Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 95

An English folk song played in the car, featuring a quiet, beautiful female voice.

Ji Fan sat in the driver’s seat, her pale hands resting loosely on the steering wheel as she concentrated on the road. A strand of her hair fell by her side, curling slightly. It was rare for her not to bring a driver and to drive herself; it seemed she had been quietly following for the entire trip.

“A chance encounter?”

Jiang Cha sat in the passenger seat and turned her head.

“Mm.” Ji Fan straightened the steering wheel, checked the rearview mirror, and turned the car. “I wanted to come to the lake for a drive and happened to run into you.”

What a coincidence.

Jiang Cha leaned back in her seat and laughed softly. How could she not know what Ji Fan was thinking? She must have misunderstood something again.

Her clear eyes shifted slightly to glance at her.

Ji Fan’s profile was very quiet.

Since she didn’t ask, Jiang Cha didn’t explain.

The car rounded the two-way road by the lake and slowly drove away.

“Does she need something from you?”

A question out of nowhere.

“I was looking for her,” Jiang Cha said. “I do have something to discuss.”

Ji Fan frowned slightly and added, “She held your hand.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Cha was a bit bewildered. Jiang Han had pulled her briefly, but it was just a touch as a reminder; she hadn’t put any special meaning into it.

Jiang Cha didn’t seem to care much.

But Ji Fan felt uneasy.

The more they spent time together, the more she felt that Jiang Cha had a personality that easily formed good impressions of others. Being with her, Ji Fan always felt a lack of security. She couldn’t help but wonder: what were Jiang Cha’s feelings for her really like? What was special about her compared to others?

She seemed to have the same attitude toward everyone.

Like that doctor just now.

Fortunately, Jiang Cha didn’t keep her in suspense and began to explain before the misunderstanding lasted too long:

“I was looking for her for a specific reason.”

Jiang Cha lowered her head and smiled, then suddenly looked up and said, “Do you remember when I told you I had a dream?”

Ji Fan asked, “What about?”

Jiang Cha closed her eyes, half-recalling and half-describing: “I dreamed of a girl, exceptionally beautiful and incredibly cute.”

Ji Fan hummed in response.

Her expression was indifferent.

“How beautiful?” Ji Fan glanced at her sideways.

Jiang Cha’s red lips curved: “Like a little angel.”

A little angel?

That description was a bit strange.

Ji Fan’s tone was inexplicably a bit sour: “She’s not a child anymore; what’s the use of being cute?”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Cha looked at her in surprise: “Who said she isn’t a child? She was only four years old.”

Ji Fan: “…”

“I dreamed we had a daughter.” Jiang Cha lowered her eyes, a faint flush appearing on her profile, her voice very soft: “Do you want to have a child? One that belongs to us.”

Ji Fan was dazed.

Ahead was a vast, deep blue sky. At the crossroads, the turn signal lit up—she was supposed to turn left, but in her dazed state, she drove straight ahead.

The navigation system said sluggishly:

“Recalculating your route…”

“What are you thinking?” Jiang Cha chided gently. “You took the wrong way.”

Some things are like a biological clock; at a certain age, your thoughts slowly change.

Jiang Cha was only in her late twenties, not yet thirty, but because of that one dream, whenever she walked by the road, in gardens, or under the shade of trees, she couldn’t help but peek at other people’s children.

The spring was perfectly warm, with many unknown small flowers blooming everywhere. She often watched those “little radishes” being led by their parents, while thinking about her own unborn daughter. Under the sun, couples walked with their children, chatting and laughing; the atmosphere was warm and indescribably moving.

“Do you like children that much?”

Ji Fan put her arm around her waist, her lips close to Jiang Cha’s ear, breathing softly: “Let’s pick a time to go ask a doctor together.”

Jiang Cha was startled.

She remembered that Ji Fan had always maintained a lukewarm attitude toward children. Once, while walking with her, a child grabbed Ji Fan’s sleeve and called her “Big Sister,” and she simply brushed the hand away with a cold attitude.

“Do you like children?”

Jiang Cha turned her face to look into those beautiful eyes.

“If you like them, that’s enough.”

