Chapter 48 – How a Heartbreaker Manages Her Suitors (5)

Yu Liuxue shivered all over. I just wanted to scam some money, but you’re trying to steal my heart?

Ten levels of shock, and still a refusal.

Even Jiang Zhixi herself was stunned the moment those words came out of her mouth. After a dead silence of three seconds, her face flushed a bright red. In her panic, she rushed to explain, “I—I-I mean I could introduce you to other girls or even guys! Just tell me what kind you like. I have a lot of friends—I’m sure someone will match your type.”

Now that’s more like it.

Yu Liuxue gave it serious thought and began to list, “Since you’re offering, then I won’t hold back. First off, I like girls—beautiful ones, with both a dominant and aloof vibe, preferably older than me. Then they need to be technically skilled, but very self-controlled—someone who won’t bully people every single day…”

Jiang Zhixi stared as Yu Liuxue finished counting off one hand, then brought out the other to keep going. She was momentarily dazed, feeling like her entire worldview had just been flipped upside down by this girl.

She likes girls? Then why did she agree to date Li Zhen before? And why did she hammer herself into becoming my imaginary love rival and treat me with such hostility? Could it be…

She actually likes me?!

Jiang Zhixi’s eyes widened slightly. No way… So Zhao Keying couldn’t get what she wanted from me, and out of desperation agreed to date some random guy to piss me off and get my attention?

Jiang Zhixi’s emotions suddenly got a little complicated. When exactly did she start liking me? Why didn’t I notice anything at all?

Remembering how Zhao Keying was so devastated by Li Zhen’s words that she tried to kill herself, Jiang Zhixi suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt. Yu Liuxue was still rambling on, but Jiang Zhixi hesitated for a moment. Then, with resolve, she suddenly reached out and gently held Yu Liuxue’s left hand, which was poised to start counting again. She said slowly, “Keying, don’t worry. I understand. I understand everything.”

Yu Liuxue’s eyes lit up, sparkling with excitement. “It’s so great that you understand!”

Jiang Zhixi nodded earnestly and thought to herself, I will never let your love go to waste again, nor let you suffer in one-sided longing.

Their thoughts were going in completely different directions, but somehow they were getting along perfectly. As a result, the meal was unexpectedly pleasant. After paying, Yu Liuxue picked up her handheld camera and invited Jiang Zhixi to go shopping with her while she filmed some footage. Jiang Zhixi was briefly taken aback but then smiled and nodded in agreement.

After accepting Yu Liuxue’s invitation, Jiang Zhixi thought to herself, So it’s true—she really did like me all along.

Otherwise, with how hostile she used to be, there’s no way she would have asked me out to eat or invited me shopping.

What made her change her mind?

Was it because I helped her?

Little did she know that while she quietly accompanied Yu Liuxue through the streets, her mind was running wild with assumptions. Yu Liuxue, meanwhile, was completely immersed in shopping. Every time she saw something she liked, she bought it. In less than an hour, her arms were full of shopping bags. Jiang Zhixi immediately stepped in and gently said, “Keying, let me carry those for you.”

Yu Liuxue hesitated. “That’s not really appropriate, is it?”

Jiang Zhixi replied, “I don’t have anything I want to buy right now. I’m just browsing, and these bags aren’t heavy. I really don’t mind.”

Without giving Yu Liuxue a chance to respond, she took the bags straight from her hands. Yu Liuxue was left totally confused. She couldn’t help but speak to the system. “I feel like… isn’t the female lead being a bit too nice to me? Could she be plotting something?”

The system ran a chip-based scan and replied firmly, “After analysis, the female lead in this world has a 99% ‘sweet, naïve, and innocent’ rating. There is no possibility of her having the schemes or manipulations you’re implying.”

Yu Liuxue muttered, “Then what about that remaining 1%?”

She couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Jiang Zhixi out of the corner of her eye, only to lock eyes with the other girl’s warm gaze. Caught red-handed, Yu Liuxue quickly forced an innocent smile and randomly pointed in a direction. “I want to check that place out.”

Jiang Zhixi’s smile softened into one full of affection. “Okay.”

This just keeps getting weirder, Yu Liuxue thought.

