Su Jiaojiao studied psychology. When Xu Qiao first asked the question, the boy’s eyes had darted away, and he had taken a step back. Upon hearing Pei Jinchuan admit that he was the one who had thrown the bottle of water, the boy had unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
Thus, the answer was clear.
“No, it wasn’t me! Pei Jinchuan just admitted it—he was the one who threw that bottle of water. It definitely wasn’t me—”
The boy pointed out by Su Jiaojiao trembled like a sieve the moment he met Xu Qiao’s smile, which didn’t reach her eyes.
The other boys also spoke up in his defense, but Xu Qiao had no desire to hear another word about that bottle of water.
“Twenty slaps for him, and fifteen slaps each for the other four liars!” After the lofty young lady issued her command, the bodyguards behind her stepped forward in unison.
In no time, loud protests turned into the sharp, crackling sound of slaps, followed by one cry and scream after another.
Having lost interest, Xu Qiao linked arms with Su Jiaojiao and walked away.
Xu Rou felt a chill run down her spine.
The boys stood right across from her, and the escalating sounds of slaps and pleas for mercy pierced her ears, making her feel an illusory pain on her own face as if she were being struck.
She lowered her head, wanting to slip away quickly, but as soon as she reached the mouth of the alley, she spotted a conspicuous Maybach parked not far away, its door still open.
Xu Qiao, who had earlier ordered the bodyguards to deliver the slaps, was now sitting sweetly in the back seat, smiling as she watched the scene.
Trembling with fear, Xu Rou heard the girl’s soft, gentle voice calling out to her, “Sister Rou Rou, hurry and get in the car. Let’s go home together.”
Xu Rou didn’t even know how she got into the car, only feeling the sweat in her palms grow thicker and her heart pounding like a drum.
She was utterly terrified, and even the Xitong in her mind was eerily silent.
“Cousin, didn’t you say you were going to buy study materials? How did you end up there? Where are the materials? I don’t see them.”
The woman beside her turned her head with a smile, her tone sweet and gentle, as if she were a completely different person from the one who had cruelly ground her foot into Pei Jinchuan’s wound and ordered the bodyguards to slap those boys in the alley.
Xu Rou stiffened, half-frozen and half-trembling, before remembering that this was the excuse she had hastily come up with earlier to get away from Xu Qiao.
“Ah, I—I was just about to go buy them when I suddenly heard arguing in the alley, so I went in to check it out and forgot to buy the materials…”
“So you just forgot?” Xu Qiao murmured, a perfectly measured look of pity appearing on her petite face as she pressed a button on the car’s partition.
“Yes, yes, I just forgot…” Xu Rou echoed, relieved to see that Xu Qiao seemed to believe her explanation.
But before she could steady her breathing, she suddenly heard the woman beside her speak in a cold, stern tone, “It’s a good thing Cousin only went there out of curiosity. Otherwise… I might have thought you showed up there specifically to protect that lowlife.”
As soon as the words fell, the partition in the middle of the car rose completely, and the vehicle moved forward smoothly, even luckily encountering no red lights along the way.
The air in the back seat seemed to have been paused, eerily quiet. Xu Rou felt as if she could hear her own heart pounding faster and faster.
She struggled to suppress the inexplicable panic and guilt rising in her chest, just about to explain, when she heard the girl angrily say, "It must be because that lowlife looks somewhat attractive and pitiful, so even Sister Rou Rou was bewitched by him today, speaking up for him again and again!"
At these words, Xu Rou's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help but swallow hard and shifted her gaze to the side.
Just then, her eyes met Xu Qiao's.
Those round, bright almond-shaped eyes held arrogance and innocence. Though they appeared soft and gentle, in that moment, they sent shivers down her spine.
The gaze felt almost tangible, as if it could see straight through her thoughts.
In this eerie and silent stare-down, she suddenly felt a fear that all her cards had been laid bare before this girl.
Could it be that Xu Qiao had already deduced from her unusual behavior today that she wasn't the original Xu Rou?
But just moments later, the spoiled, delicate girl beside her was the first to look away. Clenching her fists, she put on a fierce expression and gritted her teeth, saying, "A lowlife is just a lowlife. Today, I only gave him a beating—consider it my magnanimity, sparing him this once. If he dares bewitch Cousin again in the future, I'll make sure he regrets it!"
So, Xu Qiao hadn't realized that her shell now housed a different soul but genuinely believed she had been bewitched by Pei Jinchuan?
Xu Rou couldn't help but sigh in relief, even feeling her scalp relax a little.
"H-How could that be? I was just curious, so I went in to take a look. How could I possibly have known in advance that Pei would be bullied and gone there specifically to protect him?"
Xu Rou explained pitifully, her voice no longer carrying its usual softness, even faltering slightly from nervousness.
Worried that Xu Qiao might notice something amiss, she hurriedly drew a clear line, "I really just thought Pei—that lowlife—looked pitiful, so I spoke up for him a few times. I'll definitely stay far away from him in the future and won't be bewitched by him again. Don't worry, Qiao Qiao."
With this assurance, Xu Qiao's expression brightened, a sweet smile curling at the corners of her lips. "That's good. I've always trusted Sister Rou Rou."
With that, Xu Qiao lost interest in continuing the conversation, pulling out her phone to play her favorite dress-up game again.
But Xu Rou's heart remained unsettled.
