CHAPTER 16

Xu Yi saw that she only cared about food. Once again, he criticized her lack of sentimentality and straightforward nature before walking gloomily toward the stream with his fish basket.

Wen Yang, now free, slowly inched her way back to the shore.

On the other side, Xu Yi had tried several times but still hadn’t caught a single fish, only managing to scoop up a few small crabs. Annoyed, he tossed them back into the water, unknowingly wandering into Qi Chen and Xiao Yan’s “territory.”

Peering into Xiao Yan’s fish basket, he saw several large fish. Then, he looked up to search for Wen Yang, only to find that she had already climbed ashore and was sitting comfortably.

He deliberately lingered around Qi Chen and Xiao Yan, provoking an irritated glare from Xiao Yan. “Are you sick?”

“Give me two fish, and I’ll leave.”

Furious at his shamelessness but unwilling to ruin her sweet fishing time with Qi Chen, Xiao Yan begrudgingly handed over their hard-earned catch.

“Not that big one! And not this one either! Didn’t we agree on just those two?!”

Xu Yi ignored her protests. Whatever was in his fish basket was his now. Weighing the hefty load in his hands, he smirked. Tonight, he’d be making fish soup.

“Good luck, you two. I’m heading out,” he said, waving a hand over his shoulder as he walked away.

Qi Chen, watching him go, placed a small fish into Xiao Yan’s basket.

Xiao Yan sighed guiltily. “The fish got stolen…”

“Stolen?”

Hearing the unusual tone in his voice, along with what sounded like a suppressed chuckle, Xiao Yan quickly added, “It was Xu Yi who took them!”

Wen Yang sat on a rock, absentmindedly doodling in the dirt with a twig she had picked up. The sound of water splashing made her look up—Xu Yi was wading back ashore barefoot. She shifted to make space. “Sit here.”

Xu Yi placed the fish basket down. “My fish.”

“I’m wearing glasses, not blind.”

“My fish being in my basket doesn’t necessarily mean I caught them,” he declared with confidence.

Wen Yang didn’t bother arguing with his twisted logic. She was going to eat them anyway.

Without waiting for Qi Chen and Xiao Yan, the two carried their ill-gotten gains back to the village.

—

“Uncle Zhang, we’re having fish tonight,” Xu Yi announced.

Zhang Yuan glanced into the basket at the fresh, plump carp. “You two went fishing? You should’ve called me! I would’ve caught plenty.”

Wen Yang grinned. “Next time, we’ll take you along.”

“Sounds good.”

Wen Yang went upstairs to change into her slippers. When she came back, she noticed the wind had blown open Lin Minjing’s door. She walked over and shut it.

The room seemed empty, but she didn’t think much of it.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan skillfully slit open the fish bellies, scooping out the guts with practiced fingers before rinsing them in clean water.

He called out to the two sitting on the steps, “How do you want the fish cooked?”

“Soup,” Xu Yi replied loudly. Then he turned to Wen Yang. “Anything else?”

“I’m not picky. Whatever works.”

“Make the rest however you want.”

“Got it!”

Lately, Zhang Yuan had been feeling a deep sense of fulfillment, like an old father taking care of two kids. He didn’t have to think about anything—just focus on making sure they were well-fed.

He cleaned the fish thoroughly, tossed the innards into a plastic bag, and carried the prepared fish into the kitchen.

—

“Let’s make peace,” Xu Yi suddenly declared.

Wen Yang looked at him in confusion. “Do we have a conflict?”

“We do,” Xu Yi affirmed confidently. “You’re prejudiced against me.”

“What kind of prejudice?” She thought he was being ridiculous.

“Why were you targeting me today?” He was afraid she’d feign ignorance again, so he put aside his pride and clarified, “Why didn’t you call me to go fishing?”

Wen Yang scoffed. “You weren’t even involved. How was I targeting you?”

The conversation died instantly. Xu Yi stood up, towering over her with his long legs, frustration evident in his expression. She was utterly heartless—dense, cold-blooded, and completely indifferent.

—

As evening approached, Wen Yang heard Qi Chen’s voice outside her room.

Opening the door, she saw Qi Chen standing in front of Lin Minjing’s room, while Lin Minjing smiled at him.

Wen Yang’s mouth slightly parted in shock before she slammed the door shut.

Wen Yang: 006, why is Qi Chen with Lin Minjing? Wasn’t he fishing with Xiao Yan?

The system reviewed past events and answered: After you and Xu Yi left, Lin Minjing found the male lead through another path. She claimed she wanted to fish but didn’t want to burden anyone, so she secretly followed you. Qi Chen ended up carrying her back.

Then, the system dropped a bombshell: I also detected a slight emotional shift in the male lead towards Lin Minjing.

In truth, the system was bluffing. It had no actual function for measuring emotions. It was just wary of the transmigrator pushing too hard and potentially disrupting the main couple’s relationship. It had to be proactive.

Xu Yi happened to see Qi Chen descending the stairs. Their gazes clashed, sparks flying in the air.

Xu Yi turned and strode upstairs. “Come eat.”

Wen Yang, still stewing over what the system had said, paced back and forth in her room. “Qi Chen, if you dare to like her, you’re dead meat!”

Outside, Xu Yi’s expression stiffened. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his clenched fist rested against the door. His thick lashes cast shadows over his darkened eyes.

After a few seconds, a cold sneer curled at his lips. “Wearing glasses and still blind.”

