Whether it was because Su Qinghan’s movements were too ostentatious, news that Jiang Muyun’s birthday was approaching and Su Qinghan was planning a grand celebration for her spread quickly through the Academy.
Yan Yu went to get water from the dispenser at the end of the hallway after class.
In just a few short steps, she overheard several nearby girls whispering excitedly.
“Did you hear? That Su Family heiress is throwing Jiang Muyun a birthday party. Huge scale!”
“Really? Where?”
“I heard she booked the entire Panoramic Banquet Hall on the top floor of Cloud Top Garden! The whole floor! You can overlook half the city at night!”
“Oh my god! Cloud Top Garden?! Even booking a small hall there costs six figures at minimum. A whole floor… How much money is she throwing around?”
“Who knows, but for the Su Family it’s pocket change. I’m guessing venue, catering, band, gifts… at least this much.”
The girl making the claims mysteriously gestured with her fingers.
“Ten million?! That’s too ridiculous!”
“What’s ridiculous about it? You’ve seen how attentive Su Qinghan is to Jiang Muyun. But speaking of which… are they dating now? Being so high-profile and all.”
“I heard they haven’t officially confirmed their relationship yet. Seems like Su Qinghan is pursuing her unilaterally, and Jiang Muyun hasn’t agreed.”
“Huh? With Su Qinghan being such a top-tier heiress—rich, beautiful, and powerful—Jiang Muyun is still playing hard to get? Her family isn’t bad, but it’s far from the Su Family’s level.”
“Who knows. Maybe she has her own plans, or… she’s enjoying being pursued?”
“Tsk. I don’t understand the rich world…”
Yan Yu listened expressionlessly as she tightened the lid of her thermos cup.
The warm steam transmitted through the cup wall, warming her slightly cool fingertips.
But in her heart, there was only cold mockery.
‘Su Qinghan is really splashing out.’
A ten-million-yuan birthday banquet, just to win that “savior’s” smile? Truly extravagant.
If it weren’t for that damned “Body Double Acting Mission” hanging over her head like the Sword of Damocles, she wouldn’t have the slightest interest in their love-hate drama or money games.
Let them act however they wanted, spend however they wanted.
What was it to her?
But not now.
She was a dedicated body double female supporting character, and a “lovesick, unrepentant ex.”
When the “goddess” was so high-profile about celebrating her new love’s birthday, if the old love showed absolutely no reaction, wouldn’t that be unprofessional?
What should a qualified lovesick female supporting character do at a time like this?
Naturally, she should go “deliver her blessings.”
She should appear before the goddess, perfectly displaying her “forced smile” and “hidden, deep affection.”
Ideally, she’d even accidentally reveal a trace of melancholy, to remind the other party—
‘Look, here’s one you abandoned, still heartbroken for you right where you left her.’
But she couldn’t be too reckless, either.
Between Su Qinghan and Jiang Muyun, despite the apparent sweetness, undercurrents were swirling.
From their previous interactions, especially Su Qinghan’s recent reactions when facing her, these two weren’t a solid front.
Perhaps, behind the glamour of that luxurious birthday banquet lay the moment when the cracks between Feng Aotian and White Moonlight would begin to show.
That was the best time for her, “the body double female supporting character,” to make her entrance.
Quickly calculating in her mind, Yan Yu shook her wheelchair and slowly moved back toward the classroom.
Five minutes until the next class.
But when she returned to her seat by the window, she found someone already sitting there.
A head of silver-white, silky hair glowed with a transparent sheen under the sunlight pouring through the window.
The owner of that hair was petite, wearing a plaid skirt, casually flipping through the textbook spread open on the desk.
It was her textbook.
It was Bai Yan’er.
She was sitting in Yan Yu’s seat, as naturally as if it were her own.
“Yan’er?”
Yan Yu stopped her wheelchair, calling out softly.
Bai Yan’er looked up upon hearing her, immediately breaking into a sweet smile, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
“Sister, you’re back.”
“Mm. What is it? You need something?”
Yan Yu looked at her, a trace of suspicion passing through her mind.
Although Bai Yan’er was in the same class, their seats weren’t close. She rarely came and sat directly in Yan Yu’s spot between classes like this.
“Nothing really.”
Bai Yan’er closed the book, propped her chin on both hands, and tilted her head to look at her, her gaze clear and focused.
“I just… missed you.”
Such a straightforward statement caught Yan Yu off guard.
She then looked away, somewhat uncomfortable.
This body and soul still hadn’t fully adapted to being “relied upon” or “needed,” especially the overly intense “need” coming from Bai Yan’er.
“Missed me? Aren’t we in the same class every day?”
“Mm, we’re in the same class.”
Bai Yan’er nodded, but her tone dropped slightly.
“But Sister has rarely spoken to me lately. I mean… we grew up together as children. We were the closest people. Why is it that now, it feels like there’s such a distance between us, like we’re just ordinary classmates?”
Yan Yu was silent for a moment.
The original host’s alienation and resistance toward Bai Yan’er were clear and strong in her memories.
She carefully chose her words, trying to answer using the original host’s logic.
“Because… Yan’er went back to the Bai Family, right? Now you’re the young lady of the Bai Family, while I…”
She paused, her voice growing softer.
“I’m just an ordinary student with no one to rely on, still worrying about making ends meet. There’s a huge gap between our lives. The distance… naturally grows.”
This was the most realistic reason, the one that would allow Yan Yu’s identity to have a justifiable excuse for distancing herself from Bai Yan’er.
“Is that so?”
The light in Bai Yan’er’s eyes dimmed for a moment.
But soon, she raised her eyes again to look at Yan Yu, her gaze carrying an unmistakable stubbornness.
“But I’ve never thought that way. Sister, you have always… been very important to me. Extremely important. I don’t want us to drift apart like this.”
As she spoke, she suddenly stood up from the chair and walked over to Yan Yu’s wheelchair.
Then, under Yan Yu’s somewhat bewildered gaze, she slightly bent her knees and half-knelt, bringing her line of sight level with Yan Yu, who was sitting in the wheelchair.
She reached out her hands, gently covering Yan Yu’s hands resting on her knees.
The girl’s palms were warm and soft, with a touch of damp sweat.
“Sister,”
Bai Yan’er looked up, her voice soft.
“After school this afternoon, stay in the classroom. Don’t leave so quickly, okay? I… have something I want to tell you.”
Yan Yu’s fingers curled slightly within her palm.
Her original plan was to find a way to “accidentally encounter” Su Qinghan after school, or at least probe for details about the birthday banquet to see if there was an opportunity for her to appear.
But now…
Bai Yan’er’s request had disrupted her original calculations.
Bai Yan’er, in the original novel, was only a marginal character with little screen time.
She seemed to have no direct impact on the main line of the body double acting mission.
Refusing her should be harmless.
But…
Looking at the pair of eyes full of expectation before her, feeling the warmth transmitted through the back of her hands…
The scales in Yan Yu’s heart began to tremble slightly.
What should she do, after all?
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