My Wealthy Ex-Girlfriend Knelt and Begged Me to Come Back [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 49

Lin Qiaoxuan was driving while secretly chatting with the system.

[Lin Qiaoxuan]: I suddenly feel like making this world’s protagonist me and Ji Jiayu.

[Billionaire Tycoon From Scratch System]: The novel’s world has already drifted far away from the original, Host. This idea of yours is very dangerous, and besides, the system can’t do that~

[Billionaire Tycoon From Scratch System]: The business world’s predators are ruthless by nature. If you don’t take advantage of the chaos and eliminate the supporting characters who’ve awakened and gone off-script, do you want this world to warp even further?

Lin Qiaoxuan: I am the real “protagonist.” And you still want me to go around killing people?

If you keep being this twisted, believe it or not, I’ll go to the mall, download a patch, and permanently ban you!

[System]: Twisted… very good~ Whatever the host thinks is right. Even without erasing the supporting characters, with your intelligence you’ll surely set things back on track and earn yourself hundreds of billions!

…

Half an hour later. East District, a Japanese restaurant called Shuangmu.

The whole place was decorated in natural wood, with low tables and tatami mats. It even had underfloor heating—though it was early summer and the warmth wasn’t needed.

Inside one private room, three people sat around a simple table.

The appetizers were deep-sea crab served in its opened shell, the meat paired with sea urchin roe;
followed by slow-simmered Hokkaido oysters, tender and sweet;
then seared wagyu, salmon sashimi, black truffle ice cream…

The three quietly enjoyed the feast.

Until someone broke the silence.

Song Tingyu lifted a ceramic flask, poured clear sake until it barely covered the bottom of a small cup, and handed it to Ji Jiayu.
“Sweet sake. You’ll probably like it. But it’s still alcohol—don’t drink too much…”

Ji Jiayu blinked her long lashes, lowered her gaze to the shallow pour.
“Sweet?”

She raised the cup, letting the sake glide down her throat. Unlike regular alcohol, it wasn’t harsh—delicate, lingering, its sweetness slowly spreading across her lips and tongue.

Sweet indeed, with the fragrance of rice. A taste she liked.

Her soft lower lip glistened with a trace of sake, like a rose petal touched with dew—making her look even more tender.

Ji Jiayu didn’t dislike drinking. Whether she got drunk depended on the situation.
If she didn’t like the company, she wouldn’t drink.
But if she did—then not even a thousand cups could topple her.

She swayed her little head in mild protest, voice soft and plaintive.
“This is too little… I can drink more. My tolerance is good.”

No one could resist such a soft voice.

Song Tingyu loosened her grip on the flask, letting Ji Jiayu take it and pour herself a full cup.

Suddenly, Song Tingyu remembered their university days, when she and Ji Jiayu were still together, when she cared for her in just this same way.

Her lashes trembled. She picked up a slice of Uji matcha mille-feuille cake and gently set it in front of Ji Jiayu.

“This is sweet too. You’ll like it.”

Ji Jiayu gave a light nod. She didn’t dislike the attention, but something about it felt strange. Song Tingyu wasn’t her girlfriend anymore, yet still fussed over her like this.

She didn’t really like it. Polite but firm, she pushed back.
“Thank you… I can take care of myself.”

Lin Qiaoxuan’s dark gaze rippled. The fingers holding her chopsticks trembled and tapped against a plate with a crisp ding.

—Unbelievable. How sycophantic could one person be? Song Tingyu running around like a servant, gazing at Ji Jiayu like she was about to drool all over the table.

Damn it!!

A nameless fire flared inside her.

She quickly picked up an ark shell sashimi from the platter, dipped it in soy sauce and wasabi, and dropped it into Ji Jiayu’s bowl.

“Ark shell. It’s sweet and fresh. Since you like sweet things, you should like this too.”

Song Tingyu’s head tilted slightly. She glanced at the sashimi, then at Lin Qiaoxuan across the table, lips curving into a mocking smile.

“Jiayu doesn’t like wasabi. She can’t eat spicy food. Looks like Miss Lin just met her and doesn’t know her very well…”

Lin Qiaoxuan: “…”

Her heart suddenly felt hollow.

—She did know Ji Jiayu. But only superficially.
She only knew what the novel had described: her expressions, outfits, little mannerisms. That was all.

She had never truly learned who Ji Jiayu was.

Her goal had always been simple: to play the wealthy heiress role and rise into a venture capital queen.

So why did she feel this way now?
Why was she upset that she didn’t know the real Ji Jiayu?

She couldn’t figure it out. She released her chopsticks, brows slightly furrowing, baffled by her own sudden regret.

Ji Jiayu smiled faintly, lashes fluttering.

Not wanting to embarrass Lin Qiaoxuan, she whispered, “It’s fine… I can eat it.”

