Chapter 7: Huai City

He left, leaving Wen Yirou standing alone at the doorway. She watched his retreating figure grow smaller and smaller, wiping at tears that wouldn't stop no matter how hard she tried.

So these past six months really had been nothing but her own wishful thinking.

All that tenderness, those occasional moments of consideration, those times she'd thought, "Maybe he likes me a little"—just her imagination.

He only needed someone to play the role of his girlfriend, to deal with Grandpa, to handle the outside world.

And she happened to fit. That was all.

Fu Linzhou had already walked some distance.

He turned back. Wen Yirou was still standing there, head down, shoulders trembling with sobs.

Sunlight fell on her. She wore a white dress, long hair loose, looking frail and small.

A breeze stirred the hem of her skirt, as if she might collapse at any moment.

A flicker of regret passed through Fu Linzhou.

He had been too harsh.

These six months, she really had stayed by his side.

When he worked late into the night, there was always a light on when he came home.

She had never asked for anything.

No gifts, no title, no pressure to make their relationship public.

Except for today.

Fu Linzhou turned and walked back, stopping in front of her.

"Stop crying."

Wen Yirou lifted her head, looking at him through tear-blurred eyes, her voice choked. "Linzhou, I really was just afraid you'd get hurt again."

"It's fine." Fu Linzhou's voice softened.

"This ends here. Don't bring it up again."

Wen Yirou nodded.

Seeing her like this, the irritation in Fu Linzhou's chest was smothered by guilt.

He reached out and brushed her cheek, wiping away the tears.

Her skin was good—six months of easy living had kept it that way. Warm and soft under his fingers.

Women of high society, well-maintained, all had skin like this.

But for some reason, he thought of earlier upstairs, when he'd pinched Su Qingsi's chin.

That woman seemed to have taken some miracle elixir—her whole body was impossibly tender.

When his fingers touched her, it didn't feel real. He'd wanted to press harder to test it, but feared leaving a mark, hurting her.

Fu Linzhou pulled his thoughts back, sliding his hand into his pocket.

He threw Wen Yirou a lifeline. "Come back with me. You'll cook dinner."

Wen Yirou froze, then broke into a smile through her tears, nodding vigorously.

"Okay. I'll cook. I'll start as soon as we're back."

Fu Linzhou turned and headed for the car.

Wen Yirou trotted after him, reaching for his hand.

Fu Linzhou didn't shake her off. He let her hold on.

——

Su Qingsi stood by the window, watching the two of them hand in hand downstairs.

The Maybach rolled slowly out of the Su family gate and disappeared down the road.

The corner of Su Qingsi's lips curved. "A challenge makes things interesting."

"Host, you're playing with fire."

A voice sounded suddenly in her mind.

Su Qingsi spoke. "How so?"

"In the original novel, Su Qingsi came back and relied on the filter in Fu Linzhou's heart. She used weakness and pity plays to seduce him."

"She pretended to be in poor health, lied that she'd been forced abroad back then, claimed she felt wronged, and played the victim in front of Fu Linzhou to make him feel guilty."

"But she hadn't lost her memory. She used their shared memories to reawaken Fu Linzhou's feelings."

The System's voice paused. "Host, faking amnesia has already deviated from the novel's White Moonlight setup."

Su Qingsi let out a light laugh, turned, and sat on the edge of the bed.

She raised a hand and swept her long hair behind her shoulder, the movement lazy and alluring.

"Those memories aren't mine. I don't want to fake it." Her voice was soft and light, with an edge of carelessness.

"But that's your advantage. Your first love, your first date, your first time holding hands…"

"Enough." Su Qingsi cut it off, her gaze cold.

"I said, those aren't my memories. Using someone else's past to seduce a man—I find that boring."

She paused, and the corner of her lips lifted again. "Besides, I don't need any of that."

"Without a past, I'll create a present myself."

The System went silent for a few seconds.

"Host, are you sure? Without the memory play, how will you make Wen Yirou miserable? How will you slap her face?"

Su Qingsi smiled lightly. "You don't understand men."

"What?"

"Men are moved by beautiful memories of the past. They feel nostalgia. They soften."

"But that's just emotion. Not wanting. Certainly not desire."

Su Qingsi turned sideways, her fingers gently twirling a strand of hair. "What I want isn't his softness. I want his ruin."

System: "..."

"I want him to bow to me, lose control for me, abandon every principle for me."

"That kind of involuntary, physical wanting works better than any memory play."

The System went quiet again.

Su Qingsi blinked, looking innocent and naive. "Has the plot deviated now? Am I not seducing him?"

"You are seducing him. But the method is completely different."

"And the result?"

"He came to visit you today. He pinched your chin," the System said.

"Judging by the results, he's developed interest and possessiveness toward you."

Su Qingsi laughed, her smile delicate and triumphant. "Then isn't that enough?"

The System said nothing more.

Su Qingsi got up and walked to the vanity.

The mirror reflected a face with fair, tender skin, expressive eyes, and naturally rosy lips.

She raised a hand, fingertips touching her chin.

When Fu Linzhou pinched her there today, his eyes had been frighteningly deep.

He liked her face. Liked her skin. Liked her delicacy.

This was a good start.

Later, she would make him obsessed with her body, make him a subject beneath her skirts.

"System," she said. "What's Wen Yirou's state right now?"

"Although the male lead took her home, she already feels a sense of crisis."

"She knows she's merely a substitute, and she knows the male lead can't forget you."

"She may take the initiative next, trying to win back the male lead's heart."

"Let her come." Su Qingsi's lips curved.

"The more proactive she is, the more innocent I appear. The more anxious she gets, the more calm I seem."

"Host, aren't you worried?"

"Worried about what?"

"If Fu Linzhou is truly moved by Wen Yirou, lets go of you, and jumps straight to the ending plotline, the mission will likely be considered a failure."

"It won't happen." Su Qingsi's voice was certain.

"Men are never satisfied. What you can't get is always the best."

"The less I remember him, the more he wants me to remember."

"The weaker and more innocent I am, the more he wants to bully me, protect me, possess me."

The System was silent for a long time. "Host, you're a bit scary."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Su Qingsi lay back on the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin, and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to keep resting."

"Fu Linzhou won't come tomorrow. I need to get better quickly."

"How do you know he won't come?"

Su Qingsi opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.

"Because he has fondness for Wen Yirou. He was moved by her. He'll feel guilty, thinking he made her sad."

"So he'll restrain himself. He'll suppress that urge to conquer me."

She closed her eyes again.

"And I will approach him proactively in a different way, reigniting that base nature of his."

"Let him sink in bit by bit, until he can't get out."