Secretly Seducing the Third Female Lead Behind the System’s Back - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Little Bai Meets the Parents

In the morning, Jiang Yisheng ate a boiled egg that Bai Chu had peeled for her, her eyes fixed on Bai Chu’s delicate movements, lost in thought.

“What is it?” Bai Chu felt her gaze and asked curiously.

But Jiang Yisheng avoided her eyes and smiled off to the side.

“Hm?” Bai Chu didn’t know what little scheme she was hiding. She lightly scraped the back of Jiang Yisheng’s hand with her knuckle.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked again.

Still not meeting her eyes, Jiang Yisheng smiled a bit shyly and said, “My parents have mentioned wanting to have a meal with you. When would you be free?”

Bai Chu’s hand froze mid-peel, and her throat bobbed subtly.

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, we can wait,” Jiang Yisheng quickly explained, worried Bai Chu might not be used to this kind of formal meeting.

“No, I’m not uncomfortable.” Bai Chu grasped Jiang Yisheng’s wrist. Her palm was cold and slightly damp.

“I’m just a little nervous,” she murmured, lowering her head as her ears turned pink.

Hearing that, Jiang Yisheng’s eyes lit up. She tilted her head and looked at Bai Chu with amusement. “You’re nervous because you like me too much, aren’t you?”

Bai Chu’s cheeks flushed even deeper, and she turned her face slightly away so Jiang Yisheng couldn’t see.

Suddenly, a thought struck Jiang Yisheng—after all this time together, Bai Chu had never said a word of affection aloud.

She wiped her hands, then cupped Bai Chu’s flushed cheeks with both hands, turning her to face her directly.

“Say it—tell me you like me. I want to hear it,” Jiang Yisheng looked eagerly into her eyes, curious about what tone Bai Chu would use.

Bai Chu’s face burned even hotter. She avoided Jiang Yisheng’s eyes and lowered her gaze.

Seeing her like this made Jiang Yisheng’s heart melt even more. She decided to tease her further.

“Say it, come on, just say it.”

Bai Chu pursed her lips, peeked at Jiang Yisheng, then nodded. She dropped her gaze again and gave a soft “Mm.”

Her earlobes were red enough to drip bl00d.

Jiang Yisheng was completely delighted. She held Bai Chu’s face and smothered her in kisses. “I really like you—I like you super duper much!”

Jiang Yisheng’s love was like a little puppy’s—warm, eager, and completely unfiltered.

Bai Chu’s lips curved into a gentle smile. She quietly enjoyed the intensity of Jiang Yisheng’s affection.

And though Bai Chu wasn’t good at expressing it verbally, her love was just as deep—shown in every small action she took for Jiang Yisheng.

…

Jiang Yisheng arranged the dinner with her parents for next Friday.

When Yu Mushan and Jiang Hang heard, they immediately started prepping for a full deep clean of the house.

“You guys don’t have to be so formal. Don’t scare Bai Chu,” Jiang Yisheng quickly stopped them. “Besides, she’s been to our place before.”

“That was different. Last time was too rushed. This time’s a proper meeting—we have to take it seriously.”

Watching Yu Mushan and Jiang Hang bustling around, Jiang Yisheng couldn’t help but smile.

She thought to herself, I must be the happiest person in the world. Who could compare to me?!

As she basked in that thought, she kicked off her shoes and lay down on the couch, crossing her legs and grabbing a banana from the fruit tray. Squinting her eyes, she nibbled it proudly.

But halfway through the banana, someone slapped her knee hard.

“Get up, stop lying there—I need to wipe the couch,” Yu Mushan smacked her upright.

With the half-eaten banana still in her mouth, Jiang Yisheng stood there awkwardly, unsure where to go.

“Go tidy up your room. It looks like a puppy’s den in there,” Yu Mushan scolded lightly.

“Oh…” Jiang Yisheng stuffed the rest of the banana into her mouth, brushed off the crumbs, and puffed out her cheeks as she climbed upstairs.

She opened her door and looked at the neat, spotless room, muttering to herself, “It’s not even messy.”

Dragging her slippers, she sat at her desk and absentmindedly rummaged through a drawer.

Suddenly, she found a photo.

She blinked in surprise. The woman in the picture looked unfamiliar… yet somewhat familiar.

She pulled the photo out from the bottom layer. It showed a woman standing at a university entrance. The photo was yellowed and blurry, but Jiang Yisheng could tell it wasn’t Yu Mushan.

She examined the woman closely, when suddenly—a flash of white light.

Wang Shan.

Why would the old Jiang Yisheng have a photo of Wang Shan in her drawer?

Frantic, she dug through the drawer for more clues, but found nothing else.

She turned on her desk lamp and studied the photo more carefully.

Then she noticed faint writing bleeding through the back of the photo.

Jiang Yisheng flipped it over. Three words were scrawled on the back: I hate you!

The black ink was smudged, the handwriting heavy and angry—so deep it had imprinted through to the front.

So… the original Jiang Yisheng did know she wasn’t Yu Mushan’s biological daughter?

She slowly set the photo down, staring out the window in thought.

