Early Monday, Jin Lihua woke up from her hangover and dragged herself to her shower. With practice ease, she made herself presentable.

It had been a good thing Lihua had chosen to have her 'outing' on a weekend otherwise it would be hard for her as a student. While the teen was irresponsible, she wasn't stupid enough to risk her reputation at school so close to graduation. As long as no one spoke to her, there would be no cracks in her facade.

Yet upon entering the dining room, her mother, Jin Fumian, spoke to her.

"Is it true?"

"Eh?" Jin Lihua frowned as she ate her breakfast, her hangover hitting her hard. If not for how often she woke up like this, she wouldn't be able to fake in front of her mother. "Is what true, Mother?"

Jin Fumian's smile grew as she assumed her daughter was being humble.

How good is her sweet child to know how to talk so well?

"That the young master of the Gu family treated you to dinner the other day?"

Jin Fumian had only learned this from some maids who had asked Lihua's bodyguards about the evening in question. According to them, her daughter had met the young master by chance and he decided to treat her to dinner after becoming friends.

How this story got so twisted is mostly due to Arisa's misinforming the other guards with Uncle Ji as a backup. All the men knew if their young mistress's whereabouts were revealed, they'd be fired at best. It was in all of their best interests to be consistent and lie effectively.

But Jin Fumian would never learn about this incident, as even Lihua knew nothing about the evening and refused to speak a word about her true actions.

She blinked at her mother. "Gu?! Which young master?"

The Gu family was the most prominent family in the city, possibly the country. They had a reach that could turn the tides in other nations with only a twitch of their finger. Despite being only 3 generations old, it had dominated the circle.

Having the interest of any of the 3rd generation's young masters was something anyone, male or female, sought after.

"Gu Ouyang!"

Jin Lihua felt her face flush, thinking of the night she had first seen the elusive 3rd young master. Lihua was used to pretty boys and flashy guys but Gu Ouyang was a completely different sort of person.

He exuded a kind of aura that drew people in yet dared anyone to try. Many girls had wished to even speak a mild greeting but were brushed off by his cold eyes.

To think a man like that had treated her to dinner!

Yet she couldn't remember that happening.

She had fallen asleep at the club and woken up at home but what could have transpired between those moments?

P-perhaps... Did they share some unspeakable moment and he felt responsible for her, so he made an excuse for them being together? Something must have occurred for him to cover for her despite having very few interactions.

Perhaps a kiss or something even more scandalous!

Lihua couldn't suppress a smile as she imagined it, being embraced by such a magnificent man.

Seeing this smile, how could Jin Fumian not see what her daughter was thinking?

"Am I to expect a call from the Gu family about a possible engagement?" She pressed, already imagining the prestige her daughter would bring in by just being engaged.

The girl blushed harder, looking away with a smile. "M-mother, don't say such embarrassing-"

A knock rang out, interrupting their pleasant mood. From the other side, Arisa waited to be let in, knowing better than to burst in. Despite spending more time here than her own house, this was not her home.

"Come in."

Arisa sighed, knowing she had messed up.

That tone screamed 'What do you want?'. It was only her boss's decades of etiquette that kept her from snapping at her, a subordinate.

The teen walked into the dining room, the fragrant smell of breakfast making her salivate. She had to rush over so she hadn't had any breakfast yet.

Yet now she had to look at this spread and suffer in silence.

"Madam, good morning." She greeted, bowing to Jin Fumian respectfully. "I'm here to escort the young miss to school."

The older woman waved her away. "Good, then get her bags and wait by the car."

Arisa kept her head down, doing as she was ordered. The door closed and she could hear small mummers from behind it but she didn't really care.

Eavesdropping was a very easy way to get fired and Arisa needed this job.

***

Arisa waited by the car, two warm thermoses of milk tea in hand and the young miss's backpack dangling off her arm. The chauffeur stood nearby, glancing at Arisa for a moment. He was probably new, as he continued to glance at her confused.

Has the previous one been fired already?

Just as the man was about to finally ask about who she was, the front door opened and revealed Lihua. She looked lovely, with her hair freshly styled to perfection and her demeanor poised.

She looked at every part of the noble miss.

In comparison, Arisa looked... decent.

They wore the same uniform but Arisa's hair was braided into pigtails and hung messily down her back. She swayed slightly as the uneven weight of the bag put her off balance.

The only thing that matched was their faces. Both young girls were pretty to look at. Even when contrasted with one another, it painted a pretty picture, distracting the chauffeur for a minute before one of the bodyguards nearby let out a cough.

Ah, right! One shouldn't stare at their client.

The two girls entered the luxurious car, though Arisa made sure to give her ward her warm tea and bag first. Instantly, they two were bathed in warmth as the car drove away.

The first few minutes of silence were as expected, as Arisa never really spoke with her mistress. Her job was purely to keep her in check, so they were by no means on friendly terms. Yet she noticed Lihua kept glancing at her, as if curious.

Before she could even ask about it, Lihua raised the partition between them and the front seat. The scowl on her face was jarring to receive so early in the morning.

"Oi, mutt, were you with me the other day?"

"Huh?" Arisa wasn't used to the young mistress talking to her in the morning, other than giving orders. So the sudden question was a surprise.

