Qin Xiangyi didn’t just sit around; she asked the system what was going on.
Qin Xiangyi: System, who exactly is that person?
System: Sorry, you don’t have permission to view that right now.
The system coldly refused to answer, and even though this was a world she’d created, Qin Xiangyi wasn’t the one in charge.
She felt annoyed, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Right now, she was a total newbie.
If she wanted to survive, finding a flower person and practicing cultivation techniques were absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, she might not even make it through the week.
With her mind made up, Qin Xiangyi looked over at the sleeping Zhou Muning.
She was still a bit unsure if tricking her like this would actually work, but no matter what, she was determined to go through with this crazy plan tonight.
Even if it meant Zhou Muning might get hurt again.
But if it came down to choosing between her own life and the fate of a character she’d written, Qin Xiangyi knew she’d pick herself first…
After a while, as their stop was coming up, Qin Xiangyi woke Zhou Muning.
“Ningning, we’re almost there.”
Zhou Muning seemed a little out of it, so Qin Xiangyi smiled and gave her a moment to wake up.
When the bus stopped, Qin Xiangyi grabbed Zhou Muning’s hand again.
Zhou Muning was starting to get used to holding hands, even leaning her weight toward Qin Xiangyi.
That meant Zhou Muning completely trusted her now, showing sides of herself she’d never shown to anyone else.
“I actually fell asleep… I didn’t do anything embarrassing, did I?” Zhou Muning finally woke up and asked about her state just now.
Qin Xiangyi shook her head again.
“No, but you’ve been putting too much pressure on yourself lately.
You’ve even got dark circles under your eyes.”
That made Zhou Muning panic and check her reflection in a car window, trying to see how bad she looked.
But at least she was wide awake now.
“I was just kidding, Ningning.
You’re still as pretty as ever.” Qin Xiangyi complimented her, but immediately regretted it, because Zhou Muning gave her a look like she’d seen a ghost, as if Qin Xiangyi was some kind of monster for saying that.
At that moment, Qin Xiangyi could totally picture what the old Qin Xiangyi must have been like—a hopelessly straight girl.
Being friends with a beauty like Zhou Muning was probably the best decision the old Qin Xiangyi ever made.
After all, Zhou Muning’s temper was so good it was almost scary, making Qin Xiangyi wonder if someone had forgotten to give her the “anger” trait when she was made.
Once she was sure there were no dark circles, Zhou Muning went back to normal and enthusiastically dragged Qin Xiangyi to the market to buy groceries.
She seemed to know the market inside out, greeting everyone they passed, making Qin Xiangyi feel like the place belonged to her.
The older the person, the friendlier they were to Zhou Muning.
Apparently, she had a great reputation here—people would give her extra food or even freebies.
Zhou Muning was like the girl next door, easy to get close to, with no sense of distance at all.
It was impossible not to like her.
But in the original story, Zhou Muning was the only one who couldn’t get what she wanted, introduced early but not getting a romance line until much later.
Now, though, Qin Xiangyi was slowly ruining everything she’d set up, being the first to cross the line with Zhou Muning.
“I’ll make you something delicious tonight, but don’t blame me if it doesn’t look great.
I can cook, but my food never looks that good.” Zhou Muning grinned, admitting her cooking’s flaw.
Qin Xiangyi didn’t mind and was about to say something when her phone rang.
The sound made Zhou Muning look worried.
Qin Xiangyi switched the groceries to her right hand and pulled out her phone.
The caller ID said it was Xuan-jie.
That’s when Qin Xiangyi remembered she hadn’t told Jing Shuxuan she was going out to find Zhou Muning.
By now, Jing Shuxuan should be home and would have noticed she was gone.
“Where are you?” As soon as the call connected, Jing Shuxuan sounded like she was checking up on her.
Qin Xiangyi figured Jing Shuxuan was annoyed because she’d left without saying anything, so she softened her tone.
“Sorry, Xuan-jie, I forgot to tell you.
I made plans to have dinner at a friend’s place today.”
She apologized first, hoping to avoid getting scolded.
Sure enough, Jing Shuxuan just said “Oh,” and Qin Xiangyi could hear her sigh in relief.
“As long as you’re okay.
Are you coming back tonight? Do you want me to pick you up?” Jing Shuxuan’s voice went back to normal, not seeming to mind that Qin Xiangyi was out.
After all, she knew Qin Xiangyi would be leaving for Paradise City in a week, so it was normal for her to hang out with friends.
“Um…” Qin Xiangyi glanced at Zhou Muning, suddenly unsure how to answer.
She wasn’t sure if her plan for tonight would work, so she didn’t know if she should stay over.
If it failed, staying over would be super awkward.
If it worked, she was worried the night would be awkward anyway.
Without love, kissing just felt like messing around.
The first time was just luck; there was no guarantee she could pull off this survival challenge again.
“Looks like you haven’t decided yet.
How about this: call me before ten tonight, and I’ll come pick you up.
If it’s after ten, I’ll just assume you fell asleep there.” Jing Shuxuan offered a new solution, giving Qin Xiangyi more time to think.
As an adult, Jing Shuxuan knew how to keep the right distance from Qin Xiangyi and didn’t interfere in her private life.
Even if it was just to avoid getting too involved, her attitude made Qin Xiangyi feel really relaxed.
“Okay, thanks, Xuan-jie.”
Qin Xiangyi breathed a sigh of relief, chatted a bit more, and hung up.
She was about to praise Jing Shuxuan to Zhou Muning, but Zhou Muning’s expression was a little strange.
It was hard to describe, but she seemed a bit unhappy.
“So that’s the sister who’s taking you in now?” In the end, Zhou Muning brought it up first, forcing Qin Xiangyi to address what she’d hoped to gloss over.
“Yeah, she used to be Qin Wangzi’s fiancée.” Qin Xiangyi decided to explain.
“The same Jing Shuxuan you always said was scary?” Zhou Muning caught on and naturally said Jing Shuxuan’s full name.
“Huh?” Qin Xiangyi was stunned.
She didn’t know the old Qin Xiangyi and Jing Shuxuan had that kind of history.
She stopped walking, and Zhou Muning stopped too, her gaze turning sharp, as if she was starting to suspect all of Qin Xiangyi’s odd behavior.
