She couldn’t help but bend down and lower her head to look inside Bai Qiming’s car. Inside, a beautiful girl with a radiant smile was also leaning forward, looking back at her.

Being able to sit in the same car as Bai Qiming, so close, and looking that attractive— the other party had to be the female protagonist.

“Can I call you Qianqian? I’m your neighbor next door, my name is Lin Niannian.”

Sure enough! Yu Qian happily greeted the female protagonist, Lin Niannian.

“Qiming, let’s get off here.” Lin Niannian said, shaking Bai Qiming’s sleeve.

Lin Niannian was quite happy about Yu Qian’s arrival. After all, growing up, the area around her house was full of boys, and she was the only girl. Now, she finally had some female company.

“But……” Bai Qiming frowned slightly. The sun outside was blazing and Lin Niannian had always been afraid of getting tanned. He thought Yu Qian’s earlier suggestion was quite reasonable.

“No need, no need, Niannian. I’m not in a hurry. I can just go back and come out again later. It makes no difference. You two don’t have to accommodate me.” Yu Qian quickly declined. She wasn’t pressed for time, and if the two got off there, it would take a long time to walk back.

Without waiting for Lin Niannian to say anything else, Yu Qian naturally opened the passenger seat door, sat inside, buckled her seatbelt, and looked completely ready to go.

Lin Niannian blinked at Yu Qian and watched her in the front seat with curiosity in her eyes.

On the way back, Lin Niannian took the initiative to chat with Yu Qian. Yu Qian was also eager to befriend the other party, and their conversation became more and more lively. Bai Qiming, watching Lin Niannian completely ignoring him, felt a little stifled.

When Lin Niannian learned that Yu Qian was planning to visit Peking University, she enthusiastically recommended many local snacks and specialty items along the way. Yu Qian quickly took note of everything.

When they arrived at the house, Yu Qian stayed in the car and watched Bai Qiming get out first.

Lin Niannian glanced at Bai Qiming, then turned to Yu Qian without hesitation. “Qianqian, how about I be your tour guide?”

Lin Niannian found chatting with Yu Qian quite enjoyable, and she figured shopping together would be just as fun.

Waiting outside the car for Lin Niannian to get out, Bai Qiming’s expression suddenly darkened. Without a word, he opened the car door and directly pulled Lin Niannian out, not giving her any chance to speak.

Yu Qian looked at Lin Niannian, who was now flushed with anger, waved at the other party, and unhesitatingly told the driver to drive away.

────ρя


Yu Qian asked the driver for his number and arranged for him to pick her up at six o’clock. Then, she wandered around Peking University alone.

In fact, she was somewhat familiar with Peking University. In her previous life, Wang Jiajia had been admitted there, while she had only gotten into an ordinary university.

She, Qi Yu, and Fang Yan would occasionally visit Wang Jiajia there. Because the four of them weren’t in the same school, Wang Jiajia later ended up meeting that scumbag who cheated so much he might as well have been a centipede.

This time around, Yu Qian wanted to see how that scumbag planned to seduce Wang Jiajia now that she was interfering from the very beginning. Thinking of this, Yu Qian gritted her teeth in anger.

She took a ton of pictures for Wang Jiajia until she was finally satisfied, then left Peking University to find the specialty foods Lin Niannian had recommended.

By the end of her shopping trip, Yu Qian was completely exhausted. She found a nearby courier service and mailed the things she had just bought to Qi Yu and the others. Then, she called the driver to pick her up.

────ρя


The next day, Yu Qian decided to stay in and laze around all day.

With the Bai family’s influence, if she wanted to transfer schools, she could have started on her very first day. However, her mother wanted her to take some time to adjust before attending classes.

Regarding her mother’s decision, Yu Qian could only say that her mother understood her well.

She wasn’t against studying, but being able to start school a little later was still an absolute win.

Without a hint of guilt, Yu Qian embraced her idle lifestyle— chatting with her best friends, binge-watching dramas, and switching to novels when she got tired of watching.

When her eyes got sore, she played with Baibai for a while. When it was mealtime, the housekeeper would call her to eat. Life couldn’t get any better.

Yu Qian binged dramas straight until nine at night. She wiped away her tears from laughing too hard, touched her stomach, and realized her mouth felt a little bland.

She smacked her lips, suddenly remembering the yogurt cake she had bought from the shop Lin Niannian had recommended the day before. It was still in the fridge.

Immediately, she flipped out of bed and dashed to the kitchen.

