Chapter 61: Scheming Green Tea Stepsister Part 2

“Of course. You take a photo with me, and within three hours, I guarantee your senior will come find you herself.”

Lu Chaohuan’s voice drifted down from the bed, her shadow shifting as her toes steadied on the wooden ladder at the edge.

Eyeing Bai Qing’s clear temptation at the bait, Lu Chaohuan tilted her head, slowly raising her hand in invitation with a smile. Just one photo together—that was all.

Just one photo…

Lu Chaohuan murmured it softly, and Bai Qing echoed it under her breath a few times. Right, just a photo with Lu Chaohuan. What was there to fear?

Bai Qing nodded. “Okay, I’m in. Tell me how to play along.”

Heh, hooked the willing little guinea pig.

Lu Chaohuan’s eyes curved in a smile as she beckoned Bai Qing over.

Bai Qing obeyed docilely, only to have Lu Chaohuan roughly pinch her cheeks and inspect them. Stung by the undisguised disgust in Lu Chaohuan’s eyes, she mumbled a protest. “What kind of look is that?”

Lu Chaohuan shoved her toward the sink. “Go wash that oily mouth of yours first. I’ll do your makeup in a bit.”

Fine, Lu Chaohuan was handling the work; she’d just follow orders.

After scrubbing her face clean and sitting in Lu Chaohuan’s spot, Bai Qing keenly noticed Lu Chaohuan’s mood had improved noticeably from when she’d been hustled out earlier.

Even the smile on her lips wasn’t so scary anymore.

Jiang Li’s invite still sat unanswered in the phone. Lu Chaohuan set it aside for now and dangled her makeup stash before the curiously peeking Bai Qing, her brows and eyes curving sweetly.

“Alright then, let’s get started.”

Bai Qing eyed the unfamiliar bottles and jars in her hand—major project ahead. For her senior taking initiative, she’d tough it out. “Go wild.”

Lu Chaohuan was a demon.

Bai Qing reaffirmed that thought once more.

From sitting down to Lu Chaohuan picking out and changing her clothes, Bai Qing had been remotely controlled the whole time: tilt face here, freeze, try this outfit. They’d gone back and forth through at least dozens before Lu Chaohuan settled grudgingly on the qipao draping her body.

It was pure torment for someone as lazy and frail as Bai Qing.

“Good enough.”

Lu Chaohuan nodded in satisfaction at the cool, aloof vibe wafting from the tidied-up Bai Qing without her even speaking.

Bai Qing wobbled two steps in the qipao, feeling like the awkward newbie aping a walk from that old story—ugly and ungraceful. She raised a hand. “We’re doing still shots, right?”

Lu Chaohuan arched a brow. “Of course.”

Bai Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, the photo shoot.

Truth be told, without Lu Chaohuan, Bai Qing never would have believed their tiny dorm could yield so many shots, or that her eyes could smolder so seductively, her face look so stunning.

Of course, Lu Chaohuan had directed every pose. Bai Qing sighed inwardly: No wonder she was top pick for heartless playgirl—queen of manufacturing chemistry.

“Legs apart a bit, why’s your face so far? Closer to me, yeah… Hand on my waist, don’t shake!”

“Almost-kissing vibe, chin up a tad, hold—I’m on your lap and you’re shaking like Parkinson’s… Eyes, picture your naked senior. More desire.”

“Eyes sharper, hand on my shoulder, yeah—leg forward a touch, stop before you actually brush mine, head lower.”

An hour later, Bai Qing stared at the phone’s expertly edited photos. The pair in them even gave her, the subject, pause—were they actually dating?

“There. Three hours—wait for your senior to come calling.”

Hearing Lu Chaohuan’s parting shot, Bai Qing fired up a three-hour documentary, determined to distract herself until checking for senior’s messages after.

Lu Chaohuan was waiting for Jiang Li’s reply too.

Her lips curved in anticipation. She knew Jiang Li had Yun Chu, but just now, staring at that pile of caring messages Jiang Li had sent, Lu Chaohuan itched to poke at her.

Yeah… Let’s see what her supposedly taken sister does or says upon learning she might have a love interest.

The sky came crashing down.

The moment Jiang Li spotted Lu Chaohuan’s Moments post with photos and caption, the watermelon in her mouth turned instantly bitter.

-We two, we match so well.

Nine photos in a grid.

Her finger tapped the first one, sliding through them one by one. Each clearly featured Lu Chaohuan’s figure and face—no mere fingertip this time, but front and center.

Nine shots, nine distinct poses, tension so thick it screamed official announcement—the one Lu Chaohuan slotted dead center.

Jiang Li tapped to zoom it up to her face for close study.

Lu Chaohuan pinned against the wall by another girl, whose palm cradled her cheek firmly. The girl leaned in possessively toward the camera, perfectly framing Lu Chaohuan’s face.

Jiang Li’s hand trembled slightly, her eyes widening.

That red lipstick mark on Lu Chaohuan’s face, the faint smear of lipstick at her mouth, lips slightly plumped and askew as if freshly kissed, glossy and disheveled.

