[ Seedling: Um, excuse me, but are you... Xia Zhiyi? You mean, the actress who starred in " The Chasing "?]
[X: It's me. What, do you need video verification?]
[ Seedling: Ah, no need.]
[ Seedling: If it really is you, I...]
[ Seedling: Um, excuse me, is the meeting you mentioned earlier really this Saturday?]
[X: If nothing unexpected happens]
[ Seedling: Okay, okay, would you mind if my roommate came along?]
[X: I don't mind. It's perfectly normal for a girl to avoid going out alone, but I'll arrange for a bodyguard to pick you up.]
[ Seedling: Aren't the bodyguards a bit too much?]
[X: No, I value this collaboration very much, and I hope we can avoid any unforeseen circumstances if possible.]
[X: But if you mind, I can have bodyguards protect you discreetly, so it's perfectly fine if they don't appear in front of you.]
[ Seedling: It's alright, let's do it your way.]
[X: Okay, I'll contact you again later.]
After ending the conversation, Xia Zhiyi turned her head and met Fu Chi's gaze, which held a hint of subtle curiosity. She smiled and handed him her phone, "Want to see?"
Fu Chi shook his head. "No need."
Xia Zhiyi casually put her phone away and said, seemingly unintentionally, "It's a new friend I just met. I need to ask her for a favor, so we chatted for a bit."
Fu Chi wasn't particularly interested in his new friend, but he was curious about Xia Zhiyi for help. "What is it? Do you need my help?"
Xia Zhiyi shook her head. "No need, it's nothing."
It was really just a small matter; he simply wanted to help Gu Miaomiao continue pursuing her initial dream.
This was also information that Xia Zhiyi had painstakingly gleaned from the corners of the plot she could still remember— Gu Miaomiao's initial dream was not to become a big star or any celebrity; her dazzling stardom began with her unexpected rise to fame.
Without this unexpected turn of events, whether Gu Miaomiao would have followed her initial dream of becoming an interior designer is unknown, at least in the original storyline.
But in this life where Xia Zhiyi has been given a second chance, after that thing exposed its weakness, the initiative is now completely in Xia Zhiyi's hands.
Gu Miaomiao enjoys interior design, and her major is related to it. So, what's the best way to disrupt the Power of the Plot without harming her?
Make the female lead no longer the female lead.
In Xia Zhiyi's experience, in a world centered around the female protagonist, none of the other characters are irreplaceable.
Even the female lead's official love interest, the male lead can be replaced if necessary.
The female lead, as the core character, is completely irreplaceable.
In this world, Gu Miaomiao's Starlight Path is the core route of the entire plot. The female lead cannot be changed. If the female lead no longer follows the predetermined path in the plot, even the Power of the Plot that can vaguely replace a part of the world's consciousness will be severely damaged.
That's exactly what Xia Zhiyi needs to do.
Warn him?
Ha, Xia Zhiyi isn't the kind of person who would stop in her tracks out of fear or panic after being warned.
If he were truly that kind of person, he would have long since lost himself in the various experiences of the past and would never have been able to return.
Now that the initiative is in Xia Zhiyi's hands, he won't hold back.
In fact, when Xia Zhiyi realized this, he didn't only have this one path to take. He had two choices. One was to directly interfere in Gu Miaomiao's life. Normally, such behavior would be somewhat disrespectful to Gu Miaomiao. Even if Xia Zhiyi had a thousand or ten thousand reasons, he did interfere in Gu Miaomiao's life.
He pulled Gu Miaomiao away from that bright future and onto another path, and what Gu Miaomiao's future would be like on this path was something even Xia Zhiyi himself could not accurately predict.
She might forge a path as brilliant as the other, or she might stumble and fall, discovering she lacks the talent to reach the top, only to be met with setbacks and disappointments that distort her into a form unrecognizable to her...
But so what?
If this could grant freedom to most people, then Xia Zhiyi wouldn't mind being the villain.
Similarly, Xia Zhiyi could choose another path—to lie low for the time being, accumulate strength, and let the Power of the Plot, which doesn't understand human nature, suffer a fatal blow at a crucial moment.
He can do it.
He had chosen to do this most of the time.
But this time, Xia Zhiyi chose a more radical approach, one that was almost provocative.
Oh, or rather, this is blatant provocation.
Gu Miaomiao's behavior also met Xia Zhiyi's best expectations—she was very much looking forward to cooperating with Xia Zhiyi.
To that invisible yet seemingly omnipresent being, Gu Miaomiao's actions were probably no different from a betrayal.
Xia Zhiyi leaned gently on Fu Chi's shoulder, closed her eyes, and smiled, thinking to herself, "So, what will you do this time? Kill me?"
*
"I'm home!" Fu Yunyi called out as soon as he entered the living room, and while changing his shoes, he asked the housekeeper, "Are they home?"
The butler smiled and said, "Young Master, unfortunately, the Master and Mr. Xia just went out for a walk."
So, there's no one in the living room right now.
Fu Yunyi: "... Alright then."
It was all for naught.
That evening, while Xia Zhiyi was on the phone with her roommate, Fu Yunyi sneaked up to his uncle and whispered, "Uncle, there's news about that person you asked me to inquire about."
Fu Chi turned to look at him and asked, "Hmm? What did you find out?"
Fu Yunyi didn't answer immediately, but asked curiously, "Uncle, before you speak, can I ask you why you're inquiring about a college girl all of a sudden?"
Fu Yunyi didn't misunderstand that Fu Chi had any bad intentions. Others might not know, but he knew his uncle's personality well. If he really had such thoughts, with these conditions, plenty of people would be eager to come to him. Why would he need to secretly investigate others and try to seize things by force?
But this only makes people more curious about why Fu Chi would do such a thing.
Fu Chi said indifferently, "I overheard some things and was just curious."
Fu Yunyi looked at him with surprise.
My own uncle can be curious sometimes?
Okay, it's not surprising to be curious, but... Fu Chi really wanted to be curious, why didn't he just arrange for someone to investigate himself? Why did he need to ask me to do it?
How strange!
Fu Chi: "What did you find out?"
Fu Yunyi stroked his chin and replied softly, "Oh, it's nothing, that Gu Miaomiao..."