After a round of shopping, Yu Liuxue came to the shocking realization that Jiang Zhixi’s temper was outrageously good. No matter how unreasonable her requests were, Jiang Zhixi never got annoyed, never even showed a trace of impatience—she just followed along with whatever Yu Liuxue wanted, without a single complaint.

Yu Liuxue scratched at the skin beneath her eye and asked the system again, unwilling to let it go. “Hey, you damn dog system, don’t you think the female lead is looking at me a little… strangely?”

The system ran another serious scan with its chip and replied, “Host, this is just her character design.”

After a pause, it couldn’t help but add, “Please stop being paranoid. Not every world’s female lead is going to fall in love with you like the last one did.”

Yu Liuxue: “…” I feel insulted.

She snapped, pointing furiously at the system. “So now you’re doubting my charm?! Want me to prove it to you right now?!”

The system instantly panicked. “Host, calm down! Let’s talk this through—please don’t take your clothes off!”

Yu Liuxue: “?”

Guan!

How the hell did I end up with such a trashy, dogshit system?

Thoroughly provoked by the system, Yu Liuxue glanced at Jiang Zhixi, then quickly shook her head. Forget it, I’ll switch targets. Who knows what kind of weird stuff is packed into that leftover 1% of the female lead’s settings? If I mess around and get burned, I’ll have nowhere to cry.

As they continued walking, a familiar figure suddenly caught Yu Liuxue’s eye—Li Zhen!

Her eyes lit up. She immediately ditched Jiang Zhixi and, like a wild horse off its reins, bolted over. In a flash, she was standing right in front of Li Zhen, blocking his path. Jiang Zhixi blinked, and the next second, the person beside her had vanished. When she blinked again, Yu Liuxue was already standing in front of Li Zhen, wearing a bashful, delicate expression.

Li Zhen frowned in irritation, glancing down at the girl blocking his way. Taking a deep breath to calm his temper, he said, “Zhao Keying, what do you want now? I told you, we’ve already broken up. Stop bothering me.”

His anger was rising by the second, and just as he was about to explode—

A cup of milk tea was suddenly offered to him.

Yu Liuxue handed the milk tea to Li Zhen with a beaming smile, speaking with innocent sincerity, “I know you like this shop’s milk tea. Here, I just stood in line to buy it for you.”

Li Zhen happened to be a bit thirsty. Caught off guard by Yu Liuxue’s sudden gesture, he paused for a moment, his anger already mostly dissipated. However, his pride wouldn’t allow him to simply take someone else’s milk tea. He looked at her coldly and said, “Don’t try to curry favor with me using things like this.”

Yu Liuxue’s eyes instantly turned red. She lowered her head, looking wronged and pitiful. “Actually, I didn’t expect to run into you here either. I waited in line for half an hour to get this cup, and my legs were sore from standing. I even wore heels today—new ones that don’t fit well. They gave me blisters on the backs of my feet.”

She sounded dejected and aggrieved, and even the tall ears on her head seemed to droop.

Li Zhen was suddenly at a loss.

Zhao Keying had always acted carefree and bold in front of him. When had he ever seen her act like this, on the verge of tears at any moment?

Yu Liuxue gently bit her lower lip, sniffled, and said in a pitiful tone, “I just thought you might be thirsty, so I wanted to give it to you. Li Zhen, please believe me, I didn’t mean anything else by it…”

Jiang Zhixi, who had originally planned to wait nearby for Yu Liuxue to finish talking, frowned slightly. She hadn’t expected that in just a short time, Yu Liuxue had already been reduced to tears by Li Zhen. Without thinking, she stepped forward—and before she knew it, she was already beside Li Zhen and Yu Liuxue.

Li Zhen turned and looked over, surprised. “Zhixi, what are you doing here?”

Yu Liuxue glanced sideways at Jiang Zhixi, then worked hard to squeeze out a couple of crocodile tears and looked at her with a pitiful expression. Playing the victim first, she pointed at Li Zhen and started to complain, “Zhixi, he bullied me.”

Li Zhen: “…?” I didn’t, I really didn’t—don’t go spouting nonsense in front of Zhixi!

He hurried to explain, “Zhixi, I—”

Jiang Zhixi calmly took Yu Liuxue’s hand. She withdrew her gaze and looked at her with gentle concern, seeing her red-rimmed eyes glistening with tears. She spoke softly, “I brought some band-aids. I’ll put one on for you in a bit.”

