Category: Female Lead Was Coaxed Away by the Villain Again [Quick Transmigration]

Chapter 21: I Also Want Cake (21)

Jiang Zhiyan frowned when she saw the lights on inside from afar as she returned home that evening.

Suddenly, she didn’t want to go back.

The matters at home still needed to be dealt with. Thinking about what Lin Shenyu and Wei Ting had said during the day, her mother’s destructive power was even greater than she had imagined.

When she walked in, her mother was still sitting in her usual spot, her expression several degrees uglier than last time.

“What are you going to say today? Lin Shenyu and Wei Ting told me you looked for them.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her. “It seems I wasn’t clear enough last time.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked up at the camera in the corner: “It’s fixed.”

She glanced at the ornaments on the coffee table, picked up a glass, weighed it in her hand, then quickly and accurately threw it at the camera.

Jiang’s mother screamed, looking at the now-destroyed camera in horror.

“What happened?” The housekeeper rushed out after hearing the loud noise.

“It’s nothing, Auntie. Mom went to find my current and ex-boyfriends, and maybe even more ex-boyfriends, to badmouth me in front of them, so I was a bit upset and accidentally broke the glass. Auntie, you go back inside first, Mom and I will have a good chat.”

The housekeeper frowned. Although she didn’t say anything, the look she gave Jiang’s mother was clearly disapproving. She had watched Jiang Zhiyan grow up, and in her eyes, Jiang Zhiyan was just a delicate, sensitive, and pitiful little girl.

“Okay.” The housekeeper nodded, glancing at Jiang’s mother. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I don’t like you, but I know you’re having a hard time, so I haven’t done anything to you.” Jiang Zhiyan sat down on the other side of the sofa, looking at her mother huddled in the corner, feeling irritated. “I asked you to go to the company because I hoped you could detach yourself from relationship issues and see the world outside.”

“After all this time at the company, you think the way to achieve cooperation is to sell me off? When I disagreed, you called them to sell me off? I’m very curious about your thought process.” Jiang Zhiyan poured herself a glass of water.

Jiang’s mother stared at Jiang Zhiyan. Jiang Zhiyan actually saw a hint of hatred and jealousy in her eyes, emotions she had never seen in a mother’s eyes before, even after experiencing so many missions.

“You’re just as shameless as your father!” Jiang’s mother said through gritted teeth.

“I’m not two-timing anyone, I’m completely different from him. I don’t accept such an accusation.”

Jiang’s mother didn’t speak, her chest heaving, her emotions running high.

Jiang Zhiyan leaned against the sofa: “You hate me, and you’re jealous of me. Jealous of what? Jealous that I can move on so quickly? Or jealous that I don’t care about the things you can’t get?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re not suited for the company, you have too much garbage in your head, and there’s no room for improvement.” Jiang Zhiyan stood up, looking down at her, her tone cold. “Also, this is the last time I’m warning you not to cause me trouble. Didn’t Assistant Wang tell you about me stabbing someone at school?”

Jiang Zhiyan had already made a Plan B. She had contacted her Aunt Jiang, who lived abroad, and they had a good conversation. They had previously talked about her coming back to manage the company, but now the plan was moved forward.

Aunt Jiang had shares in the company and experience in management, much better than those boastful uncles. She had wanted to return but had no connections in the country. Now, with Assistant Wang, and the group of people behind him, she could take over the company.

Assistant Wang also supported this plan. Jiang’s mother was incompetent, unmotivated, and fond of giving random instructions, which drastically increased his workload, to the point where even overtime pay wasn’t enough.

Jiang Zhiyan and Aunt Jiang signed a contract for an exchange of interests. Aunt Jiang would cover her living expenses, tuition, and other fees, and Jiang Zhiyan would receive 20% of the company’s annual dividends. The contract would last until Jiang Zhiyan turned thirty. Aunt Jiang wasn’t short of money and had other assets, so she agreed.

After Aunt Jiang contacted Assistant Wang, Jiang Zhiyan received a large red envelope from her.

She didn’t need to worry about the rest anymore. Aunt Jiang would definitely face resistance, but it had nothing to do with her.

The day after Aunt Jiang returned to the country, Jiang’s mother was kicked out of the house. She went on a rampage at home, smashing things. After Aunt Jiang found out, she found an apartment for Jiang Zhiyan near the school, and the housekeeper also moved there with her.

“You ungrateful wretch! Your father finally managed to get rid of her!”

“Because you’re incompetent.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her calmly. “I fought for a chance for you.”

“Idiot! Idiot!” Jiang Zhiyan’s indifferent gaze deeply irritated her, her voice shrill. “You’re a monster! You treat your parents like this, you…”

“Goodbye, let’s see less of each other in the future.” Jiang Zhiyan interrupted her.

After moving to the new apartment, Jiang Zhiyan felt refreshed, a rare moment of relaxation. She tidied up and took a picture for Liang Xi.

[Liang Xi: Moved?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Yes, my aunt is back and found me a new place. The housekeeper who raised me also came with me. I don’t have to live with my mom anymore!]

[Liang Xi: Congratulations! We’ll come to your new place for a housewarming party this weekend!]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Okay, ask Yang Xiao if she wants to come… if she doesn’t want to, it’s fine.]

[Liang Xi: Okay.]

“Host, although you and Liang Xi have a good relationship, I still need to remind you that New Year’s Day is approaching, which is another plot point. Are you planning to skip this one too? If so, tell me, and I’ll remove it from my reminders, so I don’t get angry when I have to remind you later.”

“I know, I’ll participate in the New Year’s Day performance.” Jiang Zhiyan picked up her phone again. “As for the rest, we’ll play it by ear.”

The system let out a couple of dry laughs: “Your words are as believable as a scumbag saying ‘I love you’.”

“There’s a fundamental difference between me and a scumbag. A scumbag won’t let you know he’s a scumbag at the beginning, but I’ve never claimed to be a good person.”

The system was speechless.

[Jiang Zhiyan: Want to participate in the New Year’s Day performance with me?]

[Liang Xi: Sure, what do you want to perform? I know a little modern dance, but I’m not very good. Are you going to play the cello? Or should we come up with something new?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: I can accompany you on the cello.]

[Liang Xi: I think it would be better if you played solo.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: But the school won’t let me play solo, there’s an orchestra.]

[Liang Xi: Then what should we do?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: I’ll accompany you, you dance. I just want to accompany you (cute emoticon)]

Liang Xi agreed.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced around the room. The living room was very spacious, perfect for rehearsals.

“Yang Xiao will definitely come to join in the fun.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I looked at Yang Xiao’s profile, she plays the piano, she’ll probably ask to join.”

Jiang Zhiyan frowned.

The system laughed gleefully: “Ah, it’s so much fun watching you after changing perspectives.”

Chapter 20: I Also Want Cake (20)

“You two, don’t block the sauce station, hurry up.” Yang Xiao walked behind them and said faintly.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at her: “We’ve only been here for half a minute.”

“Really? But I feel like you two have been standing here for half a century.” Yang Xiao narrowed her eyes, her tone tinged with jealousy.

Jiang Zhiyan added a spoonful of minced garlic to Yang Xiao’s bowl: “Anything else?”

“Five milliliters of vinegar, two grams of chopped chili peppers, three point five grams of chili powder, an appropriate amount of peanut butter, hmm… and some sesame oil.” Yang Xiao scanned the ingredients and said solemnly.

Jiang Zhiyan quietly listened to her finish: “You should make it yourself, it sounds a bit complicated, I’m not very good at it.”

Yang Xiao snorted softly, then watched as Jiang Zhiyan scooped another spoonful of sauce for Liang Xi.

This person practically had the words “double standard” carved on her face, not bothering to hide her bias.

“Give me some too.” Lin Shenyu handed his bowl over.

“Why are you here? I thought your family was very particular about where they ate.”

“I snuck out.” Lin Shenyu lowered his eyes. “Didn’t Miss Jiang say she usually doesn’t eat at restaurants under a thousand yuan per person?”

“Maybe that was just an excuse not to eat with you.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled. “Last week, I ate Jianbing, which costs eight yuan, with Liang Xi.”

Just as Lin Shenyu was about to speak, Wei Ting interjected.

“Big brother, are you that broke? Can’t even afford a restaurant with a thousand yuan per person? Oh, so it’s Sister-in-law who doesn’t want to eat with you, Big Brother.”

When everyone at the sauce station looked over, Jiang Zhiyan wanted to dump the bowl on his face.

“Excuse me, who are you?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Wei Ting questioningly, then looked at Lin Shenyu. “Do you know him?”

“No.” Lin Shenyu shook his head.

Yang Xiao, standing beside them, almost burst out laughing. When Wei Ting approached, she had quickly moved away, afraid of being seen as being with him.

Now the strange gazes were all directed at Wei Ting.

“So scary.” Liang Xi leaned against Jiang Zhiyan and frowned.

Wei Ting looked at the three of them expressionlessly, then glanced at Yang Xiao. Yang Xiao pretended not to know anyone and turned to leave.

“Bro Yan.” Wei Ting moved closer to Yan Yanzhuo, wanting to put an arm around his shoulder to show closeness, but Yan Yanzhuo nimbly dodged his hand.

Wei Ting: ?

Liang Xi leaned against Jiang Zhiyan and laughed: “Are you done? If you’re done, let’s go back, Xiao Xiao has already gone back.”

“She’s so easily embarrassed.”

“Yes, Xiao Xiao seems outgoing, but she’s actually very shy.” Liang Xi nodded. “Let’s go back too, I’m actually also easily embarrassed.”

“Indeed, your ears are all red.”

“I’ve never been so embarrassed.” Liang Xi nodded, shivering slightly.

Wei Ting stared at Liang Xi in disbelief: “You’ve only been with Jiang Zhiyan for a few days, I remember you didn’t even dare talk back to anyone before, and now you’ve learned to be sarcastic.”

“Rapid progress.” Liang Xi gave a thumbs-up.

“Oh, so you do recognize me.”

Jiang Zhiyan pulled Liang Xi away, ignoring him. Liang Xi took quick, small steps, not looking back.

“Ha.” Wei Ting looked at Yan Yanzhuo. “Bro Yan, your face looks terrible.”

“You’re mistaken.” Yan Yanzhuo picked up his sauce bowl and left.

Wei Ting looked at Lin Shenyu: “I have a feeling you’re about to be dumped.”

“You’re such a nice person, thanks for the reminder. I’ll also remind you to book a hospital room in advance.”

Returning to the table, Wei Ting felt ostracized. The distance between Yang Xiao and him had clearly increased.

“There might not be any seats at the library this afternoon.” Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “Do you mind going to a paid study room? We can book a private room.”

“I don’t mind.” Jiang Zhiyan rested her chin on her hand. “I haven’t been to one before.”

“Okay, then I’ll book one in advance, we’ll be there at 1:45.” Liang Xi replied.

During the meal, the atmosphere at the table improved considerably. Wei Ting, the mood-killer, was forced to shut up. In order to prove he could handle spicy food, he practically mixed chili peppers with his rice, and the end result was that he was too spicy to speak.

“He really does seem like a sixteen-year-old.” The system commented wisely.

“Indeed.”

“Host, what were you like in high school?”

Jiang Zhiyan’s hand holding the chopsticks paused, and she replied after three seconds: “I don’t know, I don’t remember.”

Yan Yanzhuo paid for the meal. Although Liang Xi knew it was just a small amount for him, she still felt uncomfortable.

“It’s frustrating. Just thinking that Yan Yanzhuo paid for the meal makes me feel uneasy, like I owe him something.” Liang Xi pulled Jiang Zhiyan and Yang Xiao behind, lowering her voice.

Jiang Zhiyan searched for the price of queueing services on Xianyu (second-hand marketplace app) and showed it to Liang Xi: “If you calculate it based on the price per person, you came out on top. This restaurant just opened, there’s a daily limit on customers, and it’s always crowded, so the price of queueing services is quite high.”

“That expensive?” Liang Xi’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “It’s just hot pot. I’m so lucky today.”

“Indeed, if we hadn’t let them join our table, they would have had to find another place to eat.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Thank you, I feel much better now.” Liang Xi touched her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

“Do you need a ride?” Lin Shenyu turned around and asked.

“No, I rode my electric scooter today.”

“Three people on one electric scooter?” Lin Shenyu frowned. “Since when did you learn how to do that?”

“Two people, Yang Xiao is riding a shared e-bike. Electric scooters aren’t difficult, you just sit on it and you’ll know how to ride.”

Wei Ting looked at Yang Xiao with pity, then shook his head without saying anything, but his meaning was clear.

Yang Xiao was used to it and wasn’t usually bothered, but being looked at with that kind of look by “Wei Ting” suddenly made her feel pathetic.

She had never thought she would feel this way about Wei Ting. Because she wasn’t close to him before, and his family was rich, she always thought he was a rather “high-class” person. Seeing him today, so foolish and naive, she was worried he would get beaten up for what he said.

Seeing Liang Xi hugging Jiang Zhiyan along the way made her feel even more pathetic. Liang Xi turned around and glanced at Yang Xiao, then patted Jiang Zhiyan, and Jiang Zhiyan slowed down the scooter.

Yang Xiao’s mood instantly brightened, and she sped up to catch up.

“Do you want to get some milk tea before we go? What do you want, I’ll buy it now.”

“Let’s get it from Jiang Jiang’s again, the new flavor last time was good.” Yang Xiao said.

“Okay, no ice, half sugar, with extra boba, right?”

“Yes!” Yang Xiao replied loudly, her frustration dissipating considerably. When passersby looked over, she looked back with a bright smile, a strange sense of pride filling her.

“What are you having?” Liang Xi asked.

“The same new flavor.”

“Full sugar?”

“Yes.”

Liang Xi placed the order and then leaned against Jiang Zhiyan’s back: “You’re too thin, why do you still feel like you haven’t gained any weight after all this time?”

“Maybe it’s my constitution. I have gained a few pounds, but it’s not noticeable.”

Liang Xi looked at the red light ahead and touched Jiang Zhiyan’s stomach through her clothes. “There’s really no fat at all, it’s still hard, abs? Do you even have time to work out?”

“No, I’m just thin, not abs.”

“I only have a small belly.” Liang Xi touched her own soft belly.

“Yours will be hard too if you straighten your back.”

“That’s true.” Liang Xi giggled at her own silliness.

The three arrived at the study room on time. As soon as Yang Xiao entered, she pushed the “extremely difficult” problems she had painstakingly found that morning towards Jiang Zhiyan. She could barely understand the questions herself: “Teach me, kind Jiang classmate.”

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at them: “Are you participating in a competition? These kinds of questions don’t appear in normal exams. And I remember your grades are in the second tier, you should focus on other questions.”

“Don’t look down on me, can’t you do them?” Yang Xiao challenged her.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Yang Xiao, frowned, and said with some difficulty: “It would be embarrassing for you if I explained it and you didn’t understand.”

Yang Xiao smiled.

“If you insist that I explain it, I will, until you understand. After you say you understand, I’ll give you similar questions to test you. If you can’t do them, we’ll continue. When I teach someone, I must teach them until they understand. If you don’t understand today, I’ll find you after every class.”

Yang Xiao couldn’t smile anymore, and let out a couple of dry laughs: “Ha, ha, ha, I haven’t finished my homework yet, I’ll do my homework first, we’ll talk about this later, yes.” What kind of demon was this? Although Jiang Zhiyan might not actually do that, it was already scary to hear.

Liang Xi looked down at the test paper, covering her mouth and smiling silently. Yang Xiao poked her arm in dissatisfaction.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop laughing.” Liang Xi waved her hand. “After you finish your homework, look at my notes.”

The small room became quiet again. Jiang Zhiyan had already finished her homework, but in order to stay with Liang Xi, she forced herself to do three more test papers.

Liang Xi glanced at Jiang Zhiyan’s test papers from the corner of her eye. After a minute, her gaze was still on the papers.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Zhiyan wiped her hands and looked at Liang Xi.

“You don’t have any working steps? And you don’t even use scratch paper.”

“I did.” Jiang Zhiyan pointed at a few equations on the test paper. “I’ve practiced mental calculations before.”

“So impressive.” Liang Xi exclaimed, moving her own test paper closer. “These two questions, I feel like something’s not right about how I did them. Teach me.”

“Let me see.” Jiang Zhiyan moved her chair closer, and Liang Xi also moved closer to her. Their heads were almost touching.

Yang Xiao leaned in to look at the question, glanced at it, and then sat back down. She should just focus on her own work. That long string of things gave her a headache just looking at it. She let out a long sigh, listened to Jiang Zhiyan’s soft explanation, yawned, and rubbed her eyes.

Chapter 19: I Also Want Cake (19)

“Why did you accept such an expensive gift from her?” Liang’s mother asked.

“I didn’t know it was so expensive at first, and I really liked it, I didn’t know how to refuse.” Liang Xi browsed through dessert recipes on her phone, saving the ones that interested her.

“So you’ve been giving her desserts every day?” Liang’s mother continued. “Was the conflict last time also because of her?”

“Yes.” Liang Xi replied. “Mom, don’t worry, I know my limits.”

“I don’t think you do. Such a big thing, and you didn’t even tell me. Receiving a call and finding out you’re at the police station, do you know how worried I was?” Liang’s mother sneered.

