Destined to be your fated partner

Two hours later.

Xia Yuqing was in her room, scrolling through her phone when a knock on her door broke the peaceful silence. "Come in," she called out. 

Housekeeper Xu entered the room, his expression polite but cautious. "Young Madam, there's a young lady downstairs. She says she's your best friend and would like to meet with you."

Xia Yuqing froze. Her best friend?

Immediately, a familiar, cheerful face popped into her mind, and she sneered. What was she doing here now? Didn't help when she needed it, and now she's showing up... probably to see if the pervert has done something to her, no doubt.

She opened her mouth to dismiss her, but then, with a resigned sigh, she raised an eyebrow. "Send her upstairs."

"Yes, Young Madam," Housekeeper Xu nodded and left.

A few minutes later, the door opened and an overly excited face appeared. Yan Rouxi bounced in, a smile plastered on her face. Xia Yuqing shot her a glance from the corner of her eye and snorted.

Someone's cheerful, even after not lifting a finger when I needed it... humph.

"Xia Yuqing, how are you?" Yan Rouxi chirped, dropping her handbag on the table and sitting on the bed like she owned the place. "You won't believe how anxious I was when I saw Lu Jinchen carrying you back. I was so worried I rushed over immediately!"

She blinked her eyes innocently, expecting praise as if saying, look what a great friend I am! 

Xia Yuqing swept her gaze over Yan Rouxi's perfectly styled hair, flawless makeup, and chic outfit. Raising an eyebrow, she sneered. "So 'rushing over' means turning a twenty-minute drive into two hours after doing all your make-up, hairstyle, and dress?"

Yan Rouxi pouted dramatically. "A girl's gotta look good. You never know when a chance encounter might happen!"

Xia Yuqing snorted, crossing her arms. "So did you have a chance encounter?"

"Of course not!" Yan Rouxi pouted even more, her expression sulking. "But hey, who's to say it won't happen? I want my own handsome man too, just like you. So, tell me, What happened? Did Lu Jinchen do something to you?"

"Why do you care?" Xia Yuqing glared at her, her face flushing with a mix of anger, embarrassment, and shame as she recalled the events.

Yan Rouxi narrowed her eyes with obvious curiosity, not buying the act. "C'mon, spill! Did he do something... perverted? Hmmm? Hmmm?"

Xia Yuqing stared at her, trying to fight the urge to laugh at how blatantly obvious she was being. "Why would I tell you? Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm your best friend!" Yan Rouxi said, as if that explanation should clear everything up.

"Then why didn't I see you rushing to be my 'best friend' when that man was carrying me away from your apartment?" Xia Yuqing's tone was flat, utterly unimpressed.

At this, Yan Rouxi blinked in wide-eyed innocence before flashing a sheepish grin. "But he's... The Lu Jinchen! How could you expect me, a poor little helpless girl, to fight against him?"

Poor little helpless girl? And she was the one calling herself that?

Xia Yuqing rolled her eyes. This girl didn't help her because she was busy enjoying the drama. Who was she fooling by acting innocent?

"But you know what?" Yan Rouxi brightened up as if her mood shift could erase all previous awkwardness. "You're SO lucky! Lu Jinchen is seriously so handsome! I nearly died when I saw him carrying you like a handsome male lead of a romance movie! Now, even if he turned out to be gay, I wouldn't mind…"

Xia Yuqing shot her a blank look. "Then why don't you just marry him and be his wife?"

Yan Rouxi burst out laughing, slapping the bed. "Hey, don't be ridiculous! Always remember the girl code! I can't go after my friend's husband! Besides," she leaned in, her voice dropping dramatically, "I want a real love story! I want my prince charming to come sweeping in on a horse, and then—bam!—we fall in love at first sight!"

Xia Yuqing shook her head. "You really need to stop reading those cheesy romance novels."

Yan Rouxi stuck out her tongue. "Don't jinx me! It's in my destiny to find a man who loves me so much, he'll do anything for me. Like... literally anything."

"Well, good for you," Xia Yuqing said, offering a half-hearted thumbs-up.

But Yan Rouxi wasn't done. Her eyes gleamed with mischief. "Speaking of love, I've got a little prediction for you. I'm 100% sure you're destined for a love you never even imagined. A love so big that someone will do anything to be with you."

Xia Yuqing stared at her, unimpressed.

Her? Love? Yeah, right. No, thanks.

"That's not going to happen," she muttered under her breath.

Yan Rouxi leaned forward, grinning. "How do you know? I'm telling you, I have a gift for these things. Trust in my abilities. You're destined for a love story. Maybe it's already started… maybe it's Lu Jinchen who is destined to be your fated partner."

Xia Yuqing recoiled, nearly choking on her own words. "That pervert?! No, thank you! I'll never fall in love with that man."

Yan Rouxi tilted her head, clearly perplexed. "Why? Is it because he looks like the emperor from your past life, but isn't? I thought you said never loved the emperor."

Xia Yuqing sighed slowly. "I don't love the emperor and neither do I want to love Lu Jinchen." 

Yan Rouxi's eyes widened. "But why? You are so lucky that in both lives you married the most handsome man, and yet you do not want to fall in love with them?" 

"Because I love my freedom more," she answered, "I want to live this life as a single, free woman."

Yan Rouxi sighed dramatically, as though witnessing a tragedy unfold. "You are one strange woman. Anyways does this mean you still want to divorce Lu Jinchen?"

Xia Yuqing looked at her flatly. "What do you mean 'still'? It's never changed. I'm getting a divorce, and you're going to help me. You'll get the papers ready, and I'll make him sign them tonight."

"Are you sure? Want to think it over for a few days?"

"No," Xia Yuqing replied, her tone firm. "Tonight, I'm going to be a free woman."

"Fine," Yan Rouxi sighed, surrendering.

Xia Yuqing paused, then added, "Oh, and by the way, I've thought about your offer, and I've decided to accept it."

Yan Rouxi's eyes widened. "Really? You'll work for my company as a reporter? That's amazing! We'll have so much fun!"

Xia Yuqing raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. "Well... not exactly as a reporter."

Yan Rouxi froze. "Then what?"

"A paparazzi."