Chapter 1: Under the Neon Lights

In Nancheng, as midnight approached, the curtain on a world of luxury and debauchery had only just been drawn.

The crisscrossing streets were ablaze with neon lights, filled with countless nightspots of all sizes, reeking of materialistic desires.

Night Colors was one of the most famous nightclubs in Nancheng, though its jaw-dropping prices kept many people at bay.

After all, for the guests who came here to unwind, spending money like water was a common occurrence.

In a corner of the first-floor bar sat a quiet figure, her silhouette slender with lustrous black hair reaching down her back.

She wasn’t very old; her long, slender fingers toyed leisurely with a glass tumbler, while her other hand propped up her chin as she watched the boisterous, reveling crowd with an expressionless face.

A simple black slip dress accentuated her snow-white skin, and her beautiful collarbones and shoulders exuded a woman’s charm in every movement and still moment.

Perhaps because her small face was naturally delicate and exquisite, the lack of heavy makeup actually made her more eye-catching.

However, such a fresh temperament seemed entirely out of place with the fiery atmosphere of the nightclub.

Her name was Xia An.

People who frequented Night Colors usually belonged to two extremes: those with no shortage of money, and those who were desperately short of it.

Xia An belonged to the latter.

The pay for a part-time job at Night Colors was decent; if one was willing to socialize and have a few drinks with the guests, successfully convincing them to order several bottles of wine, the commission would be quite substantial.

“Fairy, how’s it going tonight?”

Xia An’s brief moment of solitude was broken as she felt a pat on her left shoulder.

She lazily turned her head to the right, and as expected, a face with a bit of baby fat came into view.

Amy pursed her lips, looking disappointed that her little prank hadn’t startled anyone.

Amy was the youngest server at Night Colors, just twenty years old this year; she had started working right after graduating high school at eighteen to shoulder the burden of her family’s livelihood.

Xia An was weary from smiling all night, and coupled with a severe lack of sleep over the past few days, her head felt heavy.

She simply curled her lips into a faint smile toward Amy.

“Same as usual.”

That slight smile was enough to make Amy’s heart flutter.

Xia An’s face was something Amy both loved and envied; this woman was clearly a natural little vixen who could mesmerize men, yet she possessed the pure, harmless face of a fairy.

Forget men—even women felt a sense of pity and tenderness when they saw her.

Amy felt that Xia An’s face was truly deceptive; when she first met her, she thought Xia An was the type who would blush just talking to someone.

In reality, her professional skills were significantly higher than those of the curvaceous, provocative club girls who knew how to work a room.

Even now, Xia An still pulled in the highest alcohol commissions every month.

One had to remember that Xia An was only a part-timer and didn’t even come in every night.

‘Having a beautiful face really is a cheat code for life,’ Amy had lamented to Xia An more than once.

Xia An didn’t say much; most people were buried deep in their own stories, and life was often not as easy as it appeared.

She was twenty-three this year, not exactly a mature age, but she had a clear understanding of reality.

“Don’t be so modest. You must have made a lot tonight. You have to treat me to barbecue some other day~” Amy clung to Xia An shamelessly.

“Sure.”

Xia An treated Amy like a younger sister; Amy was usually very optimistic and didn’t ask for much—give her something delicious to eat, and she’d find the motivation to keep working hard at life.

Only the simplest people can live the most relaxed lives.

“It’s a deal then.”

As she spoke, Amy suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out theatrically, “Xia-Xia, help me deliver this wine to Hall A on the second floor… I need to go to the restroom…”

“Hey—”

Xia An sighed helplessly; looking at Amy’s expression, she had likely upset her stomach with some roadside food.

The show had already begun; the lights were blinding, and the music was deafening.

Xia An walked toward the private room area on the second floor.

She glanced casually at the foreign liquor in her hands; a conservative estimate placed this room’s consumption for the night in the six-figure range.

Truly extravagant.

Stepping in her high heels, Xia An felt her pace becoming increasingly heavy.

Her body was starting to give out; she definitely needed to take a proper rest tomorrow.

The second floor was much quieter.

About a dozen people were seated around the sofa in the private room, chatting and clinking glasses in a lively atmosphere.

The table was cluttered with various bottles, nearly half of them empty.

“Sorry to disturb you, the wine you ordered…”

The lights were dim, and because Xia An was feeling unwell tonight, she didn’t notice the step under her feet.

With a momentary lapse in attention, her toe tripped, and her body instantly pitched forward.

The bottles on the tray teetered precariously…

Xia An’s first reaction was to protect the wine.

