Chapter 2

Ruan Xinyi was caught off guard by the woman’s question. Her lips parted slightly, and it took her a moment to finally say, "This is my first time..."

"And I’m not..." trying to ask you out...

Before Ruan Xinyi could finish her sentence, the woman tilted her long neck and drained the last of her drink. With a smile that was neither here nor there, she asked, "Not what?"

Her smile was captivating—her peach-blossom eyes curved, sparkling with warmth and affection. They were dangerously seductive, like a finely woven net—one that could easily trap anyone who wasn’t careful.

It was only then that Ruan Xinyi noticed the woman had finished the drink in just two sips.

Swallowing nervously, Ruan Xinyi casually tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear and spoke with an innocent tone, "I just wanted to be friends with you, miss."

Approaching someone in a bar to make friends? The underlying intent was clear.

The woman laughed lightly, pushing her empty glass aside as if making a decision. She lowered her gaze and spoke softly, "Another ‘True Love,’ please."

Ruan Xinyi immediately regretted saying she wanted to be friends. Seeing the woman intent on drinking, Ruan Xinyi couldn’t help but wonder if the woman thought she was one of 'those' types of people…

The bartender quickly brought the third "True Love."

The woman picked up her drink, gently clinking it against Ruan Xinyi’s, and once again drank most of it in one go.

Though the "True Love" cocktail was smooth and sweet, with no sharp alcohol taste, its aftereffect was strong. The faster it was consumed, the quicker the intoxication would set in.

After a moment, the woman’s gaze became hazy. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with deep affection, enough to make someone want to willingly drown in them.

"Aren’t you going to drink?" The woman extended a delicate finger, pointing at Ruan Xinyi's untouched drink.

Ruan Xinyi hesitated, not daring to drink too much, but she took a small sip and tried to get closer to the woman. "Are you feeling down, miss?"

The woman leaned back in her seat, not answering Ruan Xinyi’s question but instead asking, "Why did you order a ‘True Love’ for me?"

Looking into the woman’s enticing eyes, Ruan Xinyi swallowed nervously and shifted her gaze to her cool, distant profile. Her mind cleared slightly. "Because the moment I saw you, I thought this ‘True Love’ was made just for you."

"Ha." A light laugh escaped the woman’s nose, carrying an unclear, almost mocking undertone.

Her voice was soft and deliberate as she spoke, "Your gaze is too obvious."

It was because of Ruan Xinyi's intense gaze that the woman had noticed her as soon as she walked in.

Unlike the others around her with ulterior motives, Ruan Xinyi’s eyes were restrained and subtle, filled with admiration and awe, not intrusive or uncomfortable.

More importantly, the one who gave her that look was a beautiful, bright-eyed young woman, whose clear, pure gaze made a good impression.

However, now it seemed that the young woman wasn’t as "pure" as she appeared.

Hearing the woman’s words, Ruan Xinyi’s face lit up with delight, and her thoughts quickly swirled in her mind.

She had been sitting in such a secluded spot, and the woman still noticed her. Did that mean the brief moment of eye contact wasn’t just her imagination? Was it possible that the woman had also been looking at her?

Thinking of this, Ruan Xinyi’s ears, hidden under her hair, began to burn.

But then she quickly reminded herself of the woman’s misconception—that she had come here for something else—and the cool rush of realization hit her.

And seeing the woman so intent on getting drunk and not rejecting her, Ruan Xinyi couldn’t help but think... maybe, if it were someone else, the situation could turn out differently…

If others could do it, why couldn’t she?

With a deep breath, Ruan Xinyi took a large gulp of her drink, letting her soft hands slide up the woman’s arm. She spoke in a voice laced with honey, "So, miss... do you like it?"

The woman seemed slightly repelled by Ruan Xinyi’s sudden closeness. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her gaze lingered on Ruan Xinyi’s hand for a few moments. In the end, she didn’t remove it but continued sipping her drink without saying a word.

Seeing the woman show no signs of discomfort, Ruan Xinyi felt encouraged and leaned in closer.

"You still haven’t answered my question."

The woman lifted her eyelids and gazed at Ruan Xinyi through half-lidded eyes, her voice still clear despite the haze. "What question?"

Startled by the intense, almost seductive look in the woman’s eyes, Ruan Xinyi barely stopped herself from being swept away. She bit down on her tongue to refocus her thoughts. After a moment, she rearranged her words and asked, "Would you consider giving me a chance as a friend?"

Despite the misunderstanding, Ruan Xinyi wasn’t angry. In fact, she felt fortunate to have met the woman tonight and even started a conversation with her. If it had been anyone else, Ruan Xinyi couldn’t even imagine what would have happened…

Still, if possible, she hoped that after tonight, she might have the opportunity for something more with this woman.

The woman blinked slowly, pulling her gaze away with a faint, enigmatic laugh. "It’s just one night. There’s no need."

Hearing that, Ruan Xinyi paused for a moment before flashing a harmless smile, her teeth lightly grinding together as she leaned toward the woman’s ear and whispered, "Then pick a place?" As she spoke, she mischievously blew a breath against the woman’s ear.

The woman shuddered slightly, her ear turning pink with visible embarrassment.

She shot Ruan Xinyi a side-eye, her eyes glistening like water in the light, her gaze full of mock-anger.

"Miss?"

Ruan Xinyi’s voice softened, calling her "miss" with increasing ease.

