Although unsure what exactly Jiang Sui meant by “acting recklessly,” Qiao Man knew it couldn’t be anything good.
To prevent him from actually causing trouble, she had no choice but to send him the restaurant address.
Half an hour later, Jiang Sui entered the private room, lazily took the seat opposite her, pulled out his phone and started playing games.
“Have you eaten?” Qiao Man asked.
Jiang Sui: “Mm.”
Qiao Man stopped paying attention to him and focused on enjoying her meal.
By the time Jiang Sui finished one round of his game, Qiao Man had also finished eating. Their eyes met, and Qiao Man straightened up slightly.
“There’s been,” she began carefully, “a slight deviation in my storyline.”
Jiang Sui put down his phone: “What deviation?”
Qiao Man briefly explained how Gu Hantian disliked her.
“I don’t understand,” she frowned deeply, “even if I really have strange sexual preferences, I’m not sleeping with him. Why should he be so opposed?”
Jiang Sui leaned back in his chair, thought for three seconds and concluded: “Perhaps he feels you’re desecrating his beliefs.”
Qiao Man: “I don’t get it. Be more direct.”
“He suspects you’re a pervert who gets turned on by pictures of caissons, and that you borrowed those books to use together.” Jiang Sui was very direct.
Qiao Man: “…”
Jiang Sui pretended not to see her speechless expression: “Another possibility is that he’s convinced you have strange sexual preferences but are too ashamed to show it. So after borrowing the books you actually wanted, you put an architecture book on top as cover. Having the book he likes treated as a tool – no wonder he’s unhappy.”
Qiao Man remained silent for three seconds before saying: “To dislike someone over a single book. The novel world is really clear-cut about love and hate.”
“Now that he dislikes you, Bai Xingyu can’t possibly get jealous. If she doesn’t get jealous, how can my storyline progress?”
As Jiang Sui was speaking, a waiter came in to pour water but accidentally spilled it on his short sleeves.
“Sorry, sorry…” The waiter apologized in panic, nearly crying when he saw it was a luxury brand.
The usually unflappable Jiang Sui looked resigned as he glanced at Qiao Man past the waiter.
“Third one today,” he said.
Qiao Man quietly turned her face away, hiding her rare guilt.
The current priority wasn’t even changing Gu Hantian’s attitude toward Qiao Man anymore, but making Bai Xingyu jealous to resolve Jiang Sui’s storyline first.
“Why don’t you call her and say you saw Gu Hantian checking into a hotel with some girl?” To achieve her goal, Qiao Man decided to spread false rumors about the male lead.
Jiang Sui smiled: “Our goal is to advance the plot, not actually break up the main couple.”
“After she gets jealous, you can tell her you saw wrong.” Qiao Man didn’t see any problem with this.
Jiang Sui: “But their childhood friend status hasn’t been revealed yet.”
Qiao Man fell silent.
Jiang Sui: “No one at school knows they knew each other before.”
Qiao Man continued her silence.
Jiang Sui: “If I suddenly mention Gu Hantian to her, it would make her suspicious.”
Qiao Man frowned and proposed several other solutions, but Jiang Sui rejected them all.
Before they knew it, it was already 2 PM. The waiter had come to the private room door several times. Though he didn’t verbally urge them, his desire to get off work was written all over his face.
Qiao Man picked up her canvas bag and walked out, with Jiang Sui following slowly behind.
“This won’t work, that won’t work – what exactly are we supposed to do?” Qiao Man’s patience had run out, and she suddenly grew irritable.
Jiang Sui habitually walked one step behind her. From this angle, he could see her high ponytail, fair neck, and the slight baby fat on her profile.
Qiao Man, not receiving his response, was about to stop when the person behind her suddenly spoke.
“Have you seen those posts online?”
Qiao Man paused. “Yes.”
“Angry?” Jiang Sui asked.
Qiao Man glanced back at him as if he’d asked something strange. “Why should I be angry over some fools’ pathetic revelry?”
A soft chuckle escaped Jiang Sui’s throat. Just as he was about to say more, a strong force suddenly shoved him into the nearby restroom.
“…Finally couldn’t resist making a move on me?” Even pinned against the wall, he couldn’t stop teasing.
“Shh, Gu Hantian’s friend,” Qiao Man whispered, peering through the door crack where a distinctive purple head was quite conspicuous. “According to the novel, we’re not supposed to know each other yet. Can’t let him see us together.”
As she observed outside, trying to get a clearer view, she unconsciously pressed closer to Jiang Sui.
To maintain her pure, innocent character image, she didn’t wear expensive perfume. Only the faint scent of laundry detergent clung to her, mingled with a hint of summer warmth, emitting a subtle fragrance one could only detect when pressing close enough to smell her intimate clothing.
Jiang Sui lowered his gaze, relaxing against the wall with one hand supporting her arm, making no move to push her away.
“I’ve thought of a way to help you complete the plot!” Qiao Man suddenly thumped him.
Jiang Sui grunted, lazily responding, “Murdering your ex-husband?”
