Can friends kiss?
In the real world, the answer is of course not, because once you kiss, you can no longer remain friends.
Just like them.
But in the world of novels, the answer is yes, because without kissing, there’s no way to return to the real world.
Just like them.
When there were no other options, Qiao Man was quite willing to follow the plot.
After all, the more plotlines she completed, the closer she got to going home.
…But could the plot stop appearing so unexpectedly every time?
She had just had a heartfelt conversation with Jiang Sui, saying they should continue being friends, and now they were assigned a forced kiss scene?
Forced kiss?
If you can’t find the cup, just keep looking—why does it have to be a forced kiss?
Where’s the logic in that?
Is the Male Supporting Character really trying to find the female lead?
Why does it feel like he’s just using it as an excuse to wildly press his tongue against the Female Supporting Character’s lips?
Qiao Man already had plenty of complaints, and Jiang Sui only made things worse: “I’m not the kind of person who casually kisses friends.”
“…Stop talking nonsense.”
Qiao Man directly grabbed his collar.
Jiang Sui laughed, cooperatively bending down while still complaining: “Who’s forcing whom to kiss here? Can you not be so proactive?”
As he spoke, his fingers pressed against Qiao Man’s shoulders, gently pushing her back. Qiao Man cooperatively leaned against the door panel.
Jiang Sui’s hand landed beside her face, the cool mint scent instantly enveloping her.
Jiang Sui lowered his eyes, his slightly overgrown bangs half-covering them, making his other facial features appear even more three-dimensional.
He was truly good-looking, flawless even from this angle—no wonder even his own mother said he was a typical pretty face with no substance.
Although the emphasis was on “no substance,” one couldn’t deny he was indeed a beauty.
Looking at Jiang Sui—the person she grew up with, was once married to, and finally decided to return to being friends with—Qiao Man felt her back against the door beginning to sweat.
Jiang Sui was also looking at her, watching for a long moment before slowly leaning in.
As Qiao Man watched his lips getting closer, her face remained calm but her fingers gradually clutched her skirt.
Just as their lips were about to touch, Jiang Sui suddenly stopped.
“Did you forget something?”
When he spoke, because they were so close, his lips occasionally brushed against hers, creating subtle electric currents.
Qiao Man’s throat moved: “What?”
“Struggle. If you don’t struggle, how can it be called a forced kiss?” Jiang Sui curved his lips, his warm breath falling on her lips.
Qiao Man: “…”
“Or do you want to kiss first to get a feel for it?” Jiang Sui asked for her opinion.
Qiao Man couldn’t help but roll her eyes: “What feeling? Let’s just get it over with.”
“You’re sure you want to go straight for it? Are you really ready?” Jiang Sui acted as if he didn’t notice her embarrassment, insisting on wasting words with her.
Qiao Man’s patience ran out. She pushed him away and was about to leave.
A light laugh escaped Jiang Sui’s throat as he raised his hand to grab her arm, pulling her back.
Qiao Man was completely angry now: “Are you never going to stop? I’m not kissing you…”
Jiang Sui suddenly pressed forward, kissing her lips.
When she wanted him to kiss earlier, he wouldn’t; now that she didn’t want to kiss, he came anyway. Qiao Man’s anger hadn’t subsided, and she still tried to push him away.
Sensing her intention, Jiang Sui unceremoniously bit her lip.
A stinging pain spread from her lips. Qiao Man gasped and opened her mouth to curse at him.
Jiang Sui was like a predator who had been waiting for a long time. The moment her teeth parted, his tongue immediately pressed in, stirring up ambiguous gasps with an uncompromising force.
Qiao Man realized she had been tricked and let out a muffled protest, pushing against him with even more force. When that didn’t work, she began pinching him.
She didn’t hold back, and Jiang Sui frowned from the pain. He simply stacked her wrists together, gripping them with one hand and raising them above her head against the cool door panel.
Though she wasn’t particularly short, her height was no match for Jiang Sui. With her hands raised high above her head, she instinctively rose onto her tiptoes, trying to maintain her balance this way.
Seeing her efforts, a flicker of amusement flashed in Jiang Sui’s eyes as his other hand clasped her waist.
Qiao Man shuddered and shot him a warning look. Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow slightly and lifted her by the waist.
