Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 26

Without waiting for a reaction from Jiang Peixing, Shen Shirou walked over to the photographer and whispered a few words.

“A forced-perspective shot?” The photographer looked a bit puzzled but didn’t push for details. “If you both don’t mind, then certainly.”

Having secured the photographer’s agreement, Shen Shirou turned to Jiang Peixing. “Sister, let’s just fake the kiss for the photo. We just need to get close; we don’t actually have to touch lips.”

Jiang Peixing appeared to have no objections to the decision. “Understood,” she replied indifferently.

Shen Shirou rested one hand on Jiang Peixing’s shoulder and leaned her face in close. From the side, it looked exactly like a real kiss.

They were positioned so tightly that it felt as if, at any second, the performance might turn into a deep, genuine embrace. A faint, lingering fragrance swirled around Jiang Peixing—delicate yet impossible to ignore. It seemed to emanate from Shen Shirou herself.

Jiang Peixing’s heart suddenly tightened. She subtly tilted her head away, breaking eye contact with Shen Shirou.

Seeing this, Shen Shirou felt much more at ease. Even for a fake kiss, Jiang Peixing was so repulsed that she couldn’t help but pull away. I guess I was just overthinking things after all.

After the shoot ended, the two drove back toward the villa. Evening had arrived, and the streetlights were flickering to life one by one.

At an intersection just half a block from the villa, Shen Shirou caught sight of a familiar figure through the window. The car was moving fast; by the time she realized who it was, they had already sped ten meters past.

“Sister, could you stop for a second?” Shen Shirou asked. “I want to get out.”

Jiang Peixing hit the brakes. “You aren’t coming back to the villa?”

“The villa is our home; of course I’m coming back,” Shen Shirou replied, pulling at the door handle. “I just want to say hello to a friend. You go on ahead, Sister. I’ll walk back by myself.”

With that, she hopped out and ran back in the opposite direction.

Stopping under one of the streetlamps, Shen Shirou caught her breath and looked at the figure waiting there. “Yanwei, what are you doing here…?”

“Were you looking for me?” Shen Shirou asked.

Lu Yanwei nodded. “I haven’t seen you in days. I missed you.”

In the past, Shen Shirou would have taken such words as a sign of their close friendship. But after the incident at the bar, hearing them now felt distinctly flirtatious. Not knowing how to respond, Shen Shirou fell into an awkward silence.

Lu Yanwei seemed to realize she was being avoided. That was likely why she hadn’t called and had instead come here to intercept her in person.

“Shirou, I’m still your best friend. That will never change,” Lu Yanwei said, sensing her hesitation. “I won’t force you into anything against your will. You don’t need to feel burdened.” She drew Shen Shirou into a light, gentle embrace.

“With me, the choice is always yours.”

“But,” Lu Yanwei continued, “I hope you can still smile at me like you used to, and share the little details of your life with me. Can we do that?” She held out her hand, pinky extended. “Pinky swear?”

Perhaps the words were too moving, or perhaps it was the way Lu Yanwei was staring at her so intently, but Shen Shirou’s heart softened. She reached out and hooked her finger with Lu Yanwei’s before she could stop herself. By the time she snapped out of it, the promise was made.

“It’s a deal, then.” Lu Yanwei gave a charming smile.

Shen Shirou realized she had been out all day and had no idea when Lu Yanwei had arrived. “Yanwei, how long have you been waiting here?”

In truth, Lu Yanwei had rushed over the moment she finished work. Afraid of missing her, she had stood there for hours without leaving her post for a second. But she had no intention of telling Shen Shirou that.

She released her from the brief hug. “Not long. I just got here when you showed up.”

Shen Shirou didn’t quite believe her and was about to press for the truth when a voice rang out coldly from behind.

“Are you finished with your greetings yet?”

Shen Shirou stiffened and turned toward the sound. Standing not far away was Jiang Peixing—who definitely shouldn’t have been there. Her car was parked by the curb, the driver’s side door still half-open.

Shen Shirou was stunned. Did she actually make a U-turn and come back for me?

Probably not.

“Sister, why didn’t you go home first?” Shen Shirou asked.

Jiang Peixing didn’t answer. She walked forward, grabbed Shen Shirou’s wrist without a word, and said in a low, heavy voice, “We’re going home.”

For a moment, Shen Shirou felt the situation was incredibly surreal. It felt like a scene straight out of a melodramatic soap opera’s love triangle. Only, instead of the original plot where Lu Yanwei and Jiang Peixing liked each other, it had turned into Lu Yanwei liking her.

She didn’t want to argue with Jiang Peixing, so she turned her head toward Lu Yanwei, who was still standing under the streetlamp. “It’s late, Yanwei. You should head back soon, too.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Shen Shirou added.

