Just yesterday evening, while eating at the buffet with Lu Siyan, Jiang Ruoqiao had enjoyed a quiet sense of peaceful contentment.

Now, watching Jiang Yan apparently squaring off against Lu Yicheng, she had only one thought: Let the earth swallow her whole!

What was the point? What did any of it mean? If she could, Jiang Ruoqiao genuinely wanted to pry open Jiang Yan’s skull and study what kind of thought process was going on in there. And where on earth did he get the confidence to think that after everything that had happened, she’d let herself be won back, that they could reconcile??

She understood it even less — had their relationship really been that deep?

But they’d only been together a few months, hadn’t they? And during those months, sometimes she was busy, sometimes he was busy — they hadn’t even really been through anything together. At most, a shared meal and a movie. Was he really that fixated on her? Jiang Ruoqiao genuinely could not fathom it.

Thinking about it from another angle, perhaps it was precisely because she was so “unfeeling” when it came to matters of the heart that in the original novel she could only manage the role of a tragic supporting character.

Yun Jia stood beside Jiang Ruoqiao and sighed theatrically: “Does this feel a little like choosing a concubine to receive imperial favor?”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “?”

“Will you reinstate the demoted Consort Jiang, who has been banished to the cold palace? Or will you bestow your grace upon Honorable Concubine Lu, who might yet rise to receive imperial favor?” Yun Jia’s dramatic instincts took over, and she even made an exaggerated curtsy to match.

Jiang Ruoqiao reached out a hand and gave her a merciless pinch. “Stop it.”

Yun Jia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think Consort Jiang stands a chance.”

It wasn’t just the two of them discussing it — the other girls in the dormitory building were also thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

Well, a dramatic scene with real-life stakes is always more satisfying than a scripted one.

Lu Yicheng was deeply uncomfortable.

Extremely uncomfortable.

He hadn’t expected to run into Jiang Yan here. After the falling-out between them, they hadn’t exchanged a single word. If they happened to cross paths in a classroom or at the cafeteria, neither one would spare the other a glance. Lu Yicheng had long since come to terms with this, had mentally prepared himself — he and Jiang Yan were no longer friends, and never would be again.

It was just that today Jiang Yan had also come to bring breakfast.

And they’d ended up running into each other here of all places…

Lu Yicheng looked up toward the balconies of the girls’ dormitory building — he could see quite a few girls pointing their phones at them.

The situation needed to be managed before it spiraled.

Things had already died down somewhat — after all, every university student had their own studies and their own life. But Jiang Yan’s appearance here would undeniably stoke everyone’s curiosity all over again. And once people started talking, everything could easily take on a life of its own, warping in unpredictable directions — like, for instance, more and more people maliciously speculating that Jiang Ruoqiao had deliberately engineered today’s scene.

Lu Yicheng was aware that the vast majority of students at this university tended toward a more rational way of seeing things.

But what couldn’t be denied was this: two men and one woman — especially when those two men had once been close friends… given enough time, someone would inevitably start tarnishing that woman’s reputation.

Just like in so many news stories, where the woman was clearly the wronged party, yet there was never any shortage of self-styled “objective observers” typing away in the comments.

Lu Yicheng tightened his grip on the breakfast bag.

He took a deep breath, and under the weight of everyone’s gazes, turned and walked away. It was still early — it would only get more crowded as time went on. This was not the scene he wanted to see unfold.

Jiang Yan hadn’t expected Lu Yicheng to leave.

The corners of his mouth curved slightly. This was liking someone? Like someone and then retreat at the first obstacle like that?

—

“Honorable Concubine Lu actually left!!” Yun Jia was wide-eyed in disbelief. “How could he just leave? Any sensible person can see he has the better odds!”

Gao Jingjing was leaning against the doorframe, and a quiet smile crossed her face. “Oh, I just thought of a story. Do you want to hear it?”

“What story?”

