At eight in the evening, the disguised Lu Xiaoxiao stood before the entrance of Phantom Club.
She had specifically applied heavy smoky eye makeup today, curled her hair, and wore a somewhat revealing black dress that ended above the knees, paired with 8cm stiletto heels.
After this dramatic transformation, she felt even her own mother might not recognize her at first glance.
The System's reminder echoed in her ears: "Host, you need to find a way to separate Lu Jiaoyue from the crowd later. Gu Sipei is attending an event here today. They missed the chance to be alone during the last family recognition banquet—this time they must meet successfully."
Lu Xiaoxiao impatiently scratched her ear: "Heard it, heard it. Both ears heard it."
Her timing was perfect. Lu Yubai's birthday party had just started a few minutes ago, but most guests had likely arrived, making it the liveliest moment.
This was the ideal time for Lu Xiaoxiao to blend in without drawing attention.
"So which private room did Lu Yubai reserve?" she asked.
The System replied: "Large private room A5, on the fifth floor of the club."
Lu Xiaoxiao nodded and entered the elevator.
Coincidentally, she immediately encountered the familiar Gu Sipei inside.
The man was checking his wristwatch, seemingly on his way to meet someone, still radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Lu Xiaoxiao knew Gu Sipei, but he didn't know her, so his attention wasn't on her.
She didn't deliberately try to attract attention either, simply watching the elevator numbers climb calmly.
The fifth floor arrived quickly. As Lu Xiaoxiao stepped out, she noticed Gu Sipei didn't follow but continued upward, and her heart sank.
Though in the same venue, Lu Jiaoyue and Gu Sipei were on different floors. She wondered how to ensure their successful encounter.
Feeling troubled, Lu Xiaoxiao first asked a staff member about the upper floors.
From the staff, she learned Phantom Club had only six floors. The sixth floor wasn't accessible to everyone—it mainly housed VIP lounges and guest rooms, typically reserved in advance or permanently allocated to important figures.
Given Gu Sipei's status, his going to the sixth floor was natural.
However, besides VIP visits, there was another special situation where staff would bring guests upstairs: when a guest felt unwell, they would be taken to a rest room.
Hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up with an idea.
In that case, why not make Lu Jiaoyue appear unwell?
The method was simple: just exchange with the System for some dizziness-inducing drugs and secretly add them to Lu Jiaoyue's drink when no one was looking.
Though it sounded somewhat unethical, she was the Villainous Female Supporting Character after all—it fit her role perfectly.
Besides, it was all for the main couple's beautiful romance and her smooth journey back home!
Lu Xiaoxiao hypnotized herself with these thoughts and quickly convinced herself.
She pushed open the door of private room A5, handed her gift to the person at the entrance, and claimed to be Lu Yubai's classmate from the same grade.
The door attendant didn't interrogate her thoroughly, accepted the gift, and let Lu Xiaoxiao in.
Lu Yubai's birthday party had drawn quite a crowd—with staff included, there were roughly two to three hundred people in attendance.
Flickering lights of every color pulsed across the venue, while deafening music throbbed so loudly it made Lu Xiaoxiao's ears ache.
Lu Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly, realizing she truly wasn't as young as she used to be. Before transmigrating into this novel, she had spent years as an overworked office drone—waking up each day only to clock in, and spending holidays comatose from exhaustion. Now, she found herself struggling to adapt to such a raucous environment.
Still, the chaos had its advantages—it would make it easier for her to carry out her plans without drawing attention.
Weaving through the crowd, Lu Xiaoxiao scanned the room for Lu Jiaoyue.
Along the way, she encountered several young men attempting to strike up conversations, but she politely declined every one.
It went something like this:
"Hey beautiful, here alone? Want to grab a drink?"
"No thanks, I'm allergic to alcohol."
"Hi there, junior! I'd love to get to know you—can I have your WeChat?"
"I'm not a junior. I've been held back three years and I'm twenty now."
"Hello… do you believe in love at first sight? I feel like I'm already drawn to you."
"Politely declining—I'm a lesbian!"
Lu Xiaoxiao continued on her way, deflecting advances with increasingly absurd replies, until she finally spotted Lu Jiaoyue at the bar in the inner part of the private room.
Lu Jiaoyue was wearing the dress Lu Xiaoxiao had helped her pick out last time—simple in design yet elegant, clearly signaling her affluent background.
She wasn't sitting alone; beside her was another girl Lu Xiaoxiao didn't recognize, who was currently chatting with Lu Jiaoyue.
"Big sister, do you know what Lu Yubai usually likes?"
The girl's tone was shy, making it obvious she had a crush on Lu Yubai.
[Seriously? Someone actually likes that guy Lu Yubai? Well, I guess his face isn't bad, but his personality is utterly unreliable. This girl must be desperate.]
Hearing Lu Xiaoxiao's inner monologue, Lu Jiaoyue froze for a moment before feeling a surge of delight, immediately scanning the room.
When Lu Yubai had brought her out earlier, Lu Jiaoyue had asked if her sister would be coming. Afraid she might refuse to go if she knew Lu Xiaoxiao hadn't been invited, Lu Yubai lied and said Lu Xiaoxiao was busy but would arrive later.
After arriving, Lu Jiaoyue waited and waited, but never saw her sister.
Truthfully, she wasn't very comfortable in such party settings either, and she didn't know anyone there. At first, Lu Yubai had tried to look after her, but with so many guests to attend to, he quickly ran out of energy to care for Lu Jiaoyue.
Not wanting to spoil his fun—after all, it was his birthday—Lu Jiaoyue told him not to worry about her and found a quieter corner to order a juice.
She had just sat down when a girl named Qi Yin approached to chat. They exchanged pleasantries, but within moments, the conversation shifted to Lu Yubai.
Lu Jiaoyue was rather oblivious to matters of romance and initially thought it was just casual curiosity. Only after hearing Lu Xiaoxiao's thoughts did she realize the girl had feelings for Lu Yubai.
But more than that revelation, what Lu Jiaoyue wanted now was to find her sister as quickly as possible.
For some reason, she always felt at ease whenever her sister was around. As long as she could meet up with her sister, she wouldn't have to worry about having no one to talk to.