4

Chu Han excitedly waved Lu Huan over. “Come on! Ride with me in my hot red sports car!”

Lu Huan glanced at the flashy red vehicle and swallowed nervously. “You… have a license?”

She wasn’t about to get in a car with someone who couldn’t legally drive.

Chu Han was about to roll her eyes when she remembered Lu Huan had lost her memory. She sighed and explained, “I got my license when I turned eighteen, okay?”

That reassured Lu Huan.

She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt, still a little uneasy. “Just don’t speed.”

Chu Han: “…”

The traffic was crawling—it was rush hour after all—and they ended up stuck for almost half an hour without moving.

As the car idled, Chu Han glanced over at Lu Huan and casually asked, “By the way, what was up with that Ye Sangsang girl earlier? Why did she call you ‘sister’?”

Her expression turned sour. “And why were you so nice to her? You used to hate her guts!”

In the novel, everything had been told from Ye Sangsang’s point of view. It had only briefly mentioned that the original Lu Huan didn’t like her, but hadn’t gone into much detail about why—or what kind of drama had gone down between them.

Lu Huan replied calmly, “Oh, I forgot to tell you—she’s my sister now.”

“What???”

“To be precise, she’s the real Lu family heiress. I was the fake one.”

Chu Han stared at her, stunned. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

The Lu family had only discovered the daughter mix-up about half a month ago—right when Chu Han was still vacationing abroad. So it made sense she hadn’t heard about it yet.

Lu Huan briefly explained everything that had happened, and by the end of it, Chu Han looked like her eyeballs were about to pop out.

“That’s insane! What era are we even living in? How does something as ridiculous as swapping babies at birth still happen these days?”

Lu Huan let out a helpless sigh.

Well, what could she say? This was a melodramatic novel, after all.

If you wanted to hook readers, you needed a tragic and over-the-top backstory.

Everyone only ever saw Ye Sangsang as the poor, pitiful one—but no one remembered that Lu Huan was a victim too.

Heaven on Earth. Just the name alone screamed money, indulgence, and excess.

Apparently, it was also the place where Ye Sangsang and Chu Jun had that night together.

Lu Huan glanced up at the golden, gaudy sign over the entrance, still processing what it meant—only to be suddenly yanked inside by Chu Han, who dragged her by the arm without warning.

The first floor was an opulent lounge; the private rooms for partying and dining were all upstairs.

Everyone who came here had money—a lot of it—and it wasn’t unusual for a single night to cost a small fortune.

Yang Zi and his crew had already claimed a booth and were halfway into a drinking game, loud and lively. Most of them were tipsy already.

When he saw Chu Han walk in arm-in-arm with someone, Yang Zi blinked, clearly not recognizing Lu Huan at first. The girl in front of him was fresh-faced and stunning—way more attractive than he remembered.

His interest visibly spiked, and he shot Chu Han a wink.

“Who’s this beauty you brought with you?”

Lu Huan didn’t recognize Yang Zi either, so she greeted him politely, “Hi, I’m Lu Huan.”

“Lu Huan?”

Just looking at Lu Huan’s innocent, fresh face, Yang Zi couldn’t immediately connect her to the Lu Huan he knew. He grinned slyly, “Nice name. Little Lu, you look kinda familiar… Have we met somewhere before?”

Yang Zi was the type to be overly friendly right off the bat, calling her “Little Lu” with a chuckle.

Just as Yang Zi was about to introduce himself properly and straighten his collar, Chu Han kicked him hard.

“Open your damn eyes! This is Huanhuan!”

Chu Han’s kick wasn’t gentle. Yang Zi nearly dropped to his knees, clutching his shin and groaning in pain—yet he couldn’t hide his shock. Squinting uncertainly, he asked, “Sis Huan?”

Everyone suddenly turned to look at Lu Huan, their faces full of surprise.

Wait—this is Lu Huan?

Lu Huan had seen how the original version of herself looked—edgy and totally different. She figured it was no wonder they didn’t recognize her now.

She calmly accepted their stares and said, “It’s me.”

Yang Zi, having finally survived the pain, took a closer look. Yep, she looked just like the Lu Huan he remembered.

“Wow! No wonder you looked so familiar. It is Sis Huan! Sorry, my bad!”

Chu Han pulled Lu Huan down into a seat, and just then Yang Zi poured some drinks.

“You two are half an hour late. You gotta punish yourselves with three shots each!”

Chu Han was straightforward—downed all three shots without flinching.

Yang Zi then poured a glass for Lu Huan.

“Your turn, Sis Huan!”

Lu Huan wasn’t a light drinker and figured three beers wouldn’t be a big deal.

But just as the glass was about to reach her hand, Chu Han snatched it away.

“Huanhuan just got over being sick—she can’t drink.”

“Right, right!” Yang Zi quickly chimed in. “Then what about this drink?”

“I’ll drink it for her!”

Chu Han downed three shots in a row like it was nothing. Yang Zi clicked his tongue, impressed, and gave a thumbs-up.

“Sis Chu’s got guts, that’s for sure.”

“I’m telling you all—Huanhuan’s got amnesia. So don’t go picking on her!”

“What? Amnesia?”

The group’s curiosity instantly zeroed in on Lu Huan at the explosive news.

The original Lu Huan had hung out with these people a lot—they all knew about the drowning incident, but no one knew she’d lost her memory.

Lu Huan remained calm and open, letting them study her. Sure, her features looked somewhat familiar.