After saying that, she didn’t even look at Li Zhen and domineeringly pulled Yu Liuxue away, disappearing from his sight.

Li Zhen stood frozen, feeling like something had gone strangely wrong.

When did Zhao Keying and Zhixi become that close? Could it be Zhao Keying used emotional manipulation to tie Zhixi to her?

Li Zhen tried to follow, but the two had already walked off so fast that they’d vanished from view.

Yu Liuxue, limping slightly, was pulled to a public bench by Jiang Zhixi. Once she sat down with the milk tea in her hands, Jiang Zhixi immediately set her things down and knelt on one knee to remove her shoes. Yu Liuxue felt something was off and tried to stop her. “Actually, it’s not that bad…”

Jiang Zhixi saw the blisters on her heels and the torn skin and quickly pulled out a band-aid from her bag. She opened the packaging and carefully placed it over the wound. Watching this scene, Yu Liuxue was struck by how familiar it felt—wasn’t this the kind of moment that always happened in dramas?

Yu Liuxue asked the system blankly, “According to this world’s setting, shouldn’t this kind of thing be done by a man?”

The system replied perfunctorily, “The female lead is designed to be warm-hearted and kind. Don’t overthink it, Host.”

Yu Liuxue muttered, “I haven’t read many books, so don’t try to fool me.”

Although she didn’t quite believe it, after thinking seriously for a moment, she felt it actually made some sense. From the moment Jiang Zhixi agreed to have lunch with her ex-rival who had once framed her, Yu Liuxue already knew the female lead of this world was a fool.

She stared at Jiang Zhixi’s focused expression—her beautifully arched brows, her slightly deep-set, mixed-blood-looking eyes, her full and rosy lips. With her fair skin as a backdrop, she looked like an otherworldly little fairy. Yu Liuxue became more and more entranced. “Why is the female lead so damn good-looking?”

The system answered heartlessly, “Host, down bad alert.”

Yu Liuxue: “…” You can go now. I don’t need a system like you.

After Jiang Zhixi finished applying the band-aid, she looked up and met Yu Liuxue’s slightly dazed eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and her lips couldn’t help but curve into a soft smile. She blinked gently. “Keying, I’ve finished. Try walking and see if it still hurts.”

Yu Liuxue instinctively reached out to steady herself as she stood. Jiang Zhixi froze for a second, then decisively placed her hand over Yu Liuxue’s to help her up.

Yu Liuxue took a couple of steps. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you.”

“The female lead is way too freaking adorable when she smiles! How did Zhao Keying ever have the heart to bully her before?” Yu Liuxue complained to the system with a few words that would be censored, then picked up her shopping bags again. “Zhixi, thanks for going shopping with me today.”

Jiang Zhixi smiled gently. “It’s okay. I was happy too since you invited me out for a meal.”

After hesitating for a moment, she continued, “Your foot’s still sore—how about I take you home…”

“No need, no need.” Yu Liuxue immediately declined. Just then, Li Zhen appeared again. Yu Liuxue quickly grabbed her shopping haul and, still in high heels, dashed away like the wind while holding her handheld camera. Her voice echoed from a distance, “Zhixi, let’s keep in touch!”

Jiang Zhixi softly responded, “Alright.”

Then she turned to look at Li Zhen. He had just arrived, only to be scolded by Jiang Zhixi. “Li Zhen, don’t treat Keying so harshly from now on. She’s actually very kind, very gentle and innocent. Deep down, she’s not a bad person.”

Li Zhen rubbed his ears suspiciously. You’re calling Zhao Keying innocent? Kind?

No way—those two words couldn’t be further from her. How did you manage to link them with Zhao Keying at all? Li Zhen thought to himself that Zhixi must’ve been deceived. He couldn’t help but say, “Zhixi, you’ve been tricked. She—”

“I’m an adult. I know whether I’ve been tricked or not.” Jiang Zhixi looked up, her gaze calm and her voice equally steady. “Li Zhen, Keying is fragile. She’s already attempted suicide once. She was lucky to survive.”

Li Zhen fell silent.

“I don’t want to hear that she’s tried it a second time.”

