“Does it still hurt?” Zhu Qingjia looked at her.
Gu Ruoling shook her head, a smile rippling in her eyes as she placed her left hand over it. “Here too.”
“No way, I didn’t cause that one,” Zhu Qingjia brushed it away. “Go find whoever did it.”
“Really? Then I’ll call the family doctor and have her come back over.” Gu Ruoling reached for her phone, but before she could even light up the screen, it was snatched away.
Zhu Qingjia lifted her hand and brushed her lips against it. The gesture was a bit perfunctory and carried a trace of annoyance, but her touch was incredibly gentle, terrified of causing her any pain.
“Then here too.” Gu Ruoling wrapped her arms around Zhu Qingjia’s arm, tilting her face up to look at her.
“Where?” Zhu Qingjia pinched her earlobe, feigning ignorance. “You have to be specific.”
The young heiress didn’t want to pout, it wasn’t elegant, so she simply knitted her beautiful brows and stared fiercely at Zhu Qingjia.
Seeing that Zhu Qingjia was truly ignoring her, she cupped her face, intending to lean in for a kiss.
Zhu Qingjia was stunned by her boldness. When no outsiders were around, this girl really dared to do just about anything.
Fortunately, Zhu Qingjia was quick. She caught her by the chin, her gaze lowering slightly with a faint smile playing on her lips. “What’s this? Our dignified young lady is actually playing forced games now?”
“What’s wrong with a quick kiss? It’s not like it’ll kill you.” Gu Ruoling grasped her hand, pressing it against her own cheek. Looking up at her pleadingly, she said softly, “I want to try taking the initiative for once. Don’t reject me.”
So obedient. Even though Zhu Qingjia knew this behavior was entirely calculated, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter.
“How do you want me to cooperate?”
The young heiress’s eyes curved into beautiful crescents, her voice sweet as honey. “Don’t move, and close your eyes.”
Following her instructions, Zhu Qingjia closed her eyes. With her vision cut off, her other senses gradually heightened.
An arm wrapped around her neck, silky long hair brushed past her collarbone, and a soft, shallow breath fanned across her face. The fragrance of bergamot and vetiver enveloped her senses. Zhu Qingjia wanted to move, but her face was gently held in place.
Then, a soft, warm kiss landed on her lips. Perhaps feeling it was too light, the girl deliberately applied a bit of pressure before pulling away.
Zhu Qingjia could even feel the shape of her own lips shifting under the pressure.
She waited for a few more seconds, but no further movement came.
Slowly and carefully, Zhu Qingjia opened her eyes. Gu Ruoling was looking at her expectantly, appearing a little shy.
“How did it feel?” the young heiress asked.
It felt like my heart skipped a beat.
Though unpracticed, it was still incredibly sweet.
However, Zhu Qingjia deliberately knit her brows as if in deep thought. A few seconds later, she spoke against her true feelings: “Didn’t feel like much.”
Watching the young heiress’s expression shift from expectation to shock, and finally to deep disappointment, Zhu Qingjia rubbed her nose and cleared her throat slightly. “You still need more practice.”
The heiress’s face instantly changed color. “Have you practiced with someone else?”
Zhu Qingjia had just picked up a bottle of water to quench her thirst. Shocked by the sudden interrogation, she immediately defended herself, “No! I’ve only read the theory.”
“What theory? I want to see it too.” The heiress extended her hand toward her.
Slowly placing her phone into her palm, Zhu Qingjia confessed honestly, “An anonymous thread on the campus forum.”
The heiress frowned. She had clicked into that forum before and found it full of boring posts related to Beijing University that had absolutely nothing to do with her life, so she had stopped reading after a few scrolls.
Besides, the content lacked any real substance, it was all wild gossip and relationship drama. It was a miracle that Zhu Qingjia could actually extract theoretical knowledge about kissing from it.
What an eccentric character.
Just as she was about to hand the phone back, a call suddenly came through. The caller ID read: Secretary Xu.
Gu Ruoling frowned slightly, handed the phone back, and sat up straight in her seat.
As the ringtone continued, Zhu Qingjia answered it, putting it on speakerphone without much thought.
Secretary Xu’s professional, business like voice echoed through the line. “Hello, Miss Zhu. The Chairman would like to invite you and the young lady to have dinner together this Saturday evening. Are you free?”
Saturday and Sunday were rest days, so she was naturally free. However, why did the call come to her first? Shouldn’t Secretary Xu have called Gu Ruoling, who would then inform her?
“I’m free. Is there a specific occasion?” Zhu Qingjia asked a bit more, glancing at Gu Ruoling next to her. The heiress was playing with her own phone, completely indifferent to their conversation.
“Please rest assured, Miss Zhu, it is merely a casual family dinner. Then we shall look forward to Saturday.”
Once the call disconnected, Gu Ruoling said indifferently, “You’re actually going to eat with them?”
Zhu Qingjia caught the unusual undertone in her voice. “Are you not going?”
