Chapter 24: Be Careful, Gu Chacha

Gu Chacha panicked. Over the years, Song Zhuo had always treated her well.

The reason she could throw her weight around in their social circle was entirely because of Song Zhuo’s family background.

Her father Gu’s money alone wouldn’t have been enough to make those heiresses treat her so carefully.

She hurried forward and grabbed Song Zhuo’s arm: “Fufu, what are you talking about with your sister?”

Song Zhuo pulled her arm back stiffly: “I just thought the cake was good, so I recommended it to Huanhuan.”

“Huanhuan?”

Gu Chacha caught the change in her address immediately. Was she sick or something?

Hadn’t He Huanhuan just slapped her? Not only was she not angry, she was calling her Huanhuan?

Was she suffering from Stockholm syndrome?

To her surprise, Song Zhuo glanced cautiously at He Huanhuan: “May I call you that?”

Her eyes were full of anxiety, as if she was afraid He Huanhuan would refuse.

Gu Chacha nearly fainted. What was she being so nervous about?

How was He Huanhuan worthy?

“Fufu, weren’t you just saying earlier that I should change my surname to Gu? So why now...”

She deliberately brought up their earlier conflict, hoping to reignite the tension.

But Song Zhuo frowned at her instead: “Chacha, I wasn’t thinking clearly earlier. One’s surname is a personal choice. Huanhuan grew up outside the Gu family; if she doesn’t want to be a Gu, that’s her right.”

She sized up Gu Chacha: “Speaking of which, Chacha, you’re not actually a Gu by blood. Shouldn’t you consider changing your surname too? He Chacha?”

“Song Zhuo! Have you lost your mind?”

Gu Chacha shrieked: “I am the daughter of the Gu family! I won’t be a He! Why are you bullying me?”

Song Zhuo shrugged indifferently: “I was just making a casual remark. Why are you so upset?”

Gu Chacha’s eyes instantly reddened: “Fufu...”

Before she could play the victim, Song Zhuo stepped back, putting distance between them: “You’d better call me Song Zhuo. ‘Fufu’ is what my family calls me.”

Hearing this, Gu Chacha was completely shaken. She knew something was wrong. In all her life, Song Zhuo had never been this cold to her.

They had fought before, but Song Zhuo had never told her not to use her nickname.

It was a sign of closeness, and now she was taking it back.

She didn’t want to be friends anymore.

But why? She hadn’t done anything!

With red-rimmed eyes, she asked Song Zhuo: “Why? Just because I’m not a real Gu daughter? Are you going to hang out with He Huanhuan now and stop being friends with me?”

She stared pitifully at Song Zhuo, who felt her heart drop suddenly. That confused, overwhelming feeling was creeping in again.

She bit her lower lip and darted over to He Huanhuan’s side.

The gnawing feeling vanished instantly.

She found she could once again face Gu Chacha’s tears.

A thin layer of cold sweat broke out on her back. She felt as if she had just been under some sort of spell.

Her rational mind had been slowly disappearing.

It was terrifying.

She thought about how obedient she had been before—it was as if she’d been bewitched.

She never thought for herself.

Her parents had told her that Gu Chacha had ulterior motives and warned her not to be friends with her.

But she had acted like she hadn’t heard, rushing over the moment Gu Chacha called.

She rubbed her arms involuntarily and said to Gu Chacha: “That’s right. I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. Let’s just leave it at that.”

It was too scary.

She had to stay far away from Gu Chacha.

She needed to take this chance to cut ties completely.

Otherwise, she was afraid that if He Huanhuan wasn’t around one day, she would lose control again and become Gu Chacha’s lackey.

Gu Chacha’s tears fell like rain: “Fufu, we’ve been friends since we were kids. How can you do this?”

Song Zhuo, terrified, scooted even closer to He Huanhuan.

He Huanhuan gave her a strange look: “Are we that close?”

Song Zhuo forced an awkward smile: “Uh, I just lost my balance...”

Though she said that, she refused to move an inch away from He Huanhuan.

She looked firmly at Gu Chacha: “Just think of me as heartless. But being your friend has been exhausting—always helping you pick fights, acting like an idiot.”

Gu Chacha wanted to say more, but Song Zhuo waved her off, refusing to engage further.

For the rest of the time, she stuck to He Huanhuan’s side like glue.

She wasn’t about to give Gu Chacha any chance to brainwash her again.

“Why are you following me? Do we even know each other?”

He Huanhuan gave Song Zhuo an exasperated look. Following her around the hall was one thing, but the bathroom too?

Was she some kind of weirdo?

Song Zhuo wouldn’t leave the restroom. She was afraid that if she went out, she’d run into Gu Chacha.

“I...”

She tried to explain but couldn’t find the right words.

He Huanhuan rolled her eyes: “If you don’t want to be friends with Gu Chacha anymore, why don’t you just go home? What are you hanging around here for? Do you have nothing better to do?”

Song Zhuo suddenly snapped back to reality. That’s right!

She could go home!

She’d go home right now and fly abroad first thing in the morning!

She’d travel to dozens of countries and stay far, far away from Gu Chacha.

There’s no way Gu Chacha could influence her from the other side of the world.

She locked herself in the bathroom and blocked Gu Chacha on every platform—even their music app.

Only then did she calm down a little.

She glanced at He Huanhuan and decided to warn her.

After all, if it weren’t for her, she never would have woken up.

“Hey, be careful with Gu Chacha. She means you...”

Before she could finish, He Huanhuan cut in: “She has a grudge against me and wants to force me out of the Gu family?”

Song Zhuo was shocked: “You know?”

She had thought He Huanhuan was oblivious, given how clueless she seemed!

He Huanhuan barely held back another eye roll: “That little scheme of yours? Any idiot could see through it, okay?”

Who did they think she was?

She’d been hustling on the streets since she was ten!

She could see through Gu Chacha’s little tricks at a glance.

And on top of that, after transmigrating into the book, the original body’s tragic story was still fresh in her mind.

She knew perfectly well that Gu Chacha was no good.

Song Zhuo was stunned: “Then why don’t you kick her out of the Gu family?”

Gu Chacha was malicious, and she had no real blood ties to the Gus.

She couldn’t understand why He Huanhuan didn’t just send her packing.

He Huanhuan scoffed: “You think I have the power to kick her out?”

The Gu family wasn’t hers to command. She couldn’t just decide who stayed and who left.

Besides, she wasn’t the original He Huanhuan.

She just wanted to keep a low profile in this book world until this absurd universe decided to kick her out.

As for Gu Chacha? That was none of her business!

Her nonchalant attitude left Song Zhuo at a loss for words. She hesitated for a long time before adding: “Be careful. There’s something weird about her. I helped her do a lot of bad things in the past without even realizing it...”

She wasn’t sure if she should tell He Huanhuan this. What if she thought she was crazy?

But He Huanhuan took it in stride, even nodding in agreement: “Makes sense. Otherwise, how would she have been able to kill the orig—uh, kill me in the original story?”

In the original novel, there was no way Gu Chacha could have smoothly killed off the original He Huanhuan without some serious ability.

Influencing the people around her? Totally normal!

That’s how these short dramas always played out.