Women in Love

"Leader of the Night Alliance, is there something wrong with this painting?" Lin Xuan felt inexplicably uneasy.

Su Hua curled her lips into a smile. "Gang Leader Lin, your painting skills are quite impressive. I wonder if you’ve ever painted for your girlfriend?"

Lin Xuan frowned.

Now that she mentioned it, he really hadn’t painted for his beloved Hua before.

His ability to paint came from his past life—after marrying Qin Ruoyao, he became a stay-at-home husband. Out of sheer boredom, he took up painting as a hobby.

After being reborn, he had hardly touched a brush. If not for the Night Alliance leader asking him to paint today, he might have completely forgotten he even had this skill, let alone thought to paint for his Hua.

Lin Xuan rubbed his nose, feeling slightly guilty. "To be honest, Leader of the Night Alliance, I haven’t painted for my girlfriend yet. But once I return, I’ll definitely do so."

The sooner, the better.

Otherwise, if Hua found out, she’d probably punish him again.

And Hua’s punishments… his kidneys wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Su Hua smirked. "Gang Leader Lin, don’t forget your promise to paint for your girlfriend."

Jiang Qing, standing nearby, finally understood why Su Hua’s aura had suddenly turned icy earlier—she was jealous.

Wait, Leader Su, why are you jealous of yourself?

Painting for the "Night Rose" was essentially painting for yourself.

Jiang Qing couldn’t wrap her head around Su Hua’s thought process.

Ah, women in love.

She shook her head in resignation.

"Gang Leader Lin, if I’m not mistaken, I’m the first person you’ve painted for, right? I’m honored," Su Hua said with a playful smile.

Once their identities were revealed to each other, she’d have to have a nice, long "chat" with Lin Xuan about this painting business.

Lin Xuan didn’t want to get entangled in emotional matters with the Night Rose, so he changed the subject. "Leader of the Night Alliance, since you’re satisfied with my painting, does that mean I’ve won? Will you honor your promise now?"

"Of course. I never go back on my word. You’ve won the bet, so from now on, the Night Rose and the Golden Dragon Gang will cooperate," Su Hua agreed with a nod.

Ever since discovering that Lin Xuan was the leader of the Golden Dragon Gang, she had resolved to prevent further conflicts between their factions.

"Then, Leader of the Night Alliance, shall we discuss the specifics of our cooperation now?" Lin Xuan asked.

He just wanted to wrap things up quickly.

"No rush. I’m hungry—let’s eat first. We can talk business afterward," Su Hua said.

Lin Xuan’s brows furrowed.

He checked the time.

It was already past one in the afternoon—definitely time for lunch.

"Fine. I’ll wait for you," Lin Xuan replied, taking a deep breath.

"Gang Leader Lin, would you like to join me?" Su Hua offered.

Just then, Lin Xuan’s stomach growled loudly.

He hadn’t had much appetite in the morning and had only eaten plain congee, which never kept him full for long.

After just over two hours, he was already starving.

"Sure," Lin Xuan agreed without hesitation, sitting down to eat with Su Hua.

However, he chose a seat as far away from her as possible.

Su Hua glanced at him, her frown deepening.

Every other time they’d eaten together, Lin Xuan had always fed her.

But now, he was sitting so far away.

Jiang Qing, familiar with Su Hua’s moods, noticed her frequent glances at Lin Xuan and the displeasure on her face. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Leader Su was truly contradictory.

If Lin Xuan sat too close, she’d overthink it—worrying that he had feelings for the "Night Rose" and getting jealous.

But when he kept his distance, she was unhappy again.

Tsk. Women.

Jiang Qing felt a wave of relief.

Thankfully, due to her stepfather, she had a deep-seated aversion to men and had no interest in romance.

If she ever became as emotionally volatile and over-analytical as Su Hua over a man, she’d probably lose her mind.

The food was prepared by top-tier chefs, but without Lin Xuan feeding her, Su Hua found it utterly tasteless.

She only took a few bites before setting down her chopsticks.

Halfway through his meal, Lin Xuan remembered to check in with his Hua.

He snapped a few photos of the dishes and sent them to Su Hua.

"Hua, the deal is pretty much settled. I’m having lunch with the other party now. Once we’re done, we’ll finalize the details."

Su Hua’s phone chimed with the notification.

Lin Xuan glanced over in surprise.

He’d just messaged Hua, and the Night Rose leader’s phone had gone off at the same time.

Was it just a coincidence?

Su Hua replied:

"What a coincidence—I’m also having lunch with a business partner."

Lin Xuan: "Hua, remember, no drinking."

He recalled the time at the hotel when Hua got drunk—some guy had tried to harass her, and she’d stabbed him right in the crotch with a knife.

Drunk Hua was terrifying—she wouldn’t recognize anyone and might even hurt herself. Since he wasn’t there to protect her, he worried Jiang Qing wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Another notification chimed.

Lin Xuan’s frown deepened.

Again?

This was getting too coincidental.

Su Hua replied: "Got it. I’ll listen to my husband."

She put her phone away, smiling to herself.

She loved it when Lin Xuan acted all protective.

Curious, Lin Xuan asked, "Leader of the Night Alliance, who were you just messaging?"

Su Hua raised a brow. "My boyfriend."

Lin Xuan’s frown returned.

He had just been texting Hua, too.

A bold thought crossed his mind again—what if she was Hua?

But he quickly dismissed it.

Hua didn’t know he was the leader of the Golden Dragon Gang. If the Night Rose really were Hua, why would she keep flirting with him so shamelessly?

He was overthinking it.

Definitely overthinking.

Su Hua tilted her head. "Why do you ask, Gang Leader Lin?"

Lin Xuan shook his head. "No reason. Just making conversation."

"Really?"

Su Hua propped her chin on one hand, gazing at him with an amused smile.

Teasing Lin Xuan was just too fun.

Lin Xuan squirmed under her stare.

Here it was again—that unmistakable sense that the Night Rose was into him.

He shoveled down a few more bites before standing abruptly.

"I’m done. Leader of the Night Alliance, I’ll wait for you outside."

He hurried out before she could respond.

Su Hua chuckled.

Who knew Lin Xuan could be so shy?

Soon after, she stood as well. "Let’s go. Time to discuss business with him."

They sat across from each other at the negotiation table.

"Leader of the Night Alliance, here are the proposed terms from the Golden Dragon Gang. Let me know if you have any concerns."

Lin Xuan slid the documents toward her.

Su Hua picked them up, skimmed through the first page, and set them down.

"Everything listed here is acceptable to the Night Rose."

Lin Xuan’s frown returned.

The document was three pages long.

She’d barely glanced at it before agreeing?

Yan Xi reminds you: Due to Tomato’s request for 3 million+ daily visits overwhelming the servers, we recommend switching to alternative sources provided by other providers.