Secretly Seducing the Third Female Lead Behind the System’s Back - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Sister Bai Chu

Her lips were thin yet soft, and her jawline was long and elegant.

Throughout the entire day, she hadn’t seen Bai Chu smile once. With her face always set in a stern expression, there was a sense of distance about her—but Jiang Yisheng found it a little adorable.

She couldn’t help but wonder: What would Bai Chu look like when she smiles? Would there be two dimples on her cheeks?

From the corner of her eye, Bai Chu noticed Jiang Yisheng staring at her with an unkind gaze. She was certain the incident that morning had been intentional. And the way she had pretended not to know You Ran just now, even asking her assistant for an introduction—it was obviously meant to embarrass You Ran.

The more she thought about it, the more resentment Bai Chu felt toward Jiang Yisheng.

Not far away, An Hao and He Youran seemed to be saying something to each other, and then they appeared to be leaving.

An Hao reached out to take He Youran’s hand, but she subtly dodged him.

That very moment was caught by Jiang Yisheng. Coincidentally, she happened to look up and met He Youran’s gaze.

“President Jiang, excuse me for a moment,” He Youran nodded slightly to Jiang Yisheng, then leaned over to whisper something to Bai Chu before walking off with An Hao.

Jiang Yisheng nodded back, watching the pair leave. They really do look like a perfect match.

“Jiang Yisheng.” A clear and pleasant voice called from behind her.

Jiang Yisheng turned around and looked up at Bai Chu.

Her gaze was distant. “Don’t you feel ashamed interfering in someone else’s relationship?”

Bai Chu slightly furrowed her brows as she spoke. But Jiang Yisheng, who was busy admiring her face, didn’t catch what she said at all.

“Huh?” It wasn’t until Bai Chu had finished speaking that she finally processed it.

Bai Chu shot her a sideways glance, finding her even more annoying and insufferable than before.

She had no intention of saying more and was about to leave when—“Bai Chu-jie,” Jiang Yisheng suddenly called out.

That form of address made Bai Chu deeply uncomfortable.

“President Jiang, you should call me President Bai. We’re not that close,” she corrected.

“President Bai, would you like to get something to eat?” Jiang Yisheng obediently changed her tone.

“I’m not hungry. Help yourself.” Bai Chu’s voice had barely faded when she walked off.

Jiang Yisheng watched her tall figure retreat. The white gown swayed gently, occasionally revealing her long, slender calves. Her waistline was graceful and smooth, her posture upright and poised.

Jiang Yisheng guessed her chin was probably slightly lifted too, like someone in full control of everything around her.

“President Bai is so rude,” Zhang Tao muttered softly beside her.

Jiang Yisheng heard it and raised a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture, stopping her.

“I think Bai Chu-jie is really nice,” she said, then turned back toward the crowd, hoping to catch another glimpse of her.

“Is it about time? Can we leave now?” Jiang Yisheng turned to Zhang Tao.

“Mhm, you’ve met everyone you needed to,” Zhang Tao nodded.

“Do you have plans tonight?” Jiang Yisheng asked.

“No.” After an entire day of surprises, Zhang Tao had no clue what her boss might say next.

“I’m in the mood for hotpot again. Let’s go!” Jiang Yisheng invited.

“Okay.” Zhang Tao nodded a little blankly.

Once Jiang Yisheng changed out of her gown and into a comfy hoodie, she immediately felt lighter.

“This thing was suffocating,” she said, leaning back against the car seat with a long sigh.

“Taozi,” she called softly with her eyes closed.

No reply.

“Hm?”

“Taozi,” she called again.

A couple seconds passed before Zhang Tao cautiously responded, “President Jiang, are you calling me?”

“Yup,” Jiang Yisheng nodded.

“What would you like me to do?” Zhang Tao asked nervously.

“Just play some music,” Jiang Yisheng murmured, still resting with her eyes closed, enjoying the comfort of the luxury car.

She had a good idea why her assistant kept looking so shocked today. After all, she had read the original novel. She knew how bad-tempered the original Jiang Yisheng had been. She would have to sit down with the poor girl and ease her workload a bit.

Workers should understand each other’s struggles—no matter if she had transmigrated into the story or not. She still remembered what it felt like to be a regular employee.

Sigh… I hope you get to transmigrate someday too, haha.

As the thought amused her, she chuckled to herself.

Just then, the music began to play.

♪ “If I hadn’t met you…” ♪
♪ “Where would I be now?” ♪

The song lifted her mood even further. She loved this song and used to loop it often. She loved Teresa Teng’s songs—all of them…

Wait. Teresa Teng?

Jiang Yisheng suddenly sat up straight and stared at the car’s control screen.

Zhang Tao, always alert to her boss’s movements, quickly asked, “What’s wrong, President Jiang?”

“This is a Teresa Teng song, right?” she asked.