She screamed inwardly, arguing with Xitong: 【Xitong, could Xu Qiao possibly know I'm not Xu Rou? I keep feeling like she knows something! It's so scary! When she said those things earlier, I felt like my heart was about to leap out of my chest!】
Xitong: 【Don't worry, host. Xu Qiao, an Edu Nüpei, couldn't possibly know you're not Xu Rou. However, your behavior today does differ significantly from the original Xu Rou's, so it's normal for her to find you suspicious. Besides, she didn't suspect you—she only suspected Pei Jinchuan of bewitching you. Just act more cautiously from now on, and you'll be fine!】
Hearing this, Xu Rou felt overwhelmed. 【How do I act cautiously? The original Xu Rou was quiet and reserved, hardly speaking much. With her personality, it might take me a hundred years to successfully win over Pei Jinchuan.】
【Moreover, Xu Qiao clearly warned me earlier not to get involved with Pei Jinchuan. It would be even more inappropriate for me to openly seek him out now. I’m even worried that if I don’t follow Xu Qiao’s instructions, given her ruthless nature, she might actually slit my throat!】
The Xitong was also at a loss.
The person and the system stared at each other helplessly in their minds.
It wasn’t until the car drove into Xu Jia Zhuangyuan that the Xitong came up with an idea. 【How about putting Pei Jinchuan aside for now and focusing on the unattainable Song Zhiyu? Song Zhiyu is also a Qiyun Zhi Zi, and he’s the only one who hasn’t even met Xu Qiao. If you pursue him, she definitely won’t stop you!】
Xu Rou pondered for a long time before nodding thoughtfully.
However, she wasn’t willing to give up on Pei Jinchuan just like that. After some consideration, she made up her mind. 【How about I openly pursue Song Zhiyu while secretly showing kindness to Pei Jinchuan?】
The Xitong agreed, 【I think that works!】
Thus, the person and the system regained their confidence and began discussing how to pursue the second Qiyun Zhi Zi, Song Zhiyu.
They didn’t notice the girl playing games nearby, whose lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
So, there’s more than one Qiyun Zhi Zi in this world!
As the two walked into the Xu family mansion one after the other, Xu Rou belatedly realized that Su Jiaojiao, who had appeared in the alley with Xu Qiao earlier, was nowhere to be seen.
Moreover, why had they been in that alley in the first place?
She casually asked about it, and Xu Qiao casually explained, “Jiaojiao had an urgent family matter and went home first.”
Xu Rou wanted to ask more, but Uncle Lin, the butler of Xuzhai, approached them.
“Welcome back, Miss! The eldest young master is waiting for you in the study upstairs. He asked you to go see him as soon as you returned.”
Xu Qiao took the towel handed to her by Uncle Lin, wiped her hands, smiled, and nodded before heading upstairs.
She could still hear the conversation between Xu Rou and the Xitong. 【Hey, I was too nervous in the car earlier and forgot to ask—why were Xu Qiao and Su Jiaojiao in that alley today? That doesn’t match the original novel’s plot, does it?】
【The original novel only mentioned that Pei Jinchuan was severely beaten by a boy who had a crush on Xu Qiao. It didn’t mention Xu Qiao appearing in the alley. However, your arrival has already altered the original plot, so it’s actually normal for her to be there.】
【Ah! If my presence can cause changes in the plot, does that mean the later plot will also change? Wouldn’t that make your knowledge of the future plot useless to me?】 Xu Rou complained.
The Xitong’s mechanical voice remained as steady as ever. 【Haven’t you noticed that even though the plot has changed slightly, the key outcomes remain the same?】
Xu Qiao paused at the top of the stairs on the second floor.
She didn’t understand what the Xitong meant by that.
Xu Rou, equally confused, asked the question for her.
【For example, this morning, in the original plot, Pei Jinchuan bumped into Xu Qiao. Even though you intervened, the final outcome was still that Pei Jinchuan offended Xu Qiao. And starting today, Xu Qiao will continuously torment and target him. That outcome remains unchanged.】
Xu Rou slapped her forehead, suddenly enlightened. "Oh, I get it now. There's also this afternoon's plot. Even though Xu Qiao, Su Jiaojiao, and even the Xu family bodyguards intervened when Pei Jinchuan was being beaten by those boys, the final outcome is still that Pei Jinchuan ends up severely injured by them?"
Xitong nodded, its tone carrying a hint of approval. "Exactly! The key plot outcomes in the original book cannot be changed. The only things that can be altered are elements missing from the original storyline."
"For example, the protagonists of this book are those Qiyun Zhi Zi. Wealth, status, and power—whatever belongs to them will inevitably be theirs. But in the original novel, they had no romantic subplots. So, as long as you, the host, successfully win over all the Qiyun Zhi Zi and make them devoted to you, your ending can change without violating the key plot outcomes. This world will then be under your control."
"Qiaoqiao?" Xu Qiao was listening intently when Xu Feng, emerging from the study, called out to her. "Why are you standing here?"
The man was dressed in a crisp, well-fitted suit, his demeanor cold and stern. But the moment he saw Xu Qiao, his entire expression softened with tenderness.
"Nothing, just daydreaming." Xu Qiao lowered her gaze, masking the complexity in her eyes. She walked over, a smile spreading across her lips. "Did you need something, brother?"
The two entered the study, and once the door closed, Xu Qiao could no longer hear the conversation between Xitong and Xu Rou.
Xu Feng had called Xu Qiao in to ask about her request that morning to investigate Pei Jinchuan.
"Qiaoqiao, be honest with me. Did you ask me to look into that kid because he bullied you and you want to get back at him?"