“I’m a member of the Fruit Shop too. Why couldn’t I be?” Jiang Lingxue countered coolly. She didn’t understand Xu Wanyue’s sudden warmth and frowned slightly. Perhaps this was the woman Lin Cheng had brought in just to spite her, or maybe his latest plaything. Either way, she disliked the enthusiasm—it was probably all fake.
“What a coincidence! I-I’m a huge fan of yours. Could I maybe get your autograph later?” Xu Wanyue’s voice was genuine, stumbling over the words in her excitement. Jiang Lingxue blinked. “You’re serious?”
Xu Wanyue nodded vigorously. “Yeah! For the past couple of years, I’ve fallen asleep every night to your songs. Your voice is incredible!”
Jiang Lingxue studied Xu Wanyue intently for several seconds, searching her eyes but finding not a trace of insincerity. She had always been exceptionally good at reading people, with an almost infallible intuition for subtle emotions. Yet Xu Wanyue’s admiration and enthusiasm seemed utterly sincere.
After a brief hesitation, she extended her hand. “Thank you for the support.”
Xu Wanyue reached out and gave it a gentle squeeze. “This is like a dream… You’re part of the Fruit Shop too, and Lin Cheng never even mentioned it!”
There was a hint of playful grievance in her tone. She turned to look at Lin Cheng, only to find his expression oddly strained. Xu Wanyue paused, processing it—one second, two seconds, three seconds. Then it hit her. “Wait… is she the last member of the Fruit Shop?”
Lin Cheng nodded. “Yes. She’s Water Honey Peach.”
“So she’s…”
“Yeah.” Lin Cheng nodded again, lightly.
Xu Wanyue’s face froze. She stared blankly at Lin Cheng, whose expression held a touch of helplessness. Then she dashed over to his side. She’d run so quickly that the soft mounds at her chest jiggled noticeably. Lin Cheng, freshly changed into his swim trunks, sat on the pool steps. Xu Wanyue leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “H-how could you bear to kick her out?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“But she’s Jiang Lingxue! Jiang Lingxue!”
“Ah… The Jiang Lingxue in your eyes might not be the same one I see.” Lin Cheng replied with a helpless shrug. To Xu Wanyue, she was the cool-eyed idol with a heavenly voice and graceful dances. But to him, she was the irritable little mutt who lounged at home, baring her teeth when the mood struck.
Xu Wanyue’s mind went blank, leaving her stammering incoherently. Lin Cheng reached out and pinched her ear, leaning in closer. “It’s fine. We don’t have to pretend to be a couple anymore, or do anything to her. If you want to get close to her, go ahead. No big deal.”
“You’ve grown up, huh.” Xu Wanyue cupped his face in her hands.
“…” Lin Cheng was speechless. His gaze drifted to the swimsuit hugging her chest below her collarbone. She’d chosen a cute style with white lace trim, full of girlish charm. But her figure was far too enticing to come off as anything but womanly.
Lin Cheng suddenly recalled the feel of that gentle squeeze he’d been permitted one night, and the soft moan that had escaped her lips.
Sunlight danced lazily on the rippling water. When he glanced toward where Jiang Lingxue had been standing, she was gone—probably off to the changing room to suit up. As the only man at this pool party, he ought to be reveling in it.
Yet the moment he’d laid eyes on Jiang Lingxue, an inexplicable unease had stirred within him.
Jiang Lingxue entered the changing room.
It had been nearly half a year since she’d last set foot in this villa. The Fruit Shop was a casual organization of ability users, but among them, she felt more like an outsider than Lin Cheng did. Her codename was Water Honey Peach; he’d been the one to bring her in. In practice, though, she didn’t have to do a thing. Her sole purpose was to burn through the steady stream of cash the Fruit Shop sent her way.
In Litchi’s words, it was an investment.
That money had paved a smooth path for her career, granting her access to top-tier PR resources. Litchi cleared every obstacle in her way. There had been fools along the road who saw her as a toy to be played with. The lightest punishment among them had been blindness from Litchi’s stabs; the worst offender lay comatose in a hospital bed, never to wake.
