On the other side of the city, the night was at its peak.
Outside a members-only, high-end nightclub in the most expensive district downtown, luxury cars were quietly lined up.
Uniformed attendants politely opened car doors as elegantly dressed men and women stepped onto the polished marble steps.
The moment the soundproofed door opened, deafening music rushed out like a tidal wave.
The lights were dazzling and flickering, shifting between dazzling spots of purple, red, and blue, cutting through the writhing crowd on the dance floor.
The air was a mix of high-end perfume, alcohol, and a faint, elusive hint of tobacco—decadent and ambiguous.
The VIP booth on the second floor had an excellent view, taking in the entire dance floor while maintaining a perfect sense of distance.
Su Qinghan leaned back in the plush velvet sofa, holding half a glass of whiskey.
Ice cubes slowly rotated in the amber liquid, clinking softly against the glass.
She had changed her clothes.
She wore earrings, a minimalist black silk shirt, and a tight skirt. Her short hair was casually styled with gel, losing the strictness of the daytime and gaining a touch of laziness.
But her face still showed little expression.
Cold and aloof, as if separated from the surrounding noise by an invisible pane of glass.
“Qinghan, what are you zoning out about?”
Dai Feng, sitting across from her, leaned forward with a smile, gently clinking her glass against Su Qinghan’s.
Dai Feng was Su Qinghan’s childhood friend.
Her family was in the real estate business, and her personality was bold and outgoing—completely different from Su Qinghan’s coldness.
Su Qinghan didn’t answer, just tilted her head back and took a sip of the whiskey.
The spicy liquid slid down her throat, bringing a burning warmth.
But a corner of her heart still felt empty, as if there was a hole letting in a cold, howling wind.
She didn’t even know what was bothering her.
She had dinner with Muyun earlier at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
Muyun was very happy, smiling the whole time, her eyes curved like when she was a child.
She talked about interesting things from studying abroad, her plans for the future, and… wanting to stay by her side forever.
Everything was perfect.
Muyun was back, within her reach.
The person she had been searching for over a decade was finally found.
She should be happy.
So why couldn’t she shake off this inexplicable restlessness in her heart?
“Hey, checking your phone?”
Dai Feng, sharp-eyed, noticed her phone screen lighting up and leaned in with a grin.
“Let me guess… did that little substitute send you another message?”
Su Qinghan’s fingers paused, then she expressionlessly turned off the screen.
“No,” she said, her voice flat.
“Come on, I know you.”
Dai Feng scoffed, crossing her legs and swirling her glass.
“I saw you distracted during dinner, glancing at your phone every time it buzzed. Besides her, who else could make the great Miss Su so attentive?”
Su Qinghan didn’t respond, just took another sip of her drink.
Her gaze, however, involuntarily drifted toward the dance floor.
Jiang Muyun was chatting with a few newly met friends by the edge of the dance floor.
Today, she wore a silver sequined slip dress, her long hair slightly curled.
Under the shifting lights, she seemed to glow.
She was smiling happily, her profile soft—a kind of gentle, unthreatening, and comforting beauty.
Many people around were glancing at her, intentionally or not.
Su Qinghan watched, and the inexplicable restlessness in her heart seemed to settle a little.
Yes, this was the person she should care about.
Muyun.
A girl as gentle and pure as moonlight, the one who gave her the only warmth during her darkest, most helpless time.
As for Yan Yu…
Su Qinghan’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
That name was like a tiny splinter, pricking her heart when she least expected it.
She remembered the scene she saw at the square this afternoon.
A thin, small girl sitting in a wheelchair, her face pale as paper, looking up at her with timid eyes, as if using all her strength just to call out that “Qinghan.”
And then, being completely ignored by her.
What had she felt at that time?
It seemed like… impatience.
Feeling disturbed, thinking she didn’t know her place, thinking she was… pitiful.
But besides that?
There seemed to be something else. Something she didn’t want to examine or admit.
“Seriously, Qinghan,” Dai Feng’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts, her tone unusually serious.
“I think… that Yan Yu is sincere about you.”
Su Qinghan abruptly turned her head to look at her.
Her gaze was icy.
“What nonsense are you talking?”
“It’s not nonsense,” Dai Feng shrugged, bravely continuing.
“I haven’t interacted with her much, but I’ve seen her a few times. The way she looks at you can’t be faked.
“That junior, her whole heart and eyes are on you. You tell her to go east, she wouldn’t dare go west. You give her a little sweetness, she can be happy for days. You give her the cold shoulder, she hides away and cries by herself… That kind of feeling can’t be faked.”
She paused, looking at Su Qinghan’s increasingly cold expression, but still spoke the rest.
“Besides, look at her now… Her health is ruined, she can’t walk, you dumped her, and she’s almost lost her place to live.
“Even so, she still thinks of you, still greeted you this afternoon. If that’s not sincerity, then what is?”
Su Qinghan’s fingers around the glass slowly tightened.
Her knuckles turned white from the force.
Sincerity?
Yan Yu was sincere about her?
She found it laughable.
“It was just a transaction between us,” Su Qinghan spoke, her voice cold as ice, each word enunciated clearly.
“From beginning to end, she needed money, I needed a companion, and she happened to fit. She looked like Muyun, was obedient, didn’t cause trouble, and wasn’t an embarrassment to be seen with. That’s all.”
“A transaction?”
Dai Feng raised an eyebrow.
“A three-year transaction?”
“Three years is short,”
Su Qinghan averted her eyes, looking at Jiang Muyun’s bright smile on the dance floor.
Her voice lowered but carried an undeniable certainty.
“The person I truly like is Muyun. It’s always been her.”
“Is that so?”
Dai Feng suddenly smiled, her smile carrying a hint of meaning.
“But I feel like… Jiang Muyun isn’t as good as you think she is.”
Su Qinghan sharply turned back, her gaze sharp as a knife.
“Dai Feng,” she called her name, a warning in her tone.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“I’m not talking nonsense.”
Dai Feng’s smile faded, her expression turning serious.
“Qinghan, how many years have we known each other? When have I ever said a single bad word about Muyun in front of you? But some things… are clearer to an outsider. Don’t you think Jiang Muyun has changed since she came back?”
“People change.”
Su Qinghan said coldly.
“She’s been abroad for so long, some changes are normal.”
“It’s not just changes.”
Dai Feng shook her head, lowering her voice.
“I heard… she played around quite a bit abroad. Had other girlfriends, more than you can count on one hand. And…”
She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully.
“Her being so enthusiastic toward you since coming back… don’t you think it’s a bit… too eager? It’s like…”
“Like what?”
Su Qinghan interrupted, her gaze growing even colder.
Dai Feng looked at her for several seconds, then finally sighed and waved her hand.
“Forget it, forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything. Believe what you want.”
She tilted her head back, finished the drink in her glass, and set it down heavily with a soft thud.