Chapter 48

The place where Song Wanzi touched her felt like it was being electrocuted, a tingling, numbing sensation. After the extreme coolness, a burning heat slowly rose as her fingers left, like small flames burning on her neck, making Qiao Yu feel uncomfortable all over.

Her rosy cheeks flushed even more, and Qiao Yu stared at the ground guiltily with her dark, watery eyes. "I came to give Sister Lu a scarf."

Qiao Yu quickly pointed to the thing in her arms and explained in a moment of inspiration, "I just saw that Sister Lu was dressed too lightly and I was worried that she would catch a cold." After thinking of a suitable reason, Qiao Yu gradually became bolder and blinked innocently. Her excuse was so good that Song Wanzi could not find any fault with it, "Sister Lu is an EGA after all, and she is as weak as I am."

She smiled faintly: "Sister Song, do you like it? If you do, I'll give you one too."

The girl's sweet, soft voice was gentle, and although she had a somewhat unrestrained air about her, she didn't dare to be too smug. Looking down at the deep black scarf beside Qiao Yu's fair skin, Song Wanzi's smile deepened. "Okay."

Qiao Yu looked up at her in surprise, and Song Wanzi also looked over, her smiling face carrying an innate charm.

She hesitated for a moment before replying, and Song Wanzi's smile deepened. "You can't bear to part with it?"

"Of course not!" Qiao Yu reflexively denied, her eyes bright and dark. "How could I possibly be reluctant to part with just a scarf!"

"I'll place the order tonight!"

The volume suddenly increased, as if this would prove his unwavering determination.

Song Wanzi gave her a "you better be" look. Releasing Qiao Yu and turning around, she saw Lu Shangyi still leaning back on the sofa in the same lazy posture as before, his beautifully shaped hands still holding a book that looked deliberately profound, paired with gold-rimmed glasses without lenses on his nose, his temperament was simply the most affected to the extreme.

The sound of falling snow was shut out by the tightly closed doors and windows. Inside, the fireplace was burning brightly, and the firelight reflected on the woman's fair skin, making Lu Shangyi appear incredibly gentle.

She merely struck a pose, yet she perfectly conveyed both a disciplined and rigid scholarly air and a casual, tender charm. Even Song Wanzi, let alone Qiao Yu who had just come of age, found herself having somewhat infatuated thoughts.

Rolling her eyes to block Qiao Yu's furtive glances, Song Wanzi expressionlessly picked up the blanket from the single sofa, unfolded it, and threw it at Lu Shangyi without any tenderness, her face darkening. This woman usually only seduces others, but now she's even going after Qiao Yu.

She's still a child.

The living room was quiet, with the crackling sound of firelight coming from the fireplace, creating a calm and gentle atmosphere.

Song Wanzi took a long stride and strode towards Lu Shangyi. "You're so busy during the day, don't you get any rest?"

Lu Shangyi lifted her eyelids and glanced at Qiao Yu, who looked especially soft and cuddly in the light. "Rest." A smile curved her lips, and Lu Shangyi's smile was particularly alluring. "I was just about to read a book before going to sleep when you two came in one after the other."

Her words implied that she felt disturbed, and Song Wanzi blinked twice with a forced smile, "I'm really sorry."

Lu Shangyi sat up, supporting herself on the sofa. Upon hearing this, she generously forgave the other party, saying, "It's alright."

Song Wanzi gave a soft scoff. This woman was as cunning as ever. If she had arrived any later, Qiao Yu might have been tricked into bed. Although two EGAs couldn't do anything... Her thoughts suddenly stopped.

Who says two EVAs can't do anything? They can obviously hug and nibble on each other.

Realizing this, Song Wanzi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Just then, Qiao Yu, oblivious to everything, ran over and sat down in the seat closest to Lu Shangyi. She stared at the woman intently, her eyes sparkling as if they were filled with starlight, almost glued to Lu Shangyi and unable to tear herself away.

Song Wanzi suddenly felt a little upset.

Song Wanzi patted the spot next to her and said to Qiao Yu with a blank expression, "Come here."

Qiao Yu exclaimed and turned around, her dark, bright eyes filled with confusion. "?"

