There was only a warm yellow table lamp on in Ye Fanshuang's bedroom, and the light cast a hazy shadow on the dark gray velvet curtains.
She had just finished an online international course. The laptop screen was still dimly glowing. On the desk were several economics books written entirely in English, with colorful labels covering the edges of the pages.
The phone screen suddenly lit up, glaring in the dim room. She glanced at it—it was a message from Lin Wan.
"Shuangshuang, tonight at one o'clock, my house, the same old rules."
There was also a photo below the message: In the minimalist living room of Lin Wan's house, an exquisite dessert tower was already placed on the crystal coffee table, and the champagne glasses reflected tiny spots of light under the warm light.
In the corner of the photo, you can see Su Muqing's limited edition handbag casually placed on the sofa. Obviously, everyone else has arrived, except her.
Ye Fanshuang put his phone upside down on the table, stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The view from the 23rd floor offers a panoramic view of the entire city. In the distant commercial district, a giant LED screen is playing a luxury brand's spring advertisement, and the model's cool face flickers in the night.
She tapped the windowpane unconsciously with her fingernails, a little habit she had when she was thinking.
The cloakroom's sensor lights lit up in sequence as she walked. In the three-walled wardrobe, school uniforms and couture gowns were clearly separated on either side.
Her fingers swept across a row of hangers and finally stopped on a dark red velvet long dress - it was a birthday gift sent by her mother from Milan last year. The dark hand-sewn pattern at the neckline was faintly visible in the light.
"Miss." The voice of Uncle Chen, the housekeeper, came from outside the door, "Do you need some midnight snack?"
"No need." She took off her diamond clavicle chain and compared it to the mirror, then replaced it with a thinner platinum chain. "Just keep the car keys."
Uncle Chen hesitated, "It's already 12:40, and there's still tomorrow..."
"I know the class schedule," she interrupted, her voice like china dipped in ice water. "Since my father has entrusted the guardianship to a law firm, he won't care about my schedule."
The garage's sensor lights flickered on as she arrived. The doors of the black coupe slid open silently, and the leather seats exuded a faint cedar scent. The moment she stepped on the accelerator, the car's system automatically connected to her phone and played a Chopin nocturne she often listened to.
In the rearview mirror, the silhouette of the villa gradually shrank. The guard on duty at the security booth saluted her, and she simply raised her chin slightly. The overpass was nearly empty late at night, and the dashboard needle remained steady at 80 mph, the most time-saving and consistent speeding number she had calculated.
As the car pulled into Lin Wan's driveway, her smartwatch vibrated softly—00:58. She took one last look at her lipstick in the rearview mirror, her lips curling into a perfect curve she'd practiced a thousand times.
The moment the car door was opened, the top student who was studying the economics textbook in the study disappeared, and was replaced by the "Ice Beauty" who was famous in the socialite circle.
The villa's door automatically opened upon sensing her arrival, and warm laughter, mixed with the soft clatter of champagne bubbles, filled the air. Lin Wan, glass in hand, turned from the crowd, her silk skirt swaying beautifully. "I knew you'd be on time."
Ye Fanshuang took the non-alcoholic mojito offered to her, and the condensation on the glass wall wet her fingertips: "I never break my promise."
Her eyes swept across the living room, lingering for a second on the new watch Su Muqing had deliberately displayed, then moved away as if nothing had happened. "But it seems someone couldn't wait even half an hour to show off their new decorative gift."
In the halo of the crystal chandelier, the girls' tacit laughter sounded like a string of wind chimes. Ye Fanshuang took a sip of his drink, letting the sour taste of the lime spread across his tongue.
This was the battlefield she was familiar with—every casual chat was a test, every look had deep meaning, and the only one who could always handle it with ease was the eldest daughter of the Ye family.
The fragmented light reflected by the crystal chandelier danced on the edge of the champagne glass, and Ye Fanshuang's fingertips gently stroked the condensed water droplets on the wall of the glass.
Lin Wan's living room is decorated in the most popular "low-key luxury" style nowadays - on the marble coffee table imported from Italy, Pierre Hermé macarons are scattered on the Tiffany dessert stand, and each macaron has the same diameter of 3.5 cm.
"I heard that Mr. Chen bought those jade earrings for you at the auction last week?" Su Muqing shook her champagne glass, her diamond-studded nails tapping against the glass. "Why aren't you wearing them?"
Ye Fanshuang tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her empty earlobe: "Too vulgar."
Her voice was soft, but it caused the entire living room to fall silent for a moment. The second daughter of the Zhou family, who was sitting in the corner, quietly put the macarons she had just picked up back down.
Lin Wan changed the subject at the right moment: "Did you see Shuangshuang's cover of the teen edition of Vogue last month? That couture outfit..."
"Dior Spring 2023 collection," Su Muqing immediately replied, "There are only three of them in the world."
"Two," Ye Fanshuang corrected, her fingertips swiping across her phone screen to pull up a photo. It showed her standing in front of the Louvre Pyramid, her profile in the morning light looking like it had been kissed by God. "The other one is in the hands of a Saudi princess."
A barely audible gasp filled the air. Ye Fanshuang lowered his eyes and took a sip of his drink. The sourness of the lime perfectly balanced the sweetness of the syrup.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the new daughter of the Li family secretly using her phone to verify what she said - these fledglings who have just been brought into the social circle by their parents are always like this, wanting to fit in but unable to let down their guard.
"Speaking of which..." Su Muqing suddenly leaned forward, her silk skirt brushing Ye Fanshuang's knees, "Have you seen the list of items for next week's charity dinner?"
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