Ji Ling's Guide to Self-Defeat

Su Chen's sudden retreat to the bathroom for a shower sparked a whirlwind of speculation in Ji Ling's mind. What was he planning to do? Surely he wasn't considering that after his shower? Scenes like this, she had seen plenty of times on television. Ji Ling was nervous, her heart pounding so loud she thought it could be heard. What should she do? Maybe she should just leave quickly.

Ji Ling was flustered, slightly unsure of how to proceed. Escaping seemed to her the best solution, but just as she thought about leaving, Su Chen suddenly reemerged. "Forget it, I don't feel like showering after all. It's rude to leave a guest waiting," he said, halting Ji Ling's departure. 

Seeing Su Chen had not showered, she felt somewhat relieved, thinking perhaps she was overthinking, and Su Chen had no such intentions after all. But Su Chen was now utterly speechless. Of course, he hadn't actually gone to take a bath; it was all a ploy to covertly observe what Ji Ling would do. 

Surprisingly, not only did she not seek evidence, she didn't even glance at the rest of the room and was even thinking about leaving? What was this all about? Su Chen felt Ji Ling's character might be having major issues.

He had to act quickly to steer things back on track, or big problems could ensue. Su Chen felt it was time to take the initiative with these female leads; otherwise, nothing would get done. With that thought, he walked over to the bed, smiling apologetically, "Sorry, I let you in without tidying up." 

He then bluntly added, "Yang Danxuan, that woman, really... leaves her stuff everywhere, it's so annoying."

Yang Danxuan? Prompted by Su Chen's reminder, Ji Ling finally recalled her mission. She was there to help Qin Yu check whether Yang Danxuan had relations with Su Chen. What was she thinking just now! How could she contemplate rolling in the sheets with Su Chen, what was Ji Ling doing? 

Taking a deep breath, Ji Ling relaxed and, following Su Chen's gaze, she too looked towards the bed and was instantly stunned. Then, casting a quick glance at Su Chen, she felt both shock and dissatisfaction. 

"What's this? The bed is such a mess; something significant must have happened. Why are there still traces? This is Su Chen's bed, who did he... It makes me so angry, no, I shouldn't be angry. And there's even a lingerie set. Right, Su Chen mentioned Yang Danxuan just now, could it be that it was with her? No way. What do I do now?"

Ji Ling felt a twinge of resentment; did Su Chen not like her? No. There was nothing between them. Ji Ling negated her own thoughts, calming herself down instantly. The most crucial thing for her now was to complete the mission. She couldn't be distracted; only by completing this mission could she focus solely on the task at hand. These were Ji Ling's thoughts. 

But thinking about the mission and seeing Yang Danxuan's clothes laid out on Su Chen's bed, any reasonable person could infer that Su Chen and Yang Danxuan had indeed been intimate. So, this meant... "Qin Yu, the great War God, really got his corners dug away."

After careful consideration, Ji Ling had initially thought it unlikely, as Su Chen was just a notorious playboy, and Qin Yu was not only immensely powerful but also quite handsome – not someone who could be compared to a playboy like Su Chen. Any sensible person, Yang Danxuan included, would know who to choose. 

But now, the truth was laid out in front of Ji Ling; Yang Danxuan really had relations with Su Chen. And now, even Ji Ling didn't think Yang Danxuan was foolish because through their brief interaction, she too thought that Su Chen actually seemed quite alright. If Yang Danxuan had abandoned Qin Yu, it wasn't without reason. After all, Qin Yu also gave her a very unpleasant vibe.

"That War God is not going to be able to accept this. So, I'll have to do as Lai En instructed, I must keep it from him," Ji Ling remembered Lai En's admonition that if Yang Danxuan had indeed been with Su, she absolutely must not tell Qin Yu. Thinking about it, even Lai En must have known the likelihood of Yang Danxuan being with Su Chen. With this in mind, there must be some redeeming qualities about Su Chen that she hadn't noticed yet.

