GL My Goddess Best Friend’s Seduction (H) - Chapter 47

By the time I climbed on top, it suddenly struck me that this was the perfect opportunity to turn the tables.

How had I let myself get coaxed into this?

Sigh. What a blunder. I had let myself be swayed by Si Jingnian. Beauty really can be a dangerous thing.

On Sunday morning, I set my alarm for 7 AM. However, before it even rang, I had already woken up more than ten times. It was not because of my internal clock, but because I was just that nervous.

Technically, the gathering was at 2:30 PM, but I still nervously set my alarm for 7 AM. Breakfast, washing my hair, and doing my makeup all took a considerable amount of time.

Around noon, I asked Li Xian roughly how many people would be attending.

He said that including me and Si Jingnian, there would be about a dozen people.

Peaceful New Year: That many??

Li Xian: Please. That is not even everyone. Two of the group are in America and could not make it back. Otherwise, there would have been even more.

Peaceful New Year: My goodness. I am getting nervous. Would you believe I have social anxiety?

Li Xian: I do not believe you! With how quickly you warm up to people, there is no way. Wu Fei, who came with me last time, has an actual social phobia. She almost did not graduate from college because of it, but she only improved after working with me.

Li Xian: Do not worry. Everyone is friendly. Just like me.

I remembered how cold Wu Fei had looked when we met, and now I felt even more confused.

Peaceful New Year: Now I am more scared.

Li Xian: What are you scared of? You have Big Sis Si protecting you.

Peaceful New Year: That is true.

My heart felt warm and sweet. Suddenly, I was not that worried anymore.

At 1:30 in the afternoon, Si Jingnian drove us toward the XX Clubhouse.

It was my first time visiting a clubhouse, so I was feeling a bit on edge.

I asked Si Jingnian about the place and whether there would be any “special services.”

Si Jingnian glanced at me sideways and said that if I wanted that, then sure. But really, it was just a leisure spot.

At 2:20 PM, we arrived at a cluster of villas on the outskirts of the city. These villas were old European-style buildings, quite charming after recent renovations.

Si Jingnian handed the car keys to the clubhouse valet and accepted a little red token from him, which she tucked into her handbag. Then we walked in together.

I had looked the place up online. It used to be the consulate of a foreign country. After being abandoned, someone bought it and turned it into a private estate. Later, it was rented and repurposed as a private club.

We took the elevator and exited on the third floor. A hostess led us to the lounge. As soon as she opened the heavy wooden doors, a chorus of excited voices erupted from inside.

“Boss!”

“Boss Si!”

“Jingnian!”

It felt like a kindergarten class seeing their teacher walk in.

I looked around at the crowd but did not see Li Xian or Wu Fei. I could not tell which one was Lan Yun either.

Seven or eight dazzlingly attractive men and women swarmed around us. To be more precise, they crowded around Si Jingnian as we continued walking further into the room.

To make things even more ridiculous, once we were a few steps in, I noticed two massive red banners hanging on the back wall. Gold lettering on a bright red background practically blinded me.

“Warmly celebrating Boss Si’s return to our group.”

“Warmly celebrating Boss Si bringing home the beauty.”

This was far too over the top.

I looked at Si Jingnian in disbelief. She looked at me with helpless resignation. I finally understood why she did not enjoy attending these gatherings. These people were absolutely out of their minds.

Finally, Si Jingnian and I were seated closely together on a sofa. The others filled in the seats nearby and began chattering nonstop about how much they had missed her.

“Boss, it has been over three years. You really have a heart of stone, not contacting any of us,” said a guy with black-rimmed glasses.

“Come on, I have not seen her in over five years. And Boss, seriously? You never come to any of the get-togethers. When we message you on WeChat, your responses are so cold. I was getting frostbite!”

“Exactly. Every time it is just ‘oh,’ ‘hmm,’ ‘got it,’ ‘not coming.'”

Honestly, watching them interrogate Si Jingnian was kind of amusing, as long as they did not turn their attention to me.

But alas, peace never lasts long.

Si Jingnian gave them a standard reply. “You are all too noisy.”

“Oh come on, Boss Si, always scolding us the moment we meet. Maybe try reflecting on how cold you are first.”

“Yes, but it is nostalgic, being scolded by Boss Si.”

“I agree.”

“Me too.”

“Count me in as well.”

I was dumbfounded. Were they all secretly into being yelled at?

Before I could recover, all their wolf-like eyes turned on me. It was like a spotlight had snapped on. My heart trembled.

“Little sister, why do you not introduce yourself?”

“Yes, how did you and Boss Si meet?”

“I heard Boss Si chased after you for years. Is that true?”

I looked to Si Jingnian for help. She was about to speak when someone at the door cut her off.

