Gu Ci looked completely composed, speaking casually as if they were just making small talk. “The clothes you are wearing today must have been prepared by Lingling. They look nice, but your neck is missing something.”
Zhu Qingjia glanced down at her outfit, a beige cardigan paired with dark, wide-leg denim jeans, with a floral accessory at her waist adding a bright touch. It was indeed styled for her by Gu Ruoling, and the price tag was certainly not cheap.
Gu Ci picked out a brightly colored silk scarf and handed it to her. “Try this, it will give you a completely different feel.”
Zhu Qingjia took it and held it against her collar, but she didn’t actually tie it because she felt it didn’t match.
Gu Ci smiled slightly. “I know all about Auntie Li’s matter. You did very well. I was quite surprised that Lingling could accept you. She has a difficult temper and requires more tolerance, you will need to put in more effort in the days ahead.”
Zhu Qingjia could only think that Ms. Gu Ci was truly a master of appearances. She could phrase words of entrustment so officially, and express her dislike for her own daughter so bluntly.
Yet, she couldn’t help but speak up for her. “Ruoling actually has a very good personality. She’s just… a bit lonely.”
Gu Ci looked a bit surprised, but she merely frowned. “Is that so?” Immediately after, she continued, “I will have Secretary Xu transfer living expenses to you, ten thousand yuan a month, so as to avoid situations where you need to test the medication but can’t afford it. Taking care of Lingling requires not just energy, but also money and companionship.”
Zhu Qingjia no longer had any desire to continue the conversation. Gu Ci’s completely indifferent attitude was truly infuriating.
In their previous interactions, she had still believed that Gu Ci loved her eldest daughter because everything she knew about Gu Ruoling had been provided by Gu Ci. It was a file that wasn’t very thick, but the contents were meticulous, filled with specific details regarding Gu Ruoling.
But looking at it now, that was all just the preparation of her subordinates, having nothing to do with her as a mother.
Gu Ci seemed to sense her resistance and simply laid everything out. “Little Zhu, I understand your background, and I also understand the resentment and dissatisfaction in your heart. As compensation, if you need anything in your career after graduation, I can arrange it for you. Likewise, you should also be content. Do not harbor thoughts you shouldn’t have. Keep her health in mind, until she leaves.”
With everything that needed to be said completed, Zhu Qingjia mumbled, “Understood, I will take good care of her.”
When Zhu Qingjia went downstairs, she tried hard to compose her emotions. However, only Lin Muen was in the parlor, flipping through what appeared to be a photo album.
She scanned the surroundings but didn’t see Gu Ruoling anywhere.
Lin Muen looked up at the right moment. “Are you looking for Gu Ruoling? She went upstairs with Tingting, saying they wanted to chat.”
Zhu Qingjia really wanted to go up and find her, but she was afraid of interrupting the sisters’ conversation. Just then, Lin Muen turned a page, revealing a photo of an eight-year-old Gu Ruoling standing sickly beside her beaming younger sister.
Lin Muen turned another page, and the subsequent photos only featured Gu Tinglan. Even in the family portraits, there was no longer a place for Gu Ruoling.
What a happy and perfect family of three. How ironic.
Yet, Miss Lin actually shifted her seat and invited her, “Want to look together?”
Zhu Qingjia didn’t stand on ceremony. She thanked her, sat down, and began flipping through it. Sure enough, just as she expected, Gu Ruoling was absent from every single subsequent page, as if she had vanished into thin air.
Her eyes welled up with tears, so Zhu Qingjia could only flip back, searching for Gu Ruoling’s figure in the few early photos.
Flipping back to the front page and finding nothing left to see, she stood up and headed upstairs. Originally, she had planned to stay a little longer before leaving, but she really couldn’t bear it anymore and wished she could leave right this instant.
It was only when she got upstairs that she realized she didn’t know which room they were in. Suddenly, the sharp sound of something shattering rang out. Zhu Qingjia followed the noise.
She heard Gu Tinglan’s angry voice, “Sister, why did you smash it?”
Gu Ruoling’s voice was very soft and hard to hear clearly, but it seemed to contain the word “humiliation.”
Zhu Qingjia hesitated over whether to go in and check when a white shadow dashed up from behind her. Without a word, Lin Muen pushed open the door, interrupting the conversation inside.
Gu Tinglan was crying as she looked at her sweetheart, calling out helplessly, “Muen.”
Lin Muen took a few quick steps to her side and pulled her into her arms.
Zhu Qingjia also walked in. Looking at Gu Ruoling, whose face was deathly pale in the center of the room, she quietly and calmly took her hand.
