Star Lake was the largest urban lake in the capital of Tiannan, covering an area of more than three hundred thousand square meters.
Surrounding Star Lake was not only the capital's most bustling commercial street, but tucked within the grounds were also numerous elegant restaurants boasting picturesque views.
Pinweiju was one of them.
Standing four stories tall with a total floor area of no less than two thousand square meters, the establishment was built in a classical architectural style. It enjoyed a stellar reputation throughout the Tiannan capital, and booking a table was no easy feat for ordinary people.
As the general manager of Xingyu International Hotel, Su Yaoyu was well-accustomed to entertaining guests and mingling in high-end circles. Earning a handsome annual salary of five to six hundred thousand yuan, securing a private dining room here naturally presented no difficulty for her.
When she arrived with Yaoguang, two young girls were already waiting inside.
Upon seeing them, Su Yaoyu made the introductions. "These are Yaoshuang and Yaoqin."
She then turned to the girls. "This is your older brother, Yaoguang."
"Brother Yaoguang," Su Yaoshuang said, rising to her feet and greeting him with polite courtesy.
Su Yaoqin, on the other hand, was engrossed in her phone. She glanced up at him briefly, uttered not a word, and returned to tapping on her screen.
These two...
Su Yaoshuang wore glasses and styled her hair in twintails, complemented by meticulously applied makeup. She appeared sweet, obedient, and thoroughly charming.
Su Yaoqin, meanwhile, had straight blunt bangs that hid half her face, keeping herself tucked behind a curtain of hair adorned with an assortment of hair clips. The look exuded an edgy, alternative aesthetic that belonged entirely outside the mainstream.
Both were sixteen and attended a renowned private academy in the capital where annual tuition ran in the hundreds of thousands.
Yaoguang nodded in response to Su Yaoshuang's polite greeting.
As for Su Yaoqin, he paid her no mind.
Su Yaoyu, however, knitted her brows. "Yaoqin, put your phone away."
Yet Su Yaoqin did not even raise her head, completely ignoring her sister's words.
"Yaoxue will be here any minute. Remember what she told you? If she catches you playing on your phone during a meal again, she'll smash it on the spot. You'd better put it away right now," Su Yaoyu warned.
Su Yaoxue's authority evidently far surpassed that of the eldest sister.
"We haven't even started eating yet," Su Yaoqin muttered, reluctantly putting the device away.
Even so, her eyes remained unfocused as she sat there in a daze.
Su Yaoshuang, maintaining her sweet and sensible persona, took the initiative to turn the lazy Susan. "Brother Yaoguang, would you like a soft drink or something alcoholic?"
"I'll take care of it," Su Yaoyu said.
"All right," Su Yaoshuang answered obediently, sitting with her back ramrod straight.
She carried herself as the picture of a proper lady.
Yaoguang cast a glance at her.
Somehow, he felt she seemed even less normal than Su Yaoqin.
"We're family. There's no need to be so stiff," Su Yaoyu said gently.
"That won't do, Sister. A girl must always mind her image and present her finest self. It isn't just a sign of respect for others; it's basic social etiquette." As Su Yaoshuang spoke, she looked toward Su Yaoyu. "Your makeup isn't quite right today, Sister. With your features and bone structure, if you highlighted your under-eye line a bit, it would soften your look considerably..."
"I have to work," Su Yaoyu said helplessly. "Besides, you're a student. Who told you to wear makeup every single day?"
"Sister, as I said, it's basic social etiquette." Su Yaoshuang took off her glasses with a faint smile. "Wearing glasses is just my way of acknowledging my status as a student."
Yaoguang looked the sisters over.
Thanks to the Su family's good genetics and the playboy Su Huaifeng's discerning taste in women, none of the three daughters were lacking in looks.
Su Yaoshuang in particular—flawlessly made up, dressed to perfection, and radiating youthful vitality—was an absolute eye-catcher.
Moreover, every single gesture of hers was deliberate, blending a ladylike demeanor with a conscious display of feminine charm.
These were hardly traits a sixteen-year-old girl ought to be cultivating.
"How are their grades?" Yaoguang asked in the tone of an older relative.
"Yaoshuang is consistently in the top five of her class and top thirty in her grade. As for Yaoqin..." Su Yaoyu trailed off with a shake of her head.
Evidently, the younger one was hopeless on that front.
"Please don't worry, Brother Yaoguang. An outstanding young woman shouldn't just focus on looks, poise, and manners; inner substance is just as essential. Good character and strong academic performance are valuable assets too, so I never slack off when it's time to study," Su Yaoshuang explained with a gentle smile, casually brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead.
