Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 4

Jiang Peixing had returned to her usual, cold, and impersonal self.

As she listened to Shen Shirou’s words of concern, her expression remained unchanged. She placed the jacket on the desk and brushed past Shen Shirou, dropping one indifferent word: “Nosy.”

【Watching Jiang Peixing’s retreating back again, Shen Shirou lamented to System 888: “Babe, I’m honestly curious. How on earth does Lu Yanwei manage to pluck this ‘inaccessible flower’ from its high mountain ledge?”】

【System 888 replied in a formulaic tone: “Lu Yanwei is the female lead. Their union is a necessity of the plot; it is an unchangeable destiny.”】

Is that so?

A flicker of meaningful inquiry flashed in Shen Shirou’s eyes. She wasn’t so sure about that.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky as rain lashed down, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth.

Shen Shirou stood under the eaves of a convenience store, clutching a white plastic bag, looking up at the relentless downpour with a troubled expression.

She had taken advantage of a workday while Jiang Peixing was out to run some errands, only to be caught in this torrential rain on her way back to the villa.

Not only had the rain come out of nowhere, leaving her without an umbrella, but her phone had also died, leaving her stranded and cut off.

Talk about terrible luck.

It looked like she would have to brave the storm to get back. Just as she gritted her teeth, prepared to dash into the rain, a familiar, sweet voice reached her ears.

“Is that you?”

Shen Shirou turned around. Lu Yanwei’s familiar face met her eyes unexpectedly. It had been about three or four days since their encounter at the bar. Shen Shirou was genuinely surprised; running into Lu Yanwei was not part of her plan today.

But no matter. Since the system wanted her to become friends with Lu Yanwei, she couldn’t let such a perfect opportunity slip away.

A plan formed in her mind. She curved her eyes into a crescent smile and said, “What a coincidence! I can’t believe I ran into you here.”

“Mhm.” Lu Yanwei looked her over. Noticing the plastic bag in Shen Shirou’s left hand and her empty right hand, she asked, “Did you not bring an umbrella?”

Shen Shirou nodded, feigning an awkward, helpless look. “It’s my fault for being so scatterbrained. I didn’t expect it to rain, so I forgot to take one.”

“And my phone just happened to die.” Shen Shirou sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to wait for the rain to stop.”

“Standing here in this weather, you’ll easily catch a cold,” Lu Yanwei said after a moment of hesitation. “My place is nearby. Why don’t you come over for a bit and wait for the rain to clear? You can charge your phone there, too.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lu Yanwei realized how abrupt she sounded. Though her intentions were good, they had only met once. Would such a sudden invitation be misunderstood? Would it scare her away?

Lu Yanwei looked up, quietly gauging the expression on Shen Shirou’s face.

Fortunately, Shen Shirou didn’t look startled. She simply looked hesitant as she asked, “Would I be bothering you?”

Lu Yanwei breathed a sigh of relief and explained gently, “Not at all. I live alone.”

“In that case, as long as it’s no trouble.” Shen Shirou gratefully took Lu Yanwei’s hand.

Feeling the soft warmth in her palm, Lu Yanwei felt a brief wave of self-consciousness. “It’s nothing.”

Outside, the pitter-patter of rain was incessant.

Shen Shirou’s shoulders were damp, her clothes clinging to her body and outlining her graceful figure. Getting wet had been unavoidable, even though Lu Yanwei’s home was close, she only had one umbrella. With two adults sharing it, the space was cramped.

Lu Yanwei coughed slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t think this through.” After all, Shen Shirou had still gotten wet.

Shen Shirou arched her eyes and teased, “You’re literally solving my problem; why are you apologizing? Besides, I still haven’t properly thanked you for the last time.”

Rainwater trickled down Shen Shirou’s pale neck, sliding past her delicate collarbone and disappearing into her neckline. The damp fabric was slightly translucent.

Lu Yanwei lowered her head, almost unable to look her in the eye. “I’ll go to the bedroom and get some clean clothes for you to change into.”

“Okay,” Shen Shirou replied.

Lu Yanwei brought her a brand-new white shirt. As Shen Shirou prepared to take off her soaked top, Lu Yanwei quickly turned away, putting some distance between them. “I’ll give you some privacy. Call me when you’re finished.”

Even though Shen Shirou was the one changing, Lu Yanwei seemed the more nervous of the two.

【Shen Shirou asked System 888 in confusion: “Why is Lu Yanwei reacting like this? Was she already interested in women before she fell for Jiang Peixing?”】

【System 888: “Apologies. The original text does not specify her orientation settings. You shouldn’t be asking me this.”】

【Shen Shirou snapped: “If I don’t ask you, who am I supposed to ask?”】

【System 888: “I suggest asking the person involved.”】

【Shen Shirou: “?”】

Regardless, even if Lu Yanwei was into women, she would likely only have eyes for Jiang Peixing. In any case, it had nothing to do with a supporting character like her.

