Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 24

Staring at Lu Yanwei’s face just inches away, Shen Shirou’s lips parted, but she had no idea how to react.

In the span of ten seconds, Lu Yanwei had kissed her and confessed. But Lu Yanwei was the female lead—she was supposed to fall for Jiang Peixing! How did things end up like this?

Shen Shirou blinked, her expression a mask of dazed confusion. ” Yanwei, you just said.”

“I actually told you during the concert yesterday,” Lu Yanwei whispered against Shen Shirou’s ear. “But as long as you want to hear it, I’ll say it as many times as it takes.”

Using her sweet, melodious voice, she repeated herself: “I said, I love you.”

If this was a joke, the kiss Lu Yanwei had left on her lips was a bit too much for a punchline. Moreover, while Lu Yanwei’s expression was tender, her tone was exceptionally serious.

After a brief moment of panic, Shen Shirou regained her composure. She had to talk Lu Yanwei out of this.

“Yanwei, I think you’ve made a mistake,” Shen Shirou said. “Perhaps what you feel for me is just friendship. We’ve just been so close lately that it created a bit of an illusion.”

“Shirou, I know exactly how I feel about you.” Lu Yanwei shook her head. “You’re different from everyone else.”

“You’re the only person who can truly sway my emotions.” Lu Yanwei’s face flushed. “And you’re the only person I want to hold hands with, embrace, or even kiss.”

These were Lu Yanwei’s most guarded secrets, but now, she finally laid them bare.

“Yanwei, I thought we were just friends.” Shen Shirou lowered her eyes. “You know that I’m still engaged to Sister Jiang.”

“She doesn’t understand you, and she certainly doesn’t know you,” Lu Yanwei said slowly. “If she’s destined to never see how wonderful you are, then I will take her place.”

“Shirou, break off the engagement with Jiang Peixing.” Lu Yanwei’s gaze was sincere. “Be my girlfriend. Let me take care of you.”

“Yanwei, thank you for your feelings.” Shen Shirou hesitated, looking troubled. “But I really did just think of you as a soulmate. I never imagined.”

“Even if you reject me, I’ll wait,” Lu Yanwei stated solemnly. “I’ll wait until the day you’re willing to be with me.”

“Yanwei, you don’t have to do this,” Shen Shirou urged. “You’re so outstanding. I’m sure there are plenty of people who love you.”

Shen Shirou wasn’t even sure if Jiang Peixing and Lu Yanwei could still be pushed together in the coming months, but she absolutely had to turn Lu Yanwei down. If she actually ended up with the female lead, the plot would have zero chance of recovery, it would be a total collapse.

“I don’t care about anyone else but you,” Lu Yanwei said. “I’m sorry, but regarding my promise to help you pursue Jiang Peixing, I’m afraid I’m going to have to break my word.”

“Because until you agree to be my girlfriend, I intend to compete with Jiang Peixing fairly.”

The moment she stepped back into the villa, Shen Shirou was still in a trance. Everything that had happened today felt as absurd as a dream. This was nowhere in her plans.

[Shen Shirou couldn’t help but ask System 888: “Baby, am I having hallucinations?”]

[System 888: “I have the playback video of Lu Yanwei kissing you. Do you want to see it?”]

[Shen Shirou: “No thanks.”]

[Shen Shirou recalled the System’s earlier words: “But didn’t you say that Lu Yanwei and Jiang Peixing ending up together was a plot necessity? An inevitability?”]

[System 888: “You’re asking me? I wanted to ask you—how did you manage to get confessed to and kissed by the villain, and then immediately get confessed to and kissed by the female lead?”]

[Shen Shirou: “Baby, is there any way to fix this?”]

[System 888: “Yes. Tomorrow, pick one between the villain and the lead, go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get married, and spend the rest of your life here. Forget about going back.”]

Shen Shirou: “?”

[System 888: “Didn’t you like getting close to beautiful women? Now your wish is completely fulfilled,” the system said, sounding utterly defeated. “The plot is so broken even I can’t pull it back.”]

System 888 seemed to have given up even faster than she had.

Shen Shirou, however, was undeterred. In her view, while Lu Yanwei’s arc was a disaster, there was still a glimmer of hope regarding Jiang Peixing. At the very least, Jiang Peixing still loathed her just as the novel described. She couldn’t give up on the mission until the engagement was officially broken.

For several days, Shen Shirou avoided Lu Yanwei. Since she couldn’t think of a way to make Lu Yanwei give up, her only option was to minimize contact in the short term.

During this time, Shen Shirou received a notice from the bridal boutique—the custom wedding dresses for her and Jiang Peixing were finished. The dresses were delivered to the villa.

This meant she had to coordinate a schedule with Jiang Peixing for the wedding photos. In reality, their wedding date was set for next month.

