Back in Jingzhou, Jiang Hezhou was no longer sleeping all day like before, but he still rarely went out.
He had become even more clingy toward Chu Luyu.
Not only did he have to hold her while sleeping, but at home, if she disappeared from his line of sight for more than a minute, he would immediately go looking for her. Every morning when they woke up, he would carry her to the bathroom, lift her onto the counter by her waist, and brush her teeth and wash her face himself. Every time he saw her little face turn clean, fair, and glowing again, he couldn’t resist pressing her against the mirror and kissing her deeply for a long time.
Mealtimes were the same. Before, no matter what, they would sit across from each other or side by side at the table. But now, Jiang Hezhou would pull her onto his lap every time, feeding her spoonful by spoonful like she was a child. Sometimes, when a bit of oil stain lingered on her lips, making them glisten, he would suddenly be seized by a whim, pull her into his arms, and kiss her for a long, long while.
Besides that, there were other unusual things about Jiang Hezhou.
Before, when he was resting, he would spend his free time reading professional books or watching foreign documentaries at home. But these past few days, when he had nothing to do, he would watch variety shows with Chu Luyu—not just going through the motions, but actually paying attention, even discussing them with her.
All of these behaviors were too abnormal. Eventually, Chu Luyu couldn’t hold back and brought it up with the system.
System Cuihua: [Him acting abnormal is normal. Don’t you think the way he is now feels like it’s heading toward the same outcome as the original plot? In the original storyline, he misjudged a case, causing an innocent person to die. He became disappointed in himself, and after being suspended from work, fell into endless self-doubt, growing more and more depressed until the original host pushed him over the edge, making him completely shut down—and then he met the female lead… Right now, even though his state is a bit different from the original plot, the trajectory and the stage he’s at are basically the same. This time, he didn’t misjudge a case, but he was hit by the blow of his own brother and his friend both being sent to prison by him. And the Jiang family’s attitude toward him has been pretty awful too. In one fell swoop, his entire world of family and friends has collapsed around him. Any normal person would be going crazy right now! So the way he’s acting is exactly how the plot dictates he should be behaving.]
After the system finished, Chu Luyu felt a heavy, indescribable weight settle in her chest.
She lowered her head and muttered distractedly: [I thought… since I’ve changed the plotline so much, the male lead’s life trajectory would shift at least a little.]
The system, now very familiar with its host, sighed at her reaction. [Babe, are you still holding onto some naive hope that since the male lead’s plotline has changed, the romance line might change too?]
Chu Luyu bit her lip and was silent for a long time before replying: [I was just thinking—since some parts of the plot can change, maybe we could try to change others too… But I don’t really know what I want. I’m just so conflicted and torn. I can’t bear to let go of the male lead now, but I also know he’s destined to belong to the female lead. Cuihua, do you understand? I feel like a thief right now—stealing happiness that should belong to someone else.]
System Cuihua: [What are you talking about! What do you mean ‘happiness that should belong to someone else’! At this stage, the male lead is yours. He’s your fiancé. Every good thing you feel from him, every bit of kindness he shows you—that’s yours. What does it have to do with anyone else! Don’t overthink it, babe! As for the rest… I can only say, what I just explained is the truth. No matter how much the plot changes along the way, the ending direction is almost impossible to alter. Even if earlier events change drastically and look completely different, isn’t it still a fact that the male lead is becoming increasingly depressed from the blows? Babe, I don’t want to discourage you, but I also don’t want you to keep tormenting yourself in this endless cycle of doubt. Besides, can’t you always see the male lead’s disgust value? It’s already at -96 now. That means his tolerance and dislike for you have reached nearly their peak inside him. There’s only one task left, and then the disgust value will be maxed out.]
At that moment, Chu Luyu was being held in Jiang Hezhou’s arms watching TV. The disgust value above his head was indeed still at -96, just as the system had said.
But she couldn’t help hesitating—thinking that all his reactions toward her now, all his intimacy and kindness—could it really be just sheer sense of responsibility imposed by his character design? Was there truly not a single shred of genuine feeling?
She felt the whole thing was absurd, but with the facts right before her eyes, she had no choice but to accept it.
