Your Several Girlfriends

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Lin Yu felt an odd sense of unreality.

The young man in the mirror was dressed in a crisp suit, polished shoes, and carried an air of sharp, youthful handsomeness—the very image of a successful, wealthy young man.

But that wasn’t the strangest part.

What truly unsettled Lin Yu was the face staring back at him.

Honestly.

No, really.

After the flamboyant makeup artist worked his magic, the innate roguishness of Lin Yu’s original appearance had been completely masked, leaving behind nothing but sheer attractiveness.

A pure, unadulterated kind of handsome, the type that belonged to the heartthrob leads in teen dramas.

Yet Lin Yu still wasn’t used to it. Staring at that flawlessly handsome face, he could barely recognize traces of his former self.

Proof, once again.

The easiest way to transform a person? Makeup and photo editing.

As Lin Yu studied his reflection, Qing Mo slowly strolled into view behind him, her steps unhurried.

Still facing the mirror, Lin Yu asked without turning his head:

“Well?”

Qing Mo’s expression remained unreadable, if anything, even colder than usual. Her icy gaze held a hint of boredom as she replied flatly:

“It doesn’t look like you anymore.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Lin Yu nodded in emphatic agreement.

After wrapping up a chaotic series of tasks, night had fully fallen. Having eaten nothing but breakfast, Lin Yu was starving, his stomach practically glued to his spine.

Even though he knew a lavish dinner awaited him, he couldn’t resist asking Qing Mo’s household staff for a couple of small cakes to tide him over.

Soon, it was time to leave. Qing Mo appeared in a white evening gown—simple, modest, yet undeniably elegant.

Lin Yu blinked in surprise at her choice of attire.

“What?”

Qing Mo paused beside him, tilting her head slightly.

“Is there something wrong with my outfit?”

“I thought you’d wear one of those dramatic evening gowns from TV shows,” Lin Yu admitted, gesturing vaguely.

“You know, the kind that shows off half your back or is practically see-through.”

At his words, a flicker of disdain crossed Qing Mo’s otherwise impassive face. She scoffed, her voice frosty:

“People who dress like that usually aren’t qualified to attend the kind of events I go to.”

“...”

Lin Yu clicked his tongue, at a loss for words.

So much for TV dramas poisoning minds.

Settling into a sleek black limousine, Lin Yu pulled out his phone, ready to kill time with some mindless mobile games during the ride.

A flood of pixelated monsters surged across the screen as he guided his tiny protagonist through a virtual battlefield, mowing down enemies with abandon.

Just as he was getting into the game, Qing Mo’s voice cut through the silence:

“How many girlfriends do you have at school?”

???

The bizarre question made Lin Yu’s head snap up, three mental question marks hovering above him.

He paused the game and turned to Qing Mo, whose minimal makeup did nothing to diminish her striking beauty. A hint of confusion flickered in his eyes as he asked:

“Girlfriends?”

“What girlfriends?”

“And several of them?”

“I don’t have a single one.”

Qing Mo’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, skepticism lacing her tone:

“You went to such lengths for that girl’s sister—even came begging to me. And she’s not your girlfriend?”

Lin Yu knew she was referring to Tang Manman. He shook his head without hesitation:

“Nope.”

“Then why help her like that?”

Qing Mo pressed, clearly puzzled.

Lin Yu lowered his gaze, unpausing the game. As his fingers moved across the screen, he answered:

“It’s complicated between us. But we’re not together.”

After a brief pause, he added:

“At least not right now.”

Qing Mo’s frown deepened, evidently not expecting that response.

But she didn’t dwell on it, instead moving to her next question:

“What about her?”

“Who?”

Lin Yu looked up, baffled.

“The second person you approached after leaving school at noon.”

Qing Mo’s voice was cool and measured.

???

“Second person after leaving school…?”

Lin Yu repeated, racking his brain.

Soon, a name surfaced.

He turned to Qing Mo, one corner of his mouth quirking into a sardonic smirk as he asked with palpable disbelief:

“You mean Gu Yue?”

“I don’t know her name. But you walked toward her before coming to me.”

Qing Mo provided the detail matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, that’s Gu Yue.”

Lin Yu returned to his game, dismissive.

“She’s my lackey. Not even remotely girlfriend material.”

Qing Mo’s brows knit slightly. Watching him focus on the silly mobile game, she hesitated before finally giving in to curiosity:

“Can’t you tell she likes you?”

“Who?”

Lin Yu’s head jerked up, the game forgotten as he stared at Qing Mo like she’d just told a particularly absurd joke.

“Who likes me?”

Qing Mo frowned, perplexed by his exaggerated reaction, but answered softly:

“The girl you just mentioned.”

“Gu Yue.”

“Pfft.”

Lin Yu let out a derisive snort, shaking his head before resuming his game.

“No way she likes me.”

“Let me put it this way.”

“There’s a higher chance of that lesbian who came to see you the other night falling for me—and dragging her whole circle of lesbian friends along with her—than Gu Yue ever liking me.”

“Why are you so sure she doesn’t?”

Qing Mo pressed, relentless.

“Simple.”

Lin Yu didn’t look up.

“Because she’s not you.”

“What I did to her was, in some ways, even worse than what I did to you.”

“Unless she’s as messed up as you are, there’s no way she’d ever like me.”

His tone left no room for argument.

Though something still felt off to Qing Mo, she didn’t push further. Instead, she murmured under her breath:

“You can’t fake the way someone looks when they’re in love.”

“Freak.”

Lin Yu tossed back the insult reflexively.