Chapter 102

Chapter 102: You Put Something in the Tea

[In any case, I absolutely must not allow those two to collude. If they’re left alone together, it won’t be long before Pei Yu falls for Su Qian Xue—and when that happens, he’ll become one of her strongest allies.]

“Yes, Mother. I understand. I will take care of this matter. Please don’t worry.”

As soon as Yun Wan Ning’s heart voice listening quieted, Yun Wan Chen snapped out of his thoughts and responded to Madam Yun. Then he lowered his head, grasped Yun Wan Ning’s tiny hand, and gently gave it a shake.

“Little sister, big brother has to take care of some business. I’ll come back and see you later.”

[Alright, big brother. Go ahead.]

[And be careful.]

Yun Wan Chen smiled, lips curving with warmth, and softly tapped her cheek as a response before nestling her back into Madam Yun’s arms.

“Mother, I’m off.”

“Alright.”

Once he stepped out of the Peace-Keeping Courtyard, Yun Wan Chen glanced up at the sun, then returned to Moon Seizing Pavilion. There, he swiftly applied a simple disguise before heading straight for the Grand Commandant Manor.

Outside the manor, Yun Wan Ye stood watch with several men, guarding every possible exit of Su Manor.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind stirred behind him. His heart tightened, and he instinctively spun around and launched an attack—only for the intruder to gracefully dodge with ease.

The newcomer wore coarse robes and a mask. At a glance, there was nothing noble about him. Yet Yun Wan Ye immediately recognized him.

He quickly withdrew his strike and said, “Big brother, why are you here?”

“Mm.” Yun Wan Chen stepped forward. “I have new information. I came to tell you in person.”

He shared the time and location of Pei Yu’s upcoming meeting with Su Qian Xue. As Yun Wan Ye listened, a flicker of excitement lit his eyes.

“There’s still more than half an hour until noon. That gives us plenty of time to set the scene.”

Originally, he’d planned to tail Su Qian Xue in secret and improvise once she reached the meeting spot. But now that they knew the location in advance, they could prepare thoroughly and make their plan airtight.

“Big brother, let the others stay here to keep watch in case anything unexpected happens. You and I should head to the Fragrant Tea House first.”

“Alright.”

With that, the two brothers used their lightness skill and disappeared in the direction of the tea house.

…

At the Grand Commandant Manor, Su Qian Xue dressed herself carefully, mirroring how she’d appeared during her first meeting with Pei Yu in the original plot. Standing before the mirror, she admired her reflection from every angle, utterly satisfied.

“System, take a look—don’t I look exactly like I did in the storyline?”

[You’re still missing something, host.]

Su Qian Xue blinked in surprise. “Missing what?”

[The veil. In the plot, you were wearing a veil when you went to see him.]

Only then did Su Qian Xue remember—she had indeed forgotten the veil.

After securing it in place, she checked with the system again. “How about now? Is everything the same?”

[Now it’s perfect. Host looks exactly like you did in the story.]

“Great. It’s almost time. Let’s head out.”

This time, Su Qian Xue didn’t just bring a coachman and her maid. She also had several powerful shadow guards following discreetly in the dark—just in case that bastard Yun Wan Ye tried to interfere again.

The carriage soon arrived at the Fragrant Tea House.

Su Qian Xue stepped down and walked toward the entrance.

The waiter standing outside, tasked with attracting customers, was momentarily stunned, as if a fairy had descended upon the mortal world. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. After a few seconds, he shook himself and rushed forward, bowing and smiling ingratiatingly.

“Welcome, welcome! How many in your party, young miss?”

“Our young miss has a prior appointment. Heaven Room Six. Please lead the way.”

Maid Chun Lan pulled out a piece of silver from her pouch and handed it over. The waiter weighed it with practiced fingers, his smile blooming as he tucked it into his robe.

“Of course, of course. Right this way, young miss.”

Following the waiter, Su Qian Xue and her maid climbed the stairs.

In the shadows, two pairs of eyes followed their every move.

“Chun Lan, wait here for me.”

“Yes, young miss.”

Each of the Heaven Rooms came with a side chamber for attendants. Chun Lan was left waiting in the room adjacent to Number Six.

The door to the private room creaked open.

Su Qian Xue immediately spotted a man in deep blue sitting at the sandalwood table. His posture was upright, and he held a cup of tea delicately in one hand. At the sound of the door, he turned and calmly studied her.