Her lips parted slightly, teeth gleaming. She picked up the sashimi and brought it to her mouth.

She forced herself to chew and swallow—but the wasabi was far too sharp for her.

Turning her head aside from the table, she coughed lightly.
“Cough, cough…”

Her coughs grew harsher.

Hand covering her mouth, the tip of her nose flushed pink. Her eyes stung, tears shimmering in her light brown irises, spilling down her cheeks.

Her long curled lashes held sparkling droplets.

So fragile. So pitiful.

Lin Qiaoxuan’s mind froze. She knew it was her mistake.

But at the same time, an inexplicable excitement coursed through her.

Ji Jiayu, with reddened eyes, pink nose, snow-pale skin—like a trembling little rabbit—looked even more enticing.

Her heartbeat quickened. This kind of thrill she’d only felt before when facing billion-dollar projects.

And now—over something this small?

Ji Jiayu kept coughing. She truly couldn’t handle wasabi. Especially the authentic kind in Japanese cuisine—it was deadly.

Song Tingyu hurriedly stood, grabbing tissues and rushing to her side.
“Jiayu!”

She gently dabbed away the splashes of sauce on Ji Jiayu’s hair and clothes, careful not to touch her skin.

She knew Ji Jiayu disliked intimacy with her ex. She controlled herself, suppressing the urge for contact.

Meanwhile, Lin Qiaoxuan blurted anxiously:
“Sis! Are you okay? I didn’t know—I swear I didn’t know you couldn’t eat spicy food…”

Only now did guilt finally crash over her like a tide.

She had judged Ji Jiayu as nothing more than a cannon-fodder side character, a plaything to toy with—without ever really knowing her.

She regretted it. How could she think that way about such a pure, beautiful girl?

Frustrated, she rushed out to fetch warm water.

Inside the room, only Ji Jiayu and Song Tingyu remained.

“I want that.” Ji Jiayu, still coughing, pointed to the sake flask on the table.

Her throat itched.

Song Tingyu shook her head, sighing. “Wait for the warm water. Alcohol isn’t good for you.”

“I’m thirsty… that wasabi burned…” Ji Jiayu pouted softly, voice hoarse, unaware she sounded like she was whining.

Already tipsy from one and a half cups, her fair face remained flawless, but her words grew looser, more childish.

Song Tingyu sighed again and handed over the flask.

Her expression—so unguarded—made Song Tingyu’s heart tremble.

A few minutes later, Lin Qiaoxuan returned. She froze at the sight of Ji Jiayu, leaning against the screen with the sake flask in her arms.

“You still let her drink? Sake has a strong after-effect.”

Though Ji Jiayu’s face stayed pale and clean, something about her demeanor was off. She lay sideways on the table, lazily stirring her ice cream into a creamy mess, then licking it off her spoon like a kitten.

A smear of cream clung to her lips and fingers. She didn’t bother to wipe it.

Her lashes lowered, eyes hazy, her tongue flicking against her fingertip.
“I was uncomfortable… just let me drink a little, what’s the big deal?”

Neither woman could reply. Both were transfixed.

Ji Jiayu muttered on, voice low and nasal, “I won’t get drunk… You’re all so stingy…”

Her soft, sultry tone made their throats dry.

Song Tingyu clenched her teeth. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have let her…”

“She drank way too much.”

Almost the whole flask was gone—and she’d finished it by herself.

The sight reminded Song Tingyu of their university nights out. Ji Jiayu tipsy, lips flushed like rose jelly, dancing to music, eyes misty yet pure…

Even drunk, she never lost that allure. Always irresistible.

Lin Qiaoxuan stared blankly at her fingers, her lips, her neck. Her throat felt parched.

Ji Jiayu sensed their stares, puffed her cheeks in mock anger.
“Hmph! What are you staring at me for…”

She slammed her cup onto the table with a loud bang.
“I’m not a monkey!”

In a deliberately fierce, childish voice:
“What are you two looking at!”

With such a bewitching face, her fake fierceness was anything but scary.
If anything, it only made them more excited.

Song Tingyu tore her gaze away. “Nothing.”

Lin Qiaoxuan loosened her collar, covering her throat with a cough. “Really, we weren’t looking.”

But her mind replayed the day Ji Jiayu first entered the Lin household—mocking, seductive, untouchable.

Too hot.

She trembled inside.

Damn it. This side character was too damn tempting!

She had only wanted to build her career. Now she wanted something else, too…

She gulped down warm water, but it didn’t ease her thirst.

Was she becoming twisted?

Maybe.

Because she suddenly wanted to play with love as well.

Her voice came out hoarse, restrained. She forced a polite smile.
“Miss Song, you should head home. I’ll take her back.”

The words fell like a gauntlet.

Invisible gunpowder filled the room.

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