I Deduce the Female Lead Likes Me [Transmigration into a book] - Chapter 10: Discussion
Lu Renjia took Kou Shuang to a coffee shop, found a corner, ordered some muffins, and they ate to tide themselves over.
Talk… talk about what?
Kou Shuang agreed, but felt a bit irritable. She was afraid Lu Renjia had misunderstood her intentions after hearing Lux’s remark. While she was thinking about how to refuse, she heard Lu Renjia say: “Kou Shuang, have you fallen for me?”
Kou Shuang had just taken a sip of coffee and nearly spat it out.
“This… this, how do I put it… well, what do you think?”
“I like you too,” Lu Renjia interrupted Kou Shuang.
Kou Shuang’s heart skipped a beat, inwardly cursing. This is going to be a serious confession, followed by a proposal to date, isn’t it? I haven’t even drafted my refusal yet! How is Kou Shuang supposed to reject someone? How does Song Muxue reject people?
“But not that kind of like,” Lu Renjia’s next sentence, however, left Kou Shuang a bit bewildered.
Lu Renjia rubbed his head, his expression somewhat conflicted, and said: “I like you a lot. You’re good-looking, you have a good figure, and your paintings are beautiful. Taking you out as a girlfriend would definitely not be a loss. But, I don’t want a girlfriend, you know…”
Doesn’t want a girlfriend? So what was all that pursuit about…?
Kou Shuang was a little confused.
“I just thought, I’d take you to a hotel,” Lu Renjia said, looking a bit embarrassed, “You’re really good, but I’m afraid you’d actually fall for me, because I don’t want to be tied down; I want freedom. If it were any other girl, I’d take her to a hotel and then break up. But with you, I wouldn’t dare. I’m afraid your admirers would chase after me.”
Lu Renjia spoke slowly, and Kou Shuang gradually understood.
Damn it, so this guy just wanted a casual fling? And here I was taking it seriously, afraid of hurting a sensitive, fragile young man’s heart.
Kou Shuang sighed in relief, slumping into the sofa, and said: “Oh, I see. I understand.”
Lu Renjia looked at Kou Shuang. For some reason, he felt she was different from before… as if she had been tense and poised, and now she was finally relaxed. He licked his lips and said: “If you’re willing, we can go to a hotel now. I have a membership card…”
Kou Shuang finally understood why Song Muxue had hinted several times, and she finally understood why Sun Jiawen had said Lu Renjia was flirtatious.
…Wait, Sun Jiawen?
Kou Shuang had intended to grab her bag and leave. She had already lifted herself half a foot off the sofa, but now she sat back down.
“What’s going on between you and Sun Jiawen?” Kou Shuang said, “Do you know the people at Chunsheng Gallery because of her?”
Lu Renjia was startled, not understanding why Kou Shuang ignored his suggestion and instead talked about unrelated people. Didn’t this situation only have two outcomes? Throw coffee in his face and leave, or go to the hotel next door.
“She… she’s my ex-girlfriend. We only dated for two weeks,” Lu Renjia said, “At the time, she was working at Chunsheng Gallery, and I picked her up and dropped her off a few times, so I got to know them. I never expected you to actually go there, because that gallery is too small and doesn’t quite match your caliber…”
Kou Shuang was furious! When Lu Renjia said these things, there was no hesitation or evasion, indicating that he wasn’t ashamed of it. But combining it with his earlier words, Kou Shuang was almost certain that Sun Jiawen had been tricked into a casual relationship and then dumped.
If it’s just a casual fling, then what’s with all the coaxing and deceiving?
Kou Shuang was so angry her nose felt crooked, but she barely managed to maintain her composure and said: “I misunderstood you during this time, and I apologize. But I don’t want to sleep with you, and I hope you stop deceiving innocent young girls. Goodbye.”
Kou Shuang walked away without looking back, ignoring Lu Renjia who was still sitting in the cafe.
••••
Kou Shuang moved back home and also took a long leave from Chunsheng Gallery. The summer vacation for junior year was almost here, which was why everyone was rushing to find internships. There weren’t many classes either, only one or two a week, so living off-campus made no difference.
Old Chun didn’t say much, replying with a text message indicating he understood. Kou Shuang didn’t know what Old Chun actually understood. Sun Jiawen called her once, but Kou Shuang was showering and missed it, and there was no second call afterward.
Kou Deqin was a bit curious and asked her: “What about your internship? Not doing it anymore?”
Kou Shuang replied weakly: “I took a leave of absence. I’ll practice painting at home.”
During this time, she thoroughly reviewed painting-related knowledge and practiced drawing circles and straight lines. Perhaps her body hadn’t changed, and old habits persisted, so she picked it up quite quickly, becoming presentable in a few days.
It seemed “Kou Shuang” truly had talent.
On the weekend, Mr. and Mrs. Kou invited Song Muxue to their home for dinner. Since Song Muxue lost her parents, this had almost become a custom for the Kou family. Kou Deqin asked Kou Shuang: “Are you still going out to ‘play’ today? Are you really unwilling to have dinner with Xiaoxue? Why do you dislike Xiaoxue so much?”
Kou Shuang had, for some unknown reason, insisted on not eating at the same table as Song Muxue. Kou Deqin didn’t want to see this either, but being a doting father, he couldn’t force his daughter to do anything.
So he would ask every week, always hoping for a different answer, and always being disappointed.
