Chapter 2

Bai Jin had always known that Gu Nianxi hated her.

And she didn't care.

Gu Nianxi had been too sheltered. She was naive, innocent, and painfully transparent—her likes and dislikes written all over her face. And she was so pretty that even her anger was like a pinch of seasoning: it added flavor but carried no real bite.

Bai Jin had savored that seasoning for an entire month.

Whenever Gu Nianxi's gaze landed on her, it was laced with jealousy, anger, and hatred, with a hint of hurt and frustration beneath. That intense stare would fix on Bai Jin and send a secret thrill down her spine, like an electric current racing through every nerve, leaving her electrified.

But today, that seasoning had changed.

It had turned from spicy to sweet with a slight astringency—sweeter, and even more enticing.

It made Bai Jin, who had grown used to the old flavor, furrow her brows.

Gu Nianxi had left her there, only to return playing the protector and calling her "Second Miss Gu"...

What new game was she playing?

Bai Jin lowered her head, stood up, and wrapped the blanket around herself.

She had to admit that even though she knew Gu Nianxi was putting on an act, she still felt a flicker of pleasure at this protective stance.

The person who had spilled the wine was astonished: "Nianxi! Why are you back?"

Gu Nianxi frowned. "Who are you? Who gave you permission to call me by my name?"

The other woman was at a loss: "I..."

Hadn't they just met? And hadn't Gu Nianxi herself told her to treat Bai Jin this way in front of everyone??

Gu Nianxi gave her a once-over and finally placed her in the recesses of her memory.

Yue Wenjing—one of Gu Nianxi's hangers-on in her previous life. Her father's company had business ties with the Gu Group, but the moment Gu Nianxi was cast out of the Gu family, she'd flipped her attitude and cut off all contact.

So she'd let someone like this bully Bai Jin in her past life?

She really had been stupid.

Gu Nianxi's mood soured. She shot Yue Wenjing a glare, then a glare at Bai Jin, who had been playing dumb this whole time, and grabbed Bai Jin's hand: "Enough, it's getting late. You all have fun—I'm taking my sister home. And listen well, her name is Gu Baijin, my sister, not some bastard."

With that, she dragged Bai Jin past the crowd and out the door. Her movements weren't gentle, pulling Bai Jin into a stumble. Bai Jin quickly steadied herself, lowered her gaze, and obediently followed her out.

Once they left the private room, Gu Nianxi let go of her.

She looked at Bai Jin, who kept her eyes downcast, and thought, this one could still act as well as ever.

"Why aren't you leaving?" She crossed her arms. "You could have gotten out, right? Or were you deliberately staying in there, waiting for people to bully you, so you could go home and play the victim in front of Gu—my parents?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Gu Nianxi realized she'd let the hostility creep back into her tone.

She and Bai Jin had always been like this, never getting along, always in conflict and opposition—though it was one-sided, on her part.

It was exactly that confrontational attitude that had led to her miserable end last time...

Now that she'd been reborn, she shouldn't repeat those mistakes. It was time to change the way she spoke, Gu Nianxi thought.

Her relationship with Bai Jin shouldn't be adversarial. Since she'd decided they would go their separate ways in the future, at the very least she needed to maintain peaceful coexistence for these few years and break her habit of snapping at her.

She looked at Bai Jin. From her knowledge of Bai Jin, at a time like this Bai Jin would first deny any ill intent, then apologize in a weak posture.

She was used to Bai Jin apologizing to her. No matter what Bai Jin truly thought of her, even during the worst of their relationship, when Gu Nianxi had been at her lowest, Bai Jin had always maintained at least a surface-level courtesy toward her. No matter what Gu Nianxi did, Bai Jin would lower her head and take the blame onto herself.

"No..." Bai Jin said softly, "I was waiting for you to come. I've been waiting for you... and fortunately, you came."

The strands of her wine-soaked hair still clung to her fair face, her brows like distant mountain silhouettes, cool and ethereal.

