Chapter 010: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (10)

Chapter 010: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (10)

What do you do when your teammates suddenly break down in a favorable game? Help needed, urgent.

The TV news continued to blabber on about the new phase of graduate exam reforms, oblivious to the feelings of those present.

Among the six people at the scene, only Shen Xi slowly stopped eating, his smile freezing.

"The dumplings are here—Mr. Shen is truly skilled; the dumplings have thin wrappers and ample filling, and they never break no matter how they're pan-fried!" Aunt Song couldn't help but praise, "The seasoning is just right, and the wrappers are clearly made by hand with duck egg yolks and wheat flour. They're far better than anything store-bought."

Before she finished speaking, golden pan-fried dumplings sizzling with oil were placed on the table, arranged like little crescent moons forming a kaleidoscope pattern.

The fresh aroma of cabbage infused with broth and oil brought out its deliciousness, and the slightly charred wheat fragrance was mouthwatering.

The atmosphere at the table had been awkward and silent, but once the dumplings arrived, everyone started eating, their faces brightening.

Cheng's younger brother, a foodie, seeing everyone smiling, assumed his brother had taken care of all the messy business. He eagerly filled his bowl.

"Delicious! Thank you, Brother Shen!"

Yan Chun, trying to save face, didn't want to appear awkward in front of the elders. He forced a smile, picked up two dumplings, and praised Shen Xi's excellent cooking skills.

The protagonist of the domestic drama felt a surge of sorrow.

"I don't want to study for the fourth module, I don't want to take the CET-6, can I just start my life over?"

"Even with all this, they're tightening the difficulty for the entire major. How am I supposed to prepare for the postgraduate exams?! How am I supposed to cross the single-plank bridge with thousands of others?!"

The system said, "Honey, cheer up... You're still on a mission... We can cry after work."

The young man looked lost and desperate, taking a bite of dumpling and feeling melancholic for half a minute, dipping it in vinegar and feeling sad for fifty seconds.

His thesis was sent back for rewriting, and his experimental results were nonsense. His GPA wasn't enough for a guaranteed spot in grad school, and his counselor was watching him to see if he was eating instant noodles.

This year is too tough!! How am I supposed to survive?!

Amidst the peaceful atmosphere, Cheng Junfeng noticed Shen Xi silently shedding tears while eating the dumplings.

He dared not ask more, nor could he even offer him a tissue.

Who else could be the culprit?

Yan Chun followed the man's gaze and his expression changed repeatedly.

Crying on cue, Shen Xi, are you serious?

What now? With the big move stolen, we can't both cry, can we?!

Cheng's parents, who had been chatting, saw Shen Xi silently crying and became flustered.

Cheng Junfeng! What have you done?!

You ruined a perfectly good engagement party, Xi Xi, what did you do wrong?!

Such a good kid, such delicious dumplings, why aren't you coming over to comfort him?!

In the silence, the evening news broadcast grew louder.

"Perhaps influenced by a certain unethical artist's scandal, the Ministry of Education has announced that undergraduate exams and graduation reviews should gradually be strengthened over the next five years."

"The guidelines state that stricter requirements should be imposed on thesis originality and academic standards, rejecting..."

Halfway through biting into a dumpling, it suddenly fell into the bowl.

Unethical artist! Unethical artist! Damn it!

Thinking of these words, Shen Xi's tears wouldn't stop, falling like rain into the vinegar dish.

The system went crazy: "Why are you watching TV during dinner! Do you really need to watch it today?!"

Cheng Chenyu, witnessing the bizarre sight of rain in the bowl, cautiously handed Shen Xi a tissue: "Brother, are you okay?"

Brother, please stop crying, or the dumplings will get salty.

Shen Xi continued to shed tears, his voice trembling: "Sorry, I've been under a lot of pressure lately."

Cheng's mother, heartbroken, gently patted his back.

"It's our fault for talking about the past. It just brings sadness."

"Cheng Junfeng! What are you sitting there for? Go bring some sweet soup!"