“I read it online somewhere. Two women both claimed to be the mother of the same child — both had evidence, both made compelling cases. The magistrate couldn’t decide, so he told them: fight for it. Whoever wins the tug-of-war gets the child. The two women started pulling the child back and forth between them. The child was obviously in pain and started crying. One of the women let go.” Gao Jingjing said: “The one who let go was the child’s real mother.”

“What does that have to do with…”

“The one who truly loves the child cares more about the child’s pain than about winning.” Gao Jingjing said. “The same principle applies here. I don’t think Lu Yicheng left because he was backing down.” She turned to look at Jiang Ruoqiao. “On the contrary, I think he left because he was worried people would talk about Ruoqiao. Letting this standoff drag on any longer — I can guarantee you that within the hour, there’d be a forum thread open for people to bet on whose breakfast Ruoqiao picks. And then things might get twisted. That’s not a situation I’d want to see either — it wouldn’t be good for Ruoqiao.”

Yun Jia took a moment to let that sink in. “Alright, I think Consort Jiang needs another demotion.”

She called loudly into the room to Luo Wen: “In period dramas, what’s the rank below Consort?”

Jiang Ruoqiao tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression perfectly composed. “Come on — let’s go get breakfast. My treat today.”

Luo Wen emerged from the bathroom. “Rich girl, what are we having?”

Jiang Ruoqiao made a sweeping gesture: “Mixed noodles!”

Luo Wen: “…………”

All four dormitory-mates headed downstairs — not one of them spared Jiang Yan a single glance.

Jiang Yan didn’t lose heart. When he’d been pursuing Ruoqiao the first time, hadn’t he persisted for a long while before she responded?

After the four of them left, Jiang Yan also made his way toward the classrooms. On the way, he got a call from his mother.

Jiang Yan’s feelings toward Lin Kexing were already avoidance — but his feelings toward his mother were considerably more complicated.

Jiang Ruoqiao’s words still carried a lot of weight with him.

But complicated as it was, a mother’s call still had to be answered. He picked up.

Jiang Yan’s mother didn’t mention Lin Kexing at all, only asking: “Ah Yan, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up. What kind of mooncake filling do you want? I’ll have the kitchen prepare some — and maybe a box for your dormitory-mates too?”

Jiang Yan’s voice was low. “No need. I’ll be staying at school for the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

He paused, then added: “If you want to spend it with me, we can celebrate somewhere outside.”

On the other end, his mother went quiet for a few seconds. “You’re not coming back for Mid-Autumn?”

Jiang Yan made a sound of acknowledgment. “It was never really my home.”

“Alright.” His mother exhaled a long sigh. “You’ve grown up. I suppose I can’t manage your affairs anymore.”

The call was awkward between mother and son.

Jiang Yan used the excuse of having class and hung up. On the other end, his mother listened to the long tone and her face darkened. Inside, she was already regretting having talked Ah Yan into taking Ke Xing to that countryside resort. The situation had been perfectly arranged, and now it had collapsed completely. Things had become impossibly difficult to manage. Fortunately, Ke Xing was currently boarding at school, and Madam Lin was so consumed with preparations for the charity gala she barely had her feet on the ground. Ah Yan had made up his mind not to go back — when the time came, Ke Xing would inevitably be affected. And if Madam Lin or the Master noticed anything amiss between Ah Yan and Ke Xing, then everything would be over.

Where should she even begin to salvage this?

After turning it over and over in her mind, Jiang Yan’s mother decided to go see Jiang Ruoqiao in person.

She had always felt that Jiang Ruoqiao was the key to breaking through the impasse. Let me first see what Jiang Ruoqiao’s attitude toward Ah Yan is…

—

Jiang Ruoqiao had class that afternoon.

After lunch with her dormitory-mates at the cafeteria, she went back to rest.

Oddly, even though she almost never dreamed during afternoon naps, she had a dream that could only be described as tumultuous.

In the dream, she was again an observer, watching from the outside.

