Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 28

“Fine, I have no way to fight back anyway.” Shen Shirou sniffled, her voice trembling. “Do whatever you want. I have nowhere else to go regardless.”

Tears traced slow paths down her cheeks.

“It’s the same no matter where I am—I’m just at the mercy of people like you.” Her voice was raspy, laden with bitterness. “The moment you find me tiresome, you’ll just toss me into a corner like trash.”

Watching the shimmering tears in Shen Shirou’s eyes, Qi Yan’s brow furrowed deeply. She placed her hands on Shen Shirou’s shoulders and gently turned her around to face her.

Qi Yan leaned down, the distance between them closing rapidly.

Shen Shirou assumed Qi Yan had changed her mind. Is she giving up on my ear and going for my face instead? She had performed to this extent, and yet Qi Yan remained unmoved. They said the villains in novels were cold and heartless; they certainly hadn’t lied!

Shen Shirou instinctively tried to shrink away, her back hitting the kitchen cabinet behind her. There was no room left to retreat. She was like a fish on a cutting board, left entirely to Qi Yan’s whims.

She lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling as she avoided Qi Yan’s gaze. She waited passively for whatever move Qi Yan would make next.

Time seemed to stretch out like pulled taffy, yet Qi Yan’s kiss never landed.

Shen Shirou finally shifted her gaze back, peeking at the woman inches away. Qi Yan reached up, her thumb gently brushing across the corner of Shen Shirou’s eye to wipe away the tear tracks.

“What are you crying for?” Qi Yan teased. “I haven’t even done anything to you yet. You’re this much of a coward, and yet you dared to follow me home?”

Despite her teasing words, her movements were slow and gentle, as if she were terrified of startling Shen Shirou again. Seeing this, Shen Shirou knew Qi Yan had taken the bait.

That makes things much easier.

“You keep comparing me to Jiang Peixing. Is it because you think I’m inferior to her?” Qi Yan pinched Shen Shirou’s cheek lightly. “Or is it that you haven’t let her go yet? Or perhaps both?” There was a hint of genuine displeasure in Qi Yan’s voice.

Shen Shirou thought to herself that Qi Yan truly was Jiang Peixing’s arch-rival; even at a time like this, her competitive streak was showing. Little did Qi Yan know, there wasn’t even half an acre of space left for Jiang Peixing in her heart.

But Shen Shirou wouldn’t say that. She would continue to play the part of the devoted lover.

“Sister Jiang’s place in my heart is something no one can ever replace,” Shen Shirou said, lowering her head. “Even if, even if she hates me, it remains the same.”

Shen Shirou expected that by praising Jiang Peixing so openly, Qi Yan’s face would darken immediately. However, Qi Yan’s reaction was the exact opposite.

Hearing those words, Qi Yan’s lips curved into a pensive smile.

“Since your Sister Jiang is so important, if she ran into trouble,” Qi Yan mused, “I imagine you wouldn’t have the heart to just stand by and watch her fall into a desperate situation, would you?”

The way Qi Yan said this felt distinctly malicious. Shen Shirou felt a sudden wave of foreboding wash over her. She remembered the phone call Qi Yan had made on that rainy night. Thinking back, the timing of that call had been far too coincidental.

Qi Yan couldn’t have known she would be moving out that day. So, what was the real purpose of that call?

“What are you planning to do to Sister Jiang?” Shen Shirou asked.

Qi Yan shook her head. “Baby, you don’t need to know that. You only need to know one thing.” She gave a light laugh. “If you want Jiang Peixing to be okay, you’d better stay by my side and behave.”

No matter how much Shen Shirou pressed, Qi Yan refused to reveal another word about Jiang Peixing. With no other choice, Shen Shirou returned to her room.

She remembered the fleeting appearance of System 888 earlier and decided it was time to demand her return to the original world.

[“System, come out,” Shen Shirou commanded. “We need to talk.”]

Silence.

Shen Shirou waited for a long time, but there was no response. Her patience finally snapped.

[Shen Shirou smiled: “If you don’t come out, I’m going to go get a marriage certificate with Lu Yanwei tomorrow. Jiang Peixing will never have a wife in this lifetime.”]

The words had barely left her mind when System 888 popped up. [“Really?”]

[“Fake,” Shen Shirou countered.]

[System 888: “…”]

[“I’ve done everything I promised, and my plot arc is over,” Shen Shirou said. “Don’t you think it’s time to fulfill your promise and send me back?”]

[System 888 sounded dejected: “I want to send you back, but I can’t.”]

[“What do you mean you can’t?”]

