Chu Tianqing hung up the phone: "I feel like my own good cabbage has been rooted up by pigs?"
Shen Xinglan calmly added insult to injury: "And two pigs at that…"
System Subtitles appeared before both of them simultaneously—
【Chu Tianqing and Shen Xinglan exchanged a glance, and both let out sinister laughter at the same time.】
Chu Tianqing and Shen Xinglan immediately locked eyes.
"Hahahahaha!" Chu Tianqing made a valiant effort to produce a sinister laugh.
"Heh…" Shen Xinglan let out a perfunctory cold snort.
The System Subtitles continued scrolling—
【This time, the parent being called in, Chu Tianqing, decides to go along with her bestie. How could they miss the chance to watch her cheap niece make a fool of herself? They plan to thoroughly humiliate Lin Nanxi.】
As the subtitles finished scrolling, the system voice rang in both their ears—
【Hosts are required to proceed to the school immediately to complete the Plot Mission.】
"Mission's up—let me scarf down a few more bites." Chu Tianqing inhaled her spicy malatang at lightning speed, glanced at her watch, "And I still need to change clothes."
"If I hadn't come to find you today, we'd both be getting docked again." Shen Xinglan wiped her mouth with a tissue and simply stopped eating.
She wasn't really hungry anyway—just keeping Chu Tianqing company for a few bites.
Chu Tianqing stood up, cheeks stuffed like a hamster: "The friendship between villainous female supporting characters is true love too."
Shen Xinglan was two centimeters taller than Chu Tianqing, with a leaner frame, and the two shared a wardrobe.
They picked out two mature outfits from the closet, changed quickly, and slapped on some light makeup.
Chu Tianqing stepped back into those ten-centimeter combat boots, grabbed her platinum Birkin bag, and got ready to head to school.
She generously hailed a private car—no ride-sharing, no stinky budget rides.
With her bestie by her side, Chu Tianqing couldn't bear to make Shen Xinglan suffer alongside her.
And there was another reason—
Who knew whether after tonight's storyline, the pitiful remaining balances in their accounts would be wiped clean by the system?
On the way to school.
In the fresh, comfortable private car, Chu Tianqing and Shen Xinglan whispered to each other in the back seat.
She distinctly remembered that in the original text, Lin Nanxi being called in for "puppy love" was a much later plot point—it hadn't happened this early.
Throughout the entire high school period, even though Lin Nanxi and the F4 were all over eighteen, nothing improper had ever happened on campus.
And the second time parents were called in was because Lin Nanxi was found in the little grove with Gu Jingci, the leader of the F4, when a confession was discovered.
It definitely wasn't because Lin Nanxi was entangled with two boys that parents got called in?!
Based on the two boys' argument over the phone, Chu Tianqing deduced that the two guys suspected of "puppy love" with her niece were the only pair of twins in the F4—
Older brother Gu Jingci, younger brother Gu Jingheng.
Gu Jingci was the F1 of the F4 school heartthrob group—the core soul figure, with a forceful, domineering personality and an extremely strong need for control.
His younger brother Gu Jingheng, though nearly identical in height and looks, had a completely opposite personality—outwardly carefree and gentle as jade, but in truth a white-bread black-hearted schemer.
Chu Tianqing leaned close to her bestie's ear and whispered her complaint: "Straight into twin-sandwich romance literature? The damn system didn't even flag a deviation from the main storyline."
Shen Xinglan thought seriously: "My guess is that as long as the major romance lines between the female lead and the male leads don't change, it doesn't count as deviating from the main storyline."
Chu Tianqing was troubled: "We're supposed to be two vicious aunts going to watch our niece's drama and feast on the gossip, then kick her while she's down and make sure the whole school knows about it. I really don't want to play out this garbage plot…"
Shen Xinglan rested her fingertips on the back of Chu Tianqing's hand: "Qingqing, let's look past the plot to the essence. When two villainous female supporting characters go to make trouble for the female lead, what does the female lead gain?"
Chu Tianqing: "She gains the male lead's sympathy. Because the female lead is bullied by her vicious aunts, the male lead cherishes her even more."
Shen Xinglan: "Based on experience, the system only cares about results, not so much about the process…"
"So as long as we ensure the results match the original text, we're good?"
Chu Tianqing's big eyes darted around, and a plan immediately formed.
"Theoretically, yes, but right now we're relying on experience." Shen Xinglan pressed her lips together and said rigorously: "Experience is the least reliable thing. There's still a high chance of getting docked."
Chu Tianqing glanced at the balance on her phone—150 yuan left.
"All in, then." Chu Tianqing spent all 150 yuan on lottery tickets, manually zeroing out her account.
Shen Xinglan burst out laughing, shaking her head helplessly.
In front of her, Chu Tianqing always showed her childish side.
Shen Xinglan browsed the supermarket section of a food delivery app, picked out some snacks, instant noodles, and daily necessities that Chu Tianqing liked, spent the remaining 300 yuan in her account, and left a note for the delivery driver to leave the items at the villa's front door.
St. Alice's Noble Academy.
Chu Tianqing wasn't familiar with the campus layout—last time a Maybach had brought her, and the navigation had dropped her at the university division.
