The Heroine Is Bold as Brass

A vein throbbed in Jiang Zhaolie's forehead; she was half a mind to send Xu Chun straight to heaven with a gas canister. Bracing herself, she met Yu Sui'an's wounded, silent gaze, her lips stiff. "It's not like that, Suisui."

I didn't! I didn't do it! She's spouting nonsense!

Jiang Zhaolie couldn't spare the time to argue with Xu Chun. Frantic, she ran toward Yu Sui'an, but Yu Sui'an retreated two steps, turned, and fled—hurt and resolute. Jiang Zhaolie hurried after her, not forgetting to shoot Xu Chun a murderous glare before she gave chase.

A menace.

The two disappeared into the distance. Her good deed done and her name safely out of it, Xu Chun shrugged, picked up her melodramatic novel, and lay down on the swing in the front yard.

Because of the earlier fan incident, the production team had canceled the grocery-shopping segment for the guests' safety and had staff prepare the ingredients instead. Xu Chun originally wanted to help in the kitchen, but He Qingli wouldn't let her—until Xu Chun saw He Qingli's date, a slender, scholarly type. Then she finally understood she was in the way.

What a love-struck side character, forgetting her friends already.

But Xu Chun was content to enjoy the quiet, absorbed in her book.

This was the first thing Qin Yao saw when she came to stand beside Qiao Wan. The young woman lay on the somewhat old swing, golden light scattering over her in delicate fragments, her whole body glowing softly like a pearl.

Her soft long hair slipped through the gaps of the swing, falling like black silk through the air; a breeze slowly brushed the ends, lifting the strands at her temples and forehead so they drifted across her delicate skin. At first glance, she was breathtaking—earth-shakingly beautiful.

Wow, the person in the frame really was stunning beyond compare.

Qiao Wan also froze for a moment. "Cousin-in-law is so pretty. I don't know why Cousin doesn't cherish her." She couldn't help looking a few more times; when she saw Jiang Zhaolie wasn't in the frame, she tried hard to keep Qin Yao there. "Auntie, wait a little longer. I just heard Cousin and Cousin-in-law were together; she's probably busy right now and will be back any second."

Qiao Wan didn't know why she was so set on going toe-to-toe with her cousin. After some thought, she decided it was because she'd been wronged so much lately—so if she was getting soaked, she might as well tear up everyone else's umbrella.

If her cousin hadn't been so muddled, Yu Sui'an would never have had the chance to bully people and run roughshod over them, and she wouldn't have had to carry so much at such a young age. Thinking of the strange looks people had given her recently, Qiao Wan wished she could pour out a whole basketful of complaints about Jiang Zhaolie in front of Qin Yao.

The Qin family never let a grudge go—even between sisters.

While Qiao Wan racked her brains searching for Jiang Zhaolie, Jiang Zhaolie was bitterly pouring her heart out to Yu Sui'an. But Yu Sui'an remained silent, making Jiang Zhaolie wish she could tear out her own heart and show it to her. "Suisui, Xu Chun did that on purpose." Jiang Zhaolie gave her a pitiful look. "She deliberately stirred up trouble between us, trying to drive a wedge between us."

"Don't believe a word she says." Jiang Zhaolie couldn't help taking Yu Sui'an's hand, her voice utterly humble. "I'm begging you."

"I know." Yu Sui'an let her hold her hand without resistance. "Zhaolie, of course I believe you." She smiled bitterly. "But even so, when I hear those words and see you interacting with my sister, I still feel very sad inside."

"Even though my reason tells me I shouldn't be like this, I truly can't control myself." She lifted her face slightly, her dark almond eyes glistening, utterly pitiful. She bit her plump lower lip in pain. "Zhaolie, am I... being too dramatic and fake? I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"No, Suisui, you did nothing wrong." Wild joy surged in Jiang Zhaolie's heart; she hadn't expected Suisui's feelings for her to run so deep—deep enough to be jealous. Overjoyed, she wanted to scoop the other woman up and spin her around on the spot in front of the entire nation.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Zhaolie forced down her excitement and said seriously, "How about I withdraw from the show?"

"From now on, I'll quietly watch over you from behind the scenes, protect you, support you. From this day forward, I won't give anyone the chance to slander or bully you—even if that person is Xu Chun." Jiang Zhaolie raised a hand and gently stroked Yu Sui'an's fair, soft cheek, her eyes full of devotion.

"But I don't want you to compromise for my sake," Yu Sui'an said softly. "I want you to do everything you want to do, not constantly worry about me and let it tie you down. I don't want you to become like that because of me."

