"Yes, young master!"
The servant didn't understand why his young master looked as though someone had planted a cuckold's green hat on his head, but he obediently went back to make the arrangements.
After the midday banquet ended.
Back at Bright Azure Courtyard.
Jiang Wanrong surveyed everything around her, feeling an inexplicable pang of guilt, along with a little bewilderment.
Her family had all been warm toward her, without any of the coldness or distance she had imagined.
Yet before coming home, she had only planned to use the Jiang family's influence, finish her business, and leave...
Meanwhile.
After a busy morning, Jiang Yourning was finally free. The moment she returned to her room, she flung herself onto the large, elegantly antique bed.
"My beloved consort! Here I come!"
As Jiang Yourning gently caressed the bundled-up bedding, a voice suddenly sounded in her mind.
[Bzz, bzz, bzz...] [Ding! Abnormal fluctuations in the host's mental energy detected. Current environmental requirements met. System loading...] [Progress: 1%] [Progress: 38%] ... [Progress: 100%] [Congratulations! The host has successfully bound the Tormented-Novel Character Breakdown System! For every 1% breakdown in a book character's established characterization, the host will receive corresponding points. These points can be used to purchase supplies from the shop or enter prize draws. Even more unexpected surprises await you~]
The emotionless, mechanical electronic voice echoed in Jiang Yourning's mind. A second later, she felt warmth against her wrist.
An inconspicuous bracelet had appeared around her wrist. The pale blue bead at its center lit up, and a virtual screen appeared before Jiang Yourning.
The screen had several tabs-Shop, Prize Draw, Inventory, and My Little Home.
"Hehehe, I really am the chosen wage slave! My transmigration cheat has finally arrived! You've got a good eye, System!
You even gave me a couple of warning buzzes before arriving. How thoughtful~"
The surprise came so suddenly that Jiang Yourning let out a sleazy laugh. Next door, Chun Tao, who had just been about to take a nap herself, was so startled that she rolled right off her bed. She clutched her aching lower back, tears welling in her eyes.
"Don't worry, System! From now on, your host will take you along to feast on the finest food and drink, and show you just how good your judgment was! Hehehe-hic~"
[...]
Had it really been right to soften its heart and make this trip in place of its malfunctioning older brother?
But what on earth was that buzzing sound?
Just as Jiang Yourning's laughter was about to turn into a chicken's clucking, a worried, teary-eyed Chun Tao knocked on her door.
"Miss, are you all right?"
"Little Tao-Tao, I'm fine! Don't worry about me! Hehehe~"
Outside the door.
Chun Tao couldn't help letting out a long sigh.
She felt she ought to have Madam summon a physician to examine her young mistress's head within the next couple of days. Somehow, ever since her mistress had woken up that morning, her condition seemed even worse than before.
It went quiet outside.
Jiang Yourning didn't mind in the slightest that the system had completely ignored her after its opening remarks.
After spending more than an hour exploring the system's functions, she couldn't help laughing aloud even in her sleep.
She even drove the birds in the courtyard to fly elsewhere to rest.
Still, having such a hands-on host made the system feel a little better. In a single evening, she had figured out most of its functions on her own, sparing it the trouble of explaining them.
With such a low-maintenance host, the system felt perfectly comfortable muting Jiang Yourning's chatter on its end, then returning to the adult movies it had been watching.
After waking from her afternoon nap.
Jiang Yourning listened to Chun Tao describe Jiang Wanrong's reaction to her gifts and nodded in satisfaction.
"By the way, Chun Tao, has anything unusual happened in the capital these past couple of days?"
"Yes! Apparently, Cloud Fragrance House has a new courtesan queen. Even princes and nobles are scrambling for a chance to see her."
"Is that courtesan queen called Fusheng?"
Jiang Yourning's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I think... that was her name. But how did you know, Miss?"
Chun Tao pondered blankly for a couple of seconds, then nodded.
Jiang Yourning, however, was already hurrying outside, unable to wait.
"Chun Tao, let's go out for a stroll."
Nothing beat the main plot. Jiang Yourning's mood was very good indeed.
She remembered that when this courtesan queen appeared, the lunatic who would grind her bones to dust and scatter her ashes was going to be bullied. She couldn't possibly miss a scene like that.
As for the next scene, where the beaten-up male lead happened to encounter the neglected female lead.
Now that the female lead hadn't been neglected at all, she refused to believe Jiang Wanrong would still go wandering outside in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, just to unwind and run into that damned lunatic.
The vicious little cannon fodder was ready to hit the streets.
She had barely taken a couple of steps out of the courtyard.
"Ningning!"
The little cannon fodder's bold, swaggering expression froze.
Jiang Yourning turned and mustered a sincere, sweet smile.
"Fifth Sister, what is it?"
"Ningning, are you going out?"
Calling her Ningning came more naturally each time. Jiang Wanrong wore a faint but gentle smile.
"Yes. The peach blossom pastries on Vermilion Bird Street are delicious. I wanted to buy some and bring them back to share with you, Fifth Sister."
Jiang Yourning nodded obediently.
[My dearest sister, my one and only sister, please don't tell me you want to go out!]
*[You can go out any other time, just not today.
What if you run into that damned lunatic and the two of you start bonding over your miserable lives?]*
[If you accidentally catch feelings, all you'll lose is your freedom, with that damned lunatic chaining you to his bed every day to do this and that. What we'll lose is our lives, sis!]
"..."
Hearing these words from Jiang Yourning, Jiang Wanrong couldn't help knitting her brows slightly.
Before you continue