Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Today is December 31st.

I specifically put on the coat Zhou Chi gave me to spend New Year’s Eve with him.

When I found him, however, a beautiful girl was standing beside him.

[The female lead has finally appeared. She’s the daughter of an underground boxing gym owner. After your divorce, she’s the one who stays by the male lead’s side as he makes his comeback.]

The true female lead.

My footsteps faltered, and a sudden urge to retreat washed over me.

But it was too late. Hearing my approach, both of them turned to look at me.

The female lead, Qin Xiaoxiao, spoke first with a playful tone: “So this is why you refused to spend New Year’s Eve with me. You already had a date.”

Zhou Chi walked over and naturally took my bag from me, giving a soft grunt of affirmation.

I noticed he wasn’t wearing that down jacket, but a different garment I hadn’t seen before.

The same logo appeared on the hem of Qin Xiaoxiao’s clothes.

I seemed to recall this part of the plot; the female lead saw that Zhou Chi was struggling financially, so she gave him clothes.

So, is Zhou Chi wearing what Qin Xiaoxiao gave him right now?

A sudden wave of discomfort hit me-an indescribable feeling.

Qin Xiaoxiao had already greeted me with familiar ease. She studied me for a moment, then seemed to remember something.

“Ah, I’ve seen you before.”

While I was still confused, I saw her pull out a photo.

“Aren’t you the one who’s been stringing Jiang Yuan along lately? You coaxed him into spending a lot of money on you, and you even said you’d marry him and give him lots of children. How did you end up as Zhou Chi’s girlfriend?”

My face flushed bright red. “You’re talking nonsense…”

Aside from our first meeting, I had ignored Jiang Yuan every time he intentionally tried to run into me. How could I have possibly said those things to him?

Qin Xiaoxiao apologized immediately: “Then maybe I have the wrong person. You just look alike; I thought it was you. My apologies.”

Even though she said that, she had the expression of someone trying to help me save face.

That photo was even more damning evidence.

In it, I was leaning intimately into Jiang Yuan’s arms. Based on the clothing and figure, anyone familiar with me could easily recognize it was me.

Qin Xiaoxiao continued, “Jiang Yuan gave that woman five thousand the first time they met. Who knows how much he gave her after that? She’s vain and fickle…”

“Stop it.”

Zhou Chi interrupted her, grabbing my hand to lead me away.

I stood rooted to the spot, refusing to budge. Looking at Zhou Chi, my eyes brimming with tears, I asked one word at a time: “Do you believe what she said?”

Do you believe I’m a vain, shallow, and fickle woman?

This New Year’s Eve did not go as I had imagined.

On the way back, neither of us spoke. The silence was terrifyingly heavy.

As soon as we got home, I locked myself in my room.

[What was the point of asking that question?]

The System was very confused.

This was the established plot. My fickle nature was exposed by the female lead, and the male lead could no longer deceive himself. He would come to utterly loathe me and eventually bring up a divorce so he could be with the true female lead.

[Your question was completely unnecessary!]

I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

I don’t know how much time passed before there was a knock on the door.

“Dinner is ready.”

The silence at the dining table was also suffocating.

The original plan was to go out for hot pot. Because it was New Year’s Eve, I had specifically made a reservation a long time ago.

Zhou Chi had stewed some ribs and stir-fried a plate of cabbage. He had gone out early this morning to buy the ingredients because I mentioned my legs had been cramping lately.

Watching Zhou Chi’s chopsticks reach only for the cabbage, an indescribable frustration welled up in me.

So, I asked directly: “You still haven’t answered my question from earlier. Do you think that person was me?”

His chopsticks paused for a moment before Zhou Chi continued eating. “No. I believe you.”

A mountain of explanations was stuck in my chest. I was left at a loss by Zhou Chi’s nonchalance.

“The down jacket I bought for you… I didn’t use someone else’s money. It was my-”

“The soup is cold. I’ll go heat it up.”

Zhou Chi suddenly interrupted me.

But how could the soup that was just served get cold so quickly?

I stared at Zhou Chi’s back. “System, tell me, is it possible…”

I struggled to find the words. “…that Zhou Chi really does believe me, and this is just a misunderstanding?”

After all, my first meeting with Jiang Yuan wasn’t that intimate, and the money he gave was purely as an apology. As for the photo, it was just a matter of perspective; the reality wasn’t like that.

The System shattered my fantasy: [What are you thinking? The male lead just doesn’t want to cause a scene. Do you really expect him to admit to your face that his wife cheated on him? That would be too humiliating.]

[Just watch. He’s completely given up on you and is preparing to divorce you. He has a proper official love interest; what does that have to do with a villainous supporting female lead like you?]

I opened my mouth to argue.

But then I thought of the female lead’s appearance, and the clothes Zhou Chi was wearing that she had given him.

I fell silent.