“I’m done. You can turn around now,” Shen Shirou said.

The shirt was far from a perfect fit, it was quite oversized on her but it was much better than her soaked clothes.

Lu Yanwei stared at her for a long moment before whispering, “Wait.” She walked up to Shen Shirou, her hands reaching for the collar. She carefully fastened the top button that had been left open.

Though Shen Shirou didn’t quite understand the gesture, she politely said, “Thank you.”

Suddenly remembering something, Shen Shirou asked, “Yanwei, do you have an oven?”

Yanwei. Hearing her name used so familiarly, Lu Yanwei froze for a second. “There’s one in the kitchen. Why?”

“I’ve been learning how to bake cakes recently.” Shen Shirou pointed to her plastic bag. “I went out today specifically to buy ingredients. I’d like to borrow your oven. Since you’ve helped me so much, I want to bake a cake as a thank-you gift—otherwise, I’d feel bad just receiving help from you all the time.”

She didn’t forget to seek Lu Yanwei’s opinion, asking cautiously, “What do you think?”

Lu Yanwei rarely ate sweets. But under Shen Shirou’s expectant gaze, she nodded anyway. “Alright.”

With Lu Yanwei’s permission, Shen Shirou happily dove into the kitchen. Lu Yanwei offered to help several times, but Shen Shirou refused with various excuses. Seeing her determination, Lu Yanwei stopped insisting and simply watched quietly from the side.

After a while, Shen Shirou placed the batter into the preheated oven. Soon, the cake was done. She brought it out, decorated it with a bit of fruit, and presented it to Lu Yanwei like a prized treasure. “I had to practice for a long time to get this right.”

Without waiting for Lu Yanwei to move, Shen Shirou picked up a spoon, scooped a piece, and brought it to Lu Yanwei’s lips. “Yanwei, try it.”

At this point, even Lu Yanwei couldn’t find the words to refuse. She obediently let Shen Shirou feed her a bite.

“How is it?” Shen Shirou asked.

“Very sweet,” Lu Yanwei said after a moment’s thought, giving a sincere answer.

“Yanwei, don’t move.” Hearing this, Lu Yanwei froze in place.

“There’s some cream on the corner of your mouth. Let me get it.” Shen Shirou reached out her finger, brushing against the corner of Lu Yanwei’s lips to wipe away the stray cream.

As the soft tip of Shen Shirou’s finger brushed against the corner of her mouth, an inexplicable itch stirred in Lu Yanwei’s heart.

Shen Shirou then nonchalantly licked the cream off her own fingertip. Tilting her head, she muttered a self-correction, “It really is quite sweet.”

Watching this, Lu Yanwei’s face flushed a sudden, deep crimson.

The sweet scent of cream filled the air, but Lu Yanwei’s mind was nowhere near the cake—her gaze had drifted, unbidden, to the space between Shen Shirou’s pale fingers and her rosy lips.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew thick with a subtle, lingering tension.

However, Shen Shirou seemed entirely oblivious to Lu Yanwei’s agitation. Her next sentence shattered the ambiguous mood instantly: “It’s getting late; I should probably head back.”

Lu Yanwei snapped out of it and glanced toward the window. The sky was darkening, and the rain was no longer the torrential downpour it had been upon her arrival. It was clearly letting up; it was indeed time for Shen Shirou to leave.

Lu Yanwei hesitated for a long while, her words catching in her throat, before finally settling on: “Do you need me to see you out?”

Shen Shirou shook her head. “I’ve already taken up so much of your time today. I couldn’t possibly let you do that.”

Lu Yanwei lowered her eyes as a strange, inexplicable sense of regret seeped into her heart.

“But, I might need to borrow your umbrella,” Shen Shirou added. “I’ll return it the next time I come over, if that’s okay?”

The next time?

The heart that had just been sinking suddenly felt much lighter. Suppressing the odd flutter in her chest, Lu Yanwei replied earnestly, “Of course.”

【“Were you intentionally flirting with the female lead?” For the first time, Shen Shirou detected a hint of interrogation beneath System 888’s usual mechanical drone.】

【Shen Shirou didn’t deny it. She simply countered: “Is there something wrong with wanting to be close to a beautiful woman? Besides, aren’t I only making friends with her because the plot requires it?”】

System 888 wasn’t so easily fooled—what kind of “friendship” required that level of intimacy? But since Shen Shirou hadn’t technically broken any rules, the system chose to turn a blind eye. As long as its host didn’t completely derail the plot, it was fine.

Just as System 888 was about to go offline, Shen Shirou called out to it.

【Shen Shirou: “Sweetie, there’s still something I need to ask you.”】

【System 888 was blunt: “Speak.”】

【Shen Shirou: “That night I moved into the villa, Jiang Peixing mentioned some Jiang family shares. What do those have to do with me?”】