During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Li Qingshuang wanted everyone to go to an island together. Kuang Yuan had things on her mind and didn’t want to go. Li Qingshuang suspected she was going to look for Xiao Yang again and that the two would argue once more. Unsure of the outcome, she went to ask Xu Youzhi instead.
Xu Youzhi originally wanted to stay with Jiang Ruoxun. However, Li Qingshuang suggested a white-sand island abroad, saying the sand was snow-white—especially at dusk when the sky turned orange, the clouds were vibrant, and seagulls soared across the horizon. It was perfect for taking photos. Feeling a bit tempted, Xu Youzhi agreed to go with her.
“Sister, I’m going out to play with friends for the holiday. You don’t mind, do you?”
Xu Youzhi felt a sense of guilt for leaving Jiang Ruoxun behind and wanted to seek her opinion.
“If you think it’ll be boring, I won’t go.”
Jiang Ruoxun thought to herself: Does this kid think I’m a child? If she wants to play, she should go. It’s not like I’m going to tie her up and forbid her from leaving. If she did that… Jiang Ruoxun couldn’t help but smile. She would become the old witch imprisoning the beautiful princess.
But upon further thought, Jiang Ruoxun felt a strange flash of irritation. If the kid really wanted to stay with her, she wouldn’t go anywhere at all. She felt a bit disappointed and a little unwilling.
“Where are you going?”
“White Sand Island. My friend says the scenery there is beautiful.”
“Mm, stay safe. If you run out of money, remember to find me.”
“How could I possibly do that!”
Xu Youzhi smiled unconsciously. Previously, whenever they went out, Jiang Ruoxun would always offer to pay. Adhering to her principle of not taking advantage of others, Xu Youzhi naturally wouldn’t agree; if she couldn’t stop her, she would give gifts in return—though they were insignificant to a Movie Queen.
They soon arrived at the tourist destination known as “White Sand Island.” In the afternoon, the local sunlight was abundant. Seeing the stunning scenery, Li Qingshuang headed out to take photos as soon as she dropped off her luggage. Xu Youzhi stayed behind to unpack for a while before heading out to meet her for dinner.
The lobby on the fifth floor of the hotel happened to be a restaurant, brimming with seafood, tropical fruits, and local delicacies. Xu Youzhi brought a plate of seafood sashimi to Li Qingshuang’s table.
“Zhizhi, look.” Li Qingshuang showed her the photos she had just taken. Xu Youzhi gave a faint compliment: “They’re beautiful.”
She wasn’t being insincere, but she felt out of sorts. Ever since she sent the message “I’ve arrived” to Jiang Ruoxun, the other woman hadn’t replied. Xu Youzhi didn’t dare send more, fearing she might be a disturbance. Two hours had passed without a response. Compared to her usual speed, this was quite slow.
Puzzled, Xu Youzhi was eating a piece of salmon when two people sat down right in her line of sight. One was a woman wearing sunglasses with a striking, curvaceous figure. Her wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders, and she wore a grey off-the-shoulder camisole that made her skin look snowy white.
Xu Youzhi thought she was just a beautiful woman from home, but the more she looked, the more familiar she felt. It wasn’t until the woman took off her sunglasses—revealing a stunning, makeup-free face—that Xu Youzhi’s chewing came to an abrupt halt.
Her sixth sense was right. It was her acquaintance. It was Jiang Ruoxun!
Jiang Ruoxun took a sip of cool coconut juice and gracefully tucked her long hair behind her ear. A shallow smile graced her exquisite face as she chatted animatedly with the woman sitting opposite her.
She hadn’t replied to a message in ages, yet here she was, talking happily with this woman. Xu Youzhi remembered that Jiang Ruoxun was usually cold and distant even with her manager, Xu Ling. Yet here she was, laughing so much her eyes crinkled—looking as if she had stepped out of winter into spring, or as if she had met her true love and was headed to a wedding.
She came here and didn’t even tell me, Xu Youzhi grumbled inwardly.
Naturally, she couldn’t hear the conversation between Jiang Ruoxun and her friend, Le Lanyi.
“Your stepmother is being that ruthless?” Le Lanyi tutted. “Doing everything she can to force you out of the entertainment industry.”
“She just wants to strip me of my financial independence. Even so, it doesn’t benefit her much. I could just shamelessly go to the Jiang family’s company and make her see me every day.” Jiang Ruoxun didn’t seem to care about Nan Tingyin’s tactics. she looked at her newly painted nails—a bright red that matched her lip color.
Le Lanyi pursed her lips. “Actually, although your stepmother is bad, I think her children are alright.”
Jiang Ruoxun’s hand paused on her glass, her gaze sharp. “Which one?” She then added, “Jiang Qilin is fine, but Jiang Chuzhi is just a dandy.”
“Jiang Qilin returned from studying abroad and has been starting a business in Yuecheng rather than joining the family enterprise. I saw her at the company a few days ago; she’s a very gentle girl and really wants to get closer to you.”
“So she saw you too and talked to you a lot,” Jiang Ruoxun said flatly.
“Just a little bit.” Le Lanyi instinctively reached out to touch Jiang Ruoxun’s hand in a comforting gesture.
This exact movement was seen clearly by Xu Youzhi. Her eyes widened. They’re chatting and now they’re holding hands?
“Zhizhi, what are you looking at?” Li Qingshuang followed her gaze and suddenly gasped. “Oh my god! Is that… is that Jiang Ruoxun?”
Her voice was so loud that Jiang Ruoxun heard it. Instead of hiding, she turned her head to look. Xu Youzhi instinctively looked away as if she had a guilty conscience. While it looked like guilt, it was actually anger.
