No matter what she ate, everything tasted like wax to Tong Jingjing. She struggled to get through the meal.
When you are under someone else’s roof, putting on a sour face simply is not allowed.
So she did her best to conceal her emotions. After the meal, she sat and chatted for a while with Father Cen, Mother Cen, and Cen Sui. They talked about family trivialities, things like how her parents had been doing.
Later, Father Cen received a phone call and said he needed to go out for some work. Cen Sui also said she wanted to return to her room, and only then did Tong Jingjing finally have a chance to breathe.
Back in the guest room on the second floor where she was staying, the moment she stepped inside and closed the door, the expression on her face completely collapsed.
She walked over to the bed and sat down. Her face was dark, her brows knitted into a tight knot, feeling both aggrieved and frustrated.
She clearly held the novel’s plot in her hands and had been confident that everything was under her control, yet who would have expected that things had only just begun and her plans had already been completely disrupted by Cen Sui, leaving her to suffer such a humiliating setback.
She was a dignified university graduate with excellent grades, yet she was being told to stand behind a counter in a store and sell things?
Thinking of this, Tong Jingjing closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, then stomped heavily on the floor.
There was an empty space beneath the flooring, and a loud thud rang out.
After stomping her foot, she fell back onto the bed, trying to steady her breathing.
She lay there with her eyes closed for a while. Once her breaths had grown calmer, she suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. Picking up the phone beside her, she opened her contacts and directly called the entry labeled “Mom.”
The phone rang for nearly half a minute before it was finally answered.
A woman’s slightly hoarse voice came through the receiver. “Jingjing, have you arrived at your uncle’s house?”
Tong Jingjing held the phone, her gaze lowered to the floor. “I have, but Uncle suddenly changed his mind, and it made me feel really wronged.”
Her mother sounded curious as she asked, “What happened?”
Tong Jingjing sniffed, her voice trembling slightly, aggrieved and pitiful. “We had already agreed that I would enter the marketing department and learn from the department head, Director Wang. But Cen Sui suddenly jumped in out of nowhere and talked Uncle into changing his mind. Now he wants me to go to a store and stand behind the counter to sell things. I’m still his niece. After all these years, I only asked him for such a small favor, and he treats me like this?”
Hearing this, Mother Tong also felt stifled, a wave of discomfort rising in her chest.
She thought to herself that it really was different when someone wasn’t one’s own child; this kind of perfunctory brush-off was already too much.
When she was young, she married far from home and did not keep in close contact with her family. All these years, she had hardly ever asked her younger brother for anything.
Mother Tong took a deep breath and said angrily, “Since that’s the case, we don’t need to look at their faces. Jingjing, have a bit of backbone and find a job on your own. You were at least an outstanding student who received so many scholarships. How could you not find a good job?”
Speaking of which, her daughter had always been quite strong-willed. She did not know what had gotten into her this time.
But the moment Tong Jingjing heard this, panic rose in her heart. She quickly said, “Mom, I just felt wronged and wanted to vent to you. I also wanted to ask you to help me again, to talk to Uncle and see if he can let me enter the company. Working at a store counter is really too embarrassing.”
The original host was an outstanding student, but she was not. She had not studied computer science either.
She was around the same age as the original host, facing her own undergraduate graduation. She studied a liberal arts major and her grades were just average.
If she went out to look for a job, she could easily find a good one based on the original host’s résumé, but she herself understood nothing about computers and would not be able to do the work at all.
If she applied for jobs using her own résumé, she would only be able to get an ordinary position earning three to four thousand a month, and she would have to work like a dog.
No matter how she looked at it, it was better to use connections and enter her uncle’s company directly. It was always easier to enjoy the shade when leaning against a big tree.
Besides, her ambition went far beyond that. She planned to rely on her knowledge of the plot to obtain everything that belonged to Cen Sui.
After all, Cen Sui did not cherish those things anyway. Rather than letting them be wasted in her hands, it was better for her to have them.
Mother Tong could not understand. “They are treating you like this and you still want to go?”
