Chapter 2
How did they end up in this situation? The useless system checked and found that Jiang Xian had already returned to her room, but the task was not yet completed.
Jiang Yan sat helplessly at the table, enduring Jiang Zhi's interrogation.
The young girl was petite, easily restrained by him on the desk, looking terrified and unable to speak, appearing pitiful.
Jiang Zhi couldn't bear to see it anymore, he bent down and met her gaze, gently coaxing, "Don't you like it when your sister comes back?"
Jiang Yan, thinking about her role as a malicious supporting character, reluctantly replied, "Hmm."
Jiang Zhi fell silent for a moment, not pressing further for the reason. Instead, he gently patted her head and said, "If you don't like it, it's fine, but don't tell your sister. She still likes you very much. You can come and play with your brother."
Jiang Yan was stunned once again.
Jiang Zhi really was a good brother.
But, I'm sorry.
I am a malicious sister.
While she was in a daze, Jiang Zhi gently lifted her off the desk and placed her on the ground, taking away the rubber duck she held in her hand, and smiled, "Let me have this."
Jiang Yan widened her eyes, staring at him. Jiang Zhi enjoyed seeing her surprised expression, gently pinched her soft cheek, and walked away with the duck, despite the stark contrast between it and his refined and handsome appearance.
Jiang Yan plopped onto the bed, feeling that Jiang Zhi might have figured something out.
That little duck had a special meaning—it was a limited-edition character from an animated series pursued by the original owner. It was difficult to obtain. Originally, she planned to express her apology to Jiang Xian without the system's knowledge. Although Jiang Xian probably wouldn't know.
Feeling frustrated, Jiang Yan climbed onto the bed to rest. Honestly, this task was forced upon her by the system. Although she had her own intentions, she couldn't bear this kind of situation. This brother of hers was just too perceptive and intelligent, but he was kind to her.
Just as Jiang Yan was about to fall asleep, the system returned, its tone flatly stating, "The task is incomplete, but the main reason is not your fault, so there will be no punishment."
Jiang Yan, speaking sleepily, without any threat, asked, "What if the reason is my fault? What would the punishment be?"
"You wouldn't want to know," the system replied.
Jiang Yan didn't speak anymore, appearing as if she had fallen asleep.
The next tasks were much easier, just picking on Jiang Xian in front of her and spreading rumors about the true heiress in front of her friends.
For some reason, Jiang Xian didn't confront her. She even treated her with kindness. The relationship between the sisters wasn't as confrontational as in the original plot, at most, Jiang Yan was the one causing trouble unilaterally, while Jiang Xian remained understanding.
The other variable was Jiang Zhi. During this summer break, he didn't return to school for projects or visit the company, but instead enthusiastically immersed himself in studying things at home. This annoyed Jiang's father, who always criticized him for not focusing on his career.
However, he didn't care, and he often secretly gave Jiang Yan small cakes.
Matcha cheesecake was really delicious, with a rich milky flavor and a silky texture. Jiang Yan stared blankly while holding the cake spoon, feeling that things were different from the beginning.
It's not true, as the system claims, that supporting characters will never be loved, trusted, or acknowledged...
Jiang Yan could clearly feel the affection from her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, as well as the care from Jiang Zhi and the tolerance from Jiang Xian.
"What are you thinking about again? Your little brain is filled with so many worries that you're going to get wrinkles!" Jiang Zhi lightly tapped her forehead and sat on the nearby sofa, sipping his sweet coffee.
"I... won't... tell... you... umph!" Jiang Yan replied slowly and deliberately, covering her mouth. She accidentally burped because she had eaten too much cake.
Jiang Yan froze, her mouth slightly agape.
Jiang Zhi had managed to suppress his laughter and was about to make her a cup of coffee. However, when he saw her expression, his laughter burst out on its own.
Although he was only three years older than Jiang Yan, due to being groomed by the family since childhood, he rarely showed his emotions and always remained calm and composed. It was rare for him to have such a drastic emotional fluctuation.
Jiang Yan covered her mouth, trying to kill him with her gaze.
Most of the tasks for this vacation were already completed. The focus was on the start of university.
Jiang Yan was admitted to University A, the best university in the city, just like Jiang Zhi and Jiang Xian. However, Jiang Zhi was already in his fourth year and rarely stayed on campus anymore. Although Jiang Xian was the same age as Jiang Yan, she had been a good student since childhood and had skipped a grade, so she was already in her second year.
Jiang Yan was forever the true little sister.
On the day when the freshmen started school, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang personally went to see them off, while Jiang Zhi and Jiang Xian arrived at the school earlier as their academic year started ahead of the freshmen.
The start of the freshman year was always the liveliest time.
Apart from the volunteers arranged by the university at the school gate, there were also many male students who came to enjoy the excitement after class, hoping to get the WeChat contacts of some good-looking female freshmen.
In the scorching summer, the irritation of not being able to see the beautiful female freshmen was unavoidable. Song Shiyu, wearing a white T-shirt specially made for the club's recruitment, sat under the shade of a tree, chewing on an ice lolly, but it was still unbearably hot.
A girl with wavy brown hair came over and asked for directions in a sweet voice, "Senior, how do I get to Building 12?"
Song Shiyu lazily responded, "Senior? I don't know either."
The girl, realizing that she had been recognized, was not shy and smiled, "Song classmate, can I add you on WeChat?"
