When The Scheming Female Supporting Character Is Forced To Seduce The Female Lead - Chapter 18

The next moment, the System shut down instantly with a pop, its speed leaving Zhao Qingdai thoroughly satisfied.

Truth be told, the System had reached the point where it should have automatically censored its output. It had simply wanted to observe Zhao Qingdai’s expression change, but it almost lost its virtual life in the process.

With the annoying presence finally gone, Zhao Qingdai was about to help Du Jingmo change out of her evening gown when a comical face suddenly appeared.

The System spoke rapidly: “Just here to remind you—this is as far as you can go. No content below the neck allowed, or I’ll get banned. Please spare my sorry life, thank you!”

With that, it vanished, as if afraid of getting smacked.

Zhao Qingdai: “……”

The mood, which had been building so nicely, had been ruined by that silly face. How infuriating!

Though truth be told, she hadn’t harbored any romantic intentions in the first place.

This was probably similar to Duan Yu’s reaction upon seeing the statue of the Immortal Sister—his first instinct was to kneel and kowtow. Some people were meant to be admired from a distance, never to be touched.

Zhao Qingdai had never believed herself worthy of Du Jingmo. If not for her awakening consciousness and the System’s intervention, she likely wouldn’t have even mustered the courage to approach her again.

She averted her gaze, afraid to look at Du Jingmo’s skin, so pale it seemed to glow. But when she finally saw Du Jingmo’s bandaged foot, her thoughts shifted completely, leaving only guilt and worry.

Removing the evening gown was awkward for Du Jingmo, but slipping into a nightgown was simple. Her obsessive cleanliness and stubbornness made her resist at first, but in the end, she couldn’t bear it any longer. She asked Zhao Qingdai to fetch water for a quick wipe-down before collapsing back onto the bed with a long sigh.

That feels better.

After all that fuss, it was already late in the night. Zhao Qingdai glanced at the clock, dimmed the bedside lamp to its lowest setting, and said, “Sister, you should get some rest.”

Her tone made no suggestion of leaving.

Du Jingmo’s sleep was never particularly sound. Worried that Zhao Qingdai might accidentally bump her injured foot in the night, she decided to stay and keep watch.

Du Jingmo had no intention of letting Zhao Qingdai go. She lifted a corner of the quilt and patted the space beside her. “I can’t sleep anyway. Stay here and keep me company. Let’s talk.”

This was the second time Zhao Qingdai had heard this request, and again, she couldn’t refuse.

She had been so busy helping Du Jingmo wash up earlier that she still smelled of alcohol. Hearing this, she hurried to take a shower, changed into a set of adorable peach-patterned pajamas, and carefully styled her bangs and stray hairs in front of the mirror before returning.

Her preparations were thorough; even her body lotion smelled of peaches. The moment she approached, the air around Du Jingmo seemed to sweeten.

With some effort, Du Jingmo turned over, careful not to jar her injured foot. She stared intently at Zhao Qingdai’s face.

Zhao Qingdai was acutely sensitive to her gaze, her ears flushing with heat. “Sister, what are you looking at?”

Du Jingmo pinched Zhao Qingdai’s earlobe, which flushed crimson at the touch, and smiled. “You look lovely.”

Zhao Qingdai would have dismissed such a comment from anyone else, but hearing it from her sister made her heart race.

Then Du Jingmo abruptly changed the subject, bringing Zhao Qingdai back to her senses. “I saw Aunt Lan at the banquet today.”

Zhao Qingdai’s heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain composed. “What a coincidence.”

“It was quite a coincidence. She clearly didn’t expect to see me. She was terrified, her face went pale—she looked like she’d seen a demon or something ominous.” Du Jingmo rested her head on one arm, her other hand absentmindedly toying with Zhao Qingdai’s earlobe. “Did you go see her?”

Otherwise, why would the woman have dared to show up before Zhao Qingdai, pretending to be a loving mother, only to be frightened out of her wits now?

“Mm-hmm,” Zhao Qingdai nodded obediently, trying to ignore the sensation on her earlobe. “I just warned her not to contact you or disturb you. I told her I’d come knocking on her door if she didn’t comply.”

Du Jingmo sighed.

She said nothing else, but that single sigh was enough to terrify Zhao Qingdai.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t want her to disturb Sister. If Sister doesn’t like it, I won’t go see her again.”

Her explanations only made Du Jingmo’s frown deepen.

“Why would you think I’d blame you? Do you even think you did anything wrong?”

Zhao Qingdai clutched the bedsheets nervously, like a student being scolded by a teacher. Tentatively, she replied, “I… I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

Zhang Xinlan was the one who had done wrong.

“Be more confident! You didn’t do anything wrong!” Du Jingmo pinched her cheek firmly. “But why didn’t you tell me?”

“Did you investigate her background before going to see her? Do you know her weaknesses? She did… that… back then. What if she’s even more deranged now, devoid of any humanity? If you threatened her and she retaliated against you, what then?”