“Exactly, sister, tell us about yourself.” A woman walked in, sultry and striking. Long curls cascaded over her bare shoulders, her figure both seductive and commanding. She radiated queen-like confidence. The moment I saw her, my instincts screamed danger, and the hairs on my arms stood up.

My gut told me that this must be Lan Yun.

The room temperature seemed to plummet. The noisy chatter died instantly.

I was nervous, just about to speak, when Si Jingnian reached for my hand and gently squeezed it. She was reassuring me.

“This is my girlfriend, An Xiaoyu,” Si Jingnian announced calmly, yet firmly. Just like that, this unfamiliar space and these aggressive strangers did not seem so scary anymore.

I had Si Jingnian.

“Xiaoyu does not like noise. Everyone, keep it down.”

I glanced at our interlaced fingers, at the now subdued faces around us, then at Lan Yun’s sour expression. I told myself that there was nothing to be afraid of. The goddess herself was holding my hand. I needed to stay calm.

Lan Yun strutted toward us in high heels, each step as graceful as a catwalk model, as if there were wind machines and music cued behind her. “Are you not going to introduce me?”

She raised a delicate brow and gazed flirtatiously at Si Jingnian.

Si Jingnian, acting as if she did not notice, began introducing everyone.

“This is Lan Yun, my graduate school classmate.”

Lan Yun gave me a smug, challenging smile and then glided to a seat in the corner.

“That is Wei Ziran, finance major,” said Si Jingnian. The guy with the glasses grinned goofily at me.

“That is Zhang Baobao, an art major.” A sharply dressed man gave a refined nod. “I do not paint anymore. I just went home to inherit the family business.”

“That is Yu Jia, a philosophy major.” She was the one who had complained about Si Jingnian’s one-word text replies.

“This is…”

After the introductions, Li Xian and Wu Fei finally arrived, casually strolling in.

Seeing familiar faces lifted my spirits.

Li Xian was undoubtedly the life of the party. The room visibly brightened with his arrival.

“Yo, Brother Xian is here!”

“Hey, Brother Xian!”

Li Xian grinned as he greeted everyone. Then, spotting the banners, he burst out laughing. “Who made those? Absolute genius.”

I hid behind Si Jingnian. I did not even want to look at those banners. Seriously, it was utterly insane.

Li Xian stepped into the crowd, puffed up his chest, and declared, “This brilliant lady, An Xiaoyu, is the only one who could bring your boss back here. You should all be thanking your sister-in-law.”

Everyone chimed in together, “Thank you, sister-in-law!”

In broad daylight, I felt so awkward. Were they about to present me with a banner too?

“But really,” Li Xian continued, “the one you truly need to thank is me, the matchmaker. Come on, thank your Brother Xian.”

Everyone shouted, “Thank you, Brother Xian!”

I noticed that Lan Yun never joined in.

After that bout of bragging, the group debated whether to play cards in the next room, watch a movie, or get a group massage.

They ended up choosing the card room, since it allowed for chatting.

There were thirteen of us. We decided to play Werewolf. Wu Fei sat at position one. She did not talk much or argue, but she was always wrongly voted out.

I nervously looked at my Seer card, planning to investigate Li Xian on the first night but I was killed off right away.

When giving my final words, I was completely dazed. Why was I the first one to die?

By the second night, I found out Lan Yun was one of the wolves. She probably killed me. The others would not have targeted me so quickly.

Si Jingnian poisoned Lan Yun that night. Bullseye.

She played the game with such high intelligence. Everything she said sounded believable, and even her lies sounded logical. I ended up wrongly voting with her multiple times.

Her friends were also very skilled. Only Wu Fei and I could not keep up. Wu Fei did not like talking. I just lacked the brainpower.

In the following rounds, I kept getting killed on the first night.

Lan Yun was always a wolf. Playing like that became boring very quickly.

We split into three groups to play Guandan instead. It turned into a tournament. People started placing bets and announcing extravagant prizes.

The final winners would receive a luxury European tour for two, a Patek Philippe watch, rare limited-edition sneakers, and more.

These people were on another level of extravagance.

By the way, the watch was provided by Lan Yun.

The tournament began with intense energy. Li Xian cursed his awful cards. Zhang Baobao groaned about misreading his hand. He thought he had 3-4-5-6-7, but it turned out to be 3-4-5-6-8.

I was nervous too. I did not want to embarrass Si Jingnian.

But whether it was luck or perfect synergy, Si Jingnian and I breezed through every round and made it to the finals.

Our final opponents would be either Lan Yun’s team or Wei Ziran’s team.

I prayed for Wei Ziran’s team. I would have preferred to avoid Lan Yun.

But fate had other plans. Lan Yun’s team won more quickly.

Everyone gathered around to watch the four of us battle it out. The room buzzed not only from the excitement of the tournament but also because of Lan Yun’s shifting glances. Sometimes she looked at me, and other times at Si Jingnian. Each glance carried its own distinct meaning.