Such features, combined with her soft voice, made her seem even more vulnerable, and Gu Nianxi couldn't help but picture a big dog drenched in rain, pitifully begging for its master's affection.

Her unexpected words sent goosebumps all over Gu Nianxi's skin.

In her previous life, Bai Jin had never spoken to her like that!

"I was waiting for you"—that phrase was normal between sisters in other families, but between Gu Nianxi and Bai Jin, who had never had a proper conversation, it was like a meteor hitting the earth, a mule giving birth to a colt—the odds were infinitesimally close to zero.

"Are you acting spoiled?" The words slipped out before Gu Nianxi could stop them.

Bai Jin looked at her round, wide eyes and found it amusing.

Gu Nianxi obviously hadn't realized that this was the first time she'd ever held Bai Jin's hand.

In the past, Gu Nianxi had always made no secret of her disgust, avoiding any physical contact with Bai Jin, even disliking being in the same room, breathing the same air.

Bai Jin didn't know why she'd suddenly changed today, but she decided to take it as a signal from Gu Nianxi—a gesture of goodwill.

Perhaps behind this gesture hid some mischief on Gu Nianxi's part, or a reluctant concession to her parents' wishes, but Bai Jin still felt she should give her the benefit of the doubt.

Besides, she'd already tasted enough sweetness today.

Her hand, hanging at her side, discreetly rubbed her fingertips.

These were the fingers that had held Gu Nianxi's hand, and the tips still carried the smooth, slippery sensation. One touch was enough to tell that the owner had never done any hard labor—a delicate, well-cared-for hand, like a fine piece of mutton-fat jade, pleasing to the touch.

It felt about as she'd imagined.

She smiled, in a very good mood: "Does my sister want me to act spoiled?"

Those eyes grew even rounder at her words.

Surprised by just this much?

There were many more words she'd kept bottled up inside, words that Gu Nianxi would find utterly unbearable. If she knew... her face would blush redder than the clouds at dusk, she'd glare at Bai Jin with anger, and scold her with that sharp little mouth of hers, her voice trembling slightly.

"W-Who wants you to act spoiled? Are you crazy?"

Yes, just like that, her voice rising with emotion, the trembling tail note more beautiful than any music Bai Jin had ever heard.

Bai Jin pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, holding back the urge and the thrill crawling up her spine. With a hurt expression, she said, "I'm sorry, I misspoke, my sister..."

Gu Nianxi took a deep breath.

She realized that keeping her composure in front of Bai Jin was a challenge.

Her current record was zero; she hadn't succeeded even once.

"Stop saying sorry!" She gave up struggling, speaking in a gruff tone. "You... come with me to the room and change clothes before going back. Don't try to use your wet clothes to frame me!"

Once Bai Jin had changed and come out, Gu Nianxi brought her back to the Gu residence.

Gu Hongzhuo and Jiang Man were both home that day, sitting on the sofa, waiting for them to return.

Seeing Gu Nianxi lead Bai Jin in, they both startled, then their gazes focused on Bai Jin, fawning over her with concern while ignoring Gu Nianxi, who had entered first.

Feeling uncomfortable, Gu Nianxi said, "I'm going upstairs," and returned to her room.

Gu Hongzhuo shot her a glare from behind, muttering, "This child is getting more and more thoughtless as she grows up."

Gu Nianxi pretended not to hear.

Her feelings toward these nominal parents, Gu Hongzhuo and Jiang Man, were complicated.

Logically, she should be grateful to them for the comfortable living conditions and the social status everyone envied.

But people always long for what they can't have, and Gu Nianxi was no exception.

She wished they could love her.

The way parents in ordinary families loved their children.

If they couldn't manage that, she could lower her standards.

Even the love one might have for a cat or dog.

Even a dog that had been kept in the house for seventeen years would inspire some affection in a human, but... Gu Nianxi had never felt even that.

