Ji Qiuge didn't plan on waiting to make contact with the male lead.
She'd been through that scenario before—it wasn't a big deal, really. Just getting rejected with a bit of humiliation when she tried to strike up a conversation.
Compared to dancing as a Fa Tiannu in front of everyone, that was nothing.
And right now, she happened to have an idea.
【I want to make a modification!】
Since she could only change one character, the possibility of altering the entire Plot was slim.
So, Ji Qiuge didn't intend to change the Plot itself.
The System watched helplessly as she changed 【black handcrafted custom leather shoes】 to 【colorful handcrafted custom leather shoes】, and fell silent.
【You… this…】
"What, can't I?"
【It's not that… I just never imagined such a thing.】 None of the seven previous Hosts the System had been bound to had ever done something like this.
Whatever. It wasn't holding out much hope for this binding anyway.
It was also rather curious to see what a male lead wearing colorful handcrafted custom leather shoes would look like.
Ji Qiuge snorted, closed the Plot Modification Interface, and waited with eager anticipation.
"Show me what's happening in their Plot now."
【Su Xiaoxiao only caught sight of a pair of colorful handcrafted custom leather shoes… Colorful?
For a moment, Su Xiaoxiao was stunned.】
Ji Qiuge's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "See! Isn't this a change in the Plot!"
Although the rest of the Plot remained unchanged—the male lead still said that line, and the female lead still angrily shouted back before running off—
That one changed sentence in the middle was truly exhilarating.
【Yes, but actually, many previous Hosts were able to alter a sentence or two as well. It just never had any impact on the overall Plot.】 The System poured cold water on her.
"Did any of them change his shoes to colorful ones like I did?"
【…No.】
"Heh heh. So you see, to take down the male and female leads, you don't necessarily have to go through the Plot. As long as he can't be a domineering CEO, he doesn't deserve to be the male lead. Everything falls into place!"
What domineering CEO would wear colorful leather shoes?
Look—the Plot has already shifted a little!
The System thought it over and actually found the reasoning quite sound.
"Don't slack off. Keep showing me the Plot!"
【Fu Yunjing watched the figure stumbling away, and a trace of something unusual flickered in his deep, dark eyes.
For some reason, the girl's eyes just now—glistening with tears, like a fawn's—had left an especially deep impression on him.】
Ji Qiuge: "…"
Ha.
【Just then, the vice principal hurried over to offer Fu Yunjing his apologies.
"Think nothing of it," Fu Yunjing said coolly.
"I'm terribly sorry. But rest assured, everything has been arranged on your end. However, there's a banquet being held at the small auditorium—would you care to take a look?" The vice principal regretted the words the moment they left his mouth.
This man before him never attended any of the school's banquets.
"Ah, well, of course, it's getting late. If you'd prefer to rest, I can—"
The vice principal didn't finish his sentence, because as he lowered his head to wipe the sweat from his brow, he noticed Fu Yunjing's shoes.
Colorful patent leather shoes, gleaming brilliantly under the glow of the car headlights.
His words got stuck in his throat.
"I'll take a look, then." Fu Yunjing said, frowning almost imperceptibly.
Tonight was strange. He didn't know why, but thinking of those eyes just now, he suddenly felt like seeing whether the Stasi had undergone some change he wasn't aware of.
"Ah?" The vice principal looked up, snapped back to his senses, and nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, alright, I'll take you there now!" he said, then couldn't help but glance down once more at those colorful shoes.
Ji Qiuge suppressed the corners of her mouth that were threatening to curl up wildly, and shut off the Plot with a rather indifferent air.
Perfect. Now it was her turn to take the stage.
Fu Yunjing had no idea what was going on, but Ji Qiuge knew full well. Wasn't it because the female lead had been humiliated by her, yet since the male and female leads had only just met and couldn't directly step in, he planned to indirectly slap her in the face?
But… colorful leather shoes, hahahaha!
She hoped the Plot would work strongly enough to keep her expression perfectly under control.
Otherwise, she was afraid she'd laugh out loud and get nuked ahead of schedule!
Before long, the lively banquet hall suddenly fell silent.
Everyone stared in shock at the man walking through the entrance.
His chiseled face, handsome and deep-set features, exuding a piercing aura—standing a hundred meters away, one could still feel the menacing presence bearing down.
This was that man—the king who, at eighteen, had single-handedly built the world's largest business empire.
He, stepping in a pair of… coloful, custom-made, handcrafted leather shoes, strode briskly into the banquet hall.
Those who had been intimidated by his imposing presence couldn't help but gaze dazedly at his feet.
Tonight was supposed to be a ball. Though no one was dancing at the moment, the lighting was soft and dazzling enough.
The polished marble floor reflected those standing upon it, designed to enhance the illumination throughout the hall.
But at this moment, that pair of colorful genuine leather shoes had become the most eye-catching presence in the entire hall.
Their lines were full and elegant, showcasing the artisan's ultimate craftsmanship, softly and brilliantly shimmering with a spectrum of colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—the gradient flawless!
Ji Qiuge was nearly dying of laughter inside. To hide it, she even covered her mouth, pretending to look astonished at the male lead's entrance.
As for the male lead, Fu Yunjing, he finally noticed his own feet due to everyone's stares.
He looked down, and his expression went blank for a split second.
Had he worn colorful shoes when he left? Thinking carefully… it seemed he had?
From what he remembered, he'd thought this pair of colorful shoes was rather well-made and befitting his status, so he'd worn them to a press conference, then come straight from there to the school, because he had a class tomorrow.
Fu Yunjing furrowed his brow slightly, feeling that something was off.
At that moment, under the influence of the Plot, Ji Qiuge made her entrance.
She walked over with a look of delighted surprise.
"President Fu, is that you? Do you remember me? I'm Qiuge—we had dinner together last month."
As Ji Qiuge approached, she sensed that the Plot's hold on her wasn't so strong as to completely prevent her from saying anything else.
Especially when she wanted to comment on Fu Yunjing's shoes—that force seemed to vanish instantly.
She formed a guess in her mind, but kept her expression unchanged as she gushed with exaggerated admiration: "President Fu, these shoes of yours are truly one of a kind, absolutely extraordinary! This is the most beautiful pair of shoes I've ever seen. As expected of you—who else could pull off a pair like this?"
After she finished, the coercive force reappeared, and she had no room for free expression anymore.
Sure enough, at the plot points she had altered, she could still exert some influence on the written page.
The System confirmed her speculation as well.
As for Fu Yunjing, his expression instantly turned as dark as ink, and a terrifying aura, like the eerie calm before a storm at sea, emanated from him.
"Get lost!" He spat out the words curtly and imperiously.
Ji Qiuge's eyes instantly welled up with tears. Covering her mouth with her hand, she ran off with a look of utter shame.
As the eldest daughter of the Ji family, she had never been told to get lost in front of so many people before. She felt deeply humiliated.
Ji Qiuge: That wasn't me. I didn't do that.
Fortunately, the scene was over, and she even took the opportunity to make her exit.
Stepping out of the banquet hall, Ji Qiuge let out a long sigh of relief.
She looked up at the bright, clear moonlit sky and took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Then, unable to hold it in any longer, she burst into loud laughter.
A domineering CEO wearing rainbow-colored leather shoes—hahahaha!