Between Jealousy and Unspoken Truths

The message came from an unknown number: “Finally decided to contact me? Then tonight at 8, W Hotel—Aurora Night. Don’t be late.”

All of Qin Huairen’s tangled emotions came to an abrupt halt.

They were replaced by a sharp, sour burning feeling.

Early in the morning, she found herself inexplicably irritated.

She tossed her phone aside.

She went back to her room to change.

Just as she pushed the door open to leave, she was startled by Wen Yuzhi standing outside.

“Ah Ren, what’s wrong?” Wen Yuzhi rubbed her eyes.

She was clearly startled too.

“Where are you going?”

“None of your business,” Qin Huairen snapped.

Wen Yuzhi looked confused and hurried after her.

“I’ll drive you.”

Qin Huairen replied sarcastically, “No need. Someone else doesn’t need you to.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy to get a ride nearby.

In the end, Qin Huairen still got into Wen Yuzhi’s car.

She had planned to pretend to sleep.

But hearing Wen Yuzhi yawning repeatedly, she frowned.

“If you yawn again, I’ll attack you,” she warned coldly.

Right after saying that, Qin Huairen yawned herself.

This made Wen Yuzhi yawn too.

Without hesitation, Qin Huairen reached over and twisted her ear.

Wen Yuzhi cried out in pain.

Yet she was smiling.

Since their reunion, Wen Yuzhi’s temper had been unbelievably good.

No matter what Qin Huairen said, she never got angry.

Back then, they couldn’t stand each other.

Now that Wen Yuzhi wasn’t opposing her, why was she still so unhappy?

Qin Huairen turned the blame inward.

You’re just making trouble for yourself.

Otherwise, why would she keep wondering who sent that message?

Why would she even entertain ugly thoughts?

She sighed.

Wen Yuzhi noticed.

Her lips parted as if to speak, but she held back.

She realized Qin Huairen was lost in her own thoughts.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Wen Yuzhi asked at a red light.

“Not really,” Qin Huairen answered honestly.

“Something on your mind?”

Wen Yuzhi had hit the mark.

But Qin Huairen resisted.

She stared out the window.

“No.”

Seeing she didn’t want to talk, Wen Yuzhi didn’t press further.

Instead, she asked her to check on Yan Qing.

She was giving her something else to focus on.

Yan Qing wasn’t badly hurt.

Just some soreness.

And a slight cold.

She was already making ginger tea.

When Yan Qing asked about last night, Qin Huairen’s thoughts grew chaotic again.

She skipped the details.

She summarized briefly.

She had been typing a long message.

She wanted to remind Yan Qing to help Wen Yuzhi change her bandages.

But before she could send it, Yan Qing replied.

“Thanks for helping. That should’ve been done by Doctor Lu or me.”

Qin Huairen quietly deleted everything.

Right.

This wasn’t her responsibility.

She laughed at herself for meddling.

When the car entered the city center, traffic slowed to a crawl.

“You went out so early. Who are you meeting?” Wen Yuzhi finally asked.

Normally, Qin Huairen would have snapped back.

But this time, she simply said, “Xu Jianing.”

A flicker of jealousy surged inside Wen Yuzhi.

She kept her tone calm.

“I see. Someone who can get you out this early must be important.”

Qin Huairen caught the sarcasm.

“At least we’re meeting in broad daylight,” she shot back.

“What’s so ‘special’ about that?”

“What are you doing together?” Wen Yuzhi asked.

She gripped the steering wheel.

“Hot springs.”

That meant changing clothes.

Bare skin.

Intimacy.

Another wave of jealousy crashed over Wen Yuzhi.

It nearly drowned her composure.

Still, she calmly asked if she could join them.

Qin Huairen refused without hesitation.

Stuck in traffic, Qin Huairen suddenly unbuckled her seatbelt.

She got out of the car.

Wen Yuzhi could only pull over helplessly.

Standing alone by the roadside, she didn’t know where to go.

In such a vast city, there was nowhere she truly belonged.

Her phone buzzed.

It was from Qin Huairen.

Her heart leapt.

Then fell again.

The message was polite.

Distant.

Had last night just been an illusion?

Why did Qin Huairen seem even more distant now?

Meanwhile, Qin Huairen met Xu Jianing.

They headed to the hot springs.

After a simple cleanup, she sat in the car.

She leaned back quietly.

As if asleep.

At a rest stop, Xu Jianing bought hot drinks.

“You look tired. Didn’t sleep well?”

“Not really,” Qin Huairen admitted.

Xu Jianing suggested herbal remedies.

But seeing her lack of interest, she didn’t push further.

“Just relax in the hot springs later.”

“You’ll feel better.”

The resort was luxurious.

Far beyond Qin Huairen’s expectations.

Before entering, Xu Jianing handed over a gift box.

Qin Huairen followed along.

She didn’t even know what she was giving.

Inside, everything was high-end.

Food.

Entertainment.

Accommodation.

All in one place.

Even the chef was flown in from Japan.

“Isn’t this a bit extravagant?” Qin Huairen whispered.

“Not at all,” Xu Jianing smiled.

“What’s the point of making money if not to enjoy life?”

Later, at the hot springs, Qin Huairen sat by the edge.

She only soaked her feet.

When Xu Jianing arrived, Qin Huairen was stunned.

She was dressed far more boldly than expected.

Embarrassed, Qin Huairen quickly looked away.

As they talked, Xu Jianing brought up Wen Yuzhi again.

Her tone carried ridicule.

And something darker.

Qin Huairen didn’t like it.

The conversation grew tense.

“What’s your attitude toward her, really?” Xu Jianing asked.

Qin Huairen paused.

“I judge actions, not people,” she said calmly.

“She’s done things I don’t agree with.”

“But that doesn’t mean everything about her is wrong.”

“And what about her family?”

“Don’t you think they’re in the wrong too?”

Xu Jianing countered.

Her voice was sharp.

Filled with hidden resentment.

Qin Huairen noticed it clearly now.

The hostility.

The bitterness.

The atmosphere fell silent again.

Qin Huairen left the pool.

She headed to the lounge area.

Before leaving, she reminded softly, “Don’t stay too long.”

“You’ll get dizzy.”

Later, after resting, she realized something.

The difference between two feelings.

When Xu Jianing kissed her cheek, she felt discomfort.

Almost rejection.

But when Wen Yuzhi did similar things…

She didn’t resist.

She even had other thoughts.

Qin Huairen didn’t want to admit it.

But the balance in her heart was shifting.

That evening, as she returned to the city, she saw the glowing building of W Hotel.

Her heart skipped.

7:10 PM.

Without thinking, she got out of the car nearby.

She walked toward it.

Standing outside, staring at the towering building, she hesitated.

What am I doing here?

She covered her face.

She scolded herself.

Even if you find out who sent the message, what then?

What right do you have?

She turned to leave.

But then—

She saw Wen Yuzhi enter the hotel.

Without realizing it, Qin Huairen followed.

Step by step, she reached the themed suite.

Aurora Night.

The doors stood open like a castle.

Soft music drifted out.

She stepped inside.

And suddenly—

The lights went out.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Before she could react, a warm, strong hand grasped hers.

She was pulled into an embrace.

The door shut behind her.