The heiress looked up at her. “If it were in the past, I definitely wouldn’t go.”
The subtext was clear, she would go this time.
Zhu Qingjia took her hand and smiled, “Giving me that much face, huh?”
Gu Ruoling squeezed her hand back. “The family isn’t short of a meal for you. If it gets uncomfortable, we’ll just leave.”
At the time, Zhu Qingjia didn’t fully grasp the deeper meaning behind those words, not until they showed up at the family dinner on Saturday.
The moment they stepped through the front door, they noticed the sitting room was quite lively. Walking closer, they discovered that Gu Tinglan was there, alongside a tall, strikingly cool woman dressed in a white shirt and tailored trousers.
Without needing an explanation, Zhu Qingjia instantly guessed who she was. Gu Tinglan’s canonical partner, Lin Muen.
Lin Muen was the sole successor of the Hengyue Group, a massive conglomerate spanning film, finance, real estate, and various other sectors. It was one of the few corporations in Huajing capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Gu Corporation.
A powerful alliance through marriage between these two families was indeed the perfect match.
Seeing them arrive, Gu Ci unhurriedly set down her coffee cup, gestured for them to approach, and called out with a smile, “Lingling, Little Zhu, come sit over here.”
The current matriarch of the Gu family was Gu Ci. She was a rare legendary figure who had weathered incredible storms in her youth.
Now in her forties, her face showed no signs of wrinkles, and her style was impeccably refined.
The moment Gu Ruoling saw there were others present, her face instantly fell. Her expression grew even more hostile upon spotting Lin Muen.
Before Zhu Qingjia could even sit down properly, the young heiress demanded, “What is the meaning of this? Didn’t you say it was a family dinner? Why are there outsiders here?”
Zhu Qingjia knew she could be unyielding at times, but she hadn’t expected her to be this aggressive. Without offering a single second for pleasantries, she went straight for the jugular.
Of the five people present, three carried the surname Gu, and Zhu Qingjia was an in-married spouse, making her part of the family. Therefore, the “outsider” she was referring to could only be Lin Muen.
Lin Muen’s expression shifted slightly, and even Gu Tinglan grew visibly uncomfortable.
Gu Ruoling didn’t believe she owed anyone a pleasant expression. After speaking, she casually motioned for Gu Tinglan to pour her a cup of black tea.
Madam Gu Ci smiled, attempting to smooth things over. “Lingling has probably been staying at home for too long and didn’t know that Tingting and Muen are together now. They will be getting married in the future, so of course, she is family as well.”
Gu Ruoling let out a cold snort that sounded deeply sarcastic.
Zhu Qingjia didn’t fully comprehend the underlying source of the sarcasm, but she wasn’t foolish, she could sense a subtle distinction.
Gu Ci addressed her as “Little Zhu,” yet called the other woman “Muen.” The degree of closeness and preference was clear at a glance.
Evidently, Madam Gu was far more satisfied with Lin Muen.
The originally warm atmosphere was thoroughly shattered by Gu Ruoling’s brief remarks. Gu Ci chose not to press the matter further and merely engaged in light conversation.
She asked about Gu Ruoling’s health, to which the heiress gave half-hearted, indifferent responses. Madam Gu didn’t take offense, turning instead to ask about Zhu Qingjia’s recent studies, which Zhu Qingjia answered politely.
Naturally, the spotlight shifted toward Lin Muen. She was a stellar student meticulously groomed by the aviation academy, possessing physical conditioning and intelligence that far exceeded peers. Driven by passion, she had pursued this path despite her family’s objections.
Her first encounter with Gu Tinglan, it seemed, was connected to flying.
None of this mattered to Zhu Qingjia, however. She was far more concerned with Gu Ruoling’s uncharacteristic behavior.
She could tell that even if Gu Ruoling disliked her younger sister Gu Tinglan, she would usually just avoid her rather than say such harsh things. The real issue lay with Lin Muen.
Were they well-acquainted before this?
Throughout dinner, Zhu Qingjia occasionally placed food into Gu Ruoling’s bowl. Out of respect for her, the heiress would take a few bites, but she still ate very little.
Knowing it was due to a foul mood, Zhu Qingjia didn’t push her to eat more and instead poured her a glass of warm water.
As dinner concluded, Gu Ci looked over at her with a beaming smile. “Little Zhu, come with me for a moment. I have a gift to give you.”
When Zhu Qingjia began to stand up, Gu Ruoling caught her by the wrist, silently signaling that she didn’t want her to go. But since the elder had already stood up to head upstairs, Zhu Qingjia gently patted her wrist to reassure her. “I’ll be right back.”
Gu Ci led her into a massive walk-in closet. The wardrobe was lined with luxurious furs, precious jade, and emerald jewelry displayed in glass cases, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air.
Zhu Qingjia watched as Gu Ci pulled open two drawers in succession without finding any gift. She instantly realized that calling her over was merely a pretext to talk in private.