It didn’t matter if she got hurt from the fall, but if the wine smashed, she would truly be reduced to tears.

Fortunately, someone caught her at the critical moment, preventing her from falling.

Xia An breathed a sigh of relief and turned to offer a smile to the person who had extended a helping hand.

“Thank you—”

But the other person had already let go and was walking silently back toward the sofa.

Before Xia An could clearly see her face, she was left with only a view of the woman’s back and a lingering, faint scent.

Capable yet elegant.

She, too, seemed completely out of place in this environment…

It was the first time Xia An had seen a woman dressed so formally in a nightclub; she didn’t look like she was here for pleasure, but rather like she was going to work.

Xia An wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

“Oh my god,” Sheng Ruqi couldn’t help but let out an exaggerated cry of complaint the moment she saw Ye Jin.

“My great beauty Ye, you could have at least changed your clothes before coming. Do you think you’re here for a business meeting?”

“I just finished work, there wasn’t time.”

Ye Jin didn’t care that she didn’t fit the vibe; she had never liked these boisterous scenes.

If it weren’t for Sheng Ruqi’s birthday today, she wouldn’t have come.

“Happy birthday.”

“You’re the only one late tonight, so there must be a punishment.”

Ye Jin had expected this; she knew Sheng Ruqi’s personality all too well.

“It’s my birthday today! I’m the boss of the house. You won’t even give me this much face?”

“It is her birthday today, President Ye, just humor her.”

Sitting nearby, Shen Weimin stepped in with a smile to smooth things over, then said to Sheng Ruqi, “Ruqi, don’t go too far.”

“What kind of ‘too far’ things could I possibly make her do?”

“President Sheng, have you done few things that lack integrity?”

“…”

Ye Jin sat quietly on the sofa, letting the others banter back and forth.

“Please enjoy.”

Xia An set the wine down, her gaze casually sweeping over the group.

Based on intuition, the dozen or so people present all looked like socialites and playboys.

Except for her.

Xia An’s gaze paused slightly as she finally saw the woman’s face clearly.

To describe her simply as “beautiful” seemed too shallow.

Perhaps her temperament was more captivating—cold, composed, and striking at first sight yet distant.

She was like a star in the night sky: brilliant, yet utterly unreachable.

Xia An couldn’t guess her age, but she possessed a special kind of mature charm.

They say a woman is beautiful at eighteen because eighteen is a beautiful age; but if she is beautiful at twenty-eight, it’s because she is beautiful.

The person before her gave Xia An a concrete understanding of that saying.

Ye Jin looked up, and when her eyes met Xia An’s, Xia An timely lowered her gaze, realizing she had dazed off.

“Hey, gorgeous, help me pour some wine.”

A man nearby called out to Xia An.

Having grown tired of the overly passionate types, the sudden appearance of someone so fresh and refined made his eyes light up.

“Of course.” Xia An replied with a smile.

“Since you’re so late, it’s not too much to ask you to have a penalty drink, right?”

Sheng Ruqi began plotting how to tease Ye Jin again; she loved seeing the normally otherworldly and icy Ye Jin lose her composure.

This was one of the few hobbies Miss Sheng possessed.

Since it was her birthday, and knowing Sheng Ruqi’s temper, if Ye Jin didn’t go along with it, there would be no end to it tonight.

Ye Jin relented. “One glass.”

“Deal, just one glass!” Sheng Ruqi agreed readily.

Xia An continued pouring the wine.

As she poured the glass next to Ye Jin, her peripheral vision couldn’t help but steal another glance at her.

‘What a captivating woman.’

As their gazes shifted, Ye Jin also took a brief measure of the girl before her.

Her features were delicate, and she wore only light makeup; she looked like a university student who had just stepped off campus.

Xia An was still pouring.

The strong liquid slowly filled the glass…

Ye Jin’s gaze moved from the glass to the girl’s face.

Watching her eyes, she spoke unhurriedly, “That’s enough.”

“I’m sorry.” Xia An lowered her head and whispered, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Xia An quickly pulled back the bottle and moved to pour the next glass.

As she did, the man nearby brushed his hand against hers.

Since there were no further inappropriate actions, she simply endured it; to be honest, it was hard to avoid being touched occasionally while working here.

Ye Jin caught sight of this, her brow furrowing slightly.

Then, she casually picked up the wine glass from the table and turned to toast Sheng Ruqi.

“Wait.”

How could Sheng Ruqi let Ye Jin off so easily?

“The penalty drink is a must, but you can’t drink it like that.”

Ye Jin was a bit tired today, which was evident in her voice. “What else do you want?”

