Chapter 3

Shen Yu swore she wasn't doing it on purpose. She had just zoned out for a moment and accidentally bit him. But judging by Shen Xiao's expression, surprised and delighted, as if being bitten could bring him pleasure, he was clearly out of his mind!
Secretary Du paused briefly before continuing to read the documents, seemingly accustomed to the scene unfolding before him. Uncle Li quickly bent down to pour tea for everyone, hoping to divert Shen Xiao's attention. Unfortunately, Shen Xiao, now intrigued by the bite, picked another cherry and brought it to Shen Yu's lips, coaxing her with a smile, "Come on, keep going."
His fingers were long and elegant, holding the cherry like a professional hand model posing for a photo, utterly captivating. It was a pity that the owner of such perfect hands was a lunatic!
Shen Yu felt a headache coming on. Was he asking her to keep eating or to keep biting? Couldn't he be clearer? How was she supposed to cooperate? In the end, she chose to obediently eat the cherry.
But she had chosen wrong again. Shen Xiao frowned, displeased, and asked, "Why didn't you bite?"
So he really was waiting for her to bite him? What kind of weird habit was that! Shen Yu blinked, putting on an innocent expression, and said, "Brother, I'm so full I feel like throwing up." To emphasize her point, she mimed gagging. Of course, it was just an impromptu performance. But after finishing dinner, eating an apple, and being fed a bowl of cherries, her stomach really was about to burst!
Shen Xiao instinctively leaned back and lowered his voice threateningly, "If you dare throw up, I'll mix whatever comes out with some salad dressing and shove it back in. Want to try?"
Shen Yu covered her mouth in horror, shaking her head repeatedly. That was just too disgusting! How could she ever face salad again after this?
Clearly having lost interest in feeding her, Shen Xiao tossed the small bowl onto the coffee table and said disdainfully, "You're no fun. Get lost."
Once again, Shen Yu witnessed how "his mood could change faster than flipping a page." Still, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up from the sofa, afraid that if she moved too slowly, he might come up with another way to torment her.
She couldn't understand it. The book clearly stated that the original owner had been timid and insecure since childhood, with almost no interaction with Shen Xiao. So why did Shen Xiao want to feed her cherries? And why did he seem so practiced at it, as if it wasn't the first time? Was it simply because he was a lunatic?
After returning to her room and taking a shower, Shen Yu realized she had left her phone on the dining table downstairs. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to go down and retrieve it. There was no other choice, even if there was a lunatic downstairs, she was a little scared.
Treading lightly and cautiously down the stairs, Shen Yu peeked into the living room. Shen Xiao was lounging on the sofa, discussing serious matters with Secretary Du, not even sparing her a glance.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yu tiptoed into a light jog toward the dining room to get her phone.
The dining room and living room were separated by a partition decorated with several green plants, making them appear as two distinct spaces. However, standing in the dining room, she could faintly hear the conversation from the living room. Shen Yu hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but when she heard the name Bai Muqing, she couldn't help but prick up her ears.
Bai Muqing is an important supporting character in the novel. She was once the male lead, Situ Yi's first love and his "white moonlight," but they broke up for various reasons. Later, she desperately wanted to reconcile with Situ Yi, only to find that he had already fallen for the female lead, Yuan Yue. Unable to win him back, Bai Muqing's love turned to hatred, and she threw herself into the arms of the antagonist, Shen Xiao. She even goaded Shen Xiao into ruthlessly scheming against Situ Yi. Though Shen Xiao was cunning and vicious, Situ Yi, protected by the protagonist's halo, ultimately turned the tables and dealt Shen Xiao a fatal blow.
In the end, Shen Xiao's provocations against Situ Yi were entirely instigated by Bai Muqing. That woman was nothing but trouble. When Shen Xiao was defeated and Situ Yi confronted Bai Muqing, she played the innocent, claiming that her transformation was entirely Situ Yi's fault, if only he had agreed to reconcile, none of the subsequent events would have happened.
Despite committing countless misdeeds, she feigned innocence and weakness, blaming everyone else for pushing her to it, truly a living, breathing "white lotus"!
That's why Shen Yu paid such close attention when they mentioned Bai Muqing.
The two people in the living room didn't seem to mind being overheard, as they spoke loudly enough for Shen Yu to catch every word clearly.
Secretary Du said, "Bai Muqing is quite famous now. It took some effort to secure her as the brand ambassador."
Shen Xiao sneered disdainfully, "Is there anything money can't buy these days? So what if she's a star? If she's unwilling, just throw more money at her!"
Secretary Du then asked, "We've scheduled a meeting with her this weekend. Will you be attending, President Shen?"
Shen Xiao sounded uninterested but replied, "Do you have a photo? Let me see what she looks like first." His tone was as casual as if he were picking out a cabbage at the market.
