Chapter 12: It's Her!

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Lu Qiqi reacted swiftly, stepping back several paces. What was going on? A masquerade was supposed to be playful yet mysterious—how could anyone just come and forcibly remove someone’s mask? How was this supposed to be fun?

Watching Chu Linchen extend his hand again with a resolute determination to remove her mask, Lu Qiqi gave up the foolish idea of unmasking this unattainable beauty and turned to leave.

Seeing her run off, Chu Linchen wanted to follow, but the next moment, a pair of hands looped around his arm.

“Brother Chen, why are you hiding here? That makes me so hard to find.”

That voice instantly told Chu Linchen who it was. He casually brushed off the hands on his arm and stepped back with indifference.

Looking up, he saw Qin Xi, who wore the same fox mask as the woman from before, and his expression darkened.

Had he imagined it? The person from that night was confirmed to be Qin Xi, so how could she suddenly become that woman?

But why did that woman’s aura feel so familiar?

His gaze involuntarily shifted again toward the direction where Lu Qiqi had disappeared—but she was gone.

Lu Qiqi hurried away, frequently glancing back to see if the man was following. Suddenly, she collided with a gentleman. The wine glass in his hand spilled, soaking her already delicate gown, and the man blocked her path.

“Miss, I’m sorry for dirtying your dress. I’ll compensate you with a new one,” the man apologized politely.

“It’s alright. I bumped into you; I should be the one apologizing,” Lu Qiqi replied, understanding it was her own carelessness and had no intention of asking for compensation.

However, seeing Lu Qiqi’s graceful figure and elegant demeanor, the man immediately felt inclined to make acquaintance and naturally wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip away.

“Miss, to be honest, I’m a fashion designer. I came to this ball bringing one of my own gowns, hoping to find the right person to gift it to. You have such an elegant aura; my design was made for someone like you. Please don’t refuse.”

Hearing his words, and looking down at the large red wine stain on her dress, Lu Qiqi finally gave in.

After changing into the new gown, Lu Qiqi felt quite beautiful and poised. Just as she was about to ask if she could buy the dress, the man received a call. Leaving his contact information, he hurried off.

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Returning to the ballroom, the event was nearing its end. Lu Qiqi went straight to find Bai Yu, but the man who had been with her was gone, leaving only Bai Yu alone.

Lu Qiqi’s eyes questioned silently. Bai Yu calmly took a sip of wine. “We just weren’t compatible, so naturally we parted ways.”

Lu Qiqi didn’t press further. Feeling the time was right, the two prepared to leave together.

Just as they stepped out of the venue, a voice called out to Bai Yu. They turned around to see a young woman wearing a fox mask slowly removing it, revealing a charming and delicate face.

Lu Qiqi felt a vague familiarity but couldn’t recall where she had seen her before.

“Do you know her?” Lu Qiqi whispered to Bai Yu.

Bai Yu didn’t expect to meet Qin Xi here, especially since Qin Xi recognized her at a glance. More importantly, Bai Yu wasn’t close to Qin Xi and couldn’t understand why she was stopping her.

“We’ve had a few encounters. I once represented her in court, but we’re not that close.”

As they spoke, Qin Xi approached. “Miss Bai, what a rare meeting. Let’s have dinner together, shall we? Brother Chen?”

Only then did they notice a tall man standing not far behind them, his expression indifferent and his gaze barely lingering on Qin Xi.

“Brother Chen, this Miss Bai is a well-known professional lawyer in the industry. I’ve worked with her before, and she’s truly exceptional. Let’s have dinner together so you can get to know each other. If you ever need anything, you can reach out to her.”

Qin Xi’s sincere tone almost made it seem as if she had the best intentions for Chu Linchen. Only Bai Yu understood that Qin Xi’s real motive was likely to hold onto that man by striking up a conversation with her.

She didn’t mind gaining another potentially valuable client.

After Qin Xi spoke, Chu Linchen’s gaze finally rested on Lu Qiqi and Bai Yu. Not wanting to be entangled with Qin Xi any longer, he was already contacting his assistant to bring the car.

Yet, seeing Lu Qiqi, his eyes suddenly sharpened.

Lu Qiqi had already discreetly observed Chu Linchen. Now that they were outside the ballroom and had all removed their masks, she immediately recognized him.

To be honest, Lu Qiqi’s impression of Chu Linchen was not good, especially since she had previously tried to enlist his help against Si Qinyu to take control of the company, and their negotiations had gone poorly.

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“Brother Chen, it’s just one meal. It won’t take up much of your time. Please say yes, won’t you?” Qin Xi’s tone was somewhat coaxing, though her delicate and charming appearance made it seem more like a playful plea.

Lu Qiqi saw the impatience in Chu Linchen’s eyes toward Qin Xi and thought he probably wouldn’t agree. Yet, to her surprise, the next second, their eyes met, and Chu Linchen answered.

“All right.”

Startled, Lu Qiqi looked up and saw Chu Linchen’s gaze still fixed on her, a faintly teasing smile playing at his lips.

Chu Linchen himself didn’t understand why he had agreed to Qin Xi’s request on a whim. But seeing Lu Qiqi’s reluctant expression sparked a new interest in him.

The hotel had a restaurant, and upon Chu Linchen’s agreement, Qin Xi immediately arranged the best banquet.

Lu Qiqi intended to find an excuse to leave, but Bai Yu insisted she stay, so she couldn’t refuse.

The four of them took their seats in the restaurant. Just as they sat down, Lu Qiqi’s eyes fell on Chu Linchen’s clothes, and her pupils suddenly widened.

Earlier in the brightly lit hall, she hadn’t paid attention to his attire, but now in the dimmer light, she realized that the man she had just flirted with at the ballroom was wearing the exact same outfit.

Realizing that the man she had been toying with was Chu Linchen, a cold sweat broke out on Lu Qiqi’s back. She never imagined that the one who caught her eye at first glance would be Chu Linchen. Had she known it was him, no matter how brave she was, she wouldn’t have provoked him.

Perhaps Lu Qiqi’s expression was too revealing because Bai Yu noticed her unease and leaned in to ask quietly,

“Qiqi, what’s wrong?”

Snapping back to herself, Lu Qiqi quickly composed her face. “Nothing, maybe just feeling a little cold.”

At this moment, Lu Qiqi was immensely grateful to the gentleman she had met earlier. Now clad in a new gown, Chu Linchen should not recognize her, right?