As they talked, the two gradually walked farther away.
Yan Yu sat where she was, watching their retreating figures, and let out a soft sigh.
Bai’er’s figure wasn’t fat; it could even be considered slender.
Saying she was “on a diet” was clearly just an excuse.
Yan Yu understood perfectly—Bai’er simply wanted to eat the same thing as her.
This little thought might elude Ruo Xiaozhen, but Yan Yu saw it clearly.
However, it wasn’t anything to make a big fuss over.
Yan Yu averted her gaze, lowering her eyes, and tapped her fingers absently on the table twice.
She was thinking about something deeper.
According to the system’s judgment logic, her main quest was to play the role of a substitute who loved Su Qinghan but couldn’t have her.
In that process, she needed to continuously interact with various characters, using those interactions to push the plot forward and increase completion.
Bai Yan’er and Ruo Xiaozhen were both important characters on that main line.
Even though Bai Yan’er occasionally showed unsettling obsessive tendencies, and Ruo Xiaozhen was sometimes a bit too clingy.
Yan Yu knew that both of them were people in her “own camp.”
A qualified substitute female supporting character couldn’t just be crushed by Jiang Muyun unilaterally, nor could she face that returned artistic genius in isolation without support.
She needed her own allies, needed to form a small circle that could withstand Jiang Muyun’s side, and then retreat just the right amount in every confrontation.
A strategy of retreating to advance.
Touching Su Qinghan’s heart with a fragile image, making that woman unknowingly lean toward her—that was the real effect Yan Yu wanted to achieve.
Retreat wasn’t surrender, wasn’t weakness; it was a strategy.
So, whether it was Ruo Xiaozhen or Bai Yan’er, both were indispensable roles in her script right now.
She needed to carefully balance the relationship between these two.
Too close wouldn’t work—it would trigger Bai Yan’er’s jealousy.
Too distant wouldn’t work either—she would lose Ruo Xiaozhen as a natural ally.
That balance was hard to strike, but Yan Yu had no choice but to try.
Just as she was deliberating these matters, the two who had gone to get food returned.
Bai’er walked in front, holding two bowls steadily as she came over.
Ruo Xiaozhen followed behind, also carrying a bowl, but it was piled so high it was almost overflowing.
She took each step cautiously, afraid the broth might spill.
Bai’er placed one bowl in front of Yan Yu, then sat down in her own seat.
Yan Yu looked down—inside the bowl was a clear broth base, with green vegetables, tofu, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, a few slices of winter melon, and a small handful of vermicelli.
Exactly what she had requested, not a single thing more or less.
The contents in Bai’er’s own bowl were exactly the same.
The two were eating identical things.
Ruo Xiaozhen finally set her heavy bowl down on the table, let out a long breath, and plopped down onto her seat.
Her bowl was far more lavish—crispy pork, fatty beef slices, luncheon meat, quail eggs, fish tofu, crab sticks, plus a large handful of enoki mushrooms and wide vermicelli.
The red oil broth had dyed all the ingredients an enticing orange-red, and a layer of cilantro and white sesame seeds was sprinkled on top.
Just looking at it was enough to make anyone’s appetite surge.
Ruo Xiaozhen picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of crispy pork, shoved it into her mouth, and chewed a couple of times.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
“Delicious! So delicious!”
She mumbled indistinctly, with a bit of red oil still at the corner of her mouth.
Then she looked down at her bowl, then at the price list, and her expression suddenly turned pained.
“Oh, this… it’s delicious, but didn’t I just add a few extra meats? How did the total shoot up to over twenty dollars?”
She pouted, staring at the food in her bowl with a complicated expression, as if making a difficult trade-off—whether to feel sorry for the money or to satisfy her cravings first.
That internal conflict lasted less than a second.
“Forget it, let’s eat first.”
Ruo Xiaozhen made her decision readily, then buried her head in her meal, her cheeks puffed out as she ate.
Her eating style wasn’t elegant, but it made people feel appetizing just watching her.
Bai’er watched Ruo Xiaozhen wolfing down her food and curved her lips slightly.
It wasn’t mockery, but an observation with a hint of disdain.
‘This woman may have gained the advantage of being closest to my sister’s side, but she doesn’t seem very smart.’
From the moment they sat down until now, Bai Yan’er had deliberately set several small “traps,” quietly engaging in a psychological contest with Ruo Xiaozhen.
‘For example, when I said “I’ll eat the same as Sister,” I was hinting at a tacit understanding between me and Yan Yu that Ruo Xiaozhen couldn’t breach. And when I offered to “treat,” it was to test whether Ruo Xiaozhen would have some subtle psychological change from accepting the favor.’
‘But Ruo Xiaozhen?’
‘Completely oblivious.’
‘In her eyes, Bai Yan’er is just “Yan Yu’s little sister,” a pure, harmless, pretty female classmate.’
‘All those hints, those tests, those psychological battles—they all sank into the sea in front of Ruo Xiaozhen without even a ripple.’
Bai Yan’er lowered her eyes and gently stirred the soup in her bowl with her chopsticks.
‘Well, fine.’
‘Since she’s a simple girl, she can be useful to me.’
‘For my plan, “simple” isn’t a bad thing; sometimes it’s even good. A simple person won’t suspect others’ motives, won’t guess others’ intentions, won’t engage in all those roundabout schemes. This kind of person is easy to get along with and easy to use.’
