Coquettish Temptation

When they arrived at the police station, Zhou Qishen’s lawyer was already waiting inside. After Jiang Xiao followed the police officer on duty through a series of procedures—recording statements, signing documents, identifying suspects, and so on—it took nearly an hour.

In the quiet office, Jiang Xiao sat alone on a bench, absent-mindedly holding the hot water the police officer on duty had poured for her. It seemed she hadn’t quite recovered from the shock.

It was her hater who had tried to hit her with the car. 

Jiang Xiao repeatedly recalled what had happened in the banquet hall, belatedly understanding what the system meant by her completely deviating from the main storyline. It was probably because of her words to Zhou Wentian: “From today onwards, we have no relationship.”

If a vicious female supporting character doesn’t do evil, it’s like a cook not cooking. It’s impossible for her to be beautiful on her own, so her death in the book is brought forward.

In other words, the system wasn’t joking with her. It really intended to kill her off and introduce new characters.

If it weren’t for Zhou Qishen suddenly appearing and saving her, triggering some mysterious subplot, she would be dead by now.

It seemed her earlier speculation was correct. She had to cling to Zhou Qishen as a lifeline and fully explore this subplot. Only then could she survive. Otherwise, the system could take her life at any moment.

[System 003: Little Mistress, your insight is quite high. That’s right.]

The mechanical and indifferent voice of the system suddenly sounded in her mind. Jiang Xiao was first stunned, then almost jumped out of her chair: Damn it! Can you come out so I can slap you a few times?

[System 003: I cannot, Little Mistress. Friendly reminder: Assaulting others is illegal.]

Jiang Xiao grumbled indignantly: Are you even considered a person?

[System 003 (serious): Although I’m not considered one, I still can’t be hit.]

Jiang Xiao fell silent for two seconds before replying with an “Oh.”

[System 003 (?>﹏

Jiang Xiao smirked: Heh, what can I expect from you? Just tell me, what’s the situation right now?

[System 003: Since you have strayed from the main plot, there is only one way to go now, and that is to take advantage of the villain’s popularity. If you take advantage of enough of them, you will naturally be able to change your bad fate and thus reverse the inevitable death of being cannon fodder who has strayed from the main plot.]

To help Jiang Xiao understand the concept of riding on popularity, the system kindly explained:

[System 003: Riding on popularity means increasing your presence around the villain to raise your presence and appearance rate.]

Jiang Xiao pondered for a moment, indicating she understood—it was just about increasing her presence. How hard could it be?

Come to think of it, wasn’t she already riding on Zhou Qishen’s popularity? Although it was by an absurd act of claiming him as her husband due to her feigned insanity, she inadvertently pushed forward the process of riding on popularity, turning a bad situation into something good.

Jiang Xiao thought of something: Can you show me a progress bar? Like showing how much progress I’ve made towards success at any time?

In some transmigration system novels she had read before, the protagonists always had a progress display screen, showing when they had gathered enough popularity so they could escape at the earliest opportunity.

However, the system’s response dashed her hopes.

[System 003: I’m sorry, Little Mistress. My level is too low to provide that service.]

Jiang Xiao: … Then what use are you?

[System 003 (stammering): I’m kind-hearted and cute in personality.]

Jiang Xiao rolled her eyes, confirming one thing: Her system, besides talking nonsense, was useless.

Out of anger, she… well, she was just angry. Besides accepting the current situation peacefully, what else could she do?

The system probably realized its worthlessness and hurriedly tried to save face.

[System 003: When it reaches a certain level, I will remind you,  Little Mistress.]

That statement was as good as saying nothing. What did “enough popularity” mean? Wasn’t it just up to the system’s mood?

Jiang Xiao no longer held any hope for her own system and asked the question that concerned her the most at the moment: Before gathering enough popularity, I won’t have to stay by Zhou Qishen’s side all the time, right?

If she had to be constantly by Zhou Qishen’s side to stay alive, wouldn’t everything—her career, friends, and the good life she had—all become a mess?

[System 003: Of course not, Little Mistress. This system is still humane, but…]

*Kacha!*

A crisp sound of the door opening cut off the system’s unfinished words, unfortunately stopping at the word “but”.

Jiang Xiao was so angry she almost burst on the spot, itching to know what the system was going to say next. But no matter how she called out to the system, she got no response whatsoever.

Jiang Xiao, full of resentment, looked up at the culprit.

Zhou Qishen was escorted into the office by a group of people. He was engaged in a serious and indifferent conversation with a middle-aged man who seemed to be a leader. Despite being surrounded by several police officers in uniform, his outstanding appearance and demeanor still captivated everyone’s attention.

