Lu Tao looked closely.
That colorful shade of black…
It was a Black Gold card!
Zhizhi had money now, too. However, her mother-in-law and husband both seemed a bit abnormal.
Fu Zhi patted her chest. “So now I have money too, and you’re not the only one earning it. Everything we spend today is on me.”
Beautiful dresses were everywhere. Lu Tao bought a white dress that was a mix of fairy-core and Lolita style.
She picked out a black slip dress with a high slit for Fu Zhi.
They didn’t care if things were on sale, and they didn’t need to compare prices on discount apps anymore. They paid the full price upfront. There was only one word for it: exhilarating!
They bought a lot, but they didn’t have to carry the bags; the clerks would deliver them to their respective homes later. While they were in high spirits, Lu Tao’s phone suddenly rang.
She looked down to see an unfamiliar number. When she answered, a low, gravelly voice came from the other end. “Lu Tao, Zhixing went to find Gu Xingzhi again.”
Lu Tao frowned. She had already blocked him, yet he still didn’t know how to take a hint.
“I’m in a bad mood. Half an hour, Scarlet Bar. Come find me.” Chi Yuan stated the time and location, still sounding as arrogant as ever. He sat with his legs crossed, his left hand gently swiveling a goblet filled with crimson wine.
He was a bit drunk.
He hadn’t forgotten what happened last night, but he had rationalized it afterward. With Gu Xingzhi right there, and her needing to rely on Gu Xingzhi to help her get orders, it was naturally impossible for her to fall out with him.
She had done things like this before. Even marrying Gu Xingzhi was only to provoke him.
“Get lost.”
Unexpectedly, a cold and blunt two-word dismissal cut through the air, followed immediately by the “beep-beep-beep” of the disconnected call.
Chi Yuan was stunned. Those words felt like a slap across his face.
He had the call on speaker, and several of his brothers around him stared at him in unison. Unable to save face, he took a sharp gulp of red wine.
“Did you and Lu Tao fall out?”
The first to ask was Shao Qu, his best friend. He looked quite happy, the upward curve of his lips impossible to suppress.
“How could that be?” Chi Yuan ran his fingers through his hair, feeling anxious for the first time.
Twice in twenty-four hours she had defied him—plus blocking him—this had never happened before!
Shao Qu took back his phone, still in disbelief.
Chi Yuan couldn’t get through with his own number, yet he could get through using Shao Qu’s.
In their circle, Lu Tao had always been a goddess-like existence. Did this mean he still held some weight in Lu Tao’s heart?
Chi Yuan closed his eyes, reining in his inner irritability. “She’s just throwing a little tantrum with me.”
Shao Qu thought this made sense. Lu Tao used to be so good to Chi Yuan; once, he had left her waiting for three hours in the rain, yet the next day, he only had to beckon and she would still go to him even with a high fever.
They all wondered if Chi Yuan had cast some kind of spell on Lu Tao to make her so devoted to him.
Many of them had thought about pursuing Lu Tao. After all, Chi Yuan didn’t even like her, yet he insisted on monopolizing her. Unfortunately, Lu Tao was so devoted to Chi Yuan that they could only stay away.
“I think she’s probably read some weird books lately, like ‘Male Psychology’ or ‘Techniques to Chase Men’ or something.”
Shao Qu’s words caused the irritation in Chi Yuan’s heart to instantly fade. He also felt that Lu Tao would not give up on him so easily.
They had so many beautiful memories from their youth…
She helped him copy notes and do his homework. When he was sick, she spent the whole night folding paper cranes for him, only to end up with a fever herself for a week. In university, she even received a disciplinary mark for taking his English exam for him.
These things were so deeply etched in her heart; how could she possibly let go?
***
After Lu Tao hung up the phone, Fu Zhi looked at her silently. “I don’t think you should suddenly act like you’ve completely cut ties with Chi Yuan in front of Gu Xingzhi. After all, you were a total ‘love-brain’ before.”
Both Fu Zhi and Lu Tao had read this plot, and they both detested it.
In the original story, the original soul was unloved by her parents in the Qiao family. Because Chi Yuan had once happened to save her, the love-starved girl treated him like a life-saving driftwood, possessing an almost obsessive love for him.
It was as if she would drown and die without him.
“If you don’t want Gu Xingzhi to take you to a mental hospital and turn you into a human specimen, it’s best not to change too much at once.”
Hearing Fu Zhi’s words and remembering that Gu Xingzhi had already grown suspicious of her yesterday—seemingly wanting to probe into her and Fu Zhi’s situation—Lu Tao decided to endure her disgust for the scumbag male lead.
It was so hard to act.
She used to enjoy acting; when they were little, she and Fu Zhi would stand on the bed draped in bedsheets, Fu Zhi playing Consort Hua while she played Zhen Huan.
But now, money was hard to earn, and some things were just hard to swallow.
She had to play opposite that scummy and despicable male lead—Chi Yuan.
Chi Yuan was only a bit more handsome and had a better body than Emperor Yongzheng from the show.
But thinking about the joy of spending money—ten million a month—fine, she would endure!
“Excuse me, ladies…” As the two were walking, they were suddenly stopped by a man in a butler’s uniform. The man wore gold-rimmed chain glasses and was smiling, his hands clasped politely in front of him as he bowed. “Today is our mall’s anime festival. If you participate as cosplayers, we will give you a Mamian skirt for free.”
Lu Tao glanced at the Mamian skirt; the pleats shifted with colors like moonlight.
Although it was beautiful, she had money now and didn’t really need it.
The butler-like man continued to coax them, “This is exclusive to our convention; it’s not sold anywhere else.”
Lu Tao was still unmoved.
The man stepped aside, his smile widening. “Furthermore, you can enter the venue where there are many Otome game cosplayers available for photos and interaction!”
“I’m in!”
“I’m in!”
The two sisters didn’t even need to exchange looks before shouting in unison.
The scene before them made their eyes light up instantly.
There were male models with 188cm frames, wearing doctor’s white coats, looking calm and elegant.
There were youths with sunny smiles and bold, spirited features.
There were also 190cm domineering CEOs who looked as if they had been born at the center of power, their black suits carrying the stern aura of those in high positions.
There were entertainment stars wearing sunglasses with a single black stud in their left ear, the cool smiles on their lips enough to steal hearts.
Lu Tao and Fu Zhi took their costumes and entered the center of the venue. It was like Tang Sanzang entering the Kingdom of Women; they didn’t know where to look first.
The place was crowded, so Lu Tao went to the dressing room to change first. By the time she came out, Fu Zhi was gone, and her phone was still in a locker.
Having no choice, she could only look for Zhizhi slowly.
As soon as she walked out, she noticed that the noisy area outside the dressing room had gone silent. Everyone was staring at her with burning eyes.
What an adorable nine-tailed fox.
She was so cute it was heart-melting.
Pure yet seductive, she was the ultimate example of the “pure desire” look.
The butler’s eye for talent was indeed precise; Lu Tao suited the nine-tailed fox look perfectly.
She had long, ink-black hair and two small red animal ears on top of her head that twitched occasionally.