“Who are you?”
Lin Xiaojue felt the person in front of her was exceptionally familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
The person wore a dark gray baseball cap, the brim pressed down low to hide their face, making it almost impossible to discern their features.
“I’m the driver who took you to Yuanle Beach before…” The driver tugged at the brim of the cap, their tone sounding helpless. “Weren’t you in quite a hurry back then? What, did you find them now?”
Hearing this, Lin Xiaojue remembered instantly.
A few days ago, after receiving Xia Yao’s call, she had rushed to the beach in a panic. It had been snowing heavily then, and this driver had been the one to take her there.
“Ah, so it’s you. I was wondering why you seemed so familiar.” As she spoke, Lin Xiaojue pulled Xia Yao into the car and looked around at the interior.
“The New Year is almost here. Did you get a new car? I noticed it’s different from the one before.”
“Yeah. One always has to bring something back when going home for the holidays. Some bring a wife, some bring wealth. Otherwise, you’ll just be surrounded by friends and relatives until you’re left speechless.”
After a bit of small talk, the driver stepped on the gas, preparing to depart.
“Fasten your seatbelts.”
“Oh, right.”
Lin Xiaojue pulled the seatbelt across and clicked it into the buckle. At the same time, she adjusted her position slightly to make her chest more comfortable.
“We’re going to Eternal Plaza, right?”
“Yes, sorry for the trouble, sir.”
Lin Xiaojue agreed verbally while planning to take a nap in her head; there was still some distance to Eternal Plaza.
The driver was a nice person, and there were no strange smells in the car. Lin Xiaojue could even smell a faint scent of roses.
This rose fragrance made her involuntarily think of Su Yaqing. ‘I wonder what Su Yaqing is doing right now?’
Lin Xiaojue hadn’t called Su Yaqing after waking up. ‘Hmph. I can’t be bothered to care about that Golden Retriever who doesn’t pick up her phone at such a critical moment.’
If she wouldn’t answer when Xia Yao was losing control, then she shouldn’t expect a call back now.
‘I’ll wait a few more days before calling her.’
Lin Xiaojue crossed her arms and closed her eyes to rest amidst the misty rose fragrance of the car seat. Too many things had happened these past few days, and she hadn’t had a chance to rest properly yet.
Once the identity of Su Yaqing’s younger sister was finalized, she would begin her own life.
She wouldn’t have to hide everywhere. Now that she had the simulator, she had the capital to be active in the public eye.
‘All that’s left is this mask…’
Wait!
Suddenly, Lin Xiaojue snapped her eyes open.
Her eyes were filled with terror, and her face turned ashen as she looked at the driver in the rearview mirror.
The lowered brim of the cap made it impossible for Lin Xiaojue to see the other person’s face clearly, but the curve of a smile on their lips was plain as day.
“Speaking of which, what is the relationship between you two?”
The driver spoke with a beaming smile, a look that appeared increasingly terrifying in Lin Xiaojue’s eyes.
Lin Xiaojue felt her skin crawl, and a layer of goosebumps broke out all over her body. She stared intently at the panel of the simulator, not daring to make a sound for a long time.
“It’s fine if you don’t plan on saying. Oh, young people these days… there are some things that are better left unknown to me.”
The driver spoke leisurely, her tone carrying a hint of teasing. She reached up to adjust the rearview mirror, framing the sight of Lin Xiaojue and Xia Yao’s intertwined fingers within it.
Lin Xiaojue let go as if by reflex.
“Senior?” Xia Yao’s eyes were filled with confusion. “Aren’t you afraid of the cold?”
“Ah, haha, I’m not cold, I’m not cold. Senior is very warm. There’s a heater in the car, too. I’m very warm…”
“Senior… huh.”
The driver placed a heavy, interested emphasis on the word “Senior,” causing Lin Xiaojue’s breath to hitch.
“So it’s a senior-junior relationship. I thought you two were lovers.”
Suddenly, Xia Yao’s eyes lit up, but they quickly dimmed again.
“No, we aren’t in a relationship. We’re just friends taking care of each other.”
“I thought so. That beauty next to you doesn’t look like the type to fall in love with someone.”
“Eh? Why?”
Xia Yao was stunned.
“Look at her high ponytail and her elegant aura. She looks like a great lady from some wealthy family. Her standards must be very high, and her criteria for a partner would be very strict.”
“This…” Xia Yao was momentarily speechless. What the driver said wasn’t without reason.
If it was someone as excellent as her Senior, it was only natural that she would choose someone even more outstanding—someone more considerate who could take care of everyone.
Furthermore…
If they were to marry, family circumstances would have to be taken into account. With her family, it would be impossible for them to allow her to marry Senior.
The image of the young woman wearing a pure white wedding dress was still etched in her mind. Xia Yao shook her head, tossing away the painful thoughts in her heart.
‘But whose wedding dress was that? Senior came to find me wearing a wedding dress… was she running away from a wedding?’
Xia Yao couldn’t stop herself from thinking about it. Eventually, feeling helpless, she put her index finger in her mouth and bit down to distract herself.
Constant worrying wasn’t the solution.
“Maybe… you’re right.”
Xia Yao answered gloomily, giving an answer she didn’t want to accept.
“Exactly. You’re still young and don’t know much. The standards of these great ladies are all very high.”
The driver continued to tease. Lin Xiaojue couldn’t help but clench her hands. Forced between the two of them, she couldn’t say a single word.