The man silently went to the kitchen.

Keding managed to recover a bit and said, "We can still win this game. I think I've got the hang of it."

The system was worried: "Can we put the mission aside for a bit? Maybe take a break?"

"Rank up, I'm going to climb hard today!"

Shen Xi wiped his face clean and self-mockingly said, "I couldn't control my emotions and made a mess."

"Aunt and Uncle, I have something to attend to, so I'll leave now. I'll visit again another time."

"Brother Shen—"

"Xi Xi!"

The young man had already stood up and headed to the entrance, losing his previous composure, his back looking fragile and pitiful.

Cheng Junfeng had just brought over the golden osmanthus and silver ear fungus soup when his mother shouted at him again: "Look at what you've done! Hurry up and go over there!"

Yan Chun's formal smile had already gone numb.

Yes, I'm just air, who cares anyway.

Maybe we should call it quits with Cheng Junfeng; if we keep fighting, he really won't be able to hold it together anymore.

Cheng Chenyu pushed his older brother hard: "Brother, hurry up and go! It's a big holiday; don't make someone cry on their way home!"

Cheng Junfeng quickly walked to the door and saw that Shen Xi had already changed his shoes. He sternly said, "Have you had enough of this?!"

"Shen Xi, how many chances have I given you? If you had just softened and said you loved me, we wouldn't be in this situation today!"

The system was stunned: "Dude, you're living in your own world, aren't you? This is all so off!"

Keding said: "Attention! I'm going to attack!"

"Good! Use your skill quickly!"

Shen Xi looked up at him, a smile rising through his tears.

"I have never regretted meeting you."

The young man took out the small sea-blue crystal piano from his waist pouch, his expression both precious and tender.

"Knowing that I was going to get engaged to you, Junfeng, I truly wanted to give you everything in the world."

"But... my savings and my family background, you've always known about them."

"Perhaps from the very beginning, both I and this piano were not worthy to appear before you."

Keding asked in his mind: "Are you broken yet?"

The system replied: "Not yet, try harder."

Cheng Junfeng reached out to him, his voice unconsciously softening.

"Shen Xi, we can start over."

Yan Chun let out a cold laugh from afar, having given up on pretending to be gentle.

Yes, I'm sitting here today specifically to witness your love.

Watching a soap opera live, front-row seat, the Cheng family sure knows how to treat guests!

Shen Xi looked at the man with tears streaming down his face and asked, "Cheng Junfeng, thirty seconds before the engagement banquet began, did you wish for us to last forever, or were you afraid of missing him forever?"

The system praised: "Beautiful! Thirty-second library literature!"

Keding: "Did it break through his defenses?"

"Not yet. Maybe we haven't hit his sore spot."

Cheng Junfeng was momentarily speechless, instinctively looking at Yan Chun, who was still present.

"I shouldn't have appeared." Yan Chun calmly walked over. "I've delayed your perfect relationship."

"No, Cheng Junfeng, from the beginning, our love might have been wrong."

"You swore to me, went mad for me, and after I disappeared, you transferred the same feelings to another version of me without any change."

"Fine, I'll step back. I'll leave now."

The man extended his left arm to stop Yan Chun and raised his right arm to protect Shen Xi. At that moment, Shen Xi handed him the crystal piano.

Their fingertips brushed past each other, missing by half an inch.

"Bang!!"

The piano suddenly fell under their gaze, shattering into pieces.

"Aunt Song! Clean this up quickly!" Cheng's father immediately said: "Xi Xi, don't pick it up. Don't cut your hand!!"

"Cheng Junfeng, how could you?!" Cheng's mother scolded sternly. "I told you not to bring someone surnamed Yan to our house today! The Cheng family doesn't welcome him!"

"...It's broken." Shen Xi squatted on the ground, like a child who had done something wrong, picking up a fragment. "I designed it stroke by stroke, wanting to give it to you as a gift on our engagement night. In the end, it's shattered into mere dust."