Based on the timeline, it appeared to be the fourth year of university. “Her” maternal grandparents’ health had deteriorated, and at “her” strong insistence, her grandfather brought her grandmother to Jing Shi for medical treatment. The city had excellent healthcare, but her grandmother’s condition declined day by day. Her grandfather also suffered from multiple chronic conditions, and both of them were getting on in years. With their granddaughter accompanying them, seeking medical care was still no simple undertaking — they were waiting for a hospital bed to open up.

Then one day, “her” boyfriend’s mother suddenly appeared.

“Her” grandparents were overwhelmed by the boyfriend’s mother’s enthusiasm and ended up accompanying her to a restaurant. “She” was naturally present too. It was the first time “she” had officially met the boyfriend’s mother, but because “she” was preoccupied with worry over her grandmother’s health, she had little appetite for pleasantries. Even so, the boyfriend’s mother noticed the bag “she” was carrying and asked curiously: “Is this a gift from Ah Yan?”

“She” gave a nod.

Then the boyfriend’s mother, in a lighthearted tone, brought up how the boyfriend had originally wanted to buy that bag at the counter, but the price was too high, so he’d held off — but fortunately, his younger sister was so kind and resourceful, and had gotten hold of the bag through a friend of a friend, at a much lower price.

“She” was deeply shaken.

First by the bag itself, and second by what it implied about the boyfriend’s financial situation.

The boyfriend’s mother, seeing “her” shock, then revealed that she worked as a personal assistant for a wealthy household, that it was just the two of them — mother and son — getting by on their own, and that they were fortunate to have a generous employer. Then, shifting her tone, she spoke about how her son had borrowed money from every direction and worked himself to exhaustion just to buy this bag for “her.”

The most cutting part was that the boyfriend’s mother said this with a voice full of heartfelt relief: “Pressure creates motivation, as they say. It’s just that when this child gets busy, he always forgets to eat. Little Qiao, you need to keep an eye on him in daily life. I also worry about you young people having it so hard — these next two years I’ll just keep working as hard as I can and save up some money for the two of you.”

“Her” grandparents had lived straight, upright lives their whole lives and never taken so much as a sliver of advantage from anyone. Hearing the boyfriend’s mother speak this way, they were flushed with shame.

Because in the boyfriend’s mother’s telling, the boyfriend had emptied out every last penny of his living expenses to buy “her” a bag — and was now overworking to the point of skipping meals — and on top of that, the bag had cost tens of thousands of yuan. Her honest, good-natured grandparents simply couldn’t accept this, and the entire meal passed in strained silence.

After the boyfriend’s mother left, “her” grandfather’s blood pressure spiked dangerously and he nearly fainted — they rushed him to the hospital, where the doctor said it was fortunate they’d been in time. Elderly people with multiple chronic conditions, especially at this age, were in the highest risk group.

Her grandmother also refused to stay in Jing Shi any longer, insisting she wanted to return home. The two elders didn’t have the heart to scold their granddaughter — they could only quietly sigh and worry. Her grandmother even stubbornly declared she would not receive any more treatment or have any surgery, that the money should all be saved for “her.”

Both of them believed “she” had no money of her own.

Once elderly people dug their heels in, there was absolutely nothing “she” could do.

Then, while the boyfriend was away for his internship, “her” grandparents — not wanting to burden her — quietly figured out the train schedule on their own and went back to their hometown.

When the boyfriend finally returned from his work trip, her grandparents were already gone, too reluctant to add to her stress. And then he brought “her” another wallet.

“She” thought of the boyfriend’s mother’s words. She thought of the way her grandparents had looked — their backs so stooped, their eyes so hurt. She was still so young, and all the fury came pouring out at the boyfriend —

“Get out!! Was this one second-hand from someone too??

“If you have no money, stop acting like some big spender buying brand-name gifts! Did I ever ask for these?! If I’d known you were like this, I never would have been with you in the first place!”

The boyfriend just stared at “her,” utterly disbelieving.

—

Jiang Ruoqiao woke from the dream.