“Aside from me, find the woman here you think is the most beautiful…”

Sheng Ruqi thought as she spoke, “And share a cross-cupped drink with her. That’s not asking too much, is it?”

Only Sheng Ruqi would dare to joke with Ye Jin like this.

The two were childhood friends who later started a business together; the company they now co-managed, JM, was already one of the top three comprehensive film and television companies in the country.

Even though their personalities were worlds apart, their deep friendship was undeniable.

But even so, Sheng Ruqi didn’t dare take her jokes with Ye Jin too far; she knew where the line was.

Ye Jin never liked participating in such mindless games.

She threw a cold look at Sheng Ruqi, silently implying that the other woman was being incredibly boring.

Sheng Ruqi was prepared for this; she was going to be boring tonight.

“You already agreed just now. You’re not thinking of backing out, are you?”

“President Ye, you can’t back out.” Everyone present began to chime in.

If this had happened to anyone else, it might not be anything special, but seeing the habitually proud Ye Jin do it made it interesting.

The most excited person at the moment was Shen Weimin.

She thought Sheng Ruqi was providing a brilliant assist tonight; her crush on Ye Jin hadn’t just been for a day or two.

Looking at the other women present—excluding Sheng Ruqi—how could their looks possibly compare to hers?

Thinking this, Shen Weimin couldn’t suppress the smile on her face.

She subtly straightened her outfit, waiting for Ye Jin’s invitation.

“Here.”

Sheng Ruqi handed a glass of wine to Ye Jin.

She was simply curious—what kind of woman would actually catch Ye Jin’s eye?

As a best friend, she had spent years worrying about Ye Jin’s personal life.

After a moment of silence, Ye Jin took the glass from Sheng Ruqi.

Considering it was her birthday, she would let her have her fun tonight so as not to spoil the mood.

The women in the room were all quite eager to share this drink with Ye Jin and indulge in a bit of flirtation.

After all, a mature woman as breathtakingly beautiful as President Ye possessed a charm that could make even the same s*x’s heart stir.

The revelers continued their games.

Xia An was merely an outsider; having finished pouring the drinks, she felt superfluous and prepared to leave quietly.

‘She seems to like women.’

Xia An had deduced this from Sheng Ruqi’s flirtatious joking.

Same-s*x marriage had been legal in the country for several years now, and the freedom to love had truly been realized.

Women liking women and men liking men was perfectly ordinary.

As she turned around, Xia An didn’t notice a gaze falling upon her.

Just as everyone held their breath, waiting with curiosity for Ye Jin’s choice, Ye Jin did the unexpected and called out to the retreating Xia An.

“Don’t go yet.”

Her voice was cool and calm, devoid of much emotion, like a clear mountain spring gurgling after the first snow melts.

Xia An stopped in her tracks and turned back, using a standard service-industry tone.

“Do you need anything else?”

Ye Jin asked softly, “Can you drink?”

It wasn’t strange for Ye Jin to ask this, because Xia An gave off the impression that she was the type who would pass out after a single glass.

She actually chose me?

Xia An was stunned for a moment. She looked at the glass in Ye Jin’s hand before clearly stating, “I can.”

The crowd murmured, but it also made sense, as this little server was indeed very beautiful.

“May I offer you a drink?”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Ye Jin stepped closer to Xia An and held out a glass to her hand.

Ye Jin couldn’t help but stare into Xia An’s eyes.

These eyes were very beautiful, especially when they smiled.

Perhaps it had been too long since she had seen such clear eyes, so she unconsciously looked for a few seconds longer.

‘Is this the Ye Jin I’ve known for twenty years?’

Sheng Ruqi found it unbelievable; for a moment, it felt as though the eternal ice was melting, ushering in the spring.

In all fairness, Ye Jin’s looks alone were enough to flirt; if she were willing to take the initiative, who—man or woman—could refuse her?

Everyone knew that JM’s President Ye had a face that could ruin lives, yet when it came to emotions, she was as stubborn as a rock—no, a diamond.

Sheng Ruqi was truly having her eyes opened today.

It turned out that when a repressed woman took the initiative, she was the ultimate prize.

Meanwhile, Shen Weimin’s heart shattered into a million pieces.

So, she had lost to a girl who poured wine?

Xia An was a regular at Night Colors and was long accustomed to being approached, but never before had her heart started racing just because someone was looking into her eyes.

She was as proud as a queen.

Naturally, women enjoyed looking at beautiful women too.

One second, two seconds… Xia An didn’t look away.

“Is that okay?” Ye Jin asked again.