Too familiar—they were just too familiar. With just one move from him, Qiao Man knew to step onto his feet to relieve the strain in her arms.
She finally quieted down, no longer trying to escape.
Noticing her cooperation, Jiang Sui released her hands as a reward. Wrapping his long arm around her, he lifted her up and gently pressed her against the door.
Qiao Man’s breathing grew ragged, her mind muddled by his actions.
As her position suddenly changed, she forced her eyes open and looked at him in confusion.
“Was this move in your script?” she asked.
Jiang Sui replied calmly, “Of course. Did you think I just wanted to hold you?”
Qiao Man curled her lip slightly and said nothing more.
She had been shorter than him, but with him holding her like this, she was suddenly almost at his eye level.
Admittedly, it was much easier on her neck.
The kiss continued, but Jiang Sui had softened, returning to the version of him Qiao Man knew well.
He would advance and retreat with restraint, pausing slightly when she struggled to breathe, then resuming the kiss once she had caught her breath.
As she always did during their kisses, Qiao Man wrapped her arms around him, her thumb gently stroking the nape of his neck.
It was a habitual gesture she made when she felt comfortable—a soothing touch and the greatest reward for her devoted follower.
Just outside the wall, everyone was busy searching for cups, while inside the tightly closed Storage Room, the two were fully immersed in this “forced kiss.”
A minute later, the sounds of kissing grew much softer, and their full immersion dwindled to fifty percent.
Two minutes later, the kissing fell silent, and their fifty percent immersion dropped to ten.
Five minutes later, Jiang Sui held Qiao Man, intermittently pecking her lips until he suddenly let out a yawn.
“…What do you mean by that?” Qiao Man was stunned. “You’re yawning while kissing me?”
“Be reasonable, Your Majesty. It’s already two in the morning. Whether it’s just kissing or even making love, anyone would feel sleepy.”
Jiang Sui, accustomed to early nights and early mornings, looked utterly exhausted as he gave her lips another light peck.
“If you don’t want to kiss, then don’t!”
Though she was tired of kissing too, his perfunctory attitude felt like a complete denial of her personal charm.
What an utter humiliation!
Qiao Man jumped down from his embrace and turned to leave.
Jiang Sui pulled her back. “Don’t. The scene isn’t over yet. If we stop now, all our efforts will be wasted.”
With that, he kissed her again, then let his forehead rest directly on her shoulder.
“So tired,” he murmured.
He was truly exhausted to the core.
Worried he might actually fall asleep, Qiao Man took the initiative to chat with him: “There’s more plot tonight, probably going until four or five AM. You can’t sleep now.”
“Mmm…”
“There seems to be a bathroom here. Go wash your face to refresh yourself,” Qiao Man reminded.
“Okay,” Jiang Sui agreed.
And then? He still didn’t move from her shoulder.
Qiao Man couldn’t help but give him a push. Jiang Sui reluctantly straightened up, half-closed his eyes and stared at her for a moment, then lowered his head to kiss her lips.
Qiao Man: “…” He’s developed muscle memory for kissing.
Jiang Sui turned and went to the bathroom. When he came out again, his face was wet, and his bangs were dripping.
“Still sleepy?” Qiao Man asked.
Jiang Sui shook his head: “Not sleepy.”
After saying that, he directly sat down on the only chair and closed his eyes.
“Hey, you can’t sleep,” Qiao Man warned.
Jiang Sui: “I know, I’m not sleeping.”
“Then open your eyes,” Qiao Man frowned.
Jiang Sui: “They are open.”
“…Do you think I’m blind?” As Qiao Man spoke, she went to pull him.
Jiang Sui leaned back in the chair, unwilling to move. Annoyed by her pulling, he simply grabbed her and pulled her over instead.
Caught off guard, Qiao Man fell straight into his arms.
The chair creaked under the strain. Jiang Sui held Qiao Man and buried his face in her neck: “Wife, I really want to sleep.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the Storage Room instantly fell silent.
Jiang Sui slowly opened his eyes, no trace of sleepiness remaining in them.
After who knows how long, he slowly raised his head to look at Qiao Man. Catching his gaze, Qiao Man’s eyes flickered for a moment before she looked away, pretending not to have heard.
Jiang Sui released his hold, and Qiao Man immediately stood up.
“Don’t just sit there; the more you sit, the sleepier you’ll get,” Qiao Man said calmly.
