That night, Jiang Mian happily cooked herself a pack of luosifen. After stuffing herself full, she lounged in front of the TV, phone in hand, and sent a message to Shen Shiyan.

After all, as an excellent stand-in girlfriend, how could she forget such an important task?

[Jiang Mian]: I miss you so much. Why aren’t you back for dinner yet? I’m starving!

Her belly slightly rounded from overeating, Jiang Mian gave it a satisfied rub and let out a small burp.

Shen Shiyan was probably busy—or pretending not to see her message. Either way, there was no reply.

Jiang Mian didn’t bother with it. She tossed her phone aside and kept watching TV.

It wasn’t until she was about to go to bed that she picked up her phone again, planning to send Shen Shiyan another message. That’s when she noticed a new friend request notification.

She tapped on it—an avatar of a cheerful-looking guy, with the name Cheng Wenhan in the note.

No need to guess. It had to be Chen Yao who’d shared her WeChat with him.

Chen Yao clearly thought they were a good match. During lunch, she’d been singing Cheng Wenhan’s praises non-stop.

Jiang Mian wasn’t mad at Chen Yao, she just thought it was unnecessary.

If Cheng Wenhan really wanted to chase her, even without Chen Yao’s help, he’d have found a way to get her contact info from someone else.

But whether to accept the friend request—that decision was entirely in her hands.

Rolling over in bed, Jiang Mian sighed. She admitted it: Cheng Wenhan was good-looking, exactly her type. The problem was, she couldn’t afford to like another man right now. She couldn’t even accept his kindness.

Otherwise, she’d be punished.

She’d already endured it once today—no way was she signing up for a round two.

With Shen Shiyan not around to swoop in and save her at a moment’s notice, she couldn’t afford to be reckless.

Jiang Mian valued her life way too much for that.

After a brief hesitation, she ignored Cheng Wenhan’s friend request, leaving it to rot in limbo.

Rolling over, she scrolled through some jokes online, tweaking one to her liking before sending it off:

[Jiang Mian: Just read Meng 77’s Weibo. Her relationship with her husband is so sweet, I’m honestly jealous. I wish I could be with you every second of every day, Mr. Shen. Goodnight!]

Okay, maybe her literary skills weren’t groundbreaking, but Jiang Mian was pretty satisfied with her handiwork. She gave it a quick proofread, hit send, and promptly passed out.

Not long after she drifted into sleep, her phone buzzed a few times.

On the other end, Shen Shiyan frowned at the message.

His first thought? Who the hell are Meng 77 and her husband?

And “together every second of every day”—where did she even come up with this stuff? Only Jiang Mian could say something that corny with a straight face.

Funny thing was, he’d actually planned to drop by tonight. But work had gotten in the way, and he’d had to put it off.

Shen Shiyan figured that woman—always putting on her pitiful little act in front of him—had probably waited up for him all night. She was bound to be tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Little did he know, the woman in question, Jiang Mian, slept like a baby. In fact, she didn’t just sleep well—she snoozed straight through till morning without a care in the world.

The days that followed slipped back into their usual rhythm: classes, then home to film and edit her videos.

Life was simple, smooth even. The only hiccup? Cheng Wenhan.

It was like the guy had made it his personal mission to test her patience. Even after she’d rejected him—clearly, explicitly—he just wouldn’t quit. Nearly every day, like clockwork, he showed up to walk her to and from class.

At first, people whispered and gossiped whenever they passed. But after a few days, it became old news.

Of course, the school forum was a different story. That place was buzzing with speculation. Some swore Cheng Wenhan was still chasing her while others claimed they were already a couple, practically glued at the hip.

Chen Yao, ever the forum lurker, snapped a screenshot the moment she saw the latest post and sent it straight to Jiang Mian.

Jiang Mian just chuckled, shaking her head. Seriously, don’t these people have classes to attend?

Jiang Mian: “As the person involved, I can tell you clearly—we’re not dating. I’ve already turned Cheng Wenhan down.”

Chen Yao: “Huh? But you two are together almost every day! I thought you were a couple!”

Jiang Mian: “Nope. Not a thing. I don’t like him.”

Even if she did, she thought, there’s no way it’d work out between them right now.

Chen Yao: “But Cheng Wenhan seems really into you. You sure you don’t want to give it a shot?”

Jiang Mian: “Yao Yao, I already like someone else.”

Sure, who wouldn’t want to date a handsome guy and be the envy of everyone around? But her situation didn’t exactly allow for that.

So, she said it straight, hoping Chen Yao would pass the message along to Cheng Wenhan, maybe spare them both the trouble.

But either she was being too naive or Cheng Wenhan’s skin was thicker than she’d thought—because he kept showing up. Every. Single. Day.

Eventually, Jiang Mian gave up trying to shake him off. She just pretended he didn’t exist, treating him like invisible background noise.

A little over ten days flew by, and just like that, New Year’s Day arrived.

During this time, Jiang Mian enjoyed the bliss of single life, dutifully sending messages to Shen Shiyan every day to show she “cared.”

When Shen Shiyan was busy, her texts disappeared into the void. When he wasn’t, he’d occasionally bless her with a few words in reply.

The school had its annual New Year’s Eve gala, but Jiang Mian had zero interest in performing—or even watching.

Chen Yao, on the other hand, was all fired up about it and practically dragged her along.

To Jiang Mian’s surprise, they ended up sitting in the front row, which immediately raised suspicions.

“Are we sure we’re in the right seats?” Jiang Mian asked, squinting at her.

