The two chatted as they walked, gradually moving farther away.
Yan Yu sat there, watching their retreating figures, and let out a soft sigh.
Bai Yan’er wasn’t overweight at all—if anything, she was on the slender side. Saying she was “dieting” was clearly just an excuse.
Yan Yu knew perfectly well that Bai Yan’er simply wanted to eat the same thing as her. This little trick might escape Ruo Xiaozhen’s notice, but Yan Yu saw through it clearly.
Still, it wasn’t something worth making a big deal over.
Yan Yu withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyelids, and her fingers tapped lightly on the table, almost unconsciously.
She was thinking about something deeper.
According to the system’s logic, her main quest was to play the role of a substitute who loved Su Qinghan but couldn’t have her.
In the course of this, she had to constantly interact with various characters, using these interactions to drive the plot forward and increase completion.
Bai Yan’er and Ruo Xiaozhen were both important characters in this main storyline.
Although Bai Yan’er sometimes displayed unsettling tendencies toward obsession, and Ruo Xiaozhen could be a bit overly clingy.
Still, Yan Yu understood that both of these people were on her side.
A qualified substitute female supporting character couldn’t afford to be constantly crushed by Jiang Muyun, nor could she stand alone against that returned overseas art genius.
She needed her own allies—she needed to form a small circle that could stand against Jiang Muyun’s faction, and then, in every confrontation, retreat just the right amount.
This retreat wasn’t surrender or weakness; it was a strategy of advancing by retreating. Using a fragile image to touch Su Qinghan’s heart, making that woman unconsciously lean toward her—that was Yan Yu’s real goal.
So, whether it was Ruo Xiaozhen or Bai Yan’er, to Yan Yu now, they were indispensable roles in her script.
She had to carefully balance the relationship between these two.
Too close would provoke Bai Yan’er’s jealousy; too distant would lose Ruo Xiaozhen as a natural ally.
This balance was hard to maintain, but Yan Yu had to try.
Just as she was mulling over these things in her mind, the two who had gone to get food returned.
Bai Yan’er walked in front, carrying two bowls, steadily making her way back. Ruo Xiaozhen followed behind, also holding a bowl, but it was piled so high it was nearly overflowing. She took each step carefully, afraid of spilling the soup.
Bai Yan’er set one of the bowls in front of Yan Yu, then sat down in her own seat.
Yan Yu glanced down—it was clear broth, with vegetables, tofu, black fungus, shiitake mushrooms, a few slices of winter melon, and a small handful of vermicelli.
Exactly what she’d asked for, not a single ingredient more or less.
The contents of Bai Yan’er’s own bowl were identical.
The two were eating the exact same thing.
Ruo Xiaozhen finally managed to set her heavy bowl down, let out a long breath, and plopped into her seat.
Her bowl was far more lavish: small crispy pork chunks, fatty beef rolls, luncheon meat, quail eggs, fish tofu, crab sticks, and a big handful of enoki mushrooms and wide vermicelli.
The red oil broth had dyed everything a tempting orange-red, topped with a sprinkle of cilantro and white sesame seeds. Just looking at it made your mouth water.
Ruo Xiaozhen picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of crispy pork, and stuffed it into her mouth. After a couple of chews, her eyes lit up. “Delicious! So good!” she mumbled indistinctly, a bit of red oil at the corner of her mouth.
Then she looked down at her bowl, then at the price list, and her expression suddenly turned a bit pained. “Ouch—the price—it’s good, sure—but I only ordered nine kinds of meat, right? How did the total come out to over twenty bucks?”
She pouted, staring at the food in her bowl with a complicated expression, as if making a tough choice between feeling sorry for her wallet and satisfying her cravings.
The dilemma lasted less than a second.
“Forget it, forget it, I’ll just eat first.” Ruo Xiaozhen decisively made her decision, then buried herself in eating, cheeks puffed out. Her table manners weren’t exactly elegant, but watching her made you feel hungry.
Bai Yan’er watched Ruo Xiaozhen wolfing down her food, the corners of her mouth curving slightly.
It wasn’t mockery. It was more like—how to put it—an observation tinged with a hint of disdain.
This woman, though she “occupied the prime spot” beside her sister, didn’t seem… very smart.
From the moment they sat down, Bai Yan’er had deliberately set several small “traps,” trying to engage in a mental contest with Ruo Xiaozhen.
For instance, when she said, “I’ll eat the same as Sister,” it was actually a hint that there was a certain understanding between her and Yan Yu that Ruo Xiaozhen couldn’t touch.
And when she offered to treat, it was also to test whether Ruo Xiaozhen would undergo some subtle psychological change after accepting the favor.
But Ruo Xiaozhen? She hadn’t even noticed Bai Yan’er’s little schemes. Those hints, those tests, those mental games and tactics—all of them sank like stones into the sea in front of Ruo Xiaozhen, not even raising a ripple.
In her eyes, Bai Yan’er was just “Yan Yu’s sister,” an innocent, harmless, pretty female classmate.
Bai Yan’er lowered her gaze, stirring the soup in her bowl lightly with her chopsticks.
‘Fine.’
‘Since she’s a simple girl, she can be used.’
For her plan, “simple” wasn’t a bad thing—sometimes it was even an advantage. A simple person wouldn’t question others’ motives, wouldn’t speculate about their intentions, wouldn’t engage in all those twisted games behind the scenes. Someone like that was easy to get along with and easy to manipulate.