Tong Jingjing hesitated for a moment before quickly saying, “Actually, Uncle meant well. He wants to train me, so he wants me to start from the bottom. He said that if I rise through the ranks this way, it will be natural, especially since my major is unrelated and I don’t understand anything yet.”
She had originally wanted Mother Tong to help her, but she had not expected that Mother Tong, just like her own daughter, had such a stubborn temperament.
Neither of them could stand even a hint of being looked down upon. Pride and dignity were more important to them than life itself.
Having her go back to ask Father Cen again was clearly impossible.
Mother Tong let out a sigh. “Jingjing, lately I really cannot understand you.”
A guilty feeling surged in Tong Jingjing’s heart. Afraid that continuing the conversation would expose her, she hurriedly said, “Mom, I was just venting a little. I will follow Uncle’s arrangements and work steadily and earnestly. Please go ahead with whatever you were doing.”
After saying that, Tong Jingjing hung up the phone, not giving her mother a chance to speak further.
She held her phone and lay back down again, taking a deep breath as she stared at the flower-shaped chandelier on the ceiling. Blinking, she thought to herself that no matter what, she had to keep her mindset steady and wait for the original plot to unfold.
*
Cen Sui returned to her room without playing on her phone or going back to sleep. She took out the Record of Treasures, which she had not finished reading the night before, and continued flipping through it.
The more she read, the more engrossed she became. The more engrossed she became, the itchier her heart and hands felt, wanting to hold something to play with.
So she read while rubbing the plush nose of her stuffed bunny.
She polished it until it shone.
When the light shifted, a glimmer flashed across it like starlight.
She did not go out again for the rest of the day, spending it all holed up in her room reading.
Of course, she did not let her family know she was reading this book, because she still could not be sure whether this book had originally been in their study or whether it was an extra reward that had appeared for her.
This question was a bit sensitive, and Cen Sui felt that she should not even try to probe it, so she simply read in secret.
She secretly read until evening, then went downstairs for dinner. After finishing dinner and taking a shower, she returned to her room and immediately pounced back onto the book.
The phone that was usually the first thing she held the moment she opened her eyes was left neglected today, cold and frosted over on its screen.
Even when messages came in, Cen Sui could not be bothered to unlock her phone and check, because she knew that at this stage of her life, nothing important would show up there.
*
In the slightly spacious and plain bedroom, shades of grey formed the dominant tone.
Among the few minimalist pieces of furniture, the two-meter-wide bed was the most eye-catching centerpiece.
Chen Yu had just finished showering. A faint mist clung to the ends of his hair, and the collar of his sleepwear hung slightly open. His entire demeanor was relaxed and alluring.
He walked over and sat down on the bench at the foot of the bed. Picking up the phone he had left there before showering, he opened WeChat for a glance and saw that Cen Sui still had not sent him any messages.
Alright.
It had been a full day and a half.
He stared at Cen Sui’s profile picture for a moment, then tapped into her Moments. He discovered that her latest post was still the one from last night.
Nine beautiful, exquisite photos, accompanied by two words: “Very happy.”
He opened Cen Sui’s selfie and stared at her, as if trying to determine whether she was genuinely happy or pretending.
His rational mind told him it was definitely fake, yet instinctively, he felt displeased.
Wasn’t she the one who said she could not live without him?
Wasn’t she the one who said she could only be happy when she was with him?
Heh…
Feeling annoyed for a while, he turned off the screen and tossed the phone onto the bench at the foot of the bed.
He got up and walked away, but after only a few steps, he turned back, picked up the phone again, and sent a message: 【What are you doing?】
He held the phone, waiting for Cen Sui to reply instantly.
She always did. She had never missed a single message from him, and every reply came immediately.
He had grown accustomed to this kind of treatment. Yet this time, he waited one second, two seconds, three seconds… a full minute, and still no reply came.
Chen Yu frowned at his phone, instinctively wondering if something was wrong with it.
A message from a group chat popped up, and he realized his phone was functioning perfectly fine, which made him even more irritated.
