Chapter 65: Dinner Gathering

Inside the private booth.

Lin Ting looked at the person who looked identical to Qi Qingyuan, then turned her gaze to Shang Moting. "She......"

The words were on the tip of her tongue, yet she did not know what to ask.

Just at that moment, everyone in the box turned their attention toward her.

Lu Jinglin raised his eyes to look at her.

The young woman beside him also looked at Lin Ting, instantly struck by her breathtaking beauty the moment their eyes met.

Qi Qingyuan took her foot down from the table, walked over to Lin Ting, and draped an arm around her shoulder. "I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."

Lin Ting tilted her head to look at her, listening to that bold and unrestrained voice.

Qi Qingyuan said, "Calculated wrongly. I thought our next meeting would be at Brother Ting's house."

Lin Ting continued to gaze at her.

Noticing her steady stare, Qi Qingyuan asked, "What's with that look?"

Lin Ting looked at her, made a small gesture with her fingers, and asked, "Well... do you happen to have an older or younger sister?"

"I'm an only child," Qi Qingyuan replied with a smile.

"Then......" Lin Ting suddenly found it hard to process everything unfolding before her eyes.

It was too bizarre!

How could anyone have such a drastic contrast in personality?

"So, who is that person back there?" Lin Ting placed her hands gracefully in front of her, standing with exceptional elegance and poise.

Qi Qingyuan chuckled. "Just putting on an act in front of elders. Do you like that persona? I can communicate with you like that too if you prefer."

As she spoke, the tone of her final sentence softened considerably.

"Your throat sounds like it has a sliding rheostat installed," Lin Ting remarked.

"Thank you for the compliment," Qi Qingyuan said with a well-mannered smile.

Lin Ting replied, "Just be however you're most comfortable."

Qi Qingyuan's voice immediately resumed its bold and hearty tone. She grabbed Lin Ting's hand and pulled her inward. "Do you know how to play dice? Wei Zhishu and Fang Cheng are way too terrible at it."

Wei Zhishu and Fang Cheng: "???" When you practically forced us to play with you earlier, you praised us to the skies and said we were amazing.

No one paid any mind to the psychological trauma of Wei Zhishu and Fang Cheng.

However, after dragging Lin Ting forward just two steps, Qi Qingyuan stopped.

Because she could not pull her any further.

She turned around and saw that Lin Ting's other hand was firmly held by Shang Moting.

Qi Qingyuan gave Lin Ting a gentle tug.

Shang Moting did not let go.

Qi Qingyuan tugged again.

Shang Moting still did not let go.

Qi Qingyuan gave one more tug.

Shang Moting steadfastly refused to release his grip.

Lin Ting's two arms were being pulled in opposite directions: "............"

Was she supposed to be a jump rope? Were they trying to stretch her straight?

Lu Jinglin watched them and offered a faint smile.

Qi Qingyuan looked at Shang Moting. Under the heavy pressure of his gaze, she finally released Lin Ting's hand.

In an instant, Lin Ting was pulled right to Shang Moting's side.

Qi Qingyuan: "......Is it really forbidden for her to keep me company for a little while?"

"Have a bit of self-awareness," Shang Moting said flatly.

Qi Qingyuan fell silent.

Shang Moting led Lin Ting over to the sofa and sat down with her.

"Young Master Lu," Lin Ting greeted him politely, then nodded at the young woman beside him.

The woman smiled back at her, extended a hand, and introduced herself, "Mu Yunsheng."

Lin Ting sat down beside her, shook her hand, and said, "Lin Ting."

"I know you," Mu Yunsheng said with a smile.

"Huh?" Lin Ting looked at her in confusion, studying Mu Yunsheng more closely.

She was certain she had never met her before.

Mu Yunsheng possessed a kind of sexy, striking beauty—she had a wonderful figure and an intensely charismatic appearance.

There was a fashionable, seductive aura that radiated from her very bones.

If she had ever seen her before, she certainly would have remembered.

"The top student of the Capital Dance Academy, ranked first in her major, with a score of over seven hundred and forty on the college entrance exams," Mu Yunsheng recited.

Upon hearing those scores, both Lu Jinglin and Qi Qingyuan looked over at her.

Shang Moting, however, maintained a completely indifferent expression.

After all, he frequented the Capital University forums every few days and was already somewhat familiar with the situation.

