Chapter 15

Zhu Lexing thought, as expected of the female protagonist.

Her favorability only ever dropped by a single point.

In front of the elevator, Yan Mian had clearly gotten out of the car first, yet she hadn’t gone straight up. Instead, she had deliberately waited for Zhu Lexing.

The hotel’s decorations were gorgeously opulent, glittering with gold. Even the tablecloths gleamed so brightly they hurt the eyes.

Inside the cabin, the man at the head of the table was chatting with the elegantly dressed woman beside him. When he heard the door open, he hurriedly pulled out the chair next to him and burst into hearty laughter. “Xingxing, come sit here. I’ve ordered all your favorite dishes already. Take a look and see if there’s anything else you want?”

Having already met him over video call, Zhu Lexing quickly recognized him. She called out “Dad.” As for the woman beside him, Jiang Yue—whom she thoroughly disliked—she still managed a perfunctory “Auntie.”

In the past, the original host wouldn’t have deigned to call Jiang Yue anything, not even a simple “hey.”

That single “Auntie” left them both stunned. In the next instant, however, Jiang Yue’s smile grew far more sincere. She was about to strike up a conversation when Yan Mian walked in.

Zhu Lin let out another hearty laugh, going through the same routine. “Little Mian! Sit! What do you want to eat? Order whatever you like. Your mom has been missing you terribly these days.”

Yan Mian glanced at Jiang Yue, her Omega tone as gentle as ever. “We’re here now, so just sit down.”

Only then did Yan Mian smile back at Zhu Lin. “I’m fine with anything. Why don’t you ask Lexing?”

She hadn’t caught what Zhu Lin had said earlier and assumed no one had ordered yet. Subconsciously, she handed the reins over to Zhu Lexing.

Zhu Lin wasn’t sure how to respond. Jiang Yue spoke up warmly in his place. “Uncle Zhu already ordered all of Lexing’s favorites. He’s just not sure if he missed anything, so why don’t you take another look?”

“After all…” She paused, then smiled. “You’ve been living together with Xingxing for so long now. You two should have a little tacit understanding by this point, right?”

In just those few words, Zhu Lexing already felt like she had lost her appetite.

What did “take another look to see if anything’s missing” even mean? Was she treating Yan Mian like a servant?

And what was this about “tacit understanding”? Why on earth should they have any?

Zhu Lexing hadn’t forgotten how Jiang Yue had stood idly by in the original work while the original host bullied Yan Mian.

Yan Mian’s eventual downfall owed a great deal to Jiang Yue’s silent acquiescence.

Zhu Lexing looked up. Yan Mian was seated beside Jiang Yue, her face devoid of expression as she accepted the menu. She was ready to play the part, like a beautiful marionette doing whatever her strings pulled her to do.

Zhu Lexing couldn’t hold back any longer. She let out a scoffing laugh. “Since when do Yan Mian and I need any ‘tacit understanding’?”

Jiang Yue hadn’t expected her to turn hostile so quickly. She tried to placate her on instinct. “That’s not what I—”

But Zhu Lexing cut her off without mercy, pressing the attack. “If that’s not what you meant, then what did you mean? Auntie, I’m calling you ‘Auntie’ because I don’t want you sticking your nose in too deep. You even have to micromanage what I eat? What’s in it for you?”

Jiang Yue could only turn pleading eyes to Zhu Lin. He jumped in hastily. “There are plenty of dishes here—more than enough. Let’s start like this for now. Lexing, didn’t you have that stage play rehearsal this morning? Your teacher sent me the video. The script was fantastic. Did you write it yourself?”

The topic shift was as clumsy as could be. Out of the corner of her eye, though, Zhu Lexing saw Yan Mian visibly relax after a moment of surprise. Her gaze drifted aimlessly before finally settling on the menu.

Zhu Lexing brushed it off casually, saying she’d gotten the inspiration online. Zhu Lin promptly launched into a rambling story about how his film crew bought scripts and reminded her to pay the original author.

That finally boosted Zhu Lexing’s opinion of him a notch.

She nodded earnestly. As she lowered her head for a sip of soup, she heard Zhu Lin turn to Yan Mian. “How’s school treating you? Any trouble adjusting to daily life?”

His tone toward Yan Mian lacked the usual nagging he reserved for Zhu Lexing. Instead, it carried the polite concern one might show a junior.

Yan Mian appreciated that distance. In front of Zhu Lin alone would anyone ever truly treat her like a “guest”—with genuine respect.

She answered his questions one by one, then paused before adding, “Lexing’s doing great at school too. Her stage play as director is outstanding.”

“Plenty of people like her.”

Zhu Lin might view his daughter through rose-tinted glasses, but he knew full well that to outsiders, Zhu Lexing wasn’t likable—in fact, she was downright disliked.

In his eyes, Yan Mian never lied. Her words struck right to the heart, and he sighed. “Ah, these things… who knows where the genes come from.”

Jiang Yue smiled as she picked up the thread. “Who knows? Maybe she’ll follow in her father’s footsteps. Once Lexing makes it big, she can bring Little Mian along for the ride.”

Jiang Yue didn’t treat Zhu Lin like a lover. She spoke to him like a subordinate flattering her boss—saying exactly what he wanted to hear.

If Jiang Yue were a stranger, Zhu Lexing might have been taken in by her gentle demeanor and delicate features, warming to her a bit. But Zhu Lexing remembered all too well the woman’s obsessive personality from the original work. She let out a cold snort.