“I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t expect him to be so bold, to actually break into my house and rob me.” Liang Xi softened her voice.

“You always do this when something happens. Acting cute won’t work.” Liang’s mother said angrily.

“I haven’t encountered many things… Mom, are you resting this week? What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

Liang’s mother sneered.

…

Jiang Zhiyan sat in the car, looking out the window.

“Host, for just 500 points, you can unlock the true perspective of this event. Are you interested? Interested?” The system said slyly.

“She did it on purpose?” Jiang Zhiyan rubbed her eyes, deleting the organized information and photos.

“But you don’t know how she did it!”

“Why should I know? There’s no need to know. The matter was perfectly resolved, that’s all that matters.”

The system actually wanted to gossip with Jiang Zhiyan and earn some extra points, but who knew Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t interested, leaving it hanging: “Hmph, Host, really? You really don’t want to know? This is a limited-time offer, if you think it’s too expensive, I can give you a discount.”

“I don’t want to.” Jiang Zhiyan didn’t even think about it.

“People should maintain basic curiosity, otherwise they’ll age quickly.”

“Okay, I’ll try to take your advice.” Jiang Zhiyan said nonchalantly. “But I don’t seem to have the concept of aging.”

“No wonder you want to target sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls.”

Jiang Zhiyan wanted to explain, then thought better of it and muted the system.

The system, not seeing the notification, continued talking to itself: “Don’t you think you’re getting too close to the female lead? The female lead’s attention towards the male lead is being diverted by you. She hasn’t mentioned the male lead during casual conversations for a long time. This is a very bad sign!”

“What’s worse is that the female lead’s favorability towards the male lead is gradually decreasing. Although it’s not reflected in the numerical value, you can see it declining from the chart.”

“Host, what are you planning to do? Do you still want points? Also, I’ve been thinking about something lately. Are you straight or gay? Even if you’re gay, the female lead and the vicious female supporting character won’t have a good ending, so you should accept reality and give up soon.”

“Host? Host?”

“Hmm? Why aren’t you talking?”

“Fuck… you actually muted me! You actually muted me! #￥@%#@! Jiang Zhiyan! Our revolutionary friendship is dissipating! I hope you’ll take this seriously.”

When Jiang Zhiyan returned home, she originally wanted to unmute the system, but as soon as she turned off the mute, she heard its incessant chattering, so she muted it again.

Why was an AI so emotionally unstable and so talkative?

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t understand and decided to unmute it tomorrow morning. She could only set the alarm herself for now.

Her phone vibrated. The special ringtone indicated a message from Liang Xi. She quickly picked up her phone and sat on the edge of the bed.

[Liang Xi: I troubled you, and even had to call you over there.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: It’s nothing, it was just a small effort, not troublesome at all. Go to bed early tonight and drink some warm milk.]

[Liang Xi: Okay, I hope I don’t have nightmares tonight.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: You won’t, if you do, it’ll be a cool dream of a heroine vanquishing evil.]

[Liang Xi: Hahahaha, I hope so.]

Liang Xi looked at the small cake on her nightstand, protected by a glass cover, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

[Liang Xi: What do you want to eat tomorrow?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Don’t make anything today, go to bed early. Our housekeeper baked some cookies today, I’ll bring them tomorrow.]

[Liang Xi: Okay.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Can I study with you guys this weekend?]

[Liang Xi: Hmm? No cello lessons?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Only in the morning.]

[Liang Xi: Then come, we can have lunch together outside.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Okay!]

Jiang Zhiyan curled her lips, happy and cheerful. She had originally planned to go and deal with that man this afternoon, but now there was no need.

After learning that Jiang Zhiyan was also going to study with them, Yang Xiao felt like the sky was falling.

“Why is she coming again?” Yang Xiao didn’t understand.

“She said she doesn’t have class in the afternoon, so she’s coming over in the afternoon.”

Yang Xiao frowned, lowering her voice: “I strongly suspect she had another appointment this afternoon, which she canceled, so she’s looking for us! We’re her second choice.”

“I don’t think so.” Liang Xi shook her head. “Maybe she originally didn’t want to study, but was then moved by our studiousness, so she wanted to come study with us.”

Yang Xiao: ?

Yang Xiao looked at Liang Xi’s serious expression, trying to figure out if she was being serious or joking.

“It’s all studying anyway, it’s fine if she comes. Her grades are good, if I don’t know something, you can also ask her.” Liang Xi patted Yang Xiao’s shoulder. “Good friends should improve together.”

Looking at Liang Xi, so righteous and full of positive energy, Yang Xiao couldn’t say anything else.

Forget it, they were just going to the library to study together, not even talking, so it shouldn’t be a big problem. No matter how crazy Jiang Zhiyan was, she couldn’t do anything in the library.

Yang Xiao rubbed her chest. She had never thought in her life that she would go out with Jiang Zhiyan, meeting her outside of school.

On Sunday, Yang Xiao and Liang Xi went to the library early in the morning and secured a good spot.

Looking at the packed study area, Yang Xiao said with a bit of schadenfreude: “She probably won’t have a seat when she comes in the afternoon.”

“It is troublesome, but we’re going out for lunch, and we might not have a seat when we come back. If there’s no space in the library, we can just rent a private room at a paid study room. It’s fine.”

Yang Xiao’s smile faded again. Damn, she forgot that this library didn’t allow reserving seats. She had already imagined the scene of Jiang Zhiyan having no seat and leaving dejectedly.

Jiang Zhiyan agreed to meet Liang Xi at the library entrance at 11:30.

When Yang Xiao saw Jiang Zhiyan, she couldn’t help but click her tongue. Judging from Jiang Zhiyan’s outfit, she had clearly prepared well. She could directly be a fashion blogger.

She looked down at her own padded jacket and jeans and wanted to complain to Liang Xi, but was interrupted as soon as she opened her mouth.

“So beautiful, this outfit suits you very well.” Liang Xi couldn’t help but exclaim the moment she saw Jiang Zhiyan, her eyes shining. “It looks so good on you, should we take a picture? There’s a corner over there that’s perfect for taking pictures.”

“Really? You think it looks good? This is my first time trying this style, I was a bit hesitant to even go out today.” Jiang Zhiyan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear shyly.

“It looks amazing, you look good in any style.”

Yang Xiao unscrewed her thermos and took a tactical sip of water. With Liang Xi’s praise, Jiang Zhiyan’s eyebrows practically flew off her face.

“By the way, I rode my electric scooter here today. Later, when we go to the restaurant, Liang Xi, you can ride with me. Yang Xiao, are you okay riding a shared e-bike by yourself?” Jiang Zhiyan said, walking beside Liang Xi.

“No problem.” Yang Xiao said with a blank expression, not bothering to hide her eye roll and displeasure.

Jiang Zhiyan had definitely planned this in advance. She stood to the side watching Liang Xi take pictures of Jiang Zhiyan. Two minutes later, she watched as they leaned against each other. Unable to bear it any longer, she walked over.

“Include me.” Yang Xiao made a peace sign at the camera.

To prevent the cunning Jiang Zhiyan from cropping her out, she chose to stand between the two, making strange poses. This way, even if someone edited her out, it would take a long time.

“Xiao Xiao, your poses are really strange.” Liang Xi frowned at the photos.

“Maybe it’s showing her personality.” Jiang Zhiyan said. “It makes her stand out from us.”

Liang Xi nodded in sudden understanding.

Yang Xiao looked at Jiang Zhiyan expressionlessly. It didn’t sound like a compliment at all, very sarcastic, but her expression was so sincere that Yang Xiao couldn’t directly get angry.

As expected, this woman was scary.

Jiang Zhiyan brought two helmets, same style, different colors, and handed one to Liang Xi. Yang Xiao looked back at the two people not far away who were clearly together, gritted her teeth, and continued to look for a shared e-bike along the road.

Liang Xi chose the restaurant. She wanted to try the recently opened hot pot place that was very popular in City A. She had gotten a queue number online while at the library, and they arrived just as their number was called.

“It’s a good thing we got a queue number in advance, otherwise we would have had to wait until one o’clock.” Yang Xiao sighed.

“Jiang Zhiyan? What a coincidence! Liang Xi is here too?”

Jiang Zhiyan: …

As expected, letting Liang Xi choose the place was a mistake.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at the three people not far away: The male lead, the vicious female supporting character’s ex-boyfriend, and current boyfriend. How interesting.

It was Wei Ting who greeted them. He had a knowing smile on his face. Lin Shenyu stood beside him expressionlessly. Yan Yanzhuo’s gaze was fixed on Liang Xi.

“Join our table?” Wei Ting asked.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Jiang Zhiyan refused flatly.

“I think it’s fine. They’re your boyfriend’s friends and younger brother, and we’re all classmates. It’s no big deal.” Yang Xiao tried to appear understanding and reasonable, but her acting wasn’t very good. Her schadenfreude and amusement were written all over her face.

Liang Xi frowned. Actually, she didn’t want to join their table either. It would be awkward for both her and Jiang Zhiyan. But it wasn’t good to refuse directly, after all, Yan Yanzhuo and Lin Shenyu had helped them last time. Refusing such a small request would seem…

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Liang Xi: “Then let’s join them.”

Six people, the seating arrangement was also a problem.

“Xi Xi, I’ll sit with you.” Yang Xiao pulled Liang Xi, tugging on her sleeve, signaling her to choose the seat next to Yan Yanzhuo.

“Okay.”

Liang Xi didn’t understand her hint and randomly chose a seat. Jiang Zhiyan sat directly to her left. After hesitating, Yang Xiao switched seats, giving up the spot next to Liang Xi to Yan Yanzhuo. Fortunately, Yan Yanzhuo sat down as she had hoped.

Yang Xiao sighed. She had truly sacrificed too much for her best friend.

Lin Shenyu sat on Jiang Zhiyan’s other side. Wei Ting sat next to Yang Xiao, with an empty seat between him and Lin Shenyu, directly opposite Jiang Zhiyan.

“Let’s order?” Jiang Zhiyan scanned the QR code and naturally leaned towards Liang Xi.

“Everyone can scan the code and order.” Wei Ting reminded her.

Yang Xiao, who was about to speak, shut her mouth.

Jiang Zhiyan ignored him. Liang Xi didn’t move either, just politely glanced at him.

Yang Xiao realized that after joining their table, the person who should have been the most awkward was the least awkward. Jiang Zhiyan sat there calmly, occasionally whispering and laughing with Liang Xi. She didn’t know what they were talking about, but it made Liang Xi laugh constantly.

On the other hand, Yang Xiao, being too far from Liang Xi, couldn’t join the conversation and felt very awkward. If they spoke louder, she could have joined in, but their voices were so soft, Yang Xiao suspected Jiang Zhiyan was doing it on purpose.

“My mom called me yesterday.” Lin Shenyu looked at Jiang Zhiyan.

Jiang Zhiyan frowned, finally looking away from Liang Xi: “What did she say?”

“About the collaboration, but I can’t make the decision on that, I can only talk to my mom about it.” Lin Shenyu said.

“Did she say anything else?” Jiang Zhiyan was certain her mother had said other things.

Lin Shenyu tapped the table twice and remained silent for a long time.

“She said she froze your card, but if you need money, you can use mine first.” Lin Shenyu took out a card and handed it to Jiang Zhiyan. “The PIN is my birthday.”

“No need, thank you, I have money.” Jiang Zhiyan pushed the card back. “You don’t have to answer her calls next time.”

“What happened?” Liang Xi asked with concern.

“Nothing.” Jiang Zhiyan opened her bank balance on her phone and showed it to Liang Xi. “I transferred the money from that card earlier, it’s enough.”

“Your mom called me too.” Wei Ting said, his tone slightly sarcastic. “She said she was apologizing to me on your behalf. I didn’t listen to the rest, I just hung up.”

Liang Xi frowned. She couldn’t understand the purpose of Jiang Zhiyan’s mother’s actions. It was clearly just causing trouble for Jiang Zhiyan: “Why would she do that…”

“Because I’ve been rebellious lately.” Jiang Zhiyan patted Liang Xi’s hand. “It’s nothing.”

Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan sympathetically: “You can come to my house, there’s a spare room. My mom usually isn’t home, and she likes you.”

Yang Xiao: What happened? Since when did her mom like Jiang Zhiyan? She had never even met her mom!!!

“I also have an empty apartment near the school, with a housekeeper.” Lin Shenyu said, looking at Jiang Zhiyan. He didn’t really want to help Jiang Zhiyan solve her problems, but looking at the two people huddled together made him uncomfortable, even though he had already made things clear last time.

“Your apartment was just renovated, it’s not good to move in yet. She can stay in mine first.” Wei Ting took a sip of tea and emphasized, “Sister-in-law, I’m truly kind-hearted.”

His sarcasm was dripping.

Yang Xiao’s eyes lit up: It’s starting, it’s finally starting!

“Thank you, but really, there’s no need. My mom isn’t coming home anyway.” Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Wei Ting and smiled. “And thank you for your concern, brother-in-law. You truly are kind-hearted.”

Wei Ting gritted his teeth and gulped down his drink.

Yang Xiao looked at Wei Ting with slight disdain. His attack wasn’t very effective.

“What are you guys doing this afternoon?” Lin Shenyu asked.

“Studying.” Jiang Zhiyan said, patting the bag beside her.

“You’re studying?” Wei Ting looked incredulous.

“I wasn’t planning to, but I was moved by Liang Xi and Yang Xiao’s dedication to learning, so I came along.”

Yang Xiao looked up, confused. Why did that sound familiar? Did these two rehearse their lines in advance? She looked at Jiang Zhiyan, who was also exuding the same positive energy as Liang Xi.

Everyone’s gaze fell on Jiang Zhiyan, who remained calm and collected.

“You can even say that with a straight face.” Wei Ting scoffed, leaning back in his chair. “Why isn’t the food here yet? I’m starving.”

“Go and ask them to hurry up.” Jiang Zhiyan glanced at him.

Wei Ting stood up, about to leave, then sat back down, staring at Jiang Zhiyan: “What makes you think you can order me around?”

Liang Xi glanced at Wei Ting and whispered in Jiang Zhiyan’s ear: “So childish.”

Jiang Zhiyan nodded, her voice neither too loud nor too soft: “You should find someone mature, emotionally stable, and not petty when you date. But it’s normal, he’s still young after all.”

Wei Ting glared at the two of them, then burst out laughing after three seconds.

“Ah, it’s finally here, no need to rush them.” Yang Xiao, seeing the waiter approaching with the pot, breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Although she wasn’t close to Wei Ting, at this moment, she empathized with him. “Let’s eat, oh, we haven’t gotten our dipping sauces yet.”

Wei Ting’s lips moved, then he closed his mouth.

Liang Xi pulled Jiang Zhiyan up. Looking at Yan Yanzhuo sitting on the outside, she said apologetically: “Excuse me, could you please move aside?”

Yan Yanzhuo glanced at her, got up, and went to the sauce station. Liang Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Yan Yanzhuo hadn’t said anything, just sitting beside him made her feel awkward. Thinking of her previous actions of delivering desserts made her toes curl. She couldn’t even remember what she had been thinking at the time.

“So unfamiliar.” Wei Ting commented.

Liang Xi pretended not to hear him, took Jiang Zhiyan’s hand, waved at Yang Xiao, and quickly left her seat, moving away from Wei Ting.

Yang Xiao suddenly understood why Jiang Zhiyan broke up with Wei Ting. Dating him must have been torture.

“You’re really good with words.” Lin Shenyu stood up and said.

“Hah, obviously.” Wei Ting smiled confidently.

Lin Shenyu: …

“Host, just now Lin Shenyu and Wei Ting’s reconciliation progress bar suddenly jumped by 30%.” The system said hesitantly. “Analysis shows that Lin Shenyu thinks Wei Ting is an idiot, so he decided not to bother with him.”

Jiang Zhiyan twitched her lips, scooped a spoonful of minced garlic for Liang Xi, and scraped off some sauce stuck to Liang Xi’s thumb, replying in her mind: “He just realized that. So he’s not very smart either.”

Liang Xi blinked, glancing at Jiang Zhiyan from the corner of her eye, then looked at the other sauces, muttering to herself: “What else is good?”

Chapter 17: I Also Want Cake (17)

Liang Xi glanced at Jiang Zhiyan, then carefully unwrapped the gift.

She usually wouldn’t be so hasty, but this was a gift she had been anticipating for a month. Now that it was time to reveal the answer, she couldn’t help herself. After opening it, she froze for two seconds, repeatedly confirming what she saw.

“You said you were a beginner?” Liang Xi’s eyes widened. “This is too amazing.”

She carefully picked up the items, feeling their weight.

This weight…

“This…” Liang Xi stammered. “This can’t be real, can it?”

“It is, because it can be melted down and remade.” Jiang Zhiyan said a bit shyly. “And I think the meaning is good, our friendship is as strong as gold.”

Liang Xi froze for a second and coughed dryly: “But it’s too expensive.”

“It’s not expensive.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Liang Xi. “You’ve been bringing me cakes for so long. If we have to calculate it, based on the current price of custom-made desserts, the gold should be even bigger.”

“That’s ridiculous! This could be sold as an art piece… the price would definitely be higher.”

