Green Tea? She's Clearly a Hidden Gem!

The room was brightly lit.

Zhao Qiulu sat on the edge of the bed, dialing Li Wang's number.

Jiang Linyuan sat nearby, and his phone buzzed with a reply from Shen Wanyu.

"Don't disturb my sleep."

"You're not asleep yet, Department Head."

Jiang Linyuan replied, then glanced at Xiao Su's chat box. No reply. She was probably fast asleep.

Useless Xiao Su!

If I end up sharing a bed with you in the future, the Department Head might just steal you away right under your nose and you wouldn't even know!

"I only see one room's light on. Haven't you gone back to your own room?"

Shen Wanyu sent another message.

Jiang Linyuan instinctively glanced toward Shen Wanyu's room.

Could it be that the Department Head hadn't gone to bed after returning to her room and had been secretly spying on me all along?!

"No, Miss Zhao wants to play a little nighttime game with me. Department Head, do you want to watch the live stream? I can video call you, but you can't talk."

"There are cameras in every room here." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

?

Wait, what the hell?! There are cameras?

This isn't a Courtyard House! This is a Spider Cave!

Is the Department Head going to secretly watch me spin my web?

"Look up. Your upper left corner, near the curtain."

Following Shen Wanyu's message, Jiang Linyuan tilted his head up slightly.

Then he noticed the camera by the dark blue curtain. If he hadn't been deliberately looking, he would never have spotted it.

Shen Wanyu, you're unstoppable.

"Department Head, why did you install cameras in your room?"

"I used to use them to watch the cat."

?

Oh, she means that time Xiao Su kept her cat at the Department Head's place.

"Then why hide them so well?"

"Because the cat was very clever."

No matter how clever, would a cat jump four or five meters just to poke at a camera?

Besides, how long ago was that cat thing?! This Courtyard House is only for when you visit during New Year's!

I seriously suspect the Department Head installed them in advance knowing I was coming to her house!

"Did you secretly watch me yesterday, Department Head?"

"Silly monkey, what's wrong with the master inspecting their own territory?"

She really did watch me!?

"Department Head, next time you want to watch, just say so. I can show you whatever you want to see, hehe."

"...Under normal circumstances, the cameras are all turned off. Including yesterday."

"Honest?"

"You can verify with Su Muzhi. She also knows where the cameras are."

Jiang Linyuan was about to continue chatting with Shen Wanyu, but Zhao Qiulu had already gotten through on her call.

She hadn't put it on speakerphone, so he couldn't hear what the other side was saying, only her voice.

"Li Wang, I want to talk about what happened today."

"Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah, actually, I was at fault too."

Their conversation sounded quite harmonious.

Jiang Linyuan put away his phone and glanced at the red light of the camera in the corner.

Empress Shen was surveying her domain.

"Hm? What do you mean, why did I think to call you at this hour?"

"I just wanted to clear things up."

"What do you mean I never take the initiative to apologize before? What are you even trying to say?"

Their conversation shifted from harmony to something more argumentative.

Zhao Qiulu's tone unconsciously carried a hint of anger.

Though he didn't know what Li Wang had said, Jiang Linyuan could guess after a moment's thought.

Your strong-willed girlfriend, who argued with you this morning, returned your engagement ring, and never takes the initiative to apologize—now she's suddenly calling you in the dead of night with a somewhat apologetic tone.

That's a good thing, brother. Your girlfriend is afraid you'll be lonely, so she's finding you a kindred spirit.

"You're asking where I am now? I'm at a friend's house!"

"Which friend's house? Why aren't you asking why I'm not at my own home?!"

"Video call? That's enough! Li Wang! Do you really not trust me that much?"

"You're saying I sound guilty? Fine! Fine! Go ahead and make that video call. I'll answer it, but after this, we're done for good!"

Zhao Qiulu was clearly furious. She hung up the call, tossed her phone aside, and stared at the ceiling light with red-rimmed eyes for a moment.

"Wipe your eyes."

Jiang Linyuan handed her a tissue at the right moment.

Your little tricks are all used up! Let me show you my little trick!