Unexpectedly, this time, Kou Shuang thought for a moment, then nodded and said: “I’ll eat at home today.”
Kou Deqin looked at her with a startled expression, but Kou Shuang pretended not to notice.
She probably knew she had unintentionally done something wrong, but she wasn’t sure what it was, nor could she find a way to investigate. Kou Deqin inviting Song Muxue to dinner gave her an idea.
Perhaps, she could ask Song Muxue. As the female lead, with a protagonist halo, she always carried a plan A, B, C, D. Even in a prequel, this rule should still apply.
Besides, after a few interactions, she felt her relationship with Song Muxue was thawing. Song Muxue was actually a friendly classmate with a cold exterior but a warm heart; perhaps they could even be considered friends.
When Song Muxue came for dinner, Zhong Hanmei was still cooking, and Kou Deqin was watching TV. Kou Shuang impatiently pulled Song Muxue into her room, which made Kou Deqin glance over and ask: “What are you doing?”
Kou Shuang smiled and said: “Girls are just chatting. Do you want to eavesdrop?”
Kou Shuang pulled Song Muxue along, all the way to her pink-and-tender room, not noticing that Song Muxue’s gaze remained on the wrist she was holding.
After entering the room, Kou Shuang carefully closed the door, while Song Muxue rubbed her wrist.
“Is something wrong?” Song Muxue asked.
“About that internship of mine… I have some questions for you.”
“What?” Song Muxue said.
Kou Shuang felt a little embarrassed. After sitting on the bed, she said: “I think I might have been scammed.”
She remembered Song Muxue repeatedly reminding her to be careful with Lu Renjia and Sun Jiawen, and to check if the internship company was reliable. At the time, she was full of confidence. Now, she just wished she could go back in time and swallow all her big talk.
“What happened?” Song Muxue didn’t rush to rebuke her, but instead asked with concern.
Song Muxue is such a good person… Kou Shuang mused inwardly before slowly recounting the details to Song Muxue.
“Do you remember that 420,000 yuan painting? I supposedly sold it on the first day, but I saw it again backstage a few days ago! I don’t know if it’s real or fake, or if they stole the painting back? I didn’t think it was a big problem at first, but Lux was especially nervous, as if he was afraid I’d see the accounting vouchers. I glanced at them and felt they were doing fraudulent accounting.”
Kou Shuang had two years of accounting experience and was very familiar with fraudulent accounting. Although it was illegal, many companies did it. With her limited experience, Kou Shuang hadn’t directly handled such cases, but she understood the whole system of true and false ledgers very well.
“Did you look closely? Are you sure the one sold to the man with sunglasses was real?” Song Muxue asked.
“I… I’m not sure.” This was the awkward part. Kou Shuang wasn’t sure if what she sold was real or fake, but it was always best to assume the worst and treat it as fake.
“Then what do you plan to do?” Song Muxue asked.
“I don’t know. I want to ask for your opinion,” Kou Shuang said.
Was there a problem with that painting? If so, was it all the paintings that passed through her hands, or just that one? Would the man with sunglasses notice?
If he noticed, he’d probably come directly to her… Kou Shuang remembered clearly that the man with sunglasses had specifically written down her school, department, and name.
Chunsheng Gallery hiring her so quickly was probably to use her academic background as an endorsement. Otherwise, Old Chun wouldn’t always intentionally or unintentionally bring up National University.
“Call the police,” Song Muxue said without hesitation.
Kou Shuang’s heart skipped a beat, thinking: I should have known Song Muxue would choose this!
What kind of person was Song Muxue? As the female lead of a morally upright romance mystery novel, Song Muxue had great trust in the public security, procuratorate, and judiciary. Making this choice was only natural and without hesitation.
But…
Kou Shuang glanced at Song Muxue.
“Do you have any other ideas?” Song Muxue asked.
“Sun Jiawen… I don’t know if Sun Jiawen is involved in this. What if calling the police implicates her?” Kou Shuang said: “I want to ask her first and give her a heads-up.”
“If Sun Jiawen is in cahoots with them, wouldn’t that alert the enemy?” Song Muxue looked at her. “Or do you trust Sun Jiawen and think she’s not involved in this?”
Kou Shuang wasn’t sure either. Sun Jiawen seemed too obedient. Plus, Sun Jiawen had been deceived by Lu Renjia, so psychologically, Kou Shuang sympathized with her and didn’t want her to get caught in this murky water.
“I don’t know either, that’s why I’m asking you. What do you think?” Kou Shuang looked earnestly at Song Muxue.
“I think she and Lu Renjia have issues. Besides, you got your internship through her, so she might not be innocent,” Song Muxue said.
“Ah, you’re right about that… Lu Renjia and she are casual partners, and Lu Renjia only wanted to have a casual fling with me. I was just overthinking it,” Kou Shuang laughed self-deprecatingly and said: “So you think she’s problematic? Alright, looks decide everything; I’ll listen to you.”
Hearing such direct praise, Song Muxue actually blushed a little. She turned her face slightly and said: “If you’re really afraid of accidental harm, then we can go to the gallery first to check the situation. Although we might not get direct conclusions, it will definitely help us grasp the overall picture.”
“How do we check?” Kou Shuang asked her, bewildered.
“Sneak in,” Song Muxue said, “After dinner, me, you, and Zheng Fenglin.”