Ji Fan kissed her profile from behind and said, “Let’s go home.”

The matter was settled.

Ji Fan was the first to agree, and Jiang Cha thought everything would go smoothly. However, when she mentioned it casually during a chat with Yang Yan, the latter expressed quite strong opposition.

“No.”

She tapped her knuckles on the table, frowning: “Do you know how many female artists disappear from the news after having a child?”

It was Yang Yan’s new office on the twentieth floor.

She calmly analyzed the various aspects of pregnancy and felt her considerations were thorough, making her attitude even firmer:

“Pregnancy makes you ‘stupid’ for three years. You’re still young; there’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

Jiang Cha sat on the sofa, holding a cup of hot water in her hands, looking down in thought as she squeezed the disposable plastic cup. After a short while, she made a decision: “It’s okay. Recently—”

“Do you think being a mother is easy?”

Yang Yan frowned, her voice rising. Once someone has a child, their focus easily shifts to the child, fearing everything might go wrong, and they have to dedicate energy and time to caring for them.

“…”

“Also, same-sex reproductive technology is only in its infancy. If the child has physical problems later, that’s another trouble.”

“…”

“And, once she is born, how will you explain to her why she has two mothers?”

Everything she said made sense.

Although society was much more open than before regarding same-sex marriage and parenting, many regulations and concepts were still not fully in place.

Discrimination against sexual minorities still existed.

But must one wait for every rule, system, and concept to be perfect and open before daring to start the life they want?

Not necessarily.

There must always be that first step—slowly carving a path where there was none.

Only then will those who follow know where to go and how to walk.

“It’s okay.”

Jiang Cha sat across from her, a hint of determination in her elegant features: “I not only want the child, but I also want to go public.”

A light rain began to fall outside, ethereal like smoke, dispersing with the wind.

Then, the sunlight broke through.

The private room in the tea house on the twentieth floor was very quiet; the only sound was the rain hitting the glass window, making a rustling noise like silkworms eating mulberry leaves.

“Are you planning to have a boy or a girl?”

Jiang Han sat opposite them with a smile on her lips. Facing the three of them together wasn’t awkward; her attitude was naturally flawless.

She even picked up the white porcelain teapot to pour herself a cup: “Current technology supports sex selection.”

“A girl.”

Jiang Cha answered without hesitation.

“So certain?”

Jiang Han couldn’t help but laugh: “Though I also think girls are cute.”

Ji Fan lowered her eyes, her thick long eyelashes completely hiding a momentary flicker of emotion.

The child wasn’t even a reality yet, but her slightly furrowed brow already showed a trace of worry: once the child was born, her status in Jiang Cha’s heart might become unstable.

Mm.

That feeling probably wouldn’t be great.

“And you, President Ji?”

Jiang Han looked at Ji Fan.

Ji Fan sat opposite her. Hearing the question, she calmly lifted her eyelashes: “A boy.”

Jiang Cha: “…”

Didn’t they agree on a daughter?

Jiang Han nodded understandingly: “I see. You want one each—Jiang Cha wants a girl, and President Ji wants a boy. That works; the success rate of this surgery isn’t very high, so having one child each is safer. It also saves the trouble of deciding who will carry the child.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the table fell into a strange silence.

After a while, Ji Fan finally regained her senses: “I heard there is technology now that can place embryos in an artificial womb.”

When Jiang Cha proposed having a child, she agreed immediately because in her imagination, Jiang Cha shouldn’t have to endure the pain of pregnancy and childbirth. Thus, she hadn’t considered who would carry the pregnancy if they only had one child.

“No artificial womb,” Jiang Cha brushed her long hair behind her shoulder, revealing the white skin of her slender neck and collarbone, her eyes glowing with a soft but firm look: “I’ll do it myself.”

Do it herself?

Since she was so certain, Ji Fan didn’t know what to say.

She couldn’t help but feel heartache—Jiang Cha looked so delicate; wasn’t she afraid of the pain?

Same-sex reproduction relies on iPS cell technology.

Decades ago, Professor Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for creating iPS cells.

Mature cells are reprogrammed into immature stem cells. By introducing just a few genes, mature cells can be reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells—immature cells that can develop into various tissues of the body.

