"……Um?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to Zhu Jinzhao, all taken aback by her reaction.

"You haven't even asked anything yet, how did you come to believe me?" Jiang Jingwen pinched her thigh and whispered through gritted teeth.

Zhu Jinzhao ignored her and turned to look at Lu Yuzhou, saying, "Brother, I believe you too. You and Mingyue must have something important to do to be together at the mall, right?"

“Uh…” Lu Yuzhou glanced at Zhu Mingyue with a flushed face and nodded awkwardly, “Yes, Mingyue and I do have important academic matters to attend to.”

Zhu Jinzhao tilted her head: "I guessed it. How long have you been in the mall? Have you had lunch yet?"

Lu Yuzhou: "Not yet..."

"That's perfect." Zhu Jinzhao opened his backpack and took out some bread that was given away for free at the dessert shop where he worked part-time. "I have some croissants here, you can take them to tide you over. I remember Mingyue has a sensitive stomach and can't go hungry for too long."

Without waiting for the two people in front of him to accept it, he stuffed one croissant into each of their hands.

Lu Yuzhou: "..."

What's going on? Logically speaking, shouldn't Zhu Jinchao be angry, doubtful, and heartbroken right now?

Zhu Mingyue: "..."

What's wrong with this brat? I'm on a date with her boyfriend, and she's still here delivering bread?

"Brother, Mingyue, you can continue with your work. I won't bother you any longer." After delivering the bread, Zhu Jinzhao obediently said goodbye to each of them.

"Where are you going?" Lu Yuzhou asked instinctively.

Zhu Jinzhao took Jiang Jingwen's stiff hand and said honestly, "Jiang Jiang and I are going to eat hot pot. I remember you don't like hot pot, and Mingyue doesn't like these strong flavors either, so I didn't plan to invite you."

"..."

Zhu Mingyue and Lu Yuzhou exchanged a strange look, but neither of them spoke.

Zhu Jinzhao didn't mind at all, and even waved politely to them: "Jiang Jiang and I are leaving first. You guys take your time and remember to eat."

After saying that, he pulled Jiang Jingwen away, leaving the two people looking embarrassed.

"..."

Zhu Mingyue clutched the loaf of bread, staring blankly at Zhu Jinzhao's retreating figure, her heart filled with mixed emotions... no, a complex mix of feelings.

She deliberately approached Zhu Luyuzhou with the intention of breaking Zhu Jinzhao's defenses, but now it seems that Zhu Jinzhao's emotional development is not quite what she expected.

Zhu Jinzhao saw her boyfriend with her, and instead of being angry, she seemed quite happy and relieved.

What kind of trick is this? Could it be...?

Zhu Mingyue remembered the WeChat message Zhu Jinzhao had sent last night.

—I want to please you!

A vow-like sentence uncontrollably rang in Zhu Mingyue's ears, and she widened her eyes slightly, her gaze becoming somewhat incredulous.

Is this brat really trying to please her?

"Why are you being so pathetic?" After walking a distance, Jiang Jingwen punched Zhu Jinzhao in exasperation.

“Those two were obviously acting strangely. Why didn’t you question them? You even gave them the bread that my part-time job gave me. You were just wasting food.”

"Don't be angry, don't be angry." Zhu Jinzhao tried to coax Jiang Jingwen by taking her arm, but she angrily shook her off. Zhu Jinzhao grinned and clung to her again, but Jiang Jingwen tried to shake her off again, this time without success.

“What I just did wasn’t cowardly; I was carrying out a meticulously planned scheme! No, two schemes.”

"...Which two?" Jiang Jingwen glanced at her sideways, seemingly not believing her.

Zhu Jinzhao glanced back and, seeing that Lu Yuzhou and Zhu Mingyue weren't attacking, whispered, "The first plan is a scheme specifically designed to flatter Lu Yuzhou and then kill him. Lu Yuzhou has wronged me, and I definitely won't be with him anymore. So I've decided to flatter him relentlessly while he's giving me the silent treatment, and once he's reached a certain level, I'll kick him to the curb!"

"What does Lu Yuzhou lose by doing this?" Jiang Jingwen thought this plan was utterly idiotic. "He's been giving you the silent treatment because he wants to break up with you. Does it make any difference whether you kick him out or not?"

"Of course!" Zhu Jinzhao said seriously, "I once saw a quote online—'When you feel the water from the tap starting to fluctuate between hot and cold, it means someone is sharing hot water with you.'"

“Shared hot water…” Jiang Jingwen pondered the meaning of these words carefully. After a moment, her tone suddenly turned cold. “You mean, Lu Yuzhou is having an affair?”

Zhu Jinzhao smiled helplessly: "It's obvious."

Jiang Jingwen: "Who is that woman? Could it be Zhu Mingyue?"

"No, it shouldn't be her," Zhu Jinzhao told a small lie. Jiang Jingwen had always had a fiery temper and couldn't tolerate even the slightest injustice. If she found out that the woman was really Zhu Mingyue, she would definitely go and fight Zhu Mingyue. Zhu Mingyue was not someone to be trifled with. If Jiang Jingwen angered her, she would definitely go and complain to her three brothers, and then Jiang Jingwen's family company would be in big trouble.

“Now that I’m living under the same roof as her, even if she hates me, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to do something like that. My three older brothers love her more, but they’re still quite sensible in this regard.”

“Oh…” Jiang Jingwen nodded. “So, do you suspect anyone?”

Zhu Jinzhao: "Not yet, it's still under investigation."

Jiang Jingwen: "Now that you've found out, what are you going to do?"

Zhu Jinzhao smiled mischievously: "Once I find out, I'll sow discord between her and Lu Yuzhou. Once Lu Yuzhou and she break up, I'll dump him at the same time, leaving him empty-handed on both sides!"

"That sounds pretty good. What about Zhu Mingyue? What's your plan for her?" Jiang Jingwen asked.

Zhu Jinzhao: "My strategy for her is very simple: please her."

"Then what?"

That's all.

"That's all?" Jiang Jingwen clicked her tongue. "No, are you just trying to please me?"

Zhu Jinzhao honestly admitted, "That's right. Zhu Mingyue is the true daughter of the Zhu family. What good would it do for me to scheme against her? I might as well please her and make her tear me apart."

"What are you afraid of with me here?" Jiang Jingwen was about to be driven crazy by her cowardice. "I'm protecting you, what can she do to you?"

Zhu Jinzhao sighed: "You don't understand. Zhu Mingyue is much more powerful than you think. Even if two of you came to help me, we still couldn't beat her."

"Impossible!" Jiang Jingwen exclaimed in disbelief. "She's nowhere near as amazing as you say..."

Zhu Jinzhao dragged her into the hot pot restaurant: "Oh, don't worry about it, I have my own plans..."

The hotpot meal was eaten amidst much cursing and swearing, and of course, it was Jiang Jingwen who was doing all the cursing.

Zhu Jinchao accepted the message meekly, but when she looked up casually, she saw a WeChat message from Lu Yuzhou.