Song Shiyu, exhausted from the sun, lazily handed her a promotional flyer and sincerely said, "You're very welcome to join the New Media Department."
Anyone could tell that this was a polite way of refusal.
The girl was not discouraged and waved her hand generously, "Well then, goodbye, Song Shiyu."
The small scheme of using this opportunity to advertise ended in failure. Song Shiyu yawned, tossing the flyer back onto the table.
His roommate, who had come over to escape from laziness, happened to see it and exclaimed enviously, "She's the campus belle! You actually didn't add her. I would do anything to get the WeChat of someone I couldn't even get when I was exhausted from moving luggage!"
"If you want to add her, go and ask for it. No one's stopping you," Song Shiyu said, reaching out to grab his water.
"Yeah, I guess so. You already have Jiang Xian as your senior," the roommate sighed.
"Don't talk nonsense," Song Shiyu casually warned, not taking it to heart, and lazily closed his eyes, like a magnificent fur-coated cat.
Jiang Yan had been living a comfortable life lately, feeling as though the system was preparing for something big. And true enough, as soon as she arrived at the school gate, the system started acting up.
【Mission: Make Song Shiyu fall in love at first sight with Jiang Yan.】
Jiang Yan leaned on her suitcase, almost hitting her own chin in surprise. "Falling in love at first sight is also a mission? How am I supposed to do that?"
The system explained briefly, "First, have a chance encounter, then get close to him."
But she needed to find him for a chance encounter. Jiang Yan began to sigh again.
Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, were already accustomed to their daughter's mind being filled with all sorts of strange things.
The sun was shining brightly, so Jiang Yan crouched down and hid behind her suitcase, revealing only the smoky purple fisherman hat.
Song Shiyu woke up from his sleep, lifted his eyelids, and suddenly saw a purple little mushroom. He blinked and opened his eyes again, realizing it was a hat.
Jiang Yan played with the shadows of her fingers while checking the plot information she had just received.
【The supporting female character falls in love at first sight with Song Shiyu and starts pursuing him shortly after school begins. However, she is quickly rejected.
The supporting female character becomes angry and resentful. She hears that Song Shiyu likes Jiang Xian and becomes even more furious at the female lead, vowing to teach her a lesson.】
Lost in thought, Jiang Yan was suddenly tapped on the head. Even without looking up, she knew it was Jiang Zhi.
Jiang Yan raised her head and saw Jiang Xian, smiling as she talked to Mr. and Mrs. Jiang.
Jiang Yan pulled on Jiang Zhi's trousers and stood up, her legs feeling numb.
"Can you still walk?" Jiang Zhi asked, looking at her expression.
Jiang Yan felt like crying but had no tears. She struggled to take a step and immediately gave up. "I can't walk anymore."
Jiang Zhi was still going to carry her suitcase. He looked around, picked her up, and took her to a shaded pavilion under a tree. He patted the sleeping Song Shiyu and said, "Lao Yu, look after my sister. I'll come get her later."
Jiang Yan sat on a chair, grimacing, while Jiang Zhi patted her head and instructed, "I'll have your dorm room prepared, and then we'll go eat."
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were worried and wanted to tidy up her dorm room. Jiang Xian followed them. Jiang Yan was left alone in the unfamiliar pavilion with a sleeping boy.
After a while, the boy suddenly raised his head.
The little mushroom he had mistaken before suddenly appeared before his eyes, causing Song Shiyu to wake up a bit. He thought for a moment, struggling to recall, and managed to bring back some memories. He propped himself up and asked, "Jiang Zhi's sister?"
The little girl apathetically responded with a "Hmm," not looking too pleased.
Song Shiyu suddenly remembered the vague scene he had seen earlier and thought of how Jiang Zhi had carried her over. His gaze fell on her small shoes, and he asked with concern, "Is your leg injured?"
The little girl glared at him fiercely. Song Shiyu belatedly realized that his words to a young girl were a bit inappropriate. He rubbed his nose and changed his wording, "Did you sprain your foot?"
Jiang Yan replied slowly, "My foot is numb."
It was an unexpected response. Song Shiyu began twirling his pen to pass the time. However, the young girl, perhaps finding him approachable, suddenly became interested and asked him, "Do you know Song Shiyu?"
Song Shiyu remained silent for a moment, realizing she wasn't joking, and calmly replied, "Which one are you referring to? There are several of us in our school."
Jiang Yan dryly recited the information she had obtained from the system, "The Song from Song lyrics, the Shiyu from literacy, and the Yu from bestow. He's a sophomore, majoring in finance..."
The drowsy male student's expression changed, and Jiang Yan was filled with excitement. "You know him?"
The male student countered, "Why are you inquiring about him?"
Because I want to perform a love at first sight act. But I can't say that. Jiang Yan organized her words and whispered as if sharing a secret, "I like him. I have been secretly in love with him for years. I even chose to attend A University for him. So, I wanted to find out how he's been lately. Has he started dating anyone? Could you show me a photo of him, just to alleviate my lovesickness?"
Jiang Yan became more and more fluent in her improvisation, and she was even moved by her own words.
Song Shiyu's pen fell with a "snap," and he slowly turned his head towards Jiang Yan, his expression becoming serious.
Jiang Yan thought to herself, this reaction isn't right, and quickly asked, "He doesn't have a girlfriend, right?" How could she have a love at first sight if he already had a girlfriend!
Song Shiyu struggled to speak, "No, he's doing well. But why do you like him?"