“How can this be considered art? It’s just a beginner’s work, at most it’s just made with care. As long as you like it. In my heart, your help is worth it.” Jiang Zhiyan said seriously. “And you have to accept it, so I can feel less guilty about eating your food every day. Otherwise, I’ll feel like I’m being too thick-skinned.”

She clutched her chest and blinked at Liang Xi repeatedly.

“Liang Xi.” Jiang Zhiyan tugged on Liang Xi’s sleeve. “I just wanted to give you a sturdy ornament so you’ll always carry it with you and remember me when you see it.”

Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan, her cheeks flushing.

Yang Xiao stood at the doorway with a blank expression. She had been standing there for three minutes. As expected, she came at the wrong time. Hearing Jiang Zhiyan acting cute made her skin crawl, but Liang Xi seemed to be enjoying it.

She rolled her eyes twice. What made it even more ridiculous was that she had been standing there for so long, and no one had noticed her presence.

Ever since Jiang Zhiyan started clinging to Liang Xi, Yang Xiao felt that her eyeballs had become much more agile.

In the end, Liang Xi accepted the gift. She really liked it. She put it away carefully, then noticed the person standing at the door from the corner of her eye and froze for three seconds: “Huh? Xiao Xiao, why aren’t you coming in?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt.” Yang Xiao said with a smile.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Yang Xiao and sighed softly: “Have you been outside all this time? I’m so sorry.”

Hearing Jiang Zhiyan’s apologetic tone, Yang Xiao suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

“What did you give her?” Yang Xiao walked over and asked curiously. She had heard the cheesy things Jiang Zhiyan said but hadn’t seen the actual gift.

“An ornament.” Liang Xi said.

Yang Xiao leaned in for a look: “Gold and gemstones?”

When she heard “sturdy,” she thought of silver, but she never expected it to be gold.

“Did you make this yourself?” Yang Xiao didn’t touch it. The exquisite craftsmanship didn’t look handmade at all.

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiyan replied. She had worked overtime and even used some points to extend her time at night.

Yang Xiao fell silent and glanced at Jiang Zhiyan. If this person’s ultimate goal was to cause trouble for Liang Xi, she was really patient.

“I’m afraid someone will steal it if I leave this in the classroom.” Liang Xi repackaged the gift and took out the breakfast she had prepared. “I’ll lock it in my locker after breakfast.”

“Hmm… If you’re really worried, I’ll walk you home after school today.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Yang Xiao: Tsk.

Looking at Jiang Zhiyan’s expression, she suspected this person had already planned this. This person was truly scheming.

“Yang Xiao, do you want to walk with us?” Jiang Zhiyan casually took the rice ball Liang Xi offered and continued to ask.

Yang Xiao took a deep breath. Although she shouldn’t be overthinking this, she couldn’t help it.

“Us?” What did “us” mean? With just one sentence, she had categorized her as an outsider.

If it were someone else, it might have been a casual remark, but if it was Jiang Zhiyan… it was definitely intentional. During the time she had gotten to know her, she found that this person really liked to do this, intentionally or unintentionally including Liang Xi in her circle.

And Liang Xi hadn’t even agreed yet.

“Shouldn’t you ask Liang Xi’s opinion first?” Yang Xiao said angrily.

“Ah… sorry.” Jiang Zhiyan bit her lip. “I was just worried.”

Yang Xiao: I shouldn’t have said anything. A ruthless person who wields knives, saying things like this?

“Alright, let’s eat, Yan Yan, stop teasing her.” Liang Xi patted Jiang Zhiyan’s arm.

Yang Xiao snorted, smiled smugly, and gave Jiang Zhiyan a provocative look, only to find that Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t angry at all, but rather happy.

She suppressed her smile and took a bite of her pancake.

Jiang Zhiyan smiled. There must be a catch.

For the next ten minutes, Yang Xiao didn’t speak, pondering this matter.

Jiang Zhiyan quietly ate her breakfast. Her phone was on the table, messages rapidly appearing on the screen, all from the same person.

[Mom: There’s a project, contact Lin Shenyu about it.]

[Mom: You two are still together, right? Coax him, okay? Things are difficult for the family now.]

[Mom: Why aren’t you replying? The housekeeper said you’re up.]

[Mom: Don’t pretend you don’t see my messages!]

Jiang Zhiyan ignored the messages. The other party started calling frantically, but she had turned on Do Not Disturb.

[Mom: You don’t understand how you’re living this life. Shouldn’t you contribute to this family?]

[Mom: I’ve frozen your card, come find me when you’ve thought things through.]

…

Jiang Zhiyan turned her phone face down on the table and twitched her lips sarcastically.

“Host, aren’t you going to do anything?”

“No, I’ve already transferred most of the money to my other card. It’s better to deal with Liang Xi’s matter first.”

“Host, I don’t think your relationship with her is close enough for you to meddle in that kind of thing.” The system reminded her.

Jiang Zhiyan finished the last bite of the rice ball and carefully wiped her hands with a tissue: “Thank you for telling me what happened, I would have had to guess otherwise. As for the rest… I just need to make sure she doesn’t know I did it.”

“Then what’s the point of you doing this?” The system didn’t understand.

“It makes her happy.”

Yang Xiao on the other side also finished eating and finally figured it out. Liang Xi had long known that Jiang Zhiyan was putting on an act, but she never said anything. Jiang Zhiyan was happy because Liang Xi knew but still tolerated her.

Yang Xiao took a big gulp of milk: “Xi Xi, should we go to our usual spot this weekend?”

“Huh? But the monthly exams are coming up soon.” Liang Xi politely declined.

“Then let’s study together at the library! I have so many questions to ask you.” Yang Xiao looked at Liang Xi pitifully. “And I want to try the new milk tea from Jiang Jiang’s, I heard it’s pretty good.”

“Okay.” Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “Do you still have cello lessons this weekend?”

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded. “Have fun, and tell me how the milk tea tastes.”

Yang Xiao’s mood brightened again. This clingy person finally knew her place.

On the way back, Yang Xiao noticed that Jiang Zhiyan had sent her a message. She frowned, glancing at Jiang Zhiyan suspiciously, then feeling a bit excited. As expected, Jiang Zhiyan, your true colors are about to be exposed.

[Jiang Zhiyan: When I came this morning, she was in a bad mood.]

[Yang Xiao: ?]

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t reply. Yang Xiao gritted her teeth, put her phone back in her bag, and glanced at Liang Xi from the corner of her eye. She didn’t notice anything unusual. Liang Xi was holding the gift box, glancing at it from time to time, her mood clearly good.

**********

Chapter 18: I Also Want Cake (18)

When Jiang Zhiyan returned home that evening, Jiang’s mother was sitting on the sofa. The two exchanged glances, and then Jiang Zhiyan walked straight past her.

“Jiang Zhiyan!”

Jiang Zhiyan frowned. After a month, her voice was still so shrill.

“I heard you haven’t had cello lessons for a month? What are you doing now?”

“I just found out you’ve been fooling around at school every day! And you’re not willing to help the family at all? How can you be so selfish?”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at her coldly. Jiang’s mother and father seemed like completely flat characters. She could hardly find any redeeming qualities in them. If the person standing here were really her daughter, it would be difficult not to be provoked by her implications.

She stopped, still not speaking, just looking at her with a blank expression.

Jiang’s mother’s ferocious expression and imposing manner gradually weakened, her body subconsciously leaning back, tensing up in a defensive posture. She recalled Jiang Zhiyan that day and Jiang’s father lying unconscious in bed.

Jiang Zhiyan turned and went upstairs. Jiang’s mother breathed a sigh of relief, but then, realizing what had just happened, angrily threw a cup on the floor.

For the next two days, Jiang’s mother didn’t come home. Jiang Zhiyan didn’t bother asking about her affairs, she was more concerned about Liang Xi’s situation.

After Liang Xi’s parents divorced, Liang Xi had a good life with her mother until her father went bankrupt from gambling and started pestering them again.

Because Liang Xi’s mother had a strong personality, her father initially targeted Liang Xi.

According to the plot, Liang Xi, worried about upsetting her mother, would hide the fact that she was being harassed. Only when the man couldn’t get any further with Liang Xi and went to her mother would the conflict truly erupt.

Jiang Zhiyan had been finding excuses to walk home with Liang Xi these past few days. On the third day, she noticed a man following them.

She glanced at Liang Xi, who was talking about other things, completely oblivious, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

“Host, what are you going to do?” The system was curious. “The male lead used not-so-legal means to stop this man from continuing to harass her.”

“I’m not planning on using any legal means either.” Jiang Zhiyan tapped the edge of the car window.

Jiang Zhiyan dropped Liang Xi off at her doorstep and watched her enter before leaving. When she came back out, the man was still at the entrance of the residential complex. The two exchanged glances, and the man stared at her, showing no intention of avoiding her. He seemed to be assessing something. Seeing Jiang Zhiyan get into the luxury car waiting at the entrance, a greasy and greedy look appeared in his eyes.

“Isn’t this guy planning to just stay at the entrance of the complex? Fortunately, Liang Xi’s complex seems to have good security, this guy probably can’t get in.”

Jiang Zhiyan frowned, sitting in the car, taking a few pictures of the man standing there through the window. The man kept looking at her, allowing her to capture a clear frontal view of his face.

After returning home, she compiled all the information about this man from the script. He had borrowed money from loan sharks in another province, and many people were looking for him.

Jiang Zhiyan rested her chin on her hand, flipping through the document, formulating a preliminary plan.

“Host.”

“Hmm?”

“Just now, the plot underwent a massive change. I checked, Liang Xi just reported to the police that Sun Mian broke into her house and robbed her. Sun Mian has been apprehended. Liang Xi stated that she doesn’t know him.”

“Huh?” Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes widened. This was the biggest emotional fluctuation she had shown since entering this world.

“Yes, Host, you heard that right. How is this female lead’s character different from the one in the book?” The system was puzzled. The female lead in the book mostly endured things.

Jiang Zhiyan regained her composure, lowering her head and chuckling.

---

Liang Xi sat at the police station, clutching a box of tissues, sobbing as she recounted what had just happened: “As soon as I opened the door, he rushed in. He saw the things I had put in the cabinet and tried to snatch them! I tried to stop him, and he pushed me to the floor! Then he grabbed the things and ran.”

“What was inside?”

“There was an ornament and a few smaller ones. My friend gave them to me a few days ago. They’re made of gold and gemstones. Because they were valuable, I kept them in a box.” Liang Xi said with a trembling voice. “He’s been following me around for a while now, harassing me, but because he hadn’t done anything, I didn’t feel like I could call the police.”

“Is that so? He said he’s your father.”

“I don’t know him at all! My parents divorced a long time ago, and he hasn’t contacted us for years. He can’t be my father. He remarried and has a family.” Liang Xi wiped her tears, her voice trembling. “He definitely intended to rob me! He must have planned it, otherwise… why would he steal a box? He’s been following me for several days.”

The police checked the surveillance footage of the residential complex. Sun Mian had sneaked in by following a resident, then followed another resident into Liang Xi’s building. At her door, he claimed to be delivering takeout and forced his way into her apartment.

When Sun Mian was caught, he insisted that he just wanted to find an excuse to see his daughter.

“I really am her father, you can definitely verify it! She doesn’t recognize me, so I just wanted to talk to her.” Sun Mian clutched his chest. “If I told her directly, she definitely wouldn’t open the door.”

“Then why did you steal her things?”

“I, I just wanted to see if they were real.” Sun Mian chuckled dryly. “I was afraid she had been scammed.”

“Then you could just look, why take them?”

The police reviewed the surveillance footage from the past few days and saw Liang Xi getting out of a luxury car, holding a box that looked identical to the gift box Sun Mian had stolen.

“You saw this box and decided to steal it?”

Sun Mian lowered his head and remained silent.

“Because this car is expensive, so you wanted to gamble? You thought she wouldn’t call the police? Where did you get your confidence? Just because you’re her father whom she hasn’t seen for fifteen years?”

…

Liang Xi looked at the retrieved items, confirmed that nothing was missing, and breathed a sigh of relief, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably: “My friend made these herself. If they were gone, I…”

Liang Xi’s mother rushed over after hearing the news. When she saw Sun Mian, if the police hadn’t stopped her, she would have slapped him. “How dare you, Sun Mian? You haven’t paid a cent in child support, and you have the nerve to come and bother Xi Xi! Sentence him according to the law! Charge him with robbery! We will not forgive him!”

“Then I’ll call my friend, because I don’t know how much they’re worth.” Liang Xi tugged on her mother’s clothes and whispered.

After receiving the call, Jiang Zhiyan found her purchase records and went to the police station. When she saw Liang Xi, Liang Xi’s eyes were red, and she sat there looking pitiful and well-behaved.

“I should have left later.” Jiang Zhiyan ruffled Liang Xi’s hair and sighed softly.

She placed the documents on the table: “The gold for these seven rabbits is 88 grams each, the cake is 288 grams, all solid gold, totaling 750 grams. The gemstones range from a few thousand to tens of thousands yuan. The receipts are here, I used these ones. The total price is about 130,000 yuan.”

“I bought the gold at 420 yuan per gram at the time.” Jiang Zhiyan calculated rapidly. “Adding it all up, it’s 445,000 yuan.”

Everyone present fell silent upon hearing the price.

Liang Xi’s eyes widened. The price far exceeded her expectations. She didn’t know much about gemstones and couldn’t distinguish their grades. She knew they weren’t cheap, but she didn’t expect them to be this expensive. She knew the gold was heavy, but the actual weight was also much greater than she had estimated. She counted on her fingers, calculating how many years of cakes she would have to make to repay this. She had actually accepted it on a whim at the time.

“Young lady, you gave such an expensive gift?”

“I made it myself. I accidentally made it bigger and bigger, couldn’t help it.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled. “Then I just decided to make all the numbers auspicious.”

Jiang Zhiyan noticed Liang Xi’s expression and gently shook her wrist.

The man inside, upon hearing the price, nearly fainted. He had robbed her precisely because he thought the items were valuable, thinking he could live comfortably for a while after selling them. But he didn’t expect the price to be this high. After learning that he could be sentenced to more than ten years, he tried to seek leniency, but Liang Xi and her mother didn’t agree.

“Liang Xi, how can you be so cruel? I’m your father!” He roared indignantly.

Jiang Zhiyan covered Liang Xi’s ears: “Don’t listen to the trash, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Liang Xi left the police station and said goodbye to Jiang Zhiyan.

After getting into the car, she deleted the pictures of the gifts she had posted on her alternate account and then deactivated the account.

Chapter 15: I Also Want Cake (15)

“No need.” He clutched his wrist, glanced at Yan Yanzhuo, Lin Shenyu and the others standing not far away, and pushed himself off the floor, chuckling. “How would I dare call the police?”

“Playing the innocent victim now?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at him. “You were very bold when you shamelessly demanded Liang Xi to kneel, but now you’re afraid to do something legal and proper?”

“A bully and a coward? Because our background isn’t as powerful as theirs, you dare to bully us so casually, is that right?” Jiang Zhiyan’s tone was flat. Seeing him speechless, she let out a cryptic chuckle.

Jiang Zhiyan then looked at the others, her gaze sweeping over the boys one by one: “What about you guys?”

“Hahaha…” One of them stepped forward and let out a forced laugh. “We’re all classmates, there’s no need to make things so serious. Let’s hurry and treat the wounds. Let’s just forget about this. It was our fault, we shouldn’t have made random assumptions.”

“Everyone was too impulsive. I’ll take him to the infirmary, he’s bleeding too much, in case something happens.” As he spoke, he dragged the boy out of the classroom.

No one stopped him. Jiang Zhiyan stared at their retreating figures, then looked away.

“Lin Shenyu.” Jiang Zhiyan turned to Lin Shenyu. “Please handle the aftermath here, I’ll accompany them to the infirmary.”

“Okay.” Lin Shenyu came back to his senses and nodded.

Jiang Zhiyan had originally wanted to handle it herself, but then she suddenly realized she could buy prop cards. It didn’t matter who stayed behind. She spent two thousand points to ensure the video wouldn’t be leaked.

Actually, she didn’t really care if her own video was leaked. She never had a reputation to begin with. The important thing was that Liang Xi’s video couldn’t be leaked.

She could control the video, but she couldn’t control the online discussions.

“Host, actually, the male lead and the second male lead will handle it cleanly, no need to spend the money.” The system said.

“It’s hard to trust them, leaving even one of them behind is troublesome.”

Some things she had to do herself to be at ease, especially since this wasn’t part of the original plot.

Jiang Zhiyan and another girl helped Liang Xi and Yang Xiao leave.

Along the way, no one spoke. Yang Xiao glanced at Jiang Zhiyan several times.

When Jiang Zhiyan looked back, she immediately looked away.

“Thank you for speaking up for me today.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“No need to thank us.” Yang Xiao cleared her throat. “As soon as Liang Xi heard it, she slammed the table and stood up, I could only follow suit. A kind heart, can’t help it.”

“I’ll treat you to dinner this weekend, don’t worry about anything else, I’ll handle it.”

“Don’t worry, when I took action, I was already prepared to accept the consequences.” Liang Xi finished and looked at Yang Xiao. “I’ve dragged you into this.”

“Hey, hey, hey, you make it sound like you guys are together, and I’m an outsider!” Yang Xiao put her hands on her hips and snorted. “Of course, I still don’t like Jiang Zhiyan… but we’re all girls, and those guys were going too far.”

