Quit Smoking

The little brat seems to be a bit too extreme.

Lu Qing had no idea how to handle this situation.

Regarding Senior Mu Xia...

What he knew was that she was Lin Mu's sister, coming from a wealthy and influential family, stunningly beautiful, embodying all the qualities of an unattainable flower, and even possessing astonishing technical skills, capable of unleashing the full power of a 120W grand piano in professional-level performances.

Such a person, and yet Lin Mu wanted him to sit in front of the small stage at "Twilight Coffee" and "comment" on her performance?

"Me?"

Lu Qing was momentarily speechless.

Just imagining the scene made him feel immense pressure.

He didn’t reply to Lin Mu and instead headed straight home, feeling completely surrounded by a sense of crisis.

"Senior Mu Xia is a very busy person. If she’s taking time out of her packed schedule to visit Lin Mu, it must mean she holds her sister in high regard. And now Lin Mu wants me to join her in appreciating her sister’s performance... a live performance at that... If I’m asked to give my opinion on the spot, how should I respond?"

Lu Qing had listened to Mu Xia’s piano pieces on "Yiyun Music." From a professional perspective, they were delicate and smooth, with no obvious flaws.

The only thing was that the emotions conveyed were too abstract—

Oppression, confusion, torment, endurance, and... a desire for release.

Her piano pieces were like a fog in the deep sea, invisible and unfathomable.

Without even needing to guess, he knew that someone like her was best avoided unless he had absolute confidence in his own abilities. Otherwise, he’d only end up with unnecessary wounds.

According to Old Li’s intel, Mu Xia was undoubtedly the hope of the Mu family. She carried the expectations of too many people on her shoulders, and her days were meticulously planned down to the second, completely detached from the life of a normal university student.

In the eyes of ordinary people, a young lady from a wealthy family might just be a privileged princess, not someone with extraordinary abilities.

However, Lu Qing could somewhat infer from observing Lin Mu that Mu Xia was likely an extreme personality as a pianist. The way she adapted her pieces and her pursuit of perfection in her performances had already revealed a part of her character, and the rest would have to be judged in person.

"I just wanted to help Lin Mu out. I never intended to get entangled with her sister."

"Now she’s forcing me to meet her sister. Should I come up with an excuse or something..."

Lu Qing had always disliked trouble, especially unnecessary connections in interpersonal relationships.

He knew that getting close to someone like Mu Xia would inevitably mean being scrutinized by her.

He didn’t like being scrutinized, especially since she was his senior at school. If they ran into each other and he didn’t greet her, wouldn’t that be awkward? But if he did greet her, it would only invite more gossip. Either way, it wasn’t ideal.

"Or maybe I just won’t go?"

He began to entertain the thought of backing out. "After all, I’m Ah Hai. It shouldn’t be a big deal if Ah Hai stands her up once, right? Besides, last time before leaving, she asked for my WeChat, and I didn’t give it to her... That must have already raised her suspicions. If she insists on asking again next time and I still refuse, it’ll be obvious."

Lu Qing understood that he absolutely couldn’t give Lin Mu any form of contact information. Otherwise, she’d be devastated, likely to the point of social embarrassment and withdrawal.

But then again, if he didn’t go, leaving her alone to face her sister after being stood up by him, that didn’t sit well with him either... It felt like running away at the first sign of trouble, which wasn’t his style.

"Got it."

After much deliberation, he suddenly had a clever idea—why not have his younger sister add her on WeChat and act as a go-between?

"That’s it. I’ll have Su Ling talk to her, have Su Ling handle the communication. That way, Su Ling can keep me informed, and it won’t raise any suspicions. It’s a win-win situation."

Lu Qing, ever the schemer, was never one to be defeated by difficulties.

Although he’d have to discuss this with his sister when he got home, he was confident she wouldn’t mind. Recently, Su Ling had been unusually obedient, agreeing to everything without question. Adding a WeChat friend shouldn’t be a problem.

"Having Su Ling observe her while also being influenced by her, the two of them can grow together and even become friends."

Perfect.

With his plan in place, Lu Qing confidently headed back to the Tianhe Platinum Apartments, completely unaware that at this very moment...

He was being observed and scrutinized by certain unseen presences.

...

"Is this the only customer at the second young lady’s shop?"

By the roadside.

The window of a black extended Audi rolled down, revealing a casually dressed young woman with bright golden hair in the driver’s seat.

Though she looked like a teenager, she was actually 22 years old.

GaoBan Weihua hadn’t taken the company car out today.

Since this was to satisfy her own curiosity and incidentally help the young lady with some investigation, she chose to drive her personal vehicle. She had been tailing Lu Qing from the moment he left the restaurant until just now, successfully capturing his profile and back in a series of street photos.

"Such a hassle. If only there were other professional detectives who could handle this for me."

She parked the car by the side of the road, holding the camera in one hand as she stared at the photos of Lu Qing, lost in thought.

"Should I report this?"

She pondered.