In Bai Yan’er’s heart, the truly troublesome one was never Ruo Xiaozhen.
It was the one who both occupied an important place in her sister’s heart and had a formidable family background—
Su Qinghan.
‘That woman is my greatest obstacle.’
‘Ruo Xiaozhen is at most a minor nuisance, something I can handle with ease. But Su Qinghan… I haven’t figured out how to deal with her yet.’
‘But there’s a saying: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Building a good relationship with Ruo Xiaozhen might be a good choice.’
With that thought, Bai Yan’er took two bottles of soy milk out of her bag.
They were in glass bottles, with fine droplets of water clinging to the surface—clear signs they had been iced.
She gently placed one bottle in front of Ruo Xiaozhen and the other in front of Yan Yu.
Ruo Xiaozhen was just stuffing a big mouthful of fatty beef into her mouth, her cheeks bulging round, when she saw the soy milk in front of her.
Her chewing stopped instantly.
She struggled to chew and swallow, then looked at Bai’er with an almost moved expression.
“You—how did you know I was thinking of having this?”
Her voice trembled slightly, like she had met a kindred spirit.
“I was just thinking earlier that an iced soy milk would be perfect! Classmate Bai, you’re so thoughtful!”
Bai’er smiled, took a straw out of her bag, inserted it into her own soy milk bottle, and took a gentle sip.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said, her tone very mild.
“If it’s not enough, I’ll go buy another one. Consider today a treat from me.”
“How could I let you…”
Ruo Xiaozhen said politely, but her hands were already honestly reaching for the soy milk bottle, inserting the straw, and taking a blissful big gulp.
The cold soy milk slid down her throat, paired with the spiciness of the malatang—it was a perfect match.
She squinted in comfort, completely immersed in the pleasure of the food.
Yan Yu also turned to Bai’er and gave a slight nod.
No need for many words; a look and a nod were enough.
Between her and Bai Yan’er, a wordless understanding seemed to have formed.
Ruo Xiaozhen finally finished chewing what was in her mouth, took another big swig of soy milk, and then wiped her mouth contentedly.
She looked at Bai Yan’er, her eyes full of genuine admiration.
“Classmate Bai, actually, I’ve heard of you for a long time,” Ruo Xiaozhen said, looking up at her.
“Honestly, everyone in our class says you’re the school belle. But I didn’t quite believe it at first—you know how those rumors always get exaggerated—”
She paused, looked Bai Yan’er up and down, then sighed sincerely,
“Meeting you today, I realize those rumors didn’t exaggerate at all. They didn’t even fully capture how beautiful you are!”
Bai’er lowered her eyes slightly, her lips holding a polite curve, but she didn’t respond.
“But,” Ruo Xiaozhen changed the subject, her tone becoming serious, “I heard that you’re a bit aloof and don’t socialize much. So at first, I was worried you might not be easy to get along with. But meeting you today, I found—”
She broke into a grin, revealing a row of neat white teeth.
“It’s all a misunderstanding! Classmate Bai is so gentle, actually very easy to get along with.”
Bai Yan’er set down her chopsticks and looked up at Ruo Xiaozhen.
Her gaze was calm.
After a moment, she gave a slight nod.
“Well, since Classmate Ruo is Sister’s friend,” she said, her voice not loud but each word clear, “Sister’s friend is also my friend, so of course I should treat her well.”
She paused again, as if choosing her words carefully.
“Classmate Ruo Xiaozhen, can I consider you a friend?”
“Of course, of course!”
Ruo Xiaozhen agreed almost without hesitation, cheerfully wiping the corner of her mouth with a tissue.
“I, Ruo Xiaozhen, love making friends! Usually, it’s just me and Yan Yu eating together, and sometimes it does feel a bit lonely. But if Classmate Bai is willing, we can all eat together from now on!”
“Mm, thank you for the invitation.”
Bai Yan’er’s reply was lukewarm, with a perfectly appropriate smile on her face.
But in her heart, she let out a silent, satisfied hum.
It wasn’t a warm smile, not a happy one, but one of having achieved her goal.
‘Finally, I have a reason to get close to Yan Yu’s side.’
‘Everything is going according to my plan.’
Yan Yu drank her soy milk and glanced at the two of them.
Ruo Xiaozhen was enthusiastically sharing all sorts of interesting school stories with Bai Yan’er, words pouring out like an opened floodgate without stopping.
Bai Yan’er listened quietly, nodding occasionally, adding a few words here and there, looking like two close classmates chatting.
Everything seemed harmonious.
But Yan Yu knew things weren’t that simple.
She certainly wasn’t as naive as Ruo Xiaozhen.
In fact, from the moment they sat down, she had been secretly observing every expression, every word, and every subtle movement from Bai Yan’er.
She noticed that every word Bai Yan’er said, though seemingly casual, actually carried intent.
“Sister and I are eating the same thing.”
— This hinted to Ruo Xiaozhen about the special relationship between her and Yan Yu.
“Let me treat.”
— This established an image of generosity and propriety in front of Ruo Xiaozhen.
“Sister’s friend is also my friend.”
— This gave her a reasonable excuse to get close to Ruo Xiaozhen.
Every step Bai’er took was flawless.
She was trying to get close to the people around Yan Yu, then slowly control them.
First Ruo Xiaozhen, then who?
Other classmates?
Teachers?…
Yan Yu didn’t dare to think further.