Her indifferent attitude made Song Wanzi unconsciously raise her voice. Song Wanzi stared at her expressionlessly, "Are you coming over or not?"

The woman was clearly agitated. After considering for a while, Qiao Yu obediently sat down, thinking of her own life. Her emotions immediately calmed down, and Song Wanzi resumed her nonchalant tone, "Aren't you afraid of being in danger if you're so close to her?"

Qiao Yu choked up. Actually, it seems like Sister Song is the one who poses a greater threat to me, isn't it?

How dangerous could Sister Lu, an EGA, possibly be? But you're different. Putting aside the vast difference in power between the two, Song Wanzi's intense pheromones alone could torment her half to death.

However, Qiao Yu didn't dare say these words in front of Song Wanzi, for fear of being beaten.

Song Wanzi was clearly being unreasonable. Lu Shangyi chuckled softly but offered no explanation. Song Wanzi glanced at her, automatically ignoring the unspoken meaning behind the woman's laughter, and asked, "How have things been at the company lately?"

"That's fine," Lu Shangyi said calmly.

"You must be very tired?" Song Wanzi asked again. Lu Shangyi didn't suspect her intentions and nodded.

But the next second, she saw Song Wanzi turn her head seriously and say to Qiao Yu with a solemn expression: "Your sister Lu has been busy with work lately and hasn't been getting much rest at night. In the future, please don't bother her unless necessary."

Lu Shangyi: "..."

Qiao Yu paused for a moment, and seeing that Lu Shangyi did look somewhat tired, she obediently and considerately agreed, "Okay."

Song Wanzi smiled gently, and with a smile, she took Qiao Yu's slender wrist and stood up, saying to Lu Shangyi, "In that case, you should get some rest early tonight."

Taking the black scarf from Qiao Yu's arms, Song Wanzi handed it to Lu Shangyi, saying, "We're going back now."

Qiao Yu didn't suspect anything and turned around to say goodnight as well.

The woman had abducted her child in the blink of an eye. Lu Shangyi, holding a book in one hand and a scarf in the other, was speechless.

Qiao Yu was still reflecting on her foolishness, "If I had known Sister Lu was so tired, I wouldn't have disturbed her rest." If she hadn't been so blinded by beauty that she couldn't resist, she wouldn't have gone over. But seeing a woman suddenly become so stunning under the influence of power, she was indeed a little tempted and restless.

"Just remember that next time." Song Wanzi said expressionlessly, "She's flying abroad for a meeting in a couple of days. After she returns, she'll be traveling between several cities to handle company matters. It's normal that you don't know."

"The company is busy at the end of the year, and she also has to help Lu Shenghui with the summary. She wishes she could stretch 24 hours into 48 hours a day, not to mention that Lu Shenghui specially sent someone to keep an eye on her."

Qiao Yu exclaimed, "When will you be done with this?"

Song Wanzi glanced at her without changing her expression, shook her head, and then said, "You can come and find me if you're bored in the future."

“But sister, don’t you still have to film?” Qiao Yu asked.

"I'll be wrapping up filming tomorrow."

After a pause, Song Wanzi added, "I don't plan to take on any more projects in the near future. It's almost Chinese New Year, so I'll give the studio a break." The implication was that she could spend as much time as possible with Qiao Yu until the start of the new school term.

Qiao Yu suddenly realized and said "Oh," feeling a little sleepy.

Seeing her yawn sleepily like a puppy, Song Wanzi didn't bother her. After seeing her to the door and watching her go upstairs and turn on the bedroom light, Song Wanzi turned around and glanced at the tall, elegant woman standing in front of the French window, casually curving her red lips.

As their eyes met, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense through the distant falling snow.

Qiao Yu hadn't forgotten to order a scarf for Song Wanzi, but she originally thought it would cost at most a few thousand or tens of thousands of yuan. Who knew that after searching online, she found out it cost a full tens of thousands of yuan. After pinching her brow and thinking for a long time, she finally remembered that it was a winter solstice gift that Ms. Qiao had specially bought for her that day.

