Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 6

Jiang Peixing’s arch-nemesis?

Shen Shirou froze for a second as a name suddenly flashed in her mind.

Qi Yan.

The novel’s ultimate antagonist. After Shen Shirou and Jiang Peixing would eventually break their engagement and Shen Shirou would exit the stage, Qi Yan would become the greatest obstacle in Jiang Peixing’s career.

However, Qi Yan was different from a “cannon fodder” character like Shen Shirou. Unlike the original “Shen Shirou,” who was greedy for short-term gains but not nearly clever enough to keep them, Qi Yan never hid her ambitions and possessed the ruthless competence to back them up. In the later stages of the novel, she almost succeeded in bankrupting the Jiang family’s company.

Of course, villains always end up “receiving their lunch box” (dying or failing). Because of the professional crisis Qi Yan caused, Lu Yanwei stayed by Jiang Peixing’s side despite the company’s peril, which finally moved Jiang Peixing’s heart. Then, predictably, the two leads joined forces to pull the crumbling company back from the brink, leading to Qi Yan’s disgraceful exit.

Thinking about it, Shen Shirou felt a twinge of sympathy for Qi Yan. In a way, they were both just tools created to facilitate the romance between Jiang Peixing and Lu Yanwei.

But sympathy aside, she was currently still Jiang Peixing’s fiancée. She had to draw a clear line.

Shen Shirou took a few exaggerated steps back, looking at Qi Yan with a wary expression. “What do you want?”

“You don’t need to look at me like that.” Qi Yan’s smile deepened. “I was invited by the Jiang family, after all.”

Qi Yan wasn’t lying. According to the timeline, her full-scale assault on the Jiang family wouldn’t begin for at least another five months. For now, her true nature hadn’t been fully revealed, and her relationship with the Jiangs was merely one of covert competition.

“I just wanted to say hello; I don’t have any bad intentions. However.” Qi Yan lowered her voice. “After seeing you, I’ve changed my mind.”

“Beautiful lady, would you do me the honor of a dance?” Qi Yan extended her hand.

Shen Shirou sighed inwardly. She would have loved to say yes, but her “Green Tea” persona couldn’t crumble. She had to reject Qi Yan with pure, unpretentious loyalty.

“I’m sorry, I only dance with Sister Jiang,” Shen Shirou said. “I won’t accept invitations from anyone else.”

“What? You actually like that iceberg?” Qi Yan arched an eyebrow. “What’s so good about her?”

Exactly! I think she’s a cold iceberg too, Shen Shirou thought. But out loud, she said, “Sister and I are very close. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Qi Yan narrowed her eyes. “I saw it with my own eyes, she left you here all by yourself.”

Looking at the clearly ill-intentioned Qi Yan, Shen Shirou understood: the woman was trying to drive a wedge between them. Since Qi Yan was so determined to stir up trouble, Shen Shirou decided to lean into her role.

Without batting an eye, she spun a lie she didn’t even believe: “Sister cares about me in her heart; she just doesn’t know how to express it.”

“If you were in her heart, she wouldn’t have abandoned you here,” Qi Yan countered.

Damn, Qi Yan’s logic is actually sound. I’m running out of rebuttals! Shen Shirou thought.

Going for broke, she frowned and said, “Even if I’m not in her heart yet, I’ll wait until the day she accepts me.”

Please stop talking, she pleaded internally, I can’t keep this act up if you keep being right.

“If you want to know if she cares, it’s actually quite simple,” Qi Yan coaxed. “Dance with me. If she cares about you, she’ll definitely come over to stop us.”

Shen Shirou felt something was off. So, after all that, Qi Yan just wanted to convince her to dance? Fine. Truly a future villain even a dance required a calculated scheme.

Shen Shirou yielded.

【She whispered to System 888: “Dancing with Qi Yan isn’t OOC, right?”】

【System 888 replied: “Why ask? You and Qi Yan are both negative characters in the novel. As a hypocritical ‘Green Tea,’ isn’t it perfectly normal for birds of a feather to flock together?”】

【Shen Shirou: “Are you insulting me under the guise of an explanation?”】

【System 888: “No, it’s just your imagination. 🙂“】

With the system’s approval, Shen Shirou put on a show of inner struggle before finally agreeing. “Fine,” she said, adding a condition, “But just one dance.”

“Of course,” Qi Yan agreed happily.

Qi Yan set down her glass and led Shen Shirou to the center of the crowd. As the melodic music began, she guided Shen Shirou into a tango.

“Look, your ‘Sister Jiang’ is right over there,” Qi Yan whispered halfway through the piece. She signaled with her eyes toward the diagonal front.

Following the direction, Shen Shirou immediately locked onto Jiang Peixing in the crowd. Jiang Peixing seemed to notice her as well; her gaze met Shen Shirou’s across the distance. Yet, Jiang Peixing remained completely indifferent, her face showing not a single ripple of emotion let alone any intent to intervene.

When the dance ended, Qi Yan and Shen Shirou stopped.

“I’m more than happy to help you see reality,” Qi Yan remarked.

