Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"That dress is beautiful, it suits you perfectly," Zuo Qinghuan said as she held up the dress to Li Xin's body, assessing how it looked.

"It really is. I think it suits me too. I'll go try it on," Li Xin replied, taking the dress and heading toward the fitting room. She and Zuo Qinghuan were birds of a feather, sharing similar interests and professions — seducing wealthy people and becoming their mistresses. The only difference was that Li Xin's target was a woman, a married one, while Zuo Qinghuan's was a man, a married man.

While Li Xin tried on the dress, Zuo Qinghuan continued browsing through the clothes. When she looked up again, she saw Li Xin had already come out of the fitting room, and as expected, the dress suited her perfectly. Her figure was flawless — those long, shapely legs, and that alluring back were irresistible. A mischievous thought crossed Zuo Qinghuan's mind, and she decided to play a prank on Li Xin. Sneaking up behind her, she suddenly embraced the woman and teasingly slid her hand down her thigh. "So beautiful... maybe I should switch teams and start liking women," she joked.

The woman stiffened in surprise, instinctively wanting to shake off whoever was hugging her. But then she realized it was a woman, so Qin Wanshu suppressed her urge to throw Zuo Qinghuan over her shoulder and turned around with displeasure.

Zuo Qinghuan was shocked when she saw the woman's face — it wasn't Li Xin. Recognizing her, she awkwardly froze for a moment.

Just then, Li Xin emerged from the fitting room. She saw Zuo Qinghuan hugging another woman who was wearing the same outfit as her, and Zuo's hand was still on the woman's thigh. The whole scene was bizarre, and to top it off, the woman Zuo was hugging was stunning. Li Xin had always thought that she and Zuo Qinghuan were exceptional beauties, but this woman outshone both of them. Beautiful women are common, but a woman with beauty and grace combined is rare. If she wasn't attracted to women herself, Li Xin might have felt a pang of jealousy.

Qin Wanshu glanced at Li Xin and seemed to understand the situation. However, the woman holding her should have realized her mistake and let go, rather than just standing there dumbfounded. Qin could feel the heat from Zuo Qinghuan's hand on her thigh, and it made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Miss, would you mind…" Qin Wanshu said, making it clear she was waiting for Zuo to let go.

"My apologies, I mistook you for someone else," Zuo Qinghuan said with an embarrassed smile, quickly releasing her hold on Qin Wanshu.

"No problem." Qin Wanshu smiled faintly, then turned to the fitting room to change out of the dress.

"You were staring at her like you've fallen for her. Did you?" Li Xin teased.

"Her photos were already stunning, but in person, she's even more beautiful," Zuo Qinghuan admitted genuinely. The woman had a charm she had never encountered before.

"You know her?" Li Xin asked, surprised.

As Qin Wanshu stepped out of the changing room, Zuo Qinghuan, having regained her composure, smiled at her without answering Li Xin's question.

Qin Wanshu noticed something meaningful in Zuo Qinghuan's gaze. Did this woman know her? Clearly, she didn't recognize Zuo. Returning the smile politely, Qin Wanshu took out her credit card to pay. As she did, she felt the two women's eyes still on her, but she remained calm, completed the transaction, and left.

"How do you know her?" Li Xin's curiosity was piqued. Qin Wanshu, with her air of refinement, didn't seem to be in the same league as them. Li Xin knew that no matter how many designer clothes they wore, certain inherent qualities couldn't be changed. But Qin Wanshu was different — she clearly belonged to a higher class.

"I don't know her personally, but I know her husband. She's the wife of my benefactor," Zuo Qinghuan replied softly, watching Qin Wanshu's figure disappear into the distance.

Li Xin's jaw dropped. "And you're not jealous?" She knew how she felt whenever she saw her lover's husband — she'd gladly break that man's legs if she could.

Zuo Qinghuan smiled dismissively. "If I were the jealous type, I wouldn't be with Han Shibin."

"You're heartless!" Li Xin said with a mix of disdain and envy. Deep down, she admired Zuo Qinghuan's detachment — it was what made her a true winner. Li Xin had already lost too much by getting emotionally involved. The woman who provided for her treated her like a kept bird but would never give up anything for her.

Zuo Qinghuan didn't respond. In a way, Li Xin was right — she was heartless.

"But still, that woman is absolutely stunning. Why would Han Shibin cheat when he's got someone like her at home?" Li Xin couldn't understand.

"Who knows? As far as I know, Han Shibin truly loves that woman, Qin Wanshu." Zuo Qinghuan shrugged. She had been with Han for three years now. Did Qin Wanshu have any idea?

"He truly loves her, yet he cheats? Either men are just scum, or…" Li Xin trailed off with a suggestive grin toward Zuo Qinghuan.

"What?" Zuo Qinghuan raised an eyebrow. Truthfully, she didn't understand Han Shibin's behavior either. He was so protective of Qin Wanshu, perhaps even more than Qin herself realized. But to love someone and still keep a mistress — Zuo couldn't quite grasp that kind of love.

"Do you think maybe she's frigid?" Li Xin suggested, her grin growing more mischievous.

"Frigid…" Zuo Qinghuan repeated softly. It wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. Still, it didn't seem right to associate someone as elegant as Qin Wanshu with something like that. But then again, with a body that perfect, such a beautiful face, and a fragrance so intoxicating, it would be a shame if she were. Zuo suddenly realized her thoughts were as perverse as Li Xin's.

Li Xin had the stereotypical "mistress look" — her face seemed to broadcast her role to the world. With her sultry, upturned eyes, seductive body, and revealing clothes, nine out of ten men would want to take her as a mistress the moment they saw her. She hated how men always ogled her like flies to a pile of dung.

Li Xin had liked women since she was young. In kindergarten, she liked the girl sitting next to her. In elementary school, it was the class leader. In middle school, it was an upperclassman, and in college, a female professor. After graduating, she became someone's mistress. Her romantic history was filled with ups and downs — she fell in love quickly and moved on just as fast, never staying with anyone for more than six months. But this time was different. It had been five years, and she was still content being a woman's mistress. Li Xin knew she had truly fallen this time, and there was no turning back.

Zuo Qinghuan, on the other hand, looked pure and innocent, like an ethereal beauty straight out of a novel, someone who appeared to be above worldly desires. People who didn't know her would think she was some saint, full of compassion. But no one would guess that beneath her serene appearance, Zuo Qinghuan was a cold-hearted mistress, indifferent to everything, never donating even a penny to charity. Her favorite scenes in dramas were when an evil mother-in-law tormented the daughter-in-law or when a cruel character tortured the heroine. She found those scenes oddly satisfying. When they watched movies together, Li Xin would cry her eyes out, while Zuo Qinghuan would laugh joyously. After all, they were both mistresses, occasionally favored but with plenty of time to shop, pamper themselves at the spa, or paint their nails. When bored, they'd get together to watch movies or soap operas.

Zuo Qinghuan never talked about her past, and Li Xin never asked. If someone doesn't speak about their past, it must be because there are things they cannot easily share. Li Xin understood this well.