Li Zhen suddenly felt incredibly stifled. Just because Zhao Keying had once shown suicidal tendencies, did that mean he had to keep giving in to her?

Jiang Zhixi seemed to sense something and said slowly, “She doesn’t like you anymore.”

She likes me.

Jiang Zhixi also took her bag and camera and left. Li Zhen stood there, stunned. Wait—if Zhao Keying didn’t like him anymore, then why did she hand him milk tea?

There were so many questions swirling in his head, but not a single person who could answer them.

After Yu Liuxue handed off today’s footage to Zhou Wei, she instructed, “Edit it however you want. Just make it explosive—go as over-the-top as you can.”

She shot Zhou Wei a look. “You know what I mean.”

Zhou Wei said, “Got it,” and gave her an OK sign.

Yu Liuxue figured that since Jiang Zhixi had finally made an appearance on camera, she couldn’t miss the chance to leech off her popularity. Everyone already knew she and Jiang Zhixi were love rivals, so as long as the title was catchy, fans would definitely be interested in this video! Yu Liuxue had full confidence in Zhou Wei’s editing skills. After jotting down the video title, she told him to publish it directly—no need for her to review it.

After Zhou Wei agreed, Zuo Yun walked over holding a piece of paper. “Keying, here’s the updated PR package list. Take a look.”

Zuo Yun added, “I’ve already crossed out the brands you don’t like, so there aren’t many left.”

Yu Liuxue skimmed it briefly, then shook her head. “I’m planning to shoot a flying session tomorrow. Leave these for another time.”

When Yu Liuxue got home, her parents suddenly called her on video chat to check in. Ever since her suicide attempt, they had been both furious and heartbroken. The couple thought: it’s just a man, isn’t it? With our daughter’s looks and family background, she could have as many men as she wanted. Why degrade herself to the point of life and death over one?

Our daughter didn’t use to be like this.

So the couple immediately looked into the background of those men and, to their surprise, discovered they were the children of old classmates. They were instantly thrilled and arranged a dinner with those classmates. They subtly added, “Bring your kids along too. Our daughter’s been really eager to date lately.”

The other party got the hint and quickly agreed.

They were all old friends and knew each other well. If their kids ended up together, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

It certainly beat their son suddenly bringing home some random woman trying to fight for the inheritance.

After chatting with Yu Liuxue for a bit, they got to the point. “Keying, tomorrow night Mom and Dad are having dinner with some old classmates. Come with us and meet your uncles and aunties.”

Yu Liuxue didn’t even think about it. “Nope. I’m flying tomorrow.”

The two elders: “…” You’re the one who seems to be flying alright.

“Keying, flying is dangerous. You’re still young—just don’t go.” Her mother pleaded earnestly, “Be good, Keying. Come have dinner with us tomorrow. Whatever you want in the future, we’ll agree to it.”

Yu Liuxue surrendered instantly to the evil forces of capitalism. “Okay, it’s a deal!”

After chatting with her heartbroken parents for a bit longer, Yu Liuxue tidied up and lay in bed, only to find that Zhou Wei had already finished editing and posted the video. She eagerly clicked in to see what kind of masterpiece he’d made—and ended up completely baffled.

The opening was normal—until Jiang Zhixi suddenly said:

“Then… how about I get you a girlfriend?”

The entire screen was instantly filled with pink heart bubbles, and with the sweet background music, the storyline took a turn for the utterly uncontrollable.

“Post-production guy really gets it. This ship is sailing hard—what now?”

“No! Zhao Keying, please let go of our Zhixi! We’ll crowdfund you a girlfriend, okay? Just leave Zhixi alone and we’ll do whatever you want!”

Furious, Yu Liuxue jumped onto Weibo. “Zhou Wei, your bonus is gone!”

Comments rolled in:

“Ah, so the editor’s name is Zhou Wei? That sounds so nice!”

“Keying, I’m your true fan. I have a shameless request—could you secretly send me the editor’s contact info? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else.”

“You wish. He’s mine.”

Suddenly, everyone was fighting over Zhou Wei.

Yu Liuxue slowly typed a question mark. Is no one going to let me explain? Jiang Zhixi and I are not what you all think, okay!?

A small number of people were also puzzled. When did Yu Liuxue and Jiang Zhixi start getting involved with each other? But there was clearly no one to answer that question. After a moment’s hesitation, they too joined the growing army of people begging for Zhou Wei’s contact info.

