Outside the hotel.
Ye Mengyao glanced at her phone, closed her eyes gently, and took a few deep breaths.
According to the script Jiang Che had given her, she was responsible for catching him in the act.
"Jiang Che, you’re such a jerk. If you dare treat Wan'er badly... I swear... I’ll bite you to death!"
The thought of her innocent and adorable best friend being deceived and mistreated by Jiang Che made her heart ache.
And now she had to be the one to catch him in the act? Wasn’t that too cruel to Wan'er?
On one side was her best friend, and on the other was her man...
In the end, Miss Ye stood firmly on Jiang Che’s side.
"Wan'er... I’m sorry!"
......
"Jiang... Jiang Che, I’m scared..."
Yu Wan'er was genuinely frightened.
Jiang Che licked his lips and smiled.
"I’ve already asked for three days off for you at school, so don’t worry about that."
(Content omitted)
......
Yu Wan'er had a fever.
Her constitution was weak, and she often fell ill.
Her face was flushed red, like a little furnace, and the heat rising from the blankets carried the scent of the young girl.
Jiang Che sighed inwardly. He hadn’t expected Yu Wan'er to get a fever, but now he had to take care of her.
After spending most of the night tending to her—wiping her down with alcohol and feeding her medicine—he finally managed to bring her high fever down.
"I’m really at my wit’s end with you!"
Jiang Che leaned against the headboard, watching as Yu Wan'er fell into a deep sleep, then rubbed his temples in frustration.
......
The next day.
Yu Wan'er woke up early. Her fever had subsided, but she still felt awful, curled up in bed, not wanting to move a single finger.
Her face was slightly pale.
Her rational side told her... she should get up immediately and cut ties with Jiang Che, but another part of her... didn’t want to move, wanting to stay by Jiang Che’s side... forever.
Because once she left, she would have to sever all ties with him.
Though she had been delirious with fever last night, Jiang Che’s care had been meticulous, almost motherly.
Since she could remember, aside from her mother... Jiang Che was the only one who had treated her so well.
Now... she felt a pang of reluctance!
But just then, the hotel room door opened.
"Jiang Che, you two—"
Ye Mengyao braced herself and opened the door. It was time to put on her acting skills.
Hearing the familiar voice, Yu Wan'er was momentarily stunned, but her heart quickly sank to the depths.
Mengyao... sister?
Why was she here?
Her current situation with Jiang Che... no, this couldn’t be happening!
Just yesterday, she had solemnly promised Ye Mengyao that she would never steal her best friend’s man.
Yu Wan'er desperately curled up into a ball, hiding under the blankets and clinging to Jiang Che, as if that would make her invisible to Ye Mengyao.
...
"Jiang Che... Wan'er? What are you two doing together?"
Ye Mengyao covered her mouth, feigning shock.
Jiang Che groggily opened his eyes. Who the hell was disturbing his sleep?
But soon, he remembered... oh right, it was part of the script he had arranged. No problem then.
The show was about to begin!
Ye Mengyao was the ultimate love-struck fool, already brainwashed by his manipulation, and now she had even turned dark. Otherwise, how could she follow his orders and betray her best friend like this?
As for Yu Wan'er... she had always been lively, secretly calling him a pervert in her heart. If he didn’t teach her a lesson... wouldn’t that make him a failure as a villain?
"Ye Mengyao, who told you to come in?"
"Jiang Che, Wan'er... Wan'er, didn’t you say yesterday..."
What followed was a series of awkward performances, and Ye Mengyao’s acting wasn’t exactly top-notch.
But it didn’t matter. Yu Wan'er was already in a daze, and she wouldn’t notice the minor flaws.
The fact that she had stolen her best friend’s man was now undeniable. If there had been a crack in the wall... she would have wanted to crawl into it.
She was mentally shattered!
All she wanted was to hide away.
"Mengyao sister, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to steal your man,"
The girl, unable to bear the pressure, poked her head out from under the blankets, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly pitiful.
Everyone was putting on a show, and only Wan'er was being fooled.
Jiang Che pulled Yu Wan'er into his arms. "Mengyao, you should leave first..."
Ye Mengyao: "..."
Well, her role as a tool was over. Could she at least get some payment for her performance?
Ye Mengyao turned and left, seemingly angry.
Yu Wan'er was now sobbing uncontrollably. "Mengyao sister, it’s not what you think."
Though she was a bit of a freeloader in Ye Mengyao’s life, their sisterly bond was genuine.
Watching Ye Mengyao walk away, Yu Wan'er felt as if her only best friend had completely abandoned her.
She broke down into loud, heart-wrenching sobs.