The system let out a disbelieving scream.
“Impossible! That’s impossible! How could the Male Lead speak up for you? Didn’t he already forget about you?!”
“You troublemaker—beep—”
Over on the other side, when Jiang Yuan heard Ming Jing speak on behalf of the ungrateful girl, his expression stiffened slightly. However, he quickly leaned back against the sofa and crossed his legs.
Admittedly, the girl was exceptionally beautiful. But if she could not be subdued, there was little point in pursuing her.
Since Ming Jing had taken the initiative to ask for her, Jiang Yuan decided to do him a favor. It would make him appear generous while also serving his own plans. If he could use her to damage Ming Jing’s reputation, that would be even better.
As a businessman, he weighed the advantages and disadvantages almost instantly.
Thinking this, Jiang Yuan’s dark expression eased somewhat. The interest in his eyes toward Xiao Yao faded, and he even deliberately left space for Ming Jing and Xiao Yao. Raising a hand, he dismissed the others before calmly standing up and straightening his clothes. A hypocritical smile appeared on his face.
“Since Young President Ming has spoken, it would be inappropriate for me, as the elder brother here, to continue making things difficult for her.”
He looked at Xiao Yao and said coldly,
“Why are you still standing there? Go keep Young President Ming company.”
Only then did Xiao Yao move.
The moment she obeyed, however, it felt as though Jiang Yuan’s dignity had been trampled underfoot. His face twitched, the hostility between his brows deepening. Too annoyed to maintain even basic courtesy, he turned and strode out, slamming the door behind him.
The system had no idea why the plot had collapsed like this.
This was originally supposed to be the scene where the Male Lead and Female Lead fell in love at first sight. Even if the Male Lead chose someone, he should have chosen the cute, kind Female Lead who had already fallen for him—not this gloomy, timid, isolated, and villainous cannon fodder.
The worst part was that Xiao Yao had muted it.
All it could do was watch helplessly as the plot raced further and further off course.
After the loud bang of the closing door, silence filled the private room.
Ming Jing raised his eyes and finally studied the girl standing before him.
Their previous meeting had been a month ago.
In truth, he had recognized her the moment she entered with the crowd. Earlier, he had only pretended not to know her.
After seeing a face like hers, it was impossible to forget.
Today she wore a black-and-white maid outfit. With her slender waist, long legs, twin ponytails, and cool, beautiful face, the outfit did not seem out of place at all.
If anything…
It made her seem somewhat cute.
Ming Jing was not a man easily captivated by beauty.
He also knew that tonight was a trap Jiang Yuan had prepared for him.
Yet he had still spoken up.
There were almost certainly Jiang Yuan’s people outside, and there might even be hidden cameras in the room. Since he had chosen to keep her, he needed to put on a convincing performance.
Lowering his eyes, Ming Jing considered how to explain the situation to the young supporting character.
Before he could decide what to say, he felt the sofa beside him sink slightly.
Turning instinctively, he saw the girl’s lowered eyelashes and the stubborn, restrained expression on her beautiful face.
He paused.
Wanting to explain, he remembered they might be monitored and remained silent.
His silence only made the atmosphere more awkward.
The girl lowered her head and offered him a drink.
Ming Jing accepted.
The two remained seated together in an uneasy silence.
As time passed, Ming Jing gradually appeared affected by the alcohol.
Xiao Yao studied him thoughtfully.
Her goal tonight had never changed.
She had no Female Lead halo. She did not know when she would next encounter the Male Lead. Therefore, she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain evidence of him in an embarrassing state and complete part of her cannon-fodder storyline.
In a certain sense, her objective was not entirely different from Jiang Yuan’s.
…
Later, Ming Jing appeared increasingly tired and leaned back against the sofa to rest.
The system, finally released from its mute state, immediately erupted.
“What did you do to the Male Lead?! How can a cannon fodder character even get this close to the Male Lead?!”
Xiao Yao replied calmly,
“He agreed to stay here.”
“I don’t believe it!”
The system nearly broke down.
Xiao Yao ignored it.
Just as she prepared to take a photo of the apparently intoxicated Male Lead, she suddenly remembered that all electronic devices had been confiscated before they entered.
With no other option, she turned to the system.
The system instantly became wary.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Xiao Yao sighed.
“Fine. Then all my effort tonight was wasted. I’ll just have to find another opportunity next time.”
The system immediately panicked.
“No! Absolutely not!”
In order to prevent further complications, it reluctantly provided a solution.
There was a hidden camera installed by Jiang Yuan inside the room. The system extracted a still image from it, removed Xiao Yao from the frame, and then conveniently damaged the remaining recordings.
Protecting the Male Lead was everyone’s responsibility.
After obtaining the photograph, Xiao Yao glanced back at the young man on the sofa.
He remained in the same position as before, seemingly asleep.
Quietly, she stood and slipped out of the room.
When the sound of the door closing echoed through the room, the handsome young man slowly lowered the arm that had been covering his eyes.
The room felt strangely empty.
Ming Jing lowered his gaze.
This was their second meeting.
And he still did not know her name.