She didn’t notice that the moment she said “see you tomorrow,” Jiang Peixing’s expression darkened even further.

Lu Yanwei waved goodbye. “Mhm. I’ll be waiting.”

Shen Shirou climbed back into Jiang Peixing’s car. On the short drive back to the villa, the atmosphere was thick and stifling.

She tried to break the heavy silence. “Sister, did you come back specifically to pick me up?”

Jiang Peixing shot a sideways glance at her from the driver’s seat. “Why would I pick you up?”

The denial sounded a lot like someone trying to hide the obvious. After all, Jiang Peixing hadn’t done anything else but wait for her.

“Are you upset, Sister?” Shen Shirou asked tentatively.

“One more word and I’ll actually make you walk back,” Jiang Peixing snapped.

They were barely a hundred meters from the villa, so the threat carried very little weight. However, Shen Shirou could tell from her tone that Jiang Peixing was indeed in a foul mood.

As for the cause, Lu Yanwei had hugged her just now. She didn’t know when Jiang Peixing had arrived or if she had seen it. Since Jiang Peixing hated her, her bad mood could only be because of Lu Yanwei.

Could it be that Jiang Peixing has already fallen for Lu Yanwei?

If that were true, it would be the best news possible. If Jiang Peixing was interested in Lu Yanwei, then breaking off the engagement would be a breeze!

Shen Shirou immediately formulated a plan.

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.

The dissolution of her engagement had officially entered its final countdown for Shen Shirou.

It was now Thursday.

Only three days remained until the weekend. In three days, her role in this plot would be completely over.

In her delight, Shen Shirou found that even Jiang Peixing’s perennial scowl looked significantly more tolerable.

That afternoon, Shen Shirou went to the office to see Lu Yanwei. She spent the rest of the day in a nearby milk tea shop, waiting for Lu Yanwei to get off work.

Normally, Lu Yanwei’s shift ended at five. However, the clock in the shop had only just struck four-thirty when Lu Yanwei appeared.

When Shen Shirou asked about the early arrival, Lu Yanwei replied, “I was supposed to wait until I clocked out, but the thought of seeing you made me too impatient to stay.”

“Leaving half an hour early, won’t that cause trouble?” Shen Shirou asked.

“I didn’t leave early,” Lu Yanwei said, ordering the specific milk tea Shen Shirou drank most often. “I actually took half the day off.”

Shen Shirou was stunned. “Then didn’t you basically work today for nothing?”

“Well, I certainly won’t get paid for it.” Lu Yanwei poked the straw into the cup and set it in front of Shen Shirou. “Here, drink up.”

To Lu Yanwei, her salary didn’t carry even half the weight of the time spent with Shen Shirou.

The two found a small restaurant along the street. While settling the bill after dinner, Shen Shirou’s gaze snagged on Lu Yanwei’s handbag.

Hanging from the zipper was a charm identical to her own. The only difference was the color. The one Lu Yanwei had given her was red, which Shen Shirou had attached to her phone. The one on Lu Yanwei’s bag was blue.

They were clearly a matching pair.

“Yanwei, your charm.”

Seeing that Shen Shirou had noticed, Lu Yanwei confessed openly, “Yes. Mine and yours are actually a pair.”

“I didn’t mean to keep it from you,” Lu Yanwei continued. “I bought them when I was preparing to confess to you. But then I suddenly learned you had a fiancée, so I could only give it to you under the guise of friendship.”

Hearing this, Shen Shirou’s focus immediately shifted from the charm to the confession. “Confess?”

Lu Yanwei had given her that charm at least a month ago. Following that logic, Lu Yanwei had been planning to confess to her for over a month?

“That’s right,” Lu Yanwei said. “When I found out Jiang Peixing was your fiancée, I couldn’t help but think, if only it had happened a little sooner.”

“If only what had happened sooner?” Shen Shirou asked, confused.

Despite bringing up the past, Lu Yanwei didn’t look particularly melancholy.

“If only I had met you sooner,” Lu Yanwei said with a small smile. “Then perhaps by now, you would be my fiancée.”

“But it doesn’t matter.” Lu Yanwei leaned in and whispered into Shen Shirou’s ear, “I believe that sooner or later, I’ll be able to call you by a different title—and I’ll be able to do it proudly.”

Just as Shen Shirou was about to ask what title she meant, she saw Lu Yanwei’s lips move, silently mouthing a word.

Shen Shirou couldn’t catch it. When she pressed for an answer, Lu Yanwei simply shook her head and remained silent.

She maintained that silence all the way until she dropped Shen Shirou off at home.

Standing in the darkness of the night, Lu Yanwei watched Shen Shirou walk away. Her expression was profoundly tender as she whispered the title to herself.

“Wife.”