That was why Jiang Lingxue’s aloofness melted so much around Litchi. She knew full well that Litchi’s kindness stemmed from affection for Lin Cheng. Yet the Fruit Shop truly felt like a home—a refuge for the homeless like them.
After half a year away, her old swimsuit might not fit anymore, so she’d brought her own. But upon entering the changing room, her eyes fell on a pair of high heels sitting in the shoe cabinet.
They looked terribly familiar.
In an instant, her vision blurred. An inexplicable sourness welled up from her throat to the tip of her nose. Those were hers, without a doubt. She even remembered exactly how she’d gotten them. It had been summer then. She’d been sprawled on the bed, swinging her legs, showing Lin Cheng a pair of shoes by some overseas designer. He was gaming, so her pale little feet had been prodding at his back nonstop until he finally pulled off his headphones and turned to her.
“These shoes by that designer are so pretty.”
“Then we’ll contact her and buy them.”
“Each pair costs hundreds of thousands.”
“If you like them, that’s what matters.”
“I don’t speak English.”
“I’ll finish this game and help you reach out.”
“I want them now.”
“You’re really pushing your luck.” Lin Cheng had sighed helplessly, forfeited his match, taken her phone, and started researching the designer’s contacts. Then he’d had Litchi wire the payment. She’d leaned against him, resting her head on his thigh, quietly watching his jawline.
A month later, the shoes arrived. She’d paraded around the room in them. Lin Cheng had suggested they go downstairs for a walk, but she’d coldly refused, claiming they hurt to walk in.
“Then why buy them?”
“Because they look good.”
After that, she’d pestered him into contacting the designer multiple times for custom orders of her favorite styles. Lin Cheng was a man with excessively soft temperament. Coax him, throw a little tantrum, and he’d cave every time. But when she rejected his requests… he never seemed to get angry.
Maybe he didn’t show it. Did he secretly hope for her response each time? Did the disappointments pile up, trapped in that vicious cycle of hope breeding letdowns?
The day she left, she hadn’t taken the shoes or her jewelry. Even when Lin Cheng had offered to ship them to her, his tone had sounded angry. Let him toss them, then. Maybe he regretted it already—regretted indulging her every whim over that year, spoiling her into such a willful brat.
That day, she’d gone to Lin Cheng’s place, but he hadn’t come home that night. She never saw her shoes or jewelry again. Perhaps they’d been in the trash the instant she’d said to throw them out. She’d sat on the sofa, knees hugged to her chest, lost in a daze for what felt like forever.
So why were these shoes here now?
Jiang Lingxue approached them. She carefully slipped off her own shoes and slid her bare feet into the high heels. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she noted how she’d mastered walking in them over the past year. It wasn’t as hard as she’d once thought. Nothing was impossible to learn… People always ended up forced to grow.
Back then, her dream had been to stay home forever as someone’s pampered little dog. But the dream had shattered. The little dog had been driven from her den into the wide world. And the world wasn’t as terrifying as she’d feared. She’d grown up, it seemed. But growth always came at a cost.
The little dog’s cost had been losing her master.
Footsteps echoed from outside the changing room. Jiang Lingxue stared at her reflection—the woman’s eyes were red-rimmed, matching her hair. She fumbled hurriedly to remove the shoes, but it was too late.
It was Xu Wanyue who entered. The moment she saw Jiang Lingxue, her gaze dropped to the high heels on her feet. The two women were of similar height, though the heels made Jiang Lingxue tower a bit more.
Jiang Lingxue’s eyes cooled back to their usual detachment as she regarded Xu Wanyue. Xu Wanyue seemed at a loss, hesitating for a second or two before murmuring, “I just came to change… Lin Cheng yanked at my swimsuit ties for fun. That guy’s such a brat.”
Jiang Lingxue fell silent. Perhaps she was the truly flustered one here.
Xu Wanyue paused a beat longer, then ventured cautiously, “If… if you want them, I can give all these shoes and pieces of jewelry back to you.”
Jiang Lingxue’s expression shifted dramatically. She stared hard at Xu Wanyue, her teeth grinding against her lower lip.