Looking at the six-figure price tag, Qiao Yu almost felt a pang of heartache that made her breathless. After filling in the address and paying, Qiao Yu put her phone aside. "Now that I've given Sister Song a gift, wouldn't it be unreasonable if I didn't go see her these next few days?"

The system looked completely bewildered. "Is there any causal relationship between these two things?"

“Of course,” Qiao Yu said earnestly. “That way I can look at her openly and honestly.”

Huh? Thinking about it that way, it's actually a good deal!

However, before Qiao Yu could even send her gift, she saw the news on Weibo that Song Wanzi had been injured and hospitalized. The incident occurred during the filming of the last scene when a prop suddenly malfunctioned, causing her to be cut by a sharp object and bleeding profusely. The news photo was blurred, but it was still shocking.

After getting the address of Song Wanzi's hospital, Qiao Yu quickly changed her clothes and prepared to go there. However, as soon as she stepped out the door, she ran into Lu Shangyi's car that was coming back.

The woman in the back seat slowly rolled down the window. "Get in."

The family driver would take another half hour to get here from Ms. Qiao's place. Qiao Yu hesitated for a moment before immediately opening the car door. "The news said Sister Song was injured. I need to go to the hospital to see her..."

“I know,” the woman interrupted her softly, then instructed the driver in the front seat, “To the hospital.”

Qiao Yu was taken aback. "Sister, you saw the news too?"

In response, Lu Shangyi raised an eyebrow slightly. Qiao Yu immediately felt a little embarrassed, "But Sister Lu, aren't you very busy? Won't it interfere with your own business if you make a special trip to see me off?" Although she was anxious, Qiao Yu didn't want Lu Shangyi to be made difficult by Lu Shenghui.

Lu Shangyi glanced at her, then remained silent for a moment before asking, "Did she tell you I was very busy?"

Qiao Yu nodded, not understanding.

"How busy are you?"

After thinking about it carefully, Qiao Yu blinked, "You wish you could stretch a minute into 120 seconds?"

The woman suddenly chuckled softly. Qiao Yu was completely baffled, but seeing that Lu Shangyi didn't seem inclined to explain, she didn't ask. Scratching her eyebrows, Qiao Yu couldn't figure out what kind of riddle the two women were playing, so she simply gave up.

Anyway, she couldn't figure out what the adults were thinking.

A large number of reporters and media had already been waiting outside the hospital. When Lu Shangyi followed her through the VIP entrance, Song Wanzi was still in the operating room. A young figure was standing outside the operating room. Hearing footsteps, the person turned around, and Qiao Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Jiang Mei?"

A flicker of panic crossed Jiang Mei's eyes, and her throat suddenly went dry. "Yu Yu..."

Her face paled involuntarily, and Jiang Mei nervously clenched her hands. "I came to see her on behalf of the Lu family." She clearly wanted to explain clearly, but for some reason, the words that came out of her mouth were ambiguous.

Jiang Mei subconsciously took two steps forward and said, "My father asked me to come."

After speaking, Jiang Mei noticed Lu Shangyi standing next to Qiao Yu. Her face suddenly tightened, and Jiang Mei suppressed all her panic and said stiffly, "Aunt."

Lu Shangyi glanced at her and hummed in agreement.

The atmosphere between the aunt and niece was clearly tense. Qiao Yu glanced around furtively and tactfully changed the subject, "Is Sister Song alright? Is she badly injured?" Thinking of the large pool of blood in the news photo, Qiao Yu craned her neck to look into the operating room, "Why isn't she out yet?"

"I'm not sure," Jiang Mei said softly. "I just arrived myself."

Song Wanzi's agent, after arranging the ward, came over and paused when she saw the three people. "You've all come to see Wanzi, right?" Pointing behind her, the agent added, "Why don't you go to your room and rest for a bit? I'll wait for her here."

Qiao Yu looked at Lu Shangyi, who nodded. Her assistant immediately came over and said, "Please come with me."

The VIP room in the private hospital was luxuriously decorated and quiet. Qiao Yu sat on the sofa for a while before belatedly realizing that the atmosphere in the room was so quiet it was almost suffocating. Without realizing it, she straightened her back and sat up properly, her gaze constantly shifting between Lu Shangyi and Jiang Mei.

