However, Pei Shi did remind Bai Tao that her aesthetic taste was pretty much set, but perhaps Pei Shi’s bookshelf contained some profound-looking books?
With this thought, Bai Tao sneaked into Pei Shi’s study and immediately picked out a foreign-language book that looked quite impressive.
She bounced downstairs with the book in hand and approached Pei Shi: “Husband! Can I borrow this book of yours?”
Pei Shi glanced at the book: “This one isn’t in English.”
Of course, Bai Tao knew it wasn’t in English. After all, she wasn’t planning to actually read the content. The more obscure the language, the more cultured she could appear. All she needed to know was the name of the book: “Which book is this?”
“Madame Bovary.” Pei Shi blinked and briefly explained, “It was a birthday gift from Pei Fei when I turned fifteen. Don’t lose it.”
“No problem! I’ll bring it back after I’m done using it tomorrow!”

Bai Tao was quite pleased to have borrowed the book and stuffed it into her bag. Tomorrow, she decided, she would show off in front of Sun Jing.

Madame Bovary is a work by the French author Flaubert. Holding this French original during a leisurely lunch break and reading quietly would perfectly showcase her taste, wouldn’t it?
Bai Tao had never even read the Chinese version of Madame Bovary, but to be thorough, she prepared meticulously that night, memorizing the book’s synopsis and deeply analyzing its themes until she almost had it all committed to memory. And the story’s theme was exactly in line with the impression Bai Tao wanted to create!
The next day at lunch, everything went as Bai Tao had expected. After lunch, Sun Jing returned to her desk, and Bai Tao noticed that this anonymous informant had indeed been sneaking glances at her all along—just as planned.
Pretending not to notice Sun Jing’s gaze, Bai Tao casually pulled Madame Bovary out of her bag and began reading. To show her engagement, Bai Tao occasionally furrowed her brows, slightly smiled, or knitted her brows tightly, as if she were truly caught up in the emotional ups and downs of the story.
Her blatant display of reading an original language book indeed caught Sun Jing’s attention. During a break when Bai Tao paused to sip tea, Sun Jing approached with suspicion: “What are you reading?”
Bai Tao took a sip of tea and responded calmly: “Just reading Madame Bovary.” She smiled slightly, “I’ve actually read it many times, but recently revisiting it, I still find Flaubert’s writing to be incredibly deep. And reading it in the original French allows you to truly appreciate the essence of his word choices and descriptions, making the educational message even clearer—cheating and having affairs in marriage will lead to divine retribution. We young women absolutely must not do such things, especially someone like me who can understand the original text.”
The most lethal kind of pretense is the subtle kind!
“…”
As expected, Sun Jing showed a shocked expression. She glanced at Bai Tao, then at the book in her hand, and after a long pause, she finally broke her silence with a somewhat pained look: “Um… this book… it’s in Italian…”
Bai Tao, who had been ready to deliver another deep interpretation of Madame Bovary, was completely thrown off by Sun Jing’s words: “…Huh? In Italian?”
Sun Jing said expressionlessly, “I took Italian as my second foreign language in college. This is definitely in Italian…”
“…”
Silence. Silence was the only response.
At this moment, even Bai Tao, who prided herself on her quick thinking, was too embarrassed to speak.
Invisible pretense is indeed the most lethal…
In her heart, Bai Tao cursed Pei Shi a hundred times over. Why couldn’t this man have mentioned a few more words to let her know that this wasn’t a French original, but Italian?! What business did a fifteen-year-old boy have with an Italian book? She should never have taken this book! A gift from Pei Fei couldn’t possibly match her vibe! No way!
She had intended to use this book to show off her culture, but Bai Tao never expected to fail so spectacularly…
She looked at Sun Jing and tried to salvage the situation: “Forget what just happened, Sun Jing, let’s pretend it was all a dream…”
“Still feeling touched when you wake up?” Sun Jing seemed to finally let go, smirking mockingly before her expression turned cold. “Fiona, it’s impossible for someone to pretend to be someone else. What doesn’t belong to you simply doesn’t belong to you, and eventually, you’ll be exposed. Stealing someone else’s life or belongings is pointless.”
“My idol is Bai Tao. She is upright, has a noble character, is humble and unpretentious, and her comics are filled with a youthful spirit, righteous themes, and sweet plots, all fueled by an amazing imagination. But her depth comes from her upbringing, it’s her nature, and it’s something others can’t imitate. Some people are just pale imitations, trying to emulate without success!”
After finishing her speech, Sun Jing cast Bai Tao a couple of meaningful glares before walking away without looking back.
Despite Sun Jing’s harsh words, Bai Tao wasn’t angry at all. Sun Jing, aside from her questionable taste, was quite impressive! Not only was she a loyal fan, but she also had a strong sense of justice! She even went as far as to risk her own trouble by reporting Pei Shi’s alleged affair to Bai Tao!
Later that evening at the dinner table, Bai Tao passionately recounted the entire fiasco, her tone rising and falling with emotion as she relayed the story.
Pei Shi quietly cut his steak, finally piecing together Bai Tao’s bizarre behavior from the weekend and drawing a few conclusions—
First, this woman actually believed he was the type to have an affair.
Second, Sun Jing, who had betrayed them, needed a reason to have her pay docked.
Third, Bai Tao really needed to stop reading those trashy novels, or she’d imagine even more absurd scenarios.