Chapter 2

In front of Xia Xue, Wang Xing felt embarrassed. Twice he had tried to take Lin Wanting’s hand—once she pushed him away, and once she avoided him.

“You two having a spat? Aren’t you about to get married?” Xia Xue asked, eyes full of gossip.

Wang Xing felt Lin Wanting was being completely unreasonable, constantly throwing her young-lady tantrums. He’d already spent enough effort coaxing her, yet the final step still wasn’t within reach.

“Isn’t this normal? Don’t you know her by now?” Wang Xing blurted out, trying to ease the awkwardness.

Lin Wanting walked ahead, head held high. At that moment, she wasn’t anyone’s anything—she was simply herself. She was Miss Lin.

She walked faster and faster until she reached the clothing section. Standing with her hands on her hips, she waited for the other two to catch up.

Xia Xue, while pretending to offer Wang Xing advice, was actually secretly delighted—Lin Wanting had landed such a handsome man and yet didn’t know how to cherish him.

“If I had a boyfriend like you, I’d never throw a spoiled princess tantrum. I’d cherish you properly!”

Wang Xing glanced at Xia Xue, suspicion stirring in his heart: So Lin Wanting’s best friend has a hidden meaning in her words, huh?

“Haha… You’ll have your chance to meet one someday~”

The two then arrived at the clothing shop, where they found that Lin Wanting had only picked out black dresses—five in total, not a single piece in another color.

Wang Xing was looking forward to this wedding—after all, Lin Wanting was footing the entire bill. Clearly, in his past life, she must have been hopelessly in love.

“Wanting, why are you picking only black? Don’t throw a childish tantrum, okay? Let’s choose together.”

Wang Xing was putting on his last act, still trying to push things over the final hurdle.

Xia Xue chimed in to persuade her: “Wanting, look—this white one, this green one, they’re beautiful! Why only black?”

Lin Wanting stood, hands on her waist, and pointed to the black dresses. “I’m a black lotus, not a white lotus or a green tea~”

She’d picked up this modern slang thanks to the system, though Xia Xue understood well enough what “green tea” meant.

“Oh, come on, my dear Miss Lin—this pink one is gorgeous! It even has embroidered flowers!”

“So tacky!” Lin Wanting was dead set on embarrassing Wang Xing today, refusing to go along with his wishes.

“Shop assistant, pack up all five sets for me!”

Wang Xing completely lost his patience. Lin Wanting was acting strangely today—unlike her friend Xia Xue, who at least didn’t seem so spoiled.

“Lin Wanting, what’s the meaning of this? Are we still getting married or not?” he tried to threaten her. Usually, this kind of talk would scare her.

“It means nothing. Marry or don’t—your choice. I’m leaving.”

Xia Xue didn’t follow her out. Instead, she comforted Wang Xing: “Don’t be mad. Just go and coax her again tomorrow.”

“Xia Xue, you’re so understanding! Can you believe I’ve never even been to Lin’s family home, and we’re about to get married? How embarrassing!”

Feeling wronged in front of Xia Xue, Wang Xing triggered a spark of jealousy in her: “My family’s about the same as hers. You could come to my house, get a feel for it.”

This also hinted at her own background—though Lin Wanting’s was slightly better.

Wang Xing looked at Xia Xue and felt comforted. But he had invested too much into Lin Wanting to give up now.

“Alright, I’ll come by when I have the time~”

When Lin Wanting returned home with her clothes, her mother, Qiao Yilan, was already waiting in the hall.

“Stop right there~” Qiao Yilan said, crossing one leg over the other and fiddling with her prayer beads.

“Mom, I’m back. What’s the matter?” Lin Wanting’s eyes shimmered with tears—proving the old saying: If your parents disapprove of your marriage, there’s a reason for it.

“What’s the matter? Are you seriously prepared to marry into that poor backwater?”

“Mom, let me tell you—” She leaned in and whispered in her mother’s ear. Xiao Min, standing nearby, couldn’t hear a thing.

Qiao Yilan listened, disbelief on her face. But there wasn’t much she could do—this was her only precious daughter. And the rumors she’d heard lately weren’t without foundation.

“Tingting, whatever happens in the future, you must face reality.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I will.”

【System: Please complete today’s sign-in task~】

Lin Wanting immediately returned to her room. Qiao Yilan sighed—her daughter was becoming more and more mysterious these days.

【Sign-in Rewards~】

After clicking 【Sign in now】—ding-dong~

【System notice: Signed in successfully. Please lie down to receive your gift~】

Lin Wanting obediently lay down. She thought this system was pretty fun.

As soon as she was on the bed—plop—a cool, refreshing facial mask landed perfectly over her face.

【System notice: Please care for your face for 15 minutes~】

Startled, Lin Wanting realized this thing was amazing—cool and soothing.

While she relaxed, she thought about all that had happened recently. No wonder Xia Xue’s words had always been laced with sarcasm—she had been careless before, treating her like a friend and telling her everything.

The next morning, Wang Xing couldn’t sit still and came knocking at Lin Wanting’s door.

Xiao Min first informed Qiao Yilan, who shook her head helplessly: “Go call the young miss out.”

Lin Wanting had slept like a baby, stretching as she got up. Looking in the mirror, she was shocked—what kind of divine facial mask was this?

Her skin was crystal clear, brimming with collagen, and her whole being felt lighter.

“Young miss, your skin looks amazing!”

Lin Wanting gave Xiao Min a proud glance and went to answer the door.

Wang Xing was stunned to see her looking even younger—was he imagining things? The Wanting he knew now seemed almost like a stranger.

“What are you here for?”

“Wanting, what did I do wrong? At least let me die knowing the reason. Why have you suddenly turned so cold?”

“There’s no ‘why.’ You can’t even pay for the wedding, yet you think you can boss me around? Go home!”

“I thought you didn’t care about my family background—now you’re looking down on me for being poor?”

As they argued, Xia Xue came running from afar—she’d guessed Wang Xing would come.

“Why are you two fighting again? Wanting, let’s talk this through!”

“Well, isn’t this lively? Wang Xing, I think you should stop pestering me—someone else here cares about you.” Lin Wanting said, glancing at Xia Xue.

Called out like that, Xia Xue couldn’t fight back in front of Wang Xing, so she put on a delicate, wronged expression.

“Wanting~”

Lin Wanting then shut the door, disgusted at even seeing Wang Xing.

Of course, she didn’t leave right away—she wanted to see what Xia Xue would do next.

“Wang Xing, why lower yourself like this? Come to my house!”

In Wang Xing’s mind, he was weighing the pros and cons—he really didn’t want to give up on Lin Wanting.

Lin Wanting thought to herself: Fine, you’re only fit to pick up the trash I’ve already thrown away.