He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and let out a short, mocking laugh. So that woman must have read some kind of relationship guide or motivational nonsense and was trying to get his attention this way.
Fine. He wanted to see how long she could endure this little act.
With that thought, he intended to toss the phone aside again.
But before his fingers loosened, unable to fully suppress the discomfort in his chest, he sent another message: 【Are you angry?】
He had already taken the initiative to reach out and even offered her a step down. He thought she should be quick to accept it, right?
Yet he waited two full minutes while holding the phone, and still! No! Reply!
Chen Yu let out a disbelieving, angry laugh. With that simmering frustration, he opened his contacts.
His finger tapped on Cen Sui’s number, ready to call her, when he suddenly paused, realizing what he was doing. Why was he being so impatient?
After a brief moment, he steadied his emotions, turned off the phone screen, and tossed it back onto the bench at the foot of the bed.
There was no woman in this world who could truly make Chen Yu worry or dwell on her, and someone like Cen Sui, who had always chased after him, certainly could not.
Changing her hairstyle and clothes, posting a fake happy Moments photo, purposely not contacting him and ignoring him, and using such childish little tricks to try and make him feel captivated or restless?
These were things he could see through at a glance, so how could he possibly fall for them?
*
To help herself focus on reading, Cen Sui had set her phone to complete silent mode.
Even when she eventually fell asleep with her face buried in the pillow, she never once checked her phone. She did wake up once in the middle of the night, but only opened her eyes briefly and reached out for the remote control to turn off the light.
Monday was a regular school day, and Cen Sui was woken up by her alarm in the morning.
She reached out to turn off the clock on her bedside table, wanting to sleep a little longer. But then she remembered the grand goal she had set for this lifetime, so despite her sleepiness, she forced herself to get up.
She rose from bed looking exhausted and went to wash up. At the bathroom door, she happened to run into Tong Jingjing, who had just finished washing.
Cen Sui greeted her with a “Morning,” then instinctively said, “Even as a senior, you wake up this early?”
After speaking, she remembered something and quickly added, “Oh, right, you need to report to the company today.”
When Tong Jingjing heard this, she instantly felt as if she had taken ten thousand points of damage. Her face turned green in an instant.
Yes. Thanks to Cen Sui, she really did have to report to the store today.
Cen Sui had no intention of making things difficult for her on purpose. After speaking, she simply went into the bathroom to wash up.
After washing her face and applying skincare, she returned to her room to put on makeup and change clothes.
Cen Sui disliked having an en suite bathroom in her bedroom, so the bathroom that was originally attached to her room had long been converted into a walk-in closet.
The walk-in closet was filled entirely with the clothes she used to wear. Looking around, everything was either white or light pink, all gentle and simple in style or pure and girlish in fashion, which gave her a headache just from looking at them.
She raised a hand to rub her forehead, withdrew her gaze without choosing any outfit from the racks, and only went to her jewelry table to pick out a watch and a pair of earrings. After that, she stepped out and changed into the new clothes she had bought yesterday.
Once she finished changing her clothes and applying her makeup, her facial features were outlined even more delicately and stunningly.
She was naturally fair-skinned, and her features were as defined and picturesque as if they had been drawn.
In the past, in order to pursue the appearance of the girl-next-door, she had always tried every possible way to hide the natural brilliance of her features, desperately trying to match the gentle, understated look that Chen Yu preferred.
After finishing her makeup, Cen Sui looked at herself in the mirror and felt thoroughly satisfied.
This was the real her. Among any crowd, she would undoubtedly be the most eye-catching presence.
Her beauty was not mild or subtle. It struck directly and unmistakably before one’s eyes.
*
After finishing breakfast, the family driver drove Cen Sui to school.
The car stopped outside the south gate of the university. Cen Sui opened the door and stepped out, standing before a place so familiar to her that it could not possibly feel more familiar.
Her gaze swept over the four characters that read “Su’an University,” and the corners of her lips curved slightly.
In her heart, she thought, OK, it is time to deal with that dog of a male lead.