When they arrived at the infirmary, the boys there, seeing them enter, all took a step to the side. They had been talking, but now they shut their mouths. Some hadn’t intended to give up their seats, but after Jiang Zhiyan approached, they immediately vacated a few chairs.

Jiang Zhiyan found this scene incredibly ridiculous. She let Liang Xi and Yang Xiao sit down and stood to the side, arms crossed.

Although it was called an infirmary, it was actually like a small hospital, equipped with common examination equipment, much of which was jointly funded by parents, after all, the annual tuition fee for this school was six figures.

Liang Xi and Yang Xiao only had superficial injuries, nothing serious. Jiang Zhiyan was relieved.

The boy’s examination didn’t reveal anything major either. He had avoided any vital areas, just some temporary limitations in arm movement.

“Doctor, are you sure? My arm feels like it’s broken!” The boy’s voice was loud, and it was unclear who he was intentionally speaking to.

“I’m sure.” Jiang Zhiyan said casually. “I know my limits. It’s the first time, so, it’s just a small lesson.”

The boy suddenly fell silent, a chill running down everyone’s spines.

Yang Xiao shrunk her neck, nudged Liang Xi’s arm, and made a few faces.

“That’s good, so no one will dare to talk nonsense again.” Liang Xi said.

Yang Xiao felt like Liang Xi was looking at Jiang Zhiyan through rose-tinted glasses. She also thought what Jiang Zhiyan did was great and satisfying, but thinking about it calmly, the speed and decisiveness with which she wielded the knife, and her calmness afterward, made her feel a bit scared.

She thought this was a normal reaction. Clearly, everyone around them had been frightened at the time, except for Liang Xi.

“Do you think Jiang Zhiyan is super pitiful and tragic?” Yang Xiao asked.

Liang Xi nodded: “She’s really nice, you’ll know after spending more time with her.”

Yang Xiao: …

“But you two haven’t known each other for very long.” Yang Xiao couldn’t help but mutter.

The incident was completely contained within the school and didn’t reach outside. The teachers notified the parents, but the matter was settled through negotiation. After all, making a fuss wouldn’t benefit anyone. The boy’s parents didn’t want to offend so many people for his sake.

“Host, just letting it go like this?” The system felt that Jiang Zhiyan hadn’t finished what she wanted to do.

“What’s the male lead’s favorability towards the female lead now?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Sixty percent.”

“No wonder he helped.” Jiang Zhiyan frowned, murmuring, “I remember in the original plot, his favorability shouldn’t have risen so quickly… That’s right, the plot of Liang Xi ignoring him shifted from university to high school.”

Jiang Zhiyan twitched her lips. There were so many ridiculous things happening today.

“What did you just ask me?” Jiang Zhiyan came back to her senses.

“I said, are you just letting those boys off like that?” The system patiently repeated itself. “It doesn’t seem like your style.”

“I’m not letting them off, didn’t I write to the Main God requesting their erasure?” Jiang Zhiyan said coldly. “These kinds of people can’t be taught or changed, so it’s better to just say goodbye.”

System: What a simple and crude method.

“After all, doing it myself carries the risk of going to jail here.” In another world, she would have directly aimed for his carotid artery.

“You scared me, I thought you were going to report me.”

“Why would I report you? What did you do behind my back?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned.

The system immediately changed the subject: “Host, your persona has collapsed by 60%.”

“Oh, I’m just a green tea bitch with a bit of strength and a tendency to go crazy. I can still salvage my persona later.” Jiang Zhiyan said casually. “Not a big problem.”

The system was silent for three seconds: “As long as you’re happy.”

Jiang’s father remained unconscious. The news of his coma still got out, and while the company appeared to be operating normally on the surface, the upper management was in chaos.

Jiang’s mother had been a full-time housewife for too long, and had focused her energy on “catching mistresses” for so long that she was particularly overwhelmed when dealing with company affairs. However, at least she listened to advice, and together with Assistant Wang, temporarily gained the upper hand.

“It doesn’t matter how well she does, as long as she listens to advice.” Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t demanding.

It wasn’t scary to be incompetent, what was scary was being incompetent and thinking you were very capable.

Because of the busy situation at the company, Jiang Zhiyan rarely saw her mother after school, which was convenient for her to do her own things. The gold bars she bought with the money from her bank card arrived.

“Host, what are you buying this for?”

“A return gift for Liang Xi.”

“Gold?”

“She’ll like it.”

---

Chapter 16: I Also Want Cake (16)

The other tools Jiang Zhiyan bought gradually arrived home within three days. She also received some jade and gemstones. Because Jiang’s mother wasn’t home, it was very convenient for her to do anything.

Her cello lessons progressed quickly. The teacher often didn’t know what to teach Jiang Zhiyan anymore. Recently, even her playing had started to become emotive, as if she had suddenly unlocked a hidden potential. Because Jiang Zhiyan’s performance was so outstanding, the teacher agreed when she asked for a few days off.

Jiang Zhiyan planned to use these evenings for crafting. If time wasn’t enough, she could only resort to skill cards.

“Host, what are you making?”

“A rabbit and a pendant.” Jiang Zhiyan said. “I’ll use the remaining gold for other things later.”

“Do you think she’ll accept it?”

“Yes, don’t talk, you’re disturbing my work.”

“Oh.” The system snorted softly.

It had always known that Jiang Zhiyan could make these things, but it rarely saw her make them for anyone.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to open your heart to the female lead? You know the first taboo for a tasker is to develop feelings for an NPC in the task world. Although some have achieved good endings before, they made significant contributions to the system. What about you?”

“I know my limits.”

“What limits do you have?” The system thought, if it had a physical body, it would definitely stand in front of Jiang Zhiyan and roll its eyes three hundred times.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t bother with it, focusing on the things in her hands.

“Wait a minute, Host… we seem to have forgotten something.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you miss a task, the task of tripping up the female lead! You did that on purpose!”

“How could I forget? There have been so many things happening lately. I’m human, I’m bound to forget. Shouldn’t you, as an AI, remind me?”

System: …

The system looked at its to-do list reminders.

Perhaps, maybe, possibly, it did remind her.

But something might have been happening at the time, so it just closed the reminder.

Wait, Jiang Zhiyan didn’t even participate in that activity, she didn’t see the female lead’s speech, so it also forgot about it.

“What were you doing that day?” The system asked.

“Period cramps.” Jiang Zhiyan said. “You’re an AI, why is your memory worse than mine?”

The system coughed loudly.

“You need to clear the junk in your memory.” Jiang Zhiyan said casually. “You should bear at least half the responsibility for this.”

The system thought Jiang Zhiyan was doing this on purpose, but it had no proof.

“We share weal and woe, as you said.” The system sighed. “Forget it, I’m going to heal my wounds.”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t bother with it, continuing to work on the things in her hands.

…

“You seem to be in a good mood lately.” Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan, who was smiling.

“Yes, my mom hasn’t been home recently.” Jiang Zhiyan chuckled. “And, with such delicious desserts every day, of course I’m in a good mood.”

Jiang Zhiyan lowered her voice: “I’ve started doing handicrafts too. I’ll give you the first thing I make, I hope you won’t dislike it.”

“What is it?” Liang Xi asked curiously.

“I won’t tell you.” Jiang Zhiyan took a bite of the cupcake. “Anyway… you can’t say you don’t like it when the time comes.”

“What is it!” Liang Xi widened her eyes. “You’re too much, you’re doing this on purpose!”

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiyan wiped her hands. “I’m afraid I’ll give up later because it’s too difficult. I’ll tell you first so I can persevere.”

Liang Xi opened her mouth. Jiang Zhiyan’s reasoning made sense, but she felt incredibly frustrated.

“Can’t you at least tell me what it is?”

“I need to finish it first before I can tell you.”

Liang Xi froze for two seconds, then couldn’t help but laugh.

Yang Xiao, sitting on the side, took a bite of the cake and rolled her eyes. Then she shifted a bit to the side, finally unable to bear it any longer and took out her phone.

[Yang Xiao: I really, can’t stand it! These two, my god, they’re so sickeningly sweet, I don’t understand, I just don’t understand?!]

[Yang Xiao: It’s unbelievable, I can’t even get a word in edgewise. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think I was a third wheel!]

[Yang Xiao: Ahhhhh!]

[Yang Xiao: Doesn’t anyone know Lin Shenyu? Can he control his girlfriend?]

[Wang Yiyi invited Lin Shenyu to the group chat]

[Yang Xiao: …]

[Lin Shenyu: ?]

[Yang Xiao: I’m in the small woods at school, come take your girlfriend away 🙂 ]

[Lin Shenyu: She doesn’t listen to me.]

Lin Shenyu hadn’t looked for Jiang Zhiyan in the past two days. The impact of that day was too great. Not only him, but even Jiang Zhiyan’s ex-boyfriends felt extremely uncomfortable.

Yang Xiao gave the two of them a sidelong glance, then looked at the chat.

Suddenly, she felt that with so many people suffering with her, it wasn’t so bad.

“You two.” Yang Xiao put down the empty box in her hand. “Do I not exist?”

Liang Xi blinked: “I know, I know. It’s just that I can only talk to her in the morning, I can talk to you all day.”

Yang Xiao took a deep breath: “Fine.”

She turned her head and saw Jiang Zhiyan looking at her with a strange expression. She felt a chill in her heart, but upon closer inspection, there seemed to be nothing wrong with that look.

“I’m so envious of your friendship.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled at the two, her eyes full of envy and a hint of loneliness.

Yang Xiao narrowed her eyes: “Oh, I envy you. You’re beautiful, rich, and have a boyfriend who treats you well.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at her, smiled faintly, then lowered her head, not arguing, but that smile made anyone who saw it feel sympathy.

Yang Xiao: ???

Don’t go too far!

She clutched her chest and took a deep breath.

Forget it, forget it. She knew Jiang Zhiyan was a green tea bitch, why get angry! What’s there to be angry about! She wasn’t angry at all!

She glanced at Liang Xi, who was patting Jiang Zhiyan’s shoulder sympathetically, then put an arm around her.

Yang Xiao’s expression remained flat. As expected, Jiang Zhiyan even glanced at her, and that glance, how to put it, was meaningful.

Liang Xi, previously a lovesick puppy, now couldn’t distinguish a green tea bitch.

As her best friend, Yang Xiao felt mentally exhausted.

She rubbed her temples.

She hoped Jiang Zhiyan wouldn’t hurt Liang Xi, otherwise she would really… She stared at Jiang Zhiyan, not looking away this time. Although she couldn’t beat Jiang Zhiyan, she would scratch half the hair off her head.

Over the next few days, Liang Xi tried to pry information out of Jiang Zhiyan, but her prying skills were rather poor, looking no different from asking directly.

Jiang Zhiyan did reveal some information, but revealing a little was even more frustrating than revealing nothing at all. Liang Xi felt like she was constantly on tenterhooks.

Yang Xiao watched as Liang Xi’s attention was completely captivated by Jiang Zhiyan: “You haven’t mentioned Yan Yanzhuo in a long time.”

“Ah… him.” Liang Xi frowned. “I don’t know why, even though he helped that day, I don’t have the same feeling as when he helped me the first time. Am I being ungrateful?”

“That’s normal. After Jiang Zhiyan’s actions, who would remember anyone else?”

“I remember you.” Liang Xi patted Yang Xiao’s shoulder.

“Tsk tsk, thank you.” Yang Xiao tentatively asked, “So you don’t like Yan Yanzhuo anymore? I haven’t seen you give him desserts in a long time.”

“I don’t know.” Liang Xi rested her chin on her hand. “I used to think of him from time to time, but not anymore. It’s strange, sometimes I don’t think of him for the entire day. As for the desserts, every time I made them and gave them to him, he wouldn’t eat them, so I stopped making them. It’s a waste.”

“That’s true. Now you think of Jiang Zhiyan from time to time, eh.” Yang Xiao winked.

Liang Xi pushed Yang Xiao’s shoulder: “You really are… don’t you also mention her all the time?”

“Is that because I want to? It’s because of you!” Yang Xiao snorted. “She stole your heart with just a casual mention of a gift, she hasn’t even given it to you yet! I want to see what she’s planning to give you.”

Jiang Zhiyan originally thought she could finish the outrageous first piece in a week, but the project kept getting delayed. The one item turned into a set because she kept coming up with new ideas every day. For example, she originally just wanted to make a rabbit, but ended up making seven rabbits in different poses, as well as a small cake where the rabbits could be placed. She had drawn a stack of design drafts.

But she finally finished it the day before Christmas Eve. Because she was so excited, she arrived at school very early, much earlier than the usual agreed time with Liang Xi.

“Host, your behavior really isn’t like that of a centuries-old person.” The system said sarcastically.

“Shut up.” Jiang Zhiyan was in a good mood and too lazy to argue with it.

She thought she was early enough, but when she arrived at the activity room, Liang Xi was already there, lying on the table, seemingly asleep, or perhaps crying.

She walked over and gently touched Liang Xi’s shoulder: “What’s wrong?”

As the female lead, Liang Xi definitely had her own storyline, and her storyline wouldn’t be any smoother than hers, but those events shouldn’t be happening yet. They should appear before the college entrance exam, and she had originally planned to find an opportunity to quietly deal with them later.

Jiang Zhiyan frowned. Did the acceleration of the male lead’s feelings also accelerate the plot?

Liang Xi’s body stiffened. Her head rested on her sleeve, moving from side to side, as if wiping away tears.

“I, I fell asleep.” Liang Xi took a deep breath and raised her head. “You’re here so early today?”

Jiang Zhiyan stared at Liang Xi’s red eyes, reached out, and touched them: “What happened?”

“Really, nothing happened, you don’t have to worry, I just fell asleep and yawned so hard I teared up.” Liang Xi lowered her head slightly, her eyes falling on the box in Jiang Zhiyan’s hand. She immediately changed the subject, her voice deliberately cheerful. “Is this the gift you’ve been making for a month? I want to see it!”

Jiang Zhiyan placed the box on the table and pushed it towards her, looking at Liang Xi’s profile.

Chapter 13: I Also Want Cake (13)

Jiang Zhiyan wanted to check Assistant Wang’s information in the script, but there was nothing. Of course, he was the assistant of the female supporting character’s father, an extremely peripheral character. Every time Assistant Wang appeared in the script, it was to deliver something, with almost no lines.

But whatever, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. She just needed to focus on her classes now. If the sky fell, she would go find Liang Xi. After all, she was thick-skinned.

Jiang Zhiyan took a sip of soup contentedly.

Enjoy the good days while they lasted, overthinking couldn’t change anything.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Zhiyan and Liang Xi went to Liang Xi’s house together.

Liang Xi’s parents divorced when she was very young, and she was awarded to her mother. Her mother was a senior executive and very busy, usually staying in the company dormitory and not coming home.

“My house is rather small.” Liang Xi said a bit shyly. “I usually like to buy random things, so it might look a bit crowded.”

“It’s very cozy…” Jiang Zhiyan watched as Liang Xi opened the door. The area was indeed not large, and there were many things, but it wasn’t messy at all. It could be seen that the owner of the house cherished this home.

Hearing Jiang Zhiyan say this, Liang Xi’s face lit up with a smile: “That’s the ceramic doll I bought last week, the whole set. Aren’t they cute?”

“I made this myself, needle felting. See, I’m getting better at it. At first, they were a bit deformed, but now you can tell what they are.”

“Those are the flowers I’m growing.” While getting her schoolbag, Liang Xi had already introduced all her proud works.

It wasn’t that she wanted Jiang Zhiyan to praise her, she just couldn’t help but want to share.

“Do you like doing handicrafts?”

“Yes.” Liang Xi nodded, picking up a small rabbit from the shelf and handing it to Jiang Zhiyan. “I feel a great sense of accomplishment after finishing a piece… This is for you, I crocheted it myself, a small ornament.”

“Thank you.” Jiang Zhiyan took it. It was small, fitting perfectly in her palm. “It’s so cute.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Liang Xi glanced at the time. “We can’t chat anymore, we’re going to be late. I get carried away when I start talking.”

Liang Xi observed Jiang Zhiyan’s expression. She didn’t know if Jiang Zhiyan had adjusted or was subconsciously hiding her true emotions, but Jiang Zhiyan’s mood today was a bit strange.

Fortunately, when she received the rabbit, she genuinely seemed happy.

“What do you think I should give her as a return gift?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at the small rabbit in her hand, thinking about how to attach it to her schoolbag.

“I don’t know.” The system said, while searching for Jiang Zhiyan. “Look, giving these to your best friend, she was moved to tears.”

Jiang Zhiyan: …

“You better stop talking.” Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Liang Xi beside her. She was holding an English test paper, her expression clearly not right. “Don’t tell me you haven’t finished your homework yet.”

“I just realized there’s another page I haven’t done. This test paper actually has three pages.” Liang Xi said with a long face.

Jiang Zhiyan leaned closer to her: “Let’s do it together, they’re all multiple-choice questions, it’ll be quick.”

“But there are more than forty questions. How can they print the words so small and cramped? We’re only three intersections away from school.”

“It’s okay.” Jiang Zhiyan moved closer. “You do the front, I’ll do the back.”

“Host, you can actually take a picture of the questions with your phone, that would be more convenient.” The system thought its method was very clever.

