ATBNLB 04

The atmosphere instantly turned tense and suffocating.

Under the almost tangible “death stares” from Ling Yiyan and Yan An, even Chu Chu—who usually scored a perfect ten in emotional control—was starting to crack under pressure.

Just that afternoon, she had successfully established the “twin younger sister” identity for “Chi Wanwan”… and by nightfall, she was already facing a spectacular, catastrophic collapse.

#Is there anything more melodramatic than this??!#

As expected, ginger gets sharper with age. Chi Hongcheng, who had previously lacked information, immediately sensed something was off in the room.

“…As expected of my precious daughter.”

He cleared his throat, pretending not to notice Yan An’s darkened expression not far away, and chuckled casually at Ling Yiyan.

“I almost forgot I still need to take Chu Chu to meet someone tonight. Yiyan, I’m actually quite interested in that business proposal you mentioned before—let’s find time to discuss it properly another day.”

While speaking, he subtly signaled Chu Chu to follow behind him.

Ling Yiyan’s refined, cold face shifted slightly. His dark gaze lingered on Chu Chu’s face for a moment before he curled his lips into a faint smile.

“Alright.”

At the same time, Yan An’s agent—who had only just realized he’d disappeared—hurried onto the scene, desperately coaxing the young “little ancestor” whose mood had clearly soured, trying to persuade him to leave.

But as he watched Chu Chu walk away without once looking back, taking that so-called “new flame” with her, Yan An’s already reddened eyes grew even more feral.

Meanwhile, Ling Yiyan, who had just seen the rival he met at the café that day, suddenly chuckled.

“Hey—”

He paused, as if thinking of something amusing.

“Let’s exchange contact info.”

“……Huh?”

Yan An blinked in disbelief.

Chu Chu, who suddenly felt a chill run down her spine: alertness triggered.

On the other side, Chi Hongcheng—who prided himself on having strong emotional resilience—finally sighed after holding back for a while. He turned to his daughter with a slight headache.

“Chu Chu… I really didn’t expect you to be this popular.”

Putting aside Ling Yiyan, even that strikingly beautiful young man had quite a reputation.

Even someone like Chi Hongcheng, who had only recently returned to the country, had seen Yan An’s face countless times on ads and standees while walking down the street these past few days.

His daughter’s romantic “debt”… seemed to have quite impressive origins.

And then, the system—now very familiar with internet slang—unhelpfully chimed in at exactly the wrong moment:

“Low EQ: You’re actually juggling multiple boyfriends.

High EQ: I didn’t expect you to be this popular.”

Damn it!

A row of “#” symbols popped up on Chu Chu’s forehead.

Unable to hold back, she snapped at the system:

“Can you shut up? No one would think you’re mute if you stayed quiet!”

The moment the words left her mouth, both Chi Hongcheng and An Lisheng turned to look at her. Her father’s gaze, in particular, carried unmistakable disappointment and shock.

Only then did Chu Chu realize what she had just said aloud in front of them.

She wasn’t used to mentally communicating with the system yet—so that “bold and righteous” retort had just come out in real life.

Her face turned bright red. She awkwardly fiddled with her fingers and didn’t dare speak again.

Ever since transmigrating into the book, she felt like she hadn’t just been forced into becoming a “green-tea villainess”… she’d somehow evolved into a “filial disaster daughter.”

Heavens knew, she really wasn’t doing it on purpose.

Seeing the father-daughter pair apparently needing space, the considerate “rented boyfriend” An Lisheng politely greeted her and naturally blended into a corner of the banquet.

Although his expression remained calm and composed, Chu Chu—who very much did not want a “parent-child conversation”—twitching slightly at the corner of her mouth, was about to say something to dodge the situation when her father calmly hooked an arm around her and led her toward the center of the banquet.

The moment she saw Ye Qishan and Ling Tingya in the distance, Chu Chu’s face almost turned green.

What the hell?!

So this is what you meant by “meeting people”?

If she had known, even if he gave her the most complicated, conflicted, “want to speak but holding back” expression imaginable, she still would’ve kept An Lisheng glued to her side!

That stingy guy who only recognized money but not loyalty—useless at the critical moment?!

Chu Chu silently wept over her poverty.

But in Ye Qishan’s eyes, through the filter of love, her helpless, fragile, almost crumbling posture (caused by sheer frustration) only made her look more like his pure, unattainable white moonlight.

With a crisp “click” from the system in her mind, Chu Chu’s beautiful almond eyes gradually went dead inside.

