With Ji Xiaoxue's words, a message echoed in Bian Yingning's mind:
[Congratulations, host. The female lead's villainous value has been reset to zero.]
Now that the female lead had come to apologize like this, Bian Yingning didn't mind it much and replied, "It's alright, no need to worry about it. Go back, freshen up, and rest."
Zero villainous value, that's great! It's wonderful that it's reset. Otherwise, she would have to keep worrying.
As Bian Yingning was about to leave, someone grabbed the corner of her clothes.
Ji Xiaoxue, with her clearly contrasting black and white eyes, looked at her obediently and said, "Senior sister... If you're not really angry, can we have a cup of milk tea together? I can treat you..."
Everyone who has tried the new milk tea shop near the school says it's delicious. Senior sister, don't you like milk tea? Would you like to give it a try?"
Bian Yingning sighed. She didn't expect that her hidden preferences would be discovered by someone.
Alright then, it's just a matter of having a cup of milk tea.
"Okay, let's go." Let's substitute tea for alcohol and let go of past grudges.
"Okay!" Ji Xiaoxue's joy was evident as she followed Bian Yingning towards the commercial street near the school.
Shang Qinghui, who should have taken a different route out of the school, stared at the two figures and hesitated at the intersection, but eventually decided to follow them.
Well, this milk tea shop must be really good. Even at this hour, there are still quite a few people lining up at the entrance.
Bian Yingning yawned wearily, "At this hour, nobody seems to be afraid of gaining weight."
"Senior sister, are you afraid of gaining weight?" Ji Xiaoxue asked.
"Of course, who isn't afraid of gaining weight?"
Ji Xiaoxue touched her own face with the back of her hand, "But I can't gain weight even if I want to. My classmates say I'm too thin, and I would look better if I gained some weight."
Bian Yingning: "..."
Maybe she shouldn't drink this milk tea after all.
The two of them stood together, chatting intimately and harmoniously in the eyes of others.
Shang Qinghui, who was a little further away, stared at them for a long time, long enough for Bian Yingning and Ji Xiaoxue to notice her.
Ji Xiaoxue became uneasy when she saw Shang Qinghui's expression. She still remembered Shang Qinghui's words, saying that her relationship with Bian Yingning was incomparable.
"Are you here to have milk tea too?" Bian Yingning greeted her from a distance.
Shang Qinghui approached, glanced at Ji Xiaoxue, and then ignored her. She only spoke to Bian Yingning, "I wanted to ask you, since you're here for milk tea now, are you going to have lotus root cake too?"
"Yes, I am," Bian Yingning didn't expect her to ask this question. She thought she was here for milk tea or to meet with a friend, "Lotus root cake is lotus root cake, and milk tea is milk tea. They're not contradictory."
"Alright, I'll bring it to your place later," Shang Qinghui finally left after saying that.
Ji Xiaoxue, who heard all of this, pressed her lips together.
They were going to meet even though it was late at night?
If she's being taken to senior sister's place, it will be past eleven or twelve... Their relationship is something she can never intrude upon.
Feeling a sourness in her heart that was unbearable, Ji Xiaoxue didn't want to show it on her face. She continued to smile sweetly, saying, "Which one would you like, Senior sister?"
"Which one tastes better?"
"That one... is pretty good, and also..."
She had to try to let go of her possessiveness. Senior sister wasn't her belonging, and it didn't mean she could be her only friend.
Occasionally being able to hang out with her is enough.
...Maybe.
....
"Thank you, Senior sister."
Ji Xiaoxue looked satisfied holding her milk tea, and Bian Yingning didn't leave immediately. She took the opportunity to accompany her to the dormitory building.
"Why are you thanking me? Here, let's have a toast."
At the time, she also did something wrong. Girls' thoughts are always fickle, but what bad intentions could a girl have? The temper has passed.
"Okay." Ji Xiaoxue touched her own milk tea against Bian Yingning's. "Senior sister, we'll still be friends, right?"
Bian Yingning took a sip of her bittersweet milk tea. "You have always been my friend and a junior sister I want to protect."
