Green Tea? She's Clearly a Hidden Gem!

Heart Slave?

Sitting on the Ferris wheel, Jiang Linyuan froze for a second or two, then a wild laugh erupted in his mind.

Mind-reading superpower?!

Ha! Shen Wanyu, your daddy can now say you're nothing but a little girl in front of me!

Shen Wanyu, you might be a genius. But I'm a super-genius!

The talent you're so proud of is nothing more than a superpower to me!

Su Muzhi sat across from him, watching his smile that was harder to hold back than an AK, and let out a soft chuckle.

"Are you this happy just sitting on the Ferris wheel with me?"

Narcissistic little Su! Let me use you as a guinea pig first! Test just how much water this superpower holds.

Anyway, it lasts for 1 hour.

[Heart Slave], activate!

Jiang Linyuan focused his attention on Su Muzhi, and then her voice echoed in his mind.

[Why did he suddenly go quiet? What's he staring at me for?]

Su Muzhi didn't speak; she just stared at Jiang Linyuan with a curious expression.

"What are you looking at?"

So it comes through as inner thoughts, huh? And it's an active ability.

"I'm looking at pretty little Su."

As Jiang Linyuan spoke, he shifted his focus and relaxed a little.

The voice in his ears faded away.

So within this hour, I control both the target and the timing of the mind-reading.

I just wonder if it's limited to one person at a time, or can I read multiple people's thoughts simultaneously?

"You always say such meaningless things."

Su Muzhi flicked her hair back and smiled confidently.

[Not that I mind, though.]

Ah, little Su is so two-faced.

Jiang Linyuan stared at Su Muzhi again.

"Little Su, do you still hate the Department Head?"

"Why the sudden question?"

Su Muzhi stood up and sat down beside Jiang Linyuan.

"Because I feel like your relationship with her has started to improve a bit."

Ever since we came to Yanjing, the tension between little Su and the Department Head has been easing, just like I planned.

You two are going to thank me later.

"We're just using each other."

Su Muzhi tilted her head and smiled at him.

[Is he still thinking about Shen Wanyu? Here we are, just the two of us, and he keeps bringing her up.]

[Ah, that pisses me off.]

Little Su is way too sensitive! I asked about your relationship with the Department Head! How does that mean I'm fixated on her!?

"Little Su, actually, I asked her the same question when I was with the Department Head. Guess what she said?"

Jiang Linyuan used lying as a distraction!

"She doesn't care."

Su Muzhi said indifferently, placing both hands on his face and turning it toward herself. Her narrowed eyes radiated an invisible pressure.

"But right now, let's stop talking about other people."

[I don't want to look back on our first Ferris wheel ride and remember it being all about discussing other women.]

"Fine, fake girlfriend, I'll listen to you."

Jiang Linyuan nodded.

Su Muzhi got angry, lunged at him, and bit down.

This little Su is so ferocious! She even bit my tongue!

Let me fight back. Gulp, gulp.

After a long moment, Su Muzhi released her mouth, wrapped her arms around Jiang Linyuan's neck, and tried to pull his head closer. Her eyes, inches away from his, were full of triumph and relief.

"How does the fake girlfriend's kiss feel?"

[This guy's mouth is only soft at times like this. And he still says he doesn't like me.]

"Average. Not as good as a real girlfriend's kiss."

Jiang Linyuan had figured it out by now. This little Su was a carnivore!

If this kept up, before long, she'd be trying to play matching games with him.

"Then let me kiss you again, so you can compare?"

Su Muzhi swung her left leg over, straddling his lap, and sat down on his thighs. Her hands rested on his shoulders, her face flushed with an enticing blush. She brought her mouth to his ear and whispered.

[What fake girlfriend, real girlfriend? You don't have a girlfriend. I am your girlfriend.]

This glass cannon might be fragile, but she really packed a punch.

"Wait until the day you're my girlfriend, then kiss me."

Jiang Linyuan placed his hand on her back and patted it gently.

"Why won't you accept me, Jiang Linyuan?"

Su Muzhi squeezed his shoulders tightly.

"So much has happened between us. I can't keep holding back anymore."

"I want an answer, Jiang Linyuan. Right here. Tell me your answer."

"Don't try to brush me off with excuses like 'I don't like you' or 'you don't like me.'"

"Right here. Right now. Answer my question."

Her voice grew softer and softer. Slowly, she buried her head in his chest and spoke her final words.

"Do you want to be with me?"

It had only been a short ten-plus minutes since they'd watched the Ferris wheel climb to its highest point.

Outside the window, the neon lights still flickered in a dazzling array of colors.

But the situation was completely different.

[If he nods right now, then even if he cheats on me later, I'll just think of it as a momentary lapse. I'll keep a close watch on him and drive those people away.]

[If he shakes his head right now, then when we get off this Ferris wheel, I'll part ways with him. I won't care about his feelings. I'll catch him, lock him up, and make him my obedient toy.]

Want me to show you a head-folding trick?

Jiang Linyuan felt like he was hanging by a thread, waiting to be hanged and splatter someone's face.

Was little Su adorable? Yes, she was.

She wasn't afraid of embarrassing you, so she'd kiss you in front of everyone at a so-called ball.

She wasn't afraid of you liking someone else, so she'd pretend not to care and help you pursue the girl you liked.

She wasn't afraid of you causing her trouble, so no matter what you did, she'd smile and say, "I'll handle it."

Was little Su hateful? Yes, she was.

Kissing you in front of everyone? That was just her acting willfully.

Pretending not to care while helping you chase the girl you liked? That was her strategy. She wanted to use pain to force you to choose.

Solving your problems for you? That was her telling you, "I'm always sacrificing for you, so you have to sacrifice for me, too."

An adorable yet hateful little Su, who had fallen for an absolutely hateful man like me.

"Little Su, if you use tactics like this, then I have no choice but to shake my head."

Jiang Linyuan said.

[As expected. He's always been like this.]

"Give me a reason."

Su Muzhi stood up and sat down across from him.

[In the time it takes for this Ferris wheel to descend, this will be the last time I seriously listen to him speak.]

"Because I like you..."

"Same old story...?"

Su Muzhi froze halfway through his words.

She had expected him to say something like, "Because I don't like you."

"What did you say?"

"Because I like you..."

Jiang Linyuan said.

Su Muzhi laughed in disbelief.

"Are you having fun messing with me? You like me but won't be with me?"

Jiang Linyuan said.

"I wasn't finished. Don't interrupt me. There's a second half."

"I like you. And everyone else."

[...I really want to forget this memory of the Ferris wheel.]