"Are you deaf alongside being dumb!? I asked you a question."

Arisa sighed, already feeling a headache coming on. "I was there, yes."

Curiously, her mistress flushed red, looking away shyly. Something Arisa had never seen before now.

Lihua's eyes darted about the car, looking embarrassed. "S-so you saw Young Master Gu help me, right?"

Young master Gu? Was she talking about Ouyang? He was a young master? Then again, other than her, only rich people could enter that kind of place so it made sense.

She felt a bit sad that Ouyang might be like the other rich people she had met.

"Yes."

"I see." Lihua let out a sigh of relief, looking very proud of herself. She brushed her long hair off her shoulder, regaining her image as a proud heiress. "Did he see me in some undesirable way? Nothing unbecoming, right?"

Arisa flinched as she looked away.

Unbecoming? The young mistress had vomit on her face and in her hair. Her makeup was running down so much that she looked like a corpse. And don't even start with her clothes. Those men were just getting around to stripping her so her lady bits were just about to fall out and traumatize the world.

But to her question, "No, he saw nothing unbecoming or inappropriate, young miss."

This much was true. Ouyang-ge only paid for damages to the room. It was the young miss's men who had to carry and see her in the wretched state.

At her words, Lihua let out a sigh of relief. Her reputation was intact and she'd somehow made contact with such a prime piece of man.

How fortunate of her to have gotten drunk that day! She must have had some unspeakable moment with Gu Ouyang and he covered for her.

Arisa watched as her mistress seemed to weave her own narrative.

That was fine. It wasn't Arisa's problem if she didn't ask any more questions about the evening. Let her come to her own conclusions. If YG chose to ignore her after this, her lie still wouldn't be found out.

Yet Arisa was a bit surprised about how much her mistress was fawning over YG. Was he someone important?

***

Gu Ouyang sat back, staring past the person across from him.

Wei Jiayi. The daughter of one of his uncle's associates.

She was a lovely girl, a pale and dark-haired lady whom any would envy him for getting to have lunch with.

But he wanted nothing to do with her.

Why? Simple.

She was a beautifully decorated trap.

His uncle wanted to use him to get closer to her father in order to secure some land he wanted to invest in.

He could only assume that her talks of young love would trickle down into her father's ears, softening him as he adored his daughter. Surely, rejecting the offer would be why their supposed love story failed to blossom.

It wouldn't be the first time someone tried using his uncle to suppress him.

He sighed, once again, glancing at the clock behind Wei Jiayi. It had only been 5 minutes since the last time he checked.

Last time, it had only been 2 so at least things were moving forward.

Wei Jiayi didn't seem to mind his lack of input. She was the talkative sort, telling him all about her day and how much she enjoyed her classes.

At least she was the pleasant type this time. He thought, relieved. The last time his uncle tried this, the girl he spent that hour with was horrendous. Nothing but boasts about her family and lineage.

His cold exterior infuriated her and his uncle's subsequent punishment told him that his deal with her father had fallen through.

He had just been thinking of pairing her off with one of his friends when he glanced out the window and spotted a little bird.

He and Wei Jiayi were on the second floor of a nice restaurant. To allow for more natural light, the windows were designed to allow in the maximum amount of light while tinting the window so those outside couldn't look in.

It was basically a two-way mirror.

Outside, those eating could watch the people walking back and forth as they liked. Most didn't bother, just taking the seat because it was warmer or wanting something to glance at every once in a while.

Gu Ouyang was the latter sort but his gaze fell on the little bird he'd been thinking about for hours.

Arisa!?

He was surprised to see Arisa on the street, leaning against a tree as she glanced around warily.

He narrowed his eyes, sensing a familiar foreboding feeling.

People passed her by, barely giving her a glance. A young student on the street at this time was not strange but her behavior made people wonder about her.

Arisa searched the street across the road, looking for something. When Gu Ouyang followed her gaze, he saw what had drawn her attention.

A crowd of girls, six in all, searched the street. They wore the same uniform and looked determined. As soon as the girls turned toward Arisa, the girl ducked behind the tree, just out of sight.

Ah, she was being chased again.

He knew younger girls were more adventurous at that age but surely, one can't live like this, right? Didn't she get tired?

The girls across the way moved to cross the street and his little bird saw that her chance to escape was slipping. Where could she go? Running down the street would just lead to her being chased again.

She looked up at the window and, for a second, it felt like their eyes met. He knew she couldn't see him but the feeling was there, making his chest clench just a bit.

What was she-

She ran forward, into the restaurant he was eating at.

"What are you-?" He shot up from his seat, shocking not only Wei Jiayi but the other patrons.

He didn't care, though. His mind was racing, wondering what was in that girl's head!

The restaurant he was at was a high-end one, where just getting a reservation was a status symbol. It wasn't the kind of place one could walk into casually.

Especially not an unconnected student like Arisa.

"Y-young master Gu?" Wei Jiayi stared up at him, surprised at his outburst. He hadn't been paying her a lot of attention but since he hadn't outright rejected her, she was hopeful. Now he was staring out the window as if the world had come to an end before his eyes.

Before she could spot what had upset him, the young man excused himself.

"I need to pick up a little bird."