In Bai Yan’er’s mind, the real thorn in her side was never Ruo Xiaozhen.
It was the woman who not only held an important place in her sister’s heart but also came from a formidable family background—
Su Qinghan.
That woman was her greatest obstacle.
Ruo Xiaozhen was at most a minor nuisance, the kind you could take care of with a wave of your hand. But Su Qinghan… Bai Yan’er hadn’t figured out how to deal with her yet.
But there was a saying: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
If she wanted to have her sister all to herself, then getting on Ruo Xiaozhen’s good side for now might not be a bad choice.
With that thought, Bai Yan’er took two bottles of soy milk out of her bag.
Glass bottles, with fine droplets of water clinging to the surface—clearly ice-cold. She gently placed one in front of Ruo Xiaozhen and the other in front of Yan Yu.
Ruo Xiaozhen was just shoving a big mouthful of fatty beef into her mouth, cheeks puffed out like a hamster. When she saw the soy milk appear in front of her, she froze mid-chew. She struggled to swallow, then looked at Bai Yan’er with an almost moved expression.
“You—how did you know I was craving this?” Her voice trembled a little, as if she’d found a kindred spirit. “I was just thinking I’d love an iced soy milk! Miss Bai, you’re so thoughtful!”
Bai Yan’er smiled, took a straw from her bag, stuck it into her own soy milk bottle, and took a light sip.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said in a gentle tone. “If that’s not enough, I’ll get another one. Consider today my treat.”
“That’s too kind…” Ruo Xiaozhen said politely, but her hands were already reaching for the soy milk bottle, sticking the straw in, and taking a big, satisfied gulp.
The cold soy milk slid down her throat, perfectly complementing the spicy mala soup. She squinted in bliss, completely immersed in the pleasure of the food.
Yan Yu also turned her head and gave Bai Yan’er a slight nod.
No need for many words. A look, a nod—that was enough. Between her and Bai Yan’er, it seemed they had already formed a wordless understanding.
Ruo Xiaozhen finally finished chewing, took another big gulp of soy milk, and wiped her mouth contentedly. She looked at Bai Yan’er, eyes filled with genuine admiration.
“Miss Bai, to be honest, I’ve heard of you before,” Ruo Xiaozhen said. “Not going to lie, everyone in our class says you’re the School Belle of our campus. But I was a bit skeptical at first—you know how rumors are, they always exaggerate—”
She paused, looked Bai Yan’er up and down, and then said with sincere feeling, “Now that I’ve met you in person, I realize the rumors didn’t exaggerate at all—they didn’t even do your looks justice!”
Bai Yan’er lowered her gaze slightly, her lips maintaining a polite curve, but she didn’t respond.
“But,” Ruo Xiaozhen changed the subject, her tone turning serious, “I heard that you’re pretty aloof and don’t really socialize, so I was worried you might be hard to get along with. But today I found out—” She broke into a smile, revealing a row of very neat white teeth.
“That was all a misunderstanding! Miss Bai is so warm and easygoing.”
Bai Yan’er set down her chopsticks and looked up at Ruo Xiaozhen.
Her gaze was calm. After a moment, she nodded slightly. Then she paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
“Well, after all, Miss Ruo is Sister’s friend,” she said, her voice quiet but every word clear. “A friend of Sister’s is a friend of mine, so of course I should treat you well.”
“Miss Ruo Xiaozhen, I consider you a friend—is that okay?”
“Of course, of course!” Ruo Xiaozhen agreed without a second thought, grinning as she wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue. “I, Ruo Xiaozhen, love making friends! Before, it was just me and Yan Yu eating together, and sometimes it did feel a bit lonely. But if Miss Bai is willing, we can eat together as a trio from now on!”
“Mm, thank you for the invitation.”
Bai Yan’er’s response was neither here nor there, a perfectly measured smile on her face.
But deep inside, she gave a silent chuckle.
‘It’s not a warm smile, not a happy one—it’s the smile of someone who’s gotten what she wanted.’
‘Finally, I have a reason to get close to Sister.’
‘Everything is going according to plan.’
Yan Yu drank her soy milk, glancing left and right at the two girls.
Ruo Xiaozhen was animatedly sharing various school anecdotes with Bai Yan’er, her words gushing out like water from an open sluice gate, completely unstoppable. Bai Yan’er listened quietly, nodding occasionally, chiming in with a word or two here and there. It looked like two close classmates chatting. Everything was harmonious.
But Yan Yu knew things weren’t that simple. Of course, she wasn’t as naive as Ruo Xiaozhen. In fact, from the moment they sat down, she had been secretly observing every expression, every word, every subtle movement of Bai Yan’er.
She noticed that every word Bai Yan’er said, no matter how casual it seemed, carried an underlying intention.
“I’ll eat the same as Sister”—this hinted at her special relationship with Yan Yu.
“I’ll treat”—this built an image of generosity and poise in front of Ruo Xiaozhen.
“A friend of Sister’s is a friend of mine”—this gave her a legitimate excuse to get close to Ruo Xiaozhen.
Every step Bai Yan’er took was flawlessly executed.
She was finding ways to get close to the people around Yan Yu, then slowly controlling them.
First Ruo Xiaozhen. And then? Would it be other classmates? The teachers? Or—Yan Yu didn’t dare to think about it.