My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

An understated Lexus cruised along the elevated highway. Betraying the car’s sturdy exterior and conservative style, the driver was a woman.

What’s more, she was a woman in a white business suit.

The Kyoto night was calm, a sea of lights from countless homes below, the roads woven with streams of traffic.

Zhou Cha, who was usually so busy she’d never been off work at this hour, was driving with her best friend, heading for a celebrated restaurant.

It was a rare day off for her.

"That surgeon is amazing. You can’t get an appointment with him without connections. He’s the one who did my father-in-law’s surgery a few years ago. His case was pretty similar to your husband’s, but for Dr. Ji, it was no problem at all. You can relax," said her best friend from the passenger seat, preening in the mirror.

"As long as he’s reliable. Once we get through this, I can go back to focusing on work."

"He’s absolutely reliable! But when the time comes, will you be taking time off to look after him, or...?"

"I’ll have my mother-in-law come over then."

"That works. The recovery period isn’t that long. Have her come over, and she can take the opportunity to do some sightseeing in Kyoto."

"Yes. They all know I’m busy, and my mother-in-law is very understanding about it. She offered to come before I even had to ask," Zhou Cha said, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"Well, you’re the breadwinner of the family. How else could you have bought a house in Kyoto before you turned thirty? But seriously, now that you’ve got the house, when are you planning on having a kid? You’re already past the prime childbearing age."

"Maybe in the next year or two... You know, the past few years were a critical time for my career," Zhou Cha sighed. "I just couldn’t think about getting pregnant."

Zhou Cha was the famous secretary to the chairman of the Jiang Corporation. She had held the position for many years and was a top graduate from the management program at Tokyo University.

Now, she had taken special leave from work for the sake of her husband’s health.

During a recent physical, her husband had been diagnosed with a cirsoid angioma. It was an uncommon condition, much more difficult to remove than a typical angioma. They usually grow on arteries, carrying a high risk of massive blood loss during surgery.

Endlessly worried, Zhou Cha had pulled strings everywhere to find a trustworthy specialist. She and her friend had discussed it countless times, and today, Zhou Cha was driving her friend to a dinner party, using the time on the road to talk it over.

When women get together, the conversation inevitably drifts to a few topics, mostly family and children. They chatted so much along the way that they arrived at their destination before they knew it.

"We’re here. This is the restaurant."

"In that case, I’ll stay in the car. You go on ahead. The day after tomorrow, I’ll take my husband to see the specialist. Just help me get in touch with them beforehand."

"Oh no, you’re coming in. Why do you think I had you drive me to this dinner? The person who organized tonight’s get-together is Zhai Jinyu. That specialist? He’s her uncle. I went through her to get my appointment back then, too."

"The gathering is today? Here in this restaurant?"

"Yes. Just come with me. I’ve already told her all about you."

"Alright then... But I came empty-handed."

"It’s fine. You can bring a little something when you meet her privately later. Just think of today as making a new friend."

With that settled, they both got out of the car and walked hand in hand into the restaurant, heading for Jiangnan Chun on the third floor.

Before they even entered the private room, they could hear a chorus of light, feminine laughter from the doorway. The atmosphere inside sounded lively.

Her best friend took Zhou Cha’s hand and pushed the door open.

"What are you all talking about? We could hear you laughing all the way outside!"

"Oh, Miss Xue, what took you so long? We’ve been waiting for nearly an hour! We’re already a few drinks in."

"Ai, I could only slip away after getting the kids to bed... Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you. This is my good friend, Zhou Cha. I’ve mentioned her to you all before."

Hearing her friend introduce her, Zhou Cha quickly nodded and smiled at everyone. She glanced around the room. There were seven or eight women in total, seated around a large table.

Upon seeing her, someone perceptive immediately made room and offered up a seat.

"I’ve heard of her! The top secretary at the Jiang Corporation!"

"It’s an honor to finally meet you. Secretary Zhou, I’ve wanted to get to know you for ages. Please, have a seat."

"Let me introduce you. This is Zhai Jinyu. Her husband is our district’s deputy chief, and she’s pretty much the big sister of our group."

Hearing this, Zhou Cha dared not be slight. She hurried over to shake hands and offer greetings. After another round of pleasantries and flattery, she finally took her seat.

’The world of adults was so disingenuous. You had to pretend to be closer than blood sisters with people you’d never met, trading hypocritical compliments until your face was stiff from smiling.’

Fortunately, after so many years as a chairman’s secretary, Zhou Cha had seen her share of grand occasions. A scene like this was well within her abilities. With just a few well-chosen words, she bridged the gap with the other women and joined the conversation.

To her left sat a beautiful woman with long, wavy hair, and to her right was her own best friend.

"Now, where were we?" Zhai Jinyu asked. She turned and pushed a dish toward Zhou Cha. "Here, try this braised shark fin. It’s delicious."

"Thank you. It smelled wonderful."

"We were just talking about Jiangg Ruxue. Her company’s about to be finished. Just you all wait and watch the show," the woman with the long, wavy hair beside her suddenly interjected.

Zhou Cha’s outstretched chopsticks froze mid-air. Her expression stiffened as she glanced over, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

What an incredible coincidence.

Sitting at the same table, to Zhou Cha’s left, was the fashionable Ran Lingxuan. She had once been the marketing manager for Meiruxue Company before being poached over two years ago. Now, she had quit that other job, moved to Kyoto, and just so happened to run into Zhou Cha here.

Their paths should never have crossed.

"All the better if she’s finished," Zhai Jinyu chimed in. "I met Jiangg Ruxue years ago, back when my husband was in Mingzhu City. That woman is not a good person. She made a lasting impression on me. I haven’t seen her once since coming to Kyoto."

"What are you all talking about?" Zhou Cha’s best friend asked curiously, picking up some food with her chopsticks.

"Oh, it’s about how my boss and a few other companies are getting ready to carve up Meiruxue Company’s market share. To be honest, that company has been rotten to the core for ages. They’re constantly funneling money in just to cover their deficits. From the top, they’re cheating investors with fraudulent books; at the bottom, they’re behind on paying their employees. They’ve had several beauty treatment accidents, too—their products have ruined a lot of people’s faces, and they’ve spent a fortune to make it all go away."

"Oh! I’ve heard of that company! I went to one of their beauty salon branches a few years back. Their prices were a total rip-off, and when it shut down, they still owed me more than three thousand in membership fees!"

"Exactly. For this May 18th big sale, our companies pulled out of the competition, deliberately giving Jiangg Ruxue’s channels a clear run. The sales-streamers she hired this week have certainly been making a killing," Ran Lingxuan said, lowering her voice. "But we’ve already made arrangements. We’re going to rally all the past victims and sue her for defective products. We’ll force her to produce her testing certificates, which won’t stand up to any scrutiny. The moment they investigate, it’ll all blow up. I’ve even contacted people within the company. When the time comes, the employees will stage a collective protest and sue her for unpaid wages."

"In that case, it’ll be a miracle if Meiruxue Company doesn’t collapse this time."

"It should’ve gone under long ago. I know the inside story. They’re just barely hanging on right now. She’s counting on this big sale to stage a comeback, but in reality, their products have testing issues and shouldn’t even be sold. A crooked company like that should have vanished ages ago."

Ran Lingxuan sneered as she spoke, as if she could already envision the massive drama that would unfold in just a few days.

And Zhou Cha, the more she heard, the more stunned she became.

’This was a trap that had been laid for Meiruxue Company for over two years.’