The woman didn’t respond, continuing to sip her "True Love," ignoring Ruan Xinyi.

At this moment, what she was really thinking was that she never expected this seemingly innocent little girl to be such a playgirl.

Ruan Xinyi thought the woman might be feeling embarrassed. After a moment of contemplation, she became more proactive, affectionately adjusting the woman's collar and softly saying in a teasing tone, "Then, sister... will you come with me?"

The woman tilted her long neck and placed the empty glass down, rising to her feet before Ruan Xinyi had the chance to react.

Under the dim, flickering lights, the woman glanced sideways at Ruan Xinyi. In the brief moment their eyes met, her gaze was cold and indifferent.

After two seconds of eye contact, the woman subtly raised her delicate chin, as if silently urging Ruan Xinyi to act.

Ruan Xinyi quickly turned her head away, taking a deep breath. She raised her glass and nervously finished the rest of the drink in one go, then stood up and quickly followed the woman.

As they exited the bar, Ruan Xinyi raised her hand to hail a taxi.

Seeing the woman stagger a little when she got into the car, Ruan Xinyi instinctively reached out to steady her.

"Thank you." The woman shifted slightly towards the window, pinching the bridge of her nose, her voice nonchalant and carrying her usual air of distance.

"You're welcome." Ruan Xinyi looked down at the space between them, casually leaning a bit closer to the woman. She then spoke to the driver, "Driver, take us to the xxx hotel."

When the woman heard the hotel name, a flicker of something unusual crossed her eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.

As they neared the hotel, Ruan Xinyi’s phone vibrated twice. It was messages from Jiang Yun and Cheng Yue, letting her know they had arrived back at the dorm and were checking in.

Ruan Xinyi quickly typed back a reply, just as Jiang Yun asked about her interview from a few days ago. Her phone buzzed continuously.

Ruan Xinyi responded with two messages: [I haven’t checked my email yet; the final deadline for a reply is the day after tomorrow.]

Cheng Yue: [Xinyi, which department did you interview for?]

Ruan Xinyi: [Logistics Department.]

[...]

[...]

Seeing the two strings of ellipses, Ruan Xinyi couldn’t help but laugh softly: [The Logistics Department is the easiest. Two months of internship is just right.]

"Miss, we’ve arrived."

Ruan Xinyi put away her phone, but before her smile could fade, the woman, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly asked, "Your boyfriend?"

"???" Ruan Xinyi was shocked, then replied, "Where did I get a boyfriend? I didn’t even know! Please don’t slander me, sister!"

The woman’s face showed a fleeting awkwardness. Without giving Ruan Xinyi a chance to respond, she muttered, "I thought you were messaging your boyfriend," and opened the car door, stepping out.

Ruan Xinyi: "..."

Fearing that the woman might misunderstand again, Ruan Xinyi paid the fare and hurriedly followed her out of the car, explaining, "Sister, I don’t have a boyfriend. I was just messaging my roommates."

The woman gave a light "mm" and didn’t change her pace.

Ruan Xinyi tugged at the woman’s coat hem and shook it gently, continuing, "They were asking me about the interview I had a couple of days ago."

Upon hearing the word "interview," the woman’s steps noticeably slowed. She hesitated before asking, "You must have had a physical checkup before the interview, right?"

Ruan Xinyi: "???"

Once Ruan Xinyi understood the woman’s implication, she forced a smile, "Sister, I have the photos of my checkup report on my phone. Would you like to see them?"

A flash of annoyance appeared in the woman’s peach-blossom eyes. She opened her mouth, but instead of speaking, she replied, "No need."

At the hotel front desk, when Ruan Xinyi was about to check in, she realized she had forgotten her ID.

She cleared her throat and, leaning close to the woman’s shoulder, whispered, "Sister, did you bring your ID? I forgot mine..."

Well, this could be a chance to see what her name is.

But in the next moment, the woman made sure Ruan Xinyi’s little plan fell apart.

The woman slowly pulled a room card from her bag, hesitated for a moment, then handed it to Ruan Xinyi.

"What’s this?" Looking at the extra room card in her hand, Ruan Xinyi didn’t immediately understand.

The woman didn’t answer. She stepped toward the elevator.

Ruan Xinyi followed her to the top floor, stopping in front of a suite.

After swiping the room card to unlock the door, Ruan Xinyi quickly scanned the entire room, forming a judgment in her mind.

A presidential suite. The woman probably wasn’t lacking in money.

The room was neat, with only a half-open suitcase and a laptop on the desk, as if the room had only been opened in the past few days.

One person staying alone and going to the bar at such a late hour.

There were only two possible reasons: meeting a friend or wanting to meet someone...

Now that they were back at a place she felt more familiar with, the woman noticeably relaxed. She took a glass from the water dispenser, and as the water gurgled out, she asked, "Do you want to go first, or should I?"

Ruan Xinyi took off her small bag, casually tossing it onto the sofa. She walked toward the woman and naturally took the water the woman had been drinking, sipping it with the lip marks left behind.

The water was warm, making her even thirstier.

Ruan Xinyi licked her lips and stepped closer to the woman, her gaze no longer hiding anything. "Sister, could you give me a third option?"

"What?" Seeing Ruan Xinyi suddenly become bold, the woman instinctively took a step back, her tone now cautious.

Ruan Xinyi moved in closer, gently and tentatively kissing the corner of the woman’s lips, pushing further: "Well... let’s shower together."

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