I Became the Female Lead’s Current Obsession - Chapter 41

Thanks to the peculiar arrangements by the old Master Wang, Jiang Qing really didn’t expect Wang Shicheng would only lead her to the dining table in the end.

Wang Shicheng picked up a macaron and handed one to Jiang Qing as well. For a moment, Jiang Qing couldn’t quite figure out his intentions. She put down her glass of champagne and, out of politeness, accepted the macaron from him.

After just one bite, Jiang Qing regretted being polite to Wang Shicheng.

She didn’t like sweets and usually avoided desserts altogether, so she had no idea what flavor to expect — but she certainly didn’t expect it to be this overwhelmingly cloying.

Her teeth ached from the sweetness, so she quickly took a sip of champagne from the table, which finally washed away the sticky sensation.

Hou Xue liked sweets so much—maybe she’d be interested in these?

She made a mental note to buy some on the way back.

Although Jiang Qing really didn’t want to take a second bite, since she had started, she couldn’t back out. Fortunately, the macaron wasn’t very big. She grit her teeth and swallowed it in one gulp, followed by three more sips of champagne, finally relaxing a bit.

“Heh.”

Jiang Qing glanced at Wang Shicheng.

“What’s so funny, Mr. Wang?”

“If you don’t like it, Miss Jiang, no need to force yourself.”

Jiang Qing was speechless at his hindsight remark—she’d already finished it.

“It’s okay,” Jiang Qing said. “Well, I’ll wish you a happy birthday first.”

“Thank you,” Wang Shicheng smiled.

After the birthday wishes, Jiang Qing had nothing more to say, nor any intention of getting closer to Wang Shicheng. She stared straight ahead, observing the men and women on the terrace raising their glasses and chatting.

“Actually,” Wang Shicheng started, catching Jiang Qing’s attention. His gaze lingered on her lips. “There’s actually another purpose to tonight’s banquet…”

Jiang Qing didn’t want to respond—she didn’t think it was anything good.

Just as Wang Shicheng was about to continue, a waiter interrupted him. Whispering something in his ear, Wang Shicheng nodded and said to Jiang Qing, “Miss Jiang, you’ll find out soon enough. I must excuse myself for a moment. Please make yourself comfortable.”

“Mr. Wang, you should attend to your matters,” Jiang Qing replied.

As he left, Wang Shicheng cast a lingering look and said, “Miss Jiang, you look truly beautiful tonight.”

Unfortunately, Jiang Qing didn’t take the compliment seriously—just replied politely, “Thank you.”

After Wang Shicheng left, Jiang Qing began searching for Xu Miao but felt as if she had scoured the entire hall without spotting her.

She found a quiet terrace alone to enjoy the view. This was the Wang family’s estate hotel, far from the city. There were no stars at all—only endless green stretching to the horizon, merging abruptly yet smoothly with the skyline.

The sky wasn’t snowy, but the temperature hadn’t risen much. After a short while, Jiang Qing felt a chill on her shoulder.

Learning from past mistakes, afraid of catching a cold again, she was about to turn back to the banquet when she felt a weight on her shoulder.

Someone had draped a shawl over her.

Jiang Qing turned to look. It was an ordinary-looking woman’s face—nothing particularly memorable.

The woman stepped back a few paces, stopping behind a wheelchair.

Sitting in the wheelchair was an elegant, refined woman with a dignified beauty. She didn’t look young but was well-maintained, her real age hard to discern.

The woman carried an aura of authority, yet Jiang Qing felt no sense of danger from her. Instead, there was a strange warmth, especially in her eyes.

Jiang Qing looked into the woman’s eyes and said, “Thank you for the shawl.”

The woman smiled. “You’re welcome.” Her gaze lingered on Jiang Qing’s face for a long moment before dropping slightly to rest on the sapphire necklace around Jiang Qing’s neck.

“Your necklace.” The woman’s eyes flashed with some emotion—brief and subtle enough that Jiang Qing only caught a vague impression.

Another necklace?

Jiang Qing looked down at it.

Where exactly had Hou Xue gotten this provocative necklace?

“Is this from your lover?”

Lover? Hou Xue, did that even count?

Jiang Qing hesitated, then shook her head. “No.”

“No,” she repeated quietly.

The woman mulled over the words, then sighed and fell silent.

Since the woman didn’t pursue the topic, Jiang Qing swallowed her curiosity and decided to ask Hou Xue directly after the banquet.

Her rational mind told her to avoid any deeper connection with this woman, but she couldn’t resist. After hesitating a moment, she asked, “May I ask your name?”

The woman didn’t answer. Instead, jokingly, she said, “No need to be so impatient. We’ll see each other again soon.”

Halfway through the banquet, Jiang Qing finally ran into Xu Miao. Xu Miao was dressed in a sweet, girl-next-door style, looking lovely and charming. Jiang Qing teased her, saying she looked like an innocent little princess today.

Jiang Qing had never seen Xu Miao like this before. She had always seen her as a normal student, but changing the environment had clearly altered her demeanor.

“Why didn’t Hou Xue come with you?”

“Cao Fenlan..Aunt Cao didn’t come either. I don’t really know what Dad was thinking.”

Xu Miao nodded, then asked, “Do you know why the Wang family is hosting this banquet?”

“Isn’t it a birthday party?” Jiang Qing said, but immediately remembered Wang Shicheng’s words before leaving. A bad feeling crept up again.

