Chapter 124 Between Distance and Desire: The Banquet of Reconciliation
Zuo Qinghuan had nowhere to return to, so she had no choice but to stay in a hotel. In the few days she spent there, Zuo Qinghuan felt exceptionally sad. Before, in Japan, when Qin Wanshu wasn't by her side, the loneliness and frantic longing were bearable because she held onto a belief in her heart. But now that they were back in the same city, they were unable to meet and be together. Just thinking about this made Zuo Qinghuan toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep. She wondered when Qin Wanshu would finally calm down. The more she met with Qin Wanshu, the more anxious and impatient Zuo Qinghuan became, wishing she could immediately rush to her side.
Qin Wanshu had been back home for a long time, but she was still very angry. The thought of Zuo Qinghuan sleeping in the same bed as Aoba gnawed at her heart, a knot she couldn't untangle. For the past three years, she had always maintained a certain distance from others, never letting anyone enter her personal space. But this Zuo Qinghuan, not only had she found a "good sister," but they were also incredibly close. Qin Wanshu felt a fire burning in her chest, and instead of dying down, it only grew stronger. The result of this burning jealousy was that Qin Wanshu didn't want to see Zuo Qinghuan at all for the time being, even refusing to leave the house. This delighted Lin Jingxian, who was happy to have her daughter home with so much free time to spend with her.
"Qin Yu mentioned that girl is back," Lin Jingxian said. She had always wanted to meet Zuo Qinghuan but never had the chance. Logically, Wanshu should be happy that the girl was back, but she didn't seem to be in the state of someone newly reunited with their lover at all.
"Mm," Qin Wanshu responded faintly.
"Are you still angry about her leaving three years ago?" Seeing her daughter's indifferent attitude, Lin Jingxian guessed that she was still upset with the girl. Throughout her life, her daughter had rarely gotten angry, and this level of anger was unprecedented.
Qin Wanshu pursed her lips and remained silent. Compared to Zuo Qinghuan's departure three years ago, she was now even angrier about Zuo Qinghuan's intimacy with Aoba during those three years.
The last time they talked about the girl leaving, Wanshu hadn't been this angry. Could there be something else that bothered Wanshu even more?
"Qin Yu said that girl came back with a Japanese girl. Is it because of that Japanese girl?" Lin Jingxian asked tentatively. Her mind was indeed sharp, and she guessed a part of the truth.
"Mom, I'm fine. Don't overthink it," Qin Wanshu said with a slight smile to Lin Jingxian, not wanting to continue the topic. Lin Jingxian, being as astute as she was, immediately saw the perfunctory nature of that smile. It seemed her guess was quite accurate. It was rare to see her usually excellent daughter so insecure.
"They haven't seen each other for three years. Shouldn't this be a time of intense passion after a brief separation? That girl is also a woman. What if she can't handle your coldness and goes looking for someone else?" Lin Jingxian said, adding fuel to the fire. When her daughter got angry, she was usually extremely cold to the other person.
"If she's so easily swayed, then good riddance!" Qin Wanshu frowned. The person she, Qin Wanshu, had chosen wouldn't change her heart so easily.
Seeing Qin Wanshu like this, Lin Jingxian couldn't help but smile. It was rare to see her daughter so petulant; this was more like a woman in love.
"Mom!" Qin Wanshu's cheeks flushed slightly from her mother's laughter. Qin Wanshu was already unwilling to admit her jealousy, and now that her mother had seen through her, she felt a little embarrassed.
"My daughter is so outstanding. Once that girl has my daughter, how could she possibly look at anyone else? That girl must have suffered a lot in the past three years. She's also a woman and needs to be cherished. Don't be too cold to her." Lin Jingxian knew how powerful her daughter's coldness could be and was worried the girl wouldn't be able to handle it. Since childhood, not many dared to pursue her daughter. One reason was her daughter's excellence, and the other was that although her daughter was gentle, the sense of distance she maintained deterred countless people, making them only dare to admire from afar.
"Mom, I haven't even married her yet, and you already know how to dote on your daughter-in-law," Qin Wanshu said with a hint of dissatisfaction, but she was still a little happy that her mother genuinely wished for her happiness.
"That's because she's the person Wanshu loves. Love me, love my dog," Lin Jingxian thought far ahead. She had already planned for her daughter's future. Since her daughter loved a woman and wouldn't have children, she planned to adopt Qin Yu's second child to give to Wanshu. Only with a child would it be a complete family.
"What's wrong?" Li Xin asked the listless Zuo Qinghuan.
Since the last time, Zuo Qinghuan hadn't seen Qin Wanshu for a week. Zuo Qinghuan felt like she would go crazy if she couldn't see Qin Wanshu again, but she couldn't directly rush to the Qin family's old residence to demand to see her. After all, Grandpa Qin wished for her and Qin Wanshu to separate due to internal conflicts. Naturally, she could only wait until she and Qin Wanshu reconciled before visiting the Qin family together and then forcing Grandpa Qin to fulfill his promise. The problem was that she couldn't see Qin Wanshu now, leaving her at a loss and very anxious.
Zuo Qinghuan briefly told Li Xin about what had happened last time.
"It seems Qin Wanshu is jealous. Being jealous means the problem isn't too big. As long as you see Qin Wanshu, have a few rounds in bed, and all problems will be solved," Li Xin declared with profound insight. There was truth to the saying "quarrels between husband and wife end in bed." Every time Yan Ruozhe made her very angry, a passionate roll in the sheets would make all her anger disappear. In fact, after they were done, Li Xin would completely forget what she was even angry about.