Jiang Sui pinched the bridge of his nose and stood up calmly.
Qiao Man glanced at him, then quickly averted her gaze: “The plot isn’t over yet.”
Jiang Sui acknowledged with a sound, stepped forward, and kissed her lips.
Qiao Man cleared her throat: “Ah, don’t come any closer, ah!”
Jiang Sui: “…”
“Show some respect! Don’t think I won’t call the police, you bastard! How dare you treat me like this…”
Qiao Man mechanically recited her lines. Just as she was getting into it, Jiang Sui suddenly reached to touch the back of her neck.
Ever since his earlier “wife” remark, Qiao Man had been in a state of heightened alert. His sudden move made her immediately grab his hand.
“What are you touching?!”
Jiang Sui paused, looking innocent: “I was looking for the switch.”
“Switch?” Qiao Man was stunned.
Jiang Sui looked even more innocent: “You just sounded like a robot.”
Qiao Man: “…”
After an eerie silence, Qiao Man relaxed: “You’re insane.”
Jiang Sui lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Qiao Man looked at him, puzzled.
“The plot isn’t over yet,” Jiang Sui reminded.
Qiao Man took a deep breath, about to speak, when the words [Plot Concluded] simultaneously appeared in both their minds.
Almost at the same time, the game-ending bell rang throughout the Villa, reminding everyone to gather on the first floor.
“We didn’t find anything,” Jiang Sui said.
Qiao Man hummed in agreement, taking out a small mirror to touch up her makeup.
“So we really have to jump into the pond?” Jiang Sui asked.
Without looking up, Qiao Man said: “We jump.”
“How boring,” Jiang Sui curled his lip, “What happens after we jump?”
Qiao Man paused, her eyes suddenly flickering.
Jiang Sui narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling things might not be so simple.
Before he could press further, Qiao Man had already slipped out the door.
“You’ll find out when the time comes.” She left without looking back.
Jiang Sui stood alone in the storage room for a moment, taking one last look at the chair that had just supported the weight of two people before leisurely departing.
When he reached downstairs, the others had already gathered. Gu Hantian sat on the sofa with Qiao Man beside him, and Xiao Chen next to Qiao Man.
Jiang Sui glanced at them before turning to approach Bai Xingyu. Following the plot prompt, he quietly asked if she had found a cup.
“Found one.” A flicker of discomfort crossed Bai Xingyu’s face.
[Jiang Sui paused, realizing something, his expression twisting momentarily.]
At the same time, Qiao Man also asked Gu Hantian.
Gu Hantian produced Bai Xingyu’s cup. Though his face remained cold, one could tell he was in good spirits.
[Qiao Man smiled and said she really envied Bai Xingyu, her tone carrying subtle hints of sourness and jealousy.]
The two who had simultaneously received plot prompts fell silent.
One second later, Jiang Sui twitched once.
The task wasn’t completed.
After pausing briefly, he twitched eight hundred times, startling Bai Xingyu.
“What’s wrong with your face?” she asked urgently, drawing everyone’s attention.
Jiang Sui received the task completion prompt and immediately returned to normal: “Nothing, why?”
“…You seemed off just now, like stroke symptoms.” Bai Xingyu couldn’t hide her concern.
Jiang Sui smiled calmly: “I’m fine.”
“Really?” Xiao Chen, being warm-hearted despite not knowing him well, chimed in, “If you’re sick, you should get treated quickly. My third granduncle’s second son’s son-in-law had a stroke ten years ago and is still bedridden.”
Jiang Sui: “…Really, I’m fine.”
His weak demeanor was unconvincing. Whether sincere or not, everyone began showing concern, even Gu Hantian looked over as if assessing his condition.
While all attention was focused on Jiang Sui, Qiao Man immediately began completing her task.
“I really envy Bai Xingyu.”
With precisely measured tones of thirty percent sourness and thirty percent jealousy—executed perfectly without drawing attention like Jiang Sui had—Qiao Man felt quite pleased with herself.
Gu Hantian, who had been watching Jiang Sui, froze at Qiao Man’s voice and stiffly turned his head.
Meeting his gaze, Qiao Man calmly explained: “Why are you looking at me like that? She took your cup, you took hers—neither of you will be punished. I’m envious, so I’m expressing it. Is that not allowed?”