Every subtle movement was calculated to exude cute, feminine appeal.
"Don't you find it exhausting?" Yaoguang asked.
"Is there anything in this world that isn't exhausting? If we hold ourselves to high standards, we naturally have to shoulder the effort those standards require, don't we?" Su Yaoshuang countered.
Hearing this, Yaoguang found it somewhat reasonable.
Su Yaoyu, however, was at a loss for words. "You just enjoy the thrill of watching your male classmates blush when they hand you love letters... We're family here, drop the act."
"That's why I'm telling you, Sister—you have such great natural features, so why don't you showcase your charm at work too? There's a poem I love: 'You stand on the bridge looking at the scenery; the person viewing the scenery watches you from the balcony. The bright moon decorates your window; you decorate someone else's dream.' When you dress up nicely, you become a lovely part of someone else's life. Isn't that a form of mutual enrichment?" Su Yaoshuang said.
"Enough already. Stop spouting your green-tea nonsense, it's nauseating," Su Yaoqin muttered from the side, unable to listen any longer.
"If you took the trouble to dress up properly, Little Sister, you could make the school popularity rankings just like me," Su Yaoshuang replied with a light chuckle.
Su Yaoqin made no effort to conceal her disgust. "Showing off your body and playing coy—do you have any idea how many people at school can't stand you? Keep this up, and mark my words, one day you're going to get yourself assaulted."
"Yaoqin!" Su Yaoyu snapped sternly. "How can a young girl talk like that?"
"What era are we living in? Is there no free speech anymore?" Su Yaoqin scoffed, though she did not press the argument further with Su Yaoyu.
Yaoguang looked back and forth between the two of them.
This...
They really were far from normal.
Still, considering how their father, Su Huaifeng, conducted himself on a daily basis, it was hardly a surprise.
The apple didn't fall far from the tree.
It was quite remarkable that Su Yaoyu had turned out so upright.
He wondered what kind of person the yet-to-arrive Su Yaoxue would prove to be.
Almost the moment the thought crossed his mind, a clamor of raised voices broke out outside the room.
"Your brother can't find anyone willing to take him, and you blame others for that?"
"Times change! Do you honestly think your Su family is what it used to be? If our Ye family hadn't been smoothing things over behind the scenes, do you think Old Master Yue would have spared a second glance for a bunch of merchants reeking of filthy lucre? Let me tell you: your Su family is nothing more than a fat sheep fattened for slaughter right now! Everyone's just waiting for the right moment to throw you into the pot!"
"All thanks to your Ye family? What brazen nerve! If your Ye family is so mighty, why haven't you ascended to heaven already?"
"What business is this of the Ran family? You loose little tramp, seducing every man you lay eyes on! No wonder you hang around Su Yaoxue all day!"
"If I attract men, that only proves my charm—which is far more than can be said for an unwanted spinster like you, Ye Ziyi!"
"Ran Qiu, what insolent nerve! Even your family elders wouldn't dare speak to me like that..."
Inside the private dining room, Su Yaoyu listened for a moment before her face abruptly paled.
"It's Yaoxue and Ye Ziyi."
Even as the words left her mouth, she hurried out the door.
Su Yaoshuang and Su Yaoqin followed close behind.
Yet their attitudes were completely different.
Su Yaoshuang was going to watch the drama unfold.
Su Yaoqin, on the other hand, was genuinely worried.
Seeing all three of them leave in a hurry, Yaoguang had no choice but to stand up as well.
"Born to parents who never bothered to raise you..."
He pushed open the door of the private room.
Right by the second-floor stairwell, a young woman wearing a white dress, sporting straight bangs, long black hair, and an otherwise ladylike appearance had her sleeves rolled up to reveal a tattoo on her forearm. She was locked in a heated shoving match with a woman dressed in jeans and an androgynous outfit.
Each side had another person trying to pull them apart.
Not far from the scuffle, several onlookers were watching with amused interest, looking as though they were enjoying a street performance.
"Stop! Break it up!" Su Yaoyu called out in alarm.
"Oh, don't spoil the fun," a woman in a red dress among the onlookers said with a laugh. "Things are just getting lively—why stop now? Ye Ziyi, put some muscle into it. Strip their clothes off, and whatever favor you asked of me is considered done."
Hearing that, Ye Ziyi, who was currently grappling with Ran Qiu and Su Yaoxue, visibly perked up, and her movements instantly grew much more violent.
Chapter 36