The young man lowered his head, his eyelashes casting butterfly-wing-like shadows.

"Cheng Junfeng, you're not good. I won't give you any more gifts in the future."

He turned, opened the door, and quickly left.

As the door closed, Yan Chun stood before the scattered crystal shards, with his shoes caught in many fragments, unable to leave.

He turned his head, forced to face the Cheng family, all four of them devoid of smiles, cursing inwardly.

—I shouldn't have come to meddle in this mess today!!

Shen Xi, you really got me!!

Keding ran all the way home, took a taxi, and asked: "Did it break through his defenses?"

System: "No."

"Sigh, I thought I had figured out this game."

"Looks like not yet."

As soon as the words were spoken, the system beeped again: "Cheng Junfeng, +60 to his breakdown value."

Keding: "Huh?"

"Oh, the internet was lagging, there was a delay."

"Now that's more like it," the young man said with a grin, sinking back into the chair. "Jade should not be handled carelessly, and gold should never leave one’s sight. The kid needs to have some common sense about society."

The system applauded enthusiastically.

"Now the breakdown value is at 155! Ke Bao! Congratulations on officially passing the trial period. Shall we go to the next world or what!"

"Let's play a bit longer!" Keding said. "Switching worlds might make it harder to review."

The system cheered. "Great! I’m really curious to see how the plot will unfold now."

Keding sat up straighter, his tone gradually changing.

"I remember the plot that follows... it’s really heart-wrenching."

If it had only been the public humiliation at the engagement party, Shen Xi wouldn't have completely lost his mind, nor would he have died from anorexia.

He had received a higher education and excelled in both his primary and secondary careers, maintaining a strong sense of self-respect.

But everything was destroyed by Cheng Junfeng.

—The sleepwear brand for which Shen Xi modeled later hired the violinist Yan Chun as their new endorser.

The original story did not detail the entire endorsement process but provided a thorough account of the incident that sparked the controversy.

After securing the endorsement deal, Yan Chun specially invited Cheng Junfeng to dinner and showed him the advertisement on his phone.

However, the screen displayed Shen Xi's face and his serene, smiling expression while sleeping.

To appease Yan Chun, Cheng Junfeng not only arranged a romantic proposal afterward but also used his connections to replace the model.

Shen Xi’s superior, unwilling to offend the Cheng family, immediately sidelined him upon hearing the news, taking away his promotion opportunity as well.

Shen Xi lost both sources of income simultaneously and, upon learning that it all stemmed from the engagement party that was taken away from him, could no longer control his emotions.

He stormed into Cheng Junfeng’s office and angrily demanded that the man return his livelihood.

Cheng Junfeng looked him up and down, barely saying a word throughout.

Only after the young man finished his tirade did he speak in a dismissive tone.

"How can you get skinnier and uglier? You look like a skeleton."

"After getting Xiao Chun back, seeing you again just makes me feel every inch of you is hideous and revolting."

Cheng Junfeng relished every moment of tormenting others.

When he was infatuated with someone, he could be incredibly tender and caring, but once his interest waned, he discarded any kindness, leaving the discarded toy with no dignity whatsoever.

Overnight, Shen Xi fell from his white-collar status, and under multiple blows, he unknowingly began binge eating, followed by purging, leading to a vicious cycle that ended in death from starvation.

Keding reviewed the entire plot again, his nails digging into his palms, causing a sharp pain.

Initially, when he accepted the mission, he didn’t feel much.

But as time went on, he encountered every trace of Shen Xi’s life, met his family, learned about his career, and his proud achievements.

He found it increasingly difficult to accept Cheng Junfeng’s extreme self-centeredness and the painful ending of the story.

"Since the breakdown value is so high," Keding said with determination, "if Cheng Junfeng dares to act inhumanely, I’ll show him what madness looks like."

The system responded, "Huh? Didn’t those actions before count as madness?"

"Huh?" Keding said. "It was pretty normal before."

"Yes, yes, very normal."