“Wasn’t this topic already over? How are you continuing it two minutes later?” Gu Hantian couldn’t comprehend, his cool face showing complex emotions. “And why are you expressing envy… using an old witch voice from cartoons?”
Qiao Man froze. Her earlier self-satisfaction shattered instantly by his words.
After three seconds of silence, she coldly declared: “How old are you still watching cartoons? How immature. With an heir like you, the Shenhai Conglomerate’s future development is truly concerning.”
Gu Hantian: “…”
He was just concerned—why was her attack power so strong?
Did she really want to be friends with him? Why couldn’t he feel it at all?
Before Young Master Gu could figure it out, Number One had already begun game settlement.
“Xiaoxiao and Qian Jia found each other’s cups, I found Xiao Chen’s cup, but Xiao Chen didn’t find mine, so we both failed. Did anyone succeed?”
Gu Hantian remained silent, simply watching Bai Xingyu quietly.
Seeing he wouldn’t step forward voluntarily, Bai Xingyu also turned her face away, and the two began a silent standoff.
The atmosphere stiffened for a second before Number Two broke the tension with a laugh: “Han Tian, didn’t you find one? Show us whose it matches.”
Only then did Gu Hantian produce his cup.
“It’s Xingyu’s,” Number Two remarked. “Xingyu, whose did you find?”
“…His,” Bai Xingyu said awkwardly.
“Fate, you two are truly fated,” Number Three chuckled. “You’ve always been together since childhood, and now even in games, you still end up paired.”
“Qiao-jie, what about your cup?” Xiao Chen hurriedly asked.
Jiang Sui glanced at Xiao Chen before lifting his gaze to Qiao Man.
The others also turned to look at Qiao Man following Xiao Chen’s question.
Qiao Man waited three seconds – no plot requiring her to appear three parts pitiful and two parts resentful appeared in her mind – and she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t find one,” she admitted frankly.
Xiao Chen gasped: “Then you have to jump in the pond with us? No no, let me jump twice instead. You’re a girl – you can’t be jumping into cold water.”
“Hey, that’s no fun,” Number One immediately protested. “We agreed to play this way. We can’t give Qiao-jie special treatment just because she’s a girl.”
Wu Xiaoxiao chimed in: “Exactly! If I hadn’t found a cup, could I also weasel out of the punishment?”
“You… you all…” Xiao Chen stammered under their questioning. Just as he was about to ask if they were targeting Qiao-jie specifically, Qiao Man patted his dog-like head.
“A bet is a bet,” she said. Seeing Xiao Chen’s frustrated expression, the corners of her lips curved slightly upward.
Jiang Sui withdrew his gaze and looked toward the floor-to-ceiling window nearby.
With exactly eight people – four successes and four failures – everyone discussed and decided to complete the punishment first before rewarding the successful players.
“Qiao-jie, are you really okay?” Xiao Chen quietly moved closer to Qiao Man.
Qiao Man gave him a strange look: “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“But you’re in your special period…” Xiao Chen hesitated.
Qiao Man looked even more puzzled: “What special period?”
“You know… that thing! Did you forget?” Xiao Chen hinted desperately. Seeing she still didn’t understand, he grew anxious. “That thing! The thing you dropped yesterday! The black thing that goes ‘smack’ when it hits the ground!”
Black, makes a ‘smack’ sound when hitting the ground.
Qiao Man remembered and slowed her pace slightly.
“Are you really sure?” Xiao Chen asked worriedly.
Qiao Man wanted to say she wasn’t on her period, but if she did, this fool would definitely ask why she was carrying pads if she wasn’t menstruating.
Among their group were not just Gu Hantian – who appeared knowledgeable but was actually quite ignorant about female physiology – but also two other girls and three playboy young masters. If their conversation drew attention, she might have to explain why a sanitary pad was black and made a ‘smack’ sound when dropped.
After careful consideration, Qiao Man said seriously: “It’s fine, I can hold it in.”
“You can do that?” Xiao Chen looked doubtful.
Qiao Man glanced at him: “Your Qiao-jie can do anything.”
Xiao Chen gave her a thumbs-up: “Qiao-jie, you’re the best.”
Under Xiao Chen’s admiring gaze, Qiao Man walked to the edge of the pond. No sooner had she stopped than Bai Xingyu asked Jiang Sui from beside her, “Are you really alright?”
