Chapter Nine: The Twin Jewels of Cambridge

Her facial features had shed the baby fat of childhood, becoming more refined and beautiful. Her long hair was glossy and flowing, her lashes curled delicately, and the graceful arc of her nose and naturally rosy lips was utterly captivating. Her figure needed no further description—tall and slender, with curves in all the right places, she was born to wear elegant clothes. Yet her hands were disproportionately petite and delicate, so fair that the faint blue veins beneath her skin were visible. Compared to the adorable girl she once was, Tan Xue now possessed a gentle beauty, and only a fool would look away.

Noticing Chu Dong staring at her in a daze, Tan Xue suddenly realized her attitude toward him was inappropriate. She quickly withdrew her smile, her beauty now cold and distant, like a frosted peach blossom.

Chu Dong awkwardly got up from the floor, brushed the dust from his trousers, and said, "I'll go pay the bill. You sit here for a while." With that, he walked toward the cashier.

Tan Xue didn't stop him. She remained seated, unmoving, when music from her bag signaled an incoming call.

"Hello, this is Tan Xue. Who is this?" she asked, puzzled, unable to recognize the caller.

"Well, well, so you’ve got yourself a beau and forgotten your old friends. How heartless," came a haughty snort from the other end.

"Yolan? You little rascal, when did you change your number?" Tan Xue exclaimed with delight, finally realizing it was her university friend, Li Yolan.

"I’ve come to Dalian, and I’m here to rely on you, Madam Tan. Will you take me in? I’m at my wit’s end, so I’ve come to find you. Surely you won’t turn me away?" Li Yolan’s cheerful voice betrayed no trace of sorrow.

"Oh, come on, are you serious? Your family’s company is so big, and they couldn’t keep you? Why would I dare take in a princess like you?" Tan Xue didn't believe a word.

"Oh, never mind. The fact is, I’m in Dalian now. I’ll leave it to you to arrange things. When are you free?" Li Yolan interrupted Tan Xue with characteristic assertiveness.

"Where are you? I’ll come find you. I was just worrying about something, but now that you’re here, it’s perfect. You always had the best ideas back in college," Tan Xue felt she’d found her savior. Knowing her father was alright, she relaxed. With her old friend in town, her mood brightened, though the matter with Chu Dong still troubled her.

"Shangri-La Hotel. Call me when you arrive, and I’ll come down to meet you."

After so long apart, the two were eager to see each other.

Both Tan Xue and Li Yolan came from families with publicly listed companies, enjoying privileged upbringings. One might expect each to be strong-willed and difficult to get along with, yet for reasons unknown, they had been inseparable since their first meeting, drawing the envy of all the boys. Throughout their school days, they were always together—the famed Cambridge sisters—never mingling with male classmates. Rumors abounded about their relationship, but the two remained unfazed, holding hands as if they were one soul.

Chu Dong returned from paying the bill only to catch a glimpse of Tan Xue hurrying away. He wanted to call out to her, but the words died on his lips.

He consulted the private physician accompanying the Tan family, confirming that the old master was truly fine before leaving the hospital. He drove to the entrance of a modest business hotel and parked.

He tossed his keys to the doorman and stepped inside.

"Good morning, Mr. Chu," a row of young attendants greeted him in unison.

"Morning? It’s nearly noon," Chu Dong joked, waving them off as he headed to the elevator, which someone had already summoned. He entered and ascended straight to the fifth floor, where he walked into an office fashioned from a suite. Loosening his tie, he collapsed onto the broad sofa opposite his desk.

Meanwhile, Tan Xue hadn’t driven. She left the hospital, caught a cab, and soon arrived at the Shangri-La. In the lobby, she spotted Li Yolan, dressed in sporty shorts and a top, a small bag in hand, arms wide open in greeting.

After a long separation, the two girls embraced, laughing.

"Hey, weren’t you always the one who hated mismatched outfits? Why are you dressed like this today?" Tan Xue linked arms with Li Yolan as they entered the elevator.

"I was playing tennis, and came straight out to meet you. You dare criticize?" Li Yolan teased, brushing Tan Xue’s nose.

"Stop it, you bully," Tan Xue protested. Since the elevator contained other staff, she refrained from more obvious gestures, only pinching Li Yolan gently on the waist, making her wince.

Once inside Li Yolan’s room, free from others’ eyes, the two girls tumbled together, tickling and laughing until exhaustion left them sprawled on the bed, catching their breath.

"You truly know how to enjoy life. I’ve never been so lucky," Tan Xue sighed, envying Li Yolan’s carefree disregard for her family’s opinions and ability to escape for some solitude.

"You have the fate of a career woman—I could never match you. Business can go however it wants; even if it all collapses tomorrow, I wouldn’t care. Not like you, always striving, earning, exhausting yourself until your eyes are ringed with dark shadows. One day you’ll age before your time, and then you’ll cry when you can’t marry," Li Yolan grabbed a fruit platter from the bedside table, fed Tan Xue a cherry, and ate some herself.

"You’re the one who’ll age before her time. Don’t curse me. I’ll stay young forever," Tan Xue retorted without hesitation, but sighed after speaking.

"What’s wrong? Even the ice maiden has worries? Impossible! We’ve only just been apart and you’ve already found a new flame? No way, I demand a duel!" Flexing her nonexistent biceps, Li Yolan pressed Tan Xue for answers.

"Absolutely not, stop it," Tan Xue pushed Li Yolan off and sat up. "It’s my father—he insists I marry that scoundrel."

"Which scoundrel? Don’t tell me it’s the one who stole your first kiss?" Li Yolan, thrilled at the discovery, crawled back over.

"How can you have no sympathy at all? Who else but him?" Tan Xue seized the chance to flick Li Yolan’s nose, feeling much better.

"But didn’t his family go bankrupt? Isn’t he just scraping by, managing a shabby hotel? Why would your father still consider him suitable?" Seeing Tan Xue’s distress, Li Yolan stopped joking.

"Only heaven knows what my father is thinking. But it’s not because he’s penniless that I object. It’s just that every time I see him with that lecherous look, I feel sick," Tan Xue quickly clarified.

"I think you care about him more than you admit," Li Yolan, as the outsider, saw it more clearly. How else could Tan Xue still be hung up on what happened all those years ago?

"Nonsense, I do not," Tan Xue’s heart fluttered, but she wouldn’t admit it.

"Enough, it’s not such a big deal," Li Yolan patted Tan Xue’s shoulder, as if she could handle anything. "Leave it to me. Tomorrow, I’ll show him the power of the Cambridge sisters. Just wait and see."

"You?" Tan Xue was skeptical. "Don’t end up getting bullied instead."

"Underestimating me, are you? Just wait," Li Yolan narrowed her eyes, confident that Chu Dong was already in her grasp.

Meanwhile, on the sofa, Chu Dong suddenly felt a chill down his back and shivered involuntarily.