"Ohh..." Yu Miyo hesitated, biting her lip. "It's just... this is our first real date." A delicate blush colored her cheeks.
Xia Yingying felt a spike of frustration. 'Firstdate after knowing him how long?' The parallels to her own past blindness with Tang Qing were unnerving. Love truly did warp judgment. "Please? You'll have countless dates with him. Can't you spare one evening for me?" She deployed her most persuasive look – wide, earnest eyes that had melted harder hearts.
To her surprise, Yu Miyo relented instantly. "Okay, dinner it is!" The abrupt shift left Xia Yingying momentarily bewildered, but she masked it with a warm smile. 'For Miyo's sake, this is better.'
*******************
Sweat glistened on their skin as Xia Yingying and Yu Miyo walked off the basketball court, the echo of their fierce one-on-one game still hanging in the air. They moved with the easy camaraderie of athletes, shoulders bumping companionably.
"Miyo," Xia Yingying breathed, impressed, "I had no idea you played like a pro." She'd expected to win, but Yu Miyo's agility and sharp shots had been a revelation.
"You're no slouch either!" Yu Miyo laughed, her usual cool demeanor replaced by genuine exhilaration. "Seriously, Yingying, you have to try out for the inter-university tournament after finals. We'd dominate!" Her eyes held a spark of real admiration.
Xia Yingying nudged her playfully. "Maybe. If I can squeeze it in between running empires and dodging scandals."
"Ouch! Watch the elbows, champ!" Yu Miyo chuckled, rubbing her side with feigned indignation.
As they approached Xia Yingying's Bentley, Yu Miyo's eyes widened slightly. "Okay, boss lady. Remind me to get on your investment tips list." The luxury car was a tangible reminder of the gulf between Xia Yingying's hidden power and her own carefully constructed image. 'Filthy rich brother, Lu Quinzue as a husband... does she even realize how much she has?'
The drive was quiet, each lost in thought. Xia Yingying's mind churned – the mystery of Yu Miyo's "suicide," the unsettling parallels to her own past life, and the persistent feeling that Miyo's friendly facade was paper-thin. Yu Miyo watched the city lights blur past, her thoughts a tangle of envy and meticulously laid plans.
"Mom, we're back!" Xia Yingying called out as they entered the fragrant warmth of the Xia kitchen.
Wen Ming turned, her smile radiant. "Welcome back, sweetie! And you must be Yu Miyo! It's lovely to meet Yingying's friend." She extended a hand.
Yu Miyo offered a perfect, respectful bow. "Mrs. Xia, thank you for having me. Your home is beautiful."
"My, you're a vision!" Wen Ming exclaimed, her gaze shifting between the two girls. "Yingying, darling, she could almost be your sister! There's such a resemblance, especially around the eyes."
Xia Yingying's mind immediately raced – secret siblings? Hidden pasts? Her mother, however, read her daughter's expression and laughed, a light, musical sound. "Oh, stop overthinking, my serious girl! I only had you and Fujian. I just had a cousin who was my absolute double – though," she added with a playful hair flip, "I was always the prettier one. And you, my dear," she turned her warm gaze fully on Xia Yingying, "outshine us all."
Xia Yingying blushed, the genuine affection disarming her suspicions momentarily.
Dinner was a lively affair. Xia Ligue, ever gregarious, drew Yu Miyo out. "So, Yu Miyo, new to Hai City? Yingying mentioned you transferred recently."
"From Country F, Mr. Xia," Miyo replied smoothly, her smile never wavering. "I've been settling in."
The conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter and shared stories. Xia Yingying watched Miyo closely. Her charm was effortless, her responses polished – almost too perfect. The easy camaraderie felt staged.
Suddenly, the butler appeared, whispering urgently to Xia Ligue. His face lit up with undisguised excitement. Wen Ming sighed fondly, rolling her eyes. "Only one person elicits that reaction."
Before Xia Yingying could react, Lu Quinzue strode into the dining room, an aura of contained power preceding him. Surprise flickered in Xia Yingying's eyes – she hadn't summoned him yet.
"Ahzue!" she exclaimed, sliding from her chair. Instinct and the need to maintain their facade took over. She moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands settled possessively on her waist, pulling her close. "You didn't tell me you were coming!" she murmured against his shoulder.
"Passing by," he replied, his voice a low rumble meant only for her. "Wanted to see my wife." Then his brows creased" you do remember you said I should come for dinner" The look he gave her – intense, protective, tinged with something deeper – made her heart stutter. 'Is this still just acting?'
"Enough, you two!" Wen Ming chided, though her eyes sparkled with approval. "Save the romance for your own villa." Her fondness for Lu Quinzue visibly increased.
As Lu Quinzue guided Xia Yingying back to the table, his sharp gaze swept the room, landing on Yu Miyo. A flicker of surprise and instant assessment crossed his features – quickly masked, but Xia Yingying caught it. 'He sees it too. The resemblance. And the lack of her in my file.' He masked his thoughts, focusing on his plate, though his mind drifted to the woman beside him – the curve of her waist under his hand, the scent of her hair... A sharp crash shattered his reverie.
Yu Miyo had "accidentally" knocked a plate to the floor. "Oh no! I'm so clumsy!" she gasped, already bending to gather the sharp shards with bare hands.
"Miyo, stop! You'll cut yourself!" Xia Yingying reached out instinctively to pull her friend back.
A shard flashed. "Ouch!" Xia Yingying hissed, jerking her hand back. A thin, angry red line welled with blood across her palm.