Ji Xiaoxue blushed. "Thank you very much, Senior sister. Have you seen the news? If you hadn't come to pick me up after school that night... I could have been the one in trouble."
Thinking of the news about the victim who couldn't be saved, Ji Xiaoxue's heart remained suspended, unable to find a place to rest.
"I saw it. You should still be careful in the future. How about I arrange a driver specifically for your pick-up and drop-off to school?" Although such incidents had only occurred once in the original novel, it's better to be prepared.
"No, it's not necessary. I don't go far on the bus. I'll just make arrangements with the driver in advance. Senior sister has already helped me a lot. I can't trouble you further."
"It's okay. If I'm not using my own driver, he can pick you up... But why did you take such a distant part-time job? It must be tiring to commute back and forth." It probably doesn't pay much either.
Ji Xiaoxue was taken aback. "Isn't this part-time job... arranged by you, Senior sister?"
Bian Yingning was even more confused than her. "Arranged by me? No, it wasn't me... Why would you think it was me?"
For someone like her, the help she can offer is directly through a bank transfer.
"No... it wasn't you?"
But on that night, Shang Qinghui questioned her, asking how she thought she got her current part-time job. Wasn't that implying something?
Other than Bian Yingning, she couldn't think of a second person who would be so kind-hearted and have the resources to arrange a part-time job for her.
"No, it wasn't." Bian Yingning thought for a moment and patted Ji Xiaoxue's head. "Alright, stop overthinking. You got it because of your own excellence, not because someone helped you."
No, not by her own efforts.
Shang Qinghui's words echoed in her ears repeatedly.
"Okay, rest early. It's pointless to think about these things," Bian Yingning comforted.
Ji Xiaoxue nodded while holding her milk tea, only to realize that they had already reached the entrance of her own dormitory building without knowing when.
After greeting each other, the two separated. As soon as Bian Yingning left the dormitory gate, the driver's car was waiting there.
After getting in the car, Bian Yingning touched her chin. Why did the female lead say such things? Judging from her expression, it seemed that the impact of the part-time job not being arranged by herself was quite significant to her.
If it wasn't her... then who could it be?
It couldn't possibly be Nan Gongjin. How could the male lead of an ancient novel let the person he's interested in go out and expose themselves? He would only keep her hidden like a canary.
It didn't make sense.
....
Bian's father was often not at home, traveling around the country to inspect their various industries. They had so many industries now that they couldn't even visit one store a day.
He didn't come home tonight either.
Only Bian's mother was at home, but when Bian Yingning arrived, she happened to be going next door to play mahjong.
Bian Yingning yawned uncontrollably, one after another, until tears came out.
She absentmindedly went to her room without seeing Hua Cancan, and when she looked around, she noticed the light in the walk-in closet. She pushed open the slightly ajar door and entered, startling Hua Cancan who was changing clothes.
"Oh my god!"
She was only wearing her underwear, holding a newly found nightgown in her hand, quickly covering her chest.
Bian Yingning was also taken aback by her sudden reaction, even the drowsiness disappeared.
The two looked at each other.
Bian Yingning's gaze shifted downward, looking at the hand Hua Cancan was using to cover herself, and chuckled lightly. "What are you afraid of? There's only an aunt and me in this house. Aunt is female, you're female, even the mosquito in the bathroom is probably female. What do you have that others don't? Why are you covering yourself?"
Hua Cancan didn't speak, staring at Bian Yingning, her hand still not coming down.
Bian Yingning rolled her eyes and continued disdainfully, "I'm serious. It's no fun if you cover yourself so securely. There's no..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Hua Cancan suddenly let go of her hand and lifted her round and tender flesh with the help of a black half-pack of a small bra. In an instant, she lunged towards Bian Yingning's face.
Bian Yingning stopped speaking.
Hua Cancan calmly searched for the neckline of her nightgown, preparing to put it on, and chuckled, "I'm just afraid you feel inferior."
Normally, Bian Yingning didn't think of herself as particularly small or unbearable, but she glanced at Hua Cancan and then at her own figure, which seemed as tiny as a speck of dust next to Hua Cancan.
"..." Damn.
....