Chen Yao shook her head so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. “Nope, this is it. Right here!”

Jiang Mian narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp as a blade. Chen Yao quickly looked away, guilt written all over her face.

“You want some water? I’ll grab you a bottle!” Chen Yao blurted out, desperate for an escape.

“Not thirsty,” Jiang Mian replied flatly, her suspicion growing stronger by the second.

The moment the words left her mouth, Chen Yao quickly bolted, leaving Jiang Mian all alone.

Jiang Mian couldn’t help but twitch her lips in silent disbelief. That little brat clearly heard her but just ran off.

Was she hiding something from her?

The more Jiang Mian thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Something wasn’t right.

As the gala was about to start, the auditorium gradually filled with people, and Jiang Mian took her seat.

Chen Yao had gone to get water but hadn’t returned yet. Every now and then, Jiang Mian glanced over to the empty spots beside her, and to her surprise, both seats were vacant.

One was obviously Chen Yao’s spot, but who was the other for?

From what she knew, tickets for the New Year’s gala were notoriously hard to get, especially the front-row ones. There was no way they’d be left unclaimed.

As she wondered about the empty spot, Jiang Mian finally saw Chen Yao standing beside none other than Cheng Wenhan.

Everything clicked into place.

No wonder Chen Yao had gotten such a prime spot—so it was all thanks to Cheng Wenhan.

Jiang Mian sighed inwardly. Cheng Wenhan was indeed a great guy, and she’d seen his efforts these past few days. If she were an ordinary person, she might’ve already said yes to his pursuit. But with the punishment system tied to her, she couldn’t afford to like anyone—except for the male lead.

But who would believe her if she said that out loud?

Chen Yao lowered her voice and said something to Cheng Wenhan. “I’m only helping you this once.”

Cheng Wenhan nodded, his focus entirely on Jiang Mian.

After pursuing her for more than half a month, Jiang Mian still remained indifferent.

He had heard rumors that she had someone she liked, but after inquiring carefully, he hadn’t seen her getting close to any guy. So, he concluded that Jiang Mian must have been lying to him.

Cheng Wenhan had confidence in himself. This time, he had come prepared, hoping to spend New Year’s Eve with Jiang Mian.

The two of them approached Jiang Mian and sat down, one on her left and one on her right.

“Miannian!”

Chen Yao called out to Jiang Mian with a guilty tone, trying to explain weakly, “I was just getting water when I happened to run into Cheng… I didn’t expect him to sit right next to you!”

Chen Yao wasn’t great at lying—she stammered, her words came out jumbled, and her eyes kept darting around, unable to meet Jiang Mian’s gaze.

Jiang Mian sighed inwardly. “So, where’s the water you bought?”

“The water’s right here!” Chen Yao hurriedly tried to hand Jiang Mian something, but when she looked down, she realized her hands were empty.

She had only gone out to meet Cheng Wenhan, not to actually buy water.

Her face turned bright red as she looked down, embarrassed. Jiang Mian was so sharp, she must have seen right through her lie. Chen Yao was just about to come clean when Cheng Wenhan, noticing the situation, offered a bottle of water. “I have some water here.”

Jiang Mian glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw the drink he was holding—a trendy orange-flavored sparkling water that girls loved.

Jiang Mian still had a psychological scar from the incident with the soy milk. No matter what Cheng Wenhan offered her, she wasn’t sure she could take it.

“I’m good, I’m not thirsty.”

Cheng Wenhan wasn’t embarrassed. He just smiled, took the water back, and said gently, “Well, if you get thirsty later, just let me know.”

Jiang Mian thought to herself, no even if she gets thirsty, she can’t drink the water he offer. Just take it back!

She wanted to leave already. With Cheng Wenhan beside her, it felt like a ticking time bomb—ready to explode at any moment.

“I just remembered I have something to do, so I’m going to leave!” Jiang Mian grabbed her bag and started heading toward the door.

Chen Yao quickly grabbed her arm, and when Jiang Mian turned to look, she saw the pleading look in her eyes. Chen Yao whispered, “Please don’t go!”

“Let go!” Jiang Mian snapped, trying to pull away.

But Chen Yao wouldn’t budge, shaking her head anxiously. “If you leave, what am I supposed to do? It’ll be so awkward just sitting here alone!”

“You have the nerve to say that!” Jiang Mian glared at her in frustration, her voice low and furious. “What did Cheng Wenhan do to win you over, for you to be doing things for him so willingly?”

Could it be that she likes Cheng Wenhan? Willing to do things that make her unhappy for the person she cares about?

Although Chen Yao often seemed a bit silly, she wasn’t stupid when it counted.

Noticing that Jiang Mian was lost in her thoughts, she quickly cleared things up. “Don’t overthink it! I’m not interested in Cheng Wenhan at all!”

“Then why are you doing things for him?”

Jiang Mian gave her a look that clearly said, “If you don’t tell the truth, I’m leaving.” Chen Yao had no choice but to confess.

“I’m not into Cheng Wenhan, but I do like the lead singer of our school band. Cheng Wenhan just happened to have front-row tickets, so we made a deal.” Chen Yao tried to play the sympathy card. “Their tickets are really hard to get, and this is my chance to get close to them. Of course, I couldn’t pass it up.”

“…”

Jiang Mian almost choked on her own breath. So, she got sold out just so Chen Yao could chase after a band?

“You really can’t leave. If you leave, I can’t sit here by myself!” Chen Yao was practically pleading, rubbing her hands together. “Please, just do it for me!”

=^_^=