Ha, Karma! – Chapter 48

Fu Lianxue?!

Thursday noon, Zhou City Airport.

A young woman with a ponytail, dressed impeccably and wearing sunglasses, pushed her suitcase into the terminal.

After walking for a while, she saw a familiar face at the agreed-upon location.

“Buyu-jie!”

Buyu looked up at the sound and walked towards her, politely saying, “Ye-xiaojie [小姐 | xiǎojie | Miss].”

Ye Linlin [叶琳琳 | Yè Línlín] took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of lively and charming eyes.

She smiled, her expression amiable: “Don’t call me Xiaojie. Although this is only our second meeting, you can call me Linlin.”

Buyu still formally addressed her as “Ye-xiaojie.”

She wasn’t close to Ye Linlin, and since Ye Linlin was the daughter of her boss’s friend, it was better to remain polite to avoid any mistakes.

She made a “please” gesture: “Chu-dong [楚董 | Chǔ Dǒng | Chairman Chu] asked me to take you back to the Chu residence. It’s lunchtime now; they’re waiting for you to join them for a meal.”

Ye Linlin, upon hearing this, immediately asked expectantly: “Is Zhaoqiu-jiejie there too?”

“Yes,” Buyu replied.

“Let’s go, let’s hurry back!”

Ye Linlin eagerly dragged her suitcase and ran outside.

The thought of seeing Chu Zhaoqiu made her heart feel like fireworks exploding!

In the living room, Chu Sining sat on the sofa, popping a grape into her mouth.

Her bright eyes slowly turned towards her sister, who was sitting opposite her, drinking tea.

“Jiejie, aren’t you going out today?”

Everyone in the Chu family knew that the young mistress went out every day, but few knew what she did.

Chu Sining was one of those in the know.

There was no way around it; her sister’s fondness for Fu Lianxue was so obvious, it was hard not to notice.

Chu Zhaoqiu took a sip of tea gracefully: “We have a guest coming. I’ll entertain the guest first and go out later. There’s no rush.”

Chu Sining teased, “Is it because Fu Lianxue isn’t home?”

Then she heard Chu Zhaoqiu calmly hum in agreement.

Chu Sining: “…”

Did I actually guess right?!

Fu Lianxue had work and had left early, so whether she went early or late, she wouldn’t be able to see her.

This guest’s family had taken care of her before, so she should stay and entertain them.

“I don’t understand,” Chu Sining suddenly voiced her deepest question, “what do you like about Fu Lianxue?”

Chu Zhaoqiu countered, “Then what did you like about her before?”

Chu Sining: “…” Why bring up her past!

Chu Zhaoqiu: “Hmm?”

Chu Sining scratched her head sheepishly: “Well, she sings well, she’s beautiful, she’s charming…”

Before learning that Fu Lianxue was a yaoguai [妖怪 | yāoguài | demon/supernatural being] and wanted to kill her sister, the Fu Lianxue in her heart was indeed that good, even impeccably so. Although now, through her friend Qu Xinru’s — no, it should be Qu Airu [曲爱如 | Qū Àirú] now — Qu Airu’s constant praise of how good Fu Lianxue was, urging her not to be prejudiced against Fu Lianxue, her opinion had indeed changed somewhat…

But she couldn’t help but wonder why her sister was so infatuated with Fu Lianxue!

Chu Zhaoqiu smiled gently: “You have good taste. She is indeed very charming.”

It was an undeniable charm that drew her in more and more the closer she got.

No one in this world could resist this superstar.

Chu Sining: “…”

It was an answer, yet it felt like no answer at all.

She wanted to say something, but her sister seemed more clear-headed than her, completely unneeding her input.

“Fine, since you and Grandma both said to let nature take its course, then I’ll also go with the flow.”

“I’ll still buy her next album!”

Chu Zhaoqiu paused at her words, then chuckled softly: “Buy it if you like it.”

Chu Sining smiled and popped another grape into her mouth.

There was no helping it; Fu Lianxue’s singing truly was beautiful, and she genuinely enjoyed listening to it.

Chu Zhaoqiu glanced at her again: “Alright, stop eating. We still have a meal later.”

Chu Sining acted coquettishly: “They’re not here yet.”

Chu Zhaoqiu calmly set down her cup: “They’ve arrived.”

Just as she finished speaking, the sound of rolling suitcase wheels came from outside.

Then, a bright and cheerful young woman appeared before them.

“Zhaoqiu-jiejie!”

Chu Zhaoqiu stood up to greet her.

The next second, Ye Linlin happily rushed towards her, hugging her, and exclaiming with joy, “I’m so happy to see you!”

Chu Zhaoqiu didn’t push her away. Accustomed to this, she patted Ye Linlin’s back and said warmly, like an elder sister, “You must be tired from your journey.”

To her, Ye Linlin was like a third younger sister.

She didn’t attend university locally, wanting to leave Zhou City and see the outside world, a decision Chu Zhaohua also recommended, so she applied to a school elsewhere.

The school she applied to happened to be in the same city as the Ye family.

With her alone outside, her parents, worried about her, asked a friend to help look after her.

Because the Ye family was also a demon hunting family, she would occasionally visit for mutual learning.

Naturally, she got to know Ye Linlin, this younger sister, through these interactions.

