Chen Xiaoxi met the other person's smiling eyes and thought to herself that the other person seemed to have ill intentions. Alarm bells immediately went off in her mind, and her toes under the table involuntarily curled up.
Cool air cascaded down from the central air conditioning vents, but it couldn't ward off the damp heat rising on the back of her neck. She composed herself and smiled calmly, "Okay!"
Her tone was deliberately light and cheerful, but her fingernails dug into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped red marks.
'At worst, I'll have a drinking contest; I can't let her look down on me.'
Actually, she guessed some things correctly. Leng Yue just wanted to see if she could get some information out of Chen Xiaoxi after she had been drinking, so she could make some preparations.
Neither of them spoke while waiting for their food. The time seemed to drag on, at least for Chen Xiaoxi at that moment.
The sound of the knife cutting through the steak was rhythmic and elegant. Leng Yue slowly rolled up the cut piece of beef, looked up at Chen Xiaoxi across from her, who seemed a little nervous, and smiled, "Ms. Chen, don't be so nervous. Just treat it as a casual chat between friends."
Chen Xiaoxi's juice glass left a half-circle of water marks on the placemat. The cool glass against her palm couldn't dispel the heat in her heart: "I'm not nervous, Miss Leng. You asked me out today, so just tell me what's on your mind?"
In fact, she knew, of course, that Leng Yue had asked her out because of her relationship with Lu Qingzhou.
But isn't it better to pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth?
Hearing her offer, Leng Yue gently put down her knife and fork, the bone china plate making a clear, soft sound.
She reached out and brushed aside a stray strand of hair, looking at the other woman with gentle eyes: "Miss Chen, you should know why I'm here."
She paused, her fingertips tracing the rim of her wine glass. "To be honest, we're both women, and I understand how you feel. The pain of unrequited love is worse than drinking the bitterest Chinese medicine."
“I used to be like you, but then I realized that loving someone isn’t about possessing them, but about wanting them to be happy. Besides, the few of us are together, supporting each other, and things are pretty good now, aren’t they?”
Chen Xiaoxi's fingernails dug deeply into her palms, turning her nail plates white.
She stared at the gradually cooling steak on the plate, her eyelashes trembling violently: "I'm sorry, Ms. Leng, I can't do it like you..."
Before she could finish speaking, a hand suddenly covered the back of her hand. Leng Yue's body temperature seeped through her skin, carrying the slightly intoxicating scent of red wine.
"Don't force yourself."
Leng Yue raised her glass, the amber liquid shimmering under the light. "But I hope you can give yourself a chance, and give Brother Qingzhou a chance too. Just like this glass of red wine,"
She gently swirled the wine in her glass. "At first, it may taste sour and astringent, but if you savor it carefully, you can taste its rich aroma."
Chen Xiaoxi calmly withdrew her hand: "Don't you mind that Lu Qingzhou has so many women around him?"
She looked directly into Leng Yue's eyes, and saw her own trembling reflection in those unfathomable eyes.
Leng Yue shrugged, the necklace swaying slightly with the movement, the pendant flashing cold light against her collarbone: "What does it matter if I mind or not? I've already jumped into this pit and can't climb out."
She suddenly leaned closer, the scent of perfume mixed with the aroma of red wine wafting over you. "If you truly like him, then think it over carefully, so you don't regret it later."
“Miss Leng, if you like Lu Qingzhou and are willing to jump in, that’s your business. I can’t possibly agree to it.”
Chen Xiaoxi suddenly turned her face to the side, and the chair scraped against the ground with a screeching sound due to the large movement.
Curious glances came from the next table, but she stared intently at Leng Yue, as if she wanted to turn all her grievances and resentment into sharp blades.
Leng Yue stared at Chen Xiaoxi's flushed cheeks, a sly smile flashing in her eyes.
The warm yellow light made the calculation in her eyes even clearer. 'Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard one. I've already lost two out of three outfits; for the last one, I'll give her something drastic.'
She was calculating in her mind, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of the wine glass, slowly brewing her plan.
With a sharp clang, Leng Yue slammed her knife and fork down on the plate, the metallic clanging sound particularly jarring in the quiet restaurant.
Chen Xiaoxi instinctively shrank back, then looked up to meet Leng Yue's ambiguous smile. "Miss Chen, you're right. Suddenly, I feel like I was wrong."
Leng Yue spoke casually, taking an elegant sip of juice and wiping her mouth with a tissue with a deliberate provocation. "Lu Qingzhou has so many women. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be able to accept such a complicated relationship either."
Chen Xiaoxi had a bad feeling.
'This woman asked me out today, wasn't she trying to persuade me? But something about her tone seems off.'
Before she could think further, Leng Yue leaned forward, her eyes seductive: "So I support your idea. You really don't need to hang yourself on Qingzhou's crooked tree. Love is a major life event, and you must be decisive. By the way, I know quite a few outstanding young talents. Shall I introduce you to them another day? Maybe there will be some unexpected surprises."
These words, though seemingly well-intentioned, were actually like a thorn, piercing straight into the most sensitive corner of Chen Xiaoxi's heart.
Chen Xiaoxi's heart tightened. 'Sure enough, Miss Leng's invitation to meet me, ostensibly to offer advice, was actually a ploy to make me give up on Lu Qingzhou. She was just testing me earlier. Why should she?'
She suppressed the anger surging within her, but her tone remained calm: "I appreciate Miss Leng's kindness. My feelings are none of your concern."
Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, leaving several crescent-shaped marks under the tablecloth.
The meaning of this sentence is quite obvious; it's an implicit message that Leng Yue should mind her own business.
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