"Where's the lotus root cake?" Hua Cancan came out after changing clothes and saw Bian Yingning lying on the bed like a dead fish, so she asked.
"On the way."
"On the way?"
"Not here yet, just wait."
"Who are you calling to buy it?" Hua Cancan sat down unceremoniously at Bian Yingning's dressing table and began to take care of her own skincare.
"My debtor."
Hua Cancan glanced at her through the mirror. "You're really good at being lazy."
"What do you mean by being lazy? This is called working behind the scenes, having someone else do things for you. Isn't that what a capitalist should do?"
Hua Cancan: "... " You look very clear-headed when it comes to recognizing your own identity.
"Besides, don't talk to me about eating only the kind that I buy for you. I've spoiled you."
....
When Bian Yingning was half asleep, her phone buzzed with a notification.
She reached over and checked it. It was a message from Shang's little brat.
"I'm at your doorstep. Come out and get it."
Bian Yingning tossed her phone aside, and Hua Cancan sat on the windowsill playing a game. "Go and get your lotus root cake at the doorstep!"
Bian Yingning rolled over and continued sleeping.
Hua Cancan looked at her, realizing that she hadn't even taken a shower and went straight to bed.
She strongly suspected that Bian Yingning had been doing labor work at the construction site today, as she looked completely drained.
Putting on her shoes, Hua Cancan twisted her waist and came out to get her lotus root cake.
She also wanted to find out who Bian Yingning's debtor was.
Just as she reached the doorstep, she saw a pink convertible Porsche parked by the roadside. She furrowed her brows slightly, feeling that the car looked familiar.
Soon after, she saw Shang Qinghui getting out of the car upon hearing her voice.
Shang Qinghui was also taken aback when she saw Hua Cancan and then looked her up and down.
Her hair looked freshly washed and slightly messy. She wore a dark blue long dress that Hua Cancan remembered seeing Bian Yingning wear when she came with her mother to express gratitude to the Bian family.
The slippers on her feet were very casual, clearly indicating that Hua Cancan lived with Bian Yingning.
Suddenly, Shang Qinghui felt a surge of anger in her chest. "Where's Bian Yingning?"
"She's asleep," Hua Cancan blew on her nails. "Did you get the lotus root cake? Is it still warm? It won't taste good if it's not warm enough."
Shang Qinghui's cute doll-like face turned cold.
She felt apologetic towards Bian Yingning. She was willing to help fulfill her requests, but that didn't mean Hua Cancan could take advantage of her!
"So, this lotus root cake, it's the one you wanted to buy?"
Hua Cancan clearly had a smug expression on her face but still pretended to look innocent.
"Yes, I asked Bian Yingning to buy it for me. Is there a problem with that?"
Shang Qinghui laughed in anger, nodded randomly, and said, "Good, very good!"
She remembered that during class, she had been laughing and chatting with someone. That person was Hua Cancan, wasn't it?
It was so funny how she deliberately went to her and Ji Xiaoxue, saying she was buying lotus root cake to bring it to her home, making Ji Xiaoxue mistakenly believe that her relationship with Bian Yingning was deeper than her own.
However, in the next second, she was told that the cake she bought was for someone else, and that someone else was Hua Cancan, whom she had a conflict with.
Looking at Hua Cancan's smug expression at that moment, Shang Qinghui couldn't help but feel amused.
In front of her, she treated others to milk tea and asked her to buy lotus root cake to give it to someone else.
Sure enough, Gao is still Gao, Bian Yingning is still Bian Yingning. Just a simple act of buying lotus root cake is enough to humiliate her.
Shang Qinghui stuffed a bag of lotus root cakes into Hua Cancan's arms and said through gritted teeth, "Wishing you both a delicious meal."
Hua Cancan smiled seductively, her voice carrying a hint of sarcasm, "Sure, thanks for running errands. Why don't you have one while it's still warm?"
The roaring sports car was the only response Hua Cancan received.
Suddenly, Hua Cancan felt as if her gloomy mood caused by Hua Jiangrong had been lifted. It was even more refreshing than unblocking her meridians. She couldn't help but feel satisfied.
It seemed that her own happiness had to be built upon the misery of others.