Yang Zi blinked, then leaned in with his head tilted, “Sis Huan, do you remember me?”

Lu Huan shook her head, “No, I don’t.”

“We’ve known each other for years! You really don’t remember me?” Yang Zi panicked a little, scooting closer and pointing to his face—eyes, nose, mouth—“Take a good look. Don’t you feel anything? Remember me now?”

Since she truly had amnesia, she naturally didn’t recognize the original Lu Huan’s friends.

She pressed her lips together and leaned back slightly, putting some space between herself and Yang Zi.

Smack! A sharp slap landed right on Yang Zi’s forehead, echoing loudly. Chu Han, clearly annoyed, grabbed Lu Huan’s arm and snapped, “Go away. Huanhuan doesn’t even remember me—there’s no way she’d remember you!”

Yang Zi rubbed his forehead, grimacing in pain.

“Sis Chu, that was a bit much! You trying to give me brain damage so I’ll marry you or what?”

“Ugh! You’re ugly, but your imagination’s running wild!”

They bickered back and forth for a while, until Lu Huan finally calmed them down.

Since Lu Huan had amnesia, everyone reintroduced themselves all over again.

From Chu Han, Lu Huan learned that the original Lu Huan had always hung out with them, but their relationships were just so-so.

The original “Miss Lu” had a spoiled temper and a sharp tongue. They tolerated her mostly because she liked to keep up appearances—and always paid for everything when they hung out.

This wasn’t friendship at all; they were just using her as a walking ATM.

Lu Huan silently thought how foolish the original must have been.

Now that they’d invited her, she figured they were probably expecting her to foot the bill again.

Despite that, the mood was lively, and everyone soon got into the spirit of the games.

Chu Han dragged her into one game after another—from Truth or Dare to King’s Game—the challenges only got more daring.

Lu Huan got lucky; she hadn’t drunk much.

The “Heaven on Earth” club’s second floor was all private rooms—only the top-tier VIPs were allowed inside.

The soundproofing was excellent; inside the rooms, none of the noise and chaos from outside could be heard.

In a luxurious, brightly lit private room, two men sat facing each other across a low coffee table.

One was Chu Jun, the male lead of this story. The other was the man Lu Huan had accidentally bumped into earlier that afternoon.

Chu Jun’s gaze fixed on the man before him—fair-skinned, sharply defined features, deep, dark eyes, dressed all in black, exuding an aura of restrained intensity.

This was none other than Gu Zhendong, the enigmatic eldest son of the Gu family.

There were countless rumors about Gu Zhendong. Some said he was ruthless, having taken control of the entire Gu Corporation at a young age, known for his decisive and uncompromising style.

Others whispered that he was frail and bedridden for years, with death seemingly looming at any moment.

…

Chu Jun never would have imagined that Gu Zhendong would seek him out—and, even more surprisingly, propose a partnership.

The Chu and Gu families had never crossed paths before, and the elusive eldest son of the Gu family rarely appeared in public—very few had ever seen his true face.

Now, seeing Gu Zhendong in person, Chu Jun studied him carefully. His complexion was indeed somewhat pale, but beyond that, there was little else to note.

Though only a few years older, Gu Zhendong carried himself with the bearing of an entire generation ahead, his presence so imposing that Chu Jun found it hard to match his energy.

Straightening up, Chu Jun gathered his thoughts and resumed discussing the details of their proposed collaboration with Gu Zhendong.

It had to be said—Gu Zhendong had a sharp eye. He immediately identified the plot of land in the southern district as a prime investment opportunity.

Even though the Gu family could easily have claimed the land for themselves, Gu Zhendong had deliberately sought Chu Jun’s involvement.

This was a big opportunity for the Chu Corporation. Regardless of Gu Zhendong’s true intentions, Chu Jun wasn’t about to let this project slip away easily.

As the discussion wrapped up, Chu Jun exhaled in relief. “Mr. Gu, I have a question I’d like to ask.”

Without Chu Jun needing to voice it, Gu Zhendong already understood what was on his mind.

Taking a drag from his cigarette, Gu Zhendong said, “I’ve heard that, at such a young age, you’ve single-handedly taken charge of the Chu Corporation. I truly admire your capabilities.”

Chu Jun had managed the company flawlessly over the years, steadily growing its success.

Hearing those words, Chu Jun immediately thought of a powerful alliance.

Feeling more confident, he said, “Mr. Gu, here’s to a successful partnership.”

With the deal settled, the weight on his chest finally lifted.

As Chu Jun stepped out of the private room, his secretary hurried over, whispering in his ear, “I think I saw Miss downstairs—she seemed to be with Miss Lu.”

The secretary wasn’t entirely sure if the woman he spotted was Lu Huan, only catching a glimpse of her profile and noticing Chu Han warmly holding her arm and calling her “Huan.”

A shadow crossed Chu Jun’s face. “Where? Take me there.”

It was that Lu Huan again.

He had warned his own sister about her long ago, saying Lu Huan was not to be trusted—but she never listened.

Downstairs, Lu Huan and Chu Han were having a great time.

The rules of the King’s Game were simple: everyone draws a playing card, and the last person to draw the king becomes the “king,” who can command someone to complete a challenge.

Unluckily for Lu Huan, she drew the king and had to fulfill the challenge.

Her challenger was a girl who eyed Lu Huan’s fresh makeup and natural beauty with envy and decided to make things difficult.

“Confess to a guy and get his contact information!” she dared.

=^_^=