Taking the cake out of the fridge, Yu Qian couldn’t help but swallow. She picked up a fork, scooped a bite, and put it in her mouth. She was instantly conquered by the taste.

With the fork still in her mouth, she planned to move to the couch and enjoy the cake while continuing her drama. But just as she took a step, her nose tingled.

“Achoo!” Yu Qian let out a loud sneeze. Her hand trembled, and with a soft plop, the cake fell straight to the floor.

Yu Qian stared at the cake lying quietly on the ground, still holding the plate, her face full of struggle.

The cake had fallen and it was dirty now. Should she just buy another one tomorrow?

But she really, really wanted to eat it now. Especially since it had been chilled, making it the perfect texture. By tomorrow, she might not even feel like having cake anymore.

As she hesitated, Baibai seemed to catch the scent and dashed over, eyes locked on the fallen cake.

“Baibai!” Yu Qian quickly grabbed its mouth to stop it from eating.

She glanced around. If she got up to fetch a plate now, the cake would definitely be gone by the time she returned.

The aunties had already retired for the night, leaving the living room empty. Staring at the cake on the floor, she muttered to herself, “The top layer is still clean. I can still eat it.”

She reasoned that as long as she only ate the untouched portion, she wouldn’t get an upset stomach.

Convincing herself, Yu Qian blocked Baibai with one hand while carefully using a fork with the other to pick at the clean parts of the cake.

The moment the cake entered her mouth, she swallowed quickly. It was absolutely delicious!

It had a slight tanginess, balanced by the sweetness of the cream. The texture was rich and smooth, reminiscent of a cheesecake but less overwhelming. Having been refrigerated, it tasted even more divine.

Yu Qian was thoroughly enjoying herself, so much so that she didn’t hear the sound of a door opening upstairs.

“You can’t be serious, Ah Ming. Is your family going bankrupt? Your stepsister has been reduced to fighting a dog for food.” A playful, teasing voice drifted down from the second floor.

Yu Qian froze and slowly looked up, only to see Bai Qiming standing at the top of the stairs with a cocky-looking boy beside him, both staring at her.

She glanced at her posture again. It did look like she was competing with Baibai for food……

Bai Qiming’s expression darkened. His voice was cold as he said, “If it’s dirty, throw it away. Have someone buy you another one.”

Eating food off the floor, what kind of behavior was that?

“It’s late. The cake shop is already closed.”

“Then buy it tomorrow.”

“It’s fine, Brother Ming. I’m just having a little to satisfy my craving.”

Yu Qian felt her scalp tingle. No matter how she looked at it, this situation was beyond awkward. Her posture was far from graceful, but since the embarrassment was already unavoidable, she had to act unfazed. If she wasn’t embarrassed, then the awkwardness would be on the two boys instead.

Bai Qiming walked downstairs with a grim expression, sat on the sofa, and remained silent.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zheng crouched down in front of Yu Qian with a mischievous glint in his eyes, as if he were eager to watch her ‘live mukbang^[1]Korean term for a live-streamed video where viewers watch the host eat’.

Yu Qian glanced at him and automatically labeled him as the second male protagonist.

The second male protagonist is the male protagonist’s childhood friend, practically brothers. In the book, he played the role of a wingman for the main couple. Unlike the deeply devoted male protagonist, this guy was a notorious playboy. Even when the male protagonist had kids, this guy was still single at thirty.

He also happened to be the person book Yu Qian hated the most. His mouth was vicious! If he got into an argument with her mother, her mother would definitely lose.

Yu Qian had assumed that the two would leave to avoid the awkward situation, allowing her to throw away the cake in peace. However, not only did Bai Qiming remain seated on the sofa, but Jiang Zheng was even crouching in front of her. Resigning herself, Yu Qian picked up a bit of clean cake and politely asked, “Do you want some?”

Jiang Zheng raised an eyebrow and refused with a smirk. “Seeing how much you’re enjoying it, how could I have the heart to take a piece from you?”

“Then do me a favor and hold Baibai down.” Yu Qian said, pushing Baibai toward him.

Amused, Jiang Zheng reached out and held Baibai by the back of the neck, keeping it still.

Watching Yu Qian chew like a hamster, Jiang Zheng suddenly showed a malicious smile. “Good thing your cake is white. Otherwise, I might have thought you were fighting the dog for poop.”

Yu Qian: “……”

“But are you sure this floor is clean? What if the dog peed here before? And, aren’t the mops the aunties use cleaned in the bathroom……?”

Yu Qian: Gag—

Some things were better left unthought of. The more she thought about it, the more the cake seemed to take on an unmentionable flavor.