Chapter 22: Then You All Line Up First

WeChat was initially positioned as an instant-messaging app.

But as broadband infrastructure developed and smart devices rapidly evolved, WeChat began transforming from a communication app into a social platform.

From Shake It, Drift Bottle, and People Nearby in its early days to the later launch of Moments, link sharing, and other features, WeChat gradually began encroaching on every corner of people’s daily lives.

By 2013, in developed cities like Shangnan, both WeChat’s usage rate and the amount of time people spent on it were already remarkably high.

Many young men and women who lay awake late at night would interact through Moments or People Nearby.

Then they would arrange to meet, have a few drinks, and so on.

If they hit it off, they might even book a room...

That was also why people had initially considered WeChat somewhat disreputable.

Girls like Fan Shushu and Luo Yuyan were especially devoted users.

So Luo Yuyan was certain that Fan Shushu would see the post she had shared on Moments.

What would Fan Shushu think when she saw Lu Yao appear on an NFA poster on Zhongshan Road? What kind of expression would she make?

Luo Yuyan knew Fan Shushu far too well.

Just imagining it was enough to make her giddy.

Bitch!

Back then, you couldn’t even be bothered with him. Now he’s far beyond your reach~

...

Late that night, inside a Michelin-starred restaurant in Shengzhou District.

Ever since Lu Yao had exposed the fragile friendship between her, Luo Yuyan, and Fang Chi to their faces, Fan Shushu had moved out of the dormitory and settled in Shengzhou District.

Although she had not severed contact with many people at school, it was only after leaving campus and immersing herself in work that she discovered how vast the world outside truly was.

The rules of society were also entirely different from what she had known before.

And so, her perspective gradually began to change.

As for Lu Yao?

He was already a thing of the past.

Although she admired his looks and recognized his potential, she had already eliminated him from her standards for a partner.

Sitting in that luxurious Michelin-starred restaurant, gazing through the spotless floor-to-ceiling windows at the neon-lit streets and endless stream of traffic outside, she realized that this was the kind of affluent, extravagant future she ought to have.

And the thoughtful expression on her face as she looked out the window was practically turning the trust-fund heir sitting across from her into an idiot.

Partway through the meal, the young heir got up to use the restroom.

Fan Shushu picked up her iPhone 5 and began scrolling through Moments.

It had become a habit.

She enjoyed piecing together the lives behind each photograph through people’s posts.

But then...

A gigantic poster hanging on a street in Zhongshan Road suddenly appeared on her screen.

And the person occupying the center of that enormous poster, almost like a celebrity, was none other than Lu Yao!

The memories she had nearly managed to bury leaped out at once, stabbing painfully into her nerves. Frowning, she stared at the photograph on her phone, her breathing thrown into disarray.

When the trust-fund heir returned from the restroom and saw her staring at her phone with a furrowed brow, he asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Fan Shushu came back to herself and forced a smile.

“Nothing. I just saw a poster of a friend on Zhongshan Road.”

“Oh, that one!”

The young heir frequented all sorts of bars himself, and immediately connected it to the recent changes on Zhongshan Road.

“那 NFA poster has been really popular lately. You actually know someone on it? Who is it?”

Fan Shushu paused before answering, “The one in the very middle.”

The young heir was startled.

“Wow! That’s impressive! I’m pretty close with the owner of NFA. Want me to show up and support him sometime?”

He was clearly trying to show off.

Fan Shushu thought it over, then nodded with a smile.

“Sure~”

...

News of Lu Yao’s upcoming debut performance at NFA spread like wildfire.

Although Sister Wang had already given Jian Xiaojie advance notice, Jian Xiaojie still went wild when she passed Zhongshan Road and saw Lu Yao on the gigantic poster.

“Ahhh, he’s so handsome! He’s got more style than half the celebrities out there!”

“Why did they schedule his debut for June 6? I can’t wait that long!”

“I’m going to become Lu Yao’s sugar mommy!”

“Sister Wang, please, please let me hang out with you guys just once! I’m begging you~~”

Ever since she had seen that enormous poster, Jian Xiaojie had acted like a madwoman, pestering Sister Wang all day long and throwing tantrums until Sister Wang was thoroughly exasperated.

But compared with Lu Yao’s debut, Sister Wang was more concerned about a certain stock: Fenda Technology.

On June 4, Fenda Technology and E Ink unveiled their first smart watch in Taipei.

Afterward, investment institutions scrambled to pursue the new star of the wearable-device industry.

Fenda Technology’s stock promptly opened at its daily trading limit.

Lu Yao had actually been right...

But how had he known?

Even someone as mature and sophisticated as Sister Wang had begun to find Lu Yao unfathomable.

When she thought back to the series of moves he had made after opening up to her, a hazy mist seemed to settle over him in her eyes—dazzling as neon light, yet impossible to grasp.

And the more mysterious he became...

The deeper she sank, unable to pull herself free.

A little-known fact:

Mystery often meant allure.

On the evening of June 6, Sister Wang dressed with great care and brought the long-restless Jian Xiaojie to NFA.

That night, NFA was packed with wealthy young men and glamorous heiresses.

When Sister Wang and Jian Xiaojie arrived together, they were both stunned by the incredibly long line outside the bar.

Even beautifully dressed women and sharply suited businessmen had no choice but to queue at the entrance.

Only guests with special reservations could enter ahead of the crowd under the escort of security.

Jian Xiaojie stuck out her tongue in amazement.

“Is this some kind of celebrity concert? This is ridiculous!”

Sister Wang remained composed.

“Don’t worry. Lu Yao saved us a table.”

She had messaged him when they were nearly there.

At that very moment, Fan Shushu and the trust-fund heir she had recently met were also struggling to wait their turn amid the crush of people.

It was humiliating for Fan Shushu, who thought highly of herself.

The young heir beside her kept trying to reassure her.

“It’s not usually like this, but NFA is unbelievably popular tonight. Even I couldn’t get a table in advance, despite knowing the owner.”

Fan Shushu managed a smile.

“It’s fine.”

After all, they were hardly the only respectable people standing in line.

She simply hadn’t expected NFA to be this packed.

Even less had she expected so many people to have come specifically for Lu Yao...

At that moment, something deep inside Fan Shushu seemed to waver ever so slightly.

As they waited anxiously in the long queue, she suddenly saw a familiar figure emerge from the fashionable, imposing entrance of NFA.

It was Xu Ziqiao.

The moment Xu Ziqiao came out, he hurried toward Sister Wang and Jian Xiaojie and led them inside.

Then, just as he turned around, he caught sight of Fan Shushu waiting in line.

Xu Ziqiao immediately walked over.

“Huh? What are you doing here?”

Fan Shushu’s expression became slightly unnatural.

“Oh, I came to hang out with a friend.”

Xu Ziqiao glanced at the man beside her and gave a knowing smile.

“Oh, Brother Donkey saved us a booth, so he sent me out to escort them in. As for you two...”

Xu Ziqiao looked over at the endless line.

Fan Shushu assumed he would take them inside as well.

Unexpectedly, after surveying the queue, Xu Ziqiao said, “You two keep waiting here. You should be able to get in after another half hour or so.”

With that, he turned around and walked off with Sister Wang and Jian Xiaojie.

Fan Shushu was left speechless.