Suddenly, the phone on the coffee table rang. She was about to sit up and grab it, but Jiang Hezhou beat her to it.
He didn’t hand it to her directly. Instead, he glanced at the caller ID on the screen. After seeing the name [Chen Mian], he passed the phone to Chu Luyu.
“It’s your brother.”
Chu Luyu didn’t notice the subtle change in how he referred to Chen Mian. She just took the phone and answered in a lazy voice: “Hello—”
She didn’t know what Chen Mian said on the other end, but her expression changed instantly. She struggled to sit up from Jiang Hezhou’s lap.
“Stay with Mom first. I’ll be right there.”
After hanging up, she immediately bent down to find her slippers, intending to go change clothes. But Jiang Hezhou grabbed her wrist and asked what was wrong.
He had vaguely heard Chen Mian mention something about “divorce” on the other end, but he still wanted to hear it from Chu Luyu herself.
She hesitated for only a moment, then told him honestly: “My mom wants to divorce Uncle Chen. Chen Mian said they had a huge fight, and now Mom has locked herself in her room crying. He wants me to come home.”
Jiang Hezhou nodded and stood up as well. “I’ll go with you.”
Chu Luyu hesitated. Seeing her reaction, he frowned involuntarily. “What? You don’t want me to come?”
“I’m just thinking—if you come with me for something like this, Mom might feel uncomfortable.”
“I’ll just go back with you to check in. I’ll step aside when it’s time for you two to talk.” As he spoke, a flicker of unreadable light passed through his eyes. He could have told her he was just driving her over and wouldn’t go inside the Chen house—but the thought that there might be someone at the Chen residence he didn’t want her to see kept him from saying it.
Chu Luyu was too worried about Chu Fanyin to insist on going alone. She quickly changed clothes with Jiang Hezhou and headed out the door.
Jiang Hezhou drove fast and steadily the whole way, reaching the Chen house in about two-thirds of the usual time.
Chen Mian was alone in the living room, looking very distracted. When they walked in, he was holding his phone like usual, but his expression was full of agitation, clearly weighed down by something.
Hearing Chu Luyu and Jiang Hezhou arrive, he immediately perked up and rushed over to them. Seeing his sister was like finding a pillar of support.
“Go check on Mom. She’s been locked in her room forever. Every time I go in, she’s crying… She’s been at it for like six or seven hours straight. No food, no water. I’m really worried her body won’t hold up if this keeps going.”
Chu Luyu nodded and was about to head upstairs when she suddenly remembered Jiang Hezhou was still there.
She hesitated and glanced back at him. As if reading her mind, he said, “Go ahead and keep your mom company. I’ll stay here and wait for you.”
“Okay.”
Chu Luyu made her way to the master bedroom. The moment she pushed open the door, she heard faint sobbing coming from the bed.
Chu Fanyin was lying with her back to the door, so Chu Luyu couldn’t see her face—only her figure half-hidden under the covers, her long hair disheveled, stripped of its usual elegance.
Hearing the door open, Chu Fanyin assumed it was Chen Mian again. Without turning around, her voice thick with tears, she said, “Didn’t I tell you? I’m fine. Just let me sort through my feelings on my own. You should go—”
Before she could finish, Chu Luyu interrupted her. “Mom.”
Chu Fanyin’s back stiffened. She immediately pushed herself up and turned around. The moment she saw Chu Luyu, tears welled up in her eyes once more.
“Why are you here? Did that boy Chen Mian call you? I told him not to tell you, not to tell you—why won’t he listen…”
Chu Luyu sighed. Without a word, she walked over silently and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her mother.
“Chen Mian said you and Uncle Chen had a fight, and that you’ve been locked in your room crying. He was really worried, so he asked me to come check on you.” She reached out and wiped her mother’s tears. “So what exactly happened between you and Uncle Chen? Weren’t things fine before?”
Seeing her daughter there, the hurt Chu Fanyin had been forcing down suddenly burst forth. She pulled her daughter into an embrace, shedding all her usual calm and gentleness, her voice fragile.
“Your Uncle Chen cheated on me. I saw it with my own eyes—he went to a hotel with his ex-wife!”
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