Shen Shirou replied with a touch of self-delusion, “Sister probably just didn’t see me.”

“It seems you still don’t realize what kind of person Jiang Peixing is.” A smirk played on Qi Yan’s lips. “But the days are long. You’ll find out eventually.”

Qi Yan clearly hadn’t given up on sabotaging her relationship with Jiang Peixing. Shen Shirou was puzzled; according to the book, Qi Yan wasn’t supposed to make her official entrance until after the engagement was broken. Why was she appearing now?

She asked System 888, only to be told the system didn’t know why this change had occurred.

【System 888 gave a vague answer: “Perhaps because this is a blank spot in the plot, anything has a probability of happening.”】

Before leaving the banquet, Qi Yan took out a business card. She pressed a light kiss onto the corner of the card, leaving an ambiguous lipstick mark, and handed it to Shen Shirou.

“What’s the fun in liking Jiang Peixing? You might as well consider switching to someone else.” Qi Yan smiled charmingly, her voice full of suggestion. “I’ll be waiting for your call anytime.”

What is she playing at? Shen Shirou wondered. Is she trying to get close to me and seduce the fiancée just to ruin the Jiang family? Tsk. High society is truly a mess.

To avoid being left behind, Shen Shirou arrived at the parking lot exactly on time. She had zero doubt that once it hit 8:00, Jiang Peixing would drive away without looking back.

The Bentley’s window was half-open, and Jiang Peixing was already in the driver’s seat. Shen Shirou got in, and because she had been ordered to shut up on the way there, the ride back was silent.

Once they returned to the villa, Shen Shirou decided to launch a “bedtime melodrama” script.

Jiang Peixing poured a glass of water and sat on the sofa, flipping through a thick stack of documents.

Shen Shirou broke the silence first. “Sister, you saw that dance, didn’t you?” Her voice was low and tinged with dejection. Like an abandoned kitten, she looked both aggrieved and resentful. “I thought you would at least ask about it.”

Jiang Peixing stopped her movements and looked up, her expression flat. “Ask what?”

Shen Shirou lowered her head, her voice growing raspy. “Do you hate me that much? So much that you don’t even care when you see me dancing with another woman?”

And with your arch-enemy, no less, and you’re not even mad, she added mentally.

“I know you don’t care about these things, but I really do.” A flash of disappointment crossed Shen Shirou’s eyes. “I just want to be a little closer to you. Even just a little bit would be enough for me.”

“Are you done?” Under the lights, Jiang Peixing’s eyes were dark and unreadable. She said nonchalantly, “I thought I made it clear.”

“Your business has nothing to do with me,” Jiang Peixing said, enunciating every word. “I have no interest in whatever you choose to do.”

“You’re too much!” Shen Shirou threw out the angry remark and stormed back to her room, slamming the door shut with a heavy thud.

Immediately afterward, inside the room, Shen Shirou who had been “fuming” just moments ago over Jiang Peixing’s indifference opened up Tetris and leisurely resumed her quest for a new high score.

【System 888, having witnessed the entire performance: “You truly are a natural-born Green Tea.”】

【“Thank you,” Shen Shirou replied, arching an eyebrow. “Though I’d prefer not to be compared to dried leaves.”】

She couldn’t let Jiang Peixing get too comfortable; even a Green Tea had a temper. By throwing this little tantrum, she wouldn’t have to hover around Jiang Peixing for at least three days, sparing herself the effort of offering warmth only to receive a cold shoulder.

Giving herself a vacation, how delightful.

She still hadn’t returned the umbrella she borrowed last time, and now she had plenty of time to go find Lu Yanwei. It was the perfect excuse: she could seek a little comfort while she was at it and pull the other woman closer.

A crisp knock sounded at the door.

“Who is it?” Lu Yanwei opened the door. Seeing that the visitor was Shen Shirou, her surprise was quickly eclipsed by a surge of genuine pleasure.

However, once she noticed something was off with Shen Shirou, that joy instantly shifted into concern. Shen Shirou’s eyes were red, and she looked utterly pitiful.

Before Lu Yanwei could even ask what was wrong, Shen Shirou spoke first. “Yanwei, can we go to that bar where we first met? I, I want to have a few drinks.”

The bar wasn’t very crowded. It was only dusk, well before the peak hours of the night.

Several empty glasses lay scattered on the counter. Shen Shirou was slumped against the bar, her face flushed a deep rose; she had clearly lost count of how much she’d had.

Lu Yanwei, unable to bear seeing her like this, reached out to stop her. “Don’t drink anymore.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be friends?” Lu Yanwei coaxed gently. “Tell me what happened. Whatever is on your mind, we can face it together.”

Lu Yanwei didn’t notice the flash of cunning hidden deep in Shen Shirou’s eyes.

Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.

Shen Shirou didn’t answer. Instead, she reached out and tugged at the corner of Lu Yanwei’s sleeve. Looking up with eyes clouded by a misty glaze, she asked with a touch of helpless vulnerability, “Yanwei, am I really that annoying?”