Just then, the phone in her pocket vibrated lightly.
Yan Yu stopped pushing the wheelchair, took a deep breath, and tried to steady her emotions before taking out her phone.
When she saw the name that popped up on the screen, her gaze instantly turned cold. It was Jiang Muyun.
Opening the message, it was the same familiar style. The words were coated in sweetness, but inside they were all prickly little schemes.
“Yan Yu~ Are you busy? Qinghan said she’s going with me this afternoon to pick out a dress for my birthday party. It’s so hard to choose. You have good taste. Help me see which one suits better? [Image][Image][Image]”
“Oh, and about my birthday party—you will come, right? [Lovely][Expecting]”
“We’re practically friends, after all. You and Qinghan were so close back then, so I think my birthday party can’t be without you~”
In the several photos were different styles of exquisite little dresses.
The text deliberately mentioned “Qinghan going with me,” as if casually said, but it was actually full of deliberate showing off and provocation.
The emoji at the end perfectly highlighted the maliciousness disguised as innocence.
Yan Yu stared at the phone screen, a cold smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
Jiang Muyun had always been like this.
She always found ways to use Su Qinghan as a weapon to hurt her, the ex-girlfriend, just to satisfy her own petty sense of victory.
‘If the Yan Yu from the previous cycle saw this, she would probably be heartbroken beyond repair by now.’
Too bad, she was no longer the old Yan Yu.
Her heart was completely calm. She only felt that Jiang Muyun was pathetic, maybe even ridiculous.
Thinking she had obtained some treasure, she kept flaunting in front of Yan Yu like a clown, showing off someone Yan Yu didn’t care about at all.
Yan Yu looked down on Jiang Muyun, but to fit the original persona, she still lifted her hand and took a screenshot of this chat history.
Maybe it would come in handy later.
She carefully considered her tone, imitating the original host’s forced coldness and detachment, and replied.
“I don’t know.”
Her finger paused over the send button for a moment, then she added another sentence, making her refusal even clearer.
“Your birthday party is your own business. I’m busy and don’t want to go.”
A reply came almost immediately.
Jiang Muyun: “Oh my~”
Jiang Muyun: “You’re not… coming because you’re bothered by me, are you? [Confused]”
Jiang Muyun: “Qinghan and I are just good friends now. Even though she’s devoted to me, I haven’t agreed yet.”
Jiang Muyun: “Yan Yu, could it be… you’re still hung up on the past and haven’t let go? [Sad][Sad]”
Several messages in a row, seemingly caring inquiries, but actually pressing step by step.
Every sentence deliberately guided toward Yan Yu’s old feelings for Su Qinghan, jealousy, and bitterness.
This clumsy provocation precisely hit all the original host’s pain points, making it especially effective.
Jiang Muyun was certain Yan Yu would fall for this trick, which was why she sent these messages.
Yan Yu looked at the text appearing on the screen, the chill in her eyes deepening.
She knew exactly what the other party was expecting.
Expecting her to lose control, to argue back, to reveal more cracks of not being able to let go, of still caring.
And that was exactly the performance opportunity she wanted.
Her fingers rapidly typed on the screen, deliberately letting the text show the shame and irritation of being hit a nerve.
Along with that bitter obsession with Su Qinghan that she couldn’t let go of.
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“…I’ll go.”
“Send me the time and place.”
The message was sent.
She could almost imagine, across the screen, the expression of smugness on Jiang Muyun’s face right now.
Smugness mixed with a hint of fake pity.
The other party would definitely add fuel to the fire and tell Su Qinghan about her agreement to attend, along with this stiff reply.
Tell Su Qinghan, see? Yan Yu still can’t forget you. A little provocation and she took the bait.
Good.
Yan Yu put away her phone and started pushing the wheelchair forward again.
The lingering heat on her face had long faded, and her chaotic thoughts slowly settled along with the predetermined plot.
The momentary loss of control caused by Bai Yan’er was completely suppressed.
Jiang Muyun’s deliberate provocation was skillfully used as a bargaining chip to advance the plot.
Ding!
[Key plot node “Respond to Provocation, Accept Birthday Invitation” role-playing completed.]
[Overall plot restoration assessment: 90 points. Host accurately captured and reproduced the complex psychology of being unable to forget the old flame while forcing self-esteem, effectively driving the predetermined plot tension.]
[Current main storyline total acting progress: 14%]
[Reward issued: “Cloud Garment” High-End Custom Studio Lifetime VIP Card (physical) and exclusive styling session once.]
[Note: This session includes one full-body styling design led by the chief designer of “Cloud Garment,” covering gown, accessories, makeup and hair, and includes the studio’s top VIP exclusive service. The card has been materialized, please check.]
As soon as the prompt sound ended, Yan Yu felt a slight weight in the inner pocket of her jacket.
She reached in, and her fingertips touched a hard card with a special texture.
Pulling it out, it was an extremely simple black card with a dark gold “Cloud Garment” emblem embossed on the edge. It felt warm and smooth, with a faint cool fragrance.
“Cloud Garment”… She had heard of it.
It was a high-end custom studio that even families like the Su and Jiang families had to book months in advance and still might not get an appointment. It was known for its extreme privacy, high cost, and picky clientele.
Yan Yu ran her fingertips over the smooth edge of the card, her eyes dark and unreadable.
‘This reward… is quite interesting.’
It wasn’t directly improving some skill or attribute of hers, nor was it simply giving a large sum of money.
Instead, it was like a key, clearly pointing to the upcoming “Jiang Muyun’s Birthday Banquet” scene.
She looked at the black card that shimmered matte in the sunset, and a thought gradually became clear in her mind.
‘That’s right.’
The previous pale, fragile, pitiful image might have initially earned a shred of condescending pity from Su Qinghan and stirred Jiang Muyun’s sense of superiority as the “victor.”
But times change.
Once Su Qinghan and Jiang Muyun lost interest and emotional reaction to her old appearance,
Then the acting value she, as the substitute, could harvest would likely be greatly reduced.
‘She needs to change.’
‘Needs carefully crafted contrast.’
To make Su Qinghan feel that even though Yan Yu had crawled out of the mire and seemed to have a new and glamorous life, deep in her heart, she still kept a hidden corner for Su Qinghan.
Of course, Yan Yu also wanted to use this to severely deflate Jiang Muyun’s unchecked arrogance.
Yan Yu raised her head and looked at the dazzling city lights gradually lighting up in the distance.
What awaited her next was Jiang Muyun’s birthday banquet.
An occasion where Su Qinghan would definitely be present.
That was the stage where she needed to use all her acting skills to perform seriously.