At this moment, Ji Ling was completely dumbfounded, with Su Chen getting anxious beside her. A female lead daydreaming could be a frightening thing, possibly the start of a character collapse.

"Ji Ling, I'm staying in one of the top suites here, and it costs a pretty penny to spend a night," Su Chen began, highlighting the luxury of his surroundings to Ji Ling. "Many things here are rare sights for the outside world. Take this bed, for example, it's custom-made, every detail hand-carved by some of the world's most skilled craftsmen." 

Su Chen, admitting his own particular tastes, added, "I can't sleep well unless it's on a bed of this quality, it just feels wrong otherwise." In truth, Su Chen wasn't entirely sure about the value of these items, but just like the fake ring he once presented to Lin Qingyan, with his status, even if it were fake, nobody would doubt its authenticity if he brought it out.

Su Chen began by humbling himself in front of Ji Ling, "Since you're from the capital, you must know who I am. I'm Su Chen, the notorious playboy heir of the Su family." Revealing one's identity like this is usually distasteful, and with Ji Ling's character and setting, her fondness for him should have taken a dive. But Ji Ling had no such thoughts. She was slightly surprised by his openness, but that was all.

Seeing no emotional reaction from Ji Ling made Su Chen inwardly lament. He had hoped that with a new script, he could have performed well, but before the new story could even unfold, he was already drained by the female lead's actions. "Would you like to take some photos?" 

Su Chen couldn't help but ask Ji Ling directly. According to his understanding of the script, if Ji Ling didn't take photos or gather crucial evidence for her report to Qin Yu, he might not believe her. Su Chen understood his adversary's methods well enough to know evidence was necessary.

Ji Ling snapped back to reality, exclaiming in her mind, "Right, I haven't taken any photos yet! Lai En said I needed to bring back photos, otherwise the War God wouldn't believe it." But Lai En also mentioned that if it was true that Su Chen and Yang Danxuan were involved, casual photos would suffice to prevent Qin Yu from finding out.

After some thought, since she was already in Su Chen's room, she decided to just film there. If she filmed anywhere else, it might be too easy to see through the ruse. As long as nothing linked to Yang Danxuan appeared in the frame, it would be fine. Suddenly, a terrible idea flashed in Ji Ling's mind – she wondered what Qin Yu's reaction would be if he saw a scene of Yang Danxuan and Su Chen together. 

"Thinking about it is too cruel," she thought. Yet, looking at Su Chen, Ji Ling found her previous dislike fading away, the more she looked, the more she liked him. Especially since she felt that Su Chen seemed to be in sync with her thoughts, as if he was sent by heaven to care for her. Whenever she forgot something, he would remind her. Weren't they a perfect match?

But Ji Ling quickly dismissed these thoughts and stubbornly decided not to rely on Su Chen's reminders anymore. Otherwise, she'd be too embarrassed. "Well, I won't be shy then, let's take a good photo together," Ji Ling said with a smile. "But the room is a bit messy right now, not good for taking photos."

"No problem, I'm used to tidying up at home, let me help you clean up," she offered and immediately began cleaning the room in maid mode, wanting to show Su Chen her domestic side. Although Ji Ling also thought she was better looking than many, even feeling a bit superior at times, compared to Yang Danxuan, she suddenly lost confidence. 

Yang Danxuan was truly beautiful, even as a woman she had to admit it. So, Ji Ling used this method to show Su Chen her worth and also tidied up the room to make a video to complete the mission, killing two birds with one stone.

But Su Chen was utterly confused. What was happening? Was Ji Ling out of her mind? Why was she actually starting to clean his room? She should be gathering evidence to show Qin Yu, what was the meaning of this action? Did she not want Qin Yu to know about his affair with Yang Danxuan? That was Su Chen's first thought.

But why? Observing Ji Ling's odd behavior, Su Chen was at a loss. Ji Ling's character definitely hadn't collapsed, so that ruled out the possibility that she was upset about not wanting Qin Yu to see the scene and taking it out on him. Su Chen could still feel that Ji Ling was probably still acting within her normal character setting.

