In her mind, there was an unrestrained and rampant laughter of the system. Shen Qingyao’s temples twitched as it annoyed her brain, causing a headache. This, in turn, led to a physiological reaction in her body, with a suffocating feeling in her chest. Unable to bear it, she scolded, “Can you shut up!”
It was truly infuriating to the point of inducing a heart attack.
“Yaoyao? What are you doing here?” Shen Qingli interrupted Shen Qingyao’s one-sided scolding of the system.
The sudden turn of events left Shen Qingli stunned in place. When she saw that the person who had suddenly tumbled out was her own sister, she was almost scared out of her wits!
With lingering fear, she rushed over, gently pulling Shen Qingyao to her side. She carefully examined Shen Qingyao from top to bottom, touching and inspecting every part to ensure she wasn’t injured elsewhere except for the slight red mark on her forehead. Only then did she heave a sigh of relief.
“Where’s Cui Qiao? Why are you alone here?” Shen Qingli looked around and noticed that Shen Qingyao’s personal maid was not by her side. Shen Qingli’s expression immediately turned cold; how could she be without someone by her side when Yaoyao’s health was not good!
“I…” Shen Qingyao opened her mouth, stuck in place, unable to come up with a good excuse.
Meanwhile, the audacious system in her mind was still shouting, [Host! Persona setting! Pay attention to the persona setting!]
Shen Qingyao’s forehead twitched again, and now she just wanted to sever ties with this dogged system.
For the sake of my life, for the sake of my life. She repeated this in her mind twice, quickly calming down. The immediate priority was to capture White Moonlight!
Blushing, she slowly raised her head, her pair of apricot eyes round and bright, watery and pitiful, evoking sympathy. Shen Qingyao’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum, timid and longing. She said, “I haven’t seen Elder Sister for a long time… I… I heard that my elder sister is at home today, so I came.”
Pathetically, she portrayed an image of a younger sister longing for the company of her Elder Sister. “Cui Qiao was afraid I would get cold, so she went to get me a hand warmer. I’m waiting for her over there… Elder Sister, don’t blame her…” Shen Qingyao spoke, and as she did, her mouth pouted as if she could burst into tears the next second.
The speed at which Shen Qingyao entered the role, the naturalness of her acting, and the vividness of her expressions made the system want to give a thumbs up.
After hearing these words, Shen Qingli’s face was full of heartache. She quickly stepped forward to embrace Shen Qingyao, realizing that she had indeed been a bit preoccupied lately, giving less attention to her sister. However, she hadn’t expected her sister to be so dependent on her?
She gently patted Shen Qingyao’s head, saying softly, “Okay, I won’t blame her.” Then she paused and promised, “It’s Elder Sister’s fault. Elder Sister will definitely visit you more in the future.”
Elder Sister is really kind… Shen Qingyao leaned against Shen Qingli’s arm, enjoying the hug from the beautiful sister.
…
The system couldn’t wait any longer : [Host!! Mission!!!]
“I know, I know! Are you a broken record?” Shen Qingyao cursed inwardly and then gently retreated from Shen Qingli’s embrace.
In the process, she took a sneak peek at Lu Zhao, who had been silent. There was no expression on his face as he stared at the boiling water kettle on the table, lost in thought.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingli saw that Shen Qingyao seemed to have something to say, so she relaxed and asked with a smile.
“Elder Sister… Are you going to be engaged to Elder Brother Lu Zhao?” Lu Zhao was a bit older than the two sisters, so calling him Elder Brother didn’t seem excessive. Shen Qingyao was in a daze again.
Lu Zhao suddenly came to his senses after hearing this, his gaze suddenly fixed on her. Shen Qingyao seemed to be startled, her gaze avoiding, hands clenched tightly, biting her lower lip, a pitiful yet stubborn appearance.
“What… what? Yaoyao, where did you hear this?” Shen Qingli didn’t expect Shen Qingyao to ask this and didn’t react for a moment. It took her two seconds to answer.
Shen Qingli didn’t give a direct answer, but to Shen Qingyao, it seemed like an affirmation, especially since she knew the plot already, making her even more certain.
Her head lowered again. Her Elder Sister is the female lead, what does that mean? She is the cannon fodder, so the female lead is her future golden rice bowl1!
Even though Shen Qingyao knew this pair was destined not to be together, interfering face-to-face made her feel a bit awkward, mainly because she was afraid of offending the female lead and losing the golden rice bowl.
Shen Qingyao seemed immersed in her own little world as she said, “Elder Sister, don’t get engaged, please?”
Shen Qingyao lowered her head even more, her voice softer, looking quite sad. Shen Qingli thought Shen Qingyao was reluctant to part with herself and felt soft-hearted. Just as she was about to console her sister, the girl said again, “Elder Sister clearly knows… I’ve always liked Brother Lu Zhao. Elder sister, don’t get engaged with Elder Brother Lu Zhao, okay?” Her tone was sad, with a hint of pleading.
??? When did this happen? Shen Qingli really didn’t know. Shen Qingli showed her confusion on her face. She turned to look at Lu Zhao, whose expression was even more strange than hers, as if he had been struck by lightning.
*Sigh*. Watching the two of them confused, Shen Qingyao sighed silently.
[Host?] Why are you sighing?
Shen Qingyao said inwardly, “Breaking up the couple, the Heavens will strike with thunder.”
The system about to be struck by thunder : […] Isn’t it better if they broke up?