But in Shen Shirou’s mind, this wasn’t bad news. The looming wedding date meant the plot was about to reach the climax where she and Jiang Peixing would part ways. One week left.

Next Sunday, Jiang Peixing would throw a compensation contract in her face and break off the engagement, cutting ties once and for all. Shen Shirou was practically counting down the minutes until the weekend arrived.

For various reasons, the photo shoot was scheduled for Monday. Apparently, it was decided by Jiang Peixing’s parents.

The moment Shen Shirou heard this, she assumed the shoot wouldn’t happen. After all, a wedding shoot required both people, and Jiang Peixing was a workaholic who ignored everything else for her career. Since it was a workday, Jiang Peixing would surely ditch her and head to the office as usual.

Shen Shirou was perfectly happy with that—a delayed shoot meant they might break up before a single photo was even taken. It would save her time and effort.

When Shen Shirou woke up, it was already nine in the morning. After freshening up and stepping out of her room, she unexpectedly caught sight of Jiang Peixing.

For a moment, Shen Shirou thought she was hallucinating. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. The figure didn’t vanish. It really was Jiang Peixing standing there.

Shen Shirou was stunned. Did I get it wrong? Is today not Monday?

While Shen Shirou was reeling in surprise, Jiang Peixing’s gaze locked onto her.

“You’re just getting up at nine?” Jiang Peixing said. “Do you want to be late?”

There was no one else in the villa; the words were clearly meant for her.

Shen Shirou stammered, “Are you not going to the office today, Sister?”

“No.” Jiang Peixing’s expression was neutral as she urged, “Hurry up. I’ll see you downstairs in ten minutes.”

With that, she grabbed her car keys and headed out.

In the rush, Shen Shirou had no time to prepare. She simply changed her clothes and climbed into Jiang Peixing’s car.

The location for the shoot was in the suburbs, near a remote clock tower. After nearly an hour’s drive, they arrived. Shortly after, the photographer and makeup artist arrived in their own vehicle.

Jiang Peixing went to the other car to change into her wedding dress. She was much faster than Shen Shirou; by the time Shen Shirou was still finishing up, Jiang Peixing was already out. She waited casually by the car for Shen Shirou to finish.

The sound of a car door opening came from behind her, and Jiang Peixing instinctively turned around.

Shen Shirou emerged in a white wedding dress, looking breathtakingly radiant. Seeing Jiang Peixing, she tilted her lips into a bright, stunning smile.

Jiang Peixing’s gaze froze, fixed entirely on Shen Shirou.

“Why do you keep staring at me, Sister?” Shen Shirou stepped forward, interrupting Jiang Peixing’s train of thought. “Is there something strange about this wedding dress? Do you not like it?”

The moment Shen Shirou finished speaking, Jiang Peixing averted her gaze. “No.”

It was unclear whether she was answering the first question or denying the second.

The two took their positions beside the clock tower. The photographer set up the camera, but before he even started shooting, he called for a halt.

“You two are standing way too far apart. Get closer.”

“And Miss Jiang, try to give us a smile if you can. It’ll look much better in the photos.”

Jiang Peixing’s brow furrowed slightly, her habitually calm and unruffled face showing not a hint of change.

Following the photographer’s instructions, Shen Shirou took Jiang Peixing’s hand and whispered to her, “Try to smile, Sister. I like it when you smile, too.”

Of course, Shen Shirou was only saying it for the sake of the performance. Having lived with Jiang Peixing for nearly three months without ever seeing her so much as crack a grin, she had no idea what the woman even looked like when she was happy.

In all honesty, as long as Jiang Peixing wasn’t scowling, Shen Shirou considered it a win.

Jiang Peixing’s frown deepened for a brief moment. After a short silence, she actually pulled the corners of her lips upward into a slight curve. “Is this alright?”

Shen Shirou hadn’t expected her to actually comply. Even though the smile looked stiff and unnatural, Shen Shirou replied, “Mhm. You look truly beautiful when you smile, Sister.”

Reflecting on Jiang Peixing’s behavior over the past few days, Shen Shirou found it somewhat incomprehensible. But then, remembering how much the woman supposedly detested her, she figured she was probably just overthinking things.

They proceeded to take several more photos. Eventually, the photographer flipped through the digital previews and slapped his forehead. “I knew I felt like something was missing!”

He looked up and said, “I almost forgot, you two need to take a photo of a kiss.”

A kiss, her and Jiang Peixing?

Shen Shirou looked up, stealing a glance at Jiang Peixing out of the corner of her eye. She vividly remembered the last time she had kissed her—the look on Jiang Peixing’s face had been absolutely abysmal.

She figured there was a ninety percent chance that Jiang Peixing would refuse.