Transformation

Bai Meixin's face paled, as though Su Qiao had said something terribly hurtful to her.

"Big Sister," she mumbled, looking weakly between Su Qiao and Lin Zizhou…oh, and even Lin Zixun wasn't spared her piteous gaze. "You've misunderstood Big Brother Lin, dad asked him for a favour to fetch me to the company this morning, since it's my first day working here…"

Su Qiao blinked in faux innocence. "What have I misunderstood? I merely said this seemed like such a coincidence, I certainly wasn't implying that Big Brother Lin was too busy to drive the additional mile to our house just to give you a lift or anything." She tried not to smile when she heard Lin Zixun chortle.

Why had she been so image-conscious in the past? Didn't it feel good to be able to speak her mind? Sure, she would get into trouble for it and if word got out her haters would twist this into another 'oh look Su Qiao's throwing her weight around again by bullying newbies' incident. But being honest had its perks. At least she was now able to enjoy Bai Meixin's stunned expression.

Lin Zizhou's frown deepened. "Su Qiao," he said. "Watch your tone."

"Oh? I wasn't aware that there was something wrong with my tone, Little Lin Zong," she retorted lightly, using that title that she knew he detested on purpose. It made him feel like he was living in his brother's shadow, always second-place. She was more than happy to remind him of the fact.

As predicted, Lin Zizhou's expression darkened as she heard Lin Zixun let out a low whistle.

Ah, well. So much for keeping subtle. The company's gossip mill was going to be working overtime. By tomorrow, she was certain that everyone would be talking about how Little Red Flower Su Qiao bumped into her new stepsister in the lift. With their CEO. And how Su Qiao started behaving like a catty bitch, while the CEO's older brother and their ultimate boss had first-class seats to the whole spectacle.

Su Qiao stepped aside from the door magnanimously. "Please don't let me keep Little Lin Zong from his packed schedule," she said. "Your private lift is right there, you'd forgive me if I don't escort you over. I'm sure my little sister would be more than happy to follow you to your office though." She placed a coy hand over her mouth and gazed at him with false repentance like she'd accidentally said something wrong. "To sign her new contract, of course, I wasn't implying anything else."

Bai Meixin chewed on her lower lip. She really looked too much like an angel, Su Qiao mused with a sigh. Was this what Peng Lili called the 'protagonist halo'? Bai Meixin's skin seemed to glow with an ethereal light. Her beautiful eyes looked like there were whole universes in them and when she looked helpless like this, even Su Qiao wanted to wrap her up in sisterly affection and comfort her. Could Lin Zizhou even be blamed for falling for her?

Yes, yes he could. Nothing excused cheating, even if it was just still emotional infidelity for now.

"Big Sister, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to make you fight with—"

"Wait, hold it," Su Qiao interrupted. "Meixin, you're an internet celebrity right?"

"H-huh?"

Bai Meixin couldn't keep up with the sudden change in topic but Su Qiao explained herself with patience.

"I remember, you're a famous influencer with your food, makeup and lifestyle channel. How cute." She patted Bai Meixin on the head like she was 10 instead of 20. "But Meixin, this means you're not that familiar with the acting industry yet, so maybe I'll just give you some tips now so that no one can say this big sister isn't taking care of you!"

With a laugh, Su Qiao pointed at Lin Zizhou, Bai Meixin, Lin Zixun, and then herself. "No matter what this looks like to all the eavesdroppers at the moment," Su Qiao announced, "you, me, and these two gentlemen from the Lin Family aren't acting out a scene in a dog-blood drama where we all need to overreact in a melodramatic way."

She shifted her hand down to tap on Bai Meixin's smooth, rosy cheek. Ah, she was so jealous. She actually had to take care of her complexion for it to look as naturally flawless as it was. "So save those tears of yours for your first casting audition and stop holding up the lift queue, other people are trying to get to work too, Little Sister."

Without waiting for a reply, she pushed past Bai Meixin and Lin Zizhou to enter the lift. Between her vicious mouth and Little CEO Lin's thundercloud face, no one else dared to follow her in.

Well, almost no one else.

The lift doors closed and Su Qiao raised an eyebrow at Lin Zixun, who didn't press any lift buttons of his own.

"Lin Zong is planning on taking the emergency stairs to the CEO's office floor?" she asked.