【The second young lady has been quite happy recently.】

—It was precisely because she was happy and living a fulfilling life that she had been delaying her return to school, postponing her time there.

She had found new social connections, new hopes.

In her previously lonely and boring life, she had discovered a "person who appeared indifferent but secretly yearned for interaction"—a true social connection.

Or rather—a "designated guest."

"...Sigh."

GaoBan put down the camera, reached into the left-hand storage compartment, and pulled out a cigarette case. She took out a slender blueberry-flavored cigarette, placed it between her lips,

and with her other hand, retrieved a high-end windproof lighter. With a click, the flame roared to life, and she lit the Esse.

"Come to think of it, the second young lady’s cigarette consumption has decreased significantly in her supplies list."

She took a deep drag of the blueberry-flavored smoke, exhaling a sweet ring out the window.

Clearly, she had many secrets she kept from Mu Xia.

For example,

helping Lin Mu purchase large quantities of genuine cigarettes to ensure she wasn’t deceived by counterfeit products;

for example, discovering that Lin Mu had gone abroad to Japan to buy a handmade piano but pretending not to know and not reporting it;

and then, earlier this year, finding unopened sharp tools and gauze in Lin Mu’s package, which she confiscated immediately, warning her that if she bought such things again, she would inform the young lady directly.

"Sigh."

As a core member of the Mu family, the "Mosse" regional manager, and the young lady’s personal secretary, GaoBan Weihua held a wait-and-see attitude toward many things.

No one understood the depths of the Mu family better than her.

And no one could comprehend the opaque relationship between Mu Xia and Lin Mu more than she could.

Today, the young lady had once again tasked her with investigating "her sister’s recent situation."

But instead, she had taken a detour after leaving, driving straight to the "Northern Compound" based on information obtained from a paid informant, aiming to explore the root of the second young lady’s emotional journey.

She knew that if she reported Lu Qing’s existence to the young lady, his life would be under constant surveillance, scrutinized, and even manipulated like a puppet, with the young lady pulling the strings.

Morally and logically, GaoBan Weihua didn’t think Lu Qing deserved 【such a fate】.

Because she knew the second young lady was innocent, and her making a friend was a good thing. Naturally, her friend was also innocent.

But from the young lady’s perspective, this friend was the most despicable enemy, someone who had stolen her sister away.

Such a person, after being thoroughly investigated by the young lady, would be—

「Played with until broken.」

"...Hah."

Exhaling another blueberry ring, GaoBan recalled the time she tried to persuade Lin Mu to quit smoking.

【Second young lady, smoking is bad for you, you know that, right?】

【Of course I know. I just need something to rely on mentally.】

【But there are other ways, like snacking or drinking something nice.】

【Don’t treat me like a child, Sister GaoBan. Eating too much leads to overeating, drinking too much makes you fat, and alcohol clouds your mind. None of it’s any better. Besides, don’t you smoke too? Why can you do it, but I can’t?】

【...When have I ever smoked?】

【Last time you took me out to relax, I found a pack of slim cigarettes in your car. I know my sister wouldn’t smoke—she hates anything with a pungent smell. And if Uncle found out about the cigarettes, you’d be in big trouble. So it must be you who smokes. Whenever you come to see me, there’s always a faint smell of smoke on you. GaoBan Weihua, you’re a smoker.】

【！】

【You never smoke at the company. Every time you smoke, you make sure the smoke doesn’t touch your clothes. If it does, you change into a spare uniform you’ve prepared in advance. Once, I saw you suddenly change outfits out of nowhere. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but later I realized it was because you were afraid my sister would find out and fire you.

To cover it up, you even bought a lot of xylitol gum—it’s in your car, your pockets, and even your office drawer. You chew it after smoking to get rid of the smell in your mouth. Am I right?】

“……”

Memories of the past were attacking her.

GaoBan Weihua flicked a bit of ash into the car’s ashtray.

For a moment, she couldn’t help but feel even more curious about how Lin Mu had managed to cut down on her smoking.

“At her worst, she used to smoke a whole pack a day to relieve stress.”

“But in the past half month, she hasn’t listed cigarettes on the supply list at all. Instead, she’s upgraded all the baking ingredients that were always leftover…”

It was already good enough as it was.

Now she’s switched to even more expensive ingredients, the kind that, if sold at the current prices on the “Twilight Coffee” menu, would definitely result in a loss.

On the surface, it seemed like a bad move.

But in reality, it was a good thing.

“It seems she’s managed to do this under that person’s influence.”

GaoBan Weihua sighed.

She thought that if things continued like this, it might not be so bad if it helped the second young lady break her unhealthy habits.

This way, the wounds left by the eldest young lady would slowly heal in a gentle manner—

This was the outcome GaoBan wanted to see.

—As a long-term maid of the Mu family, GaoBan felt exhausted.

She took another drag of her blueberry-flavored vape and locked her gaze onto the figure she was about to lose sight of. She gently shook her twin tails and, with understanding, decided:

“Fine, I’ll help him stall a bit longer.”

……

……