The reason she chose Xia An was, firstly, because she didn’t want to flirt with an acquaintance to avoid future awkwardness.

Secondly, President Ye was extremely principled; this girl was indeed the most beautiful one in her eyes.

Xia An was 165cm tall, which wasn’t short in heels, but she had no advantage at all in front of Ye Jin, not to mention the other woman’s “flower on a high peak” aura.

The two stood facing each other.

Xia An, who was several centimeters shorter, didn’t show any stage fright.

Instead, she gracefully took the wine glass and looked up at Ye Jin with a smile.

“Of course.”

Bright eyes and white teeth—the smile was moving.

No matter what one had been through, always maintaining a posture that was neither humble nor arrogant while dealing with the world was something Xia An had always done well.

The smile made one feel genuinely comfortable; it was simple and pure.

Ye Jin even felt a bit of pity for her, seeing her frequenting nightclubs at such a young age.

It wasn’t prejudice; it was just that while such places weren’t necessarily “filthy,” they weren’t exactly “clean” either.

They were filled with money and temptation.

Many young girls were willing to take shortcuts here.

But Ye Jin had a faint feeling that the girl in front of her was an exception…

As the two looked at each other, lost in their own thoughts, the onlookers sensed a whiff of romance and began to urge them on with laughter.

“Drink! Drink up!”

Ye Jin raised her glass first.

And Xia An was very cooperative.

The women’s slender arms crossed, intertwining as they hooked together.

From time to time, their smooth skin brushed against each other.

For a split second, a numbing sensation surged through Xia An’s heart.

Their movements were surprisingly synchronized, so much so that it felt as if there were truly something between them.

Except for Shen Weimin, whose face was turning green with anger, everyone else was just enjoying the spectacle.

Xia An sipped the wine slowly, bit by bit.

When she tilted her head back, her gaze happened to fall on the other woman’s elegant neckline.

The faint, refined scent radiating from her was intoxicating.

The posture was intimate, yet there was still a sense of distance that could not be breached.

Xia An felt her heartbeat quicken even more, and she couldn’t help but admire the face so close to hers.

Suddenly, a strange and pointless thought popped into her head: ‘What kind of person could actually walk into the heart of a woman like this?’

She seemed to be thinking too much.

After the glass was finished, Ye Jin studied Xia An for a moment before asking in a neutral tone, “Are you feeling okay?”

Icy concern was, at the very least, still concern.

Xia An smiled. “I can handle one glass.”

Seeing that she was fine, Ye Jin didn’t say anything more.

And just like that, the brief joke came to an end.

Leaving the private room, Xia An was still thinking about the episode that had just occurred.

She only knew her surname was Ye.

People often used the word “indifferent” or “cool,” and that was probably the feeling she gave off.

It was only a chance encounter, but Xia An felt it instinctively.

After three rounds of drinks.

“Ye Jin, I’ve known you for so many years, and only now do I realize you like ‘young grass’…”

Sheng Ruqi had drunk a bit too much and was still thinking about what had happened earlier.

She leaned on Ye Jin’s shoulder and said, “If you like that pure ‘little white rabbit’ type, I’ll introduce more of them to you in the future.”

“You’ve had too much to drink.” Ye Jin pushed Sheng Ruqi’s head away.

“I haven’t. Come on, let’s go downstairs and let loose~”

Having just finished their drinks, Sheng Ruqi’s group clamored to go downstairs to party.

Ye Jin had never liked environments that were too noisy, so she naturally wouldn’t participate in the “dance of the demons.”

Instead, she chose the most inconspicuous corner of the bar to sit alone and have a few drinks; it suited her better.

At two o’clock in the morning, Night Colors was still full of joy.

The revelry in the dead of night seemed like a disguised form of loneliness.

After sitting alone for a while, Ye Jin felt a bit bored, so she sent a message to Sheng Ruqi.

Guessing that the eldest Miss Sheng wouldn’t have time to check it, she put down her glass, prepared to leave.

Xia An was wandering through the club.

At a table near the dance floor, she had found a new target.

She was all smiles, clinking glasses with a guest and chatting idly.

Ye Jin caught a casual glimpse—it was her again.

The pure and lovely smile was still on her face, but she was drinking glass after glass.

It turned out her tolerance for alcohol was quite high.

Ye Jin’s pace slowed down; she thought to herself that she had underestimated the girl’s abilities based on her appearance.

Nightclubs were inevitably a mixed bag of people.

When Xia An stood up from the table to get more wine, the man at the table surreptitiously dropped a white pill into her glass.

In a mere second, it dissolved into the liquid, disappearing without a trace…