After registering at the front gate, security told them they could take a shortcut through the covered walkway to reach the high school division.
The high school division had its own gate access, requiring another registration, or else they'd have to walk several kilometers around the campus perimeter.
The two had just gone "all in" with their remaining balances, so they had no money left for another ride—they could only cut through the university division on foot.
The aristocratic academy's university campus was beautifully landscaped.
Exquisite gardens, elegant courtyards, and rustling tree shadows.
But what rang in Chu Tianqing and Shen Xinglan's ears was not the chorus of autumn insects.
Occasional "plop" sounds of water, soft "we're here," "Do you like the Emperor's soybean milk?" "Isn't it stylish!" "Is it good?" "Heavenly Bodhisattva soaring inside," "Bro, I can't take it anymore~"… all sorts of proper talk, endless.
Chu Tianqing often forgot that they had transmigrated into a Restricted-genre novel.
"Babe, don't you think this is ridiculous?" Chu Tianqing grabbed Shen Xinglan's hand.
Shen Xinglan's tone was calm: "What's wrong?"
"This is a Restricted-genre smut novel. Our niece didn't do anything, and she gets called in with her guardians just for being confessed to? That's making a mountain out of a molehill, isn't it?"
Chu Tianqing yawned. She was getting sleepy.
Shen Xinglan: "The school administrators are probably NPCs controlled by the plot, serving the protagonists. We're in the same boat—they have to follow the plot even in the middle of the night."
Chu Tianqing: "True. Beasts of burden shouldn't make life hard for other beasts of burden."
Shen Xinglan squeezed her palm: "Alright, perk up. The sooner we finish this scene, the sooner we go home and sleep."
Vice Principal's office.
The moment they entered, Chu Tianqing noticed that the two male leads, Gu Jingci and Gu Jingheng, were not in the office.
"Where are the two Gu students?" Chu Tianqing looked at Vice Principal Wang.
Vice Principal Wang spoke wearily: "Gu Jingci and Gu Jingheng got into a conflict and were injured. They've been sent to the infirmary together."
In the original plot, only Gu Jingci was caught for "early romance," waiting in the Vice Principal's office together with Lin Nanxi.
Gu Jingci had watched the entire scene of Lin Nanxi being verbally abused by her villainous aunt.
Before the Gu family's butler could even pull out the hush-money check, he exploded first, feeling even more heartbroken and protective of Lin Nanxi.
Of course, Gu Jingci was still a high schooler at the time, and his verbal skills were far inferior to the two villainous female supporting characters. He was easily crushed by them.
From then on, Gu Jingci planted the seeds of hatred toward the two venomous women.
After entering university, he joined forces with Lin Nanxi's uncles and had the two venomous women fed to the fish on the high seas.
At this moment, the two "venomous women" exchanged a glance—
The male leads weren't present. Who were they supposed to perform for?!
Vice Principal Wang smiled bitterly, as if his life was full of suffering: "Little aunt of Lin Nanxi, the security patrol and the dean of students found Lin Nanxi with Gu Jingci and Gu Jingheng in the small grove…"
"I already know what happened." Chu Tianqing tilted her chin toward Lin Nanxi.
"Little aunt…" Lin Nanxi choked and walked behind Chu Tianqing, her body trembling slightly.
Shen Xinglan silently stepped in front of the two of them, blocking everyone's view.
Chu Tianqing wrapped an arm around Lin Nanxi's shoulder and bent down slightly.
She whispered in Lin Nanxi's ear, in a volume only the two of them could hear: "Were you forced? Don't explain. Just answer yes or no."
Lin Nanxi bit her lip and shook her head: "No, it's not that…"
"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
Chu Tianqing wasn't reassured and confirmed again.
Lin Nanxi's tear incontinence made her voice come out in broken fragments.
"No, they, they didn't touch me. They asked me out separately, and I didn't know how to refuse…"
"I understand." Chu Tianqing activated Plan B.
She shot Shen Xinglan a look and mouthed three words.
Shen Xinglan blinked, understanding instantly.
"Have the parents of the two Gu students arrived?" Chu Tianqing pressed Lin Nanxi down onto the sofa and turned around.
"Uh…" Vice Principal Wang was so sleep-deprived his brain had stopped working.
A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stepped forward and extended his hand to Chu Tianqing.
"Hello, Lin Nanxi's guardian. I'm Lu Wei, the Gu family's butler. Both Jingci and Jingheng's parents are abroad, so I'm representing the Gu family today."
"Hello, Butler Lu." Chu Tianqing gave a nod but didn't shake his hand.
Butler Lu spoke first: "Our two young masters of the Gu family have been strictly disciplined since childhood and possess high moral character. I believe they would never…"
"Stop." Chu Tianqing raised her hand. "Skip the preamble. Just tell me how much the Gu family is prepared to pay to settle this."
"…" Butler Lu was stunned for a moment. This direct?
Butler Lu still maintained his composure.
He pulled a pre-prepared check from the inner pocket of his suit: "As the parents of the boys, we understand. With matters of early romance, the girl always ends up at a disadvantage. The Gu family is willing to pay Miss Lin 1 million yuan as compensation. In the future, please have Miss Lin stay away from our two young masters."
