Huo Chao felt his headache worsen and doubted Zhao Zhifeng’s advice. “Are you sure this method works?”
Zhao Zhifeng chuckled. “Of course it works! Haven’t you heard of that hit Thai drama? The one with the ‘A slap and a kiss’ thing?”
“A slap and a kiss? What are you talking about?”
Zhao Zhifeng explained seriously, “In that drama, every time the female lead gets upset, the male lead just kisses her, then she slaps him in anger, and he kisses her again, and she slaps him again. After enough slaps, they end up together.”
Huo Chao looked at Zhao Zhifeng in disbelief, feeling as if he was meeting this friend anew. “You actually like that kind of thing?”
Zhao Zhifeng, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, instantly got furious. “Who said I like it? It’s the girls who like it! Don’t you know? When that Thai actor’s series was all over social media, he became super popular here. Tons of girls loved his domineering CEO character. Ah Chao, that kind of character will never go out of style. I’ve helped you all I can.”
Of course, Zhao Zhifeng wouldn’t admit that he’d watched the whole show himself.
Though he cringed whenever the male lead got slapped, it was somehow addicting.
After ending the call, Huo Chao searched up the Thai drama Zhao Zhifeng mentioned. He found tons of information, including a post with clips compiled by a fan, showcasing what they thought were the best moments.
After watching, Huo Chao rubbed his forehead, exasperated. “Zhao Zhifeng wasn’t lying—‘a slap and a kiss’ really is a thing.”
The female lead looked furious every time the male lead forced a kiss on her, her face red with anger as she slapped him. And yet, there were a surprising number of comments cheering them on.
He read comments like, “What a cute tsundere!”
And, “I’m jealous of this kind of love!”
Jealous of what? Getting forced into a kiss only to slap him right after?
“So sweet, so incredibly sweet!”
… So, this kind of love is sweet.
“Cheering for the CEO! Make those kisses even fiercer!”
… At that rate, that CEO’s face would probably be swollen.
After reading the post, Huo Chao suddenly felt like Shu Jia Er was easier to understand. Reading all those fangirl comments, he even started thinking maybe Shu Jia Er wasn’t that unreasonable after all.
Plus, according to the post, the male and female protagonists eventually had a happy ending. So, even though the female protagonist resisted outwardly and slapped the male lead several times, deep down, she liked him and even cared about him.
Alright, he understood.
After venting about Shu Er, Shu Jia Er put the whole matter aside.
She felt that the distance between the male and female protagonists was now far greater than in the original storyline; the plot was hopelessly derailed. A happy ending like in the book seemed highly unlikely now.
But that was no longer her concern.
Shu Jia Er sent a message to Shu Ya, asking her to meet up. Since she had brought back some local specialties and small gifts for Shu Ya and Shu Rou from her trip to County B, she planned to hand these over.
Shu Ya quickly replied, saying she was free anytime.
Shu Jia Er responded with an “OK”.
A moment later, Aunt Zhang came in to bring her dinner, a full tray of elaborate dishes.
As she picked up her bowl, Shu Jia Er asked Aunt Zhang, “Is she still here?”
Of course, she was referring to Shu Er, something everyone knew without needing clarification.
Aunt Zhang lowered her head and replied, “She already left.”
Shu Jia Er looked unfazed. “Tell me what she did today.”
Aunt Zhang, well aware of who is the real lady of the house now, had no reservations about telling her everything. “Miss Shu Er arrived around one or two in the afternoon. She stayed in the living room chatting with the Madam, and soon after, your brother came down. I couldn’t hear what they talked about, but it seemed like Miss Shu Er’s mood fluctuated a lot, and the Madam kept consoling her.”
“Got it.” With that, Shu Jia Er pulled out a small gift from her bag. “This is a little gift I brought back from County B. It’s nothing fancy, just for you.”
Aunt Zhang was taken aback, receiving the gift gratefully. Even though Shu Jia Er downplayed its value, the small trinket was actually worth several hundred yuan. It was a lucky charm bracelet with small animal pendants made of gold. Aunt Zhang carefully put the gift away. “Thank you, Miss.”
Shu Jia Er waved it off. “No need to be so formal.”
Giving little gifts to household staff was second nature to Shu Jia Er. In her past life, she had done it often. Sometimes, a small gift worth a few hundred yuan could yield a much greater return in the future.
The next day at noon, she met up with Shu Ya after dressing up. They met at a newly opened Hong Kong-style restaurant, planning to catch up over lunch.
When Shu Ya saw Shu Jia Er at the restaurant entrance, she sighed in relief. Although she knew her second sister was tough, she was initially worried Shu Jia Er might feel uneasy after returning to the Shu family. But seeing her now, Shu Ya knew that her sister was doing very well. Shu Jia Er’s face was glowing, and she looked composed and elegant, radiating the poise of a socialite.
And, of course, she is now truly a socialite.
Shu Jia Er let Shu Ya order first, and after she was done, Shu Jia Er added a few more dishes. Once the waiter left, she took out the gifts she had brought for Shu Ya and Shu Rou.
Shu Ya held the gift carefully in her right hand, a shy smile appearing as she said, “Thank you, Second Sister.”
Even though Shu Jia Er had left the Shu family, Shu Ya was still used to calling her Second Sister.
Shu Jia Er smiled slightly. “No need to be so formal between us.”
The waiter brought them lemon water first, and after taking a sip, Shu Jia Er asked, “How’s everything at home recently?”
Hearing the question, a faint look of helplessness appeared on Shu Ya’s young face. “It’s… quite lively lately.”
“How so?”
Shu Ya sighed like a little adult. “Shu Er acts like a spoiled princess. She looks down on the family and often throws fits and breaks things. She’s been in such a bad mood recently that she hasn’t even gone to school. And then, Eldest Sister couldn’t take it anymore and got into a fight with her.”