Lu Quinzue was beside her in an instant, his movement a blur. He seized her injured hand, his face like stone. His glare at Yu Miyo was glacial, promising retribution. "First aid kit. Now." The command crackled in the air.
Wen Ming was already rushing from the room. Lu Quinzue didn't wait. He pulled Xia Yingying to the sofa, his touch unexpectedly gentle despite the fury radiating from him. As he carefully cleaned the cut, a strange tightness clenched his chest – a visceral reaction to her pain that startled him more than the injury itself.
Yu Miyo stood frozen, watching the scene: Wen Ming's concern, Xia Ligue's frown, Lu Quinzue's fierce protectiveness focused entirely on Xia Yingying. A complex mix of envy and fury contorted her features for a split second before she smoothed it into contrite worry. 'Everything... always for her.'
Lu Quinzue finished bandaging Xia Yingying's hand, his expression unreadable but his touch lingering. He addressed the room, his voice regaining its usual cool authority. "Mr. and Mrs. Xia, Yingying will be moving to the Lu residence tonight. My grandmother insists she reside at the ancestral home before we settle into our own estate."
"Absolutely! A splendid idea!" Xia Ligue boomed, delighted.
"Agreed," Lu Quinzue stated, a flicker of something akin to satisfaction in his eyes at the thought of having her under his roof.
"But I need to drive Miyo home!" Xia Yingying protested.
"No need!" Yu Miyo interjected quickly, too quickly. "I'll call a cab. Please don't trouble yourselves."
"Consider it settled," Lu Quinzue dismissed, his attention solely on Xia Yingying's bandaged hand.
Xia Yingying insisted, her protective instincts warring with her growing unease. "It's late. We'll drop her off. It's not safe." She met Lu Quinzue's gaze, a silent plea in her eyes.
He held her look for a moment, then gave a curt, almost imperceptible nod. "Very well."
The short drive was thick with tension. Xia Yingying sat beside Lu Quinzue, acutely aware of his presence. Yu Miyo sat stiffly in the back, her eyes fixed on the back of Lu Quinzue's head, then darting to Xia Yingying's profile. The sting of their effortless closeness – Lu Quinzue's large hand resting casually on Xia Yingying's thigh – was a physical ache. 'That should be me.'
When they pulled up to Yu Miyo's modest apartment building, the contrast to the Xia estate was stark. Xia Yingying noted the address, filing it away. 'Scholarship student? Or carefully constructed poverty?'
"Thank you for the ride," Yu Miyo murmured, already opening the door. She forgot the pleasantries, her exit abrupt. Xia Yingying watched her walk away – the stiff set of her shoulders, the barely contained anger in her stride. The friendly classmate was gone, replaced by a simmering storm.
As the car pulled away, Xia Yingying broke the heavy silence. "Ahzue... what did you think of Yu Miyo?"
"Artificial," he stated flatly, his eyes on the road. "Calculated."
"How can you tell?" Xia Yingying pressed, needing his cold assessment.
He glanced at her, a rare flicker of something almost paternal in his gaze. "Experience, little wildcat. You'll learn. She's dangerous. Be careful." His concern, raw and unexpected, sent a warmth through her that battled the chill of his warning.
Xia Yingying leaned back, absorbing his words. The deliberate plate smash, the conveniently placed shard... Miyo's actions screamed manipulation. The charming classmate was a masterful performance, rivaling Tu Zen's theatrics. But who was the greater threat? The memory of Yu Miyo's broken body in her past life surfaced – the disfigured face, the tell-tale ring... tied to the Lu Group building. 'Was she a victim then? Or a player who lost?' The absence of Tara, her sharp-eyed hacker friend, felt like a missing limb. She needed intel.
*******************************
Yu Miyo slammed her apartment door, the flimsy lock rattling. The carefully constructed mask shattered. She hurled her bag across the room with a guttural scream. "AAAAAGHHHH!" Rage, pure and corrosive, consumed her. The images burned behind her eyelids: Lu Quinzue's large hand cradling Xia Yingying's injured one, the terrifying intensity of his glare directed at her, the casual intimacy of his touch on Xia Yingying's thigh in the car. That protective fury, that closeness... it was all meant for her. It should have been hers.
She stumbled to the cheap mirror bolted to the wall. The face staring back was alien – mascara streaked by furious tears, nostrils flared, lips pulled back in a snarl. The delicate, ethereal beauty was twisted into something ugly and raw. Jealousy, a living thing, coiled in her gut. She traced the contours of her cheekbones, the shape of her eyes – features painstakingly chosen, subtly enhanced to mirror Xia Yingying's allure. A weapon. A key. A cruel joke.
The final image that broke her was Xia Yingying leaning in, pressing a soft, possessive kiss to Lu Quinzue's cheek as they left the Xia mansion. The casual intimacy of it. The ownership.
Yu Miyo slammed her fist against the mirror, the glass spiderwebbing. Pain shot up her arm, a welcome counterpoint to the emotional torment. She laughed then, a harsh, grating sound devoid of humor. "Perfect Xia Yingying," she spat at her fractured reflection. "Surrounded by love, drowning in luxury, blissfully unaware of the vipers at your feet." Her laughter grew louder, edged with hysteria. "You have so many enemies, little queen. More than you know." She leaned closer to the cracked glass, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "Enjoy your borrowed time. This life? I'll make sure you rot in it." The promise hung in the air, cold and absolute, as her manic laughter echoed in the empty room. The game had just turned deadly.