These induced pluripotent stem cells are called iPS cells.

This means it becomes possible to obtain eggs from men and sperm from women, allowing same-sex couples to “create” their own fertilized eggs.

There is no restriction on the fetus’s gender.

The process of implanting the embryo abroad went smoothly, exactly as Jiang Han described—

Lie down, close your eyes, get anesthesia; once the doctor finished the procedure and you opened your eyes, there was a child in your belly.

The days passed very quietly.

However, strange things slowly began to appear in the house: parenting materials, infant formula prepared early, and books that didn’t belong to Ji Fan’s field of knowledge on her desk.

The Encyclopedia of Newborn and Infant Care, From Birth to Ten Years Old, Child Psychology…

In the evenings, Jiang Cha could often be seen sitting on the sofa, her snow-white profile warmed by the setting sun. Her lowered eyes held a smile as soft as water; she was incredibly gentle.

She held a book, turning the pages slowly, making full preparation for her future daughter.

Ji Fan sat beside her, holding her and gently kissing her lips.

This was the small, ordinary details of life.

Warm and fulfilling.

Days passed, and summer arrived. Lotuses bloomed, and the weather grew hot. Jiang Cha’s lower abdomen began to bulge slightly, and she switched to loose dresses.

In contrast was Ji Fan.

Since the day of the surgery, she hadn’t felt any abnormality. Months had passed, and her abdomen remained as flat as ever.

The sunset cast its afterglow. Under the sky, a cool breeze blew, and the soft lake surface seemed to ripple with a layer of gold. The light spilled into the living room through the window frame.

Ji Fan leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window.

She lowered her eyes, her palm against her lower abdomen, her elegant profile showing a rare trace of bewilderment.

Night fell quietly.

A lamp was lit in the bedroom, its light soft and peaceful. The sky pool cast the moonlight onto the light-colored wood floor, shifting and surging.

Ji Fan sat on the edge of the bed. Fresh from her bath, she wore a loose black women’s T-shirt, her long legs crossed on the bed. She held a book, a faint fragrance emanating from her.

Jiang Cha sat beside her, took the book from her hand, and looked steadily into her eyes.

“Is there any discomfort?”

Ji Fan shook her head.

Under the T-shirt, her waist was thin and her abdomen was still flat and soft.

She didn’t look pregnant at all.

“Let me listen.”

Jiang Cha lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing the snow-white, soft belly, the skin as white as jade and very delicate. Jiang Cha’s fingertips gently brushed over it, feeling the warm, surging blood vessels. She leaned over slightly, turning her head so her small, cool ear rested gently against the warm, soft abdomen.

She listened intently for any movement inside.

“Do you hear anything?”

A flicker of something like nervousness passed through Ji Fan’s quiet eyes.

Jiang Cha pursed her red lips, her eyes curving: “I hear that you’re hungry.”

She got up and went downstairs. After a short while, she returned from the kitchen with a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup.

“Eat something.”

Jiang Cha held the white porcelain spoon to her lips: “You ate too little tonight.”

Ji Fan: “…”

The next day, they made an appointment with a local hospital doctor and decided to go for a check-up.

During this time, Ji Fan’s work had been handed over to the Vice Chairman. She spent the rest of her time focused on the child. She had some workaholic tendencies and would worry about mistakes at the company if she wasn’t careful. But now, she didn’t seem to have any signs of pregnancy.

“If I had known this, I would have—”

“You would have worked overtime every day?” Jiang Cha chided: “Take this chance to rest instead.”

“It’s possible I really didn’t conceive.”

Ji Fan sighed softly.

Jiang Cha leaned on her shoulder and comforted her gently: “It’s okay, having just one daughter is also very nice.”

The doctor had warned them before that the surgery had a certain failure rate. Not every embryo implantation is successful, so they shouldn’t have too high expectations.

It was very likely that Ji Fan’s had failed.

Ji Fan sat in the back of the car, her lips slightly pursed. A diamond earring sparkled by her ear, but her expression was unreadable.

“Are you very sad?”

Jiang Cha looked at Ji Fan and asked, “You also want to know what it feels like to be a mother, don’t you?”