Originally, Hua Cancan only intended to eat three, but because she was so happy, she ate an extra one.
Aunt Zhuo tidied up the room next to Bian Yingning's. After finishing her meal, Hua Cancan covered Bian Yingning from head to toe with the blanket, just like covering a corpse. Satisfied, she returned to her room to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Bian Yingning woke up feeling hot. When she crawled out of the blanket, she was still a bit confused. She didn't think she was a pupa while she was sleeping, right?
After taking a shower and becoming more awake, she checked her phone. It was only a little past 2 am.
Shang Qinghui's message was hanging on WeChat.
Huh, had she been taken off her blacklist by Shang Qinghui again?
Considering herself a polite person, regardless of the time, Bian Yingning replied, "Sorry to bother you."
Hmm? Why was there still a red exclamation mark? Could it be that she could receive messages from Shang Qinghui but couldn't send them?
... She was tired of these absurdities.
...
The next day, during class, Ji Xiaoxue was still thinking about the part-time job. Unable to resist, she went to ask a classmate who had introduced her to tutoring work.
"Oh, about that, I don't actually know. It was Wang Yu who asked me to ask if you're interested," the classmate said casually. "Maybe she thinks you're diligent in your studies and suitable for it."
Ji Xiaoxue looked towards Wang Yu. She was Shang Qinghui's close friend, and the two of them were sitting together, whispering something with their heads down.
Wang Yu?
....
In the evening, Wang Yu and Shang Qinghui went out to get their nails done. Wang Yu watched the busy nail technician and said to Shang Qinghui, "My aunt told me today that Ji Xiaoxue doesn't want to continue tutoring her son anymore. She asked me to find out what's going on."
Shang Qinghui looked up with a hint of meaning in her eyes and said, "It's probably wounded pride."
Wang Yu glanced at her, lost in thought.
Not long ago, her aunt wanted her to find a classmate at their school who would be willing to tutor her younger son. After all, Haicheng University was renowned for its high academic standards, and students who could enter were generally quite capable.
This put Wang Yu in a difficult position. She knew some capable students, but they wouldn't bother with tutoring her son. When she mentioned this, Shang Qinghui simply said, "Just ask if any of the students who receive financial aid in our class are interested."
As she said this, she gestured with her chin towards Ji Xiaoxue and said, "That one who looks a bit simple."
Suddenly, it hit Wang Yu. A five-star hotel where they had once worked was celebrating its tenth anniversary, and it happened to be on the same day as her ex-boyfriend's event.
The Bian family and the Nan family, everyone knew that it was a face-giving occasion for the Bian family. Nan Gongjin could even imagine the scene of few guests attending his own banquet.
Nan Gongjin was so angry that he smashed something in his office.
Bian Yingning, the Bian family, they deserved to die.
In that case, he decided not to hold his own banquet. Instead, he would use the excuse of attending the Bian family celebration, attempting to create an image of being too intimidated by the Bian family's influence to hold his own event on the same day.
After learning this news, Bian Yingning rubbed her temples and said, "If he attends like this, I won't be able to stop him."
She felt so sad.
The news of Nan Gongjin canceling his banquet was only released yesterday, but Duanmu Zhengjie had already told him on Monday that she was not available on Friday. When Nan Gongjin arrived at the entrance of the Bian family hotel, he happened to see her walking in with Duanmu Zhenghao.
The three of them faced each other, and Duanmu Zhengjie showed no signs of being caught in an awkward situation. She smiled faintly and greeted Nan Gongjin, "Hello, Mr. Nan. What a coincidence."
"It is quite a coincidence," Nan Gongjin's face visibly darkened, but he still had to suppress his growing anger.
Smart people wouldn't confront the other person about why they claimed not to have time to refuse their invitation.
Nan Gongjin even consoled himself in his mind that it was good for her to attend the Bian family celebration. At least tonight he could have some contact with her.
"Mr. Nan, did you not bring a female companion today?"
"I didn't bring a female companion because I was hoping to see Miss Duanmu," Nan Gongjin's perpetually cold expression uttered words he considered to be tender.
