“Oh dear, why the sudden departure?”
“After volunteering for so long, it’s time to go back and find a job.”
In the hazy morning mist, the faint sound of a heavy bell echoed in the distance. Zhang Xiyue set down her teacup and answered the plump old lady.
Today was May 20th—her fourteenth day since transmigrating into the novel *Preferring Cinderella*.
Fourteen days ago, on that morning, she had been taking the subway to work as usual, but the moment she stepped into the station, her surroundings suddenly changed.
Before she could react, a prompt appeared before her eyes, telling her she had been transported into a novel called *Preferring Cinderella*.
Only by helping the yandere male supporting character let go of his obsession with the female lead, turning him into an optimistic, motivated, and hardworking person, could she return to the real world with a 100 million yuan bonus.
If she failed, she would have to stay here forever.
The prompt disappeared after three seconds. She stood there in place for a long while, confirming the fact that she had transmigrated into a book.
It was a novel she had read ten years ago.
In *Preferring Cinderella*, the male and female leads were the classic pairing of a wealthy, domineering CEO and a poor, innocent flower. In the early stages, the two took an adversarial route—clearly liking each other, yet neither willing to confess first.
It wasn’t until the innocent flower was harassed by someone and the CEO played the hero saving the damsel in distress that their feelings finally made substantial progress.
The one harassing the female lead was the novel’s only yandere male supporting character.
It had been so long that her memories of the novel had grown fuzzy. She couldn’t even recall the male supporting character’s name, only remembering that it contained the character “Jiao.”
Although she couldn’t remember the male supporting character’s name, Zhang Xiyue did remember that he visited his grandmother, who lived long-term at Yunxi Temple outside the city, every month. So she had come to the temple that very day to volunteer.
Yunxi Temple had a pleasant environment, and many elderly people from the city liked to stay there long-term.
Finding the male supporting character’s grandmother among a crowd of old people was no easy task.
Luckily for her, she overheard the elderly chatting about everyday matters just two days after arriving.
When she heard the old lady say the name “Cheng Mingjiao,” it suddenly clicked—
That was the male supporting character’s name!
“Xiyue… Xiyue?”
Zhang Xiyue paused, meeting Qian Xiulan’s beaming eyes.
She looked apologetic. “Sorry, I zoned out.”
Qian Xiulan didn’t mind and continued the previous topic. “What kind of job are you looking for?”
Zhang Xiyue pondered. “Something like an assistant or secretary.”
In the original text, the male supporting character made his first appearance around August or September. But it was only late May now, and according to the timeline, the male and female leads had just met.
The Cheng Mingjiao that Grandma Qian mentioned was the president of an intelligent equipment company—a standard social elite.
But the male supporting character in the original text, from his very first appearance, was portrayed as someone who locked himself at home all day, gloomy and dispirited.
Based on her vague memories, the male supporting character met the female lead at the end of August, and it was only late May now.
Between May and August, only three months separated them.
He must have experienced some major upheaval to transform from a social elite into a social idler in just three months.
And a yandere-type idler at that.
So to complete the mission, she needed to—
One: Help the male supporting character resolve this unknown “major upheaval.”
Two: Prevent him from meeting the female lead.
Three: Guide him to be positive and motivated, to become a good person useful to society.
…Yeah, it sounded difficult, and it wouldn’t be easy to do either.
Moreover, the prerequisite for completing the mission was that she first needed to successfully get close to Cheng Mingjiao and earn his trust.
Nothing was more suitable for this than a job as an assistant or secretary.
During this period, she had been keeping an eye on the recruitment updates from Cheng Mingjiao’s company, but high-level positions like presidential assistant clearly weren’t part of public recruitment.
So she planned to try her luck at the company first, and if that didn’t work, she’d think of another way.
“After breakfast, I’ll head back to the city,” Zhang Xiyue said, bidding farewell to Qian Xiulan with a look of reluctance.
Qian Xiulan was also reluctant to see her go. “Do you have a company in mind now?”
Zhang Xiyue: “Yes.”
Qian Xiulan: “Which one?”
Zhang Xiyue: “Yu Huang Intelligence.”
Qian Xiulan was taken aback.
Zhang Xiyue nodded. “That’s right, Mr. Cheng’s company.”
Setting aside the purpose of gathering information about the male supporting character, after spending this much time together, she genuinely liked the old lady.
Because she liked her, she respected her, and was as honest as possible.
The old lady clearly liked her too. After recovering from her surprise, she immediately smiled. “You want to go to Yu Huang? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Mingjiao will be here soon—I’ll arrange it for you.”