"No, I'm willing." Jiang Zhaolie cut her off and quickly made up her mind. "I'll go discuss it with the director in a bit. I'll withdraw, but the investment stays. For the rest of the show, I'll quietly watch you from the sidelines until it's all over." Growing more excited as she spoke, she added, "I'll work and keep you company at the same time. I'll keep such a close eye on Xu Chun that she won't get the slightest chance to hurt you."

Yu Sui'an wanted to say more, but Jiang Zhaolie coaxed her gently. At Jiang Zhaolie's repeated insistence, Yu Sui'an had no choice but to nod in agreement, eyes red-rimmed.

After watching the livestream, Qiao Wan felt inexplicably furious. She jabbed at the phone screen, indignant, and turned her head. "Auntie, look at her—"

"How can Cousin brazenly carry on with a woman who isn't her fiancée in front of the cameras!" Wasn't she dragging the Qin family's name through the mud? Anyone who didn't know better would think the Qin family were all fickle, two-timing scoundrels who dote on mistresses and cast aside their wives!

Her cousin was going to ruin the Qin family's name all by herself!

The more Qiao Wan thought, the angrier she got. Unable to hold back, she grabbed her phone, stormed onto Weibo, and joined the crowd cursing Yu Sui'an's fans, venting to her heart's content. She didn't say a word against Yu Sui'an. She aimed everything at Jiang Zhaolie. In the end, Yu Sui'an's fans couldn't decide whether to help or not, so they just let Qiao Wan be.

Jiang Zhaolie's withdrawal was sudden. Xu Chun had just heard the news from He Qingli when Jiang Zhaolie vanished the next second. Her eye twitched uncontrollably. What is this, a game?

She couldn't help marveling: money really can do whatever it wants.

After Jiang Zhaolie left, the show's confrontational atmosphere dissipated considerably. She couldn't appear on camera, and she had no interaction with Yu Sui'an or Xu Chun, so the internet was left with only the same two old camps battling on. At first, no one felt much difference, but after watching the livestream for a while, everyone suddenly realized: without Jiang Zhaolie there to stir the pot between Xu Chun and Yu Sui'an, the show somehow felt a little lacking.

But though she no longer appeared on the show, she stayed nearby watching Xu Chun's every move, constantly on guard. Xu Chun couldn't even read in peace. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "You stare at me every day—do you still have feelings for me?"

Jiang Zhaolie: "?"

She immediately looked away, gaining a deeper understanding of Xu Chun's talent for twisting the truth. "You're overthinking it."

Xu Chun wouldn't let it go. "Then why are your eyes glued to me?" She planted her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows. "Jiang Zhaolie, I really misjudged you. I never thought you'd be the type to do something and then refuse to own up to it. If you love someone, shouldn't you say it out loud?"

Jiang Zhaolie was furious at her words. Terrified this would reach Yu Sui'an's ears and cause another misunderstanding between them, she shot Xu Chun two furious glares and fled as if avoiding the plague.

Her retreating back looked as though some flood-beast were chasing her from behind.

Xu Chun was very satisfied. "Wouldn't it have been better to stay away from me earlier?"

For the rest of the livestream, thanks to Jiang Zhaolie, Xu Chun and Yu Sui'an barely crossed paths. Xu Chun didn't mind; she was wholly immersed in her melodramatic novel and heard news of those two only from He Qingli.

At first, Jiang Zhaolie supposedly kept ninety-nine percent of her attention on Yu Sui'an, but within two days she began leaving frequently, no one knew why. Even when she occasionally worked on-site, her phone rang nonstop, and she had no energy to spare for Yu Sui'an.

Yu Sui'an appeared calm on the surface, but deep down she was a little disappointed and anxious, afraid the duck she'd worked so hard to catch would fly away so soon.

Later, Jiang Zhaolie stopped appearing entirely; Yu Sui'an searched the whole venue and couldn't find her. He Qingli said excitedly, "You should have seen her expression—it was priceless! I really should have taken a picture of her face to show you."

Xu Chun didn't take it seriously. "She's probably tied up with company business."

Yu Sui'an thought the same, so she kept waiting for Jiang Zhaolie to come explain herself. But whether the other woman was truly held up by work or her feelings had faded, she never contacted Yu Sui'an to explain, not even a word, until the show ended. Yu Sui'an lowered her lashes and pressed her pale lips together; an uncontrollable dissatisfaction rose in her heart.

She forced down her emotions and finished recording the closing remarks. The moment she was off camera, her expression turned frighteningly ugly.

Xu Chun caught a distant glimpse of her face, paused, then without hesitation turned the corner and ran off fast. The show was over; if this woman still wanted to use her as a stepping stone, she could think again.

