I Became the Female Lead’s Current Obsession - Chapter 4

Jiang Qing looked at the driver, utterly confused by his question. She couldn’t figure out what kind of misunderstanding had taken place and replied helplessly, “Of course, we’re going home.”

The driver gave a dry cough. “Understood.”

After a short while, Jiang Qing added, “By the way, from now on, Hou Xue will be going home with me.” She paused briefly, glanced at Hou Xue, but addressed the driver. “In the mornings too, we’ll be going to school together.”

“Understood, Second Miss.”

Seeing Hou Xue show no objection, Jiang Qing assumed her silent agreement and leaned back, finally relaxing.

Comfortable.

Hou Xue stared out the window at the trees flying past. Her reflection in the glass finally revealed a hint of change.

This was her first time riding in this car.

She had always believed that as long as Jiang Qing was around, she’d never get the chance. But now, something was clearly deviating from her expectations.

Hou Xue didn’t buy the “hit-by-a-basketball-and-suddenly-saw-the-light” excuse Jiang Qing gave. That story was clearly nonsense.

At first, she thought Jiang Qing had come up with a new trick to mess with her. Busy as she’d been recently, she had no plans to engage. But now, things weren’t unfolding the way she had anticipated.

Instead, they were heading in an indescribable direction.

All these strange changes made Hou Xue consider a wild, almost absurd theory—this Jiang Qing… wasn’t the same person she used to be.

It sounded ridiculous, but after thinking it through and observing for an entire day, she arrived at this unlikely conclusion.

It was the only explanation that made everything make sense.

But was it really possible?

Even if Jiang Qing had somehow been replaced, there was no reason for her to fawn over someone like Hou Xue, who was merely a dependent living under their roof. There was no benefit in it for her.

Unless… she hadn’t yet revealed her true motive.

So then, what could it be that made this new Jiang Qing treat her so kindly?

…

After getting out of the car, Jiang Qing walked through the rose-filled garden again. But this time, she wasn’t enjoying the scenery alone.

Halfway through the path, she finally spoke. “I didn’t ask you to come home with me to restrict your freedom. If there’s something you need to do after school and it’s inconvenient to go with me, just let me know.”

She made sure to explain, because in the original plot, Hou Xue would later start working side jobs after school. Jiang Qing already had a plan to deal with that, but since she didn’t know exactly when it would begin, it was better to lay the groundwork now. Being prepared for everything was just her nature.

Hou Xue stayed quiet for a few seconds before replying, “Okay.”

After that, the two walked in silence until they encountered two maids at the entrance.

“Welcome back, Second Miss.”

“Good evening, Second Miss.”

To Jiang Qing’s mild embarrassment, both only greeted her. She smiled back at them, choosing not to make a fuss.

Some things couldn’t be rushed. Changing their impression of Hou Xue would take time and subtle effort.

Upstairs, Jiang Qing saw Jiang Xing already standing by her door, waiting.

He looked pleased at first when he saw Jiang Qing, but his face dropped the moment he spotted Hou Xue behind her.

What’s with this kid?

Jiang Qing had a bad feeling.

“Something you need?” she asked.

Jiang Xing, who had looked fierce just seconds ago, suddenly deflated. “Can’t I just come see my sister?” he mumbled.

Faced with his big, round, pleading eyes, Jiang Qing couldn’t help but feel awkward. She scratched her nose and said quickly, “Of course you can! So, what is it?”

After all, he was the original Jiang Qing’s little brother.

But Jiang Xing didn’t answer right away. Instead, he glanced at Hou Xue behind her.

Seeing that Hou Xue didn’t walk away like she usually would, Jiang Xing frowned.

Can’t she take a hint?

Hou Xue met his gaze without flinching. She knew exactly what he was thinking—but had no intention of backing down like before.

Though she appeared calm, inwardly, she was curious to see how Jiang Qing would respond.

What should have been a normal interaction now made Jiang Qing feel like she was caught in the middle of some inexplicable battlefield.

What kind of weird showdown is this?

Jiang Qing sighed and rested her hand on Jiang Xing’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Xing, it’s nice that you want to talk to your sister,” she said with a smile.

Jiang Xing’s mouth had just started to lift into a grin when she suddenly pinched him hard. The grin froze halfway in pain, but he stubbornly said nothing, just sucked in a sharp breath while staring at her smiling face.

“Hou Xue, why don’t you go into my room and start your homework first? I’ll be right back after talking with Jiang Xing, okay?” Jiang Qing asked, full of sincerity.

Satisfied, Hou Xue nodded without making things difficult. She turned and went into the room.

“You let her into your room again?” Jiang Xing asked, pointing at the door and rubbing the spot where she pinched him.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Jiang Qing ignored his complaint and dragged him to the stairwell.

After a moment, Jiang Xing finally said, “I just wanted to ask… what’s up with you lately? Why are you being so nice to her? You’re acting totally different.”

“That’s because I was wrong before,” Jiang Qing answered smoothly. “If that’s what you came to ask, then let me be clear—don’t treat Hou Xue the same way you used to.”

“What? Why should I?” Jiang Xing looked incredulous. “Wasn’t it you who told me all that stuff about her in the first place? What did she do to make you defend her so much?”

Jiang Qing felt a headache coming on.