It seemed the original Jiang Yisheng had known all along. But Yu Mushan probably didn’t know she knew.

Why was she the one sent into this world, then? If the purpose was to complete the system’s mission, wouldn’t the original Jiang Yisheng have been a better fit?

She remembered the system had told her that Jiang Yisheng wasn’t Yu Mushan’s daughter. But the novel had described a scene where Yu Mushan gave birth after ten months—meaning even before she arrived, this whole thing was a contradiction.

“Shengsheng, how’s the cleaning going?” Yu Mushan called through the door.

Jiang Yisheng quickly shoved the photo back into the drawer and covered it with other items.

“Mom, my room’s already super clean—I don’t think it needs anything,” she said sweetly as she opened the door.

Yu Mushan walked in and immediately stripped off the bedsheets and stormed out with them.

Jiang Yisheng: “…”

Maybe I should just leave for now.

…

She went downstairs. “Mom, Dad, I’m heading back now.”

But she couldn’t even find them.

“Go on, go on!” came a voice from the direction of the bathroom.

Jiang Yisheng grabbed another banana from the fruit tray, munching on it as she headed out.

…

Friday Morning

Bai Chu lay awake, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Jiang Yisheng rolled over in her sleep and draped an arm across Bai Chu, letting out a sleepy murmur.

Bai Chu gently placed her arm back under the blanket and continued staring blankly at the ceiling, adjusting her breathing.

After a while, Jiang Yisheng snuggled up closer, half-asleep, and noticed Bai Chu’s eyes wide open.

Frowning, still drowsy, she mumbled, “Are you awake… or haven’t slept at all?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Bai Chu replied, her eyes clear as day.

Jiang Yisheng scratched her head, then leaned forward and hugged her, resting her head on her shoulder, eyes still closed. “Is it because of tonight’s dinner with my parents?”

Bai Chu gave a soft “Mm.”

They had picked out gifts yesterday—tons of practical things for the house. Bai Chu had even wanted to buy more, but Jiang Yisheng stopped her, saying it wouldn’t all fit in the car.

“Don’t be nervous. You’ve met them so many times already,” Jiang Yisheng said, her voice still laced with sleep as she opened her eyes slowly and looked up at her, patting her shoulder gently.

“This time is different.”

This time she was meeting them as Jiang Yisheng’s partner. That made it incredibly important to Bai Chu—she took it very seriously.

“You sound just like my parents,” Jiang Yisheng said, recounting the conversation. “When I told them, they insisted on deep-cleaning the house. They even kicked me off the sofa and bed!”

Hearing that made Bai Chu smile.

So Uncle and Auntie really cared about her visit.

“See? No need to be nervous—it’s just a meal,” Jiang Yisheng said, still looking sleepy but trying her best to comfort her.

She glanced at her phone. Six o’clock.

“Twelve hours until dinner. If you don’t get some sleep now, you’ll be too tired later,” she said, nuzzling Bai Chu’s chin with her nose. “So how about another nap?”

Hearing that, Bai Chu immediately shut her eyes tightly.

Jiang Yisheng chuckled, then gently rubbed her eyes. “Just relax—they’re family. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Still keeping her eyes shut, Bai Chu whispered, “I’m afraid they won’t like me.”

“How could they not?” Jiang Yisheng frowned, genuinely upset, and looked at her seriously.

Bai Chu’s eyes remained closed, but her brows were furrowed.

Jiang Yisheng reached out and smoothed her brows gently. “They really like you. Even before I got you to say yes, they were always praising you and encouraging me not to give up.”

Bai Chu opened her eyes, still looking unsure. “Really?”

“Of course!” Jiang Yisheng hugged her neck tightly and gave her a firm kiss on the lips.

Bai Chu looked up and gently pinched her soft cheeks, her gaze full of tenderness. “Thank you.”

Jiang Yisheng tilted her head and kissed her fingertips, silently thinking: It’s me who should thank you.

“Let’s sleep a bit more.” She nestled into Bai Chu’s arms, holding her tightly, forehead pressed to her neck.

“Mm.”

…

At 6 PM, Bai Chu stood at Yu Mushan’s front door, carrying two large bags. Jiang Yisheng didn’t open the door directly—she rang the bell.

But the door opened right after one ring.

There stood Jiang Hang in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, hair neatly combed, posture upright.

Beside him was Yu Mushan in a similarly colored qipao, hair elegantly pinned up with a jade hairpin swaying gracefully as she moved—dignified and composed.

“Good evening, Uncle and Auntie.”

If you listened closely, you could hear a slight tremble in Bai Chu’s voice.

Jiang Hang quickly took the bags from her, and Yu Mushan stepped forward and pulled her inside.

“Little Bai, come in, come in.”

There was a pair of slippers at the door prepared just for her.

Bai Chu nodded and bent down to change shoes.

Once she was done, the couple flanked her on either side, ushering her in with warm smiles and chatter.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yisheng stood alone by the entryway, looking around for her shoes.

“Mom, where’d my slippers go after the big clean?” she called out toward Yu Mushan’s back.