Even though her behavior was strange, compared to a female lead like Yang Danxuan, Ji Ling was a world apart. Su Chen suddenly had a bold thought, "Could it be that she doesn't want Qin Yu to know about Yang Danxuan and me?" It must be so. 

Considering how Qin Yu always got so furiously heart-attacked when angry, spewing out blood, and given how important Yang Danxuan was to him due to their past engagement, if Qin Yu found out about this, it might not just result in a simple blood-spitting incident this time. Thinking of this, Su Chen couldn't help but find humor in the situation. 

"Wow, the system really doesn't want to overstimulate Qin Yu to the point of losing his protagonist's aura!" So it seemed that the system was helpless with the plot's progress now. This gave Su Chen a brilliant idea. Qin Yu is the male lead, how could he be so easily agitated? It's all the system's overthinking.

Su Chen had already thought up his excuses. "After all, it's not my fault, system. I was just trying to hold on to the male lead's hatred. Who knew his heart was so fragile?" Seeing Ji Ling finally tidy up the room, Su Chen spoke, "All done, let's take a photo together." Ji Ling, startled, hadn't expected to take a selfie with Su Chen. 

This was more than she could have asked for. "Okay, let's do it, let's make a memory." Ji Ling smiled, picked up her phone, and stood beside Su Chen to start taking selfies. In fact, taking a photo with Su Chen would greatly enhance the credibility of her mission completion. She could even tell Lai En that she was now fully close to Su Chen. 

Otherwise, she wouldn't be taking such intimate photos with him. Ji Ling was thrilled with the thought, but all of this was thanks to Su Chen's suggestion. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have thought of these things.

Ji Ling was feeling a bit fluttery, "Could it be that Su Chen is really a gift from heaven, meant for me, that we are destined to have such great fate?" Su Chen wanted to laugh, but quickly restrained himself. Watching Ji Ling take out her phone to take a selfie, Su Chen knew it was time to implement his plan. 

He took out a necklace from his clothes, which was given to him by Yang Danxuan the previous night. It was a necklace she had carried for many years, and one that Qin Yu had always desired because it was meant for Yang Danxuan's future husband.

But Ji Ling didn't know this. Seeing the necklace, she was just a bit puzzled and didn't say much. "Su Chen, ready for the photo?" Ji Ling said and then pressed the selfie button, later taking photos of the room as well. She was satisfied, feeling her mission was accomplished. After the mission, she resolved not to go against Su Chen if Qin Yu asked her to, it would be too unjust.

Meanwhile, Su Chen was internally laughing. Fortunately, Ji Ling hadn't noticed any flaws. Thinking about it, Qin Yu would probably just be a bit shocked, nothing more. Given Ji Ling's current state, there were no problems; otherwise, she surely wouldn't have wanted to hide Yang Danxuan's relationship with him from Qin Yu.

It all seemed to be moving in the right direction. As for the catastrophic plot twists that hadn't happened yet, they would have to be considered slowly. Su Chen glanced at Ji Ling and smiled. Originally, he thought Ji Ling was a bit brainless and might even collapse her character, which made him vigilant and somewhat resentful towards her, venting his dissatisfaction with the system on her. 

But now things had changed. Su Chen's perception of Ji Ling had completely transformed, "This is how a female lead should be, always maintaining the initial intention to help the male lead!"

And at that moment, Ji Ling seemed to notice Su Chen's intense gaze. "What does Su Chen mean by looking at me so lovingly? What does he want to do? Could he really like me that much?" Ji Ling pondered, and it seemed very likely. Even if she didn't compare to Yang Danxuan, perhaps Su Chen was the gift she was meant to receive from heaven.

After a shy blush crept across her face, she bit her lip, seemingly hesitating about something. After a long pause, Su Chen watched with a mix of confusion and dread as Ji Ling rushed up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

What the heck?

He had just praised her, and now she pulls this stunt?