[But… this wasn’t in the plot]
[Tsk, the plot didn’t have Zhou Yue coming to tell me all this nonsense either],
So inflexible. If I just follow the plot bit by bit, it’ll take forever to complete the mission.
166 was bewildered. You could do it this way?
The warning alarm didn’t sound, which meant it should be acceptable as long as I didn’t break my persona.
It didn’t have all the complicated human thoughts. Once it figured it out, it actively cooperated: [Then let’s advance the later Plot Points while we’re at it.]
Jiang Qiao: [?]
[Advance the encounter with the second male lead.]
Jiang Qiao: [……………] Now you’re getting it.
[We’re here.] 166’s electronic voice overlapped with the cooing meows of a kitten.
Jiang Qiao stopped walking, momentarily stunned. She turned her head and saw a beautiful calico cat sprawled on the wooden steps, meowing.
A young man around twenty years old walked out of the shop, pretending to be angry as he cleared his throat and pointed at the kitten. “What are you meowing for? If this were spring, you’d be even worse. You’re getting out of hand…”
“Meow~”
Young man: [……………] Jiang Qiao couldn’t help but laugh: [This is the pitiful second male lead?]
What kind of talk was that.
166 retorted: [Your family’s bankruptcy is connected to him. Who told you to offend the female lead?]
The female lead halo wasn’t just for show. Although she came from a tragic background, her suitors were each more capable than the last.
Jiang Chao, the female lead’s childhood friend who was actually the illegitimate son of a wealthy family, was lying low here after concealing his talents. He fell in love with the kind and beautiful female lead,
But unfortunately, the female lead already had someone she liked. He could only retreat sadly, and instead became the guardian of her love.
To ensure the female lead’s happiness, he returned to his wealthy family and orchestrated the Jiang family’s bankruptcy, rescuing the male lead from Jiang Qiao’s forced love.
Clap, clap. Jiang Qiao applauded in amazement at this great, selfless view of love.
“Shopkeeper, I want to ask about someone.”
The girl’s tone was spoiled. Jiang Chao frowned almost imperceptibly, holding the kitten as he turned to look in the direction of the voice.
Against the bluish-grey wall, trumpet creepers bloomed wildly and boldly. The girl stood beneath the flowers, her high ponytail swaying as she slightly lifted her chin. Her beautiful features still carried a hint of youthfulness, enough to foresee her future stunning beauty.
He was only momentarily dazed before returning to normal: “I’m not very familiar with the people here. You can ask someone else.”
If she asked someone else, how would she advance the plot?
Jiang Qiao didn’t care what he said: “Song Qingying, do you know her? Her family lives around here.”
At this time, Jiang Chao didn’t like Song Qingying yet—he only saw her as a younger sister. From Jiang Qiao, he learned that Song Qingying was getting close to another boy named Lu Xun.
Jiang Chao remained expressionless: “Are you her classmate?”
“Yes!” Jiang Qiao answered without any guilt.
“She’s attending school and doesn’t live at home.”
“I know.” Jiang Qiao said impatiently, “Just tell me where her family lives.”
Her ill intentions were obvious. Jiang Chao’s expression cooled: “Sorry, I can’t tell you that.”
“You!” After all, Jiang Qiao was just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. No matter how spoiled and unreasonable she was, she still had thin skin. Hearing this, she became angry: “Fine, don’t tell me then.”
There was more than one shop here. She could just ask someone else.
She walked into another shop. The shopkeeper, seeing she was a pretty young girl, happily told her and even came out to point the way.
Jiang Chao still stood on the steps in front of his shop. Before leaving, Jiang Qiao triumphantly raised an eyebrow at him—the meaning was clear: If you won’t tell me, someone else will.
The beautiful yet willful girl tossed her head and walked away, her high ponytail swaying through the air.
After passing through a sparsely populated alley, Jiang Qiao stopped in front of a house. The small, single-story home showed its age, with a red wooden door flanked by several blooming flowers. It was clear the owner took good care of them—someone who loved life.
This wasn’t what Jiang Qiao had expected.
Just as she was about to knock, the door opened from the inside.
The middle-aged woman, not yet forty, had raised her daughter alone. Her delicate face bore the marks of time, and Song Qingying resembled her closely.
Jiang Qiao had come straight from school, still in her uniform, the school emblem prominently displayed on one side.
Seeing a classmate show up at her doorstep during school hours, the woman’s expression shifted from confusion to faint anxiety. “Are you Yingying’s classmate? Did something happen to her at school?”
“……No.”
Jiang Qiao was an orphan and had never experienced parental love. Because she hadn’t, she didn’t quite understand it.
The worry and concern on the woman’s face were too obvious. For a moment, strange emotions flickered in Jiang Qiao’s heart, and the vicious words she had planned to say stuck in her throat.
Hearing that her daughter was fine, the woman relaxed slightly, still puzzled. “Then you…”
“Wrong house,” Jiang Qiao lied casually.
How could someone mistakenly end up right at someone’s doorstep?
The woman eyed her suspiciously. If Jiang Qiao tried to explain further, it would ruin her persona.
She smiled faintly, still undecided about whether to leave outright, when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone striding quickly toward the end of the alley.
That Lu Xun would come looking for her was something Jiang Qiao hadn’t anticipated. She followed behind him for a few minutes, her emotions shifting from initial surprise to rising anger.
Lu Xun, tall and long-legged, paid no attention to her feelings, walking so fast that Jiang Qiao had to jog to keep up. Frustrated, she simply crouched where she was, both anxious and furious. “Lu Xun, stop right there!”
She watched as Lu Xun halted, turned sideways, and cast an icy gaze toward her.
Jiang Qiao refused to back down, stubbornly meeting his eyes until hers ached from the effort. Only then did Lu Xun leisurely approach, looking down at her crouched form.
“Get up,” he said, his tone unreadable.
“No,” Jiang Qiao pressed further. “You pull me up.”
She unceremoniously thrust out her hand, just as she had willfully demanded he carry her to the infirmary a few days prior.
Lu Xun’s lips twitched slightly, but his hands remained at his sides, unmoving, showing no intention of helping her up.
Jiang Qiao’s legs grew numb from crouching, and with a hint of grievance, she stood up on her own.
The two stood facing each other. Lu Xun ignored her leg-rubbing entirely. “Had enough fun, young lady?””
Jiang Qiao paused. Clearly, Lu Xun thought she had come today to cause trouble for Song Qingying.
And that was indeed the case, though she hadn’t actually done anything harmful. But Lu Xun didn’t need to know that.
“Not yet,” Jiang Qiao said deliberately. “Today was just a warning. If she dares cling to you again, I’ll have someone smash up her house.”
She stepped closer to Lu Xun, tilting her head to stare up at his handsome yet excessively cold face. A sudden, inexplicable itch stirred in her heart. “Lu Xun, if you want to protect her, fine. Then be with me.”Outwardly, she maintained a calm, threatening demeanor, but her palms grew damp with tension.”
[System 166 went haywire with garbled code, expressing its shock at the plot’s rapid development.]
Lu Xun watched her quietly, his dark eyes profound. Even faced with such coercive words, he showed no trace of embarrassment.
Jiang Qiao felt inexplicably uneasy, forcing herself to meet his gaze. Even she didn’t realize her eyes had unconsciously taken on a pleading look.
“If you stay with me, I’ll let her go,” she repeated, then added after a moment’s thought, “Otherwise, I’ll smash up your house too.”