Just when Yu Liuxue thought the matter was going to blow over, Jiang Zhixi—who hadn’t posted in half a month—suddenly uploaded a new video. Fans immediately sprinted over at full speed. But once they entered the battlefield, they all froze.

“Top Influencer Keying Treated Me to Dinner—And Then She Said…”

Fans: “???”

Zhixi, please don’t fall for Zhao Keying’s tricks! She’s a total manipulative little tramp who talks complete nonsense—don’t believe a single word she says!

Curiosity got the best of the fans, and they dove into the video, watching it at 1.5x speed to get the gist before replaying it at normal speed. But the scene they imagined didn’t unfold. Still, they couldn’t feel happy—in fact, their feelings were pretty mixed.

Zhixi… don’t tell us you’re actually crushing on that seductive little witch Zhao Keying?

One comment read: “After watching this, I finally get Zhao Keying’s beauty and charm. She’s stunning—pure yet sultry, bright and captivating. I want to date her too now.”

“I thought I’d get to admire Zhixi’s beauty, but this episode is all Zhao Keying, start to finish.”

“I counted. In this 35-minute video, Zhao Keying was on screen for 29 minutes. The other 6 were scenes with her and Jiang Zhixi together.”

Oh no! The fans’ hearts sank. This has to be stopped before it goes any further!

Jiang Zhixi, carrying her own little thoughts, edited the video herself and couldn’t hide her joy once she finished. She immediately posted it online. But the more she read the comments, the more confused she became. Why was everyone interpreting it as her having a one-sided crush on Zhao Keying? Wasn’t it Zhao Keying who liked her?

Unable to hold back, Jiang Zhixi explained, “You guys misunderstood.”

As soon as Yu Liuxue saw Jiang Zhixi’s post, she rushed over to repost it and added, “She’s right!”

Fans were even more devastated. Were the two of them already at the point of singing in harmony? Could it be they were already secretly together behind everyone’s backs? No way, no way, Mama says no!

In less than half an hour, Yu Liuxue’s Weibo comments were instantly flooded with countless self-recommendations…

“My cousin is the HR director—tall, beautiful, a solid 9 in looks, super domineering, super rich, and totally clean-cut! Zhao Keying, DM me quick! I’ll send you her contact info!” — Selling out family for the sake of saving Jiang Zhixi.

“Zhao Keying! I’m 26, I own five buildings, here’s my photo. DM me now! I’ll date you! Leave Jiang Zhixi alone!” — Selling their soul to save Jiang Zhixi.

“……”

Yu Liuxue scrolled through the comments with disbelief. Were netizens these days always this theatrical?

Not long after, she suddenly noticed her comment section was full of chicken cages. She put down her phone with a complex expression. “Did I stir up a chicken coop?”

The system scratched its head. “Well… how about reporting them, Host?”

“For what reason? ‘P*rnographic Content’?”

Yu Liuxue rolled her eyes. “Do I look like I have that kind of free time?”

She had to learn to fly a plane tomorrow and needed to sleep early to be well-rested. Yu Liuxue pulled her sleep mask down and lay flat, quickly falling asleep.

Online chaos continued. Jiang Zhixi watched for a while, then put down her phone to focus on her skincare routine. During dinner today, Yu Liuxue had revealed the kind of girl she liked. Jiang Zhixi was convinced it was a subtle hint meant for her.

After all, she matched every standard Yu Liuxue mentioned.

She was pretty, both dominant and alluring, with fans who constantly praised her girlfriend appeal. She was also disciplined, not clingy, knew how to maintain boundaries, and wasn’t the least bit annoying. Besides the criteria Yu Liuxue laid out, Jiang Zhixi felt she had the added advantage of wealth, and her family background was solid. She definitely met the ideal standards Yu Liuxue was looking for.

Jiang Zhixi suddenly sighed. Why didn’t she just say she liked her? If she’d been a little bolder, maybe they’d already be together by now.

After washing her face, Jiang Zhixi cupped her cheeks in her hands, eyes curving into crescents as she smiled softly. She gazed at her perfect face in the mirror and thought with emotion—so this is what it feels like to be in love?

So sweet.

