After Teasing the Heroine and Running Away, I Was Forced into Love - Chapter 44

Can Jia’s outfit for the meeting was settled. Shi Qing, having grown accustomed to accompanying He Roushuang on outings, felt no particular nervousness.

Yet a sense of wariness lingered in her heart. Xu Wangjin was, after all, the person who had troubled her for so long.

Perhaps she had managed to win He Roushuang’s favor solely because of their strikingly similar appearances. The mere thought of this left her feeling deeply uneasy.

But even if she were to seethe with jealousy, it would be futile. For… the twists and turns of fate were always so dramatically ironic.

He Roushuang stepped out of the luxury car, arriving at the Xu Clan for the first time—a setting heavily emphasized in the novel.

The Xu Clan’s estate exuded an understated elegance. While not ostentatiously lavish, its decor conveyed a sense of quiet refinement and restrained opulence.

Xu Wangjin stood just inside the entrance, draped in a flowing white gown. Her beauty was breathtaking, like the moon’s reflection shimmering on still water.

Despite having mentally prepared herself, He Roushuang couldn’t help but feel a slight catch in her breath at the sight of the woman before her.

Damn!

She’s too beautiful! Why does the Male Lead get all the luck, hogging two beauties all to himself?!

Yet beyond this mental exclamation about the Male Lead’s good fortune, He Roushuang felt no particular emotional stir.

Appreciating beauty was an innate skill for her, but she wasn’t one to fall for someone at first glance.

That wouldn’t be genuine appreciation; it would be mere infatuation.

“Miss He, it’s my first time meeting you in person. You’re even more beautiful than you appear in the news reports.”

Before He Roushuang could respond to the compliment, Shi Qing suddenly stepped forward from beside her, like a protective cat guarding its food.

“Miss Xu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

A hint of hostility flickered in Shi Qing’s eyes, clear to anyone who wasn’t blind. Her possessive behavior was unmistakable.

“It’s a pleasure to meet—”

Xu Wangjin’s words trailed off as if she’d just seen a horror movie. She stumbled backward several steps.

She couldn’t believe such a striking resemblance existed. Even if someone told her this was her long-lost sister, she would have believed it without hesitation.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not some strange person,” Shi Qing said, expecting a wary reaction. Instead, Xu Wangjin’s face was etched with pure terror.

“Exactly, the resemblance is just a coincidence,” He Roushuang chimed in, supporting Shi Qing. She had no intention of being like those male leads in novels, who kept one hand in the bowl while eyeing the pot.

Any potential misunderstandings needed to be resolved personally, one by one.

Hearing both of them say this, Xu Wangjin’s terrified expression finally softened. After all, she was a seasoned and worldly woman who wouldn’t remain frightened by a single incident for long.

“I never imagined such a coincidence could exist in this world,” Xu Wangjin said, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. He Roushuang resolved to explain everything to her later, but she absolutely couldn’t let her easily jealous little cat overhear.

Time passed slowly. Xu Wangjin’s return to the country had been unexpected. As she surveyed the young talents selected by her mother at the banquet, she frowned.

Her mind began to scheme about a certain someone.

Her mother always insisted she should find a successful man, but with the world evolving so rapidly, shouldn’t some things transcend traditional gender roles?

Once, pressured by her mother’s matchmaking efforts, Xu Wangjin had considered finding a man to pretend to be her boyfriend. But whenever she saw the hopeful, eager-to-be-her-husband look in their eyes, she abandoned the idea.

Xu Wangjin wasn’t entirely opposed to romance; it was just that her academic performance inevitably plummeted like a roller coaster whenever she was in a relationship.

Therefore, she chose to prioritize her studies over romance.

While most people were content with a bachelor’s degree, she wasn’t satisfied. She pursued a master’s degree, and after completing that, she resolutely continued on to a doctoral program.

Lifting her gaze, Xu Wangjin’s refined eyes scanned the crowd until she finally spotted the person laughing and chatting with another woman.

Not far away, He Roushuang was also attending such a gathering for the first time. Since transmigrating, she had attended a few small gatherings, but never a private event like this.

The tables around her were laden with delicious food, and champagne towers stacked one after another.

Stay calm… stay calm. I’m a CEO!

How can I act like a child, greedily eyeing the food on the table?

But the sweet aroma was truly irresistible, making her want to lower her head and indulge.

He Roushuang childishly resisted the supermarket’s culinary assault, closing her eyes to avoid temptation. But someone seemed to have sensed her inner struggle.

A hand reached out and took the pastry He Roushuang had been staring at.

“Sister, would you like to try this?”

Shi Qing held out the pastry to He Roushuang.

Heh heh… If the Female Lead is feeding me,

Then I won’t refuse.

He Roushuang’s heart raced with excitement. Her crimson lips parted slightly as she bit into the soft cake, a smear of white cream clinging to the corner of her mouth.

Watching this scene, Shi Qing felt an inappropriate thought flicker through her mind.

As soon as He Roushuang finished the last bite of her pastry, the other woman eagerly grabbed her wrist. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn’t even told her sister what she was planning.

Yet He Roushuang was willing to place complete trust in her.

Even though her mind was buzzing with questions, to the point where question marks seemed to be popping out of her head.

As they fled together, the boisterous laughter of the crowd gradually faded into the distance. They found themselves by a flowerbed. He Roushuang was well aware of the cream smeared on her lips; the lingering dampness was impossible to ignore.

“We could have just found a quiet spot nearby,” He Roushuang said with a smile, rummaging through her tiny purse—barely big enough for a wallet—for lipstick and tissues. “No need to run this far.”

But before she could fully retrieve them, the other woman slowly closed the distance between them.

“I have a method that doesn’t require tissues.”

Before He Roushuang could ask what she meant, the woman leaned in close. Then she felt something warm and wet press against her lips, and the sticky cream vanished without a trace.

“Y-you… you… you…”

He Roushuang stammered incoherently, like a malfunctioning telegraph. She never imagined she would one day be manipulated by the Female Lead.

Her cheeks flushed crimson, utterly flustered.

Until now, she had meticulously followed her plan to provoke the Female Lead. But this sudden, unexpected treatment still made her heart race.

“What’s wrong? It was just a lick at the corner of your mouth,” Shi Qing said, now feigning innocence with a straight face. She blinked innocently, but watching He Roushuang’s face burn crimson, completely forgetting about the other person, filled her with delight.

She wanted to keep her sister like this forever.

But such intimate moments are always fleeting. Just as He Roushuang was struggling to speak, she heard a faint, distant voice calling her name.