Secretly Seducing the Third Female Lead Behind the System’s Back - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Is it true?

Zhang Tao hesitated for a while, finally saying, “It’s done.”

Bai Chu naturally withdrew her hand from around Jiang Yisheng’s waist.

Jiang Yisheng quickly looked at the photos. The image on the camera screen wasn’t very clear, but she was still stunned by Bai Chu’s beauty.

Bai Chu’s cool and distant aura combined with her beautiful face made Jiang Yisheng sigh with emotion in her heart. She was truly so beautiful.

“Don’t delete any. Send me every single picture you took, and print two copies.” Jiang Yisheng specifically instructed Zhang Tao.

“Alright.”

There was still some time before the party, so the two changed back into their clothes.

“I’ll head back now.”

Seeing Bai Chu about to leave, Jiang Yisheng quickly grabbed her wrist.

Bai Chu turned to look at her.

“I’ll be attending the party with my parents tonight. Wait for me. I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done.” Jiang Yisheng said, while caressing Bai Chu’s delicate skin with her thumb as she held her wrist.

“Okay.” Bai Chu’s lips curved upward, and her eyelashes fluttered.

It seemed that Bai Chu had no objection to anything Jiang Yisheng said recently.

The anniversary party was, of course, to be held at the Yu Jiang company. As the general manager, Jiang Yisheng was scheduled to give a speech.

At this moment, she was in the makeup room, memorizing her script.

When she got tired of memorizing, Jiang Yisheng leaned back in her chair and looked at Zhang Tao with a mournful expression. “Why did you write such a long script for me?”

Zhang Tao whispered in reply, “Chairman Yu said the script must be over three minutes long.”

Jiang Yisheng closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and refocused.

Suddenly, a voice rang in her head…

At six in the evening, the party was set to begin in half an hour.

Bai Chu sat at the same table as He Youran and Xie Xin.

He Youran sat restlessly in her chair, looking all around.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Chu tilted her head and asked her.

“An Hao said he would come find me half an hour ago, but he still hasn’t arrived.” He Youran dialed An Hao’s number again, but there was still no answer.

“Don’t worry. Maybe something came up and he was delayed. He’s a grown man, he’ll be fine. His parents are here tonight, so he might be with them.” Bai Chu calmly analyzed for her.

He Youran nodded, feeling that Bai Chu’s words made sense.

“Ms. He, don’t worry. Have something to eat and relax.” Xie Xin brought He Youran some desserts to comfort her.

“Thank you.” He Youran smiled and said thanks.

“Ms. He and Mr. An have such a good relationship. I’m so envious.” Xie Xin praised her while eating a piece of cake.

He Youran was a little shy, her eyes cast down, but the corners of her lips slowly curled upward.

“How did you and Mr. An meet, Ms. He? We have some time now. Tell me about it.” Xie Xin perked up her gossipy little ears.

Bai Chu glanced at He Youran, about to speak and stop Xie Xin.

“He and I met in college. One night, when I was coming back from the library, I heard someone playing the guitar on the sports field.” He Youran didn’t mind. She picked up a small cake and began to talk about the past with Xie Xin as if they were just chatting.

“He didn’t play fluently. Sometimes he couldn’t hold the chords.” When He Youran said this, she lowered her head and smiled softly, the smile filled with sweetness.

“But he played with a lot of emotion. He sat on the edge of a flowerbed, and I stood across from him, listening to one song after another.

“He was wearing a blue shirt and was just quietly playing with his head down. He didn’t even look up at me once.

“When he finished the last song, I was afraid he’d see that I was watching him, so I pretended to be just passing by. But he didn’t even look at me. He just put his guitar away and left.”

“Ah? He didn’t even know it was you the first time you met.” Xie Xin felt a sense of pity for An Hao.

“That’s right, but he often played on the sports field. I would see him whenever I came out of the library. Every day, I’d listen to the last song before heading back to my dorm.

“But then, one day, just as I was about to listen to his next song, he suddenly looked up at me.”

Xie Xin’s eyes widened instantly, and she couldn’t help but lean forward to hear more clearly.

“He asked, ‘Hi, classmate, have I improved at all?'”

He Youran mimicked An Hao’s tone at the time, her eyes gleaming slightly.

Bai Chu took a sip of hot tea and happened to catch He Youran’s expression from the corner of her eye.

She suddenly thought of Jiang Yisheng.

Jiang Yisheng’s gaze was always the same when she looked at her.

“And then what did you say to him?” Xie Xin couldn’t help but ask.

Bai Chu brought her wandering thoughts back.

“Of course I didn’t admit it. I said, ‘This is my first time listening. I don’t really know much about the guitar, so I can’t tell.'” He Youran laughed. “I didn’t want him to know I’d been watching him all this time.”

“But he really did improve a bit.

“Then he didn’t say anything else and continued to play his guitar.

“One day, I was passing by the sports field and didn’t see him. I thought he hadn’t come today, so I was about to head back to my dorm.

“Suddenly, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw him with a guitar on his back, handing me a handwritten invitation.

“He invited me to his band’s performance.”

He Youran continued,

“I teased him, ‘Does the guitarist in a band still have trouble holding chords?'”