“…I’m fine.” Jiang Sui was tired of saying these three words.
Bai Xingyu: “But I just saw your face twitching.”
Jiang Sui: “…”
Still unconvinced, Bai Xingyu insisted, “No, I’m going to talk to them. You shouldn’t go in the water today.”
With that, she ignored Jiang Sui’s protests and went straight to find Gu Hantian and the others.
Qiao Man gazed at the calm surface of the pond and quietly moved two steps closer to Jiang Sui.
“Your acting is really good,” she said. “You played having a stroke so convincingly.”
Jiang Sui: “…I was acting jealous, thank you.”
“Jealous?” Qiao Man feigned surprise. “I couldn’t tell. How could you mess up something so simple?”
Jiang Sui looked lazily at the water: “I’ve never been jealous before, so how would I know how to act it out?”
Qiao Man really wanted to roll her eyes, but with so many outsiders around, she decided against it.
Just as Jiang Sui was about to say something else, an enthusiastic voice came from behind: “Sister Qiao!”
Qiao Man immediately turned around.
“Sister Qiao, catch!” Xiao Chen threw something at her.
Qiao Man reached out and caught it, finding it was a towel.
“Put this on as soon as you come up later,” Xiao Chen said as he ran over.
Qiao Man praised him: “Not bad, very thoughtful.”
“Of course.” His purple hair bounced with pride at the compliment.
Qiao Man draped the towel over her shoulders and turned to find Jiang Sui still staring at the pond.
“What’s so interesting?” she frowned.
Jiang Sui seemed not to hear, his expression serene, almost blending into the night.
Xiao Chen, being impatient, jumped into the water right after giving Qiao Man the towel. Seeing this, numbers one and two followed suit.
It was as if the pond was laced with an intelligence-reducing drug—the moment the three of them entered, they started splashing water at each other, acting so childish that even three-year-olds would look down on them.
While those three were having fun, Bai Xingyu and Gu Hantian started arguing.
“Everyone else has jumped in. Why shouldn’t he? Can’t he handle it?” Gu Hantian asked coldly.
“I already told you Jiang Sui isn’t feeling well. How can he jump?” Bai Xingyu retorted angrily. “Can’t you have a little empathy?”
“He said he was fine earlier.”
“Just because he says he’s fine doesn’t mean he is! Do you know him better, or do I?” Bai Xingyu shot back.
Gu Hantian sneered, “You’ve only known him for a few days, and you dare say you understand him? We’ve known each other for years—do you understand me?”
“Gu Hantian! Stop being so sarcastic. I’m just asking you one thing: can you let him off?”
Bai Xingyu’s voice suddenly rose, and the three in the pond noticed something was wrong and looked over.
Gu Hantian turned away: “It’s a game we’re all playing together. Don’t just ask me.”
“Don’t think I don’t know—they all listen to you,” Bai Xingyu wasn’t fooled by his deflection.
Gu Hantian remained silent, his face cold.
Furious, Bai Xingyu threw her phone to the ground: “Fine! I’ll take his punishment for him. Is that acceptable?”
No sooner had she spoken than she plunged into the water with a splash, leaving Qiao Man no time to stop her.
Gu Hantian’s face changed, and he rushed to the pond’s edge. Seeing she was alright, he abruptly stopped.
“Taking his place, huh?” Seeing how recklessly she was defending Jiang Sui, Gu Hantian lost all reason. “Fine, if you can take his place, then I’ll take Qiao Man’s!”
With that, he leaped into the water.
A huge splash erupted, and Qiao Man spat out a mouthful of water, turning to look at Jiang Sui, who had remained silent the whole time.
“This wasn’t in the original text, what do we do?” she asked.
Without glancing at her, Jiang Sui took off his jacket and dove straight into the water.
The other winning pair in the game exchanged bewildered looks, until Wu Xiaoxiao timidly suggested, “If there’s no other choice… should we jump too?”
Number Three nodded, plunged into the water, and Wu Xiaoxiao pinched her nose before following suit.
Qiao Man: “…” Are all of you insane?
One frog, two legs, two eyes, one mouth—plop, plop, plop, they all jumped into the damn water.
At past two in the morning, seven heads floating in the water made for a truly eerie scene.
Qiao Man desperately wanted to turn and leave, but since the plot wasn’t complete yet, she had no choice but to pinch her nose and get in the water.