A naive and innocent girl who seemed to possess endless enthusiasm.

Ye Linlin’s eyes sparkled as soon as she saw Chu Zhaoqiu.

“I’ve come to learn from you properly~”

Her Zhaoqiu-jiejie was a very capable successor in this field.

Who didn’t know that the eldest daughter of the Chu family was very accomplished?

Hearing that she wanted to learn properly, Chu Zhaoqiu’s demeanor became even more gentle and kind: “Alright, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Standing opposite them, Chu Sining inexplicably felt that her sister had become very…benevolent.

Like someone who’d lived a long time looking at a young successor.

Very much like their grandmother.

“Let’s eat first,” Chu Zhaoqiu said, “It’s just the right time. Are you hungry?”

Ye Linlin didn’t hold back: “Mm-hmm, I am a little hungry.”

She never liked airplane food and had purposely saved her appetite to have lunch with them.

Hearing this, Chu Sining politely offered the fruit plate: “Have some to whet your appetite.”

Ye Linlin picked one with a smile: “Thank you.”

Chu Zhaoqiu didn’t let them eat too much and asked Chu Sining to go upstairs and call their grandmother down for lunch.

During the meal, Ye Linlin’s sweet words delighted Chu Zhaohua, who told Chu Zhaoqiu to teach her more when she had the time.

The Chu parents called back and were relieved to know that they were taking good care of Ye Linlin.

After the meal, Chu Zhaoqiu and Chu Sining took Ye Linlin to the room that had been prepared for her.

Chu Zhaoqiu said, “You must be tired from the journey. Get a good nap first, and we can talk about anything later.”

Ye Linlin agreed obediently.

Chu Zhaoqiu glanced at the time: “I have to go out for a bit. If you need anything, you can talk to Ningning.”

Ye Linlin nodded dutifully.

Chu Zhaoqiu turned and patted her younger sister’s head, signaling her to take good care of the guest, then went out.

The two younger sisters stood at the doorway, watching Chu Zhaoqiu’s departing figure.

Ye Linlin’s gaze was fixed on Chu Zhaoqiu’s back, not even immediately looking away after she left through the main door.

Chu Sining was fixing her hair.

It seemed like her sister had messed up her bangs…

Then, she saw Ye Linlin turn to look at her and suddenly ask, “Is your sister…dating?”

Chu Sining paused, her answer hesitant: “Um…”

This question was a bit difficult for her to answer.

Even though she had seen Fu Lianxue sitting on her sister’s lap, and had seen her sister hugging Fu Lianxue.

It was precisely because she’d seen it that she found it hard to answer.

Her sister liked Fu Lianxue, but Fu Lianxue hadn’t said she liked her sister back. Fu Lianxue would only climb through her sister’s window from time to time to cause mischief. Even her sister said that Fu Lianxue hadn’t told her she liked her.

They seemed close, yet it didn’t seem like they’d reached that stage.

But since neither of them had clearly stated they were together, then it meant they weren’t, right?

“No, probably not,” Chu Sining answered cautiously.

Ye Linlin nodded in understanding, turning back to continue looking in the direction Chu Zhaoqiu had left, a faint smile appearing in her eyes.

After dinner, Ye Linlin went to consult Chu Zhaohua first.

Her trip to Zhou City wasn’t just for leisure, but also to learn from the Chu family’s demon hunting experience—killing two birds with one stone.

When she returned to her room, she happened to see Chu Zhaoqiu walking into her own room, seemingly free.

Without hesitation, she followed and knocked on the door.

“Zhaoqiu-jiejie, it’s me.”

The door opened quickly, as if Chu Zhaoqiu hadn’t gone far.

Chu Zhaoqiu looked at her younger sister standing outside and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ye Linlin smiled brightly and said, “Nothing much. I’m just a little bored, so I wanted to chat with you.”

Chu Zhaoqiu said, “Sining is going out later. Don’t you want to go with her?”

Ye Linlin shook her head: “I don’t want to go out today. I want to chat with you, since it’s been so long since we last saw each other, right?”

Seeing her insistence, and since she wasn’t busy at the moment, Chu Zhaoqiu opened the door and let her in.

The door remained open, not closed.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“No, thank you.”

“Have a seat.”

Ye Linlin obediently sat down at the table by the window, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at Chu Zhaoqiu, her face full of admiration.

It had been so long, and she had so much to say to the older sister before her; they could chat all night!

Only after sitting down did Chu Zhaoqiu notice how intensely Ye Linlin was looking at her.

She couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Ye Linlin immediately rested her chin in her hand, smiling brightly: “It’s been so long, I’m happy to see you!”

She was about to say something more when she noticed Chu Zhaoqiu’s eyes suddenly shift towards the window behind her.

Then, she heard a third person’s voice:

“Oh? Did I come at a bad time?”

She abruptly turned around and froze.

A woman was standing by the window.

She was holding a cat that was looking around curiously.

The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, with a charming tear mole beneath her eye.

She recognized this woman, or rather, her face was familiar, as if she saw her everywhere.

“Fu Lianxue?!” Ye Linlin exclaimed in surprise.

She couldn’t understand—why would Fu Lianxue be in Zhaoqiu-jiejie’s room?!

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