Lin Shuiqing
The young man surrounded in the middle was only in his early twenties, looking not much older than them, but his demeanor was calm, with an ethereal air about him. His eyes weren’t black or brown but a faint grayish-blue.
The way he looked over—how should she describe it?
Aloof? Profound and unfathomable?
…Neither seemed quite accurate.
In any case, Su Yuning didn’t dare meet his gaze. She timidly lowered her eyes and shifted her focus to the patterns on the carpet.
The young man suddenly stopped, and everyone else followed suit. Wan Shengping’s chatter gradually faded as she narrowed her eyes and followed his gaze toward Su Yuning.
Suddenly finding herself the center of attention, Su Yuning held her breath, not daring to make a sound.
“Wei Sheng, what’s wrong?” It wasn’t until Wan Shengping asked this with a raised red lip that the young man finally spoke. “Nothing. Let’s go.” His voice was pleasant, his tone even.
He walked away without a sideways glance, and the large group followed in a flurry.
Su Yuning and the server both let out a sigh of relief.
Hearing the sound, the two exchanged another glance. Su Yuning said, “That was quite intimidating.”
The server whispered back, “Yeah, no idea who he is.”
After a brief private exchange, one resumed her role as a customer, the other as a server. Su Yuning was successfully escorted back to her private room. With nothing else to do, she continued enjoying her post-meal dessert.
This small dessert wasn’t cheap—its appearance was elaborately decorated, and it required a server to pour sauce over it as part of the presentation. It looked impressive, and Su Yuning had assumed it wouldn’t taste good, but after one bite, she realized how shallow her judgment had been.
Su Yuning took small spoonfuls of the dessert, savoring the rich, sweet cream that lingered on her tongue, feeling as though it might melt away.
Before she could finish, Quan Ling returned, hurriedly apologizing to Su Yuning and avoiding eye contact as she nervously explained, “I just went to take a look. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Su Yuning didn’t quite grasp her meaning but nodded anyway, then asked curiously, “Do you know this Student Council president too? Wow, he sure has quite the entourage!”
Quan Ling sighed and sat down beside her. “No one at the school doesn’t know him. And there’s also Zuo Xingyan, Lu Ji… You’re not part of this circle, so you wouldn’t understand what they represent.”
Su Yuning thought to herself that even if she did know, it wouldn’t matter.
She changed the subject. “Here, try this little cake. It’s amazing!”
Quan Ling didn’t seem to be in the mood for shopping in the afternoon, and since Su Yuning had work to do in the evening, she didn’t feel like returning to the dorm. After Quan Ling left, she decided to find a place to spend the afternoon.
Quan Ling absentmindedly reminded her of a few things before driving off.
The milk tea she had bought earlier wasn’t finished yet, so Su Yuning found a quiet corner nearby, idly sipping and chewing on the pearls.
In the time it took to have lunch, her phone had been bombarded with messages again.
After rejecting Lin Shuiqing in the morning, she hadn’t said anything else, but now Lin Shuiqing suddenly sent a message: I think I saw you. Are you near the pedestrian street too?
Su Yuning replied: Yeah. How come I didn’t see you?
Lin Shuiqing: To your right.
She looked around and finally spotted Lin Shuiqing in her short skirt. Lin Shuiqing walked over in her high heels, stared at Su Yuning for a moment, and said, “Keep me company for a walk?”
Su Yuning glanced at her slender heels. “Can you manage in those?”
“I’ll just buy a pair of flats at the mall. Don’t you want to come with me?”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
Somehow, Lin Shuiqing naturally took Su Yuning’s hand, leaning in close, her soft fragrance wafting over Su Yuning’s face.
Su Yuning felt a bit awkward to outright say this girl was being too familiar, so she just went along with it, walking together as if they were close friends.
There was a large shopping mall in the pedestrian street, specializing in high-end luxury brands. Su Yuning barely recognized one or two of them, and she felt a bit intimidated by such upscale places. As soon as she entered, she felt uneasy and uncomfortable.
Lin Shuiqing, already familiar with the place, led her straight to one of the stores, saying, “This is the brand I wear most often. It’s really comfortable. See if you like it.”
Su Yuning was pulled inside by her. Lin Shuiqing picked out a pair of flats and asked if they looked good. When Su Yuning went over to check the price, she nearly choked on her own saliva.
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…
She counted silently in her mind.
Lin Shuiqing quickly patted her back. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like them?”
“No, no, they’re nice. And you’re so pretty—you’d look good in anything.”
Su Yuning was telling the truth.
Lin Shuiqing was used to hearing such compliments, but when Su Yuning said it, she felt a bit shy and turned her head away. “Really? Then I’ll try these on.”
She put them on, showed them to Su Yuning, and upon hearing her say they looked good, beamed with joy. She swiped her card to buy them right away and asked, “Do you see anything you like? Let’s buy it together.”
Su Yuning replied, “No.” Mainly because she couldn’t afford it.
After leaving the store and walking along the pedestrian street, Lin Shuiqing seemed to gather her courage and said, “I… do you know what my relationship with Meng Zhizhuo used to be?”
Su Yuning immediately straightened her back. “I know—you were boyfriend and girlfriend! Since you brought him up, there’s something I need to tell you… but I hope you won’t be too upset when you hear it.”
Lin Shuiqing asked, “Huh? What is it? Can you let me speak first?”
She shook Su Yuning’s arm, and faced with such a beauty’s coquettishness, Su Yuning could only agree.
“My family background is decent—we’re considered middle-class in City A. I wasn’t very good-looking when I was younger…”
Su Yuning exclaimed, “But you’re so beautiful now!”
“Minor adjustments,” Lin Shuiqing admitted openly. “I started getting minor cosmetic procedures in my teens, adjusting bit by bit until I looked like this—all for a better life. You know, living in this city, no one doesn’t want to climb higher.”
“I used to be quite chubby. I worked hard to lose weight and exercise, then went for various beauty treatments. After that, I modeled and even acted in a few dramas, but none of it really took off… Later, I got a chance to get close to Meng Zhizhuo, and I didn’t hesitate to take it. After all, he’s young and handsome, much better than those pot-bellied old men. Plus, he’s famously generous. Through him, I gained more wealth and opportunities.”
“But he’s also quite a playboy—his interest in anyone never lasts long. I tried everything to keep his favor, but a few days ago, he ended our relationship outright and even compensated me with a large sum of money.”
Listening to this breakup process, Su Yuning felt something was off.
Do people here get compensation after breaking up?!
Can outsiders apply for a share too?
Lin Shuiqing: “You think we’re a couple? No, we’re not. I’m just a temporary mistress, a plaything he keeps. And he has many others like me.”
Su Yuning: Utterly shocked!
Only in a big city would you see this!