Ji Fan shook her head.

After a moment, she put her arm around Jiang Cha’s waist and lowered her head, her white fingertips brushing the long hair behind Jiang Cha’s ear.

“I just wanted to stay with you.”

Her long eyelashes trembled as she asked seriously, “Being pregnant alone, will you be afraid?”

Jiang Cha burst out laughing: “How could I be?”

At ten months of pregnancy, Jiang Cha wore a loose white shirt with a Peter Pan collar. The hem flared out as she walked; while the shirt covered her, the signs of pregnancy were not obvious, but when the wind blew, the silhouette of her abdomen was revealed.

The driver opened the door. The moment she stepped out, Jiang Cha was photographed.

Entertainment reporters were hiding in the greenery nearby; they didn’t notice.

The hospital test results were clear: Ji Fan had not conceived at all.

The surgery had failed.

Ji Fan didn’t say anything; she was very quiet the whole way back, appearing somewhat dejected.

“Are you unhappy?” Jiang Cha leaned in and kissed her profile, her lips touching warm, soft skin: “Pregnancy is very uncomfortable, and a C-section is quite scary.”

Ji Fan laughed in spite of herself: “You misunderstand. I just…”

She thought for a moment and said solemnly: “I just can’t bear for you to suffer the pain alone.”

#Jiang Cha Pregnant#

Going to the hospital once, Ji Fan hadn’t figured out why she didn’t conceive, but they were already on the trending searches.

[Jiang Cha suspected 3 months pregnant? Seen at hospital entrance with Warner’s current director @Ji Fan, suspected prenatal checkup. Congratulations!]

Below was a blurry snapshot taken from afar with low resolution.

— “Chacha is pregnant???”

— “Surely not, how can two women get pregnant?”

— “Shocked.jpg”

Some netizens in the comments couldn’t believe it, but they were soon occupied by another wave of explainers:

— “Same-sex couples can already have children. How serious is your information gap?”

— “Check out iPS~”

— “So looking forward to Chacha’s child.”

— “A combination of excellent genes; the child will surely be beautiful and smart.”

…

There were many blessings in the comments. Most people felt curious and expectant, so it seemed there was no need to hide the pregnancy.

That evening, the two of them openly admitted it.

The “Ji-Jiang” CP fans from the previous show exploded instantly.

— “AAAAAAAAH! Chacha is pregnant!”

— “They made up! It’s confirmed!”

— “They made up hundreds of years ago, didn’t they? She’s already ten months along.”

— “You could tell in the previous show; the way President Ji looked at Chacha was so drowningly sweet. No feelings? How is that possible?”

— “Exactly, those eyes can’t lie.”

— “Waaaah, eating sweets at midnight, happiness…”

Jiang Cha swiped through, her cheeks slightly warm.

Receiving so many kind blessings for the first time, she actually felt a bit lost.

Several months passed. During this time, Jiang Cha experienced almost every physiological reaction of pregnancy. Dry heaving was a small matter; the hardest part was the sudden, uncontrollable emotional outbursts where she would inexplicably lose her temper with Ji Fan.

Ji Fan didn’t mind; she just held her gently to soothe her, kissing her forehead and lips.

In autumn, Jiang Cha’s due date arrived.

As required, they had to go to the hospital where the embryo was originally implanted.

The hospital was in London. They underwent several checks first, then a caregiver in a blue uniform, putting on white leather gloves, walked over and signaled Jiang Cha to follow her.

It was an isolated operating room.Getty Images

Ji Fan held Jiang Cha’s hand and asked the caregiver if she could accompany her.

The caregiver shook her head, looking a bit amused.

Jiang Han glanced at Ji Fan: “Just stay outside.”

Going in would just cause trouble.

Jiang Cha still had a slight smile on her face, but her fingertips were ice cold.

What was about to happen?

Ji Fan sat on the long bench outside, not knowing what checks were being done inside.

“How much longer?”

Jiang Han sat beside her and shook her head: “I don’t know. Generally, a C-section shouldn’t take especially long.”

Ji Fan: “!”

She suddenly stood up, her face cold: “It’s already started?”

