Volume One, Chapter 10: The Daughter Is the Second Female Lead in a CEO Romance Novel

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Don’t think he didn’t notice—Chen Rui recognized Jiang Ruoxue and Shen Tingyu because of the school uniforms they were wearing when she approached them. Approaching with an ulterior motive, who would like her?

“Fang Hao, what do you mean by that?” Chen Rui’s voice suddenly rose, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

What’s so great about him! If it weren’t for the sudden misfortune that befell her family when she was a child, he might have been the one trying to curry favor with her! What was there for him to be proud of? So what if his grades are good now? He’s still a poor kid destined to be a laborer in the future.

And that girl too! What does she mean by looking down on her? She only said one sentence—was it necessary to snap at her like that?

“Ruoxue, are you okay? The milk tea is ready; let’s go inside and get it,” Shen Tingyu took Jiang Ruoxue’s hand.

“Okay.” Jiang Ruoxue nodded and followed him, but her mood remained off the entire way, gloomy and listless.

Seeing this, Shen Tingyu grew worried. He pulled her inside the milk tea shop, found two empty seats, and sat with her before taking the opportunity to message Shi Yan.

“Shen Tingyu, I want to go out for a walk. Can you keep me company?”

“Okay.”

Jiang Ruoxue said nothing as they walked along the riverbank, with Shen Tingyu quietly by her side.

Twenty minutes later, using the location Shen Tingyu sent, Shi Yan successfully found them.

“Ruoxue!” Shi Yan called out as he stood not far away.

Jiang Ruoxue’s emotions suddenly broke down. Like when she was a child, she ran toward Shi Yan, threw her arms around him, burying her head in his chest, sobbing softly.

She needed to cry out all the grievances bottled up inside her.

“Wuwuwu, Dad, I saw Li Yanhong’s granddaughter... I thought I had forgotten all those things, but they’re still like thorns buried deep in my heart. Dad, do you think I’m useless?”

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“How could that be? Our Ruoxue is the bravest and kindest. Think of how many people you have helped all these years.” Shi Yan gently stroked Jiang Ruoxue’s head to comfort her.

“That’s right. Ruoxue, don’t you remember? When I was bullied as a kid, you were the one who helped me,” Shen Tingyu spoke up at just the right moment.

After comforting Jiang Ruoxue by the riverside until her emotions stabilized, Shi Yan took her and Shen Tingyu home.

To reassure their teacher, Shi Yan even called the teacher in charge of the math olympiad training at Jiang Ruoxue and Shen Tingyu’s school to explain the situation and request a leave of absence for both of them.

Jiang Ruoxue, exhausted from crying, had already fallen asleep.

Shi Yan turned off the light in her room, closed the door, and stepped out.

“Why are you still here? Haven’t you gone home yet?” Shi Yan turned his head and saw Shen Tingyu.

“I went home first to inform my parents.”

Over the years, the Shen family business had grown steadily. The children of the two families got along well, and Shen Tingyu’s parents liked Jiang Ruoxue.

Several years ago, the Shen family bought the villa next to Shi Yan’s house, and the two families became neighbors.

“Uncle Jiang, can I ask what’s wrong with Ruoxue?” Shen Tingyu was still worried about Jiang Ruoxue.

“Follow me.” Shi Yan glanced at Shen Tingyu and gestured for him to follow, leading him to the study.

He told Shen Tingyu about how Jiang Ruoxue had been abused by the family’s butler when she was little.

“I reported it to the police later, and that butler was arrested too, though she was released a few years ago. Tingyu, can you tell me if you two met anyone or encountered anything today?”

Shen Tingyu told Shi Yan how Jiang Ruoxue’s mood changed after hearing Chen Rui’s name.

“Chen Rui?” Shi Yan repeated the name—it wasn’t the female lead? Oh yes, she was also Li Yanhong’s granddaughter.

“Uncle Jiang, could it be that this Chen Rui is the problem?”

“That butler’s granddaughter is also named Chen Rui. If I’m not mistaken, the one you met should be the same person.” Shi Yan said this while subtly studying Shen Tingyu.

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He was observing Shen Tingyu.

Over the years, Shen Tingyu and Jiang Ruoxue’s story hadn’t unfolded as originally scripted; many things had changed. Shi Yan had seen Shen Tingyu’s kindness toward Jiang Ruoxue.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed Shen Tingyu and Jiang Ruoxue to remain such good friends for so many years. Yet Shen Tingyu was the male lead in this world, and Chen Rui, as the female lead, shared a deep and complex connection with him.

Shen Tingyu’s current kindness toward Jiang Ruoxue didn’t mean he would continue to be kind to her in the future.

“It’s getting late. Tingyu, you should go home and rest. The doctor has already checked Ruoxue, and there’s nothing serious. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“Okay, Uncle, I’ll head home now.” Before going downstairs, Shen Tingyu took one last look at Jiang Ruoxue’s closed door.

To take care of his daughter, Shi Yan instructed his assistant to postpone some work. He planned to spend the whole day at home accompanying Jiang Ruoxue.

“Dad.” The next morning, seeing Shi Yan waiting for her in the dining room, Jiang Ruoxue felt a bit embarrassed.

She nervously fidgeted with her hair, wondering how long it had been since she last cried. Why couldn’t she control her emotions yesterday?

Jiang Ruoxue felt a little ashamed, being almost an adult yet still crying over such things.

“Have breakfast. Your dad specially went to your favorite steamed bun shop to get this for you. The soy milk and buns are still warm!” Shi Yan pushed the buns toward her.

“Don’t worry about the math olympiad training. I’ve already informed your teacher. Just stay home and rest these days.”

Shi Yan had also arranged for someone to pack up her things at City No. 1 High School.

“Thank you, Dad.” Jiang Ruoxue pulled out a chair and sat down.

She picked up a soup dumpling with her chopsticks and took a bite, the broth flowing in her mouth.

“So delicious.” She finished two dumplings quickly, then poured some aged vinegar and chili oil into her bowl, dipped another dumpling into it, and bit into it.