After moving in with Si Yanjing, Su Zhiyi had never gone back to her rented room in the slums.
Going back to Si Yanjing's place today was out of the question.
Su Zhiyi didn't want to end up on the streets, so she had no choice but to follow Song Lian home and stay at his place.
Maybe she'd stay at Song Lian's for a few days.
She had Si Yanjing's character down pat. He loved her so much, and since she had dumped all the blame on him, he would definitely start wondering if he was the one who did something wrong.
After giving Si Yanjing a few days to reflect on his own, she would go back, sweet-talk him with a few honeyed words, and win him over again.
The plan was absolutely perfect.
Song Lian took Su Zhiyi to his private villa in the city center of A City.
The villa had two floors, with most rooms on the second floor.
He led her up the stairs and stopped in front of a room at the end of the second-floor corridor.
Song Lian paused at the door.
"Zhiyi, you saw for yourself—your fiancé and your brother are in a pretty unstable state right now."
He pushed open the door before them, revealing a room decorated in an extravagant aristocratic princess style that clashed sharply with the villa's understated decor.
"I'm worried your fiancé might do something to you, and I'm also worried you'll be mistreated if you go back to the Su residence."
"So, stay at my place for a few days."
Su Zhiyi had been worried about where to go, so since Song Lian offered, she took him up on it without hesitation.
She wiped the tear stains from the corners of her eyes.
Her tears had been fake all along, and what little had trickled out had dried in the night breeze during their walk. She wasn't crying anymore.
The tear-streaked makeup gave her a slightly messy, fragile look, making her appear pitifully charming.
"Mm, thank you. I'll trouble you for a few days."
"No trouble at all. Just let me know if you need anything," Song Lian said. "You probably didn't get enough to eat tonight, right? I'll go make you something. You rest first, and I'll bring it up later."
"Mm, okay... Oh, by the way, isn't Uncle Zhang supposed to be here?"
Su Zhiyi looked around.
When she had visited Song Lian's place a few times before, an old butler surnamed Zhang had always welcomed her.
Back then, Song Lian had told her that Uncle Zhang managed everything in the villa on a daily basis.
But since she entered the villa, she hadn't seen anyone except herself and Song Lian.
She voiced her doubt: "Why didn't I see him today?"
"Something came up at the old Song residence. Yesterday, Father called Uncle Zhang back, and he won't be able to return for a while," Song Lian explained calmly. "He'll come back once things at the old residence are settled."
"Oh." Su Zhiyi didn't suspect anything.
Song Lian closed the door.
Su Zhiyi walked into the luxuriously decorated aristocratic princess room.
She sat down on the lace-trimmed silk quilt and took in the room's furnishings.
The decor was indeed her style—she loved everything that looked expensive and flashy.
"030? 030? Are you there? Back yet?"
She called out to System 030 a few times but got no response, so she gave up trying to reach her unreliable system.
Whatever. She had escaped that awkward situation anyway and didn't need the system's help for now.
She calmed down and thought about how to proceed with her plan.
It was just an engagement banquet, not an actual wedding.
By the time the real wedding came around, she would have long completed her mission, collected the million-dollar reward, and left this world.
Besides, having an engagement banquet with Si Yanjing was harmless. As long as the Su family didn't expose her and she kept her mouth shut, she would be the eldest Miss Su.
In that case, she might as well stick to the original plan.
Just as Su Zhiyi finished planning her next steps, her room door was knocked on.
Song Lian's warm voice came from behind the door: "Zhiyi, time to eat."
"Coming."
Su Zhiyi walked to the door, put her hand on the handle, and with a click, opened the door.
Outside the door, Song Lian stood in the hallway holding a tray in one hand.
On the tray were a bowl of fragrant noodles and a glass of milk that was still steaming.
Su Zhiyi stepped aside to let Song Lian in.
As he walked in, Song Lian asked what she wanted to eat tomorrow: "I figured you might want something light, so I just boiled some noodles. The milk is freshly heated, so it's hot—you can drink it before bed. By the way, is there anything you'd like to eat tomorrow?"
"Don't you like French food? Our family just opened a French restaurant nearby. How about we go there tomorrow?"