Chapter 3: Veins on the Back of the Hand Standing Out

[Mimi, your mission is to bully the female lead!]

“Didn’t I just do that?”

The system, Dumb-Dumb, was stunned as it glanced at Bai Ruanruan. Her little fists were clenched, her eyes red, on the verge of tears.

This… this… Jiang Mi was technically following the script and bullying the female lead.

But according to the plot, the vicious supporting character was supposed to stick her face out and let the female lead slap her back in revenge!

Jiang Mi let out a cold laugh.

Dumb-Dumb froze, realizing it had accidentally voiced its thoughts aloud.

Save me!!!

[Cough cough, following the plot as a vicious supporting character is your job. Whether or not the female lead plays along is her business.]

Jiang Mi ignored Dumb-Dumb and turned her gaze to the director, bringing the conversation back to the start. “Director, if I’m not mistaken, the livestream was scheduled for 4 PM. It’s only 9 in the morning now, and I just woke up. Why are you barging into my home with your crew?”

The director hadn’t expected the focus to shift back to him. His confidence faltered. “Well, since we’re starting today, we thought we’d give the audience an early treat…”

Jiang Mi arched a brow, her lips curving into a faint sneer. “You’re sure showing me off is a treat for the audience, and not just spoiling their appetite?”

The director chuckled awkwardly. “Mimi, how could you say that about yourself? No, of course not.”

[Jiang Mi’s official announcement post had over 100,000 hate comments, trending for all the wrong reasons. But now? Forget spoiling our appetite; sis is stunning—I’m obsessed!]
[Keep it going! She’s already taken off her shoes—are we getting the dress next?]
[I need every detail about that man in three seconds (CEO tone)]
[He’s so hot! His face is cold and stern, but the way he helped her with her shoes was so suggestive! Aaahhh!]
[Ship it! GKD!!!]

The director, noticing the flood of comments, frantically signaled the cameraman to focus on Gu Chuan.

In an industry oversaturated with boyish flower boys, Gu Chuan’s rugged masculinity was a rare sight. The viewers were going wild.

Gu Chuan suddenly turned his head, his sharp black eyes sweeping over everyone like a blade.

The netizens on the other end of the screen were euphoric. “So fierce, so wild, so handsome! Close-up, now!”

The 200-pound cameraman trembled, nearly dropping the camera. He didn’t dare.

The director shivered as well, coughing nervously. “Ahem, it’s getting late. We should head back to prepare. Let’s go!”

With that, the crew scrambled away, their hurried footsteps echoing like they were fleeing a monster.

Gu Chuan, too, excused himself, saying he would prepare breakfast before stepping out.

Jiang Mi watched his tall, cold figure retreat, a playful smile curling her lips.

He was cold, detached, and unyielding.

Yet because of a debt from his childhood, he served this willful heiress with utmost devotion.

Such a fascinating mix of hardness and hidden softness.

---

Back in her room, Jiang Mi changed out of her pajamas. Opening the wardrobe, she was greeted by rows of loose white T-shirts, gray plaid shirts, and wide-legged pants. The few high-end gowns were pitifully stuffed in the corner.

She glanced down at her chest. It seemed the original owner had been ashamed of her impressive figure.

All because the male lead had subtly emphasized his preference for pure and modest women, mentally manipulating her into hunching her shoulders and shrinking away, even considering surgery to reduce her assets.

Tsk, the male and female leads are truly toxic.

Jiang Mi smirked and picked a wine-red slip dress, throwing a black cardigan over her shoulders.

She looked like a vivid red plum blooming in a snowy landscape.

Sensuous, vibrant, yet elegantly cold.

---

When she entered the dining room, Gu Chuan was just stepping out of the kitchen with a cup of black coffee. His eyes fell on her figure in the wine-red dress.

Her skin was like jade, her beauty ethereal yet intoxicating.

Alive, alluring, utterly captivating.

The palm of his hand, grazed by a woman’s toes, burned with a sudden heat. He clenched it into a fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

His breathing quickened slightly. Gu Chuan turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Jiang Mi called after him, “Where are you going?”

“To add ice,” Gu Chuan replied, his face cold. He tossed two ice cubes into the black coffee before slamming the cup onto the table with a sharp duang.

Jiang Mi: “…”

The rich aroma and bitterness of the coffee wafted up, making her frown slightly.

She disliked bitter things and preferred sweet ones.

But the original Jiang Mi had loved black coffee, drinking it every morning for its diuretic and slimming effects.

If she skipped it, her character as the spoiled heiress would fall apart in front of the antagonist.

Jiang Mi blinked, her voice turning soft and coquettish. “Feed it to me.”

Gu Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharp and probing. “Enjoy your drink, Miss. I’m heading to the garage to start the car.”

Jiang Mi searched her memories and realized that Gu Chuan never had time to eat.

When the original Jiang Mi stayed in bed, Gu Chuan was in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

When she ate, he was already waiting with the car in the courtyard.

And when she left the house, he shadowed her protectively.

“Stop.”

[Boss Jiang, you’re not supposed to feel sorry for the antagonist—you’re supposed to humiliate him!]

Jiang Mi’s and Dumb-Dumb’s voices overlapped as Gu Chuan paused. “Miss, do you have further instructions?”

Jiang Mi lifted her chin slightly. “Sit down and eat.”

Gu Chuan stared at her with a steady, somber gaze.

Jiang Mi suddenly chuckled, arching her brow. Her peach blossom eyes gleamed with playful arrogance. “That’s an order.”

Whether the intention was kind or malicious, being ordered from a position of superiority always carried an undertone of discomfort.

Gu Chuan’s expression remained cold. Silently, he picked up his plate, clearly intending to eat in the kitchen instead.

“Sit down and eat,” Jiang Mi added.

Gu Chuan raised his head, his face emotionless, his voice as indifferent as ever. “Miss once said that dogs don’t have the right to eat at the same table as their master.”

That was a truly humiliating line.

But what intrigued Jiang Mi more was how Gu Chuan could endure being called a dog without flinching. Was he suppressing his emotions, or did he simply not care?

Perhaps, in his eyes, the proud and spoiled Jiang Mi was nothing more than a pampered pet dog.

Would a master take a sulking pet dog seriously?

Of course not.

When in the mood, they might coax it. When not, they’d simply cast it aside.

This peculiar thought crossed Jiang Mi’s mind, and she felt as though she’d uncovered the truth. No wonder someone like Gu Chuan, a fearsome antagonist, tolerated the original Jiang Mi’s constant humiliation.

Setting down her ornate spoon with a clear ding against the porcelain bowl, Jiang Mi raised her head. Her delicate face glowed, and the tiny mole at the corner of her eye seemed to sway like a playful charm.

“Meow~ Meow~”

“Are meows and woofs the same kind?”

Gu Chuan’s sharp jawline tightened as his piercing gaze locked onto the woman teasing him.

Her mole swayed lightly at the corner of her eye, like an exquisite ragdoll cat affectionately licking her master’s fingers, her tone laced with flirtation.

For a moment, the indifference in his heart trembled faintly.

Cold blood coursing through his veins seemed to warm.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he tore his eyes from that mesmerizing mole and looked instead at the iced coffee. Narrowing his eyes, he avoided her question entirely and reminded her, “Miss, you haven’t had your coffee yet.”

The playful smile on Jiang Mi’s face froze. She pouted petulantly. “If you don’t feed me, I won’t drink it.”

A faint, enigmatic curve appeared at the corner of Gu Chuan’s lips. “Understood. From now on, black coffee won’t be part of your breakfast anymore.”