Cheng Yu really couldn’t take it anymore—she wanted to smash something. She had finally managed to invite a blogger with five million followers for a chill interview-style collab, but just as the video was ready, Yu Liuxue suddenly dropped her own casual vlog of hanging out with another influencer.

How famous was Jiang Zhixi? The blogger Cheng Yu had invited looked like a total nobody next to her—not even worthy of washing her hair.

Cheng Yu felt incredibly stifled. Lately, it was like she was cursed—nothing she did went smoothly.

Still, she was a modern woman of the 21st century. After a brief moment of losing her cool, she calmed down and thought things through. Eventually, she came up with a possibility: could someone on her team have secretly leaked the filming concept to Zhao Keying?

Otherwise, how could Zhao Keying manage to clash with her on the same theme every single time?

She honestly couldn’t think of any other explanation.

Cheng Yu felt deeply betrayed. Sitting in her office with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she stared unblinkingly at the employees beyond the glass window, trying to figure out who the mole was so she could make an example out of them. She thought, if these people could betray Zhao Keying for money, then they could betray her too.

If Zhao Keying offered them a fat enough reward, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to switch sides again.

Cheng Yu gritted her teeth in frustration. These people truly had no bottom line.

After waking up, Yu Liuxue immediately set off for the agreed location. Her flight instructor had already arrived. The instructor had an impressive resume—he used to fly fighter jets in the military and later worked at a commercial airline for decades. Now retired, he couldn’t stay idle and took on side gigs to keep his skills sharp.

This was Yu Liuxue’s first time flying a plane, and the experience felt brand new. Following the instructor’s guidance, she started familiarizing herself with the controls. Then, relying on her body’s instincts and muscle memory, she began practicing for real. She had talent and performed extremely well, earning the instructor’s sincere praise.

While the instructor was flying, Yu Liuxue took out her camera and recorded vlog footage.

The instructor, knowing she worked in video production, asked if she’d like to meet his fellow veteran buddies. Yu Liuxue’s eyes lit up. “Really? Thank you, sir!”

He smiled, and once the training session ended, he drove her out to a modest countryside home. It was a single-story building, its walls old and worn. Inside the courtyard, a few spirited elderly men were gathered around a stone table playing chess. When they saw the instructor bring in a young woman, they all paused and looked over at Yu Liuxue.

Suddenly, one of the old men quickly lowered his head and held down the hand of the man about to move a chess piece. “Don’t move. I’ve got every piece’s position memorized.”

“We’ve played together for decades. Don’t think I don’t know your tricks.”

Caught red-handed, the other man gave a guilty, sheepish laugh.

After greeting the elders, Yu Liuxue quietly sat down beside them to watch them play chess. As she watched, a sudden spark of inspiration hit her—this would make a great topic. So, with a quick transformation, she pretended to be a reporter and began interviewing the elderly men. As soon as they heard her questions, they all started talking excitedly at once. It was as if they had endless stories to share. When they spoke of fallen comrades, their eyes filled with tears, and their emotions surged.

When her camera ran out of battery, Yu Liuxue switched to her phone and continued filming. The shoot went on for several hours, only ending when nightfall approached.

She glanced at the time and thought, Oh no! She had promised to have dinner with her parents today.

After bidding the old men goodbye, she immediately hailed a cab to the hotel. When she pushed the door open, she found not just her parents but also a dozen unfamiliar faces—uncles and aunties of her parents’ generation. Yu Liuxue muttered under her breath, wondering when her parents had suddenly made so many successful friends from their school days.

Could they be plotting something?

She sat for a while, and then suddenly, Li Zhen walked through the door. As their eyes met, both of them froze, a shared sense of foreboding rising in their hearts.

This had to be a blind date setup.

Li Zhen wanted to turn around and leave on the spot, but his parents had already seen him. His father quickly stood up and dragged him into the private room. Turning with a big smile to Yu Liuxue, he said, “Keying, this is my son Li Zhen. He’s currently a manager at his company, earning over a million a year, and he owns a car and an apartment.”

Yu Liuxue thought, A manager this free? But she didn’t say it out loud. She just gave a polite smile and looked down at her phone.

Not long after, Liang Chen also walked in. The three young people exchanged looks and were equally confused.