He knocked on the door once before turning away, telling Zhang Yuan downstairs, “I’m not eating.”

—

Wen Yang was too troubled over Qi Chen and Xiao Yan’s relationship to eat. She drank a bowl of fish soup and went upstairs.

That night, in the darkness of two neighboring rooms, both she and Xu Yi lay awake, restless with their own thoughts.

Wen Yang: When will there be heavy rain?

System: The day after tomorrow, Saturday.

Wen Yang: Then let’s follow the plot and stir things up.

System: Understood.

Wen Yang closed her eyes, hoping that this time, Xu Yi wouldn’t cause her more trouble.

—

The next day in class, it was no surprise that Wen Yang saw Xiao Yan arriving early again.

Lin Minjing, once more, entered the classroom with Qi Chen supporting her.

For the entire day, aside from Qi Chen and Lin Minjing discussing schoolwork, the other three remained silent.

Wen Yang was preparing for her big move.

Xiao Yan was jealous.

Xu Yi was also jealous.

In the novel, Qi Chen’s grandmother had dementia. One day, he went to the fields to pick pumpkins, leaving Xiao Yan in charge of watching over her. But while Xiao Yan stepped away for a brief moment, the old woman wandered off.

The villainous female supporting character found the confused grandmother and invited her into her house. But when the protagonist came searching, she deliberately pointed him toward a mountain path.

Xiao Yan got lost in the mountains, trapped in a dark, damp cave when a storm hit. Qi Chen found her, and they spent the night huddled together for warmth.

Darkness fosters intimacy.

A privileged young lady, left with no one to rely on but Qi Chen… Wen Yang could only hope he’d stay steadfast and not turn into a wishy-washy scumbag.

If the male lead of a sweet romance novel fell for someone else, that would be a serious turnoff.

During the last period, Xiao Yan requested to leave early. Wen Yang guessed she didn’t want to witness Qi Chen carrying Lin Minjing again.

At this rate, Lin Minjing was even more aggravating than Wen Yang, the so-called “villain.” At least Wen Yang was playing the role of an antagonistic catalyst, but Lin Minjing? She was outright stealing the male lead.

Thinking about it made Wen Yang angry. Did she not realize they were the official couple? How shameless.

As Xiao Yan left the school, she glanced toward the senior class, as if hoping someone would follow.

No one did.

She walked alone along the dirt path, confusion and fear creeping in as the surroundings became eerily quiet.

Regret filled her.

By the time she reached the village, she was exhausted and trembling.

At the sight of Qi Chen’s house, all the pent-up grievances burst forth.

She broke into sobs, crying her heart out.

In the courtyard, Qi Chen’s grandmother sat basking in the sun. With teary eyes, Xiao Yan unlocked the fence gate, ran over, and threw herself into the arms of the hunched old woman.

“Grandma, I’m scared~ Wuwu~ Qi Chen bullied me, he bullied me!”

The elderly woman’s mind was not entirely clear, but her rough, calloused hand gently stroked Xiao Yan’s hair. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Grandma’s here. Grandma will help Chenchen beat up the bad guys.”

“Chenchen is the bad guy~” Xiao Yan sobbed uncontrollably.

“Then beat Chenchen! Hit him hard!” The old woman gripped her cane and smacked it against the ground.

——

Wen Yang stayed until the last class ended and followed behind Qi Chen after school. Today, he only supported Lin Minjing as they walked, instead of carrying her on his back.

At least he wasn’t completely beyond saving.

Xu Yi observed Wen Yang from the side, noticing how she kept staring at Qi Chen’s back the entire way, lost in thought.

He nudged her arm. “Watch where you’re going, don’t trip.”

Wen Yang disliked being touched by others. She nodded and took a step away from him.

Xu Yi exhaled sharply to the side—one day, she was going to drive him crazy.

——

Thinking about how tomorrow night would be the moment when the male and female leads huddled together in the rain, deepening their feelings, Wen Yang felt excited. She pulled out a small white cloth bag—she should pack a blanket, it would be cold when it rains. Xiao Yan likely wouldn’t have eaten dinner by then, so she also tossed in the leftover chocolate. A flashlight? Qi Chen would bring one. Matches?

Wen Yang: Should I bring matches for warmth?

System: No need. In the original novel, they didn’t have any.

Wen Yang thought about it—if they had fire and warmth, how would they end up huddling together? She tossed the matches back onto the table. Her gaze landed on a bottle of mosquito repellent. Even though there weren’t many mosquitoes this time of year, their bites were nasty. She placed the bottle inside, pressed down on the bag to flatten it, and decided this was enough. When the time came, she’d hand it to Qi Chen and say: You might need this on the way.

Just then, Xu Yi knocked on the door.

“What do you do in here every day? It’s dinner time, and you still need someone to call you.”

His tone was a bit sharp, but Wen Yang was in a good mood and ignored his provocation.

At the dinner table, Zhang Yuan was scrolling through his phone and came across a video about tools women living alone could use to prevent intruders.

“Wen Yang, you used to live alone. Weren’t you scared?”

Hearing this, Xu Yi looked up at her, also curious about her answer.

“I wasn’t scared. I got used to it.” Wen Yang silently added in her heart: As long as there were no bugs or snakes.

Xu Yi let out a short laugh—Not scared? Yet she had been so frightened she couldn’t even sleep in her own room.

Wen Yang turned to him with an icy gaze and repeated, “Not scared.”

Xu Yi wiped the smile off his face, looked away, and muttered, “Just eat.”