Chapter 23: Reconciliation

When Lin Lu returned to Beicheng, she and Su Yi’s fans somehow found themselves feuding on the trending topics once more.

She paid little attention to it, immersing herself in endless days and nights of dance practice at Dream Building. Su Yi, on the other hand, frequently flaunted luxury goods on Weibo, subtly hinting in her captions that they were gifts from a certain someone, always stopping short of naming them. Fans of “Chen Xin Chen Yi” immediately commented that the “certain someone” was Xu Yancheng, earning countless likes.

Later, Su Yi replied with, “Don’t make wild guesses,” which only fueled speculation and attracted a swarm of sycophantic fans. Some fans even tagged the netizen “Little White Deer,” who previously praised Lin Lu’s looks, convinced that Little White Deer was Lin Lu herself.

They went to great lengths to trouble Lin Lu, sparing no effort to stir up drama. Yet Lin Lu’s own Weibo continued to post regular updates, exuding an air of “let the storm rage, I remain beautiful alone.”

This calm and composed demeanor drew in even more fans; without realizing it, Lin Lu’s follower count rose again. In comparison, Su Yi seemed petty.

That day, after finishing her practice, Lin Lu returned to her dorm and saw a message from Xu Yancheng on her phone.

“Tomorrow afternoon, come to the riding club. Delete the video in person.”

She replied with a simple “okay.”

Before going to sleep, Lin Lu sat on her bed in a daze. She happened to notice the chain around her ankle, took it off, intending to throw it away, but after some thought, decided to keep it.

The next day, Lin Lu arrived at the riding club as promised, only to discover Xu Yancheng wasn’t alone.

Nearly everyone from last time was there, including Su Yi.

Lin Lu hadn’t come to ride horses; she hadn’t even changed clothes. She sat in a teahouse by the side, ordered a pot of tea, and waited for Xu Yancheng while sipping quietly.

Zhou Ruikang was the first to spot her.

He stopped his horse and walked over. “Lin Lu, what a coincidence—are you here to ride?”

Lin Lu replied casually and invited Zhou Ruikang to have tea.

Zhou Ruikang, delighted, sat down. “Tea from Miss Lin is more fragrant than anyone else’s.”

“The tea hasn’t even touched your lips—how do you know it’s fragrant? You’re quite the flatterer.”

“As everyone knows, I have the sweetest tongue in our circle. So, what do you think, any interest?” Zhou Ruikang bantered smoothly.

With Xu Mingchuan ahead, he knew he stood no chance, but flirting for fun was harmless. Besides, chatting with a beautiful woman was always a pleasure.

“Sorry, I only like handsome men,” Lin Lu retorted, showing no mercy.

Zhou Ruikang touched his face. “I’m not ugly, am I?”

Lin Lu studied him. “You’re not ugly, but not handsome either.”

Zhou Ruikang: “…”

“Fine, your standards are high. But Xu Mingchuan isn’t much more handsome than me, is he?” He was unconvinced; clearly, they were in the same league, and even if love is blind, the gap shouldn’t be so wide.

Lin Lu nodded in agreement. “That’s right, he’s not handsome either.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zhou Ruikang was baffled—so even love’s eyes didn’t see beauty?

Lin Lu sipped her tea leisurely. “Just telling it like it is.”

“With your standards, only Xu Yancheng in our circle qualifies,” Zhou Ruikang realized after he said it. “So you’re saying you don’t like Xu Mingchuan?”

“When did I ever say I liked him?” Lin Lu gazed at the riding field. “From start to finish, it’s all your speculation.”

Su Yi and Xu Yancheng were circling the riding field together.

Both on the same horse, Su Yi seated in front, Xu Yancheng behind, holding the reins; their posture was intimately close.

As they approached, Zhou Ruikang noticed and commented offhand, “Look, they’ve made up.”