[System 888 confessed: “I reported the situation to the Main System, and they’re powerless too. Until we pull the plot back on track, we’re stuck in this world.”]

Following the system’s logic, her three months of hard work had been for nothing. System 888 had likely been hiding because it knew it was in the wrong.

[“Lu Yanwei has confessed to me twice already,” Shen Shirou said. “Do you really think there’s any chance she’ll still fall for Jiang Peixing?”]

The answer was obviously no.

The system fell silent. After a while, it spoke up with a noticeable lack of confidence. [“I’ll go try to negotiate with the Main System again. In the meantime, stay here and see if there’s anything you can try? Please?”]

Shen Shirou sighed. If she wanted to go back, she didn’t have a choice. She had to make it work.

Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office.

Jiang Peixing’s brow was knit tight as she flipped through the documents on her desk. Immediately after coming down the mountain with Shen Shirou, she had received a call: a major project the company had recently taken on was in serious trouble.

To resolve the crisis, Jiang Peixing had stayed at the office for three days straight. While the situation had stabilized somewhat, they weren’t out of the woods yet.

There was a knock at the door, and Rong Yuan brought a cup of coffee to her desk. Jiang Peixing hadn’t slept a wink, and exhaustion was etched into her features.

“President Jiang, you really should rest,” Rong Yuan advised kindly.

Jiang Peixing set the documents down. Yesterday, while the project was at its most volatile, she hadn’t even had time to check her phone. Her call logs were filled with missed calls—all from the same person.

Shen Shirou.

It was Monday. She had spent two nights at the office, and today was the third. She hadn’t returned to the villa all weekend. Staying at the office saved time on the commute and allowed her to work more efficiently.

In her original plan, she was going to stay here all week until the crisis was completely over. But now, for some reason, the moment she stopped working, she remembered what Shen Shirou had said:

“When I don’t see you at night, I can’t sleep well.”

Shen Shirou, I wonder how she is.

Jiang Peixing picked up her phone, her gaze darkening as she looked at the list of missed calls.

Forget it.

“Notify me immediately if anything happens,” Jiang Peixing said, rising from her chair.

“Understood,” Rong Yuan replied. “Are you not staying tonight?”

Jiang Peixing turned back, her response cool and brief. “No.”

She wanted to go back and see Shen Shirou.

It was midnight by the time she drove back to the villa. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. The house was pitch black.

At this hour, Shen Shirou was likely asleep. But in the past, Shen Shirou would always leave a light on in the living room for her, even if she had already gone to bed.

Did she forget today?

Jiang Peixing walked to Shen Shirou’s bedroom. The door was slightly ajar. With a light touch, it swung open.

Jiang Peixing expected to find Shen Shirou sound asleep. She didn’t intend to wake her; she just wanted to see her before going to her own room.

Moonlight spilled onto the windowsill, acting as a dim light source. The bed was made, the quilt neatly folded, but there was no sign of Shen Shirou.

Jiang Peixing’s brow furrowed as she stepped closer to the bed.

In a low, heavy voice, she called out Shen Shirou’s name.

There was no response.

Jiang Peixing flicked on the light in the bedroom. Everything in the room was arranged with agonizing neatness, save for the wardrobe door, which stood half-ajar. Shen Shirou’s wedding dress remained there, hanging motionless in its place.

As for Shen Shirou’s other clothes, Jiang Peixing had never paid them any mind; she had no mental inventory to check whether anything was missing.

Jiang Peixing stepped out of the room, her footsteps feeling heavier with every pace. She went through the house, turning on every single light until the entire villa was ablaze. Despite its vastness, she searched untiringly from the first floor to the second, checking every single room.

Not a single piece of furniture was out of place. Not a single household item was missing. There was no outward sign of struggle or disturbance.

The only thing missing was Shen Shirou.

Jiang Peixing’s brow furrowed deeper. It was only when she finally ceased her search that she noticed a small collection of items left on the living room table.

A key and a black jewelry box sat atop a stack of white papers.

Jiang Peixing recognized the key instantly—it was the spare to the villa. As for the jewelry box, she opened it to find a brilliant, shimmering ring nestled inside.

It was unmistakable: their engagement ring. Shen Shirou had one, and Jiang Peixing owned its identical twin.

There was only one thing left.

Jiang Peixing gripped the ring tightly in her palm as she picked up the documents. She had drafted this agreement months ago; how could she not recognize it?

But unlike the last time she had seen it, the pages now bore Shen Shirou’s signature.

Snap.

The papers slipped from Jiang Peixing’s fingers, fluttering to the floor. Her habitually cold, indifferent mask finally shattered. For the first time, a wave of inexplicable, raw panic surged from the depths of her heart.