After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 45

The calculations in her heart clicked back and forth several times, but in the end, Lin Shuyan said nothing. She watched helplessly as Ren Xuan said goodnight to her just like any other day.

After seeing Ren Xuan off, Shuyan sat on her bed, deflated.

Argh!

Why can’t I be more proactive? If only things could progress just a little bit further… Shuyan collapsed onto the bed, then suddenly widened her eyes and ran to the mirror.

She pinched her cheeks and, after a thought, climbed onto the chair in front of the mirror to apply a face mask. Tomorrow she was going to meet A-Xuan’s friends; she had to present her best self. With that thought, it didn’t take long for her to drift into dreamland. As for everything else—they could wait until after the meeting. She and A-Xuan had a long future ahead.

Ren Xuan was true to her word. While she didn’t care much about how she dressed to meet Ning Yinman, Lin Shuyan was different. Putting herself in Shuyan’s shoes, Ren Xuan figured she would feel the same way if she were meeting Shuyan’s best friends.

“We’re here.” Ren Xuan had driven over with Lin Shuyan herself. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Shuyan stepped onto the garage floor and followed Ren Xuan up to the fourth floor.

“This is a Ren family property,” Ren Xuan explained in detail as they walked.

“Are all of A-Xuan’s clothes from here?” Shuyan asked. She had noticed long ago that Ren Xuan’s clothes always seemed to be custom-made.

“Mhm.” Ren Xuan wasn’t picky about clothes; she mostly wore whatever the original “Ren Xuan” wore. As the Eldest Miss of the Ren family, she never had to worry about such things; usually, the butler or the housekeeper handled it.

“We might be short on time,” Ren Xuan explained. Ning Yinman’s appointment was tonight, so custom-making something on the spot was impossible. Ren Xuan could only take Shuyan to try on ready-to-wear pieces.

After trying on a few outfits, it seemed every one of them looked good. Under the brilliant lights, Shuyan pinched the hem of a dress and asked uncertainly, “A-Xuan, does it really look okay?”

“Which one do you like?” To be fair, all of them were suitable. It was mainly because Shuyan had a great figure; she looked good in anything. Every time she tried something, the staff said it was perfect, so Shuyan could only seek Ren Xuan’s help. In the end, Ren Xuan threw the question right back at her.

Which one do I like? Shuyan did a little spin. She was wearing a light green dress that looked fresh and crisp. Regarding preference, Shuyan tilted her head. “Shouldn’t it be about what’s appropriate?”

“Lin Shuyan,” Ren Xuan laughed, “you’re not walking a red carpet.” Clothes had to be appropriate, of course, but more importantly, they had to be comfortable.

“Then,” Shuyan pondered for a moment, pointing to a casual skirt set, “how about this? I like this one.”

Ren Xuan nodded and took the other outfits she had tried on home as well. Just as Shuyan was about to refuse, Ren Xuan smiled. “It’s not much. I’ve actually wanted to bring you here for a long time; today just happened to be the day.” Shuyan hadn’t spent many days at home in total, and her closet was practically empty, giving off the feeling that she wouldn’t be staying long.

Ren Xuan didn’t like that feeling.

At 6:00 PM, Ren Xuan and Lin Shuyan set off together, arriving twenty minutes earlier than the time Ning Yinman had set.

As they approached the private room, Shuyan’s curiosity grew. Ren Xuan had mentioned that she might recognize the person Miss Ning wanted to introduce. Although Shuyan was a “nobody” in the industry, she had heard plenty of gossip about Ning Yinman. Since most of Ning Yinman’s rumored girlfriends were from the circle, there was a high chance Shuyan had seen her before.

“Xuan,” Jian Hua was the first to arrive. Seeing a girl beside Ren Xuan, her brows quirked up. “Not going to… introduce her?” She already knew the name from Ning Yinman and had even seen photos, but for a first meeting, an introduction made it more formal.

“Lin Shuyan. My girlfriend.” Ren Xuan’s words were minimal, but Jian Hua knew the weight Shuyan held in her heart. This woman had only had this one girlfriend in years; she didn’t know if Ren Xuan had moved on from that person. Looking at the girl before her, Jian Hua thought she looked nice and took the initiative to greet her. “Hello, I’m her childhood friend, Jian Hua.”

“Hello, Miss Jian,” Shuyan replied with a smile.

Jian Hua was close friends with Ren Xuan and Ning Yinman. Her partner was a man, so he hadn’t come along today.

“You and Yinman are still…” Jian Hua shook her head. Before, none of them wanted to date, and now, here were two.

When they discussed the past, a few more words were inevitable. Shuyan hadn’t been part of Ren Xuan’s past, so she was naturally very curious. Ren Xuan was initially worried Shuyan would be bored, but seeing her listening to Jian Hua with interest, she said no more. Gradually, Ye Jia and Chen Lu also arrived, and the room grew lively with conversation.

“Yinman has to drink three penalty shots when she gets here,” Jian Hua suggested to the group. “She’s the one who invited us, yet she’s late and leaves us here chatting.”

The group agreed. Just as they were talking, the door opened. The people outside froze, and the people inside were even more stunned.

Rong Yu. Almost everyone there recognized her, yet they were still dazed for a moment in this setting. Ning Yinman had said she wanted to introduce her partner today; if Rong Yu was appearing here, then Ning Yinman’s partner was…

“Miss Rong, please sit.” Everyone reacted quickly, and before long, they were laughing and chatting. “Yinman, you only said you found a girlfriend; you didn’t tell us she was this beautiful.”

“I’m late,” Ning Yinman said without waiting for the others to bring it up. She poured herself three glasses of red wine as a penalty and introduced her partner with pride. “Rong Yu, my girlfriend.”

