CHAPTER 536: CHAPTER 536: A HICKEY ON THE NECK

Yan Xinxin hadn’t even taken a single bite of food when she heard this response, and suddenly felt her stomach was full.

Lu Chenxue turned her bright eyes, puzzled.

Chuxi?

Was that the same Chuxi who was walking with Xinxin just now?

That would mean... Young Master Mo?

This woman is Young Master Mo’s ex-girlfriend?

Lu Chenxue looked at her with a mixture of shock and doubt.

In Ancheng, everyone knew of Mo Chuxi’s existence, but they’d also heard of this aristocratic young man’s near total disinterest in dealing with women.

He was like a traveler brushing past a thousand flowers, not one petal clinging to him.

No scandals, no rumors—well, except for that one fleeting rumor with Mu Qianshui, which he had quickly and thoroughly extinguished.

An ex-girlfriend?

Since when did Young Master Mo have an ex-girlfriend?

"I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Chuxi’s college classmate, my name is Jian Ziqing. You can call me Sadie."

Yan Xinxin nodded lightly, showing no faith in this so-called ex-girlfriend declaration.

"Hello, I’m Yan Xinxin."

"Xinxin?"

The woman couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Your name is... a bit simple."

"Well, with how deep city folks’ schemes run these days, isn’t it better to keep things simple?"

Lu Chenxue couldn’t resist chiming in.

Honestly, she found this Jian Ziqing woman’s tone to be rather mocking.

Jian Ziqing gave Lu Chenxue a faint, ambiguous smile, then shifted her gaze back to Yan Xinxin.

Her eyes roamed over Yan Xinxin’s figure, sharp enough to catch sight of a faint mark on her neck just behind her long hair—a love bite.

She paused briefly before speaking again.

"Are you here with Chuxi to participate as a staff member in the jewelry design competition? I’m guessing you two were discussing work just now?"

"You guessed it right. Xinxin is indeed one of the participants in the jewelry design competition. But she’s not just any staff member—she’s..."

"So Lady Yan is really here for the competition,"

Jian Ziqing cut off Lu Chenxue midsentence.

She seemed to be smiling casually, as if unintentionally, while handing over a shimmering gold business card.

"I’m a special guest judge for this competition. Since Lady Yan is Chuxi’s friend, if you have any questions about the contest, feel free to ask me anytime. You’re always welcome."

She placed the business card down without waiting to see if Yan Xinxin wanted it, then rose from her seat.

"Pardon me. I just remembered I have something to take care of, so I won’t be eating anymore. I’ll leave it to you to finish my share—wasting food is never good."

As she spoke, Jian Ziqing got up and casually flipped her long, wavy hair over her shoulder.

Lu Chenxue watched Jian Ziqing’s retreating figure and set down her knife and fork with an expression of pure disgust.

"Is this woman poisonous or what?!"

She griped.

"Flipping her hair as she leaves, then telling us to clean up her leftovers? What kind of logic is that!"

Yan Xinxin listened calmly, picking up the business card.

Senior jewelry design appraiser.

Jian Ziqing?

This name... it was the first time she’d heard of it in the industry.

Logically speaking, all the judges invited to a competition of this scale should be reputable and well-known in the field. Yet this Jian Ziqing—she had truly never heard of her before.

"Xinxin, why don’t we grab something to eat outside? We can go over your submission for the preliminary round while we’re at it."

Yan Xinxin nodded.

"Alright, let’s go eat outside!"

She stood up as she spoke, but the moment she turned around, she was met with a towering wall of flesh.

Startled, Yan Xinxin quickly stepped back, nearly losing her balance. Before she could fall, a man’s arm swiftly reached out, wrapping around her waist and pulling her into his chest.

The scent was unfamiliar.

Without hesitating and before she could even get a clear look at the person, she immediately shoved the man away.

But it was in this fleeting moment she felt a sudden chill down her spine.