【After obtaining the guest list for tonight’s banquet, Ye Qishan cast a cold, king-like gaze toward Ling Tingya.

It was as if he wasn’t looking at his wife—but at something he deeply loathed.

The corner of his handsome mouth carried three parts mockery, four parts coldness, and five parts casual indifference. He looked at Ling Tingya with disgust and spoke dismissively:

“Woman, if you’re doing all this just to get my attention, congratulations—you succeeded.”

“Hah. For Chu Chu’s sake, I’ll play the role of your model husband tonight.”

“Without my permission, you are not allowed to cross my bottom line again.”

He let out a cold snort and walked away without hesitation.】

What the hell (a plant)!?

She knew the system wouldn’t miss a single opportunity to torment her.

Watching Ye Qishan standing before her, pretending to be a loving couple while simultaneously staring at her with painfully intense affection, Chu Chu felt a wave of suffocating despair.

‘Let the female lead suffer this romantic tragedy instead…’

Thinking of the original novel—where Ling Tingya was tormented by Ye Qishan for most of the story only to forgive him easily in the end, with the so-called “face-slapping arc” ending in nothing—Chu Chu felt they were honestly quite a match.

Though she, as an unqualified green-tea supporting character, had no right to judge, Ye Qishan’s early actions alone were enough to make her want to grab his head and kick it like a football.

Tsk.

So this is the unavoidable fate of the original plot—where the protagonists’ love must always be highlighted by someone else’s suffering.

“Chi·Villain·Chu Chu”: speechless.

But whether she wanted to speak or not… there were plenty of people who expected her to.

Chi Hongcheng smiled and introduced them:

“Chu Chu, let me introduce you. This is Ye Qishan, the CEO of the Ye Group. And this is his wife, Ling Tingya—you’ve actually met her before. She’s Ling Yiyan’s younger sister.”

Then, as if deliberately not satisfied with the level of chaos, he added cheerfully:

“Come to think of it, you three attended the same university. But Chu Chu was younger—by the time she entered A University, you two had already graduated, so you never had the chance to meet.”

Watching the married couple’s expressions change instantly, and then turning back to her own father with his innocent smile, Chu Chu suddenly realized who the real mastermind in this room was.

#In those casually spoken words, he had already wiped the floor with everyone present#

Ye Qishan looked at his beloved with rising emotion.

“Chu Chu… it’s been a long time…”

Ignoring Ling Tingya’s gaze beside him, he looked at her eagerly and continued, utterly shameless:

“Your outfit suits you perfectly. Like a pure white lotus.”

【…Are you complimenting her or insulting her??】

Feeling Chi Hongcheng’s suddenly enlightened expression beside her, Chu Chu felt immense pressure.

And then, as if the scene still wasn’t chaotic enough, the system struck again.

“Beep—”

A faint mechanical sound echoed in her mind, and Chu Chu immediately had a bad feeling.

“Dear host, relevant plot conditions have been triggered. It is our honor to serve you—‘Green Tea Survival System’ online.”

“…What??”

Staring in disbelief at the floating options before her, Chu Chu felt a sudden urge to destroy the world.

A. A green tea must have green tea grace. Deliver the following line in a soft, delicate, innocent tone to Ling Tingya:

“Even though I don’t really know Sister Tingya, I do know Mr. Ye. He kindly helped me once due to a small accident… though because of me, he might have missed your wedding anniversary. You won’t blame me for that, right?”

【What the hell kind of ultimate green tea line is that?! Absolutely not!!】

Without hesitation, she rejected option A.

B. Sun Tzu says: offense through retreat. Praise Ling Tingya sincerely and say:

“Oh my, I really admire Sister for being so capable. Not only can she host banquets, she can also be the wife of such an amazing man. Unlike me, I only got into A University by luck…”

【NOPE NOPE NOPE—there’s no way I’m saying that!! I’d rather die!!】

She crossed out option B with ruthless determination.

Then… only C remained.

Bracing herself, she looked down.

And froze.

C. Reality is cruel.

You think you have choices—but you don’t. For a “green-tea villainess” like Chi Chu Chu, A and B are the options that would most easily earn Ye Qishan’s affection.

But if you insist on defying the system, choosing this option will likely unlock a new achievement:

—“CEO’s Wrath.”

If you still persist after reading this, we can only advise you to reconsider.

Please say the following to Ye Qishan, who is currently infatuated with you:

“…Heh. Who do you think you are, to praise me?”