She still remembered when she was a child, trying to get Jiang Man's attention. She would deliberately, on the days Jiang Man was supposed to come home, not wear warm clothes or cover herself with a blanket, leaving the living room windows open, curling up on the sofa—just so that when Jiang Man returned, she'd see Gu Nianxi first and say something like "you silly child," then tell the nanny to carry her to a warm bed and tuck her in...

But that day, Jiang Man didn't come home until late at night. Gu Nianxi fell asleep on the sofa, unable to stay awake, and was carried back to her bedroom by a servant.

The next day, she got sick from the draft, running a fever of 39 degrees. She pestered the family doctor to call Jiang Man, refusing the injection until the call went through. She remembered how everyone gathered around her that day, looking at her with cautious, pitying eyes, as if she were making a call that could never connect.

As a child, Gu Nianxi gritted her teeth and insisted on dialing. The more they thought it impossible, the more she wanted to prove to everyone that Jiang Man cared about her.

The call eventually went through, but it wasn't Jiang Man who answered—it was her secretary. In a very smooth tone, the secretary told Gu Nianxi that Jiang Man was in a meeting and couldn't take the call.

Gu Nianxi hung up, lay back on the bed, and felt exhausted and heavy-hearted.

That was such a long time ago, but thinking about it still made her heart clench and her chest ache.

That was why Gu Nianxi hated Bai Jin so much: Bai Jin didn't have to do anything. She could just stand there and receive the care that Gu Nianxi had never gotten in seventeen years.

Gu Nianxi couldn't understand why, and she felt her own cowardice was laughable. In her previous life, when she was thrown out of the house with broken bones, she'd stopped considering Gu Hongzhuo and Jiang Man her parents from that day on. But just now, seeing them sitting together on the sofa, that longing rose unstoppably in her heart:

If only they could look at her the way they looked at Bai Jin.

Pathetic, Gu Nianxi coldly passed judgment on herself inside.

She breathed in the familiar scent, wanting to just lie there, empty her mind, and think about nothing.

As she lay there, sleepiness actually crept over her.

Gu Nianxi yawned. Maybe she really should rest, sleep well, and think about her future when she woke up.

In a haze, she heard a knock at her door.

Thinking it was Xiao An, she called out, "Come in," and turned over in bed, keeping her eyes closed.

A cool hand gently grasped her ankle. The newcomer took off her shoes, which she hadn't removed, then hooked onto her white socks and slid them off little by little.

Feeling a bit impatient, she moved her foot, accidentally stepping on the person's collarbone.

The person's breath hitched.

"Xiao An, I'm so sleepy..." She rolled over, habitually acting spoiled, and rubbed her eyes before realizing who it was: "Bai Jin?! What are you doing in my room?"

She instinctively tried to sit up, but Bai Jin was right by her bed, and with her feet dangling off the edge, the position made it hard to get up. To use her strength, she'd have to push against Bai Jin.

And because of her earlier movement, her sole had brushed against Bai Jin's collarbone a few times.

Gu Nianxi felt embarrassed, and just as she was about to tell Bai Jin to move, she saw the dark-haired girl blink her long lashes and grab her ankle.

Her fingers were long, and when they wrapped around, they completely encircled Gu Nianxi's ankle. The temperature from her ankle was cool, and Gu Nianxi shivered, feeling a strange sensation.

It was like a stray dog she'd picked up that had voluntarily sidled up to her feet, wagging its tail and nuzzling her.

Even though she found it dirty, she couldn't refuse its closeness.

But quickly, Gu Nianxi realized the person in front of her wasn't a cute dog but the annoying Bai Jin, and her gaze turned cold: "What are you doing, Bai Jin? Let go."

"Sister." Bai Jin's voice sounded, for some reason, a bit low.

Her hand moved up from Gu Nianxi's ankle: "I'm here to apply medicine for you. You injured your knee at 'Drifting Emerald' today, right? When you were walking, your gait was a little off.

"Even though it's a minor wound, if it's not treated promptly, it could get worse.

"I got some blood-activating and bruise-dispersing medicine from Butler Ye. It might sting a little when applying... Can you bear with it, sister?"