Didn’t our parents say this was just a dinner to catch up with old classmates? Why are all of us here? But clearly, now wasn’t the time to ask questions. So the three of them pretended not to know each other, greeted one another politely, and sat separately, each lowering their heads to play on their phones.

Yu Liuxue sighed internally and said to the system, “Truly worthy of a dog-blood drama, I can’t even follow these relationships anymore.”

Soon, Mu Lixin arrived. This was Yu Liuxue’s first time seeing him in person. He didn’t appear much in the novel—just a fourth-tier side character—but he was undoubtedly the most handsome man in the room. Yu Liuxue rested her chin in her hand, wondering aloud, “Why did Zhao Keying agree to date Li Zhen? Mu Lixin is clearly more attractive.”

Li Zhen: I feel insulted.

Mu Lixin wasn’t up to speed on what was happening. He only knew his parents told him they were having dinner with a bunch of uncles and aunties. When he suddenly saw three familiar faces, he froze for a moment and then said in confusion, “Keying? Li Zhen? Liang Chen? You guys are here too?”

All the adults turned to look at him in surprise. His parents immediately asked, “You all know each other?”

Mu Lixin replied right away, “Of course, I told you before—Li Zhen, Liang Chen and I are classmates, and Keying… she’s Li Zhen’s ex-girlfriend…”

Yu Liuxue looked up, dead inside, and really wanted to slap him across the face to shut him up. As soon as he finished speaking, the adults turned to her with great interest. What else could she do? She gave an awkward smile and said, “Well…”

At that moment, the door twisted open again, and the sound interrupted Yu Liuxue’s excuse.

Everyone in the room turned toward the door. A foot stepped in first, followed by the appearance of Zuo Xia. After stepping in, he took two steps to the side, as if making room for someone behind him. The moment Yu Liuxue saw that fair, elegant foot, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Sure enough, her bad premonition never failed her.

Jiang Zhixi walked in slowly.

The young people in the room were completely baffled. What is this, a full mahjong table? Why are people arriving one after another?

Jiang Zhixi looked at Yu Liuxue in surprise. “Keying?”

After the two were seated, the adults’ expressions suddenly became determined, as if they had already decided how this would go. Mu Lixin’s parents eagerly said, “Ah, so the kids all know each other! That makes things easier. Keying, our Lixin works as a flight attendant at an airline. It’s a respectable job, and he’s good-looking too. Would you consider dating him?”

“Our Lixin has a gentle personality and a great temper. If you’re with him, he’ll treat you so well!”

Jiang Zhixi immediately looked toward Yu Liuxue, who felt a massive headache coming on. She cast a resentful glance at her parents, only to receive encouraging looks in return.

Yu Liuxue: “……”

Jiang Zhixi slowly began to piece things together—this was Yu Liuxue’s arranged date. But isn’t she into me? And now she’s going on a blind date with four different guys, with all the parents invited?

A tightness and stuffiness rose in Jiang Zhixi’s chest, along with an unexplainable wave of emotion from deep inside.

Yu Liuxue, at a loss, suddenly felt something was off about the female lead’s mood. Her instincts told her that the remaining one percent of the female lead’s personality hid something she didn’t know. So, she flatly said, “Uncle, Auntie, I’m not planning on dating anyone at the moment…”

Before she could finish, Zuo Xia’s parents cut her off. “That’s alright! As long as you’re willing to be with our Zuo Xia, he can definitely help you get over your breakup.”

Zuo Xia: “???” That’s not what I signed up for.

Li Zhen’s parents didn’t like the sound of that, and soon all the parents were arguing heatedly. Yu Liuxue looked at the grown-ups who were more childish than grade-schoolers and let out a deep, weary sigh.

After a bout of arguing, Zuo Xia’s mother suddenly turned to Yu Liuxue and asked, “Keying, just be honest—who do you like?”

“Right, just tell us. We won’t be mad, no matter who it is.”

A brief silence fell over the room.

Jiang Zhixi slowly turned toward Yu Liuxue with a look of hope in her eyes.

————

—In Chinese internet slang, “chicken cages” (鸡笼) and “chicken coop” (鸡窝) often refer to chaos in the comment section, especially when a lot of people are arguing, gossiping, or reacting dramatically—like chickens clucking loudly and chaotically in a coop