Chapter 5

  Zhu Shilang arrived a little late. When he arrived, he noticed that the atmosphere between the two of them was a bit strange, but he didn't investigate further. Instead, he started scolding Zhu Xinyue.

  "You still say you're alive and well? Look at the kind of place you live!"

  Zhu Shilang's bodyguards were moving her house overnight, and Zhu Xinyue leaned against the car, obediently enduring the scolding.

  It's good to be scolded. Let him know that he's not doing well without the Zhu family, and he'll feel more sorry for his younger sister.

  Zhu Xinyue used a little trick. She didn't let Zhu Shilang see her place just to show her determination, as she told Ji Linyu. She deliberately let Zhu Shilang see her current situation so that he would pity her and then make a request of her, making it harder for him to refuse.

  Speaking to people in a human language and to ghosts in a ghost language is the way for a nobody like her to survive.

  Zhu Xinyue wished Zhu Shilang would scold her even harsher, making her look more pitiful and arousing his guilt.

  "You have a mansion but choose to live in this old, run-down place. Why do you look down on Cheng Er? At least he wouldn't let you live here!" Zhu Shilang was even angrier after seeing the environment. He then dragged Ji Linyu into the conversation, "Linyu, what do you think? What's wrong with Cheng Er?"

  Zhu Xinyue raised her head and looked at the dark gray figure. He seemed to glance at her before turning away.

  She thought he would speak well of "Cheng Er" whom she had never met before, on Zhu Shilang's behalf, but she heard him cough and say, "Cheng Er... is not tall."

  Zhu Xinyue blinked and looked at Zhu Shilang again.

  "Rounding it up, 175cm is above average height, right?" Zhu Shilang said.

  It's common knowledge that a height of 175cm, rounded up, is as exaggerated as her claiming an income of less than 100,000.

  Zhu Xinyue muttered to herself, "I'm 1.7 meters tall even in heels."

  “If you care about the height difference, you can have him wear flat shoes and he can wear height-increasing shoes.” Zhu Shilang didn’t think it was a problem.

  Zhu Xinyue felt the problem was too big, and turned to Ji Linyu for approval: "We're not even together yet, and you're already taking away my right to wear high heels. What will happen when we actually get together?"

  Ji Linyu nodded and looked at Zhu Shilang with her.

  Zhu Shilang glanced at them, wondering when they had become so united.

  "Anyway, you're unfamiliar with Tianze City, and you won't know who to turn to if something happens. Come home with me. If you don't like Cheng Er or Lin San, there are so many eligible single young men out there, you can take your time to choose."

  Zhu Xinyue hesitated, then stopped herself from asking Ji Linyu for help this time. Instead, she lowered her head dejectedly and slowly got into Zhu Shilang's car.

  Seeing her like this, Zhu Shilang felt bad too. He composed himself and turned to talk to Ji Linyu.

  "Lin Yu, thank you so much. You stayed up so late with us."

  Ji Linyu lowered his eyes and saw the girl sitting in the car, sulking. He recalled her words, "I don't like you anymore," and his feelings became complicated.

  "Pretend I didn't mention what I told you before about letting her stay at your place temporarily." Zhu Shilang glanced at his watch. "It's too late now. I'll take her back to the hotel first, and we'll head back to Qingyang tomorrow afternoon. We can get together again when we have time."

  Ji Linyu twitched the corner of his mouth, the word "okay" hovering on his lips, but he swallowed it back.

  The car window rolled down, and Zhu Xinyue leaned out, reaching out to Ji Linyu, tugging at his sleeve, and beckoning him with her finger.

  Ji Linyu thought she had something to say to him, so he walked closer to the car, bent down, and approached the window.

  This distance was enough for Zhu Xinyue to see his facial features clearly.

  Unlike the coldness in his eyes when they first met, his gaze now held more patience as he looked at her.

  "Mr. Ji, do you think Cheng Er, whom my brother mentioned, is a good marriage prospect?" Zhu Xinyue asked Ji Linyu for his opinion.

  A good person like him wouldn't have the heart to push her into a pit of fire, so his evaluation would be more objective. If Cheng Er is a good person, she might as well try to get to know him.

  After all, she's single now and doesn't have anyone she likes.

  Ji Linyu rested his hands on the car roof, looking down at the girl clinging to the car window.

  She tilted her head slightly, waiting for his answer.

  In terms of family background, the Cheng family was indeed a good match, but...

  According to Ji Qingyuan, her criteria for choosing a partner is based on looks, so Cheng Er probably doesn't meet her standards.

  Ignoring appearance, judging solely from character and ability, Cheng Er can only be described as mediocre. Even Old Master Cheng said that it would be good enough if he could just keep the family business afloat.

  Ji Linyu frowned as he imagined Cheng Er and Zhu Xinyue standing together, his hand resting on the car roof clenching into a fist.

  He straightened up and glanced at Zhu Shilang, who kept giving him meaningful glances, signaling him to say something nice and persuade her.

  Ji Linyu lowered his head again, meeting Zhu Xinyue's clear eyes.

  She no longer asked him for help, but only asked for his opinion. It seemed that as long as he said a nice word, she would seriously consider including Cheng Er in her choices.

  "Are you sure you don't like me anymore?" Ji Linyu's voice was very low.

  He spoke softly to Zhu Xinyue, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

  Zhu Xinyue nodded.

  She admitted that she was initially blinded by money and that she was infatuated with him. She vowed never to confess her feelings so carelessly again!

  Ji Linyu paused, then asked, "Do you want to stay in Tianze City?"

  Zhu Xinyue nodded vigorously.

  The male lead is still in Tianze City!

  Ji Linyu seemed to have given in to someone. He closed his eyes, got up, and walked towards Zhu Shilang.

