Most nights, Xue Guangli couldn"t see Long Huojin.

She would go straight home from the store and work on her submission for Fas.h.i.+on Week. While other days, she would visit w.a.n.g Weimin at his home. Zi Yingtai would be there, too, but she would stay away from them while they worked, not interrupting.

Every time she visited them, she had to pretend to be—not a friend—a special acquaintance. She would place on a fake smile, one not exaggerated, but natural enough that is believable. She also had to pretend that she repulsed Long Huojin for humiliating her, for leaving her after he had gotten his taste of her because his plan was to steal her away from w.a.n.g Weimin all along.

w.a.n.g Weimin told her that the Long"s are known to seduce people until they were done using them, and then afterwards, the Long"s would destroy them.

So, to him, w.a.n.g Weimin believes that Mrs. Long was the one who seduced his father and destroyed his family.

At this point, Xue Guangli wasn"t sure whether or not to believe him about the disputes between the Long and w.a.n.g family. But, what she did know was that she believed Long Huojin and she always would. She didn"t care about Long Huojin"s reputation, nor did she care about what people thought of him. Long Huojin was hers.

It was necessary to convince w.a.n.g Weimin that she was on his side. But the issue she had was that he tests her from time to time as if he didn"t quite believe her entirely. But she tried her best to fulfill his requests or avert the topic.

They would plot to take down Long Huojin. Sometimes, Xue Guangli gave them tips on how, but it would be difficult to prove.

Regardless, she began to gain w.a.n.g Weimin"s trust; whether it was genuine or not, it didn"t matter. She needed information.

One evening, Xue Guangli dropped by, and Zi Yingtai informed her that w.a.n.g Weimin wasn"t home.

"I"ll come back another time," she said. Xue Guangli then turned around, but something compelled her to stop. She then faced Zi Yingtai and asked, "Can I still come in?"

Zi Yingtai nodded.

Xue Guangli walked down the hall into the kitchen. Zi Yingtai asked if she wanted any tea or coffee. Xue Guangli asked for tea.

"Zi Ying," Xue Guangli called out as she poured some sugar in her tea. She took a sip after, tasting the sweetness of it, just the way she liked it.

Zi Yingtai faced her; her expression didn"t give anything away. She waited for Xue Guangli to speak.

"How are the wedding preparations?" she asked.

Zi Yingtai faced down at her cup of tea as if she almost didn"t want to speak.

"Good," she responded, low and soft.

Xue Guangli took a sip from her cup. "Are you the one who"s making the preparations?" she asked.

Zi Yingtai"s eyes shot up to hers, almost puzzled.

"Believe me when I tell you, w.a.n.g Weimin is not the caring or gentle type," she said.

Zi Yingtai pursed her lips. "I know what you two are doing. You two are plotting against Long Huojin. Then after, w.a.n.g Weimin will ask for your hand and not mines."

Xue Guangli slumped to the back of her chair, crossing her arms. "Believe me," Xue Guangli began. "I don"t want him."

Zi Yingtai narrowed her eyes, almost as if she didn"t believe her. "Then why are you with him?" she asked.

Xue Guangli offered her a small smile. "I want to get back at Long Huojin for embarra.s.sing me. I can a.s.sure you that once I finish, I will be out of sight," she said. "For good."

Zi Yingtai kept glancing up from her teacup to Xue Guangli"s face, trying to come up with some answer for the predicament she held in her head.

"But w.a.n.g Weimin wants you. How would you know I won"t tell him?" she asked.

Xue Guangli leaned over the table, placing both forearms over the countertop, entwining her hands together. "I suppose I would have to trust you to keep this secret of mine. Can I trust you?" she asked. Xue Guangli observed her expression, every flicker or flinch of muscle on her face.

Zi Yingtai ended up not saying anything and revealing nothing.

Xue Guangli took one last sip before saying, "I should warn you, though. I think you deserve better."

Zi Yingtai"s looked up at her; her eyes widened. "Why?" she asked softly.

"Because for the sake of being old friends, you always told me you wanted the best. But what you truly wanted was to be worth something, to be valued. You went along with what your parents have conditioned you to be: marry for the sake of money and power. But you were always a hopeless romantic, not me. But you went along with what they told you. In the end, it"s a matter of choice. Just make sure it"s the right one," Xue Guangli said.

She then stood up to leave the room. Zi Yingtai did not say a word, remaining stunned at her chair.

Xue Guangli hoped into the car and drove to Long Huojin"s house.

When she arrived, he was surprised to see her as she didn"t give him any notice. She had told him that she would not see him much as she pretended to stay away from him. She was afraid that in some ways, w.a.n.g Weimin was the one watching her.

But tonight, she felt like seeing him.

What Xue Guangli didn"t expect was that she felt overwhelmed with emotion when she finally laid eyes on him. They mostly communicated over the phone, and she rarely had the time to visit him. He couldn"t visit her because it could throw off their plan.

"I missed you," she said, jumping on him, circling her arms around his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his waist. Long Huojin caught her, carrying her towards the bedroom as she clung to him.

Yin Shou was sitting on the couch watching television when he saw Long Huojin and Xue Guangli kissing as they walked by. He then found it as his cue to leave.