“Yes, do you not like it?” Zhang Tao reached to skip the track.

“You have Teresa Teng in this world too?” Jiang Yisheng was stunned. Teresa Teng but no 110 emergency line??

Zhang Tao blinked, confused by what she meant.

“I mean… what other singers do you guys have? Tell me,” Jiang Yisheng quickly corrected herself.

“Well, there’s Anita Mui, Wong Ka Kui, Leslie Cheung…” Zhang Tao listed a few.

“That’s all the same as mine,” Jiang Yisheng leaned forward. “Then what’s your emergency number?”

“116.”

“Heh,” Jiang Yisheng let out a dry chuckle. “So it is six.”

When the car arrived at the hotpot restaurant, Jiang Yisheng invited the driver to join them.

He smiled and waved it off.

“Brother Zhang usually eats light, not a big fan of hotpot,” Zhang Tao explained.

“Oh,” Jiang Yisheng nodded.

Inside the restaurant, she looked around at the décor. On the wall was a bold slogan:
“There are many meanings to life. One of them is hotpot.”

“Hahaha,” Jiang Yisheng laughed out loud at that.

“Good evening, President Jiang. This way please,” a server came over to greet her.

“Oh,” Jiang Yisheng followed, then quietly asked Zhang Tao, “She called me President Jiang too. Is this hotpot place one of our businesses?”

“No, it’s not, President Jiang.” Zhang Tao smiled quietly, not daring to laugh out loud.

Ever since Jiang Yisheng mentioned wanting hotpot, Zhang Tao had carefully selected a place. Her boss slept at 10:30 p.m. sharp, so she had to pick somewhere that wouldn’t waste time on the road, had decent hygiene, and tasted good.

When Jiang Yisheng had her first bite of meat, she sighed with content.

“So delicious. Hotpot is one of the best things in the world,” she said, visibly thrilled by good food.

“You eat too,” she nudged Zhang Tao.

Zhang Tao nodded and took a piece using the communal chopsticks.

“Don’t be so stiff. Don’t treat me like your boss,” Jiang Yisheng said, giving her more food.

Zhang Tao nodded again, but still seemed uneasy.

“How old are you?” Jiang Yisheng asked, making small talk.

“Twenty-four.”

“How long have you been my assistant?”

“Almost a year.”

“What did you do before this?”

“I worked at a KTV…” Zhang Tao hesitated, then spoke softly.

“Ohhh.” Jiang Yisheng didn’t think much of it, eyes still locked on the hotpot.

Zhang Tao quietly nibbled on some greens.

“I’ve asked you a bunch of questions. Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?” Jiang Yisheng asked after sipping some plum juice.

Zhang Tao shook her head.

“Liar. You definitely do,” Jiang Yisheng said. If it were me, I’d be full of questions.

Zhang Tao looked like she was about to speak but ultimately said nothing.

“Forget it, I know what you want to ask anyway,” Jiang Yisheng tugged on her hoodie sleeve, ready to be honest.

“I don’t know how to explain this, but… I must’ve been really mean before, right? If I ever made you feel bad, I’m sorry.”

To her surprise, Zhang Tao’s eyes instantly turned red.

Jiang Yisheng was shocked. Oh my god, just how badly did the original Jiang Yisheng treat this poor girl?!

She quickly handed her some tissues. She had a lot more to say, but once Zhang Tao started crying, she didn’t know what else to say.

“Thank you, President Jiang,” Zhang Tao sniffled as she wiped her eyes.

“Was I really that awful to you before?” Jiang Yisheng leaned closer and asked cautiously.

“No no, not at all! You’ve always treated me well,” Zhang Tao waved her hands frantically.

But Jiang Yisheng knew even if it was bad, Zhang Tao wouldn’t admit it. She understood that kind of employee anxiety all too well.

“You saw it today—there’s a lot I don’t remember. I’ll need you to teach me everything. It’ll be a bit of a burden, but I promise you’ll never have to walk on eggshells around me again,” she said seriously.

“You don’t remember?” Zhang Tao looked concerned.

Jiang Yisheng nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m not sick. But this stays between you and me. No one else can know.”

“Okay,” Zhang Tao nodded firmly. Even though she didn’t fully understand why President Jiang had lost her memory overnight, seeing her so cheerful today was enough.

“Do you like hotpot normally?” Jiang Yisheng moved the conversation along.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Right? Isn’t it amazing?” She beamed. “I could eat hotpot every day for a week straight.”

She gestured animatedly as she spoke.

Zhang Tao listened to her chattering from hotpot to novels. If there was one thing Jiang Yisheng excelled at, it was reading.

But as she rambled on, her mood suddenly dropped.

“What’s wrong, President Jiang?” Zhang Tao immediately sensed the shift.

“What do you think of Bai Chu?” Jiang Yisheng asked abruptly.

She had just remembered an upcoming plotline in the novel—something that made her feel unexpectedly sad.