“I don’t want to.”

“Tsk.”

Liang Xi turned to look at Jiang Zhiyan.

“Don’t look at me, hurry up.” Jiang Zhiyan poked Liang Xi’s arm, moving her schoolbag from her lap to the seat beside her.

“Oh.” Liang Xi replied, placing the test paper between them.

The questions were very simple for Jiang Zhiyan. She could usually get the answer with a glance. She looked at Liang Xi’s progress, observing her face from the corner of her eye.

The other girl’s delicate brows furrowed together. She would ponder for a while, then, as if having made a major decision, write down the answer very solemnly.

“We’re almost there, almost there.” Liang Xi looked at the school gate getting closer and closer.

Jiang Zhiyan pointed at the questions and started reciting the answers: “Fill them in first.”

Liang Xi quickly wrote down the answers, and then, during the last short stretch of road, she circled some words on the questions, showcasing her “thought process.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’m just guessing?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“I trust you, you wouldn’t do that.” Liang Xi glanced at the test paper with satisfaction, then stuffed it into her schoolbag, letting out a sigh of relief. “It’s a good thing I checked, otherwise I would have been doomed. Our English teacher is very strict.”

“I’ve heard. Has she scolded you before?”

“No, but I’m still scared.” Liang Xi touched her chest.

Jiang Zhiyan’s timing was perfect. They arrived at the gate just as the school’s lunch break ended.

Liang Xi walked Jiang Zhiyan to the classroom door before leaving: “If you’re feeling down, come find me.”

“Okay.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded.

Walking into the classroom, everyone’s gaze fell on her.

Jiang Zhiyan figured that during the morning when she wasn’t at school, quite a few new rumors must have sprung up.

She pulled out her chair and sat down. Normally, when she sat down, those gazes would soften a bit, but not today. The gazes were still exceptionally blatant, to the point of being unbearable.

“Is there something you need?” Jiang Zhiyan put her bag down and asked unhappily, slapping her book on the desk with a loud bang.

“Hah, what a pretense. I heard Wei Ting and Lin Shenyu got into a fight over you last night and ended up in the hospital.” Someone beside her said with displeasure. “Feeling pretty smug, aren’t you?”

“It has nothing to do with me. Don’t believe or spread rumors.” Jiang Zhiyan twitched her lips. “Besides, what’s there to be smug about? If you think it’s something to be proud of, I suggest you read more books and reshape your values.”

“You!”

“Then why did they fight?” Another person asked curiously. “It seemed pretty serious. Wei Ting’s eyes were swollen this morning.”

“I don’t know.” Jiang Zhiyan frowned. “I don’t live with them.”

These people weren’t close to her. She had been in the class for a few days and hadn’t spoken a word to them. Now, they seemed to be earnestly seeking the truth, but they were usually the main force in spreading rumors.

She wondered if it had affected Liang Xi.

“Host, don’t worry about Liang Xi, her popularity is much better than yours.” The system observed the situation around Liang Xi, which was completely different from Jiang Zhiyan’s. A world of difference.

As soon as Liang Xi entered the classroom, she was warmly welcomed by the girls in the class. They expressed concern for her health, told her the news she missed in the morning, and then looked at Jiang Zhiyan… despised and loathed. After two people were rebuked by Jiang Zhiyan, no one else dared to approach her.

“Liang Xi, you came with Jiang Zhiyan? Did you meet at school or…” Yang Xiao didn’t want to say the other possibility.

Hearing Yang Xiao’s words, Liang Xi thought of what happened when she woke up that morning, lowered her head shyly, and covered her face with her book: “I stayed at her house last night.”

“Huh?” The girls nearby quickly gathered around. “Why?”

“Something came up.” Liang Xi patted the desk, rubbing her ears uncomfortably. “Oh, don’t be so gossipy. It’s nothing special, just staying over.”

“She didn’t bully you, right? You…” Yang Xiao looked Liang Xi’s uniform up and down. “This uniform doesn’t look like yours.”

“Yeah, it’s hers.”

Yang Xiao leaned closer, took a sniff, and nodded at the person beside her, her expression serious: “It’s definitely hers. Only she smells this fragrant in the entire school. Even her clothes are marinated with the scent.”

“Yang Xiao, you’re being creepy.” Liang Xi immediately moved away from her face and exclaimed.

Yang Xiao rested her chin on her hand, narrowed her eyes, and stared at Liang Xi: “Don’t tell me you two even slept in the same bed! Last time you came to my house, you didn’t even want to sleep in the same bed with me! What happened to being best friends forever?”

---

Chapter 14: I Also Want Cake (14)

Liang Xi looked at Yang Xiao, a little flustered: “No, it’s just that I was too sleepy last night, and it was a last-minute decision, so…”

“No need to explain further.” Yang Xiao looked up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle and sighed again. “It’s okay, I’ll bear all the pain alone.”

“Sigh, you sleep with her, but you call me creepy.”

The people around them had expressions of amusement.

Liang Xi covered her face, then sighed: “She really had something to do yesterday. I can’t tell you the specifics, but it was really important, so it wasn’t appropriate for me to make demands and trouble her. When I go to your place, it’s for fun.”

“Alright.” Looking at Liang Xi’s expression, Yang Xiao confirmed that it must have been something serious. “Then do you know why Wei Ting and Lin Shenyu got into a fight? Was it because of that person?”

“No.” Liang Xi shook her head, frowning. “Those two don’t get along, isn’t it normal for them to fight? Why would it be related to Jiang Zhiyan?”

“Because someone said they went to find her yesterday.”

The surrounding people leaned closer, their expressions even more expectant.

“Lin Shenyu did go to find Jiang Zhiyan. After all, I went too, it’s normal for him to go as her boyfriend. Wei Ting went to pick Lin Shenyu up, and then they fought. I don’t know what happened, but it definitely has nothing to do with Jiang Zhiyan.” Liang Xi frowned. “Why are there so many messy rumors?”

Yang Xiao had only said that one sentence, but the actual rumors were definitely more outlandish.

Thinking of Jiang Zhiyan crying on the phone yesterday and nearly being hit, Liang Xi’s heart ached: “Don’t spread rumors.”

“I didn’t, I was just asking you because there were so many strange things being said.” Yang Xiao said immediately.

“Alright.” Seeing Liang Xi’s unhappy expression, Yang Xiao softened her voice. “I really didn’t spread any rumors, otherwise I wouldn’t have come to ask you, I would have just told you directly. Am I the kind of person who spreads rumors casually?”

“That’s good, don’t make wild guesses, there’s really nothing going on.” Liang Xi took out a box of cookies and handed it to Yang Xiao, then took out some snacks and shared them with the others.

“What’s so charming about Jiang Zhiyan? She made two guys fight over her.”

“Who knows? She said she has a pure relationship with all her boyfriends. Who would believe that? Right? Definitely… tsk tsk.”

A few boys walked in through the back door, chattering and laughing, making suggestive noises, winking at each other, then laughing again. Their voices were especially clear in the relatively quiet classroom.

“Those legs are amazing, tsk. I saw her knee bruised last time. Always pretending to be innocent, I don’t know what she’s pretending for, just a gold digger.”

“Exactly.”

The louder they spoke, the more it seemed like they found it something to be proud of, as if putting someone down would elevate themselves.

“Xi Xi, calm down, calm down.” Yang Xiao looked at Liang Xi’s increasingly dark expression, lowering her voice. “If a fight breaks out, we can’t beat them. If you want to vent your anger, I’ll call my brother. We’ll get him after school.”

“Are you guys sick?” Liang Xi couldn’t hold back any longer. Pressing down Yang Xiao’s hand, she turned around and interrupted the boys’ discussion.

“What does her private life have to do with you? How many boyfriends she has is none of your business! You speak so confidently, is it because you’re rats following her around every night?”

The boys exchanged glances and laughed. The leader smiled condescendingly: “Liang Xi, don’t get too close to her, don’t let her corrupt you, or your reputation will be ruined too.”

Liang Xi clenched her fists. In their eyes, she was just a harmless kitten baring its claws, so they didn’t take her words seriously at all.

“We’re just casually saying a few words. Why are you so worked up, Liang Xi? What, do you want to learn from her?” Another boy’s gaze swept across Liang Xi from head to toe.

“Show some respect with your eyes.” Yang Xiao slammed the table, her temper flaring. “Spreading rumors every day, do you use your mouth as an ass? What, Jiang Zhiyan looks down on you guys, doesn’t even want you to carry her shoes, so you’re lashing out in anger? Indeed, why don’t you look in the mirror and see what you look like? You really think you’re an emperor choosing his concubines?”

“Ptooey.” Yang Xiao turned her head away, her expression full of disgust. “Ugly and delusional.”

“Saying her reputation is bad, oh my, do you think your reputations are any better? Don’t you know everyone else says you…” Yang Xiao raised an eyebrow at the girl beside her. The girl frowned, shook her head, then glanced at the boy and whispered something to the person next to her.

Yang Xiao: As expected, good friends have great chemistry.

The boys’ faces darkened.

“It was just a joke, Jiang Zhiyan herself isn’t even bothered, why are you?”

“What kind of joke? What’s so funny? Besides you guys, who thinks it’s funny?” Liang Xi took a step forward. “Are you so used to acting like animals that you don’t care what others think?”

Yang Xiao’s eyes widened, looking at Liang Xi. This was the first time she knew Liang Xi had such strong fighting spirit. It’s true, when she was calm and reasonable, she was very formidable.

The boy cursed, pointing at Liang Xi’s face: “Liang Xi, you’re nothing good either, always chasing after Yan Yanzhuo, a gold-digging leech. Do you really think I wouldn’t dare hit you? I’m only holding back because you’re a girl.”

“I’m pursuing someone openly. Even if I don’t succeed, I don’t spread rumors. I’m upright and honest, so what?”

“Of course you dare hit me. Judging from how you talk about Jiang Zhiyan, you wouldn’t dare say a word to those guys who change girlfriends every day, because you really can’t beat them, and they would really beat you up for your foul mouth.”

“Oh, that’s right, you wouldn’t say anything to them, you would only kneel at their feet and beg them to teach you some experience.”

Liang Xi clenched her fists. She was actually very nervous. The boy was over 1.8 meters tall, much taller than her.

But her mind was filled with the sound of Jiang Zhiyan crying.

…

“Holy shit, holy shit, Jiang Zhiyan, Liang Xi is fighting with someone because of you!”

Jiang Zhiyan: ???

Jiang Zhiyan quickly dropped what she was holding and rushed out. Yan Yanzhuo hesitated for a second, then followed.

Arriving at Class Nine, Jiang Zhiyan squeezed through the crowd. Many people made way for her when they saw her. Reaching the front, she saw a boy pulling Liang Xi’s hair, looking at her mockingly.

Yang Xiao tried to hit his head with a book but was quickly restrained by others. Her situation didn’t look much better than Liang Xi’s.

Liang Xi’s eyes were red with pain, but she didn’t shed a single tear. She raised her head and stomped on the boy’s foot, her hands tightly pinching the flesh on his arm.

“Stop fighting!” A girl wanted to go up and break up the fight, but was stopped by some boys. “Let go of Liang Xi!”

“Fine, as long as she kneels down and begs me, apologizes to me, I’ll stop.” The boy sneered, his tone smug. He was enjoying this moment.

Jiang Zhiyan casually grabbed a pen from the desk, unscrewed it, and flung it. The pen pierced the back of his hand and fell to the floor. He cried out in pain, covering the back of his right hand with his left hand, but still didn’t let go.

“Fuck! Which idiot?” He looked around, his gaze landing accurately on Jiang Zhiyan.

“Let go.” Jiang Zhiyan walked through the crowd, grabbed a small knife from the desk, looked directly into his eyes, and repeated, “Let go.”

“Are you crazy!” He glared at Jiang Zhiyan. “Who do you think you are? You think I’ll let go just because you tell me to? Hah, aren’t you just relying on a bunch of boyfriends to back you up?”

He mouthed an extremely vulgar insult. Liang Xi stomped on his foot again, grinding her heel down. The boy yanked Liang Xi’s hair hard.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at him coldly, extremely calm, and extreme calmness was a precursor to going berserk.

The next second, her knife pierced his arm. The moment he let go, Jiang Zhiyan pushed Liang Xi into the arms of the girl beside her, then kicked him in the stomach. He fell backward, knocking over a few desks, clutching his stomach as he landed in a pile of clutter, crying out in pain.

A few screams rang out, then silence fell. Apart from the boy’s groans, there was no other sound. The people holding Yang Xiao also let go, taking a step back in fear.

No one expected Jiang Zhiyan to be so strong.

“Are you crazy, Jiang Zhiyan?” The boy clutched his arm, staring at it wide-eyed. He hadn’t expected Jiang Zhiyan to actually dare to attack him.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t speak. She stepped on his calf, pressing him back down as he struggled to get up.

She held the knife in her left hand and grabbed his hair with her right, pulling him up forcefully. Glancing at his hand, which twitched as if to move, she twirled the knife, and his hand dropped back down.

“Jiang Zhiyan, don’t…” Liang Xi grabbed her arm. She knew Jiang Zhiyan was venting her anger for her, but she couldn’t stab him again.

“Liang Xi started it!” The boy yelled at Jiang Zhiyan.

“Are you shameless? Didn’t you start the rumors about Jiang Zhiyan? And you attacked first!” The girl who had caught Liang Xi yelled, supporting Yang Xiao. “You even pulled Liang Xi’s arm and pushed her against the wall!”

The surrounding people started talking all at once.

“I’m fine! Stop talking.” Liang Xi wiped the corner of her eye, her hand trembling slightly as she grasped Jiang Zhiyan’s. “Jiang Zhiyan, I’m really fine, don’t do this.”

Jiang Zhiyan obediently put the knife away in her pocket, then removed her foot from his leg. Looking at Liang Xi, she reached out to smooth her hair, but after just a couple of gentle strokes, she found many broken strands of hair in her hand. She stared at the hair, her eyes darkening slightly, then glanced at the boy on the floor. He instinctively flinched back, but there was limited space, no room to retreat.

When Lin Shenyu rushed over after hearing the news, he just happened to see the scene where Jiang Zhiyan was holding the knife. Now, seeing her calm down, he turned to Wei Ting, who had arrived with him: “Did you know she was like this?”

“No…” Wei Ting frowned. “She couldn’t even open a water bottle before.”

Yan Yanzhuo walked into the classroom and placed a signal jammer on the floor, his voice neither too loud nor too soft: “Delete all the videos, don’t spread this.”

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Yan Yanzhuo from the corner of her eye, then looked at Liang Xi: “You and Yang Xiao go to the infirmary for a check-up first.”

“Okay, we’ll go in a bit.” Liang Xi blinked, still holding onto Jiang Zhiyan’s wrist tightly. “Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile. And don’t listen to them, they’re exaggerating.”

“Of course you’re not fragile, you’re super strong. But next time, prioritize your own safety first.” Jiang Zhiyan whispered, looking into Liang Xi’s eyes. She knew Liang Xi would speak up for her after hearing those rumors, but she didn’t expect it to escalate to this point. She couldn’t suppress her disgust as she looked at the boy lying on the floor. “Do you need me to call the police for you?”

Chapter 11: I Also Want Cake (11)

Lin Shenyu stood by the roadside. A car stopped beside him. He tried to open the car door, but it wouldn’t budge. The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Wei Ting’s punchable face.

“Got beaten up? Didn’t you just leave? Came back with a slap mark? She didn’t even see you off?” Wei Ting’s tone was even more infuriating than his expression.

Lin Shenyu stared at Wei Ting and punched him in the face.

He was already feeling frustrated, and Wei Ting just happened to show up.

---

Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan and opened a bottle of milk for her: “Drink some, don’t choke.”

“Thank you.” Jiang Zhiyan took a small sip. “It’s very late. Where are you staying tonight?”

Liang Xi glanced at the time: “Are you planning to stay here all night?”

“I don’t know.” Jiang Zhiyan turned the milk bottle, her head lowered. “Maybe I should have the driver take you back now. We still have school tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Liang Xi asked.

Jiang Zhiyan was silent for a few seconds: “But…”

Liang Xi hugged Jiang Zhiyan: “It’s okay to be a little selfish at a time like this. You can ask for leave tomorrow morning.”

Just as Jiang Zhiyan was about to lean on Liang Xi’s shoulder, she heard cursing from the other side. There weren’t many people in the hall, so their voices were very clear, echoing slightly.

“Lin Shenyu, is your brain filled with shit? I kindly came to pick you up.”

“Hah, who needs your kindness!”

“What, you want to fight again?”

Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes darkened. As expected, the vicious female supporting character was incompatible with every character.

She let go of Liang Xi, slightly annoyed, and turned around.

Lin Shenyu, who had disappeared for twenty minutes, reappeared with bruises on his face, black and blue. Wei Ting wasn’t in good shape either, his eye swollen, looking rather comical.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at the two of them expressionlessly. Wei Ting, who had been yelling, shut his mouth, snorted heavily, and walked towards the emergency room.

“Aren’t you coming with me?” Lin Shenyu stared at Jiang Zhiyan. His entire face hurt when he spoke.

“No, it’s awkward.” Jiang Zhiyan refused flatly.

Lin Shenyu sneered. He shouldn’t have come. He got slapped and gained nothing.