Lin Zixun hummed noncommittally. "What? If my brother can coincidentally take the same lift as your sister, I can't enjoy the same privileges with you?"

Su Qiao laughed despite herself. "I'm afraid Lin Zong is just afraid that the world would not be chaotic enough."

"Do I seem like that sort of person to Ms Su?"

Su Qiao didn't know. She couldn't say. This was her second life and even with the benefit of hindsight, the person that she found hardest to read was still Lin Zixun. Despite his relaxed manners and his debonair airs, there was something inscrutable about him that made her wonder what he was really like underneath this flippant facade of his.

It seemed like Lin Zixun really was jobless enough to accompany her to the door of her private makeup studio just for the hell of it. He gave her a careless wave after she went in, before disappearing towards the…he really was taking the stairs?

She didn't know what to say anymore. The CEO's office was on the 50th floor, which was a whole twenty-plus flights of stairs to go. Not to mention—

With a loud shrill cry, the exit alarm on the emergency exit door went off. Su Qiao cringed and covered her ears. Lin Zixun didn't come here often enough so perhaps he'd missed the memo about how employees shouldn't use the stairs except in the case of fires or a bombing. But couldn't he read all the signs on the stupid door?!

An equally frazzled Max Lao came bursting through the doors half a minute later, his slick ponytail coming undone with how fast he'd bolted down on the corridor to try and avoid the full impact of the noise.

"Which moron used the emergency stairs?!" he yelled, trying to be heard over the din.

Su Qiao decided wisely to hold her tongue. She wasn't going to be the one badmouthing the acting CEO of Lin Conglomerate, even if this might only be temporary until his father got out of the hospital. Even then, it was a toss-up on whether Old CEO Lin would be able to wrestle his position back from his son, especially when Lin Zixun's grandfather, the current Chairman of the conglomerate, favoured his oldest grandson.

Ah, what a complicated family. Not like the Su's, who just had Su Qiao waiting for her inheritance. Oh, and Bai Meixin too now, of course.

Bai Meixin. White Rose Heart. Should just change her name to Bai Lianxin, White Lotus Heart. It would be so much more accurate.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you spacing out in front of me?" Max Lao snapped his fingers in front of Su Qiao's face and clicked his tongue in impatience.

Su Qiao blinked at him.

"Your PA called and sold her soul to the devil to squeeze you in this afternoon. You'd better appreciate it, you know I'm usually fully booked for months."

Su Qiao knew. She also appreciated Max Lao, and not just because he'd refused to style Bai Meixin for the red carpet on more than one occasion. It had affected his career but he had stubbornly insisted that he didn't care to dress up a 'poor imitation'.

He'd been the only person who thought Bai Meixin was copying Su Qiao, not the other way around.

Su Qiao lowered her gaze so Max Lao couldn't see her eyes redden.

"I want to change my image," she said decisively.

"Oh?" He stuck a mirror in front of her face. "What part of your current styling do you not like?"

What didn't Su Qiao like? Everything. She took in her long straight black hair, her princess bangs, the sweet and innocent makeup she'd done for herself by reflex this morning. Everything all the way down to her baby doll lower eyelash extensions and the blush in her under-eye area displeased her. Not to mention all the white and pastels that filled her walk-in wardrobe. Or all the lace and chiffon.

"I don't like all of it," she decided. She was beautiful but she was trying to be something she wasn't. She'd thought that this was what was expected of her. As a 'Bai Fu Mei', which was the slang used to describe girls from wealthy families who were fair and beautiful, she'd behaved graciously towards everyone and tried to be fair and just. She'd also taken pride in dressing conservatively and innocently because she'd foolishly believed that if she'd tried more daring outfits she would embarrass her family.

It turned out that it didn't matter. She'd been a disappointment anyway. Might as well try living the life she wanted.

"I don't like it either," Max Lao said suddenly and Su Qiao looked up at him in surprise, her sadness all but forgotten.

"You don't?" she asked incredulously. "But you're the one who styled me like this!"

Max Lao rolled his eyes. "As per the instructions of your company," he said. "But trust me, Qiaoqiao. You're a far better canvas than they give you credit for. This girl next door…wait, this young lady next mansion gate vibe you've got going on? It's not the best you can do."

A frisson of excitement ran through Su Qiao. "What do you recommend then?" she asked.

Max rubbed his hands with glee. "I recommend a complete 180 degrees change."