Hearing this, Shen Yu couldn't help but swallow hard. From their conversation, she could accurately deduce the current progress of the plot. It seemed that Shen Xiao and Bai Muqing hadn't yet teamed up, and this psychopathic antagonist hadn't started provoking Situ Yi.
But it wouldn't be long. Bai Muqing was currently at the peak of her fame in the entertainment industry. Once she accepted the endorsement deal with Shen Xiao's corporation, the two would meet, quickly take a liking to each other, and join forces in their wicked schemes.
Thus, this collaboration marked a turning point in the storyline.
Shen Yu thought to herself that none of this had anything to do with her. Her most urgent task now was to find a way to move out of this house. Living with a severe psychopath like Shen Xiao, even the toughest person would crack. She was still young, life was precious, and she needed to cherish it by staying far away from such madness.
Since crossing over into this world, Shen Yu had been sleeping soundly every night. But that night, she had a series of nightmares. In her dreams, Shen Xiao transformed into a monstrous creature with a human head and a serpent's body, chasing her relentlessly and constantly wrapping his tail around her. She screamed and asked him why he was pursuing her, to which Shen Xiao cackled maniacally and replied, "Because I'm a psychopath!"
When Shen Yu woke up the next morning, her head was throbbing painfully, and she felt utterly drained. Still, she forced herself to get up and stretch.
Although the original host of this body was severely nearsighted and overweight, she had a good foundation, tall at 170 cm, fair-skinned, and with delicate features. If she could lose weight and either correct her vision or wear contact lenses, she definitely wouldn't look bad.
Shen Yu had a background in dance and couldn't stand being overweight. She planned to spend two months slimming down to her desired physique.
Because of this plan, she didn’t want to stay in the Shen family any longer, afraid that Shen Xiao would notice something amiss.
After quietly exercising in her room for over an hour and working up a sweat, Shen Yu took a shower and went downstairs for breakfast.
She had two long classes this morning and needed to catch the bus early.
Only Uncle Li was downstairs preparing breakfast. At this hour, Shen Xiao was probably still dreaming in bed. She couldn’t help but recall last night’s bizarre dream and felt that Shen Xiao had truly traumatized her.
When Uncle Li saw her come downstairs, he greeted her cheerfully and quickly brought over her favorite breakfast. "Eat more, there’s plenty left."
Shen Yu shook her head. "I can’t eat too much, and I’m too fat."
Uncle Li was taken aback, thinking she was still upset by Shen Xiao’s words from the previous night, and quickly reassured her, "You know how the master is, he says things without thinking and forgets them afterward. There’s no need to take it to heart."
Shen Yu nodded and took small sips of her soy milk.
Uncle Li sat down and studied her for a moment before asking, "You’ve seemed troubled lately. Has something happened?"
Since Uncle Li had practically raised the original owner, it was no surprise he could easily sense her mood.
Shen Yu was about to deny it but then remembered that Uncle Li had been with the Shen family for many years, knew both the original owner and Shen Xiao well, and had a good relationship with them. Perhaps she could use his help to move out.
As if seeing a glimmer of hope, Shen Yu quickly made up an excuse on the spot. "My coursework has been really heavy lately, and I’ve signed up for tutoring classes. Commuting back and forth by bus is exhausting. Uncle Li, I was thinking of renting a place near the school. Do you think my brother would agree?"
"Move out?!" Uncle Li was genuinely surprised. The young lady had always been timid and indecisive, now she actually wanted to move out! It seemed she had truly grown up.
After a moment’s thought, Uncle Li said to her, "How about I sound out the master for you first?"
Shen Yu was overjoyed. "Thank you, Uncle Li!"
Uncle Li waved his hand. "Don’t thank me yet. We don’t know if the master will agree."
"I still want to thank you," Shen Yu said, flashing a bright smile. Not having to confront that lunatic head-on was fantastic!
During her classes that day, Shen Yu sat in the farthest corner as usual. Her classmates didn’t like her and often excluded her, so she didn’t bother trying to fit in.
But even if she didn’t provoke others, it didn’t mean others wouldn’t provoke her.
"Oh, if it isn’t Shen the Fatty, our school’s number one chubby girl? It’s only been half a month, how did you get even fatter?" a soft, delicate voice rang out beside her.
Shen Yu looked up to see a stylishly dressed girl standing next to her, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
Shen Yu thought to herself, There really are a lot of people who don’t know how to speak properly these days. But she’s quite good-looking.
Just then, another person walked over, patted that person on the shoulder, and said, "Bai Muyu, why are you always talking to her?"
Shen Yu: !!
This woman was actually Bai Muqing's younger sister, a very unpleasant person who often bullied the original owner!