Duanmu Zhenghao raised an eyebrow and interjected, "I'm sorry, Mr. Nan, but next time you should make an earlier appointment with my sister. She already has a companion tonight."
"Zhenghao," Duanmu Zhengjie lightly scolded Duanmu Zhenghao, then nodded gently to Nan Gongjin, indicating an apology, and proceeded to walk past him with Duanmu Zhenghao.
Nan Gongjin seemed to emit a chilling aura that could freeze water droplets in the air.
Ji Xiaoxue was like that, Shang Qinghui was like that, even Duanmu Zhengjie was like that. These women who were supposed to love him deeply and worship him had all become unfaithful and cold towards him.
....
When Shang Qinghui and Shang Qingfeng arrived, most of the people had already gathered.
They took their seats according to the positions guided by the waiters. However, today's celebration at the Bian family was different from what they had imagined; it seemed more like a banquet.
Hundreds of round tables were arranged in the hall, and there were four stoves on the stage. In front of the stage, there was a row of seats decorated with clean white cloth, resembling... judging seats?
Shang Qingfeng leaned closer to Shang Qinghui and whispered, "Is this a culinary competition?"
Shang Qinghui replied, "...Wasn't it supposed to be a celebration?"
Before they could figure it out, they saw their father being respectfully invited to take a seat at the judging panel.
Subsequently, Bian's father and several high-ranking officials from Bian family enterprises, along with two elderly individuals who appeared experienced, were also invited to join.
"Dad, your seat is up there, to the left of Uncle Bian. Don't dawdle."
Suddenly, a lively voice rang in Shang Qinghui's ear. She turned her head and saw Hua Cancan, wearing a red fishtail skirt that looked very festive, pushing her father to walk faster.
After she watched her father go up, Hua Cancan plopped down next to Shang Qinghui.
Seeing Shang Qinghui looking at her, Hua Cancan pointed to the nameplate in front of her that had her name written on it and said, "What are you looking at? This is where Missy belongs."
Shang Qinghui's response was to switch seats with Shang Qingfeng.
Hua Cancan rolled her eyes at Shang Qinghui's behavior.
This seating arrangement was arranged by Bian's mother. If it had been arranged by Bian Yingning, she would have definitely asked her to make some secret arrangements.
Who would want to sit at the same table as her?
The head of the Nan family had recently passed away, and the family was currently in constant internal struggles. But it seemed that the only one who could handle things was Nan Gongjin.
However, he didn't have a confirmed position, and compared to Mr. Bian and the others, he was still considered a junior. So, there was no place for him on the stage.
He sat at the same table as Shang Qinghui and the others.
After a while, Duanmu Zhengjie and Duanmu Zhenghao were also brought to this table.
The Duanmu family was someone that no one could afford to offend. Both Shang Qinghui and Hua Cancan suppressed their small tempers and greeted the two of them sincerely.
The only one who seemed uncomfortable sitting at this table was probably Nan Gongjin.
Shang Qinghui didn't even glance at him.
"Do Miss Hua know how today's celebration is arranged?" Shang Qingfeng picked up his glass and clinked it lightly with Hua Cancan's, asking softly.
Shang Qinghui had a small conflict with Hua Cancan, but "misfortune doesn't befall the family," and Shang Qingfeng didn't have any issues with her.
"They call it a celebration, but it's mainly about appreciating the cuisine they have in their restaurant over the past ten years, deciding which dishes to let go of and which ones to improve... Well, it's basically a food show.
In the front, they have their chefs cooking dishes for us to taste. If you don't want to try them here, you can go next door. There's a dance floor where you can dance."
Hua Cancan also found it quite unique. Only the Bian family could come up with the idea of inviting the upper-class people in the circle to be the judges.
But their main target audience is also the people in the circle. If they are satisfied with the food, they won't have to worry about future business.
This move serves both promotion and improvement, killing two birds with one stone.
"I see. Why haven't I seen Miss Bian?" Shang Qingfeng looked around but couldn't spot Bian Yingning's figure.
----------------------
Translator's note: Oh! Oh! Isn't this the legendary shura field?! Ah! It's so exciting to read. I hope Hua Jiangrong will also join in~🤧😆.
To Be Continued!...