Shu Jia Er looked surprised. “They fought?” She could believe Shu Rou might, but she hadn’t expected Shu Er to actually get into a fight.
“Yes, and now they have a big fight every three days and a small one every two days. The house has been anything but peaceful.”
Shu Jia Er felt her decision to bring a gift for Shu Rou had been absolutely correct. Although they’d had a minor conflict before, it now seemed irrelevant.
Out of concern, Shu Jia Er asked, “And what about you? Does it affect you?”
Shu Ya looked up with a shy smile. “Of course, there’s some impact, but it’s manageable. I just close my door, and it’s not so bad.”
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me. When your high school entrance exams approach next year, I can rent a place for you outside if necessary.”
While the high school entrance exams weren’t as crucial as the college entrance exams, they were still an important stage in life. If the home environment was too chaotic, it could easily affect a student’s performance.
Shu Jia Er knew Shu Ya had good grades, and she didn’t want Shu Er’s behavior to impact Shu Ya’s future.
Shu Ya quickly shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, Second Sister. It’s really not that troublesome.”
“It’s not troublesome. If she messes up your future, that’s real trouble.”
After thinking for a moment, Shu Ya said, “Actually, I don’t even know how long she’ll stay.”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
Shu Ya bit her lip, then cautiously glanced at Shu Jia Er before continuing, “She often talks about going back to her old home, so…”
Understanding dawned on Shu Jia Er. No wonder Shu Er had shown up at the Shu family yesterday—she must be scheming to return.
Well, as long as Shu Jia Er was around, Shu Er could forget about it. If Shu Er tried to come back, Shu Jia Er would raise hell, and then they’d see who lost face.
As Shu Jia Er and Shu Ya were chatting, it was a case of “speak of the devil”.
Shu Er and her two besties had also chosen this new Hong Kong-style restaurant.
The restaurant had just opened during the National Day holiday, and with a 70-80% discount promotion, it naturally attracted many customers.
Coincidentally, Shu Er’s table happened to be right next to Shu Jia Er and Shu Ya’s.
Shu Er didn’t say anything, but her friend Li Mo sneered loudly, “Small-minded people acting smug.”
Shu Jia Er: ???
She hadn’t even done anything, and yet someone deliberately walked right into her line of fire?
Shu Jia Er didn’t want to argue with Li Mo; she could, but it wasn’t necessary.
With a calm smile, she said, “I know what you’re after. You just want Shu Er to return to the Shu family. But I can only tell you—you’re overthinking it.”
When Shu Jia Er gets in her princess mode, she can be really dramatic. But when she goes for the verbal kill, she hits right where it hurts. She knew exactly what Shu Er cared about most and went straight for it.
With a slight tilt of her head, she smiled coolly at Shu Er. “There’s no place for you in the Shu family anymore.”
At these words, Shu Er’s face instantly turned pale. Looking visibly upset, she stood up and said, “Let’s come back to this place another time.”
With that, she left first, and Li Mo and Xu Lan exchanged a glance before grabbing their bags and following her out.
Before leaving, Li Mo threw out a parting shot, “Let’s see how long you can stay smug!”
Taking a sip of her lemon water, Shu Jia Er replied in an unhurried tone, “Certainly longer than you expect.”
After those three left, the place felt significantly quieter for Shu Jia Er.
But she was still a bit concerned about Shu Ya.
Shu Jia Er worried that Shu Er would go home and complain to Shu Ya’s parents and possibly take her anger out on Shu Ya.
When she voiced her concerns, Shu Ya gave her a shy smile and said, “Don’t worry, Big Sis will help me.”
Since Shu Rou was no slouch in a fight, if Shu Rou had her back, Shu Ya probably wouldn’t have to suffer.
Only then did Shu Jia Er feel reassured.
She took out her phone to vent to Huo Chao.
[Xiao Er: Brother, I’m feeling so wronged, but I won’t say it. (｡•́︿•̀｡)]
Not long after, Huo Chao replied.
[Brother: What happened?]
[Xiao Er: I was just minding my own business, having a meal, and I ran into that annoying Shu Er again. Her little toady even said I’m “a petty person riding high”! ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)]
[Brother: Which restaurant? I’ll come over.]
[Xiao Er: The new Hong Kong-style place that just opened recently.]
[Brother: Got it. Wait for me.]
After venting to Huo Chao, Shu Jia Er calmly continued her meal with Shu Ya as if nothing had happened.
By the time they were nearly done, Huo Chao arrived.
Seeing him, Shu Ya took her cue to head home. “Second Sis, I’m heading home with my gift. Big Sis will be thrilled! Thanks so much for today.”
Shu Jia Er waved her hand dismissively. “No need to thank me, let’s eat together again sometime.”
“Alright, goodbye, Second Sis.”
“Goodbye.”
After Shu Ya left, Shu Jia Er and Huo Chao left the restaurant as well.
As soon as they were out, she started talking nonstop, her words coming out like rapid-fire.
If she hadn’t intervened, the male and female leads would probably be together by now, happily in love. The thought only annoyed her further, and the more annoyed she got, the faster she talked.
“Brother, how is she so infuriating? Yesterday she went to my house to play the victim. Today, my sister said she’s been telling everyone she’ll eventually return to the Shu family. This girl is just… Brother, why aren’t you saying anything? Why aren’t you helping me badmouth her?”
Huo Chao: …
Cursing her out was a no-go.
But a kiss? Now, that he could do.
Huo Chao had already made up his mind: taking a slap was no big deal. After all, Zhao Zhifeng did say—take a few slaps, and you’ll win the girl’s heart.
In that case, a slap is worth it.
GET THE WHOLE NOVEL HERE!