It was true. In the original plot, she had been the one to convince this loyal, straightforward little brother that Hou Xue was a bad person. So naturally, he’d followed her lead without question.

To Jiang Xing, anything his sister said was the truth. He’d never thought to verify it.

Now he was showing just how stubborn he could be, refusing to let go of his bias against Hou Xue.

“Actually…” Jiang Qing repeated the same excuse she had used on Hou Xue the night before. She doubted Hou Xue bought it, but with Jiang Xing’s personality, it might just work.

“You got hit in the head? How hard was it?” he asked.

As expected… but he’s totally missing the point.

“That doesn’t matter. Did you get what I’m trying to say?”

Jiang Xing nodded, but then said, “Still, do you have to get that close to her? I’m your real brother. She’s still an outsider.”

“We’re just studying together. It’s called academic progress,” Jiang Qing corrected him.

Having a top student for a tutor was a rare and valuable opportunity. Not using that resource would be wasteful.

“Oh.” Jiang Xing said, then perked up. “Then if I study hard enough to get into your school, can I go to and from school with you too?”

“Well…” Jiang Qing thought about it. “That depends on your grades.”

“Deal! I’ll start studying right now!”

If he didn’t, that Hou Xue girl might really steal his sister away.

Besides, studying would benefit him for life. Considering the original Jiang family’s fate, Jiang Xing working hard now could only be a good thing.

Jiang Qing had no intention of changing the Jiang family’s ending. Even though she was now close to the protagonist, it didn’t mean she planned to interfere with the main storyline.

The reason she could change things so boldly now was that her character didn’t affect the core plot in any way.

Her goal was to achieve the best possible outcome within her limited sphere of influence. She refused to accept Jiang Qing’s original ending.

“Second Miss, Young Master—it’s dinnertime,” a maid called out cheerfully from the stairs.

Jiang Qing nodded and gestured to Jiang Xing. “You go ahead. I’ll go get Hou Xue.”

Jiang Xing went downstairs reluctantly, dragging his feet.

A real man doesn’t fight over the moment. Once he crushes the exams, his sister will definitely look at him differently.

Jiang Qing walked to her room and knocked twice. “Time to eat.”

…

After dinner, Jiang Qing shamelessly asked Hou Xue to help her review, using study questions as an excuse.

She’d asked the maid to buy her a set of practice papers earlier that morning. Now she was working through the key sections Hou Xue had marked—after all, final exams were approaching, and time was short.

Prioritizing was key.

Another full day passed. After showering and turning off the lights, Jiang Qing flopped into bed, feeling exhausted.

She glanced at Hou Xue still diligently working beside her and couldn’t help but think she might actually be a study machine crafted by the author.

It was surreal to relive the hustle of high school again after so many years.

Not that it was a bad thing. Her current body was young, after all. It was just… kind of boring?

This was the first time in days that Jiang Qing had checked her phone. Even she was surprised. But transmigrating into a book was a surreal event—it took time to adjust. Besides, this Jiang Qing even wore a watch, so she hadn’t needed the phone for time.

Logging into her social account, Jiang Qing found a flood of messages. The unread numbers kept climbing.

And they were all from one person.

Xu Miao?

Jiang Qing opened the thread. At first, Xu Miao had simply asked about her relationship with Hou Xue. But after receiving no reply, she spiraled into wild speculation.

Stuff like: “Give her sweetness before the slap,” “Cao Fenlan is marrying into the Jiang family,” “Hou Xue seduced Nie Rui,” and so on. Jiang Qing was both amused and exasperated.

The first few theories were bearable. But the last one about Nie Rui made her stomach turn.

Still, since the story hadn’t reached that part yet, she didn’t plan to stir the pot.

For someone with such a bad reputation, the original Jiang Qing still managed to have some decent friends.

“Nothing happened. Hou Xue and I just get along better now.”

She hit send.

“For real? You’re not planning something, are you?”

Xu Miao replied instantly.

“Nope. I swear I’m serious.”

“…Fine, I’ll take your word for it.”

“Really, it’s nothing. Don’t overthink it. We’re just discussing school stuff. I’m going to bed—goodnight.”

After sending the message, Jiang Qing exited the app and opened the app store.

She realized the original Jiang Qing hadn’t downloaded any games—not even one to kill time.

She searched for some of the popular mobile games from the real world, but none of them came up. With no luck, she resorted to browsing categories.

Just as she was about to give up, she stumbled upon a game called Snowman.

The icon featured a cute animated snowman.

Intrigued, Jiang Qing clicked in.

No ratings. No reviews. Low download count.

She skimmed the description.

It was a casual simulation game, designed to pass the time. Players could interact with a little snowman, collect snowflakes to prevent it from melting, and discover hidden easter eggs. The goal was to increase your bond with the snowman—once your intimacy reached a certain level, the snowman would transform into a real human who could bask in the sun without relying on snow to survive.

Jiang Qing thought it sounded interesting. Since this world lacked engaging mobile games, a charming little sim like this might be a hidden gem. The graphics looked polished and cute, and it took up quite a bit of memory, hinting at good production value.

Feeling hopeful, she downloaded Snowman and registered an account.

But she didn’t start playing right away. Hunting for games had taken enough time—and with school in the morning, gaming would have to wait.