“Mm.” Jiang Han nodded calmly: “What else? All the necessary checks are done. Don’t worry, you…”

Before she finished, she saw Ji Fan’s face turn pale as she rushed to the door of the delivery room, seemingly trying to look inside, her red lips pursed, her face anxious.

“Will it hurt a lot?”

Ji Fan stood at the door for a long time without seeing anything and asked with great concern.

“Of course.”

Jiang Han said slowly: “Some pregnant women are in so much pain before delivery they want to jump off a building. You can imagine it.”

Pain so bad she’d want to jump off a building?

Could Jiang Cha handle that feeling?

The more Ji Fan thought, the more she regretted it. She shouldn’t have agreed to Jiang Cha.

If the one who succeeded in getting pregnant was her, would it have been much better?

Ji Fan propped up her chin, her brow furrowed.

Jiang Han glanced at her and said nonchalantly: “Do you know why you didn’t succeed in getting pregnant?”

Ji Fan was startled.

“Because Jiang Cha felt sorry for you. She told me you had been injured and were naturally very afraid of pain, so you absolutely must not get pregnant.”

“…”

“Did you think it was an accident you didn’t conceive?”

Jiang Han laughed softly: “President Ji, sometimes I really envy you.”

Jiang Cha’s delivery went smoothly, and she gave birth to a daughter.

Generally, the place of birth determines the nationality on the household registration. The daughter was registered locally and given an English name first, chosen very casually: Andy.

As for her Chinese name, the two discussed it and decided to let her choose it herself when she reached adulthood.

No rush.

When they entered the delivery room, the infant was lying next to Jiang Cha, surrounded by medical staff. she was tiny and wrinkled all over, her features indistinguishable.

Jiang Cha appeared exhausted to the extreme, but she was still smiling.

“How are you now? Does it hurt?”

Ji Fan asked.

“It’s okay.”

She almost never complained about anything.

Nor did she ever demand anything from her.

After suffering so much, it was still just a soft “It’s okay.”

Ji Fan leaned down and looked at her deeply, her heart full of mixed emotions, hardly knowing what to do with her.

When the child was small, it was hard to see her resemblance to anyone, but when she grew a bit older, around three or four, a prototype of her looks began to emerge.

Her eyes were like Ji Fan’s, clear and black-and-white, with soft dark pupils like a confused little herbivore.

Her lips were slightly upturned like a kitten’s, indescribably beautiful and moving.

The more the daughter grew, the more she resembled the child in Jiang Cha’s dream.

The only difference was that the girl was even more obedient than the one in the dream. She was as gentle as a little rabbit, soft and sweet, and almost never did anything to make adults worry.

Once she had a stomach ache and cried in a huddle. Jiang Cha didn’t know how to coax her and just gently patted her back: “Andy, don’t cry.”

She just said it once, and surprisingly, the child really stopped crying.

She sobbed softly to comfort herself: “Andy doesn’t cry, Andy is good.”

Because the daughter was too good, the parents were half-relieved and half-worried.

If her personality was too soft, what if she was bullied later?

Since it was their first time raising a child, both Ji Fan and Jiang Cha were afraid of mistakes. The daughter’s appearance and identity were never made public; they just wanted her to grow up smoothly.

Safely.

After all, kidnappings happened more than once or twice.

Slowly, she reached school age.

The two sent her to a famous local elementary school, the affiliated elementary school of the Conservatory of Music, planning for her to study music.

On the first night after starting school, the little girl came home and asked timidly at the dinner table: “Mom, why do I have two moms?”

Jiang Cha: “…”

She thought for a moment and explained: “Everyone, when they grow up, will meet someone they especially like, and then the two of them will live together as companions. It just so happens that the person Mom especially liked was a girl, so you have two moms.”

Andy nodded.

It was unclear if she understood or not.

Jiang Cha relaxed slightly and moved past the awkward question. Looking up, she saw Ji Fan watching her quietly.

Amidst her thick curls, her fair earlobe glowed with a warm, light flush.

Jiang Cha suddenly lowered her eyes.

She had just said something incredible.

Sometimes, after living together for a long time, unlike before, words of love are not often on one’s lips. Jiang Cha was thin-skinned and naturally wouldn’t often say romantic things. Explaining it to the child like this, she realized a beat late that she had said something like a confession.

Ji Fan’s eyes deepened slightly.

Jiang Cha thought Andy understood her meaning.

Who knew that same evening, she brought a little girl home from her class.

Jiang Cha: “?”

Ji Fan had just come out of the bathroom, still in her pajamas.

She asked with a smile: “Andy, is this your friend?”

Andy held the little girl’s hand and said softly: “Mommy, this is someone I especially like.”

Jiang Cha was instantly startled by her.

So, that night, Jiang Cha had to dutifully give her another lesson.

She explained for a long time, but the child grew more and more confused.

Ji Fan couldn’t bear to watch anymore, so she sat on the edge of the bed, gently kissed Jiang Cha’s lips, and said: “My relationship with your mom is different from yours with that little friend.”

“Why?” Andy asked.

Ji Fan thought and said: “Your mom and I do some special things together.”

Andy’s little head nodded, and she asked: “What things?”

Ji Fan hummed and said: “Things that can only be done behind a closed door.”

Andy’s little brain was full of curious question marks.

Ji Fan laughed softly and said: “Andy, be good, go out and close the door.”

So Andy went out. Just after closing the door, she heard a click.

The door was locked from the inside.

She patted the door: “What is Mom doing?”

Ji Fan’s voice came from inside: “Doing some special things. Andy, be good, go further away.”

The child was very obedient and trotted downstairs.

Jiang Cha looked at the person kissing her neck gently, her cheeks burning, her fingertips curling slightly.

At seventeen, Andy graduated from high school.

Her parents’ relationship was so good it was excessive; sometimes, they almost ignored her.

Andy was dissatisfied.

During that time, she said things to her two love-struck parents like “I have a girlfriend” countless times, trying to get attention. But she was just saying it, like a cat casually flirting, just wanting to see the adults’ reaction.

At first, the two tried to reason with her, trying to prevent early romance. Later, knowing she was just talking and hadn’t taken any action, they stopped caring.

But after saying it so much, it was inevitable to want to try.

One night, she went to a high-end bar nearby.

The bar was dimly lit, but the atmosphere was very quiet.

Standing there, she soon felt numerous gazes falling vaguely upon her.

Andy’s back tensed slightly—

Before this, she was a student who spent all day in classrooms. Suddenly entering such a place filled with a “social” atmosphere made her inevitably nervous and afraid.

Just then, she suddenly felt someone watching her constantly.

She turned her head and happened to lock eyes with deep, gentle eyes. Her heart skipped a beat; she was dazed for a moment.

Not far away stood a woman.

With a hint of a smile in her eyes, she was looking at her.

Bright red lips, dreamy eyes, curls soft and elastic hanging to her waist. She wore a raven-blue long dress, the hem very long, shimmering with a soft silk glow. A section of snow-white ankle was revealed above her stilettos. She stood at the bar, holding a goblet, her posture elegant.

Those eyes were very special, deep coffee-colored, with pupils that showed an amber-like texture under the bar lights.

Gentle and affectionate.

Andy instinctively sensed danger.

She was a very beautiful woman; aside from her face, her figure was flawless. The low V-neck of the long dress was slightly loose, revealing a bit of soft, white cleavage, sexy in just the right way.

Their eyes met, and the woman gave her a slight smile, polite yet filled with an indescribable charm.

Andy looked away, her heart pounding wildly.

Aware of her loss of composure, her face felt hot, and she couldn’t help but turn away.

…She had to admit, something was really wrong with her.

She had seen many beautiful women, but none like this person, where every tiny movement seemed to be seducing her.

And no same-sex person had ever made her heart race so abnormally.

But she was clearly so much older.

She looked to be of working age.

She was just curious and wanted to see, but in reality, she was completely unprepared.

Being looked at like this by this woman, she almost wanted to turn and leave.

After a while, music suddenly played in the bar.

It was a piano.

In the center of the bar, there was a grand piano, a Steinway, looking very expensive.

Andy studied composition at the affiliated middle school of the Conservatory of Music, and she could also play the piano. She originally didn’t expect much from the performance level in a bar like this, but as she listened, she was suddenly stunned.

No.

This level was too high!

It wasn’t like a typical performer who only knew a bit; it was even better than the piano teachers at her school.

She listened with her eyes closed for a while, then couldn’t help but turn to look, only to see a graceful back.

Long chestnut curls, a slender waist—it was the woman who had smiled at her across the crowd earlier.

When the woman finished playing, the whole venue erupted in thunderous applause. People whispered:

“Professor Rong is here?”

“Yes, it’s rare.”

“Does she have a girlfriend now?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

Rong Manling, a professor in the piano department of the Conservatory of Music and a pianist who had won multiple international awards. She had been out for a long time, but she had never been seen in a serious relationship.

Some said she was too high-achieving to be moved by ordinary people.

Some said she was frigid.

Others said she didn’t like women at all and was just joking.

…

On the other side.

“Met someone you like?”

A friend beside her asked: “Ooh, that girl is so beautiful. Don’t you think she looks like a celebrity?”

“Like who?”

Rong Manling laughed softly: “Hmm, I don’t see who she looks like. But she does look like my future girlfriend.”

People in the circle didn’t know, but her friends understood her. Rong Manling, the second daughter of the Rong family, liked girls younger than her; the more pure and innocent they looked, the more she liked them.

She had tried dating several girlfriends before, all younger than her.

But one thing was strange: her relationships with them always stayed at a very shallow level—they could hold hands, watch movies, or kiss on the cheek, but specifically never went to a deeper level.

As for the reason, Rong Manling didn’t say, and even her friends didn’t know.

Such unusual taste, paired with a mature, gentle, and affectionate face, was somewhat unexpected.

In a short while, Rong Manling tidied her skirt and walked gracefully toward Andy.

That girl perfectly fit her aesthetic. Fair skin, exquisite features, but with a soft temperament like a girl made of water. Her eyes were especially beautiful, the ends gently elongated.

Smooth skin, a lovely face—like a finely sketched painting, carrying the grace and delicacy of a Southern woman.

“Is this your first time here?” She sat on the sofa beside Andy, nodding slightly.

“Mm.” Andy answered her softly.

The voice was incredibly gentle, like silk floating in water, soft and light.

The girl was very reserved, even a bit wary, like a small animal seeing an enemy, her ears alert.

“Do you have a way for us to stay in touch?” Rong Manling knew she saw through her intentions and smiled: “I saw you at first sight when I came here. Let’s be friends.”

But the girl seemed startled, shaking her head repeatedly as if taking her for a bad person: “Sister, we aren’t familiar. It’s not good.”

Rong Manling laughed softly.

She shook her head, seemingly about to give up.

Andy slung her bag over her shoulder and stood up, about to leave, when she suddenly heard the woman beside her gasp.

“You hit my wound.”

The woman frowned slightly and lifted her skirt. Her fair calf was smooth, but her knee was wrapped in white gauze, with blood faintly seeping through.

“I’m sorry, I…”

She looked at the injury on the person’s leg in panic, her heart instantly tightening.

“It hurts so much.” The woman frowned, then looked up at her: “Help me for a bit; I can’t stand up.”

“…”

Andy’s heart tightened. She tried to touch her waist to help her, but then caught a glimpse of a slight smile on the woman’s lips.

The woman’s waist was very soft and warm; she just touched it once and let go instantly, as if from an electric shock.

“You’re shy.”

The corner of Rong Manling’s mouth curved slightly.

Andy instinctively kept her distance.

“Better not have unrealistic expectations of me,” Andy lowered her eyes, appearing embarrassed: “I’m really not interested in the same sex; it’s natural.”

She felt she was telling the truth. After all, she just wanted to see, out of curiosity, and then leave; she wasn’t prepared for any actual relationship.

“What a pity, I quite like you.” Rong Manling smiled quite naturally: “When I was playing the piano just now, you listened very intently. Why don’t we be friends instead?”

Andy nodded.

In her heart, she thought she was probably just saying that. Seeing the confident smile on the woman’s face, she knew this person clearly hadn’t given up.

Sure enough, Rong Manling gave a gentle smile and pointed at the injury on her leg: “Ordinary friends should also take care of each other, right?”

Andy knew she didn’t plan to give up and could only say helplessly: “Then, I’ll help Sister call a caregiver.”

As she spoke, she took out her phone and started to call.

Suddenly, a cry of pain came from behind.

Andy was so startled she dropped her phone. Turning back, she saw that person clutching her wound, brow furrowed, her beautiful face showing an expression of pain.

She immediately put down her phone: “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t go. You have to take care of me,” the woman said softly.

Perhaps it really was extreme pain; the person’s originally powerful aura seemed to vanish instantly. She looked pitiful, huddled on the sofa like an abandoned kitten.

Andy’s heart softened. Could she really handle things on her own like this?

“How did you do it?”

“When I got up, my leg hit the tea table again.”

Her voice was airy and unsteady.

The feeling of hitting a wound can be imagined. Just thinking about it made Andy’s heart tremble. In her life, she was most afraid of seeing others hurt; whenever she saw a nasty wound on someone, she felt as if she were being cut by a knife herself, her heart aching.

“How could you be so careless? Let me see, is the wound bleeding?”

“It’s nothing.”

The person clutched her injury, her expression clearly twisted in pain, yet she still insisted on being strong. What a strange personality.

Frowning, she leaned down to look closely at the gauze on her arm. Spots of red were seeping out; she must have just hit it, and the wound probably worsened.

“Does it hurt?”

She looked up, and her heart skipped a beat.

This person was “electrifying” her again.

Rong Manling’s eyelashes were thick and dense, curving slightly upward. When she looked at her, her gaze was extremely gentle, with a smile at the ends of her eyes and a hint of teasing. Andy knew her intention but simply couldn’t withstand it; her face felt a bit hot.

Her voice was soft. Because she was close, her warm breath brushed Andy’s forehead as she asked softly: “Why don’t you take me home first?”

There was a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, as if she were certain she would agree.

Andy awkwardly adjusted her sitting position, her chest pounding. She didn’t even dare to lock eyes with her.

At this moment, she truly realized that this person’s gentleness, humility, and politeness were just a beautiful package. This person was her true self: a social butterfly, romantic and free-spirited, never failing to get what she wanted.

That day, for reasons she didn’t understand, she submissively listened to her and obediently sent her home.

In the morning, Andy woke up to the sound of soft piano music.

The music was gentle and slow, then as smooth and flowing as water, tinkling and pleasant to the ear.

After being immersed in the music for a while, she suddenly realized she wasn’t in her dorm.

The yellow soft cotton quilt covering her wasn’t hers. She looked in astonishment past the wood floor; a shimmering lake came into view, and several gulls spread their wings to fly before landing on a small island in the center of the lake.

The scenery was beautiful, but she was in no mood to appreciate it.

Where was this?

Why was she here?

She seemed to have been drunk yesterday, vaguely remembering getting into a woman’s car.

That woman…

Her heart tightened when she discovered her clothes had all been changed, leaving only her underwear.

This discovery made her heart race. A strange place, a strange woman—what happened last night?

Andy was terrified.

Fortunately, she soon found her clothes on a coat rack nearby. She put them on immediately, hurriedly tidied herself in front of the mirror, and went downstairs.

No one was downstairs.

Except for a maid.

“Miss, don’t worry. I helped you change your clothes. You threw up yesterday and soiled them.”

Andy calmed down.

But then, she remembered something.

She had a piano class this morning!

She heard the teacher was very strict. When she chose the class, people around her said: whatever you do, don’t be late for her class.

Andy didn’t dare think too much. She went out, called the driver, and sent her location.

Fortunately, in a short while, the driver reached her location and picked her up, delivering her on time.

But the moment she rushed into the piano room, she froze.

The professor in the piano room had long chestnut curls, a soft and slender waist, and a graceful back—so familiar, it was clearly—

The woman turned her head slightly and faced her. A hint of surprise flashed in her amber, clear, and gentle eyes. With a smile, she said softly: “Morning. What a coincidence.”