“Not just that. I was just with my parents meeting some people. They said the Wang family will announce a marriage alliance.”

“Marriage alliance?” Jiang Qing was genuinely shocked. “In a civilized society… He’s only eighteen, isn’t that underage?”

“Well, that’s inevitable, right? Once announced, it’s settled. And these circles aren’t short of such things. But this time it’s a bit extreme—the bride is underage.” Xu Miao shook her head. “The Wang family’s influence has declined recently; they’re probably hoping to revive their fortunes through this alliance.”

Jiang Qing had nothing to say. She didn’t know how to respond.

The sense of unreality and dissonance was overwhelming. She hated feeling like she was trapped in a novel.

Like meeting Hou Xue.

Maybe it was time to leave?

What was she doing now?

She couldn’t resist kissing the kid goodbye when she left—would that cause any backlash?

“I want to go home,” Jiang Qing said.

Xu Miao noticed Jiang Qing’s mood dropped after the gossip about Wang Shicheng. Though she didn’t fully understand, she didn’t ask, only said, “Then just go say goodbye to Uncle Jiang and leave. It’s your first time at a place like this; Uncle Jiang will understand.”

Jiang Qing nodded, said goodbye to Xu Miao, and headed toward the banquet’s center.

The first person she saw was Jiang Xing—because he was the tallest. She noticed his furrowed brow and unhappy expression, feeling puzzled. She quickened her pace and reached out to tap his shoulder from behind. “What’s wrong? I saw you frowning from afar.”

Jiang Xing turned around. “Sister… why are you here?” He stepped forward, silently blocking Jiang Qing’s view.

“I’m not feeling well and want to tell Dad before I leave.”

“All right, then.”

“Come here, Jiang Qing,” Jiang Bin’s voice cut in suddenly. Jiang Xing, like a cat with its tail stepped on, pulled Jiang Qing back and said to Jiang Bin, “Dad, my sister said she’s unwell and wants to leave first.”

Jiang Qing wasn’t stupid. In this situation, even a fool could tell something was wrong.

“Jiang Xing, this is between the Wang family and your sister. Why are you interfering?” Jiang Bin’s tone was sharp.

“What exactly is going on?” Jiang Qing grabbed the opportunity and whispered to Jiang Xing.

Jiang Xing glanced at her, lips moving but swallowed his words.

“Jiang Qing, you just met Shicheng. What do you think?”

No way.

Jiang Qing looked toward where she had been earlier. She and Xu Miao had been gossiping—was it about to hit her?

“Mr. Wang was very polite,” Jiang Qing said, squeezing Jiang Xing’s neck to reassure him. Jiang Xing looked worried but stepped aside. “Sister, if you’re not feeling well, just go home first.”

Jiang Qing shook her head, then looked Jiang Bin in the eye and asked, “Dad, just say what you want to say.”

“Your Grandfather Wang and I have already agreed. Bringing you here tonight is to announce your relationship with Shicheng.”

To be honest, besides shock and surprise, Jiang Qing felt nothing special.

She realized her worst fears had come true.

“So, compared to outsiders, as the person involved, I only get told right before the announcement?”

“Jiang Qing, this has long been decided. Whether you know sooner or later isn’t important.”

Many people had gathered, since this was the center of attention. The Wang family members were all here; even the slightest hint was worth noticing.

Jiang Bin made no effort to hide anything. To him, these things were bound to be known eventually.

But Jiang Qing thought he had gone mad.

“I don’t agree.”

“Jiang Qing, you don’t seem to understand the situation. Your wishes don’t matter.”

He must be crazy.

Family scandals must not go public. Jiang Bin was extremely concerned with appearances. The fact he could say all this with a straight face made Jiang Qing suspect he was no longer himself.

“Dad, are you sure you want to say this here?” Jiang Qing took a deep breath.

At that moment, Wang Shicheng stepped in to mediate. “Let’s talk about this later. Xiao Qing isn’t feeling well, right? Better to check on her first.”

Unfortunately, no sooner had he spoken kindly than he reached out to grab Jiang Qing.

Jiang Xing had a temper. After holding back for so long, seeing Wang Shicheng shamelessly making a move, he sharply pushed him away and whispered harshly where only the three of them could hear:

“Mind yourself. My sister hates being touched. Also, you started panting as soon as she said you were polite—how dare you call her Xiao Qing?”

Wang Shicheng’s gentlemanly facade was shaken. Jiang Xing’s strength was surprising, painfully pushing the delicate young master away.

What a pain.

Jiang Qing suspected this body had a knack for attracting scumbags.

This situation caught her off guard. Though the original story said little about the stepsister’s private life, it certainly didn’t include this scene. In the original, Jiang Qing was married to Nie Rui, a grassroots scoundrel without background, and Jiang Bin had never opposed, practicing extreme laissez-faire parenting.

So why was the plot changed in this world?

Jiang Qing had no reason to confront head-on. The situation was clearly unfavorable, so she decisively chose a detour, apologizing with a sad face:

“I’m not feeling well. I’m leaving first. Jiang Xing, please accompany me.”

“Miss Jiang.” After being slapped away, Wang Shicheng respectfully changed his form of address. Apparently Jiang Xing’s rough years had some use—at least he could intimidate someone.

“No need to trouble Mr. Wang. There’s still a birthday banquet going on.” Jiang Qing emphasized the word “birthday.”

She left.

Jiang Bin turned to chat with the old Master Wang about projects. For now, it seemed he truly didn’t care about his daughter.