Both faces flushed with obvious lust, like they’d just broken off an intense kiss when snapped, too caught up to tidy—Lu Chaohuan’s hand still lingered at the girl’s qipao neckline.

That hand… hand.

Jiang Li maxed the zoom on the one at the collar. One of Lu Chaohuan’s hands was even hidden behind the girl’s ear—maybe a mid-kiss caress of passion, or intimate affection for a lover.

The other rested at the second button, about to undo it, slender elegant fingers gleaming like white jade against the black qipao beneath.

The vibe between them crackled with tension. Jiang Li zoomed in and out frantically, hunting for any mismatch, eyes straining sore with no luck.

Her best shot at a reason: Looked way too lust-heavy. You young things watch yourselves—gotta show restraint.

When Jiang Li sent that, she had no clue those nine thick-with-desire shots were all posed under Lu Chaohuan’s meticulous direction.

So the “lust” she called out? That was Lu Chaohuan calling it on herself.

“Hahahahaha…”

Seeing Jiang Li’s message, Lu Chaohuan burst out laughing, her eyes shimmering with mirth, delighted by Jiang Li’s reaction.

Pairing it with the little spicy clip she’d shown Jiang Li last time? Even funnier.

She’d imagined what Jiang Li might say to the pseudo-announcement: Bai Qing too mature, too aggressive vibe, huge height gap, just don’t match…

Never figured she’d hit back with “You two look too horny, rein it in day-to-day.”

Like some baseless old fortune-teller mangling the sticks, tossing out, “Benefactor, you’ve crossed paths with someone you shouldn’t have.”

Jiang Li’s words had Lu Chaohuan grinning ear to ear. The “other person is typing…” indicator kept flashing nonstop. Clutching her phone, Lu Chaohuan had endless patience now to await Jiang Li’s “advice.”

Wonder what else Jiang Li would say about this “relationship.”

She hadn’t touched another bite of watermelon. Jiang Li eyed the nine photos on her tablet, scratching her head. Lu Chaohuan’s question from the other end left her deeply troubled.

Chaohuan asked: “Doesn’t Sister think she and I match well? Oh, and she’s my roommate.”

Scraping her fingers across her cheek, Jiang Li desperately sought mismatch evidence in those nine charged poses. She’d memorized them all but still found none.

And this roommate thing… Jiang Li’s face fell.

Her cute sister didn’t get it—roommates were the most dangerous. Day-in-day-out proximity turned sparks to inferno. No wonder her precious Female Lead 2 got swept off so easily.

Especially here, that girl looked just like one of those playful rich-girl types around Jiang Li: fun for a fling, ruthless after.

All body, no heart.

But that’s just photos—Jiang Li hadn’t seen her true face. Maybe she was genuine with Lu Chaohuan.

As long as her good sister dodged the scumbag male lead and stayed out of their romance plot, Jiang Li figured dating someone else wasn’t bad.

Her sister was clearly the faithful sort.

-Chaohuan, what do you like about her?

Lu Chaohuan arched a brow. She hadn’t expected Jiang Li to buy it so quick and start prying into her “reasons” for liking Bai Qing—no such scene in her script. She tossed back “love at first sight.”

-You’ve been renting off-campus before. How many times have you two been alone together as roommates?

Lu Chaohuan’s eyes glinted playfully at Jiang Li’s message. She rapidly typed a plot point and sent it, lips quirked, waiting for the follow-up.

Huh? New roommate this semester, alone together exactly seven days—then boom, together?

Reading Lu Chaohuan’s reply, Jiang Li’s sense of her cabbage getting raided by some unknown radish intensified. She hammered out a message, suggesting something delicately.

-You two were the only ones in the dorm together nonstop for seven days?

Lu Chaohuan snickered, pleased as Jiang Li followed her scripted prompts. She slowly dropped the heavy hitter.

Last time she even asked if I wanted to do it with her?

Jiang Li read it word for word aloud, fire surging in her eyes. Imagining them possibly still together, any second now doing it, she itched to drive over and drag Lu Chaohuan home.

Her sister’s only 20—do what now?!

Lu Chaohuan was a pure college girl; how could anyone toss out “wanna do it?” to her like that!

Her phone dinged nonstop, flooding half the chat with Lu Chaohuan’s messages. Down below, Bai Qing curiously leaned over at the frantic barrage.

Bai Qing snapped her gaze back to her own screen with satisfaction. Whatever—she grinned wide, happy. Her senior had come knocking.

Lu Chaohuan read through Jiang Li’s barrage: veiled warnings, blunt rejections, capped with fretting concern over whether she needed picking up right now to come home.

Ah… So hard not to misunderstand, Sister.

Staring at the caring messages with a pang of frustration, Lu Chaohuan reflected on the elaborate photo scheme just to provoke misunderstanding and concern. Deep down, a stubborn test lingered.

She knew Sister had a girlfriend, yet still wanted to tease.

Pondering Jiang Li’s messages, her long lashes lowered, veiling the amusement in her eyes. Lu Chaohuan typed it out one key at a time, fixed on Jiang Li’s avatar, and hit send.

-But Sister, I want to make love.