“You are biological sisters, can’t you talk things through nicely?” Lin Muen was quite protective.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Zhu Qingjia held her freezing hand, using her own body temperature to warm her.
“They humiliated me,” Gu Ruoling said, looking straight at them.
Zhu Qingjia didn’t understand, but the expressions of the two opposite them instantly changed. Sure enough, there was something going on here that she didn’t know about.
“Gu Ruoling, we didn’t like each other during our blind date back then. Now that I’m with your sister, you should give us your blessings.”
Lin Muen’s words felt like a sharp slap to Zhu Qingjia’s face. They had actually been on a blind date?!
“I don’t care who you are with!” Gu Ruoling shouted. “What I’m asking is, why did you two show up tonight?” She let out a mocking laugh. “Gu Tinglan, after all these years, you’re still so boring, always trying to compete with me in everything. I don’t know whether it’s pathetic or ridiculous. Do you find this interesting?”
Gu Tinglan looked as if her secret thoughts had been exposed. She merely buried her head deeper into Lin Muen’s embrace, looking truly fragile and in need of protection.
“If only one of you had shown up tonight, I wouldn’t be this angry.”
Lin Muen glanced down at the person hiding in her arms, her refined eyebrows knitting slightly.
Until they sat in the car on the way home, Zhu Qingjia’s mind was spinning endlessly.
She seemed to understand why Gu Ruoling resented the Gu family so much. It wasn’t just because of their neglect, her younger sister also had issues, always finding subtle ways to trigger Gu Ruoling.
After Zhu Qingjia unconsciously let out a heavy sigh, Gu Ruoling glanced over at her. “What are you worrying about?”
“Huh? Am I?”
Gu Ruoling nodded. “You are sighing, and you look very despondent.”
Zhu Qingjia rubbed her face and asked anyway, “Ruoling, did you go on a blind date with Lin Muen before?”
“Yes. She had this elite aura, very pretentious, and made a lot of demands that I couldn’t fulfill. She was very rude.” The young mistress didn’t hold back at all when complaining about people.
“Demands you couldn’t fulfill? Meaning?”
Gu Ruoling leaned sideways to look at her. “Taking care of her parents, cooking for her, waiting on her 24 hours a day. The way she made those demands, you’d think she was disabled.”
Disabled she certainly wasn’t, but her desire to intentionally ruin the blind date must have been real.
Zhu Qingjia had seen Lin Muen talking eloquently at the dinner table tonight, she hadn’t seemed that rude. Which meant Lin Muen truly never had any intention of being together either.
Thinking of this, Zhu Qingjia’s heart eased up a bit.
That was the female lead’s official romantic interest, an incredibly outstanding existence. Thankfully she was pretentious, and thankfully Ruoling didn’t take a liking to her.
When they went to sleep that night, Gu Ruoling leaned into her embrace, pulling Zhu Qingjia’s hand over to rest on her waist. “My waist feels uncomfortable, rub it for me.”
Zhu Qingjia obediently massaged it for her, opening her eyes in the dark. “Lingling.”
The young mistress gave a soft hum. “Why are you calling me that?”
“It sounds nice calling you that way,” Zhu Qingjia laughed softly, holding her tighter in her arms. “I have something I want to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Besides Lin Muen, have you been on a blind date with anyone else?” Zhu Qingjia had been thinking about this question for a long time. Just now, she realized that if she didn’t ask it, she might not be able to sleep tonight.
The young mistress replied, “No. I only went because Gu Tinglan broke her promise, and at that time they were anxious to find someone who could take care of me. I also wanted to set my foster parents’ minds at ease, so I went.”
After saying this, the young mistress quietly slipped her hand underneath the pajamas at Zhu Qingjia’s waist. Seeing that she didn’t react, she continued, “The matter is a bit complicated, and it can’t be explained clearly in a short time. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Okay.” Zhu Qingjia felt like a fish was swimming upward along her waistline, but she didn’t stop it.
The fish suddenly stopped swimming. The young mistress tilted her head up, her forehead brushing against Zhu Qingjia’s jaw. “Do you care a lot about whether I’ve been on blind dates with others?”
“No,” Zhu Qingjia held her shoulder and gently pressed her head back down. “I just need to know if I have any ‘predecessors.’ If there are, I can learn from their experience to take better care of you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her waist was suddenly pinched. Zhu Qingjia instantly gasped from the shock.
Before she could say anything, her neck was suddenly nipped, and it seemed to be licked too, wet and soft, like a little hook, stealing away everything Zhu Qingjia wanted to say.
The young mistress swallowed, her breathing hotter and more urgent than usual. She kissed Zhu Qingjia’s chin, her voice light and deeply alluring, like scratching at the tip of her heart:
“Let’s kiss.”