“…Reign in your persecution complex. You said you wanted to solve this together, but since coming here you haven’t used your brain at all. In the end, you still have to rely on me.” The queen expressed dissatisfaction with her useless servant.
Jiang Sui shrugged, maintaining his whatever-goes attitude.
Qiao Man couldn’t be bothered with him and pulled the door open to leave.
“Hey.” Jiang Sui stopped her.
Qiao Man: “What?”
“Buy some cheap perfume,” the ex-husband said sincerely, though unable to conceal his sarcasm. “In summer, sweat doesn’t smell pleasant.”
Qiao Man remained silent for three seconds before grabbing a nearby mop and throwing it at him.
Jiang Sui dodged in time, avoiding direct hit, but dirty water from the mop splashed onto his pants.
“Oh, more financial losses?” Qiao Man offered insincere sympathy.
It was the weekend, a rare time for relaxation.
Xiao Chen had made elaborate plans for weekend indulgence, but when the appointed time came, everyone had stood him up.
“If I ever invite you guys out again, I’m a dog!” He angrily put away his phone, his purple hair shaking with indignation.
It was at this moment that Qiao Man appeared, strolling leisurely past him.
Xiao Chen, unsure how to kill time alone, instantly brightened upon seeing her.
“You there!” He rushed over in two quick steps, blocking Qiao Man’s path.
Qiao Man stepped back nervously. “Who are you?”
“You don’t know me?” Xiao Chen sounded surprised. “Me, Xiao Chen. You don’t recognize me?”
Qiao Man looked at him puzzled, seeming genuinely unfamiliar.
“Cut it out. If you’ve pursued Hantian, how could you not know me?” Xiao Chen was certain she was pretending.
“You mean Gu Hantian?” Qiao Man frowned. “When did I ever pursue him?”
Xiao Chen was taken aback by her question. “You haven’t? But the forums said…”
“The forum posts are all fake. I don’t know who’s spreading rumors, but I never pursued Gu Hantian, nor am I some scheming girl. I don’t even know him,” Qiao Man said coldly.
Xiao Chen was confused by her attitude and pulled her aside to sit in a corner.
“If you don’t know Hantian, why does he dislike you?”
“How should I know?” Qiao Man fell silent as if suddenly remembering something.
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Chen’s gossip-loving heart instantly ignited: “Are you hiding something? Just say it. Whatever the problem is, we can solve it together.”
Solve? More like you just want to watch the drama, right?
Qiao Man didn’t expose him, only said with humiliation: “On the first day of school, I saw him at the library entrance.”
“You saw him, and then?” Xiao the Repeater pressed.
Qiao Man pursed her lips: “I was in a hurry and accidentally bumped into him.”
“…And then? And then?”
Qiao Man: “I apologized immediately, and he accepted my apology. After that, we had no further contact. Logically, that should have been the end of it. I don’t understand why he acted so hostile when we met the second time.”
“Wait a minute…”
Purple Hair made a serious stopping gesture, his small brain working furiously.
The library encounter, Gu Hantian subsequently going to the library every day as if waiting for someone, recognizing Qiao Man at a glance in the lecture hall… All signs pointed to an astonishing conclusion.
Xiao Chen gasped sharply.
Qiao Man was pleased with his reaction and seized the opportunity to cast her bait: “Xiao Chen, can you do me a favor?”
“What?”Still immersed in the joy of uncovering his good friend’s secret crush, Xiao Chen didn’t quite catch what she said.”
Qiao Man cupped her face: “Could you post on the forum to help clarify things for me? All these rumors started because of that look Gu Hantian gave me. You’re his friend – if you explain, everyone will believe you.”
Xiao Chen readily agreed: “No problem!”
Qiao Man smiled slightly. Success.
The restaurant she’d chosen was far from campus. By the time she returned to school, an hour had passed.
Almost as soon as she entered the dorm, Jia Xin and Yi Yuanyuan looked at her eagerly, wanting to ask something but not daring to, waiting for her to speak first.
After all, whenever they made mistakes, Qiao Man was always the one to take initiative in forgiving them.
Qiao Man calmly walked past them.
“Manman…”
And promptly put on her headphones.
Yi Yuanyuan immediately closed her mouth. After exchanging a look with Jia Xin, she didn’t have the nerve to speak either.
There was no music playing in Qiao Man’s headphones. Sitting at her desk, she opened the forum and indeed saw Xiao Chen had already posted:
“I’m Xiao Chen. Here to solemnly declare that all forum discussions about Qiao Man are false.”
Quite a simple and direct clarification method.
Qiao Man clicked into the post. There were already dozens of replies – some claiming they’d believed in Qiao Man all along, some still skeptical, but most asking why Xiao Chen would speak up for her and whether Gu Hantian had authorized it.
Xiao Chen picked one comment asking about Qiao Man and Gu Hantian’s relationship to reply to, and his response was quite inspired.
It was a yellow bean emoji making a [shushing] gesture.