Su Qian Xue also looked him over. His features were bold and sharply defined. He was undeniably handsome. But the look in his eyes—calm yet faintly disdainful—made her click her tongue inwardly.

[Hmph, he’s actually looking down on me.]

She was almost angry—almost. But then she remembered: in the storyline, when this man first met her, he also reacted with disgust. And yet later, didn’t he end up falling for her so deeply he would do anything for her?

He even committed countless atrocities for her sake, becoming her most loyal and devoted follower.

That thought instantly calmed her. Her mood lifted.

She strode forward and, just like in the plot, slammed her palm on the table and raised her brows as she glared at him.

“Who are you? Why are you here? Where is Prince Qi?”

Pei Yu’s brows shifted slightly. He took a slow sip of tea, set the cup down, and gave her an intrigued look.

“Miss Su, I was the one who sent the message requesting this meeting. Why would you be asking about Prince Qi?”

“What? You sent the message? How dare you use Prince Qi’s name! Are you tired of living?”

Su Qian Xue dove into her performance, throwing herself fully into reenacting the original plot.

In the story, she hadn’t yet awakened the system. She didn’t know who had sent the message but quickly guessed it wasn’t Prince Qi.

Still, she came to the meeting anyway, curious to uncover the imposter.

And those were the exact lines she’d spoken in the original scene.

“Impersonate? Miss Su, now that’s an odd accusation. When did I ever claim to be Prince Qi? Did the letter bear his signature?”

Pei Yu chuckled lightly, showing not a trace of guilt.

He was sticking to the script as well.

Su Qian Xue inwardly marveled at the plot master’s control. It truly seemed like she had a shot at steering everything back on track.

She stood up in a flash, eyes burning with fury as she glared at the man, visibly outraged.

“How dare you deny it! My servant said the letter came from Prince Qi. If not for that, I wouldn’t even know who you are—why would I have agreed to meet you?”

“Oh? Then perhaps your servant misunderstood. I was the one who sent the letter. I am not Prince Qi, and I never claimed to be.”

He kept denying it, refusing to admit guilt, knowing full well she had no proof and couldn’t touch him.

“You…”

Su Qian Xue fumed, locked in a silent standoff with him, then finally sat back down in frustration.

“You still haven’t answered. Who are you, and what do you want from me?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is this—I know you’re in love with Prince Qi. And I… can help you win him over.”

With a confident smile, he reached for the teapot and poured her a cup of tea.

Hearing this, a flicker of surprise flashed through Su Qian Xue’s gaze.

This line—it was different from what he said in the original plot.

‘Who I am is unimportant. What matters is this: I know about you and Prince Qi. You’ve already been… entangled without a proper matchmaker for quite some time, haven’t you? So, tell me, Su young miss, don’t you want a proper title? I can help you.’

Why were his lines suddenly so different?

Could it be… because the plot had collapsed?

Was it because she hadn’t had a proper encounter with the male lead that things had started to go off-script?

A whirlwind of thoughts surged through Su Qian Xue’s mind as she dazedly lifted the teacup he handed her and took a sip.

[Beep beep, unsafe substance detected.]

[Beep beep, detection complete.]

[Beep beep—]

[Hey hey hey, host! There’s something in the tea! Spit it out! Hurry!]

The system’s shrill voice suddenly blared in her mind. Su Qian Xue froze, and before she realized what she was doing, her throat moved in a swallow—she drank it.

Only after the tea slid down her throat did she react. Her eyes flew open in horror as she stared at the teacup in her hand, then glared furiously at the man across from her.

“You drugged the tea?”

Pei Yu was momentarily stunned by her accusation. He glanced at the teapot, then gave a slow, bemused smile.

“Miss Su, what nonsense are you speaking? I’ve been drinking this tea myself. How could I have drugged it?”

At his words, Su Qian Xue vaguely recalled—yes, when she’d first entered, she had seen him take a sip.

That only made her even more confused.

[System, what’s going on? What exactly is in the tea? Don’t tell me you messed up—this wasn’t in the original script! There was no mention of Pei Yu drugging the tea!]

[I don’t know either, but host, I swear—there is a drug in that tea. It’s an aphrodisiac.]

[But the drug wasn’t added by Pei Yu—it had to be someone else.]