Chu Tianqing let out a cold laugh: "Butler Lu, are you implying that our Lin Nanxi was the one who actively asked out Gu Jingci and Gu Jingheng?"
Butler Lu: "Is that not the case? Our two young masters of the Gu family have been strictly disciplined since childhood and possess high moral…"
Chu Tianqing cut him off mercilessly: "Butler Lu, put away that robotic spiel of yours. Liars swallow a thousand needles. I'll go fetch a thousand needles right now—do you dare swear you haven't lied?"
Butler Lu's aged face flushed red.
Being a butler for a wealthy family was just a job.
No way he was swallowing a thousand needles..
"So the Gu family is using money to humiliate our child like this? Do they think the Lin family has no one to stand up for her?"
"Or is it because the Gu family knows that our Nanxi lost her parents as a child and grew up relying on her uncle, and now my husband is in the hospital after a car accident, leaving me—a weak woman—to support the entire Lin family alone…"
"Steward Lu is here today on behalf of the Gu family to bully the Lin family, knowing we're just an orphan and a widow. Pushing us women around like this—how vicious the Gu family truly is!"
Chu Tianqing raised her voice word by word, her emotions building with full intensity.
Tears spilled from her eyes, and she stood stubborn and strong like Yiping begging Lu Zhenhua for money on that rainy night.
Chu Tianqing's command of her lines was impeccable—even crying didn't hinder her delivery.
Her voice echoed clearly throughout the entire school corridor.
Steward Lu panicked. Before he could get out the words, "Mrs. Lin, it's really not that serious, I'm just an employee, I just do what my boss tells me—"
The door to the Vice Principal's office burst open with a bang.
Two handsome young men—identical in height and appearance—charged into the office.
Behind them flashed Shen Xinglan's tall, slender figure.
Chu Tianqing felt a secret thrill: My girl really came through—the hounds are loose.
The young man with a gash on his brow spoke fiercely: "Steward Lu! Is this what my father told you to say?"
Steward Lu nodded frantically: "Yes, Young Master."
Then he immediately pulled out his phone and brought up the chat records: "Young Master, look—this is what Chairman Gu's personal secretary sent."
If Chu Tianqing weren't committed to staying in character, she would have burst out laughing.
Truly a wage slave—throwing the boss under the bus with such practiced ease.
The other young man, with a torn lip, trembled with rage: "That old bastard, always picking on the weak. There's nothing I hate more than men who bully women."
Chu Tianqing, tears still clinging to her lashes, looked at Steward Lu.
She spoke with utmost sincerity: "Then please, Steward Lu, explain the situation to Chairman Gu. Our Nanxi has always been an exemplary student at school—diligent and well-behaved. She has never once provoked either of the Gu family's young masters, and there is absolutely no secret romance."
Gu Jingci and Gu Jingheng heard their aunt's words, grabbed Steward Lu by the collar, and pinned him against the wall, unleashing their fury—
"It was us who asked Nanxi out! What right does that old bastard have to accuse her of making the first move?"
"What nonsense about a secret romance? We're the ones with a crush on Nanxi! You tell that old bastard we're cutting ties with him!"
"Ha! Didn't he teach us from childhood never to bully the weak? How ironic!"
"The Lin family is already so pitiful—only one fragile aunt holding everything together. How can the Gu family kick them while they're down at a time like this!"
For once, the two brothers were on the same side.
Amid the chaos, Chu Tianqing said goodbye to Vice Principal Wang, who was nearly asleep: "Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, and tomorrow is a rest day for the seniors, we'll just take Nanxi home tonight."
"Alright, alright." Vice Principal Wang walked unsteadily and saw them to the elevator.
Lin Nanxi was the one who called the car to take them back to the villa.
Truly a young lady—a business van was waiting at the school gate.
Lin Nanxi considerately gave the two front business seats to Chu Tianqing and Shen Xinglan, sitting in the back herself.
"Xixi, this is my best friend, Shen Xinglan—call her Sister Lanlan." Chu Tianqing turned around, remembering she hadn't introduced Shen Xinglan to Lin Nanxi yet. "It's too late tonight, so she came along with me."
Lin Nanxi nodded obediently: "Thank you, Auntie. Thank you, Sister Lanlan."
"No need to thank me, it's just…" Chu Tianqing steeled herself to be brazen and squeezed out a smile, "Could you lend me a bit more money? My card is still in its demagnetized state."
"Of course." Lin Nanxi transferred 2,000 yuan over.
"That's too much, no—" Chu Tianqing transferred 1,800 back to Lin Nanxi. "Hold onto this 1,800 for me for now, and lend it to me again tomorrow."
Lin Nanxi: "Tomorrow?"
Chu Tianqing turned around and transferred 100 yuan to Shen Xinglan.
Then, the two of them clutched their phones, staring nervously at the balance on the screen.
They exchanged a glance, neither able to tell what was happening—
Does this count as mission success?
Is it coming? Is it coming?
Wah wah wah, did that damn system deduct the money?!
Just kill us or spare us—give us a straight answer!