Zhang Xiyue had only chosen to tell the truth because she didn’t want to hide things from her, but she hadn’t expected an unexpected bonus.
Having gained an advantage, she demurely said, “That wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?”
Qian Xiulan: “No? Then forget it.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Qian Xiulan saw her frozen expression and couldn’t help but laugh.
She had fair, clean features, a gentle look about her eyes and brows, and a calm, steady temperament. Even when occasionally harassed by incense-burning tourists, she would patiently reason with them, making people unknowingly settle down and follow her rhythm.
Having known her for so long, this was the first time he had seen her eyes open this wide.
The more Qian Xiulan looked, the more she wanted to laugh. Her round body swayed back and forth like a roly-poly toy with a very stable base.
Only when she saw her laughing did Zhang Xiyue realize she was being teased. A helpless look crossed her face. “Grandma Qian…”
“Don’t worry, nothing bad will come of it. Just wait for my good news.” Qian Xiulan stopped teasing her, chatted a little longer, and then left.
Zhang Xiyue finished the remaining half glass of water and returned to her room to wait.
And wait she did—for two whole hours.
Two hours later, a short, thin man in a suit appeared at her door.
“Hello, are you Ms. Zhang?” The man in the suit adjusted his glasses. “The old lady would like to see you.”
“Alright.”
Zhang Xiyue grabbed the resume she had prepared in advance and followed him out.
The volunteer dormitory wasn’t close to the cultivators’ residence. Between them stood two temple halls and a winding corridor lined with rows of cypress trees on both sides.
On a weekday morning, there weren’t many worshippers in the temple. Walking through the corridor, Zhang Xiyue could only hear the wind rustling through the cypress leaves.
Just as she was considering whether to strike up a conversation with the man in the suit, he suddenly stopped.
“Ms. Zhang, we’ve arrived.”
Zhang Xiyue looked up and saw a pavilion in the temple courtyard.
Thin gauze embroidered with sutras hung from the pavilion eaves, swaying to reveal Qian Xiulan’s beaming face—and a vague figure behind her.
“Xiyue, come here.” Qian Xiulan waved with a smile.
Without time to overthink, Zhang Xiyue walked toward her.
“Let me introduce you—this is Xiyue, a volunteer at the temple, an exceptionally capable girl.” Qian Xiulan pulled her close and looked cheerfully at the man across from her. “He’s Mingjiao, my eldest grandson. Xiyue, I’ve told you about him.”
Following her gaze, Zhang Xiyue found herself unexpectedly locking eyes with a pair of somewhat cold, sharp eyes.
She paused slightly, a sense of dissonance rising within her.
To be fair, the man before her had a high, straight nose bridge and slim, elongated eyes that were sharp and noble—undeniably handsome.
But he wasn’t what she had imagined.
Before seeing him in person, she had always pictured him as thin, gaunt, gloomy, and cold.
The man before her… well, no.
And she felt he should have been younger, not around her own age.
Zhang Xiyue kept her expression calm and smiled at Cheng Mingjiao. “Hello, President Cheng.”
Cheng Mingjiao glanced at the resume in her hand, a flicker of displeasure passing through his eyes. “Grandma, don’t push people onto me.”
Qian Xiulan remained unfazed. “You’re overthinking it. Xiyue is the assistant I picked for Xiaoxue, not for you.”
Zhang Xiyue’s eyes shifted slightly as she turned to look at Qian Xiulan.
Qian Xiulan winked at her.
Zhang Xiyue was no longer sure what she meant.
In the original text of *Cinderella in Love*, there was no mention of the male supporting character’s background.
Any information about Cheng Mingjiao’s family, she had learned from Grandma Qian.
Cheng Mingjiao had a biological aunt, and the aunt had two daughters. The ‘Xiaoxue’ Grandma Qian mentioned was the aunt’s eldest daughter—Cheng Mingjiao’s older cousin. The two had never gotten along since childhood.
So… was Grandma Qian suddenly saying this to help her find another path, or to deliberately provoke Cheng Mingjiao?
If it was the former, it went against her plan.
If it was the latter, Cheng Mingjiao wasn’t a three-year-old child—how could he possibly…
Zhang Xiyue was deep in thought when she suddenly felt the weight in her hand lighten.
She snapped back to reality and saw that the resume she had been holding just a second ago was now in Cheng Mingjiao’s hands.