[Host, I just thought of something. I bet it was the new female lead. She must’ve known about today’s script and made her move in advance.]

[She put that kind of drug in the tea just to ruin things between you and the male lead. Think about it—if you lose your purity, there’s no way you’ll end up with the male lead.]

Su Qian Xue: “……”

An aphrodisiac? Seriously?

She lifted her gaze to look at Pei Yu. Admittedly, he was handsome. His figure was excellent too. If she had to share a night with him… she wouldn’t exactly be losing out.

But the moment she thought of the male lead, she ruthlessly crushed that notion.

[System, what now?]

[What do you mean what now? You run, of course! Before the drug kicks in!]

[Host, whatever you do, don’t let the male support get the upper hand. He’s just a side character—a stepping stone. Only the male lead is your true destined one.]

[Besides, the male support’s luck is terrible. The male lead is the true heaven-favored one. Only by relying on his fate can you reclaim the luck that was stolen from you.]

Su Qian Xue: “……”

Running was easy.

But what would happen after she ran?

How unlucky could she be? Since crossing into this world, she’d already been drugged twice.

Not once did she get to enjoy the supposed benefits—only pain and suffering.

The torment from the last time was still vivid in her memory, sending a cold shiver through her spine. She couldn’t help grumbling at the system.

[Seriously, you’re the unreliable one here. There’s that kind of stuff in the tea, and you didn’t detect it earlier? You waited until I drank it?!]

[How is this my fault?! I did warn you right when you were about to drink it. You heard me, but instead of spitting it out, you swallowed it anyway. Host, you’re really something else.]

Su Qian Xue flushed in embarrassment.

[I had already taken a mouthful when you screamed! What could I do?!]

[Host, I beg you—run now. It’s too late to argue. Once the drug takes hold, you won’t even be able to stand!]

[Actually… are you stalling because you secretly want something to happen with the male support?]

[Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?!]

[I think you look pretty eager.]

Su Qian Xue: “……”

“You’re so useless! You didn’t even realize someone had drugged me! We’ll settle this later!”

Unable to argue with the system, she turned her glare on Pei Yu, scolding him before rising to flee.

But just as she moved, her arm was caught in a firm grip.

She turned around—and froze.

The man’s handsome face was now flushed, his eyes bloodshot, the pupils faintly unfocused. He looked like a wild beast on the verge of losing control.

The drug had taken effect?

Terrified, Su Qian Xue struggled with all her strength.

But Pei Yu pulled her into his arms, lowering his head to bite her neck. One rough hand slipped under her skirt.

“Ah—!”

She let out a scream and pushed against him, but her limbs were rapidly weakening, her strength draining away faster than she could resist.

[System! Help! I can’t hold on much longer!]

[I told you to run earlier, but you didn’t. What am I supposed to do now? At best, I can give you a Chastity Halo.]

[With the halo on, he won’t succeed in taking your virginity. But… you’ll still have to endure the full brunt of the drug’s torment.]

[And this stuff isn’t just for fun. If you’re not careful, it could kill you.]

[Host, I don’t have the power to reset the plot anymore. If it gets really bad, you might want to focus on staying alive first.]

[Once you complete your main task, and I regain enough energy, I might be able to restore your purity.]

Su Qian Xue: “……”

Her mind was fogging, but suddenly a horrifying realization cut through the haze.

[No! I can’t lose my virginity. The main task requires me to have an intimate relationship with the male lead. If I lose it now, I’ll fail the mission.]

[What’s the point of regaining it afterward?!]

[Well… you can always take a lightning punishment, then reset the task.]

Su Qian Xue: “……”

Easy for the system to say. It wasn’t its body being struck by heavenly lightning!

And what if the new task still involved sleeping with the male lead? She couldn’t risk it.

Absolutely not. She could not lose her virginity here.

With a sudden burst of strength, Su Qian Xue pushed against the man above her and bit down on his neck—hard.

The sharp pain jolted Pei Yu back to himself for a brief second.

Through his reddened vision, he saw her face—her veil gone, her clothes a mess, her pale neck covered in bruises, and her tear-filled eyes glaring at him with fierce resentment.

“Get off! Don’t touch me!”

Then she twisted her head and shouted at the wall dividing the rooms.

“Chun Lan! Chun Lan! Hurry, come in—!”