Yan Yu was woken up by the system notification sound in the morning.
She groggily turned over, reaching for her phone on the bedside table. Before she could grab it, a translucent text box materialized in her mind, like a virtual screen suspended in the center of her vision.
Ding — System Settlement Reminder*
Yan Yu rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. She leaned against the pillow, her gaze fixed on the text box, reading line by line.
To her mild surprise, the system’s method of evaluating rewards seemed different from what she had expected.
She had originally assumed that only interactions with Su Qinghan or Jiang Muyun would be counted under “Role-Playing.” After all, those two were the core figures of this substitute story — one was the target she was supposed to love unrequitedly, and the other was the original she was supposed to imitate.
But last night’s settlement showed that her conversations with Bai Yan’er and Dai Feng had also been factored into the role-playing plot.
Yan Yu frowned slightly, carefully recalling the system’s previous settlement logic. There seemed to be some hints, but she hadn’t paid close attention.
Now it seemed that the system’s evaluation criteria for her was much broader than she had imagined.
She continued reading.
[Non-Critical Plot Node — Daily Interaction Evaluation]
[Overall Score: 89 points]
[Evaluation Details: The host’s recent interactions with supporting characters Bai Yan’er, Dai Feng, and others have been good, exerting varying degrees of emotional impact on the two supporting characters. This has enriched and rounded out the overall plot, enhancing the story’s readability and appeal.]
[Current Main Plot Total Progress: 27%]
[Reward Issued: Eloquent.]
[Note: After equipping this skill, during your conversations with others, there is a 50% chance of significantly increasing persuasiveness, making the other party completely believe what you say on key issues. When this skill activates, the target’s judgment will temporarily tilt toward your guidance, becoming a listener and follower of your words. Use at the right moment; effects can stack cumulatively.]
Yan Yu’s eyes lit up.
27% progress — it still looked far from completion. The push to the plot didn’t seem immediately obvious either.
But this reward the system had given her was genuinely useful.
“Eloquent.”
A 50% chance — not high, not low.
Like flipping a coin: heads means success, tails means nothing happens.
But once it activates, the effect is considerable.
Making the other party completely believe what you say on key issues.
In other words, at a critical moment, one sentence from her could directly overturn the other person’s judgment.
Yan Yu lay back on the pillow, staring at the strip of light seeping through the curtain crack on the ceiling, her mind racing.
She decided to do one thing first.
Review all the skills and items she had obtained so far.
The plot had already progressed to a quarter. With Su Qinghan — based on the system’s evaluation and her own observations — noticeable emotional fluctuations had already occurred.
That woman still maintained that cold, indifferent facade on the surface, but Yan Yu could sense that something was quietly changing.
However, Su Qinghan’s heart was still leaning toward Jiang Muyun’s direction.
That much, Yan Yu had never gotten wrong.
As for Bai Yan’er, the situation had undergone a qualitative change. That girl was no longer just a simple “little sister.”
Ruo Xiaozhen was still the same as before — carefree, loud and boisterous, making a table full of dishes waiting for her to come back and eat.
As for Dai Feng —
Yan Yu frowned.
Even though she knew the mint candy should have taken effect, she still couldn’t quite figure out what Dai Feng was thinking.
If the other party had some special intention, those interactions were all within the bounds of normal socializing — sitting in on a class once, sending a few messages, leaving a like — all perfectly ordinary things.
But to say there was no intention at all…
Yan Yu recalled the look in Dai Feng’s eyes when they met hers. Something was a little off.
Still, her intuition told her that Dai Feng wasn’t someone she needed to be overly wary of.
At least not for now.
Yan Yu shook her head, temporarily suppressing these tangled thoughts, and focused on pulling up the system’s reward list in her mind, organizing it item by item.
The following was the list of skills and items she had obtained so far.
[Luck Boost — Temporary Alleviation of Physical Pain]
Effect: Alleviates chest pain, smooths breathing, relieves stinging in the legs.
[Skill Enhancement — Elevated to S-Level]
Effect: Enhances control over composition, light and shadow, and artistic conception; painting skill jumps from A-Level to S-Level.
[S-Class Appearance Reward]
Effect: Optimizes facial features, gives skin a lustrous glow, adjusts temperament to “quiet and obedient,” making it easier to evoke others’ sympathy and protective instincts.
[Cash: 20,000 yuan]
Effect: Deposited into linked bank account through legal channels.
[Yunshang Couture Lifetime VIP Card + One Exclusive Styling Consultation]
Effect: Physical card, includes one full-body styling design led by the chief designer, covering evening gown, accessories, and makeup. (Damaged, but Su Qinghan compensated with a large sum of money.)
[Special Item “Mint of Longing” ×1]
Effect: After feeding it to a specific person, for a period of time afterward, the other party will involuntarily and uncontrollably think of the user from time to time. Effect is mild, no side effects, limited to one person per use. (Currently active on Dai Feng.)
[Exquisite Culinary Art +10]
Effect: The food you make possesses the power to touch people’s hearts, capable of precisely blending flavors that awaken specific memories and stir deep emotions.
[Eloquent — Newly Acquired]
Effect: During conversations with others, there is a 50% chance of significantly increasing persuasiveness, making the other party completely believe what you say on key issues.
The list laid out clearly in her mind, each item with a definite source and purpose.
Yan Yu scanned through it one by one, like checking the ammunition in her arsenal.
Then, she closed the list, her gaze falling on the pot of green ivy on the windowsill. The morning sunlight shone on the leaves, making them translucent and green. Water droplets still clung to the leaf surfaces — she had watered them last night before bed.
A new day had begun.
She didn’t know what she would encounter today.
But what she did know was this:
The cards in her hand were one more than yesterday.
That was enough.
—
At the other end of the city, in a quiet coffee shop.
A corner booth, half-hidden by greenery. The air was thick with the aroma of coffee beans.
Jiang Muyun sat on the sofa, the coffee in front of her already cold, untouched.
She was staring down, her expression gloomy.
On her left sat her best friend, Song Jie, plump and round, holding a cup of caramel macchiato.
On her right was another best friend, Juanmao, with natural curly hair.
The two of them spoke in turn.
“Muyun, don’t be mad.” Song Jie was the first to speak. “That Yan Yu is just your stand-in. If she didn’t look like you, would Su Qinghan even care about her?”
She said it with righteous conviction.
Juanmao nodded beside her, her voice soft but firm. “Yeah, now that you’re back, how can Yan Yu compare to you? Her legs, her disability — how could the Su family ever accept her?”
Song Jie nodded vigorously. “Exactly. When Su Qinghan said those words the other day, she was just taking pity on her. With so many people watching, she couldn’t exactly push that girl in the wheelchair away, could she? That would make her look cold and heartless.”
“So,” Juanmao picked up, “those words were just face-saving pleasantries. Muyun, don’t take them to heart.”
“At worst, you can just act spoiled with Su Qinghan, or throw a tantrum! A young miss like Su Qinghan — her heart is completely yours right now. What do you want that she wouldn’t give you?”
“Hey, what do you think about finding a way to completely break the relationship between Su Qinghan and that Yan Yu?”
“Great idea! Muyun, what do you think of that—?”
The two of them said, exchanging glances.
The cold coffee in the cup remained perfectly still.
Jiang Muyun still had her head down.
She was grinding her back teeth, her hanging hair covering most of her face.