So that was how it happened.

The original novel had glossed over what led to the breakup between the male lead and the female supporting character. She’d never known what the actual cause was.

If she were herself — completely unaware of the plot — and something like this happened to her, she very likely would have done exactly the same thing, said exactly the same words.

Because in her life, her grandparents meant everything. She could not endure them being hurt in the slightest because of her.

No one could compare with her grandparents.

And in the original novel, Jiang Yan’s mother had certainly kept her own hands completely clean. After all, from an outside perspective, she hadn’t said a single wrong thing — no cruel words, no mockery, her tone had even been warm and sincere. And “she,” not knowing that the boyfriend had the male lead’s halo around him, would have reacted the way she did — it was the most natural thing in the world.

So, under a certain someone’s careful design, the label of materialistic and vain was placed squarely on her head.

Everyone — including the male lead himself — believed that “she” had lashed out because she’d discovered the truth about his financial situation, and her pride was wounded.

Beautifully done. Truly beautifully done.

Jiang Ruoqiao had always felt that without knowing the plot, without knowing that Jiang Yan’s mother was honey-tongued and knife-hearted, with only a twenty-year-old’s experience and capabilities, she would never have been a match for her.

Given such an outcome, she was happy to admit defeat.

Who told her she had the bad luck of ending up as the male lead’s first love?

Jiang Ruoqiao woke from her afternoon nap in complete calm.

She and Jiang Yan had already broken up, and the bag was gone too. Jiang Yan’s mother shouldn’t have any reason to seek her out again… and yet she’d barely finished the thought when she came downstairs after class and found Jiang Yan’s mother waiting right there outside the dormitory building.

Jiang Ruoqiao: “……”

This was also the first time Jiang Ruoqiao had come face to face with Jiang Yan’s mother.

Looking at her, Jiang Ruoqiao thought — the “her” in the original novel truly hadn’t deserved what happened. If she hadn’t known the plot, she would never have believed that a woman with such gentle features and such warm, friendly demeanor could be carrying such machinations inside. Jiang Yan’s mother was dressed in a pale-colored suit. She’d been beautiful in her youth, and even now, in her forties, the echoes of that grace were still evident. Her brows, her tone, her smile — everything was softened to the very edge of gentleness. “You must be Little Qiao? Hello — I know this is terribly presumptuous of me, but I’m Jiang Yan’s mother. I was hoping I could take you to dinner, if you have the time?”

As the saying goes — once bitten by a snake, you spend a decade fearing every rope.

Jiang Ruoqiao was certain that Jiang Yan’s mother’s visit this time was entirely different from the one in the original novel.

After all, she and Jiang Yan had already broken up.

But still she did not dare to let her guard down. And something set off an alarm inside her: even as Jiang Yan’s ex-girlfriend, with no connection between them anymore, Jiang Yan’s mother had still tracked her down. What did that tell her? It told her this situation hadn’t concluded at the breakup — at least not as far as Jiang Yan’s mother was concerned. She still had some use.

If she didn’t strike back now, with Jiang Yan’s mother’s cunning, one day she might find herself blindsided without even knowing how it happened.

No matter what Jiang Yan’s mother’s intentions were, Jiang Ruoqiao was done trying to figure them out.

Let it all come.

She was tired.

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled lightly. “Of course — Auntie, could you wait a moment? I’d like to go up and change my clothes.”

Jiang Yan’s mother said warmly, “Of course, take your time. Your things come first.”

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled, walked into the dormitory building under Jiang Yan’s mother’s watchful gaze, and on her way up the stairs, fished the name card from the inner pocket of her bag.

She took a deep breath: Jiang Ruoqiao — this is absolutely not the moment to be passive. However bad it gets, it cannot be worse than the original novel.

She dialed the number on the card.

The call connected.

Jiang Ruoqiao’s expression was steady and composed. “Madam Lin, hello — this is Jiang Ruoqiao. I’m not sure if you still remember me?”

—