The office had good lighting. Upon closer inspection, Jiang Xiao noticed a faint black mole just above his left eyelid. It perfectly shortened the distance between his eyebrows and eyes, adding a touch of sharp allure that was both captivating and intimidating.

According to the book’s description, he was more handsome than the male lead, Zhou Wentian.

Seeing him now, the description was accurate—his looks were indeed extraordinary, like a masterpiece crafted by Nuwa^[1]In the creation myth of Chinese folk religion, the goddess Nuwa, also Nugua, is the Mother Goddess and creator of all humankind. She is the goddess of nature, fertility, order, and marriage. In … Continue reading herself.

Living each day by riding on the popularity generated by this handsome face didn’t seem too hard to accept.

But as soon as she thought about the possibility of being tied to him for a lifetime, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat. “Wuwuwu, husband…”

But as soon as the words came out, she realized her mistake and immediately shut her mouth, regretting her impulsive slip-up in front of so many people, calling Zhou Qishen “husband.”

Due to her previous acting experience, she could quickly adapt to any role, not exactly proficient, but at least not overly awkward. After calling him “husband” a few more times, she had become completely accustomed to this new term and could naturally use it.

This had its ups and downs. Like now, the embarrassment made her wish she could dig a hole and hide in it.

Although Jiang Xiao’s voice was soft, it was clear enough for everyone present to hear.

Husband?

The expressions of several police officers failed spectacularly. Their eyes flickered, but they managed to maintain composure and pretended not to hear.

Zhou Qishen was already accustomed to this address. His expression hardly changed. He gave Jiang Xiao a faint warning glance before turning to the middle-aged man and saying, “Director, sorry to trouble you so late. We’ll be leaving now.”

The deputy director calmly exchanged glances between the two. He knew Zhou Qishen quite well, and Jiang Xiao was not unfamiliar either. She was the daughter of the local Jiang family’s chairman and a popular actress. His wife was even her fan.

These two people, who have nothing in common, are actually secretly married?

But that wasn’t certain. Nowadays, young couples were quite open, and terms like “husband” and “wife” were used privately quite often. Perhaps they were just boyfriend and girlfriend.

But whatever their relationship, they were close.

The deputy director smiled kindly and tentatively said, “It’s nothing, Mr. Zhou and… Mrs. Zhou, take care.”

Zhou Qishen’s eyes dimmed slightly. He lightly lifted his lips without responding, then beckoned to Jiang Xiao, “Come here.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiao quickly put on her mask, trotted over, and stood behind Zhou Qishen, behaving extraordinarily obediently.

Zhou Qishen was tall with long legs, so for every step he took, Jiang Xiao had to take two.

Perhaps because he disliked her slow pace, Zhou Qishen suddenly stopped, reached out with a large hand, and accurately grasped her hand, guiding her to keep up with his pace. Soon, they were out of the sight of those around them who were watching.

The unexpected contact made her heart race. Jiang Xiao’s eyes flickered beneath her mask, and a faint smile played on her lips. Couldn’t he resist after all? Tsk tsk, men couldn’t resist the charms of beauty.

But before she could revel in it, as soon as they walked out of the police station’s glass door, he immediately released her hand without a second thought, not even waiting for her, and walked straight toward the parking area.

Only now did Jiang Xiao realize he wasn’t interested in physical contact; he simply disliked her slow pace.

Realizing her misunderstanding, Jiang Xiao felt both angry and embarrassed, but she couldn’t do anything to him. She could only sigh and accept her fate as she hurried to catch up.

Finally catching up, she was greeted by his cold expression. “What’s your home address? I’ll take you home.”

Jiang Xiao continued to play dumb, “My home? Don’t you mean our home?”

“Our home?” Zhou Qishen met her gaze, his lips curling slightly. “Then tell me, where is it?”

Jiang Xiao blinked, realizing she had no idea where his home was.

If he hadn’t interrupted her conversation with the system just now, causing it to disappear before it finished saying “but,” she wouldn’t hesitate to leave his side.

It was his fault, and now he was mocking her? Jiang Xiao was filled with frustration and grievances.

“The doctor said I have memory disorder. I can’t remember many things…” Jiang Xiao pouted unhappily, reaching out to tug at his sleeve, swaying from side to side. “Husband, you need to be more understanding. Why are you always testing me in such a weird way?”

At times like this, instead of stammering and not making sense, it was better to throw the problem back at him, appeal to sympathy, and quickly end the topic.

As expected, Zhou Qishen fell silent.