Zhu Lin said, “We’re all family here. No need to talk about ‘bringing someone along.’ Little Mian can do whatever she wants, and I’ll support her. From that video this morning, you seem to have some real talent for acting. Have you thought about pursuing that path?”

Yan Mian opened her mouth to reply, but beneath the tablecloth, Jiang Yue laid a hand on her left arm and gave it two light pats. “If the opportunity comes, of course she’d want to.”

Zhu Lexing: ?

What kind of play was this?

Earlier, when Jiang Yue had brought up careers, Zhu Lexing had assumed she was just buttering up Zhu Lin. But hearing talk of entering the industry made her true intentions clear—

Why else would Yan Mian need to cozy up to the Zhu family? To leverage their connections and break into the entertainment industry, of course.

If Jiang Yue were ten years younger, she would have taken that path herself.

But she wasn’t young anymore. So instead, she was shoving Yan Mian into the fire pit.

Even knowing this was a world full of lunatics, Zhu Lexing couldn’t hold back. She slammed her chopsticks down on the table. “Now I get it. Why insist on eating here? Why drag out the small talk for so long? It was all just leading up to that line, wasn’t it?”

“If you want to become famous so badly, you’re sending a sickly little girl into the entertainment industry? What a brilliant plan. If something happens to her, are you taking responsibility? She’s the child you gave birth to—do you not care about her life anymore?”

“If you’re so desperate to act, just have my dad invest in a drama and shove you into it.” Zhu Lexing rose to her feet, her gaze icy cold. Her words fell like precise jewels, utterly merciless. “If I hear that kind of talk again—”

Everything was left unsaid.

Zhu Lexing cut herself off just in time and strode toward the door.

Once she had left, the cabin fell into utter silence.

Jiang Yue was about to offer an explanation when Zhu Lin’s smile faded. He spoke calmly. “Lexing’s words were harsh, but they hold some truth. Little Mian’s health is fragile. It would be far too irresponsible to let her enter the entertainment industry right now. She should focus on recovering first. As for the future, we can worry about that later.”

Jiang Yue could only manage a stiff smile and murmur her agreement.

Yan Mian, however, lifted her eyes to the closed door.

Zhu Lexing’s sudden outburst had caught her off guard.

Yet this time, the other girl had shown more restraint than before. Yan Mian wasn’t sure what to make of it. There was no real need for explanations—nothing beyond a single question, really.

Why?

Hadn’t Zhu Lexing been “nice” to her before precisely so that she would put in a good word for her in front of Zhu Lin?

But she already had.

What was Zhu Lexing still afraid of?

Yan Mian couldn’t make sense of it.

Under the table, Jiang Yue’s grip on her arm tightened. Yan Mian’s irritation grew until she finally stood. In a low voice, she said, “It’s time for my medicine. I’ll go outside for a cup of warm water and some fresh air.”

She always took her pills with warm water, but the table was stocked with iced drinks to suit Zhu Lexing’s tastes.

Zhu Lin nodded quickly. “Don’t let it wait.”

It wasn’t long before Jiang Yue, too, smiled and excused herself to touch up her makeup.

The cabin door clicked shut behind her.

Jiang Yue’s smile vanished in an instant, replaced by a venomous scowl.

Around the corner, Yan Mian stood with her hands clasped together, head bowed silently against the wall—like a child awaiting a scolding, lost in penitence.

“What’s gotten into you?” Jiang Yue demanded with a frown the moment she saw her. “Didn’t I tell you to be smarter around Uncle Zhu? Whatever he says, you just go along with it.”

Yan Mian murmured, “I already did.”

“And what you said counts as ‘going along’?” Jiang Yue shot back. “Praising Zhu Lexing? Everyone praises Zhu Lexing. It’s not like she needs you for that.”

Yan Mian fell silent, at a loss for words.

“Little Mian.” Jiang Yue reached out and gripped her shoulders, leaning down to meet her eyes. “Mom has no connections, no backing. If you wanted to do anything else, I couldn’t give you any real support. But the entertainment industry is different. Uncle Zhu has money and resources. If he’s willing, you could blow up overnight—rise to the top, make a name for yourself.”

“Then we’d finally have solid ground to stand on. We wouldn’t have to live looking at anyone else’s face. Do you understand?”

Yan Mian tried to protest. “But I could go to school, pursue something else—”

The same path to success.

“How is that the same?” Jiang Yue cut her off immediately. “You’re beautiful. You should make the most of your looks.”

“Zhu Lexing has a bad temper, but she’s the perfect choice.”

Yan Mian looked up in stunned disbelief. “Mom.”

She had never imagined her mother thought this way.

She wanted to marry into the Zhu family, so she hoped…

That Yan Mian would marry in too?

What kind of logic was that?

Yan Mian had always believed Jiang Yue’s stern warnings to endure stemmed from powerlessness—her inability to stand against Zhu Lin, forcing her to bend to the greater good out of necessity.

That was why Yan Mian had been so understanding, keeping her frustrations bottled up. As long as Zhu Lexing didn’t truly cross the line, she never complained or cried to Jiang Yue about it.

But now, with those words laced thick with implication hanging in the air, the truth dawned on her. No. That wasn’t it at all.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t fight back.

In Jiang Yue’s eyes, she and Zhu Lexing were no different. Both wanted Yan Mian to become Zhu Lexing’s possession.

An obedient, compliant thing—one that never struck back, forever waiting on scraps of favor.