Perfect, absolutely perfect. The subsequent comments predictably derailed, everyone speculating about Qiao Man and Gu Hantian’s relationship.
Qiao Man refreshed a couple more times – there were even shipping fanfics popping up already.
With this post published, the plot of the female lead getting drunk out of jealousy should be set in motion.
Qiao Man closed the post and was about to put down her phone when she suddenly noticed a new thread had appeared in the forum.
It was a doxxing post.
Several of the most active troublemakers recently had their real identities exposed, one of whom was actually her classmate.
The school forum was anonymous, but usernames were fixed. To uncover their identities, one would need to comb through all their past posts and carefully piece together clues. This was an enormous amount of work. She never expected Xiao Chen would go this far to help her, and with such efficiency at that.
After a moment’s thought, Qiao Man opened her new contact and sent a message: Thanks.
Xiao Chen replied instantly: You’re welcome, Sister Man. It’s the least I could do.
Now all that was left was to wait for Jiang Sui to complete his part of the plot. As for her relationship with Gu Hantian, it wouldn’t hurt to mend that later.
Qiao Man took an afternoon nap in her dorm. When she woke up, Jia Xin and Yi Yuanyuan were already gone.
Enjoying the peace and quiet, she took a shower and changed clothes. Just as she was about to head out, she suddenly remembered Jiang Sui complaining about her smelling of sweat.
Qiao Man lifted her arm to sniff herself, then stared at her reflection in the mirror before declaring expressionlessly, “I smell divine.As Gu Hantian’s good friend, Xiao Chen’s post had completely shifted the forum’s public opinion. Before nightfall, Jiang Sui sent a message with his location – a bar off campus.
Everything was proceeding almost too smoothly. In high spirits, Qiao Man enjoyed a nice dinner, went shopping, and bought a bottle of cheap perfume, planning to dump it on Jiang Sui’s head next time she saw him.
Until 9:30 PM, when Jiang Sui suddenly messaged: Yunmu Hotel, Room 506.
Qiao Man frowned: What does this mean?
But Jiang Sui didn’t reply.
Could something have gone wrong with the plot?
Growing increasingly concerned, Qiao Man grabbed her phone and headed out.
Twenty minutes later, she stared silently at the drunken Bai Xingyu.
“The plot requires me to change her clothes,” Jiang Sui said from the other bed, looking completely unbothered. “I thought that would be inappropriate, so I called you to help.”
Qiao Man took a deep breath: “If I change her clothes for her, how will you complete your task?”
“After you change her, I’ll just need to adjust her clothes a bit,” Jiang Sui tossed her a new t-shirt. “Please hurry, she reeks.”
Qiao Man closed her eyes briefly, gathering patience, then approached Bai Xingyu with a cold expression. Jiang Sui got up from the bed and tactfully turned around.
“Mmm… Gu Hantian, you jerk! How could you…Bai Xingyu murmured, slowly curling into a ball, her eyes reddening with grievance.
The novel’s female lead looked beautifully vulnerable in this moment, enough to soften anyone’s heart.
Qiao Man: “Lift your arms.”
Bai Xingyu: “Whimper…”
“Hurry up and raise your arms! Ahhh stop moving around, you’re getting vomit on my hands! Bai Xingyu, I’m going to kill you!”
Jiang Sui stood quietly facing the wall, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible while remaining alert in case someone decided to throw vomit-soaked clothes at him.
Five minutes later, Qiao Man rushed into the bathroom.
Only then did Jiang Sui turn around and adjust Bai Xingyu’s clothes slightly.
Task completed.
When Qiao Man emerged from the bathroom, her face was still dark: “Anything else?”
“Nothing. Let me walk you out.” Having gotten what he wanted, Jiang Sui was being particularly polite.
“Wait.” Qiao Man said suddenly.
Jiang Sui stopped in front of her: “What?”
Qiao Man stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly stood on her tiptoes.
The distance between them abruptly closed. Jiang Sui lowered his gaze, quietly watching her infinitely magnified face.
Just as their lips were about to touch, Qiao Man twitched her nose, grabbed his collar and asked, “Have you been drinking?”
“For the plot’s sake,” Jiang Sui murmured, his gaze naturally falling upon her lips from this angle.
Qiao Man frowned and was about to speak when a faint voice suddenly came from behind: “You two…”
Both Qiao Man and Jiang Sui turned to look.
The female lead, who had been completely drunk just moments ago, had somehow sat up and was now staring at them with a dazed expression.
The air suddenly grew still.
After what felt like an eternity, Qiao Man silently released Jiang Sui, forming a heart gesture toward Bai Xingyu: “Lis-listen, I want to thank you, because of you…”
Jiang Sui’s eyes flickered slightly. Catching Qiao Man’s signal, he uncertainly continued: “…warmed all four seasons?”
Bai Xingyu remained silent for a long moment before collapsing back onto the bed.
She must truly be drunk—otherwise, why would she be seeing Jiang Sui kissing the person Gu Hantian likes, and then performing a song and dance routine together for her?