Chapter 184: I'm an Imprisoned Prince Waiting for a Princess to Rescue Me |
Once outside the door, Jiang Linyuan reached out to pinch Su Muzhi's cheek.
Su Muzhi had anticipated this, twisting her body and slipping away from his grasp.
"Hehe, what's Jiang-classmate doing? Didn't we agree you'd play the part of a weak pretty boy?"
She faced him, brows arched upward, hands behind her back, walking backward.
"How many extra scenes did you secretly add back in that room?"
Jiang Linyuan said irritably.
She'd gotten way too into performing that queen routine.
I'm totally getting payback next time!
"It's not acting, it's just my true nature coming through."
"If it's your true nature, then why were you shoving me into someone else's arms?"
Jiang Linyuan said.
Su Muzhi tapped his forehead:
"I'm not actually a self-cucker, you know."
"Then what do you think a real self-cucker looks like?"
"Husband screws someone, I hand him a condom; husband gets screwed, I take photos; husband screws me, I scream; I screw husband, I smirk?"
"...Xiao Su, can you be a little more refined?"
"What's wrong? You wanna copy that whole 'untouched by worldly affairs' act of Shen Wanyu's too?"
Su Muzhi rolled her eyes at Jiang Linyuan.
This guy's got some nerve lecturing me.
"Oh, speaking of the Department Head, that reminds me—she said there are cameras in every room of this Courtyard House. Did you know about that, Xiao Su?"
Bringing up Shen Wanyu made Jiang Linyuan ask another question.
"I know, I even picked the spots for them. But it's been years—she hasn't taken them down?"
Su Muzhi said carelessly.
"Nope. The Department Head secretly used the camera to spy on me today, and it didn't look that old at all."
Jiang Linyuan recalled the camera's appearance in the room—it wasn't old at all, still quite new.
"That figures. She's the type who likes things to stay the same. Probably thought it was too much trouble to dismantle, but didn't want them to go to waste, so she just upgraded them instead."
After saying this, Su Muzhi elbowed Jiang Linyuan in the ribs:
"How did you even know she was watching you through the camera?"
"The Department Head told me."
"I mean, why wasn't she sleeping so late at night?"
"Miss Zhao came over to the Department Head's place and called her..."
"And you? Why weren't you asleep either? Don't tell me Zhao Qiulu barged into your room and woke you up when she arrived?"
"Couldn't sleep."
Su Muzhi stopped walking and gave him a strange look:
"Hehe, don't tell me you can't sleep without holding me?"
"Ah..."
As she spoke, she lightly covered her mouth, the corners of her eyes lifting:
"So childish, really adorable."
"What nonsense are you spouting! It's your ironing-board figure that makes it impossible to sleep, Xiao Su!"
That was a lie. Though he couldn't tell if she was lying on her back or stomach when he held her, the feel of her was actually still quite soft and tender.
A-cup form.
"Hehe, then if you've got the balls, go sleep with Shen Wanyu tonight."
Su Muzhi sneered.
"I'm sleeping alone tonight."
Jiang Linyuan said.
Su Muzhi stared at him for a moment, then headed toward her own room, suddenly asking:
"Did Li Wang and Zhao Qiulu do that on purpose?"
"Yeah, probably."
"What do you think Li Wang's motive is?"
"Too many possibilities. Maybe he's just into that kind of thing?"
Jiang Linyuan said casually.
Miss Zhao's intentions were easy to read—she was trying to paint herself as a fragile, heartbroken girl to lure him in.
As for Li Wang, there's no way he actually likes green tea types, right?
Does he have a system too?
"I'm guessing it's for that photography girl."
Su Muzhi said.
"Photography girl? Xia Tao..."
Jiang Linyuan realized, a pained expression spreading across his face.
"Xiao Su, don't tell me you think Li Wang is a gender-swapped Zhao Qiulu and has his eye on Xia Tao?"
"Very possible, think about it. After all this, what benefit does either Zhao Qiulu or Li Wang get? Aren't they both victims?"
Su Muzhi smiled:
"One is the innocent girlfriend wrongly accused by her boyfriend, the other is the pitiful boyfriend cuckolded by his girlfriend..."
"Zhao Qiulu wants to seduce you, so what about Li Wang?"
Jiang Linyuan thought for a moment, then added:
"But that doesn't add up, does it? Li Wang and Xia Tao are childhood sweethearts. If he had feelings for her, why would he do something like this?"
Su Muzhi looked at him and smiled:
"Childhood sweethearts don't have to end up together. Do you think Xia Tao has romantic feelings for Li Wang?"
"If she really liked him, when he got doused with milk tea at the shop that afternoon, she should've stepped up instead of thinking about how to avoid escalating their conflict."
Xiao Su had a point.
Xia Tao really didn't seem interested in Li Wang. After this, Li Wang would probably play the heartbroken victim.
That classic script: "My girlfriend dumped me, no one else loves him, so I will."
"You've never used a tactic like that to trick a girl?"
Su Muzhi reached her door and turned to look at Jiang Linyuan.
"No."
Jiang Linyuan shook his head. Pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend—that stuff was terrifying.
It's like when someone fakes being enthusiastic; everyone looks down on them. But when someone's genuinely enthusiastic, everyone takes it in stride.
"Mhm. Want to give it a try?"
?
Jiang Linyuan slowly turned his head to look at Su Muzhi standing in the doorway, a little dazed:
"Xiao Su, what are you saying?"
"Go find yourself a girlfriend. I want to see how I'd react."
Su Muzhi said.
?
No way. His brain couldn't keep up anymore.
Jiang Linyuan couldn't help but complain:
"If I find a girlfriend, do you still think we have a future?"
"Why not? It's not like we're married. Even if we were, we could get divorced."
"Xiao Su, what if I end up actually happy with my girlfriend? Like, sweet and blissful together?"
"Didn't I already say? I'd just steal you back, wouldn't I?"
Wow, this Xiao Su.
She was trying to flip the game, wasn't she?
Jiang Linyuan was too exhausted to argue, so he just started talking nonsense:
"Then I'll go ask the Department Head if she can be my girlfriend."
"Her? No."
"Then I'll get together with the Thief Saint instead."
"Her either."
"This won't work, that won't work either. Guess I'll just find a stranger."
"I think Xiao Yilin would do."
Su Muzhi suddenly said.
Jiang Linyuan froze.
"I'm guessing you'll go find her later anyway. Why not try dating her?"
Su Muzhi said with a smile.
"We'd definitely break up eventually, wouldn't we? That's just straight-up playing with her feelings."
Jiang Linyuan said.
"Like you haven't done that plenty of times before?"
"It's different. Xiao Yilin's a good girl. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that."
"So it's fine for you to flirt with her while being all lovey-dovey with me?"
Su Muzhi let out a cold laugh.
Jiang Linyuan fell silent.
"You can be clear with her. I'm giving you permission to date her. Got a problem with that? I'll play the villain. When you want to break up, just say I forced you to."
Su Muzhi said, completely indifferent.
"Stop talking, Xiao Su."
Jiang Linyuan sighed.
Just how much do you have to hurt yourself before you'll give up?