“He shyly said that he was actually the drummer and was just temporarily filling in as the guitarist for this performance. He was only practicing because he was needed in a pinch.

“And that’s how we officially met.”

“Wow, how sweet and romantic.” Xie Xin sighed. “Why didn’t I ever meet such a gentle and artistic boy in college?”

After saying that, Xie Xin’s gaze turned to Bai Chu.

“Ms. Bai, did you ever date in college?”

Bai Chu’s expression was calm. “No.”

“Then what kind of guy do you like?” Xie Xin asked casually, following the topic.

Bai Chu looked up and gave her a flat look.

Xie Xin immediately sat up straight, knowing she had said too much. She lowered her head and tried to fix it. “I don’t even know what kind of guy I like. I think fate is the most important.”

He Youran looked at Bai Chu and helped Xie Xin out of the awkward situation. “Chu Chu, come with me to the restroom.”

Bai Chu put down her teacup and nodded.

At the sink, He Youran washed her hands, looking at Bai Chu through the mirror.

“I feel like you’re different from before.”

Bai Chu’s eyes showed confusion. “How am I different?”

He Youran squeezed a pump of hand soap and slowly rubbed her hands together. “I feel like you smile a lot more than before.”

“It’s like… like you have someone you care about.”

Bai Chu looked up at He Youran in the mirror. “Someone I care about?”

“Yeah.” He Youran rinsed the soap off her hands and pulled out two paper towels. “Seeing you like this, I’m very happy for you.”

Bai Chu didn’t speak, her head lowered in thought.

He Youran had grown up with Bai Chu and knew that she liked to keep some things to herself, so she decided not to press the issue.

She threw away the used paper towels and was about to take Bai Chu’s arm and walk out.

“Youran.” Bai Chu suddenly called out to her.

“If someone told you that she wasn’t the person who used to like someone else, but the person who likes you now.” Bai Chu tilted her head, her expression serious. “Is what she’s saying… is it true?”

“Whether it’s true or not, you have to feel it for yourself.” He Youran was happy that Bai Chu was talking to her about something else. “If you can feel it, then it’s true.”

“But can a person’s feelings really change that quickly?” Bai Chu pressed on.

“You can’t say for sure with feelings. Time isn’t the measure of affection.” He Youran turned around and faced Bai Chu, answering seriously.

Bai Chu seemed to be relieved by this answer, and her eyelashes fluttered.

“Let’s go. Let’s go back.”

On the way back to their seats, Bai Chu was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.

“You and An Hao are very sweet. I may have said some harsh things before. Please apologize to him for me.”

He Youran linked her arm with Bai Chu’s. “We’re family, why are you being so polite? Besides, my boyfriend has to pass my family’s test, of course. I’m grateful that you’re helping me vet him.”

“I also want to apologize to you on behalf of Ms. Jiang. She can be a bit short-tempered sometimes, and her words can be a bit harsh.” Bai Chu’s hand clenched at her side as she said this. She was a little nervous. “She won’t bother you and An Hao again.”

He Youran’s eyes rolled as she connected Bai Chu’s questions in the restroom and all the recent events. She suddenly had a moment of insight and understood everything.

“Don’t worry. I know Ms. Jiang is a very good person.” She reached out and patted Bai Chu’s shoulder. “I’ll hold on tightly to my happiness with An Hao. If you’ve also found your own happiness, you should hold on tightly to it too.”

Bai Chu touched the tip of her nose and gave a very soft hum in response.

Shortly after the two returned to their seats, the party officially began.

Grand music filled the hall. The spotlight shone on the second floor, and Yu Mushan and Jiang Hang slowly walked down the stairs, arm in arm.

The entire hall erupted in applause.

Yu Mushan wore a light purple cheongsam. The years had not changed her figure, but instead had given her a calm demeanor and a refined gentleness. Every step she took was graceful and dignified.

Beside her, Jiang Hang was wearing a dark purple traditional Chinese jacket, waving his hand and greeting everyone present.

The two stood at the center of the stage. Jiang Hang adjusted the microphone stand to the right height for Yu Mushan.

Yu Mushan smiled at him and began softly, “It is an honor to have all of you here to attend the Yu Jiang company’s anniversary celebration. On behalf of the Yu Jiang company, I thank you all for coming.”

After she finished speaking, she looked around. “Thirty years have passed, and all the memories of our struggles feel like they were just yesterday.

“Yu Jiang company has made it this far not just because of me and Old Jiang. Without the support of our colleagues and peers, we would have been in a difficult position.

“That’s why we always do every bit of business with a grateful heart and treat every colleague of ours with appreciation.”

As she spoke, Yu Mushan’s eyes glistened with tears.

She choked up for a moment.

Applause rang out from the audience.

Jiang Hang quickly handed his handkerchief to Yu Mushan, who wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“I didn’t mean to do this.”

She laughed, and the audience laughed with her.

“Alright, let my daughter say the rest of the words for everyone.” Yu Mushan gestured towards the second floor with her hand.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the second floor. A flash of a scarlet dress appeared in their sight first, and they immediately began to applaud in welcome.

Bai Chu’s eyes were filled with anticipation. She clapped hard, looking in Jiang Yisheng’s direction.

Suddenly, the smile on her face froze.