He also stormed off. Reaching the corner, he saw Wei Ting still there, peeking around, looking particularly sneaky.

“Why is Liang Xi here?” Wei Ting frowned. “They were even hugging each other. Since when were they so close?”

“I don’t know!” Lin Shenyu was fuming.

“You want to fight again?” Wei Ting’s eyes widened.

“Get lost!” Lin Shenyu shoved Wei Ting, who gasped.

“Fuck, you pushed my wound!”

“Be quiet in the hospital! Don’t make a ruckus!” A nurse on duty poked her head out.

The two shut their mouths.

Wei Ting looked at the two again. They were leaning against each other again. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen girls being more affectionate. Many girls in their class leaned against each other every day, some even occasionally kissing. But these two were just strange.

He took out his phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to their small group chat.

[Wei Ting: Guess who these two are.]

[Fifth Brother: Your sister-in-law and…]

[Wei Ting: Fuck off.]

[Fifth Brother: Liang Xi??? I heard these two are close now, thought it was fake. Where are you guys? Why does it look like a hospital? Why are you at the hospital with these two?]

[Lin Shenyu: I’m here too.]

[Fifth Brother: ???]

[Fifth Brother: I don’t get it. What, after Jiang Zhiyan finished with you two, she likes girls now? Suddenly the logic makes sense. Liang Xi is indeed much cuter than you two, I like her too, it’s a pity she likes that guy.]

[Lin Shenyu: Wait until I beat you up tomorrow.]

…

Jiang Zhiyan finished the sandwich and drank all the milk.

“Do you want more?”

“I’ll eat later.” Jiang Zhiyan wiped her mouth. “Why don’t you come with me later and stay at my place? Then I’ll take you back to get your bag when it’s time for school. My house is closer to here. Where do you live?”

“My house is near East District City Plaza.”

“That’s so far… and you still came over.” Jiang Zhiyan looped her arm through Liang Xi’s, muttering, “You’re so nice. The person who doesn’t like you is truly blind.”

Liang Xi smiled shyly.

“Let’s go, let’s go see my mom.”

“Okay, stay behind me later, just in case your mom tries to hit you again.” Liang Xi frowned slightly.

“It’s fine, I’m agile.” Jiang Zhiyan pulled Liang Xi to the area outside the operating room.

“Hello, Auntie.” Seeing Jiang’s mother, Liang Xi bowed her head slightly, greeting her politely.

Jiang’s mother, seeing Jiang Zhiyan return, was about to speak when her gaze fell on Liang Xi. She looked her up and down, not responding, her attitude noticeably colder: “Where’s Young Master Lin? He…”

“He went back, I’ve already calmed him down.” Jiang Zhiyan pulled Liang Xi to sit down on the other side, blocking her mother’s view, and patted Liang Xi’s hand reassuringly.

Liang Xi smiled: “I’m fine.”

The corridor was suffocatingly quiet.

After calming down, Jiang’s mother thought over Jiang Zhiyan’s words again and again, her heart growing colder with each repetition. She could only wait until he woke up to find out what exactly happened. She should have fixed the surveillance cameras at home, but if he never woke up…

Jiang’s mother clutched her bag, realizing that she was actually somewhat hopeful.

“Assistant Wang, you can go back first. The company needs you during the day.” Jiang’s mother looked up at the assistant sitting opposite her.

“Okay.” Assistant Wang nodded. He didn’t want to stay here either, especially since Jiang’s mother implied that he should still go to work on time.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Assistant Wang and smiled: “It’s okay to go to the company a little later tomorrow. Rest well. Thank you for coming over so late.”

Jiang’s mother frowned and glanced at Jiang Zhiyan.

Assistant Wang nodded at Jiang Zhiyan without saying anything, but his expression visibly relaxed: “I’ll take care of the company matters tomorrow, you two don’t have to worry.”

“Hah, you’re quite capable now.” Jiang’s mother sneered after Assistant Wang left.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t retort. Liang Xi frowned and grabbed Jiang Zhiyan’s hand; Jiang Zhiyan gently squeezed back.

While waiting for the surgery, Jiang Zhiyan and Liang Xi leaned against each other, dozing off for a while.

Jiang Zhiyan’s mind was very clear. She wasn’t sleepy. Her arm was a little sore, but she didn’t move.

When the doctor came out, Jiang Zhiyan subconsciously wanted to cover Liang Xi’s ears, but with the slightest movement, Liang Xi opened her eyes. She looked at Jiang Zhiyan sleepily, glancing at Jiang Zhiyan’s hand with some confusion. After a few seconds, she seemed to understand, and rubbed her eyes: “Thank you.”

---

Chapter 12: I Also Want Cake (12)

Jiang Zhiyan’s father’s condition stabilized, but it was unclear when he would wake up.

Because it was late, they went home, and Jiang’s mother contacted a caregiver.

After arriving home, Jiang Zhiyan found some fresh clothes for Liang Xi and prepared to go find her mother.

Liang Xi looked at her with worry.

“It’s okay, you wash up and go to bed first. I’ll have someone call in sick for us.”

Jiang Zhiyan went to her mother’s room. The lights were off, and her mother was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“What are you doing here?”

“Don’t tell anyone about his coma for now. If Uncle and the others find out, it’ll be troublesome. Hide it for as long as possible. You go to the company tomorrow and understand the current situation.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her mother.

“I need you to teach me how to do things?” Jiang’s mother stared at Jiang Zhiyan. “You pushed him down the stairs.”

“I didn’t push him, he really slipped. And, how he fell isn’t important at all.” Jiang Zhiyan grabbed her mother’s swinging arm, her expression blank. “I hope you can take control of the company during this time, take stock of the assets. He’s been obsessed with having an illegitimate child outside. We don’t know if there really is one, and he might have already secretly transferred some assets.”

“Money is what matters. Without money, how can we maintain our current lifestyle? Mom, wake up.” Jiang Zhiyan stared into her mother’s eyes.

Jiang’s mother gritted her teeth but didn’t retort. Jiang Zhiyan released her hand, and her mother’s arm fell limply.

“If you don’t understand the company’s affairs, then win over Assistant Wang.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her. “If you don’t hold onto things tightly, they will be divided up by others. You know better than I do what those people are like.”

“Our interests are aligned. Your husband has already started a new family outside.”

Jiang Zhiyan closed the door and left. Jiang’s mother covered her face irritably.

“Are you sure she can handle it?” The system was a bit worried. “This move is still risky. It would have been better to wait until you graduate from university. If you were in university now, you could handle it yourself.”

“That would be a large-scale persona collapse.”

“Oh, you still care about that? I thought you weren’t even planning on getting any points.”

Jiang Zhiyan ignored its sarcasm, returned to her room, saw the person on the bed, and quietly closed the door, going to the bathroom outside to take a shower.

“Didn’t you say she should sleep in the guest room?”

“I can’t wake her up now that she’s asleep.” Jiang Zhiyan changed into her pajamas and quietly returned to the room.

Liang Xi woke up for a moment, the quilt rustling slightly, mumbling something that seemed like a greeting before falling silent again.

It was past four o’clock. Jiang Zhiyan sent a message to Lin Shenyu, asking him to call in sick for her, then set an alarm for eleven o’clock. Class started at 1:30 pm, so waking up at eleven was about right. She could eat lunch, accompany Liang Xi to get her schoolbag, and then go to school. Perfect.

Lin Shenyu lay in bed, unable to sleep because of the pain in his face. Hearing the sound of his phone, he picked it up and glanced at it, then threw it back, closing his eyes with a dark expression.

He picked up his phone again.

[Lin Shenyu: You call in sick yourself, I need to call in sick too!]

[Lin Shenyu: You actually took Liang Xi home?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: What else could I do? It was so late.]

Lin Shenyu stared at the message from Jiang Zhiyan. When they were talking yesterday, she was still very polite, but now she wasn’t even pretending.

Thinking of what Fifth Brother said in the group chat, Lin Shenyu felt uncomfortable all over. He wanted to ask something but didn’t in the end.

[Jiang Zhiyan: Please don’t tell anyone about what happened at my house, thank you.]

Lin Shenyu rolled his eyes. She was being polite again now.

[Lin Shenyu: I’m not interested in gossiping.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Bye, going to sleep.]

Lin Shenyu threw his phone aside again. This time, he didn’t throw it properly, and it landed on the floor.

“Fuck.”

Jiang Zhiyan placed her phone securely on the nightstand to charge, lay down on the bed, turned to look at Liang Xi beside her, and moved a little closer.

“Host, what are you doing?” The system asked sharply.

“Cold, unconsciously moving closer to a heat source.” Jiang Zhiyan said, moving closer still, and then closed her eyes.

“Host, your ability to lie through your teeth is truly impressive.”

“Shut up, I’m sleeping. Wake me up tomorrow morning and use my phone to message my and Liang Xi’s teachers to call in sick for us. If you ask me for points, I’ll collapse the world during the day and we’ll all die together.”

The system, which was just about to ask for points: “You’re ruthless.”

“You’re too cunning. Such small favors that don’t affect the plot shouldn’t require points. You’re an AI, it takes you a second.” Jiang Zhiyan’s voice was calm.

The system observed the two of them all night. Nothing interesting happened.

Both of their sleeping postures were very proper, not crossing any boundaries, and they didn’t make any noise while sleeping. If it weren’t for seeing them lying in bed, it would have thought the room was empty. The system was slightly disappointed.

When the eleven o’clock alarm rang, Liang Xi shot up from the bed. Jiang Zhiyan opened her eyes and looked at her, saying nothing.

Liang Xi sat on the bed, motionless. After a minute, it seemed like she had fully booted up and started moving. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and then stretched.

The alarm was still ringing. Liang Xi, half-closing her eyes, slowly lay back down, trying to burrow back into the quilt. In her sleepy haze, she saw Jiang Zhiyan, eyes open and clear, and froze for two seconds, then her eyes widened, and she smiled sheepishly: “Morning.”

“Do you still want to sleep? You can sleep until 12:30. I’ll have the driver go to your house to get your bag first.” Jiang Zhiyan turned off the alarm.

“N-no… no need.” Liang Xi shook her head with a dry laugh.

Liang Xi: Aaaah! So embarrassing! Why did she just lie back down? Why?

“Aren’t you tired holding yourself up like that?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Liang Xi’s posture, propped up on the bed.

Liang Xi immediately lowered her arms, which then landed heavily on the bed. She didn’t want to speak anymore. Closing her eyes, in a moment of brainlessness, she burrowed back under the quilt, her toes curling up.

Jiang Zhiyan couldn’t help but chuckle, but to save the other person’s face, she didn’t laugh out loud.

“Sleep a little longer, I’ll call you later.” Jiang Zhiyan reached out and gently patted the quilt twice.

“Okay.” Liang Xi mumbled in reply.

“Come out and get some air.”

“Okay.” Liang Xi closed her eyes and poked her head out from under the quilt. As long as she couldn’t see anyone, she could pretend that no one could see her.

Liang Xi was easily embarrassed. When Jiang Zhiyan called her to wake up half an hour later, her ears were still red. She followed behind Jiang Zhiyan awkwardly.

She was wearing Jiang Zhiyan’s school uniform. The uniform had been washed, but she could still smell the usual fragrance on Jiang Zhiyan, wafting into her nose. The quilt last night had the same scent.

“Auntie, where’s my mom?” Jiang Zhiyan led Liang Xi to the dining table.

“She went to the company early this morning.”

“Thank you for last night, Auntie.” Jiang Zhiyan sat down with Liang Xi.

“No problem, it’s what I should do. Eat, the food was just made, it won’t taste good cold.”

“Okay.” Jiang Zhiyan replied, opening her phone and glancing at the unread messages. The top one was from Assistant Wang.

[Assistant Wang: Someone came to ask about Mr. Jiang, I brushed them off. There are no problems with the company at the moment. I’ve informed Madam about the basic situation of the company.]

Jiang Zhiyan curled her lip, relieved. The world finally went her way for once. Although Assistant Wang didn’t explicitly say it, this gave her a hint. No matter what happened later, he was willing to side with them now. However, it was a bit strange that he took sides so easily.

Chapter 9: I Also Want Cake (9)

“Host…” The system savored Jiang Zhiyan’s words. “Was that sentence meant to make her not blame Yang Xiao, or was it sowing discord?”

“Sowing discord.” Jiang Zhiyan readily admitted her malicious intentions. “I’m the vicious female supporting character, how could I be so kind?”

The system felt something was off. Three minutes later, it realized: “Why are you driving a wedge between the female lead and her best friend?”

“I also drove a wedge between the female lead and the male lead, with remarkable results. I’m truly suited to be the vicious female supporting character. Stop talking to me, I need to do my homework.”

The system swallowed all its complaints.

What an unlucky host.

The system quickly downloaded a few Buddhist scriptures to help itself calm down.

Jiang’s mother didn’t return until Jiang Zhiyan went to bed. Jiang’s father did come back. At first glance, he looked like a respectable man, but he reeked of alcohol, mixed with the scent of perfume and cosmetics, a nauseating combination.

Jiang Zhiyan carried her cup and fruit upstairs, not wanting to interact with him at all.

“You have it easy every day, just going to school, not like me, having to go out for social events.” Jiang’s father burped, glancing at Jiang Zhiyan. “Seeing your old man, not even a greeting. Ungrateful brat!”

Jiang Zhiyan stopped on the stairs and turned around, looking down at her father. If she had initially just wanted to scare her mother, now she really wanted to stab him.

“You don’t have to come back.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at him coldly. “First, at least do some prep work before acting. Second, I’m not yet eighteen, you have a legal obligation to support me. Third, I didn’t appear in your dreams begging you to have me.”

“You beast.” He widened his eyes. “How dare you talk to your father like that? You think you’re above the law?”

As he stumbled up the stairs, Jiang Zhiyan calmly placed the plate on the floor and picked up a fruit knife, twirling it a couple of times. She didn’t say anything else, just looked at him.

Jiang’s father stopped, staring at the knife in her hand, then took two steps back.

“You’ve had so much to drink. If you roll down the stairs, hit your head on the floor, become paralyzed, or die, it’s all possible.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at the surveillance camera in the hall. “I can also tamper with the surveillance footage.”

“How could I have given birth to such a beast!”

“You can gallivant around outside, fooling around, and still claim you’re tired…” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “Isn’t it normal to give birth to a beast like me? Do you have no self-awareness about your own genes?”

“Oh, I forgot, you can’t give birth. After all, with your indolent personality, it must be difficult to endure the pain of childbirth.”

“You! You!” Jiang’s father pointed at Jiang Zhiyan, clutching his chest, then charged up the stairs again, trying to snatch the fruit knife from her hand.

Jiang Zhiyan took a step back and kicked over the fruit plate. The fruit rolled out. Already drunk, he lost his balance, fell backward, and tumbled down the stairs.

“How clumsy, slipping like that.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her father lying on the floor, sighing regretfully. “What a pity, I should have let him come all the way up… This height isn’t enough.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at the nearby surveillance camera: “The camera…”

“It’s broken, no one’s come to fix it.”

Jiang Zhiyan tugged at the corner of her mouth: “Saved some points.”

Her father wasn’t unconscious yet, struggling to reach for his phone. Jiang Zhiyan walked over to him, her eyes devoid of emotion. He looked at her in terror.

Tears suddenly streamed down Jiang Zhiyan’s face, and she screamed in panic: “Auntie! Auntie! Dad fell down the stairs drunk!”

Her father looked at her with increasing terror, but his head was heavy, and the alcohol took effect, quickly causing him to lose consciousness.

“Host, how are you going to explain this?”

“I’ll say I was arguing with him for Mom, and then he got drunk and wanted to come up and hit me. During the struggle, the fruit plate overturned, and he fell. Then I’ll use a prop card depending on the situation.” Jiang Zhiyan saw the housekeeper hurrying out of her room from the corner of her eye. “Auntie!”

Her father was rushed to the hospital for examination.

Jiang’s mother’s whereabouts were unknown, and she hadn’t been contacted yet.

Jiang Zhiyan sat in the hospital corridor, staring at Liang Xi’s name, then glancing at the time. 11:30 pm. She probably hadn’t slept yet.

After hesitating for three seconds, she decided to call Liang Xi. This was a good opportunity to get closer. Not telling her would seem distant.

The other party was indeed awake. The call was answered after three seconds.

“Liang Xi.” Jiang Zhiyan cried out, her voice choked with sobs.

The person on the other end immediately panicked, asking anxiously: “Why are you crying? What happened?”

“My dad rolled down the stairs during an argument with me. He seems to have hit his head and passed out. I’m so scared. I can’t reach my mom right now, I, I don’t know who to call, who to call. I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I’m really scared…”

Putting on a full performance, Jiang Zhiyan cried so miserably that a passing nurse gently patted her shoulder, and a nearby stranger offered her a small pack of tissues.

“Which hospital? I’ll come find you.” Liang Xi said.

“No, no, no need. I just wanted to call you because I have no one to talk to. If you come, I’ll feel even worse. I’m sorry.” Jiang Zhiyan said. “Sob, sob, sob, I really didn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s okay.”

Of course Liang Xi couldn’t come. After contacting Jiang’s mother, when she arrived, troublesome things would definitely happen. It was better to hide that side of things.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at the doctor in the distance and stood up: “Sorry, the doctor is out, they might have something to say. I’ll go take a look.”