Zhao Qiulu took the tissue and wiped the corners of her eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop—they streamed down like pearls from a broken string.

"Wah..."

Muffled sobbing. Trembling sniffles.

After a long while, she took a deep, shuddering breath and choked out:

"I... I really wanted to talk properly... I thought with an outsider here... I could control my emotions..."

Jiang Linyuan watched her quietly.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Think of me as someone to vent to."

"You... aren't you going to comfort me?"

"Taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable state is the worst kind of behavior, you know?"

Jiang Linyuan said softly.

"And besides, what you need most isn't that kind of self-deceiving comfort."

Zhao Qiulu buried her head, her body swaying slightly, her voice very small:

"Thank you."

Jiang Linyuan pretended not to hear and stood up.

"Then I won't bother you anymore. I'll be going now."

He slowed his steps. One, two...

"Could you... stay with me a little longer? Just a little bit is fine."

Zhao Qiulu reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Jiang Linyuan's shirt.

Jiang Linyuan stopped, turned his head, and gave a slight smile.

"I'll go get you a glass of hot water."

Neither directly agreed nor directly refused.

"Mm."

Zhao Qiulu slowly let go, curling up into a ball. Her tear stains were like frost on a window, her eyes red and fixed on Jiang Linyuan without blinking.

"I'll wait for you to come back."

Jiang Linyuan just nodded and walked out of the room.

The light on his face slowly faded, replaced by swaths of darkness.

By now, Miss Zhao was easy to read.

She had already played the sympathy card enough. Using tears as a weapon to pry open the door of his heart was just the first step.

If he were a single guy, Miss Zhao would probably have moved on to hugging and touching, luring him in with a crooked finger.

But in her eyes, he was still Xiao Su's boyfriend.

Prying open the door of his heart wasn't enough. She also needed to sever the relationship between him and Xiao Su.

Jiang Linyuan guessed that when he returned to the room, Li Wang would definitely video call. One hundred percent.

Second step: create a misunderstanding.

Many relationships crumble amidst misunderstandings.

But if Miss Zhao really wanted to break up with Li Wang, she wouldn't need to go through all this.

What she wanted wasn't for Li Wang to misunderstand. She wanted Li Wang's misunderstanding to trigger Xiao Su's misunderstanding of him.

That way, it would feel natural, and she could appear innocent.

Then she would say, "My boyfriend misunderstood me, and your girlfriend misunderstood you. We're both victims here. We need to get our stories straight."

See? It instantly brings them closer.

And then, "Oh, when I spoke up for you and told the objective truth, your girlfriend got jealous and angry and made a fuss. Big brother, look who treats you better."

Third step: comfort and contrast. Have a little drink. Let the ambiguous atmosphere reach its peak. And then... bang!

Jiang Linyuan knew this routine inside and out.

For someone like Miss Zhao, if you want to swipe that card, blindly following her plan won't work.

"Xiao Su, get up!"

Once outside the door, Jiang Linyuan went straight to Su Muzhi's door and called her.

In no time, the door opened.

"Mmm..."

Su Muzhi was wearing a pink pajama set. She rubbed her eyes, then naturally took Jiang Linyuan's arm and pulled him inside.

"Xiao Su! What are you doing?"

"You came looking for me because you wanted to sleep with me, didn't you?"

Su Muzhi yawned. She looked like she'd just been woken up.

"Did you not see the message I sent you?"

"Hm?"

Su Muzhi pulled out her phone and scrolled through it.

"Oh, that Qiulu person is trying to hook you, huh?"

"Uh-huh. Xiao Su, now I need you to make a move!"

"But I'm so sleepy."

"What happened to that troublemaker spirit of yours?"

"It went to dreamland."

Damn it, does Xiao Su have different forms or something? Last time she was drunk, she was all dazed and confused too.

Wake up!

Jiang Linyuan grabbed Su Muzhi's cheeks and rubbed them.

"Xiao Su, perk up!"

"If you don't satisfy me, you're dead meat!"

Su Muzhi couldn't take the rubbing anymore. She slapped Jiang Linyuan's hand away and shouted with a red face.

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