“Oh!”
Xiao Chen suddenly cheered, and the others inexplicably got excited along with him.
Qiao Man rolled her eyes at them and climbed out of the water the moment the plot prompt indicated completion.
…Where’s my towel?
She looked around in confusion before spotting a tall figure walking away with a towel draped over their shoulders.
“Jiang Sui! That’s mine!” Qiao Man shouted angrily, not caring that others were present.
But the person acted as if they hadn’t heard, leaving without even turning back.
Fuming, Qiao Man noticed his jacket was still there and retaliated by putting it on.
The others gradually came ashore too. Having witnessed Jiang Sui take the towel, no one found it strange that Qiao Man was wearing his jacket.
Gu Hantian glanced at Bai Xingyu, who was shivering uncontrollably, and regretted not taking off his jacket before jumping into the water.
If he had, he could have at least lent it to her to keep warm.
Though he felt a bit sorry for her, he couldn’t resist being snarky: “That friend of yours isn’t much either. You jumped into the water for him, yet he didn’t even say thank you and just left.”
After saying this, Gu Hantian remembered something else and added another charge against Jiang Sui, “He also took Qiao Man’s towel. So rude.”
“He said he wasn’t feeling well,” Bai Xingyu retorted.
Gu Hantian said expressionlessly, “If it were me, I wouldn’t have done that.”
“Yeah, you’re way worse,” Bai Xingyu sneered and walked off.
Gu Hantian was left fuming, stubbornly refusing to go after her.
He wouldn’t chase her, but Qiao Man would.
And she chased with great enthusiasm, breaking into a jog and finally rushing through the back door into the kitchen just before Bai Xingyu entered the villa.
As soon as Bai Xingyu stepped into the living room, she saw Qiao Man bustling around in the kitchen, with a phone loudly playing the benefits of mulled wine.
Bai Xingyu: “?”
Wasn’t she just behind me? How did she get here faster?
While she was puzzling over this, Qiao Man in the kitchen suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no!”
“I was so focused on preparing the other ingredients that I forgot to get the red wine. What should I do now?”
Bai Xingyu frowned, watching Qiao Man talk to herself.
Qiao Man tapped her head, feigning innocence: “The house is so big, I don’t even know where to get red wine. But… Han Tian wasn’t feeling well a couple of days ago, and now he’s been out in the wind in the middle of the night. If he doesn’t drink some mulled wine to sweat it out, he might really get sick.”
After delivering the contrived lines, Qiao Man rubbed her arms, doubting whether such a clumsy lie could fool the female lead.
Outside the kitchen, Bai Xingyu muttered, “Serves him right if he dies.”
But despite her words, she turned and headed for the basement wine cellar.
Qiao Man turned off her phone, once again despairing at the idiocy of this novel’s world.
Pulling Jiang Sui’s jacket tighter around her, she quietly followed.
After Bai Xingyu entered the wine cellar, Qiao Man used nearby cleaning tools to block the door, creating the illusion that something had accidentally fallen and obstructed it.
With that done, she hurried back to the living room.
As per the plot, she ran into Gu Hantian and the others.
“Sis Qiao, you’ve been back for so long and still haven’t gone upstairs to change?” Xiao Chen asked curiously.
Because I had to finish the plot with you guys.
Qiao Man coughed lightly. “I was a bit worried since you hadn’t returned for so long.”
Xiao Chen’s expression gradually turned peculiar.
“What’s that look for?” Qiao Man narrowed her eyes.
Xiao Chen: “Nothing, just thought the word ‘worried’ sounds too humane—doesn’t suit you.”
Qiao Man sneered. “Get lost.”
“Right away!” Xiao Chen rolled back to his room to shower.
As everyone chatted and laughed while preparing to disperse, Number Two suddenly asked: “The punishment is over, but are we still doing the reward?”
Instantly, everyone’s expressions shifted differently.
Wu Xiaoxiao cleared her throat lightly. “Given how things are… what’s the point anymore?”
Number One frowned. “But…”
“Student Bai has probably gone back to rest already,” Qiao Man delivered her line.
Gu Hantian’s expression turned cold. “Then I’m going back too.”
After saying that, he directly returned to his room.