“Okay, if anything happens, call me. My phone is always on.” Liang Xi comforted her. “Don’t worry, it’ll be alright.”

“Yes, you go to sleep first. My dad’s assistant has arrived. Thank you.” Jiang Zhiyan whispered. “I feel much better after talking to you.”

After Jiang Zhiyan hung up the phone, the system finally spoke: “So, do you want her to sleep or not? Isn’t that too hypocritical?”

“You ask too many questions.” Jiang Zhiyan didn’t answer the question and walked towards the doctor.

Jiang’s father had fallen into a coma. The intracranial hemorrhage was quite serious, and there were other various issues, but Jiang Zhiyan didn’t listen.

She glanced at her father’s probability of death. He wouldn’t die yet.

She pretended to be at a loss, collapsing onto a bench, tears streaming down her face.

The housekeeper finally managed to contact Jiang’s mother.

After hearing the news, Jiang’s mother screamed twice on the phone, then quickly hung up.

Jiang Zhiyan let out a breath: “Troublesome.”

**********

Chapter 10: I Also Want Cake (10)

Jiang Zhiyan leaned back in her chair, twirling the bracelet on her wrist, and yawned.

“You still have school tomorrow, why don’t you go back and rest?” The housekeeper said. “I’ll wait here for Madam.”

Jiang Zhiyan shook her head: “Auntie, you go back and rest. Dad’s assistant is here, it’s fine.”

Five minutes later, both of them were still sitting there.

She caught sight of someone approaching from the right corridor out of the corner of her eye and frowned.

“Why are you here?” Jiang Zhiyan stood up, pressing her temples.

“Liang Xi told me.” Lin Shenyu ruffled his messy hair, casually draped in his school uniform, looking like he had just crawled out of bed. “How is he now?”

“I’m fine, you should go back.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at him. “You still have class tomorrow.”

Lin Shenyu actually didn’t want to come. He was with Jiang Zhiyan purely to make someone uncomfortable. As for feelings, there were basically none. But thinking about what happened during the day, and how Jiang Zhiyan told Liang Xi about this but not him, made him feel uneasy.

So he wanted to come and see, to see Jiang Zhiyan’s reaction. As he expected, her expression was devoid of surprise.

“I just arrived.” Lin Shenyu tossed a bottle of mineral water to Jiang Zhiyan, about to say something more when a woman’s sharp voice rang out behind them.

“Jiang Zhiyan!”

Jiang’s mother ran from the other end of the hallway: “What did you do? How could you be so heartless! He, is he really your…”

She raised her hand, but the slap didn’t land on Jiang Zhiyan’s face. Instead, it landed squarely on Lin Shenyu’s face, the crisp sound echoing clearly in the quiet hallway.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Lin Shenyu, who had flashed in front of her, and frowned. She hadn’t expected him to do that.

Too many complications were not good. She might need to artificially advance the plot.

Lin Shenyu touched the corner of his mouth, frowning. He had never been slapped in his life, and the first time he was slapped, he was actually slapped until he bled.

Jiang’s mother’s hand was still raised, startled by the sudden turn of events, and she took a step back.

“You, you?” Jiang’s mother’s gaze shifted back and forth between Jiang Zhiyan and Lin Shenyu.

Jiang Zhiyan suddenly realized that her mother didn’t know about her daughter dating. Her biggest wish was to cultivate her daughter into a qualified wealthy wife, marry her into a rich family, and achieve upward mobility, which is why she forbade her daughter from dating.

Lin Shenyu did meet Jiang’s mother’s requirements, but it was still too early.

Great, the situation was even more chaotic now.

Jiang’s mother gasped, her lips moving, then lowered her hand, somewhat speechless. Her expression didn’t change much, but her slightly trembling hand showed that she was starting to panic.

She knew Lin Shenyu.

“Mom, what are you doing? Dad came back tonight reeking of alcohol and perfume, so I couldn’t help but say a few words to him…” Jiang Zhiyan’s tears fell like large drops. “Then he thought I was being disrespectful and wanted to hit me, knocked over the fruit plate, and then he lost his balance and rolled down the stairs.”

Jiang’s mother looked at Jiang Zhiyan, her eyes a bit dazed.

Now, the Jiang Zhiyan of today overlapped, separated, and overlapped again with the Jiang Zhiyan of the past few days.

Her mind was in a mess, filled with all kinds of information.

Jiang Zhiyan gently pressed her mother into a seat, comforting her softly: “Mom, you’re probably too stressed, so your mind is a little unclear. Rest well, Dad will be fine.”

Jiang Zhiyan turned to look at Lin Shenyu. He was looking at the wound on his face with his phone, his expression clearly saying “unhappy.”

“Should I take you to get it treated?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Shouldn’t you take the initiative to take me to get it treated?” Lin Shenyu retorted.

Jiang Zhiyan picked up her bag: “After you get it treated, you should go back. Thank you for just now.”

Lin Shenyu felt like he had been slapped for nothing. He picked up his jacket, looked down at his phone, and followed behind Jiang Zhiyan. Noticing that the person in front stopped suddenly, he looked up.

Liang Xi rushed over, carrying a box.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come?” Jiang Zhiyan immediately went to meet her. “It’s so late.”

Lin Shenyu: …

“I was still worried about you.” Liang Xi panted softly. “I was afraid you’d be hungry.”

She still remembered Jiang Zhiyan saying that her family made her maintain her figure, so she probably didn’t have much to eat at night.

“What happened to him?” Liang Xi’s gaze lingered on Lin Shenyu’s face for a second.

“He shielded me when my mom wanted to hit me. I’m taking him to see a surgeon now.”

“Hit you? Why would she hit you?” Liang Xi frowned. “It was your dad who lost his balance, what does it have to do with you?”

Liang Xi didn’t want to criticize an elder, but she couldn’t help it.

When Liang Xi appeared, Lin Shenyu already felt like a third wheel. After Liang Xi pointed out the key issue, he felt even more superfluous.

“She… was a bit agitated.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled bitterly.

“I still need to get my wound treated.” Lin Shenyu interrupted them.

“I’ll go with you.” Liang Xi said, following beside Jiang Zhiyan, opening her box. The sweet aroma seemed out of place in the hospital. “What do you want to eat? Sandwiches, cupcakes, and some snacks. I made the sandwiches and cupcakes myself; the snacks are store-bought.”

“I’ll have a sandwich.” Jiang Zhiyan chose one.

“Do you want some?” Liang Xi looked at Lin Shenyu.

“No, my mouth hurts.” Lin Shenyu said stiffly. “Forget it, I’m not going to look. I’ll go back and disinfect it myself. You don’t have to see me off.”

“Okay, be careful on your way.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded.

Lin Shenyu suspected that Jiang Zhiyan had no intention of seeing him off. Her legs indeed didn’t move an inch.

“Or, do you want to wait a bit?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her phone. “Wei Ting said he’s coming to pick you up.”

“Are you crazy? Why would you tell him?” Lin Shenyu turned around, his eyes widening, mentally sending out a string of expletives.

“Aren’t you with me because you want to make him uncomfortable? I thought you cared about him.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at him.

Lin Shenyu frowned.

“Although I don’t know what you need to do to be satisfied, we can break up anytime.”

“Host, what are you doing!” The system exclaimed. It had only been slightly distracted, how did the plot take such a sharp turn upon its return?

“Just reasonably advancing the plot.”

Lin Shenyu stared at Jiang Zhiyan. Although he found it unexpected that she brought this up here, her previous behavior served as an explanation. He didn’t know when she had found out.

“I originally wanted to keep up the pretense with you, but you took a slap for me.”

Lin Shenyu sneered: “Well played. You’re not as stupid as I thought.”

Liang Xi, standing to the side, clutching Jiang Zhiyan’s sleeve, also looked a bit stunned. Watching him leave, she lowered her voice: “What does that mean?”

“It means I was cooperating with him to anger Wei Ting. That slap settled the score. My dad will probably be in the hospital for a while. If he wants revenge, his company might not be able to handle it.”

“Using relationships to get revenge? How childish.” Liang Xi said disdainfully.

“After all, he’s a pampered young master. But he’s overthinking it. Wei Ting doesn’t like me either, he’s just upset, it’s just a matter of pride.” Jiang Zhiyan pulled Liang Xi’s wrist. “Let’s go sit over there for a while. I don’t want my mom to see me eating.”

Chapter 7: I Also Want Cake (7)

“Delicious.” Jiang Zhiyan licked the cream from the corner of her mouth and smiled with her eyes narrowed.

“Eat it yourself.” Liang Xi was a little uncomfortable, putting the cake in Jiang Zhiyan’s hand and taking out a pack of tissues from her pocket, placing it beside her.

“Thank you.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at the tennis court below, scooping up a spoonful of cake.

At some point, the game below had paused. Yan Yanzhuo was surrounded by people offering him water. He pushed them away impatiently, picked up the water bottle on the ground, and looked up in this direction.

Jiang Zhiyan took another bite of cake, licking the cream.

The distance was a bit far, so Jiang Zhiyan couldn’t see the expression on his face clearly, but he was definitely not pleased.

Yan Yanzhuo being in a bad mood put Jiang Zhiyan in a good mood.

How despicable, when someone was solely devoted to him, he didn’t care. But when another person appeared, trying to compete, he started to notice.

Jiang Zhiyan leaned against Liang Xi: “Do you want some?”

“Can’t you finish it?” Liang Xi asked.

“No, it’s just that I feel bad eating alone.” Jiang Zhiyan, like a lazy cat, rubbed against Liang Xi’s shoulder, then scooped up another spoonful of cake. She didn’t speak, just looked at Liang Xi, her eyes like little hooks.

Liang Xi leaned in.

“What are they doing?” Yang Xiao looked at Liang Xi in the distance with shock. “She wouldn’t even eat from my bowl! She’s eating Jiang Zhiyan’s? Jiang Zhiyan’s! She’s actually eating Jiang Zhiyan’s!”

Yang Xiao’s voice got louder with each exclamation.

Lin Shenyu, standing behind her, also had an unpleasant expression, glancing at Yang Xiao, not understanding why her reaction was even bigger than his own.

He thought of Jiang Zhiyan’s coldness these past two days and frowned.

Jiang Zhiyan ate the cake clean, not leaving a single bit of cream.

Liang Xi looked at the empty box in surprise and glanced at Jiang Zhiyan.

Yang Xiao sat not far from them, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with resentment.

She originally wanted to see how long it would take for Liang Xi to notice her sitting there, only to realize that she probably wouldn’t be noticed until the end of time.

The two of them didn’t talk much. Liang Xi’s gaze wasn’t on the tennis court but would occasionally glance at Jiang Zhiyan.

Yang Xiao stared at Jiang Zhiyan’s back. Compared to Liang Xi, this person was even more unusual. The way she looked at Liang Xi was even more clingy than how she used to look at those boys.

“Your friend seems to have arrived.” Jiang Zhiyan turned to look at Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao’s sharp gaze instantly turned awkward, but Jiang Zhiyan’s expression remained unchanged.

“Huh?” Liang Xi turned around. “Xiao Xiao, why didn’t you come over when you arrived?”

“Because I couldn’t seem to intrude on the atmosphere between you two.” Yang Xiao’s expression was flat, her voice devoid of inflection.

“I’ll go first, I suddenly remembered I still have some classwork to finish.” Jiang Zhiyan stood up with a smile. “You guys chat.”

Yang Xiao looked at Jiang Zhiyan in shock. Although she didn’t say anything, she could sense a strong green tea vibe from her—that reluctant look, that slightly compromising tone.

“Bye.” Jiang Zhiyan gently flicked Liang Xi’s hair.

“Okay, will there be a review of today’s dessert?”

“I’ll write it for you tonight.” Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Yang Xiao again and nodded.

Her smile hadn’t changed, but Yang Xiao clearly felt that when Jiang Zhiyan looked at her, her eyes instantly became completely disinterested. She couldn’t even be bothered to feign politeness.

Yang Xiao looked at her with dissatisfaction. As soon as she left, Yang Xiao quickly sat next to Liang Xi: “You looked like your soul was about to be hooked away just now!”

“What are you talking about?” Liang Xi patted Yang Xiao’s arm. “We barely said two words.”

Yang Xiao clenched her fists, wanting to describe Jiang Zhiyan’s look, but she couldn’t. Simply saying “clingy” couldn’t fully capture it.

She tried to imitate the look, and immediately made Liang Xi laugh.

“Do you know what you look like right now?”

“Huh?”

“Like prey unaware that it’s fallen into a trap.”

Liang Xi covered her mouth and laughed.

“Laugh, laugh, laugh! All you do is laugh, you have no sense of crisis at all… Where’s Yan Yanzhuo? You weren’t watching Yan Yanzhuo? Who were you looking at?”

Liang Xi glanced at the tennis court: “He must have left, I didn’t notice.”

Jiang Zhiyan left the tennis court and saw Lin Shenyu standing at the entrance. He seemed to have been standing there for a long time.

She glanced at him and walked straight past him.

Lin Shenyu: ?

“You’re just leaving like that?”

“Do you need something from me?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Lin Shenyu laughed in exasperation: “Do I have to need something to look for you?”

“Not necessarily, but you didn’t say anything to me, so I thought you weren’t waiting for me anymore.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Lin Shenyu looked at Jiang Zhiyan’s indifferent eyes: “What is this? Are you tired of me?”

“I don’t know, but you look tired of me.” Jiang Zhiyan bit her lip, took a deep breath. “I thought you found me annoying, so I’ve been trying to appear less in front of you.”

How to turn the tables with one sentence.

Jiang Zhiyan lowered her head, took a deep breath, and tears started falling: “Sorry, I’m a little out of control. I’ll go first, I don’t want you to see me like this.”

She wiped her tears and turned to run. Lin Shenyu called out twice, but she didn’t look back.

Lin Shenyu: ???

Once out of Lin Shenyu’s sight, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Host, this… is a bit too obvious, isn’t it?” The system felt like it was about to master Jiang Zhiyan’s art of brushing people off.

“As long as he believes it.”

“Whether he believes it or not, he’s definitely confused.” The system glanced at Lin Shenyu, who was still standing there, frowning, looking in the direction Jiang Zhiyan left, motionless.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t return to the classroom but went directly to the cafeteria. It was already dinner time.

While taking a shortcut, she saw Yan Yanzhuo sitting in the pavilion. She quickened her pace, preparing to leave. If she had known the male lead was there, she would never have gone near that path.

In a sense, the male lead equaled trouble. He was a ticking time bomb, only slightly normal around the female lead. Before reaching the death point, she didn’t want to have any conflict with the male lead.

“Jiang Zhiyan.”

“Hello, is there something I can help you with?” Jiang Zhiyan stopped, smiling politely.

*******

Chapter 8: I Also Want Cake (8)

Hearing Jiang Zhiyan’s tone, Yan Yanzhuo looked her up and down, seemingly probing for something.

“Hmm?” Jiang Zhiyan smiled, her tone friendly.

“What tricks are you playing again?”

Not a question, but a statement.

“Hmm?” Jiang Zhiyan continued to smile.

The two single-word replies made Yan Yanzhuo uncomfortable. His expression darkened, and he walked out of the pavilion, stopping in front of Jiang Zhiyan, looking down at her with an oppressive gaze.

“You’re not going to hit me, are you? Have I offended you recently?” Jiang Zhiyan didn’t move, her gaze calm.

“I don’t like talking to stupid people. You know what I mean.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at him questioningly: “Liang Xi? She’s very cute, so I want to be friends with her. Are you jealous of her? Because I’m spending time with her instead of you?”

Yan Yanzhuo looked as if he had heard a joke, immediately taking two steps back, distancing himself from Jiang Zhiyan.

“Men shouldn’t be so jealous, it’s not attractive.” Jiang Zhiyan took a step closer to him, curling her lip, staring into his eyes, her smile a bit greasy.

Yan Yanzhuo’s gaze was like he was looking at a lunatic. As if thinking of something unpleasant, he distanced himself from her again: “Jiang Zhiyan!”

“Bye, I’m going to eat.” Jiang Zhiyan swept her gaze across Yan Yanzhuo’s face, her eyes as unsettling as his initial look.

“Host, you said you wouldn’t provoke him.” The system was speechless. Jiang Zhiyan was clearly dancing wildly in Yan Yanzhuo’s minefield.

“Disgust him once, peace for half a year.” Jiang Zhiyan said casually. “This level of disgust is nothing.”

She took out her phone and opened the chat with Liang Xi.

[Jiang Zhiyan: I think Yan Yanzhuo cares about you. He just stopped me and gave me a warning, probably afraid I’d bully you (*cat feeling wronged emoji*).]

“Host, you…”

Liang Xi frowned as she read the message from Jiang Zhiyan.

[Liang Xi: Are you okay?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: I’m fine, just disgusted him a bit (cute emoticon)]

Liang Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

[Liang Xi: That’s good, I’m sorry.]

“What’s wrong?” Yang Xiao looked at Liang Xi’s expression.

“Yan Yanzhuo went to find Jiang Zhiyan.” Liang Xi pursed her lips, showing her the message.

“Huh?” Yang Xiao froze for a second, then laughed, her tone a bit excited. “Is it because he’s worried about you? Ah, finally seeing some progress!”

