A crappy person, a pile of dog crap-my "crap crush"

Jiang Chi was completely baffled. "There should be one at home. If you want it, I'll go home and get it."

Tang Jianing had brought up Shen Yunzhi time and again lately.

Yet those two had never had anything to do with each other.

Jiang Chi couldn't resist asking, "Why have you been so concerned about her lately?"

Tang Jianing had meant to say, "None of your damn business," as usual.

But with the words on the tip of her tongue, she suddenly swallowed them and asked instead, "How old are you this year?"

Jiang Chi was confused. "Nineteen."

Tang Jianing actually managed to force a sweet tone into her voice. "Haven't you been itching to register our marriage as soon as you're old enough? That's only a few years away. She's your sister, so shouldn't I get on good terms with her?"

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Chi went from baffled to thrilled in an instant. He slapped the thigh of a classmate at the next desk, making the poor guy howl in pain. "What's wrong with you, Jiang Chi?!"

Jiang Chi didn't even hear him, only telling Tang Jianing over and over, "Okay, okay, okay... Go for it. Do whatever you want with her!"

Tang Jianing said, "At least you know what's... Are you a fucking idiot?"

Tang Jianing rolled her eyes. "All right, I'm hanging up."

Jiang Chi said, "Stay on a little longer. I need to give you a heads-up first. My dad absolutely adores Jiang Yunli."

"When my dad heard back then that her biological parents were abusing her in the village, he sent someone to fetch her right away."

"Later, all those things caused Jiang Yunli to develop severe depression, so my dad doted on her even more."

Thinking of that diary whose author was unknown and her perpetually fake manner, Tang Jianing snorted. "Severe depression, my ass. Who even knows if it's real?"

In the livestream.

The broadcasts had continued as usual over the past few days.

Jiang Yunli had finally started behaving herself in front of the cameras.

She hadn't gone over to Shen Yunzhi to put on an act.

But Ji Nanxian had started.

After all, his father had given him strict orders.

So Ji Nanxian went over to Shen Yunzhi whenever he had the chance.

Today, several villagers took the production crew into the mountains to gather wild produce.

Seeing that Shen Yunzhi wasn't dressed very warmly, Ji Nanxian took off his jacket again and tried to drape it over her.

Shen Yunzhi dodged with a sliding tackle. Ji Nanxian was annoying her to death.

"Why don't you put it on Jiang Yunli?"

Jiang Yunli walked at the very back of the group, looking aggrieved, but still pretended not to have heard.

Ji Nanxian's heart ached at the sight, but he could only hold himself back and say, "She's wearing enough layers."

Shen Yunzhi spoke bluntly, asking Ji Nanxian, "What the hell is wrong with you this time?"

Weren't you having a great time snapping at me when you were on Jiang Yunli's side before?

Ji Nanxian said, "I was wrong before. Whatever else, I'm your fiancé. Of course I'll put you first in everything."

Shen Yunzhi said, "..."

Ji Nanxian was making her sick enough to puke.

Even the live comments were cursing him.

[This fucking scumbag. Seeing this idiot makes me lose my appetite.]

[Begone! Begone! Begone!]

[Holy shit, he hasn't even broken up with Jiang Yunli. Not even pretending anymore, huh?]

Thoroughly disgusted by Ji Nanxian, Shen Yunzhi said, "The engagement will be called off sooner or later. When I said I wasn't interested in you, I meant it. If you don't like Jiang Yunli anymore and you're too lonely to stand it and still want to date, go date one of your buddies."

Ji Nanxian said, "?"

What did she mean?

Shen Yunzhi said, "You won't be able to fool any normal woman anymore. A buddy who can hang out with you must understand you best, which also makes him the easiest to fool. Right up until you stick it in, he'll think you're joking."

Ji Nanxian said, "..."

The others secretly enjoying the drama were speechless. "..."

[Sometimes I genuinely think the things Teacher Shen says are bizarre.]

[Exactly. It's like a woman in labor asking her husband whether he'll save the nurse or the doctor, only for the baby to say, "Pavel Korchagin."]

[What do you people know? You have to savor Teacher Shen's words slowly. The more you savor them, the richer the flavor. Like shit.]

Ji Nanxian held his temper again and again, then made another concession to Shen Yunzhi. "I'll take you to meet my parents after this episode's activities are over."

Shen Yunzhi said, "I'm busy."

Ji Nanxian said, "Then I'll agree to go on a date with you. You have time now, right?"

Shen Yunzhi said, "..."

Shen Yunzhi said, "Now I'm busier than ever."

The live comments read: [Hahahahahahaha!]

[I seriously can't take it.]

[I hadn't even finished laughing at the last line before the next one splattered over me like shit.]

[Even a cool, sexy knockout like me cracked up.]

To get away from Ji Nanxian, Shen Yunzhi

volunteered to lead the way at the very front.

She knew the area anyway.

Gathering wild produce in the mountains in winter was one of the sources of winter income for mountain villagers in the north. Any mushrooms or valuable medicinal herbs they found could be sold at the market, and they could also gather some wild greens to eat at home.

Chi Zong caught up and asked Shen Yunzhi a gossipy question:

"Weren't you desperately in love with Ji Nanxian before? You even posted on Weibo that he was your crush."

Shen Yunzhi said, "..."

How much longer would she have to be mocked for the original owner's embarrassing past?

The system had told her before that, prior to her arrival, the original owner had already learned the course and ending of the entire book.

The original owner had lost it, refusing to accept that she was the book's cannon-fodder supporting actress who served as a foil, and had already applied to the system to be reincarnated in another world.

But Shen Yunzhi had arrived because of an accidental death.

So she hadn't had a choice of identity.

She had happened to land the unwanted cannon-fodder supporting actress and foil, "Shen Yunzhi."

Shen Yunzhi murmured, "Mm," then said without so much as a change in expression or a flutter of her heart, "A crappy person, a pile of dog crap-my 'crap crush.'"

"Hahahahaha!" Chi Zong laughed as though he were having an epileptic seizure. "Date someone better next time. Ji Nanxian doesn't suit you."

An Zhizhi said, "Why does she have to date anyone? Being alone is perfectly fine too."

Chi Zong was constantly embroiled in dating rumors, so saying something like that suited his personality.

Chi Zong said, "I was just saying."

An Zhizhi said, "You've got such a rich romantic history, so tell us who would suit her."

Chi Zong said, "I'm not saying. You'll just snap at me again. Let Xiao Yao give his opinion as an outsider."

Thinking of how Shen Yunzhi was just as stingy as he was, Xiao Yao said casually:

"Someone rich, I guess."

Listening to them gossip about her, Shen Yunzhi was amused.

She stopped and turned her head, waiting until Xiao Yao behind her had stepped over the twigs and leaves to come alongside her before she resumed walking and asked him, "What else?"

The morning sunlight filtered through the thin mist in the woods, gilding Shen Yunzhi's hair with a color like golden gauze.

Xiao Yao watched as she tilted her head slightly, the curiosity in her eyes undiminished, the wisps of hair over her forehead stirring and brushing the lovely curve of her cheek.

He suddenly realized that when Shen Yunzhi wasn't acting crazy, she had a little of the grace of a girl from Jiangnan.

Xiao Yao said, "Someone handsome, I guess."

By the time he finished saying that, Chi Zong had already gone to cozy up to the cameraman following them. From far away came Chi Zong's complaint to the cameraman:

"Why do you keep giving Xiao Yao so much screen time? Just because he's rich and handsome?"

Xiao Yao said, "..."

Shen Yunzhi said, "..."

An Zhizhi gave Xiao Yao a strange look. "?"