Jiang Ruoxun curled her lips into a smile. This little idiot.
“Zhizhi, we saw a big star!” Li Qingshuang had no idea that these two had actually eaten and slept together; their relationship was far deeper than she imagined. She immediately pulled Xu Youzhi forward to ask for an autograph. Even with the “scandals” surrounding Jiang Ruoxun, Li Qingshuang was too excited by the presence of such a magnificent star to care.
“Are you Jiang Ruoxun? Could you give us an autograph?” Li Qingshuang pulled out a pen.
“Sure.” Jiang Ruoxun looked at Xu Youzhi, who was biting her lip, and smiled tenderly.
“Oh, I didn’t bring any paper.” Li Qingshuang looked frustrated until a flash of inspiration hit her. She pointed at her white T-shirt. “Goddess, can you sign here?”
Jiang Ruoxun signed them one by one. Then she looked at Xu Youzhi, her smile never fading. She raised an eyebrow and said in a doting tone, “And you, little one? Do you want one?”
Xu Youzhi’s face turned red instantly. What “little one”?!
“Yes… sign here.” They had agreed not to let others know about their relationship, so Xu Youzhi had to play along. She rolled up her white sleeve and held it out.
Li Qingshuang looked at her strangely. “Zhizhi, why are you being so shy? You’re usually not this bashful.”
Jiang Ruoxun arched a brow, seemingly teasing her. “Oh, she looks like a very ‘good girl’ type.”
Li Qingshuang, wanting to praise her friend, added: “Mhm, she’s very good. If her mom says to come home early, she really comes home early!”
Xu Youzhi’s lips twitched. Although Li Qingshuang had called her “pure” in front of Jiang Ruoxun before, hearing it now felt incredibly awkward!
Li Qingshuang was enjoying herself. “Goddess, you don’t know—”
“Stop talking!” Xu Youzhi interrupted, pulling Li Qingshuang away.
Li Qingshuang waved enthusiastically as they left. “Goodbye, Goddess! Have a great time!”
A great time? It was actually quite awkward.
Without a word, Xu Youzhi sent a barrage of messages to Jiang Ruoxun. —Sister —Sister —Sister
She sent dozens of “Sisters” followed by a string of “grass mud horse” (alpaca) emojis. —Why didn’t you reply to my messages!! —Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here!!
She actually wanted to ask who that woman was, but she forced herself to hold it back. —I want an answer. —Tonight, come to my room.
Jiang Ruoxun sent the room number, the corners of her mouth turning up high.
Le Lanyi saw her grinning and asked, “Are you in a relationship?”
“No,” Jiang Ruoxun replied vaguely. “Just a little ‘beauty’ chatting with me. A very innocent younger sister.”
Le Lanyi was confused but continued to gossip. “A younger brother? Is it Wei You?”
“Of course not,” Jiang Ruoxun said coldly.
Le Lanyi nodded. “True. Even a ‘little milk dog’ younger brother couldn’t make our cold, triple-crown Movie Queen reply to messages like this.”
Jiang Ruoxun took a sip of water to hide her smile. It wasn’t a “little brother”—it was a “good puppy” who smiles at you, lets you pat her head and pinch her face, and never gets angry.
That evening, Xu Youzhi actually went to her room. Standing at the door, she took a deep breath and knocked. Soon, the door was opened gently.
Jiang Ruoxun was wearing a white camisole, her fair skin radiating a cool aura. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. “So you decided to come find me?”
Xu Youzhi let out a confused “Mhm.” The way she said it made Xu Youzhi feel like a husband who had abandoned his wife to go out drinking.
“Sister, can I come in?”
“What if I don’t let you in?” The crack in the door wasn’t wide; Jiang Ruoxun blocked the view, so Xu Youzhi couldn’t see inside. She assumed that woman was in there too and said disappointedly, “Oh, there’s someone else inside.”
Jiang Ruoxun tilted her head, confused. Why would she think someone was in there? “Who is in here?”
Xu Youzhi’s eyes lit up. Suddenly, she lunged forward and hugged Jiang Ruoxun tightly. Jiang Ruoxun was startled. With a slight pull, she brought Xu Youzhi inside the room. No one else was there. The scent of hotel disinfectant was masked by the cool fragrance lingering on Jiang Ruoxun’s body.
Feeling as though she had returned home after a long absence, Xu Youzhi felt a sense of relief and couldn’t help but sniff the scent a bit longer. Then she complained: “Sister, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to White Sand Island?”
Jiang Ruoxun smiled. She had come because Le Lanyi invited her, and she had thought about what kind of reaction she would get if she gave Xu Youzhi a surprise.
Jiang Ruoxun pressed a finger against Xu Youzhi’s full, moist lips. Her breathing suddenly became rapid and hurried. A touch of desire clouded her shimmering eyes, making her look pitiable.
“Sister.” “Mhm?” “Is that woman really just a friend?”
Jiang Ruoxun gave a questioning hum. Xu Youzhi lowered her head shyly. “I saw her touch your hand, and you didn’t seem to mind.”
Jiang Ruoxun burst out laughing and patted her head. “She’s my friend.”
A flash of joy appeared in Xu Youzhi’s eyes. Jiang Ruoxun leaned in close. Xu Youzhi didn’t flinch; she seemed addicted to the Movie Queen’s scent. A cool, quiet voice whispered in her ear: “Zhizhi, why do you ask? Could she be my girlfriend?” She emphasized the word girlfriend.
Xu Youzhi shook her head, then nodded obediently. ” I just felt like you have strong boundaries with everyone, including that manager sister we met last time.”