Aren't these two aunt and niece? They don't look alike at all; they seem like enemies instead.

Qiao Yu couldn't help but glance at Jiang Mei. Since Lu Shangyi was the female lead's aunt, then the package from last time must have been sent by Lu Shangyi. Lu Shangyi had taken the initiative to express goodwill to the female lead; logically, the two should have a very close relationship now.

Qiao Yu glanced at Jiang Mei's expressionless face with a puzzled look, becoming more and more confused.

Jiang Mei wore a tense expression identical to Lu Shangyi's. She understood Qiao Yu's confusion, but...

How should she tell Qiao Yu that she still likes her? At the same time, she also noticed that her own aunt has an astonishing possessiveness towards her. Qiao Yu herself may not have noticed, but as an outsider, an insignificant bystander, she could see the look in Lu Shangyi's eyes when he looked at Qiao Yu all too clearly.

A woman's intuition is usually very accurate, especially since Lu Shangyi doesn't usually try to hide it.

Faced with the choice between her own salvation and her aunt's kindness and goodwill from the very beginning, Jiang Mei didn't know what to choose.

Is she going to break ties with her own aunt and fight over a woman?

Jiang Mei's aura grew increasingly oppressive, her presence visibly diminishing. Qiao Yu couldn't help but chat with the system, "What happened between these two? Could it be that Lu Shenghui deliberately sowed discord and sabotaged their relationship?"

The system's eye twitched upon hearing this. "I think you might want to look for the reason within yourself, host."

On her? What could be wrong with her? Qiao Yu puffed out her cheeks, ready to argue with the system, when Song Wanzi, whose stitches had already been put in, appeared accompanied by her agent, doctors, and nurses. Qiao Yu quickly got up and ran over, looking worriedly at Song Wanzi's tightly bandaged wound, "Sister Song, are you alright?"

Concealing her wound under the blanket, Song Wanzi glanced at Lu Shangyi and then at Jiang Mei. "It's alright, the anesthetic hasn't worn off yet, so I don't feel any pain."

After speaking, Song Wanzi turned to stare at Lu Shangyi, "Aren't you busy today?"

"Busy," Lu Shangyi said. "I just came to check if you were alright, then I'll be leaving..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Wanzi replied, "I'm fine."

"..."

Lu Shangyi suddenly narrowed her eyes, her deep gaze revealing an unfathomable emotion. As the two women remained locked in a stalemate, the imposing sound of high heels echoed from the doorway, followed by Ye Yunjian's figure carrying flowers, slowly coming into view.

Staring at Ye Yunjian's eyes, which immediately glanced at Qiao Yu, Song Wanzi remained expressionless: "..."

Am I the patient or is she the patient?

Qiao Yu stared at Ye Yunjian's face and her brain instantly went blank. "System, system, when did Aunt Ye and Sister Song become so familiar?"

Looking into Ye Yunjian's smiling eyes, Qiao Yu couldn't help but recall the day she was swept up in a woman's arms in front of everyone at the hotel entrance. A sudden chill ran through her, and then Qiao Yu froze. Oh no!

With so many people here today, I absolutely mustn't let anything slip!

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she heard Ye Yunjian's voice, tinged with a hint of indulgent reproach, slowly say, "You're wearing so little again."

Are you cold?

The woman's intimate tone successfully attracted the attention of others. Song Wanzi and Lu Shangyi immediately stopped their competition and stared intently at Qiao Yu, whose expression was stiff. Then, Jiang Mei also stopped her wild thoughts and involuntarily looked at her.

Four pairs of eyes were fixed on her, and Qiao Yu suddenly wished she could disappear from the earth immediately.

She remained silent for a long time, and Ye Yunjian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Is it inconvenient for you to answer?"

Qiao Yu clearly felt the four gazes on her instantly become eighteen degrees hotter. Under Ye Yunjian's nonchalant gaze, Qiao Yu choked back a sob, "...I'm not cold."

It's just that she feels a bit very cold right now.

Author's Note: