## Chapter 16
"Do you think she will care?" Li Xin asked this question with a nervous heart, hoping for a yes but also fearing the same answer.
Actually, Zuo Qinghuan felt that Yan Ruohan might not care. Yan Ruohan didn't seem to be too concerned. Zuo Qinghuan had only seen Yan Ruohan from a distance, and at that moment, she thought Yan Ruohan had a big heart. People with big hearts can't contain romantic feelings; for Yan Ruohan, Li Xin was just an embellishment—nice to have but not necessary. However, Zuo Qinghuan didn't want to say anything that would discourage Li Xin; she was already heartbroken enough. Sometimes, Zuo Qinghuan felt that Yan Ruohan was too cruel to Li Xin. If she didn't love her, she shouldn't dangle Li Xin's heart in front of her like this; it would lead Li Xin to ruin. Despite Li Xin's seductive appearance, she was destined to suffer for love throughout her life.
"Maybe," Zuo Qinghuan said gently, patting Li Xin's back for comfort.
"Maybe not. Even though she told me to take care of myself, that's because she's afraid of getting into trouble," Li Xin said self-deprecatingly. She felt quite pathetic, but anyone who is pitiable must have something contemptible about them; Li Xin felt she was being pathetic.
Zuo Qinghuan sighed inwardly. Li Xin understood all the reasoning, but she just couldn't get past the obstacles in her heart. It was useless for others to say more.
"The first time I saw her, my heart raced, and my face felt like it was on fire. I knew I was doomed. She had all the qualities I liked; she had the looks I was attracted to, sharp eyes, lips that seemed cold yet were exquisitely delicate, and she rarely smiled. In all this time, I've seen her genuinely smile no more than three times. Her gaze is always a bit cold, somewhat assertive, and very charismatic. Once she sets her mind to do something, she will definitely achieve it. She has a strong personality and would never easily show weakness. I've always hoped for a woman who could conquer me, and she completely captured my heart effortlessly…" Li Xin recalled the moment she first met Yan Ruohan, feeling that Yan Ruohan was a woman sculpted for her by heaven.
In fact, this was just Li Xin's way of venting her emotions. Zuo Qinghuan knew that, so she simply listened quietly. Once Li Xin had vented enough, her emotions would slowly stabilize.
As Li Xin spoke about Yan Ruohan, her eyes shone with brilliant light, and Zuo Qinghuan felt that Li Xin was hopeless. Although Yan Ruohan had a unique aura, her appearance was only above average—not nearly as exquisite as Qin Wanshu's. Most importantly, Qin Wanshu possessed qualities that brought Zuo Qinghuan a sense of stability—confidence, gentleness, thoughtfulness, elegance, and a calm demeanor that she liked. Yan Ruohan had none of those qualities. Zuo Qinghuan had a strong intuition that she and Yan Ruohan were somewhat similar; they both had tall walls built around their hearts, desperately trying to change their backgrounds and their current situations, living unhappily against their true feelings. They appeared strong but were internally conflicted and weak in ways that others did not see. However, Yan Ruohan's desires were greater than Zuo Qinghuan's.
Zuo Qinghuan felt a certain degree of self-loathing, which led to her disliking Yan Ruohan.
Li Xin kept talking, going on for nearly three hours, with all her words revolving around Yan Ruohan. Such a deep love was overwhelming, but as Zuo Qinghuan listened to Li Xin's description, she felt that in comparison to Li Xin's deep feelings, Yan Ruohan's emotions were as indifferent as could be. Yet, it was a case of "one wishes to hit, and the other wishes to take the blows"—what could outsiders say?
Finally, Li Xin's emotions stabilized, and she fell asleep. After tucking her in, Zuo Qinghuan left Li Xin's house, feeling heavy-hearted on the drive home. Undoubtedly, in Zuo Qinghuan's eyes, Li Xin was a foolish woman, but she felt some pity for her. Li Xin reminded her of a woman she was very reluctant to think about, a woman even more foolish than Li Xin, who spent her life pursuing these elusive romantic loves. In that woman's heart, love occupied her entire being; even her daughter seemed insignificant. Zuo Qinghuan thought such women were just foolish beyond belief.
Zuo Qinghuan turned onto the dirty, chaotic old street. As she approached the familiar dark alley, she hit the brakes and turned back onto the main road, driving to the bar she and Li Xin frequently visited, where she ordered a lot of drinks. Zuo Qinghuan even mixed several types of liquor together; she knew how to make cocktails, having worked in bars before. She had done almost every kind of job, so she knew a little about everything. In truth, Zuo Qinghuan didn't like drinking, but looking at the enticing colors of the drinks, she uncontrollably downed them in one go. Mixing various types of alcohol makes one more easily drunk; although Zuo Qinghuan had a good tolerance, after several drinks, she was already feeling tipsy.
"Hey, beautiful, want to drink together?" Several men came over to flirt.
"I'm waiting for someone; they'll be here soon," Zuo Qinghuan replied, politely deflecting them. She was much better at self-protection than Li Xin; although she wasn't as traditional as Li Xin, she knew that situations like "419" would definitely not happen to her.
At that moment, Han Shibin called. Zuo Qinghuan did not like receiving calls from him, so she turned off her phone. Then she suddenly remembered she had another phone, one that had Qin Wanshu's number. Without thinking, Zuo Qinghuan dialed the number.
When Qin Wanshu returned home, she had just taken a relaxing bath, shaking off the gloom of the day and preparing for a good sleep when she saw Zuo Qinghuan's call coming in. Qin Wanshu initially didn't want to answer, but when the phone kept ringing, she picked it up with some irritation.
"Qin Wanshu, do you want to come out for a drink? The cocktails I mixed are really good, really good. I've had so many..." Zuo Qinghuan asked, a bit tipsy. It was only because of her slight intoxication that Zuo Qinghuan had the courage to keep calling Qin Wanshu.
Qin Wanshu glanced at the clock—it was almost 1 a.m. That woman was still at the bar drinking, clearly drunk, and in the background, she could hear arguing. Qin Wanshu frowned slightly. This woman had no sense of decorum. But then again, Zuo Qinghuan was just a mistress, not some respectable woman, so hanging out in bars wasn't out of character.
"No, I'm not going. I don't like those places," Qin Wanshu declined. A mistress should be calling her lover at this hour, not the wife. Honestly, Qin Wanshu was often cold and distant. The kindness she had shown to Zuo Qinghuan in the beginning was rare for her.
"Qin Wanshu, you're such an untouchable rich lady. Of course, you wouldn't lower yourself to deal with people like us. Heh, Zuo Qinghuan is such an idiot, thinking Qin Wanshu would be any different from other wealthy people…" Zuo Qinghuan mocked herself.
Qin Wanshu's frown deepened. She really didn't like Zuo Qinghuan's tone. Clearly, Zuo Qinghuan was the one at fault. Never mind that she was now her husband's mistress—she had also played games with her in the past. Qin Wanshu felt that it was already generous enough of her to be speaking so politely, but Zuo Qinghuan's words made it seem like *she* was the one in the wrong.
Qin Wanshu was about to say something, but then the call was abruptly cut off. She told herself not to care about that woman; she had nothing to do with her. If anything, their relationship was adversarial. But the thought of a young, beautiful woman, drunk and alone at a bar so late at night, kept her tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.
With great reluctance, Qin Wanshu finally dragged herself out of bed, changed into a fresh outfit, and prepared to go out. Inside, she was fuming, but her good manners made her hold it in. She then called Zuo Qinghuan.
Zuo Qinghuan felt foolish. She had no close relationship with Qin Wanshu, and given the awkward situation between them, why would Qin Wanshu even care about her? Zuo Qinghuan downed her drinks more aggressively. Although she was already quite drunk, her mind remained clear. When she saw Qin Wanshu's name on her phone, her heart skipped a beat, and she nervously answered the call.
Qin Wanshu didn't speak immediately, making Zuo Qinghuan feel even more anxious.
"Where are you?" Qin Wanshu's tone was as gentle as ever. Even though she was reluctant, Qin Wanshu felt that once she decided to do something, she shouldn't make the other person feel neglected. For the first time, Qin Wanshu hated her own good upbringing. After all, she was about to check on a mistress late at night, worried about whether she might cheat on her husband. She thought she was being so kind-hearted, she could practically qualify as a saint.
Zuo Qinghuan realized Qin Wanshu was truly something else. Was she really coming to pick her up? And from her tone, it didn't sound like she was annoyed. This thought suddenly lifted Zuo Qinghuan's spirits.
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