  He had his back to Zhu Xinyue and was discussing something with Zhu Shilang.

  After a while, Zhu Shilang happily walked back to the car and knocked on Zhu Xinyue's car window.

  "Xinyue, you can stay here, but you have to listen to your brother Linyu and stay at his house. Is that okay?"

  Zhu Xinyue's eyes lit up, and she turned to look in Ji Linyu's direction, waving at the dark gray figure.

  "Thank you, Brother Lin Yu!"

  The figure, who was walking towards his car, paused upon hearing this, then quickened his pace.

  Lishan Villa District.

  Unexpectedly, Zhu Xinyue moved into her brother's house even earlier than the male lead, Ji Qingyuan.

  When Zhu Shilang left, he left his supplementary credit card with Zhu Xinyue and patted her head. "I'll talk to Dad. When you're tired of playing outside, come home. Remember to remove Dad and me from your blacklist. If we can't find you again, I'll have your brother Lin Yu send you straight back to Qingyang. Understand?"

  Zhu Xinyue nodded vigorously, clutching his supplementary card, her nose stinging with tears.

  Waaaaah, she's rich now!

  This day was truly full of ups and downs. Zhu Xinyue was arranged to stay in a guest room, and after washing up a little, she went to sleep.

  In his sleep, the original owner's memories became increasingly clear.

  She had a very long dream in which she stood from a third-person perspective and read through the memories of "Zhu Xinyue" in the novel.

  When she was five, her parents divorced. Her older brother stayed with their father, while her mother took her back to Nancheng. She only saw her father and brother occasionally during holidays.

  In the southern part of the city, she met Ji Qingyuan, the male protagonist of the novel.

  For the original owner, her parents divorced, and she went to an unfamiliar environment where she was bullied by children she didn't know. Suddenly, a boy who was like a little sun appeared, chased away the bullies, pulled her into his circle of friends, taught her to speak the southern dialect word by word, and told her that they would be friends from now on.

  From then on, Ji Qingyuan was no longer "Ji Qingyuan"; he was her lifeline, her salvation .

  No one can resist such a warm sun, even though it shines not only on her but on everyone.

  Upon waking, Zhu Xinyue touched the corner of her eye and found it wet with a tear stain. She didn't know if it belonged to the original owner of the body or to her own.

  After Zhu Xinyue finished this dream, it felt like she had become a fan of a couple whose story ended tragically.

  For the sake of the original owner, Zhu Xinyue will do her best to fulfill her wish to protect Ji Qingyuan's path to stardom.

  Because she stayed up late yesterday, Zhu Xinyue woke up at noon.

  The bodyguard placed the items Zhu Xinyue had ordered online at her room door.

  The first thing Zhu Xinyue does after washing up in the morning is to unpack her package and learn how to wear contact lenses.

  Lishan Villa District is where wealthy people and celebrities of Tianze City reside. The houses are far apart, and each building has its own unique design style.

  Ji Linyu's house consists of a main building and an annex. The host and guests live in the main building, while the villa's staff live in the annex. In front of the buildings is a private swimming pool and a garden maintained by a professional team of gardeners.

  It's not advisable to wear contact lenses for too long the first time. Zhu Xinyue took them out after wearing them for a short while and stood on the balcony to sunbathe and relax her eyes.

  She saw a white car drive up from the main road and finally stop in front of the main building.

  The sunlight was blinding, so Zhu Xinyue put her hand to her brow to shield her eyes from the direct sunlight and squinted as she looked down.

  A man with light blond hair and sunglasses stepped out of the car; she guessed it was Ji Qingyuan.

  Following behind him was a fat man with a beard, who kept talking to him incessantly.

  "This variety show has run for one season, it generated a lot of buzz, and it has a good reputation. If you take on this show now, it can guarantee your popularity, and you'll continue to get public exposure before your drama airs. Young Master Ji, what do you think?"

  Ji Qingyuan stood at the door, waiting for the bodyguards and assistant to unload the luggage from his car, and said to his agent, "I'll think about it some more."

  "What's there to consider? Reality shows all have scripts. You just need to act according to the script. The director and producer are my friends, and besides, you're the second young master of Jin Huan Group. Just ask your brother to throw some money at you, and you'll be the investor. With your brother around, who would dare to bully you?"

  Ji Qingyuan took off his sunglasses, folded them up, and put them into his chest pocket.

  "There are many senior figures on the guest list. In terms of seniority, I am just a newcomer. No matter what I say, it's easy for them to make a fuss."

  “You’re the most popular one there, and your fans are incredibly supportive. Who would dare to embarrass you on camera?” your manager said.

  Ji Qingyuan shifted his gaze, not wanting to continue the topic. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure on the second-floor balcony and looked up.

  Seeing that he was not moving, the agent followed his gaze and looked up at the second floor.

  She wore a simple white dress, her long, black hair billowing in the wind, which she tucked behind her ears. When the wind died down, she lowered her eyes, looking down at the two people below, her gaze utterly calm, as if she were looking at the roadside flowers and grass.

  When she met their gazes, she smiled slightly and waved to them with a very light gesture.

  Like a soul detached from the world, gazing upon the vastness of heaven and earth, witnessing the equality of all beings, peacefully allowing everything to happen.

  In a moment, they saw divinity in her.

  A benevolent divinity.

　　The agent's eyelids twitched wildly. He realized that his career might be about to achieve even more outstanding results than Ji Qingyuan's. His voice trembled with barely suppressed joy: "Who is she?"

　　Ji Qingyuan snapped out of his reverie and, just as he always introduced "Zhu Xinyue" to others, told his agent, "Her name is Zhu Xinyue. We grew up together, she is..."

　　The word "brother and sister" hovered on his lips.

　　He heard himself change his words and whisper, " Childhood sweethearts ."

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