When he spoke again, his voice was slightly hoarse, carrying a dangerous undertone, “Are you sure you want to go home with me?”

He didn’t know where she got the confidence and courage to suggest going home with a stranger, whether joking or feigning memory loss, there should be a limit.

Jiang Xiao pursed her lips, gripping her fingers silently.

She wasn’t a minor. Naturally, she knew that going home with a stranger was like gambling, where the outcome depended entirely on the other person’s whim. But if she didn’t go with him now, her life… Could it be that Jiang Xiao, once brilliant, would one day end up begging a man to take her home?

“You’re my husband. If I don’t go home with you, who else will I go home with? Don’t tell me you don’t want me anymore?” Jiang Xiao tried to sound as sweet as possible, her big watery eyes filled with pleading and grievances, looking pitiful and evoking sympathy.

She was gambling. She bet that he would soften, that he wouldn’t abandon the “amnesiac” her.

The midnight street was dark and deserted, and the atmosphere hung tense. Jiang Xiao began to doubt herself—was he unwilling?

She was a stunning beauty, taking the initiative to suggest going home with him. As a normal man, why would he hesitate for so long? Shouldn’t he agree immediately? Could it be because he had seen too much and had high standards, looking down on her? Or did he think she was playing tricks?

Although she was indeed playing tricks, she really had no ulterior motives towards him.

Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but start to overthink, unconsciously tightening her grip on his sleeve.

Just as she was about to give up, she finally heard a very soft sigh, “Let’s go home then.”

Her suspended heart finally returned to its place, and Jiang Xiao let out a sigh of relief.

To prevent him from changing his mind and leaving, Jiang Xiao once again took the initiative to hook her arm around his, affectionately saying, “Hehe, I knew my husband couldn’t bear to part with me. Let’s go home quickly.”

Listening to these excessively sweet words, Zhou Qishen pulled the corners of his mouth and pretended to calmly take out the keys from his pocket. However, he found his arm firmly grasped and couldn’t move.

Turning his head to glance at the troublemaker, and seeing no immediate response, he could only slightly attempt to pull away. Jiang Xiao’s arm swayed along, and she looked up at him blankly, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Qishen whispered softly, “Your hand.”

It was then that Jiang Xiao realized she had inadvertently blocked him from opening the car door. Her face turned slightly red, and she immediately let go of his arm, stepping back a couple of steps to create some distance.

After the car started moving, Jiang Xiao looked at the changing scenery outside, feeling bored, and started to make conversation out of nowhere, “Husband, why were you in the parking lot earlier?”

“Meeting a friend to discuss something.” Zhou Qishen lightly tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips. Taking advantage of a red light, he turned to her with a teasing smile, his eyes dark and inscrutable, “But what about you? Shouldn’t you be at a birthday party right now?”

Jiang Xiao was somewhat surprised. How did Zhou Qishen know she was at a birthday party?

But soon, she remembered that in order to give Zhou Wentian a decent birthday celebration, she had mobilized all her connections, delivering invitations to all the celebrities in the northern city, whether she knew them or not, making sure everyone was invited.

As the saying goes, good news doesn’t go out, but bad news travels a thousand miles. Who knew if it had reached Zhou Qishen’s ears? Moreover, the venue for the banquet was his, how could he not know?

At this moment, Jiang Xiao suddenly remembered that when facing the doctor’s questions, she had been so nervous that she had mentioned remembering things before the accident… If she remembered, how could she forget she had a boyfriend? And how could she mistake Zhou Qishen for her husband? Wasn’t this contradictory?

No wonder Zhou Qishen emphasized the phrase “birthday party.” He must know about her relationship with Zhou Wentian and deliberately set a trap for her to fall into.

Even Jiang Xiao, as slow-witted as she might be, realized it now. From the beginning, Zhou Qishen probably never truly believed her claim of memory disorder, otherwise he wouldn’t have intermittently tested and teased her like this.

Well, her lies had too many loopholes, so obvious that anyone could see through them at a glance.

As long as Zhou Qishen wasn’t willing to continue acting as her fake husband, this play would come to an end.

The current situation was this: she was pretending, he knew she was pretending, she knew he knew she was pretending, but neither of them said anything.

It was a case of both parties pretending to be ignorant, waiting to see who would break first and expose the truth.

With her thoughts sorted out, Jiang Xiao felt a lot lighter about the burden of lying and deceiving. After all, wasn’t this just another form of acting? She didn’t believe Zhou Qishen, an outsider, could outperform her in acting. She was a professional!

Besides, there was no way she would confess first. Let’s see who could outplay whom.