Numbers One, Two, and Three had organized this game specifically to push those two together and disgust Qiao Man. Now that Gu Hantian had left and Bai Xingyu was resting, what was the point?
After exchanging uncertain glances for a moment, everyone returned to their respective rooms.
Qiao Man also went back to her room, ran a bath, and while soaking, recalled the upcoming plot.
In the original story, when Gu Hantian returned to his room, he noticed Bai Xingyu’s door wasn’t closed. He walked to the doorway and glanced inside, only to discover his childhood friend was missing.
He thought Bai Xingyu was deliberately hiding because she didn’t want to spend two hours alone with him, but he was also concerned about her safety, so he had no choice but to search for her alone.
Then, outside the wine cellar, he heard her voice.
He opened the wine cellar door and went inside. After the door closed, the cleaning tools deliberately left by the female supporting character fell down, blocking the door again. Through this series of coincidences, the male and female leads ended up spending the night together.
This segment could be considered an important turning point for the relationship between the male and female leads, but it had nothing to do with Qiao Man.
What frustrated her more right now was what she was about to experience—
In the original story, the male supporting character soon discovered Bai Xingyu was missing. After searching around, he then realized Gu Hantian had also disappeared.
Anxious and furious, he suddenly remembered the female supporting character had returned to the villa with Bai Xingyu, so he went to confront her.
The female supporting character’s first reaction was denial, but her guilty expression enraged the male supporting character. The thought of Gu Hantian and Bai Xingyu being alone together made jealousy override his rationality.
To force the female supporting character to reveal their whereabouts, he pinned her on the bed and tore open her bathrobe…
“Only knows how to use sexual humiliation to force the female supporting character to comply—what a useless and worthless scum.”
Qiao Man sighed, then remembered that Jiang Sui was this scum, and her headache returned.
What’s going on? Why does it feel like the plot is deliberately working against her?
Just when she said she wanted to go back to being friends with Jiang Sui, the plot made them hug and kiss. This time it’s even more absurd, directly escalating to something major.
How is this plot supposed to unfold?
Qiao Man submerged herself underwater, held her breath for a while, then suddenly sat up.
According to the plot, the story would still take some time to develop. She leisurely finished her bath, used the skincare products provided by the manor for a spa treatment, and finally dried her hair unhurriedly.
Just as she completed her pre-sleep routine, her door was knocked on.
What was coming had finally arrived.
Qiao Man took a light breath, feigned composure, and went to open the door.
The door opened to reveal Jiang Sui, who had changed clothes, standing calmly before her.
“Where is Xing Yu?” he asked.
Straight into the plot?
The usually procrastinating and lazy guy suddenly being so direct caught Qiao Man by surprise, but she still cooperatively stepped back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jiang Sui advanced step by step: “You know where she is. What did you do to her?”
“What could I possibly do to her? Please leave my room. I need to sleep now.” Qiao Man recited her lines.
Jiang Sui’s eyes darkened: “Did you know? Gu Hantian has disappeared too.”
Qiao Man blinked once, performing surprise.
“Do you think they’re together right now?” Jiang Sui pressed.
Qiao Man: “I don’t know what you’re talking about, nor do I care. Could you just get out now?”
“Who gave you the nerve to speak to me like that,” Jiang Sui sneered, “I’ll ask you one last time – where are they?”
“I already told you I don’t know…”
Before Qiao Man could finish, Jiang Sui closed in on her.
“What are you doing? Stay away…”
Reciting her lines while backing away, Qiao Man let out a soft cry when her heels hit the bed and fell backward onto it.
Jiang Sui leaned over, grabbing her wrist and flipping her over. With a gasp, Qiao Man found herself face down as his tall frame pressed against her from behind.
“Let me go, let go.” Overwhelmed by the crisp scent of his aftershave, Qiao Man delivered her lines with distracted lack of conviction.
Jiang Sui tore open her bathrobe with one hand and bit down on her neck.
Qiao Man flinched from the pain, about to protest when he began kissing the spot.
Pain and tingling mixed with his warm, moist breath, making her shoulders tremble slightly. Only when Jiang Sui’s hand slipped inside her bathrobe did Qiao Man finally sense something amiss.
“…Jiang Sui?” she called out uneasily.
Jiang Sui pressed his hips forward, their bodies fitting together perfectly, before bringing his lips to her ear.
“Darling, you’re supposed to struggle.”