Lin Ting looked at Mu Yunsheng.

Mu Yunsheng continued, "I suppose you could consider me your senior."

"So you're a senior," Lin Ting said.

"I only attended for a year," Mu Yunsheng explained. "I can't quite be considered a full senior. Just call me by my name."

Throughout their conversation, Lu Jinglin kept his eyes fixed on Mu Yunsheng.

His expression remained remarkably calm, though when she mentioned having attended for only a year, the look in the depths of his eyes darkened imperceptibly before returning to normal just as quickly.

Lin Ting nodded.

Qi Qingyuan chimed in, "You scored that high on your academics, yet you chose to go to a dance academy?"

"I only studied desperately hard to get those scores so that I could get into the dance academy," Lin Ting replied.

"As expected of a woman who strikes fear even into my heart. Impressive," Qi Qingyuan praised.

"Am I really that terrifying?" Lin Ting asked.

"You look completely harmless to humans and animals," Qi Qingyuan said. "But your offensive capability is a hundred times stronger than a Barrett sniper rifle."

Lin Ting glanced up at Shang Moting.

Shang Moting raised an eyebrow.

Qi Qingyuan stood up and declared, "You guys have no idea how terrible Grandpa Shang's expression was that day at Brother Ting's house. I've lived this long and I've never seen him look like that. Back then I thought, *We're saved, we're saved, the savior has arrived.* Right then and there, I decided to activate Plan B."

"Plan B?" Lin Ting asked. "What was your original plan?"

"My original plan was to masquerade as Brother Ting's admirer, scare you a bit, bully you into crying, and make Brother Ting comfort you while I sat back and watched the show," Qi Qingyuan said, rubbing her chin. "Who knew you'd be so fierce? You scared me so much I had nightmares for several days after going home."

Lin Ting: "......" Surely she wasn't *that* frightening.

"That's why I immediately initiated Plan B," Qi Qingyuan said. "Bribe you, cling tightly to your coattails, so that if Brother Ting ever acts fierce toward us again, we'll have someone to lean on."

Wei Zhishu nodded in agreement.

"So... you really don't like him?" Lin Ting asked out of curiosity.

Shang Moting raised a hand and gave her a light knock on the head.

Lin Ting clutched her head and protested, "I was just curious, I only asked."

Qi Qingyuan looked up toward the ceiling, speechless. "Those are the elders in our families... they... ugh, let's not talk about them. The three of us grew up together. How should I put it? The statistical probability of Lu Jinglin and Brother Ting falling in love with each other is probably higher than it is for me."

As soon as those words left her mouth, a dead silence fell over the private room for a few seconds.

Lin Ting looked from Lu Jinglin to Shang Moting.

Both of their complexions were dark and ashen, and the looks in their eyes... Qi Qingyuan's departure from this world probably wasn't far off.

"Wow," Lin Ting said, breaking the silence.

Mu Yunsheng lowered her head, unable to hold back a soft chuckle.

Qi Qingyuan received two murderous glares and instantly became well-behaved.

She immediately sat back down on the sofa, playing the ostrich and pretending she did not exist at all.

Lin Ting smiled and placed her hand gently over the back of Shang Moting's hand.

Shang Moting withdrew his gaze and looked down at her.

Lin Ting whispered, "Don't scare her anymore."

"Should I scare you instead?" Shang Moting raised an eyebrow.

Lin Ting: "......Let's stick to scaring her. I'm faint of heart and don't handle being scared well."

Shang Moting let out a low chuckle.

Lin Ting gave a soft huff and leaned back into the sofa.

The moment she leaned back, a flash of red light caught the corner of her eye.

Lin Ting turned her head.

The flashing red light was coming from the choker around Mu Yunsheng's neck.

It was a very exquisite diamond choker, but it was actually...

A tracking device.

This kind of tracker... made of a very special material, once fastened, could not be forcibly removed without a key, a fingerprint, or a password.

It was simply decorated on the outside to look entirely pretty and harmless.

Lin Ting raised her eyes and met Lu Jinglin's gaze.

Her glance had not lingered on Mu Yunsheng for very long.

Yet Lu Jinglin, acting as though he kept a constant, vigilant watch over Mu Yunsheng at every single moment, had immediately noticed Lin Ting's observation.

Lin Ting locked eyes with him for two seconds, then calmly looked away.

This Lu family... possessed far too many secrets.