Compared to Ning Yinman’s casualness, Rong Yu was clearly not herself. Lin Shuyan, who had worked with Rong Yu for a long time, could see it. She had never expected Rong Yu to be Ning Yinman’s partner.

From A-Xuan’s perspective, Shuyan had no complaints about Ning Yinman. But regarding her relationship with Rong Yu, and connecting it to Ning Yinman’s rumors, Shuyan took a large gulp of wine. Why did she read from Rong Yu’s eyes that she had been completely unaware of this meeting?

I must have seen wrong, Shuyan thought belatedly, taking another gulp.

“Shuyan.” After she finished that glass, Ren Xuan promptly took the wine cup away and whispered in her ear, “You can’t drink anymore.”

“I don’t get drunk,” Shuyan said. It was true; she had an excellent tolerance. She didn’t know why, but she seemed to have been born with this skill.

“It’s not about whether you get drunk or not,” Ren Xuan patted her hand comfortingly. “It’s not good to drink on an empty stomach.” Shuyan finally let go of the glass.

“A bit unexpected, isn’t it?” Ren Xuan asked.

“Mhm.” Shuyan nodded without hesitation. She had never even imagined Rong Yu would be in a relationship. Rong Yu was so aloof; after chatting more in private, she knew Rong Yu was “cold face, warm heart,” but she always felt she was more suited to being alone.

“What are you two whispering about?” Ning Yinman raised her glass to Chen Lu and Ye Jia. “Let’s have a drink.”

“We’re talking about how you managed to win over our beautiful superstar Rong Yu,” Chen Lu laughed. “Yinman, I’m a fan of Miss Rong’s dramas.”

“Tell us,” Chen Lu said, draining her glass, “you’ve practically kidnapped our idol.”

“If you don’t treat her well, forget others—I’ll be the first to object.”

Ning Yinman took Rong Yu’s hand. The latter wanted to pull away for a split second but restrained herself. Hearing Ning Yinman mention her to her friends gave Rong Yu a feeling she couldn’t describe. Especially when she met Lin Shuyan’s gaze, Rong Yu wanted to hide.

Rong Yu indeed had not known about this gathering. Her meeting with Ning Yinman was simple: a common dance, Ning Yinman pursued her, and Rong Yu developed feelings. So they became a couple.

After they were together, Rong Yu always felt something was missing—perhaps their personalities weren’t a match. Ning Yinman wanted to have a say in her career and the people she came into contact with.

Before today, besides Ren Xuan, Rong Yu hadn’t met any of Ning Yinman’s friends. Strictly speaking, Ren Xuan hadn’t even been introduced by Ning Yinman; she had just met her once on the set of The Dragon Emperor.

So, did Ning Yinman’s actions today mean she was finally allowing her into her social circle? Rong Yu shook her head slightly in her heart; these things weren’t that important to her. Especially when she looked up and noticed the way Shuyan looked at Ren Xuan—eyes full of light.

That is what it feels like to truly love someone, with eyes only for them.

Shuyan’s face was flushed, her expression full of joy. It was exactly as A-Xuan had said: her friends were all very easy to get along with. Shuyan didn’t feel any awkwardness. Although it was a party, after Ning Yinman’s initial round of drinks, there wasn’t even a second round.

It was just a few close friends meeting, chatting, and telling each other that they had found someone they wanted to spend their lives with.

The shadows of the moon grew longer as time marched forward. Rong Yu made an excuse to go out for some fresh air. Seeing Shuyan’s desire to go out and talk to Rong Yu, Ren Xuan nodded before Shuyan could even speak.

“Rong… Rong Yu.” Shuyan turned into the restroom and saw her there. “Are you unhappy?”

“No.” Rong Yu washed her face, her expression gentle. “Why did you come out? Miss Ren she…”

“Did you know for a long time…?” Unlike Shuyan’s surprise at seeing the two together, Rong Yu didn’t seem particularly shocked.

“Ning Yinman let it slip once,” Rong Yu said quickly. “I wasn’t pretending not to know.”

“I understand,” Shuyan said quickly. She asked Rong Yu with concern, “Are you really okay?” Rong Yu’s alcohol tolerance didn’t seem very good.

“I’m fine.” Rong Yu shook her head to show she was okay. After making sure several times, Shuyan went into the inner stalls, while Rong Yu headed back toward the room. Her hand had just touched the door when she suddenly heard someone inside say:

“What did you say?”

Jian Hua felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. If Ning Yinman hadn’t let it slip, she never would have noticed the resemblance between Lin Shuyan and Ren Xuan’s “White Moonlight.” Jian Hua had long forgotten what that person looked like.

“Xuan,” Jian Hua, as someone who couldn’t stand even a grain of sand in her eyes, asked directly, “Are you really using Lin Shuyan as a stand-in?”

Jian Hua’s father had once had a wife before her mother; in her father’s words, that first wife was “gentle and virtuous.” After she passed away and her father married Jian Hua’s mother, he frequently used the first wife’s standards to judge her mother. Thus, Jian Hua hated nothing more than being told to learn from someone else or to be like someone else.

Ren Xuan said nothing. She was simply a bit confused—seeing the reactions of Ning Yinman and Jian Hua, did the original Ren Xuan actually stay friends with these people? Based on her limited experience with novels, friends in this situation usually looked down on the “stand-in.”

Her friends really were different. Ren Xuan’s silence and her expression were, in Jian Hua’s eyes, a definitive confirmation.

Outside the door, Rong Yu instinctively covered her mouth. Her legs felt heavy—so heavy she couldn’t move—until she saw Lin Shuyan approaching from a distance.