"The drug in this juice will only cause temporary dizziness with no side effects. I've gone through so much trouble to arrange this meeting between you and your True Destiny's Son."
"I hope you'll make the most of it when you see him and get to know each other better. Go for it!"
Lu Jiaoyue: "…?"
What did that mean? There was drug in the juice?
And what did True Destiny's Son mean? Was her sister planning to introduce her to some man?
While Lu Jiaoyue was lost in thought, Lu Xiaoxiao pushed the juice glass closer to her, eyes full of anticipation.
Though hesitant after learning about the drugged juice, Lu Jiaoyue still picked up the glass.
She couldn't figure out Lu Xiaoxiao's intentions, so she decided not to overthink it.
After all, she trusted that her sister wouldn't harm her.
Watching Lu Jiaoyue drain the glass in one go, Lu Xiaoxiao felt both pleased that her plan was proceeding smoothly and concerned about her sister's lack of caution.
"Seriously? You'd drink something from a stranger without any suspicion? Not even a polite refusal? While I wouldn't kidnap and sell you, that doesn't mean others won't! You're such a naive sweetheart!"
The drug took effect quickly. Already feeling dizzy, Lu Jiaoyue grew slightly aggrieved upon hearing her sister's mental complaint about her foolishness.
She thought she was being super obedient by following her sister's wishes—why was she being scolded?
Besides, she only acted so compliantly because she knew it was her sister. With anyone else…
Well, she might still drink it, but at least she'd hesitate first! She wasn't that easily fooled!
Hiding her defensive thoughts with some guilt, Lu Jiaoyue supported her head and leaned toward Lu Xiaoxiao.
"Sis… I feel a bit dizzy."
Lu Xiaoxiao quickly steadied her, thinking internally that the dizziness was exactly what she wanted, while maintaining a concerned expression: "Huh? What's wrong, little sister? Don't scare me! Hang in there, I'll take you to Lu Yubai first."
Lu Jiaoyue nodded, collapsing into her arms as if boneless, seeming to rely entirely on Lu Xiaoxiao's support to stand.
Suspecting nothing, Lu Xiaoxiao draped Lu Jiaoyue's arm over her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist to guide her forward.
Though still lightheaded, Lu Jiaoyue felt a secret delight with her arm around her sister's neck.
She'd finally succeeded in clinging to her sister! Hooray!
Truthfully, the slight dizziness alone wouldn't have rendered her completely unable to walk—her frail, weakened act contained some traces of performance.
After all, no matter how much Lu Xiaoxiao mentally praised her cuteness, her outward demeanor always remained cool and distant, making closeness impossible.
But now was perfect—she could stick to her sister like an accessory. So wonderful!
Her sister smelled so good! She never wanted to let go…
Though Lu Xiaoxiao claimed to be taking her to Lu Yubai, she deliberately chose a more secluded route, leading Lu Jiaoyue directly out of Booth A5 before stopping a nearby cleaning staff member.
"Hello, my friend might have had too much drink and is feeling severely dizzy now. The private room is too noisy – could we find a quieter place for her to rest?"
The staff member observed Lu Jiaoyue with her eyes tightly closed, the sickly flush on her face appearing genuine, and didn't dare be negligent. He promptly escorted them to the exclusive elevator leading to the sixth floor.
"You can take your friend to rest in Room 7 for a while. That room happens to be available today. But please make sure not to go to Room 8 next door – that's Gu Corporation's Gu Zong's private resting room. He's here discussing business today and will probably head there after finishing."
Lu Xiaoxiao readily agreed, speaking in an understanding tone as she told the staff member to return to his duties, saying she could take Lu Jiaoyue upstairs herself.
The staff member saw no issue with this and let her go up directly.
He assumed that anyone invited by the Lu Family's young master to attend the birthday banquet would undoubtedly have heard of Gu Sipei's reputation and would know about the consequences of displeasing him. Having been warned, she would surely be careful not to disturb him.
Under normal circumstances, this would indeed be the case. Unfortunately, Lu Xiaoxiao was precisely not the type to follow such norms.
While she had agreed verbally, the moment she reached the sixth floor, she headed straight for Room 8.
After settling Lu Jiaoyue on the bed, Lu Xiaoxiao tucked in the blanket corners and coaxed, "If you're not feeling well, rest for a while. I'll be going now."
Lu Jiaoyue obediently responded without clutching her sleeve to prevent her from leaving, trustfully closing her eyes to sleep.
Lu Xiaoxiao couldn't help but sigh again, exiting the room with mixed emotions.
Once outside, she immediately confirmed with the System again: "You guarantee nothing will happen between them, right? Swear to me."
The System replied: "Relax, Host. The male and female leads won't reach that stage so quickly. I swear."
"At this phase, the male lead is still focused on his career. The female lead just needs to appear frequently to plant anchors in his mind. Before he truly consolidates power in the Gu Corporation, there won't be any substantial progress between them."
Lu Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
She hadn't noticed earlier, but now that the task was completed, Lu Xiaoxiao realized how painfully her high heels were rubbing her feet, and the false eyelashes were causing discomfort.
She borrowed the restroom in the lounge, removing the false eyelashes, wiping off the heavy eye makeup, and switching to a less vibrant lipstick.
After completing these steps, Lu Xiaoxiao looked in the mirror and could finally recognize her own face.
However, while makeup was easy to remove, the shoe problem wasn't as easily solved. She could only apply some ointment to the rubbed areas when she got home.
Uncertain when Gu Sipei would return and not daring to linger, she gathered her belongings and headed out.
The corridor was completely empty, which made Lu Xiaoxiao let her guard down. Unexpectedly, as she turned the corner, she collided directly with a man's chest.
Her steps had been hurried, making the impact particularly painful. Colorful language nearly escaped her lips, but when she looked up and recognized the face, all curses died in her throat, her soul nearly fleeing in fright.
Ji Yunhuai?
Why would she encounter Ji Yunhuai here?!
And why at a corner again? Others find love around corners – why does she keep meeting ghosts at every turn!
Lu Xiaoxiao began regretting having removed her makeup so hastily, silently praying that Ji Yunhuai, being an important figure, would be forgetful and not remember her at all.
But Ji Yunhuai looked down at her for a few seconds, clearly recognizing her, the smile at the corner of his lips turning playful.
"It's you again." The man raised an eyebrow and asked her, "What? It's a workday today. Instead of cleaning toilets, you came to Phantom?"
Lu Xiaoxiao didn't dare meet his eyes for a moment, racking her brains for an excuse but drawing a complete blank. In the end, it was Ji Yunhuai who offered her a suitable explanation:
"Working a side job here?"
Lu Xiaoxiao froze, then nodded vigorously. "Ah, yes!"