“She’s mine now.” Cheng Mingjiao leaned back in his chair, his raised chin carrying a hint of arrogance.
Qian Xiulan frowned appropriately. “How am I supposed to explain this to Xiaoxue?”
“First come, first served. If she’s unhappy about it, she can call the police.” A slight curve lifted the corner of Cheng Mingjiao’s lips.
Now it wasn’t just arrogance—there was a touch of smugness too.
Qian Xiulan let out a sigh and winked at Zhang Xiyue again.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
She silently looked at Cheng Mingjiao.
Cheng Mingjiao was looking down, seriously flipping through her resume. His lowered lashes cast a small shadow across his face, making his features even more striking and defined.
Focused and earnest, completely unaware that he had fallen for his own grandmother’s trick.
Bizarre.
As bizarre as it was, at least the first step of getting close to the yandere male supporting character was complete.
Zhang Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Qian Xiulan invite her to stay for lunch.
Before she could say anything, Cheng Mingjiao voiced his displeasure first. “I don’t want to eat with strangers.”
“Then get lost.” Qian Xiulan sneered.
The words were extremely blunt. Zhang Xiyue’s heart jumped, waiting for the yandere to lash out.
Sure enough, Cheng Mingjiao’s expression turned very unpleasant. He sat there, a big looming presence, radiating an aura that said “don’t mess with me.”
Wait… if a yandere got angry, would he hit his own grandmother?
Zhang Xiyue silently stepped forward, about to shield Qian Xiulan behind her, when Cheng Mingjiao let out a cold snort and turned his face away without another word.
…That’s it?
…This is a yandere?
Zhang Xiyue couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Lunch ended in silence, and Qian Xiulan asked Cheng Mingjiao to give Zhang Xiyue a ride back to the city.
Cheng Mingjiao’s brows furrowed again.
Qian Xiulan didn’t look at him. She took Zhang Xiyue’s hand and said, “Or you could leave in the evening instead. Xiaoxue is coming over for dinner—I’ll have her give you a ride…”
“Hey, let’s go.” Cheng Mingjiao turned and walked away, gesturing for Zhang Xiyue to hurry up and follow.
Zhang Xiyue looked at Qian Xiulan.
“Bye-bye.” Qian Xiulan waved vigorously, looking as benevolent as a plump version of the Goddess of Mercy.
Zhang Xiyue couldn’t help but laugh. She imitated Qian Xiulan’s gesture and waved back, promising to visit whenever she had time, then hurriedly grabbed her backpack and left.
By the time she reached the parking lot, Cheng Mingjiao was already in the car. The man in the suit from earlier was sitting in the driver’s seat, signaling for her to get in quickly.
Zhang Xiyue greeted Cheng Mingjiao in the back seat and, reading the situation, took the passenger seat.
The somewhat flashy business van slowly exited the parking lot and headed down the mountain.
The atmosphere in the car was too quiet. Zhang Xiyue sat upright with her backpack in her arms, stealing glances at Cheng Mingjiao through the rearview mirror.
Something still felt off.
The stereotypical impression of a “sickly yandere” was pale, fragile, and morbid—but this person… hmm, healthy.
Yes, that was it. Healthy.
Very healthy.
His complexion was indeed fair, but not the pallor of someone who never saw sunlight—it was the kind of fair that came from good blood circulation.
His eyes were bright and spirited. He was tall with broad shoulders, and even through his suit shirt, you could tell he worked out.
During lunch earlier, he’d claimed he had no appetite, then angrily devoured two full bowls of rice.
…What kind of yandere with no appetite eats that much?
Could she have mistaken the person?
Even if he’d become a yandere after suffering a major blow, he’d still need some inherent yandere potential to begin with.
After all, normal people who suffer major blows just cry and mewl like kittens—they don’t turn into yanderes.
But the yandere male lead was indeed named Cheng Mingjiao.
Zhang Xiyue fell into self-doubt again. Before she could sort through her thoughts, the car suddenly slammed on its brakes.
She lurched forward from the inertia, then steadied herself and turned to look at the man in the suit.
The man in the suit looked troubled. “President Cheng, that old lady is here again.”
Three meters in front of the car, a thin elderly woman was clutching two lumps of black mud, her face stern as she stared directly at them in the car.
“What should we do now?” the man in the suit asked again.
Zhang Xiyue looked at the elderly woman ahead, waiting for Cheng Mingjiao’s answer.
Cheng Mingjiao: “Aim.”
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
Cheng Mingjiao: “Run her over.”
Zhang Xiyue: “!!”