Shen Qingyao thought to herself, Elder Sister, don’t worry. Your official pairing is also very good! He will come to marry you soon! Then Shen Qingyao said, “Sorry, Elder Sister,” inwardly and prepared to continue acting.
She glanced at Lu Zhao. At this moment, Lu Zhao had adjusted his expression, but his gaze was obscure, showing mixed emotions. Shen Qingyao was as if she was hurt by Lu Zhao’s reaction, she blinked her eyes, and tears fell down heavily. “I know Elder Brother Lu Zhao doesn’t like me. Who would like me? I don’t have the appearance and talent of Elder Sister…” She smiled bitterly and self-mockingly said, “Let alone appearance and talent, I don’t even have a healthy body. I will die in a few years. How could Elder Brother Lu Zhao like me?”
Lu Zhao’s eyes darkened for a moment at her words. Frowning, he looked over, and Shen Qingyao unexpectedly met his gaze. At this moment, his eyes, which were always full of smiles, were filled with complex and unspeakable emotions. Shen Qingyao hesitated for a moment, almost forgetting her next lines in the script.
“What does he mean by looking at me like this?” Shen Qingyao felt guilty for a moment and couldn’t help but ask in her heart.
Before the system could answer, she exclaimed, “He won’t be thinking of how to kill me, right!”
As the one who knew the plot, Shen Qingyao knew that just before she rushed out, the White Moonlight was originally going to confess to her Elder Sister, but now she had ruined things…
She put herself in White Moonlight’s shoes for a moment and felt that if she were in his position, she would be furious. So, isn’t it reasonable for Lu Zhao to feel annoyed now?
[Don’t worry, Host! Please trust the System. The System absolutely guarantees the Host’s safety!] The young boy’s voice assured her earnestly and encouraged her, [Don’t hesitate, Host! Successfully arranging the engagement is the first step in capturing White Moonlight! You can do it, Host!]
I might not be able to do it. Shen Qingyao felt a bit desperate. Anyone stared at by such a pair of eyes wouldn’t feel confident!
She sniffed and lowered her head to avoid Lu Zhao’s gaze. It was really difficult to continue acting with those beautiful eyes staring at her.
“In fact, what qualifications do I have to compete? Clearly, I can’t compete with anyone… Elder sister, am I useless?”
“Yaoyao!” Shen Qingli shouted, her face full of disapproval. She couldn’t stand hearing such words from Shen Qingyao, it’s too ominous. She frowned, annoyed by Shen Qingyao’s self-pity but also feeling sorry for Shen Qingyao. Yaoyao was the treasure of the entire Shen family, what couldn’t she have?
She signaled to Lu Zhao, who had been silent, to stabilize Shen Qingyao first before saying anything.
Lu Zhao moved, walking slowly towards Shen Qingyao. Shen Qingyao listened to the steady and slow footsteps, her heart trembling with each step. After a few moments, a pair of exquisite moon-white shoes appeared in her lowered line of sight.
Lu Zhao was very close now, close enough for her to smell the pleasant cold fragrance on him. He seemed to bend down slightly, his voice close to her ear. Shen Qingyao heard Lu Zhao ask, “Yaoyao, do you always like me? Asking Shen Qingli not to get engaged to me?”
Facing the questioning, Shen Qingyao’s heart sank suddenly. The subtle pain in her chest became more obvious. She forced herself to say, “Yes.”
Then she heard Lu Zhao chuckle softly. The sound was pleasant, but in Shen Qingyao’s ears, it sounded like the ominous beat of a drum. She thought, “It’s over, he’s mocking me. I’ve irritated my target on the first meeting…”
Lu Zhao fell silent for a moment. When Shen Qingyao finally gathered the courage to look up at him, his face had returned to the usual warm smile. However, it was different from his usual mask, making Shen Qingyao feel that this version of Lu Zhao might be more dangerous.
He stared at her and after a while, asked, “So… what does Yaoyao want?” It sounded like he was saying, “Do you want to die, Yaoyao?”
Of course, Shen Qingyao didn’t want to die, but between dying from illness and being scared to death by White Moonlight, she felt there was more room for negotiation in the latter. She struggled to cover her chest, her vision becoming blurry and cold. “Let’s get it over with,” Shen Qingyao thought.
So, she gritted her teeth and asked, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao… will you marry me?”
Lu Zhao, rare for him, was stunned. The just-recovered smile couldn’t be maintained, and he gave Shen Qingyao a perfect expression of disbelief.
[Host, I misunderstood you. The information said you have social anxiety, but you’re more like a social scum.] The System was dumbfounded that she dared to force a marriage proposal on the spot with no emotional foundation.
Ignoring the system, Shen Qingyao, unable to hold on any longer, took a step back. Shen Qingli, who noticed something was wrong, caught her. Before she could stabilize herself, Shen Qingyao continued, “Otherwise, even if I die, I’ll be sad… Elder Brother Lu Zhao, just consider it fulfilling my last wish…”
After saying this, everything went black, and she fell into a pair of sturdy arms.
In the last moment before fainting, she seemed to hear Lu Zhao answering her with a “Yes.” At the same time, she saw the black number above Lu Zhao’s head change from 0 to 5.
…The blackening value has increased, but fortunately it’s still low!
This was Shen Qingyao’s last thought.
- The term “golden rice bowl” is a metaphor for a secure and well-paying job or livelihood, often one that comes with financial stability and benefits. In this context, Shen Qingyao should mean that the female lead is the person who would let her live well and safely in the future. ↩︎