"The problem is, she's ignoring me now, and I can't even see her." Not to mention that she herself was also desperately wanting to get Qin Wanshu into bed, the problem was that she couldn't even see Qin Wanshu. Even if she did, Zuo Qinghuan didn't think that just getting into bed would solve things with Qin Wanshu. It was easy for Yan Ruozhe to handle Li Xin, but not so easy for Li Xin to handle Yan Ruozhe. Just like it was a piece of cake for Qin Wanshu to handle her, but for her to handle Qin Wanshu? Forget about it.
"Tonight, there's a high-level banquet at Qin's Corporation. It's said that Qin Wanshu will be attending. I'm the Vice President's wife, so I still have some authority I can abuse," Li Xin said with a proud look.
Zuo Qinghuan hesitated. It was an internal banquet for Qin's Corporation, and it wasn't appropriate for her to go. But to see Qin Wanshu, she was willing to risk it. She couldn't go as the CEO of Haoda, but maybe she could go as a temporary waitress.
Qin Wanshu originally didn't want to attend this banquet, but her older brother and Yan Ruozhe strongly urged her to, and she couldn't refuse, so she reluctantly came.
As soon as Qin Wanshu arrived, Zuo Qinghuan saw her. Unfortunately, her current identity was that of a waitress, so she couldn't rashly approach. She could only stand in an inconspicuous corner, watching Qin Wanshu from afar. Even though Qin Wanshu was so close, she always felt so distant, which made the anxiety in Zuo Qinghuan's heart flare up again. She was no longer satisfied with just being able to watch Qin Wanshu without being able to do anything.
Zuo Qinghuan watched Qin Wanshu, who was surrounded by a group of Qin's Corporation executives, never having a moment alone. Zuo Qinghuan noticed that the drink in Qin Wanshu's hand was almost empty. An idea struck her, and she went to get a glass of iced lemon tea, added a little bit of foreign liquor to it, and then called Li Xin over.
"Later, give this glass of lemon tea to Qin Wanshu," Zuo Qinghuan said to Li Xin with a mischievous look.
"Is there something tricky about it?" Li Xin asked curiously.
"Later, when Qin Wanshu's face turns red, find an excuse to get her out of the venue," Zuo Qinghuan thought this method was a bit underhanded, but it was the best way to get close to Qin Wanshu. Tonight, she was determined to win Qin Wanshu over.
"Are you putting aphrodisiacs in it?" Li Xin exclaimed in surprise. Zuo Qinghuan was indeed very impatient. What if Qin Wanshu couldn't wait when the effects of the drug kicked in? Li Xin was already letting her imagination run wild.
"It's alcohol." If she wasn't worried about her image, Zuo Qinghuan really wanted to roll her eyes at Li Xin. Clearly, Li Xin herself had the heavy taste; how could she possibly give Qin Wanshu something like that?
Li Xin looked like she understood. It seemed Zuo Qinghuan had accepted her suggestion and was planning to get Qin Wanshu drunk. Hehe, Li Xin grinned mischievously at Zuo Qinghuan, then with a flirtatious air, she took the lemon tea Zuo Qinghuan had prepared and walked towards Qin Wanshu.
Zuo Qinghuan felt helpless towards Li Xin and didn't want to explain further. She really hadn't thought in a wicked direction; she just wanted to create an opportunity to be alone with Qin Wanshu.
Li Xin enthusiastically handed the lemon tea to Qin Wanshu. Qin Wanshu took the lemon tea with alcohol. Although she found Li Xin's actions a bit strange, she didn't think too much of it. After handing over the drink, Li Xin turned around and gave Zuo Qinghuan a V-sign. Zuo Qinghuan didn't have the mind to pay attention to Li Xin right now; she was just nervously watching Qin Wanshu's lemon tea. Seeing Qin Wanshu pick up the lemon tea but not drink it made her incredibly anxious. After what felt like a long time, Qin Wanshu finally raised the lemon tea to her lips. Zuo Qinghuan felt her heart pound rapidly with nervousness.
Qin Wanshu took a small sip and noticed Li Xin staring at her. When Qin Wanshu looked at her, Li Xin smiled at her with a charming and flirtatious expression, and even winked, giving Qin Wanshu goosebumps.
Qin Wanshu only took a few sips before she felt a slight warmth in her face and head, and her head started to feel a little dizzy.
"Are you feeling dizzy? I'll take you to the VIP room upstairs to rest," Li Xin said enthusiastically when she saw Qin Wanshu's face turning red, knowing the alcohol was taking effect.
Qin Wanshu finally realized what was wrong. There was alcohol in the lemon tea.
"Alright," Qin Wanshu said. She was too weak to investigate why Li Xin had deliberately given her lemon tea with alcohol. Her constitution made her prone to getting drunk easily with even a little alcohol, so it was indeed not suitable for her to stay here any longer.
After Qin Wanshu entered the hotel room arranged by Li Xin, she saw Zuo Qinghuan dressed as a waitress and immediately understood that this was definitely Zuo Qinghuan's doing. Qin Wanshu felt a bit angry and wanted to leave the room, but Zuo Qinghuan hugged her tightly, preventing her from leaving. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol or because Zuo Qinghuan was holding her too tightly, but Qin Wanshu couldn't break free at all.
"Qin Wanshu, I've been missing you so much I'm going crazy. Please don't be angry anymore, okay?" Zuo Qinghuan pleaded in a soft voice, holding Qin Wanshu even tighter, trying to make her docile in her arms.