Fortunately, Zhang Xinlan had always only been capable of bullying those weaker than herself, and now she was entirely dependent on men for her livelihood. She lacked both the courage and the means to retaliate.

Du Jingmo’s barrage of questions left Zhao Qingdai feeling flustered. Softly, she admitted, “I didn’t think that far ahead.”

Zhao Qingdai felt that Zhang Xinlan had danced too close to Du Jingmo, crossing a line she couldn’t tolerate. She had to deal with it, without thinking twice.

“Next time, if you want to think, you have to tell me first. I’ll think with you,” Du Jingmo said, her expression stern. She pinched Zhao Qingdai’s cheek and pulled her closer, growling, “Got it?”

“Got it, got it! I won’t dare again.” Zhao Qingdai pinched her earlobes and leaned casually against Du Jingmo’s shoulder.

Satisfied, Du Jingmo withdrew her hand, naturally rubbing her cheek to soothe the faint redness her pinching had caused. She sighed, “You’re so delicate.”

She hadn’t pinched hard at all.

Looking at Zhao Qingdai, dressed in soft pink like a ripe peach, a sudden thought popped into her head: This skin would be perfect for growing strawberries. You could probably eat one with a single bite.

“What am I thinking?” Du Jingmo immediately reflected on herself. “Why has my mind become so… indecent?”

It was already absurd enough to find Zhao Qingdai’s tear-streaked, reddened eyes beautiful, but she never imagined she could surpass that moment.

So, she immediately rolled over, closed her eyes, and arranged her hands neatly on her abdomen, assuming a perfectly poised sleeping posture. “Sleep now. Goodnight.”

Zhao Qingdai, still dazed, remained speechless.

How could she switch gears so abruptly, without even a hint of transition?

“Goodnight, Sister.” She turned off the bedside lamp, gazing at Du Jingmo’s profile, still striking even in the dim moonlight, before closing her eyes contentedly.

The idea of sharing a pillow with Du Jingmo would have been unthinkable just months ago; now it felt like a monumental leap forward. She was a well-adjusted, contented “green tea” who knew when to be satisfied.

Preoccupied with Du Jingmo’s injury, her sleep was restless, waking several times to check on her. As dawn broke, she quietly slipped out of bed, prepared breakfast ingredients, and slipped out of the house without waking anyone.

Du Zhong, ever reliable, would likely handle Du Jingmo’s leave request. Still, when it came to her sister’s affairs, she couldn’t help but double-check everything personally. Thus, she went to school early to retrieve the sick notes for both of them.

The System, which had been offline for an entire night, suddenly chimed in: “Du Jingmo isn’t even incapacitated. Why are you taking another day off? What about your studies?”

Zhao Qingdai tucked away the sick note without looking up. “Does that even matter? Is there anyone as boring as you, who cares about the academic history of a fictional character?”

“Please understand the significance of your awakening. In this world, no one embodies the concept of ‘human’ more than you.”

Zhao Qingdai paused mid-step.

The System, its comically exaggerated face now stern, declared: “So, just… be human, okay?”

Zhao Qingdai: “……”

No wonder that ridiculous face suddenly started spouting such profound wisdom. All that buildup just to deliver that one snarky retort.

She immediately ignored it, hailed a taxi, and rushed home. She still had a chance to share breakfast with Du Jingmo.

Life is all about the daily grind—three meals and a good night’s sleep. To share such a mundane yet essential part of life with Du Jingmo… it’s something to look forward to.

Half an hour later, her anticipation was shattered.

Father Du, usually so easily placated when it came to his daughter, had grown less lenient. He put on a facade of agreeable compliance before Du Zhong, saying, “Alright, alright, go get some rest,” but the moment his back was turned, he summoned the hotel surveillance footage.

He had barely finished reading the message before he was infuriated.

To allow his daughter to get a good night’s rest, he forced himself to restrain his anger until morning. Du Zhong couldn’t stop the enraged Father Du, and truthfully, he never even tried. Consequently, the next morning, the two men who had tried to “rescue” the drunken shrimp and been labeled as “thugs” arrived to apologize, their faces brimming with resentment.

This happened just as Zhao Qingdai was setting the table to share breakfast with Du Jingmo.

Du Jingmo’s appetite visibly plummeted. She laid down her chopsticks and shook her head, saying she wasn’t hungry anymore.

The breakfast, which Zhao Qingdai and the nanny had worked hard on all morning, was now wasted.

Her pent-up resentment materialized and overflowed, her glare at the two men even fiercer than the murderous look she’d directed at the System last night.

The two men suddenly shuddered.

Holy crap, if she’d had that look and attitude last night, even if we were braver than we are, we wouldn’t have dared to even think about taking advantage.

“What, can’t control your eyes? Don’t know where to put them?” Du Jingmo frowned, slamming her hand lightly on the table. “Did you two come here today for a matchmaking session?”

The man forced a strained smile. “Miss Du, you’re too quick-witted. We’re here to apologize.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Du Jingmo tilted her chin slightly. “Apologize. I’m listening.”

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