Chapter 25: Ah, so it's a little game between the young couple.
An Ling stood up and looked at the man on the sofa, the words catching in her throat.
Actually, she wanted to tell Shen Linyan to flat-out reject Zhou Wen’s help.
But would that be too harsh all at once? What if Shen Linyan’s conscience outweighed his sense of grievance?
Maybe she should take it step by step?
“You... first, refuse your mother. You cannot let this matter be suppressed.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man nodded. “Alright. Does Madam have anything else to add?”
“Not for now.”
“What about the water incident?”
“Huh?” An Ling didn’t react for a moment.
The man on the sofa sat with a dignified grace, his features as gentle as jade and his tone light. “Since Madam said we are going to be the villains, shouldn't we retaliate for the time she splashed water on you?”
“...Hahaha, of course we should.” An Ling’s smile was a bit forced.
As expected of the head of the Shen Corporation, he was a quick and precise learner, even capable of drawing inferences. She had almost forgotten about that herself.
“I’ll wait until the next time I go back to get my revenge. Let her enjoy her comfort for a little longer.”
An Ling silently picked up her bag and waved. “I’m heading out now. I have plans with Jiang Mai.”
Shen Linyan smiled and raised a hand. “Be careful on the road, Madam.”
The moment the door closed, the smile vanished from his face.
The man leaned back casually against the chair, his fingertips mindlessly tapping the phone screen, his eyes sinking into a cold, contemplative depth.
*Ding...*
a notification broke the silence.
[Chairman Shen, Huang Long has confessed everything. Young Master Lu’s people are looking for him. Should we release him?]
His expression remained indifferent as the corner of his mouth quirked up slightly.
[Release him. And make sure that old woman finds out what happened.]
It had been far too noisy lately; things needed to quiet down for a few days.
Just after sending the message, his private WeChat buzzed.
An Ling: [(Image) Just in case Hubby forgets! ^^]
He clicked on it. It was a photo of the "rules" she had just written down.
The man paused, his gaze lingering on the screen for a few seconds. His Adam’s apple bobbed as a slow, faint chuckle escaped his lips.
“Kindness...”
He slowly typed back a reply:
[Understood, Madam. ^^]
***
“An Ling, I really underestimated you.”
Inside the café, Jiang Mai flipped through the rules on the phone, unable to stop herself from clicking her tongue in wonder.
“I thought you were joking, but you’re actually doing it? You even wrote out a proposal. Your initiative is incredible—I guess that’s the producer in you talking.”
An Ling huffed twice. “What did you expect? And I’ve already talked to Shen Linyan about it.”
“Huh?? You told him?” Jiang Mai’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you say? You didn't just walk up to him and say, ‘I’m going to teach you how to be a villain,’ did you??”
An Ling paused, guiltily shifting her gaze.
“...Is there a problem with that?”
“...Don't tell me Shen Linyan agreed.”
“...So what if he did?”
“...”
Jiang Mai calmly handed the phone back.
She calmly took a sip of her coffee.
Finally, she gave a calm evaluation.
“Ah, I see. It’s just a bit of 'married couple roleplay' flirting.”
An Ling: “?”
Jiang Mai tapped the table, nodding for emphasis. “Think about it. If someone suddenly said to you, ‘I’m going to teach you how to be a bad person,’ what would you think?”
An Ling: “I’d think they were crazy.”
Jiang Mai: “Exactly!”
“...”
An Ling’s mouth twitched. She pushed her hands forward dismissively. “I don’t care. Anyway, I told him and he agreed. If he still ends up bankrupt, that’s his problem. I’ve done my part.”
Jiang Mai shrugged. “If you ask me, just let it be. Trying to change Shen Linyan is too much trouble. You should focus on handling your own affairs, stay away from the plot, and get that divorce.”
“But Shen Linyan is so pitiful!!”
An Ling slapped the table in frustration, her expression looking as though she were the one being treated unfairly.
“Do you have any idea how biased his mother is? Oh my god, it made my blood boil! In all my years, I’ve never seen such blatant favoritism. And that idiot Shen Linyan actually apologized! It made me even angrier!”
Jiang Mai said expressionlessly, “Why is a 'vicious female supporting character' like you worrying about the second male lead?”
Seeing her best friend freeze instantly, Jiang Mai sighed and set down her cup.
“An Ling, you haven't read enough novels. Let me explain this to you once, so listen closely.”
No wonder her soft-hearted friend had been possessed by a system; with this 'cold on the outside, soft on the inside' personality, she was never meant to be a villainess.
“You said our world is a novel. In that case, no matter how melodramatic the things happening to the characters are, they are 'real.' There is no such thing as 'too' melodramatic, only 'more' melodramatic.”
“Different life experiences shape different character traits. Why do you think Shen Linyan is so capable and sensible, yet still ignored by his mother? It’s because the author wanted to create the image of a gentle, mature ruler. Even if he grew up unloved and neglected, he remains kind and gentle to everyone. That *is* Shen Linyan.”
An Ling stared, her mouth hanging open as if she wanted to argue, but Jiang Mai cut her off.
“And don't bother trying to get revenge for him. That’s really not your job. My dear friend, have you ever wondered why Shen Linyan likes the female lead? It’s because she helped him a long time ago. We’re already at the end of the novel; Zhou Wen must have already 'saved' him by now.”
“...”
An Ling was stunned for a long while before finally muttering a single word.
“Crap.”
What a complicated setup.
She leaned back against her chair thoughtfully. “You’re amazing, Jiang Mai. I never even thought about all that.”
Jiang Mai rubbed her nose proudly.
“Of course! Do you think all those nights I spent reading novels were for nothing? If this were the beginning of the story, I’d encourage you to help him—maybe he’d even fall for you. But since it’s the finale, you’re better off just protecting yourself.”
“But I already promised Shen Linyan I’d teach him how to be a villain. What do I do now?” An Ling suddenly felt like deleting the photo she’d sent.
“Just wing it.”
Jiang Mai rubbed her chin. “Let me think... Basically, Zhou Wen is likely Shen Linyan’s 'White Moonlight' right now. Just don't be stupid enough to make him reject Zhou Wen directly. He probably won't refuse you on anything else.”
An Ling, who had almost done exactly that: “...”
She gave a guilty “Oh.” “These tropes are so complicated. I’m actually starting to admire my old screenwriting teachers.”
Speaking of work, Jiang Mai arched an eyebrow. “By the way, are you going back to being a producer?”
“Yeah! I got back in touch with my old mentor, and she agreed to let me work with her.” An Ling let out a sigh of relief. “Luckily Ms. Chen wasn't angry. I swear, I blame that stupid system for everything.”
“So, same as before? You’re staying away from the sets?”
Producers usually have to monitor progress on-site, but An Ling’s prosopagnosia—her face blindness—made recognizing people difficult. In the past, she had stuck to program production and post-production operations.
An Ling propped her chin on her hand. “Actually, no. This time I plan to follow Ms. Chen as an executive producer.”
She felt that because she had been such a shut-in before, no one had noticed the difference when she was possessed. If she participated in more offline activities, maybe the system wouldn't have chosen her to begin with.
Besides, she needed to break the persona that the damn system had forced on her.
Jiang Mai asked in surprise, “You’re not worried about your face blindness anymore?”
An Ling looked hesitant.
“I don’t think I know anyone in the entertainment industry... right?”