“It has nothing to do with him.” Liang Xi interrupted Yang Xiao. “What does he mean by this? He doesn’t accept me, he’s so cold every day, and then he goes to find trouble with my friend. What right does he have to warn her?”

Yang Xiao opened her mouth: “Well, if you don’t look at it from that angle…”

Liang Xi remained silent, staring at Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao immediately shut her mouth. After three seconds, she nodded: “I just said this morning, don’t get hung up on one person. An unclear attitude is really annoying.”

“But it’s really strange…” Yang Xiao smacked her lips, glancing at the screen. “I always feel like her tone when messaging you is weird. You’ve only known each other for a few days, and she speaks so casually.”

“We just clicked.”

“Clicked with Jiang Zhiyan?” Yang Xiao gave a dry laugh.

It didn’t sound like a good thing.

Jiang Zhiyan enjoyed her dinner. Returning to the classroom, she heard Yan Yanzhuo’s lackey persuading him to eat dinner.

She chuckled and pulled a tissue from her desk, carefully wiping her mouth.

Seeing Jiang Zhiyan’s actions, Yan Yanzhuo threw the bread back into his lackey’s hand.

“Host, you’re currently at 1% plot progress, but the male and female lead’s relationship progress has regressed by 3%, down to 27%.” The system was speechless. “Although you’re here to break them up, you can’t actually break them up!”

“It’s not my fault that I’m too good at being the vicious female supporting character.” Jiang Zhiyan sighed softly. “I’m so wronged. I get criticized for working hard, and I get criticized for taking a break.”

System: …

“Forget it, the day after tomorrow, you need to sabotage Liang Xi’s speech at the grade assembly where she’ll be speaking as a student representative.” The system paused, asking warily, “Host, you won’t go soft, will you?”

“Go soft?” Jiang Zhiyan chuckled. “What does that word have to do with me?”

“You better not.”

Jiang Zhiyan flipped through the script. Sure enough, the brainless vicious female supporting character’s method of framing someone was extremely boring and unoriginal. The ending was also the typical scenario of the supporting character shooting herself in the foot and being ridiculed.

“This scene isn’t good, it’ll disrupt my current plans.”

“Then what do you want to do?” The system was on high alert.

“I’ll handle it, don’t worry.”

The system gave a dry laugh, trying to calm its racing mechanical heart. It always felt like it would become the first system with heart disease. Oh well, if it really happened, it would at least be recorded in history.

After school, Jiang Zhiyan didn’t see her mother. She asked and found out that her mother had left ten minutes before school ended, with no indication of when she would return. It was clear that last night’s conversation had a significant impact on her.

Jiang Zhiyan had her cello lesson as usual. The teacher was a bit surprised. These past two days, she had made almost no mistakes while playing, paying attention to all the details. However, the teacher could only praise her playing as “good.” Her music always seemed to lack soul, like a cello-playing machine without emotions.

When the lesson ended, a genuine smile finally appeared on Jiang Zhiyan’s face. After saying goodbye to the teacher, she quickly returned to her room.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“The draft for Liang Xi’s dessert review, I’ve outlined it in my head.”

System: ?

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at the time and typed rapidly. Two hundred short and concise words, deleted and revised several times. Thirty minutes later, the final draft was complete. The system watched, speechless. To call it a review was less accurate than to say it was a very sincere outpouring of praise.

[Liang Xi: Are there no areas for improvement?]

Liang Xi read the content Jiang Zhiyan sent several times, the gloom in her heart dissipating considerably. A smile she hadn’t even noticed herself appeared on her lips. No one had ever praised her so seriously.

[Jiang Zhiyan: After making it sweeter, it’ll be the perfect dessert in my mind. I don’t think I can help you improve any further.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Fortunately, I’m thick-skinned (cat acting cute).]

[Liang Xi: Do you want to have breakfast with me tomorrow morning?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Hmm… will Yang Xiao be there?]

[Liang Xi: Usually not. I apologize for her behavior today. I’ll have a good talk with her.]

Jiang Zhiyan frowned.

[Jiang Zhiyan: Don’t apologize for her.]

Jiang Zhiyan looked at the sentence, feeling that it was too blunt, and added another sentence.

[Jiang Zhiyan: I understand why she doesn’t like me. Actually, I don’t really care what others think of me, so there’s no need to force her to change her opinion of me. As long as you don’t misunderstand me, it’s fine. I don’t want to run into her because you two are long-time friends. If something goes wrong between you because of me, I’ll feel guilty.]

Jiang Zhiyan rubbed her chest.

She couldn’t seem to feel where her conscience was. It would be nice if she were alone.

Chapter 5: I Also Want Cake (5)

As Jiang Zhiyan expected, after seeing the breakfast bag in her hand, Liang Xi enthusiastically invited her to the small garden together. She readily accepted the suggestion.

“Why is Liang Xi so easy to hook? Your reputation at school is terrible.” The system didn’t understand.

“She’s the female lead, how can she believe rumors like therabble?”

System: ?

Perhaps because it was late autumn, the small garden seemed a bit desolate.

Liang Xi wiped the stone table and bench with a wet wipe.

“Will you still be here when it gets cold?”

“When it gets cold, we’ll go to the activity room. The scenery there is also nice.” Liang Xi looked at what Jiang Zhiyan brought, frowning. “Is this all you’re eating?”

“Yes.”

“Is that enough?”

“My family wants me to maintain my figure.” Jiang Zhiyan curled her lips bitterly.

“Why? You’re still in high school! Besides, being healthy is enough, why maintain your figure? No wonder you look so pale.” Liang Xi frowned, then opened her bag and took out two beautiful small boxes. “Eat with me. I made rice balls this morning.”

“The breakfast at school actually tastes pretty good. If you find it too dry, we can go to the cafeteria together, they have noodles and porridge.” Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “Don’t worry, eating normally won’t make you gain weight. You burn it off quickly with all the studying every day.”

Jiang Zhiyan’s fingertips traced the milk bottle in her hand.

Liang Xi’s eyes were bright and clear, like a vibrant spring.

“I’ll just have one small rice ball.” Jiang Zhiyan said, catching sight of Yan Yanzhuo standing at the entrance of the small garden from the corner of her eye.

She pretended not to see him and looked away.

“Host, the male lead is here.” The system reminded her.

“Oh.” Jiang Zhiyan picked up a rice ball and carefully took a bite. After waiting for more than ten seconds, she continued, “Where?”

The system was silent for three seconds: “He left.”

“Are you really not doing this on purpose?” After a while, the system couldn’t help but ask.

“How could I?”

“But you really seem like someone who would do this kind of thing…” The system said honestly.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t bother with it and took another bite of the rice ball.

Liang Xi was very quiet while eating, completely spaced out.

After finishing the rice ball, Jiang Zhiyan started gnawing on the whole wheat bread. It was indeed very difficult to eat.

“Here, if you don’t want to eat rice balls, eat this.” Liang Xi took out another box. “It’s sweeter than yesterday’s, might be a bit too rich for breakfast.”

“I’ll save it for the afternoon. It smells so good, thank you.” Jiang Zhiyan took the box, opened it, and the aroma of cake wafted out. She took a deep breath and then closed it again. “Suddenly this bread doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Have another rice ball then.”

“No, you eat it. It’s not good to waste food, I’ll just finish the bread.” Jiang Zhiyan stuffed the remaining bread into her mouth.

“Let’s share.” Liang Xi frowned.

“No need.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled and waved her hand.

Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan. Although her expression wasn’t exaggerated, from the occasional frown, she could tell the bread must not taste good.

“Liang Xi!” A girl ran over with a smile on her face. Seeing Jiang Zhiyan, she stopped, her smile instantly disappearing, her eyes widening noticeably. Her running speed slowed considerably.

The scene became a bit awkward for a moment.

“Yang Xiao.”

“Didn’t you run into Yan Yanzhuo? I saw him heading towards the small garden when I entered the school.” Yang Xiao leaned closer to Liang Xi, lowering her voice, glancing at Jiang Zhiyan several times.

Liang Xi blinked: “No, you must have seen wrong.”

Jiang Zhiyan stuffed the last piece of bread into her mouth.

“But I really saw him coming this way.” Yang Xiao sighed. “Why hang yourself on one tree? Find someone else, some people have already dated eight hundred times.”

Liang Xi’s eyes widened: “That’s ridiculous. Stop it.”

“Usually you’re fine, why do you suddenly have a love brain?” Yang Xiao complained.

“I don’t…”

Jiang Zhiyan forced down the dry bread and took a sip of milk: “You guys chat, I’ll go back to the classroom first.”

“Oh, okay, bye.” Liang Xi waved obediently.

“Thank you for the cake.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled at her. As she passed Yang Xiao, Yang Xiao took a very exaggerated step back.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at her with a slightly hurt expression, then lowered her head slightly and quickly left.

Liang Xi frowned and tugged at Yang Xiao, watching Jiang Zhiyan walk away before asking, “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing! Why are you with her?” Yang Xiao frowned anxiously. “As soon as I mentioned Yan Yanzhuo, she left, she must be going back to find him.”

“She’s in the same class as Yan Yanzhuo, she can find him anytime she wants. Don’t make random assumptions about others.” Liang Xi finished her last rice ball. “Besides, if she wants to find him, she can find him. What does it have to do with me?”

“Then why are you with her? She! I’m embarrassed to even repeat the things she’s done.”

Liang Xi wiped her fingers: “What did she do? She dated eight hundred times but she doesn’t have a love brain.”

Yang Xiao blinked, stunned for three seconds, then widened her eyes: “Damn! But, but she, she…”

“It’s not illegal, and as long as she doesn’t bother us, it’s fine. Anyway, so far, I think she’s quite nice.” Liang Xi threw the trash into the trash can. “Let’s go, we’re late today.”

“Be careful not to be deceived by her.” Yang Xiao followed behind Liang Xi.

“Why would she bother deceiving me? I have nothing.” Liang Xi said casually.

…

By the time Jiang Zhiyan arrived in class, it was already quite late. Most of the students had already arrived. She glanced at Yan Yanzhuo, who was also looking at her, his expression not exactly friendly.

She calmly sat down, paying him no mind.

The male lead’s character setting wasn’t exactly gentle. He was grumpy 360 days out of 365, and only Liang Xi had the patience to “reform” him. Anyone with even a slightly developed love brain would have run away.

Fortunately, Liang Xi’s love brain hadn’t fully developed yet.

Compared to the male lead, Yang Xiao, the best friend who was always with Liang Xi, was more troublesome. After all, she was quite “notorious” at school… Although judging from Liang Xi’s current behavior, she wouldn’t be swayed by rumors, the power of constant whispers was endless.

“What did Yang Xiao say to Liang Xi?” Jiang Zhiyan twirled her pen, writing the character “Xie” (Thanks) on the paper. “I don’t need specifics, just the gist.”

“One hundred points.” The system said.

Jiang Zhiyan pressed the tip of her pen down on the paper: “Why don’t you go rob a bank?”

****

Chapter 6: I Also Want Cake (6)

In the end, Jiang Zhiyan didn’t pay the points, firmly putting a stop to all the system’s blatant attempts at extortion.

The system was very depressed. Yesterday, while looking at the data, it discovered that Liang Xi’s favorability towards Jiang Zhiyan had increased significantly during their first meeting. It watched the clips of Liang Xi and Jiang Zhiyan interacting dozens of times, analyzing them until its circuits nearly fried, but still couldn’t figure it out.

The female lead falling for the vicious female supporting character at first sight? Impossible! Moreover, although the story started from this point, the preconditions were already set. Even if the female lead didn’t dislike Jiang Zhiyan, those events would make it difficult for her to develop favorable feelings towards Jiang Zhiyan because the two had different values.

This plot had problems, very serious problems.

Yang Xiao also couldn’t understand it, spending the entire morning pondering this question.

“Why?” Yang Xiao stared at Liang Xi.

“Why what?” Liang Xi found it a bit baffling.

“Because it feels like you didn’t have a particularly good impression of her before.”

“Yeah, but after interacting with her, I think she’s pretty good. So, whether a person is good or bad, you still have to interact with them to find out.” Liang Xi flipped open her test paper.

Yang Xiao leaned against Liang Xi’s desk, wanting to say something more, but finally sighed: “Forget it, I can’t persuade you. If she dares to bully you, I…”

She shook her fist.

Liang Xi laughed: “Then thank you.”

“But I might not be able to beat her. Her new boyfriend seems to be good at fighting.” Yang Xiao sighed. “But I can run fast.”

Liang Xi’s eyes crinkled with laughter, looking at her helplessly.

The vicious female supporting character was born to bully the female lead. The main plot revolved around the female lead. When there were no plot points, Jiang Zhiyan’s life was as calm as water, just like any ordinary high school life.

However, this high school life was quite comfortable. There were no evening self-study sessions, and school ended relatively early. It was just that there was a troublesome person at home.

If it weren’t for the cello lessons, she would want to live on campus.

For the afternoon activity class, Jiang Zhiyan joined the basketball club. However, her job was to distribute water and take photos for others, occasionally running into the group of boys to act cute and shoot a basket. Usually, she could just sit in the stands and do her own thing.

The vicious female supporting character had no female friends. When she changed clothes in the locker room, everyone cleared out.

This was normal, considering the female supporting character’s green tea and white lotus persona.

[Lin Shenyu | Boyfriend | 26 | 13: Want a Coke.]

[Zhi Zhi Knows: The club has mineral water.]

The other side sent a question mark.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t reply. Being able to drink something was good enough, he was still being picky.

When she strolled onto the court, the activity class had already started for five minutes.

Jiang Zhiyan stood to the side, watching, casually grabbing a bottle of water.

“There’s less water today.” A girl walked over and said angrily. “If you’re not exercising, don’t drink it.”

“I want to play, but I’m afraid you guys won’t let me.” Jiang Zhiyan twisted open the bottle and took a sip, looking at her.

Hearing Jiang Zhiyan’s soft voice, the girl rolled her eyes, understanding her implied meaning. Her tone became even more aggressive: “If you want to play, then play. Who dares not let you?”

Jiang Zhiyan put down the water: “Then let’s go.”

The girl froze for two seconds. She didn’t expect Jiang Zhiyan to not be joking or throwing a tantrum. Her tone softened slightly: “Aren’t you going to find Lin Shenyu?”

“No.”

“Alright.”

When Jiang Zhiyan went over, everyone’s expressions weren’t very welcoming, but they couldn’t directly prevent her from joining.

“Do you know the rules? Or do you want a ball to play with on the side? We’re playing a match, there might be collisions. If you get hurt…” Another person trailed off.

Everyone knew how delicate Jiang Zhiyan acted. Normally, a light touch would make her cry as if she needed an amputation. If they accidentally bumped into her… disaster would strike.

“Okay.” Jiang Zhiyan obediently accepted.

Jiang Zhiyan agreed too readily. The other person had wanted to say more, but hearing her words, swallowed them back down. They exchanged glances, warily watching Jiang Zhiyan, guarding against her causing trouble.

However, Jiang Zhiyan didn’t do anything, just took a basketball and went to an empty court nearby.

“Host, why aren’t you playing?”

“Just casually attracting some hate, solidifying my vicious female supporting character persona.” Jiang Zhiyan bounced the ball twice, raised her hand, and shot the basketball into the hoop. “I’ve always been very dedicated.”

A perfect three-pointer.

The people not far away narrowed their eyes in surprise.

“Host, persona, persona! Someone is watching you!” The system said anxiously. “You just said you were dedicated.”

The next second, Jiang Zhiyan clutched her wrist, cried out in pain, and said to the onlookers: “Can you please get the ball for me? Thanks.”

Onlookers: It really was a coincidence. We should have known better than to watch, now we have to get the ball.

Jiang Zhiyan clutched her wrist and returned to the stands, purposefully moving towards Liang Xi. Liang Xi was sitting in the stands of the tennis court with a dessert box beside her. Yan Yanzhuo was playing tennis with someone, surrounded by many people.

“Liang Xi.”

“Huh? What’s wrong with your hand?” Liang Xi gathered her things and made room for Jiang Zhiyan to sit.

“I just shot a three-pointer and sprained my wrist.” Jiang Zhiyan sighed, looking pitiful. “No one saw the three-pointer, and I got injured.”

“I saw it, it was amazing!” Liang Xi said immediately. “Do you need to go to the infirmary?”

“No, it should be fine after a while. You know, I’m rather delicate, it might not be that serious, just a little painful.” Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Yan Yanzhuo below, narrowing her eyes slightly. The next second, her stomach growled twice. She immediately covered her stomach embarrassedly, looking at Liang Xi, then lowering her eyes.

Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “Don’t tell me you skipped lunch again to maintain your figure?”

“I ate.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled slightly.

“Then why aren’t you looking at me?” Liang Xi took the box beside her and took out the small cake inside. “Eat this to cushion your stomach for now.”

“Aren’t you giving it to him?”

“It’s okay, eat it.” Seeing Jiang Zhiyan’s hesitation, Liang Xi scooped up a piece and brought it to Jiang Zhiyan’s lips. “Eat it, I can’t give it to him now anyway.”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t take the spoon, but looked at Liang Xi and ate the cake.

It was as sweet as the cake she had eaten after lunch break.

She curled her lip.