The audience was reluctant to see the show end and left comments begging for a second season. Their reasoning was simple and blunt—since both Yu Sui'an and Xu Chun were single, and judging by their work schedules neither would find a partner anytime soon, why not invite them back for season two and set them up with new guests so they could develop feelings? The production team would be doing a good deed for the entertainment industry.

The staff who saw the comments were speechless. If you want to gossip, just gossip—what's all this about helping Yu Sui'an and Xu Chun find love? Who do you think you are, community volunteers delivering warmth?

Those abacus beads were practically flying off the screen into people's faces.

The manager and assistant loaded Xu Chun's luggage into the nanny van. Once the car started, the manager kept instructing her, "Rest at home for a few days first. During that time, you can go online, but you must never respond to anything on the internet without permission. Yu Sui'an's team will definitely make other moves; one slip and you'll fall into their trap. So whatever you do from now on, discuss it with me beforehand—understand?"

Xu Chun nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, but the manager couldn't relax at all. After all, she'd witnessed Xu Chun's talent for stirring up trouble over the past week; now she even felt that Xu Chun behaving for a single day would be a miracle.

Still, since Xu Chun had appeared on this dating show, her reputation had indeed improved. Though the 'scumbag' label was stuck firmly to her and wouldn't come off, Yu Sui'an hadn't gained much either. The manager was half pleased, half worried, and finally could only sigh and silently console herself: everyone makes their own fate. Maybe Xu Chun's wild maneuvers would end up making her more popular?

This was Xu Chun's first time going home, and she was a little nervous. After all, these were the biological parents who'd raised the original owner for over twenty years, thoroughly familiar with her habits and every detail. What if they discovered at first sight that she was a counterfeit...

She worried the whole way, but when she arrived home, she found her concerns completely unnecessary.

The moment she got out of the car, her mother, Tang Shiyu, rushed out anxiously. "Chunchun, did anyone give you a hard time these past few days? I was so worried watching the show—afraid the online comments would get to you and you'd do something extreme."

Before Xu Chun could speak, Tang Shiyu was already tearfully examining her, her face full of concern. "As long as you're all right, as long as you're all right." She breathed a sigh of relief, as if she'd survived a disaster, and patted Xu Chun's head as if coaxing a child. But a moment later, her tone shifted, and she asked tentatively, "Chunchun, how did it feel... spending these days with Jiang Zhaolie?"

"Not good." Seeing no sign that anything was wrong, Xu Chun followed her lead. "No feelings at all. Better to break off the engagement early, so I don't waste my time."

She said seriously, "She doesn't like me anyway. There's no need for me to keep pestering her shamelessly and making you and Dad lose face."

"But..." Tang Shiyu hesitated. "The Jiang family is one of the top elite households. Your grandfather worked so hard to secure this marriage for you back then..."

"Mom, you said it yourself—it's the Jiang family that has money and status, not Jiang Zhaolie herself. If Grandpa really dotes on me and wants me to live a rich, glorious life, he should think about how to make me Jiang Zhaolie's stepmother directly." Xu Chun joked, spouting nonsense. "Being Jiang Zhaolie's stepmother is much more comfortable—money, identity, status, all of it. The sooner that old man in the family kicks the bucket, the more I profit each day."

"In the future, when Jiang Zhaolie sees me, she'll have to respectfully call me 'Mom' and support me in my old age." Xu Chun was seriously considering it—though there was no need for Jiang Zhaolie to see her off in death; who kicked the bucket first was still up in the air.

She was just spouting nonsense to get her mother to agree to break off the engagement first. She hadn't expected the other woman to actually think it over seriously. "That's not entirely impossible..."

Xu Chun nearly tripped and fell flat on the spot. She whirled around in shock, disbelief written all over her face. "???"

This was truly—

Shocking her mother to the point of opening the door to shock, shocked all the way home!

TL Note:

Her good deed done and her name safely out of it (深藏功与名) = a humorous literary/internet phrase for slipping away without claiming credit after doing something.

if she was getting soaked, she might as well tear up everyone else's umbrella (自己淋了雨也巴不得把别人的伞撕烂) = a bitter, petty mindset: if I'm suffering, I want others to suffer too.

Those abacus beads were practically flying off the screen into people's faces (算盘珠子都快崩自己脸上来了) = internet slang for scheming so obvious it's practically hitting people in the face.

Shocking her mother to the point of opening the door to shock, shocked all the way home (刺激她妈给刺激开门，刺激到家了) = wordplay on 刺激到家, literally “shocking to the point of arriving home,” meaning utterly outrageous.