Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 12

After staying overnight at Lu Yanwei’s place, Shen Shirou took a taxi back the following afternoon.

As she stepped out of the cab, she noticed a familiar silver Cayenne parked in front of the villa’s courtyard. In fact, Shen Shirou not only recognized the car but was well acquainted with its owner—Qi Yan, whom she hadn’t seen in half a month.

Adopting the mindset that “the less trouble, the better,” Shen Shirou decided to ignore the Cayenne and pretend she hadn’t seen it. However, just as she was about to brush past, the car crawled forward a few inches, blocking her path.

When Shen Shirou stepped back, the car reversed accordingly, stopping precisely in front of her.

Shen Shirou: “…” How could she have forgotten? This was Qi Yan—the most unscrupulous woman in the entire novel!

Refusing to give Shen Shirou any more room to play dumb, the window rolled down slowly, revealing a stunning, alluring face.

“Half a month apart and you’ve already forgotten my car,” Qi Yan said with a half-smile. “It seems I’ll have to drive you home more often. Otherwise, the next time we meet, you might not even remember my name.”

Qi Yan looked at her. “Don’t you agree, darling?”

Shen Shirou leaned down and said crossly to the woman inside, “You aren’t Sister Jiang. I barely know you, so don’t call me that.”

Assuming Qi Yan was there for Jiang Peixing, Shen Shirou added, “You’ve come at a bad time. Sister isn’t home. You can leave now.”

Qi Yan didn’t even blink. “Why would I come looking for that eyesore of a woman?”

“What,” Qi Yan chuckled. “Don’t tell me you didn’t realize I came here specifically to wait for you?”

“What do you want with me?” Shen Shirou asked.

“I’d like to invite Miss Shen for a cup of coffee,” Qi Yan said. “Will you join me?”

“No, I’m busy,” Shen Shirou replied righteously. “I have to wait for Sister to come home so I can prepare a Valentine’s Day surprise for her—”

Before she could finish, Qi Yan let out a low laugh. “I’m afraid your dear Sister Jiang won’t be coming home today.”

Shen Shirou caught the underlying meaning. “What did you do?”

“Nothing much,” Qi Yan smiled elegantly. “Just added a tiny bit of trouble to her schedule. It’s nothing to her; she’ll have it resolved in a few days. But look at you—it’s Valentine’s Day and she isn’t even by your side, yet you’re waiting for her. Don’t you feel a bit foolish?”

Qi Yan continued, “If I were you, I’d have dumped her long ago to find someone new.”

Halfway through the speech, Shen Shirou was actually impressed. Qi Yan was finally doing her job as an antagonist by making life difficult for Jiang Peixing. No wonder Jiang Peixing headed straight to the office after the flight; it was Qi Yan’s shadow play.

But as she kept listening, Shen Shirou felt the tone shifting into something odd. She was Jiang Peixing’s fiancée—shouldn’t Qi Yan be giving her a hard time too? Why was she acting as if she were on her side while belittling Jiang Peixing?

She was acting more like a “Green Tea” than Shen Shirou was.

“Even so, I’m not going with you,” Shen Shirou insisted. As a “Green Tea,” she had to maintain her image of pure, innocent devotion.

“If you have coffee with me, I’ll stop bothering your Sister Jiang for a while. How about it?” Qi Yan suggested. “You don’t want to see her so swamped that she has to work through her rest hours, do you?”

Shen Shirou actually did want to see that. The less Jiang Peixing was home, the more freedom she had. But she had to maintain the act.

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Shen Shirou asked. “What if you go back on your word? I won’t fall for your tricks.”

“I’ve been parked here all day just to wait for you,” Qi Yan arched an eyebrow. “I can call my subordinates right now, in front of you, and announce that I’m dropping the current project we’re competing over with the Jiang family.”

Qi Yan waved her phone. “Is that enough sincerity for you?”

It was too much sincerity.

Shen Shirou was tempted to ask: Do you even realize you’re a villain? A major end-game boss was giving up a business war against the Jiangs just for a cup of coffee! Don’t do this, she pleaded mentally. Go back to dismantling the company so I can finish my role.

Since transmigrating, Qi Yan was the only person who existed completely outside of Shen Shirou’s plans. They shouldn’t have had any intersection at all, yet here they were.

And because her character was a “kind, innocent soul who puts Jiang Peixing first,” she literally couldn’t find a reason to refuse such a beneficial deal for her fiancée.

Shen Shirou hesitated. “Just coffee?”

“Yes,” Qi Yan replied suggestively. “Though if you’d like to develop something more, I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Qi Yan drove Shen Shirou to a nearby café. Inside, the atmosphere was elegant, accompanied by the soulful strains of a violin.

After pulling out a chair for Shen Shirou, Qi Yan asked, “What would you like?”

Shen Shirou hadn’t come for the coffee. “You order. Anything is fine.”

Soon, the waiter brought over two cups. As Shen Shirou took a sip, she heard Qi Yan say, “This is the Valentine’s Day special: the ‘Couples’ Coffee’.”

Shen Shirou’s hand jerked, nearly spilling the drink. She glared at Qi Yan. “What exactly are you playing at?”

“I thought my intentions were clear from our first meeting,” Qi Yan said, unhurriedly lifting her cup. “I’m pursuing you.”

Pursuing her?

Listening to this absurd claim, Shen Shirou wondered if Qi Yan had simply lost her mind, or if this was a convoluted plot where she was just a pawn.

“I don’t like you,” Shen Shirou reminded her sharply. “Besides, I’m already engaged to Sister Jiang.”

Her subtext was clear: Give it up already.

“So what?” Qi Yan countered. “Since you aren’t married yet, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to pursue you?” Qi Yan looked at her, the smile fading from her face. “Or do you think I’m joking?”

That was exactly what Shen Shirou thought.

“I never make jokes like this,” Qi Yan said, her slender fingers tapping on the table. “Besides, in what way am I inferior to Jiang Peixing? On a special day like today, she won’t even set aside her work for you. Don’t you see how heartless she is?”

“I don’t need anything. Just being able to see Sister every day is enough for me,” Shen Shirou shook her head, leaning fully into her “delicate white flower” persona. “Whether I’m in her heart or not is her choice.”

The conversation ended on a sour note.

As they left, Qi Yan didn’t seem ready to give up. “You don’t have to rush to refuse. Think about it. Whenever you’re ready, I can help you move out of that villa. Whatever Jiang Peixing can give you, I can give you too.”

Unfortunately for her, the current Shen Shirou wasn’t the vain girl from the original novel. She didn’t care about the money. “No thank you.”

After the coffee, Shen Shirou returned to the empty villa. As predicted, Jiang Peixing didn’t come home.

Right, she almost forgot it was Valentine’s Day. To stay in character as the devoted fiancée, she had to send a text.

【Sister, Happy Valentine’s Day! Remember to eat well and sleep well at the office. I’ll miss you.】

She hit send, not expecting much of a ripple. She was just about to head off for a facial mask when her phone buzzed. She opened it to find a very, very short reply.

【Mhm.】

The sender was Jiang Peixing.