Starting with a Breakup: Why Is the True Heiress My Possessive Ex? - Chapter 7

Xu Nian’s smile nearly froze.

Damn system.

Where did you even find this ridiculous feast?

Couldn’t it have been a little more creative?

Did every dish really have to match Su Qingya’s menu exactly?

Now the atmosphere had become unbelievably awkward.

“A-Ah, what’s so strange about that?”

Xu Nian forced a laugh.

“Aren’t these all dishes we both like?”

“If you’re learning to cook, of course you start with your favorites.”

“Otherwise, where would the motivation come from?”

She hurriedly changed the subject.

“Come on, hurry up and taste it.”

Acting as naturally as possible, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

Picking up a piece of fish, she flashed a bright smile.

A tiny tiger tooth peeked out from the corner of her lips.

“Say ah~”

The fish stopped in front of Su Qingya’s mouth.

However, instead of eating it, Su Qingya quietly stood up.

Without saying a word, she walked into the kitchen.

Xu Nian suddenly had a bad feeling.

A very bad feeling.

Moments later, Su Qingya returned.

She was carrying another insulated container.

Then another.

And another.

One by one, dishes were placed on the table.

The aroma immediately filled the room.

Xu Nian’s expression stiffened.

No way.

Don’t tell me…

Sure enough.

Every dish matched the ones she had brought.

Not a single difference.

Su Qingya picked up a pair of chopsticks.

Then she selected a piece of fish from her own plate.

A sweet smile appeared on her face.

“You should try mine too.”

The fish was held directly in front of Xu Nian.

The two girls stared at each other.

Silence.

A very dangerous silence.

Xu Nian’s scalp tingled.

Mutual poisoning?

The thought instantly appeared in her mind.

Both parties had brought food.

Both parties were feeding each other.

Both parties looked suspicious.

This was no longer dinner.

This was psychological warfare.

If Su Qingya lost consciousness first, everything would proceed according to plan.

But if Xu Nian collapsed first…

The simulator’s horrifying predictions immediately flashed through her mind.

The dark room.

The locked door.

The possessive smile.

The countless bad endings.

Xu Nian nearly broke out in cold sweat.

Across from her, Su Qingya remained perfectly calm.

As if none of this was unusual.

As if she genuinely believed they were simply feeding each other dinner.

“Nian Nian.”

Her voice sounded sweet.

“Let’s each take a bite.”

“Fair and square.”

Before Xu Nian could answer, Su Qingya casually accepted the fish being offered to her.

She took a small bite.

Chewed slowly.

Then swallowed.

Nothing happened.

Not even the slightest reaction.

In fact, she looked surprisingly pleased.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

She even licked the tip of her chopsticks absentmindedly, as if savoring the flavor.

Then she looked back at Xu Nian.

Now it was her turn.

“Nian Nian.”

The fish remained suspended before her mouth.

“Open up.”

Xu Nian’s eye twitched.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Why did Su Qingya look so calm?

Why did she seem completely unconcerned?

And most importantly…

Why did she look like someone who knew exactly what was going on?

Could it be because of her special abilities?

Xu Nian’s thoughts raced.

If Su Qingya had truly awakened some kind of supernatural power, perhaps her resistance to drugs and poisons had increased as well.

But what about herself?

She absolutely couldn’t risk eating the fish.

System!

System, help!

Unfortunately, the simulator remained completely silent.

No helpful guidance.

No emergency assistance.

No magical shop interface.

Compared to the cheat systems in novels that chatted with their hosts and solved problems at critical moments, her simulator was little more than a glorified prediction machine.

In the end, she could only rely on herself.

Keeping a calm expression on the surface, Xu Nian frantically reviewed the simulation records in her mind.

The first simulation?

Useless.

The second simulation?

Even more useless.

The third simulation…

Her eyes landed on the unclaimed rewards.

[1. Chess skills capable of defeating the town’s strongest players]

[2. Lock-picking techniques capable of opening ordinary locks]

[3. Potent hallucinogenic medicine]

Xu Nian’s eyelid twitched.

None of them seemed helpful right now.

Then her attention shifted to the daily task notification.

The ridiculous mission.

The ridiculous requirements.

The ridiculous dialogue.

Xu Nian stared at it for several seconds.

Then suddenly—

A spark of inspiration flashed through her mind.

Wait.

Maybe…

Maybe there’s a way out of this.

A plan quickly formed.

Without changing her expression, Xu Nian opened her mouth as if she intended to accept the fish being offered.

At the last second, however, she “accidentally” bumped the chopsticks.

The piece of fish slipped off.

Plop.

It landed on the floor.

Xu Nian immediately covered her mouth.

“Ah!”

“I’m so sorry!”

She looked genuinely flustered.

“Why am I always so clumsy?”

Before Su Qingya could react, Xu Nian quickly seized the initiative.

“Qingya, can you pick another piece for me?”

The request came so naturally that Su Qingya had no reason to refuse.

“Of course.”

She smiled softly.

“I’ll get another one.”

The moment Su Qingya turned around, Xu Nian moved.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Su Qingya from behind.

The sudden embrace caused Su Qingya to freeze.

“Niannian?”

Her voice carried obvious surprise.

“What are you doing?”

Xu Nian rested her chin against the other girl’s shoulder.

“Because you’re soft.”

“And you smell nice.”

She tightened her arms slightly.

“I suddenly wanted to hug you.”

The answer was simple.

Honest enough to sound believable.

A smile immediately appeared on Su Qingya’s face.

“You can hug me whenever you want.”

“As long as you want.”

Her voice sounded unusually happy.

The initiative Xu Nian had shown clearly pleased her.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xu Nian casually changed the topic.

“By the way, do you have any plans tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

Su Qingya thought for a moment.

“More or less.”

“Why?”

Xu Nian’s ears twitched.

“I want to go to the amusement park.”

“The new attraction just opened recently.”

“I heard it’s pretty fun.”

She paused before adding:

“So I was thinking…”

“Maybe we could go together.”

The room fell silent for a brief moment.

Xu Nian waited nervously for the answer.

This question was far more important than it appeared.

Because depending on Su Qingya’s response…

She might finally learn whether the simulator’s predictions could still be changed.

“An amusement park?”

Su Qingya hesitated visibly.

“Could we go the day after tomorrow instead?”

She lowered her gaze slightly.

“If you really want to go tomorrow, I can make time. But if possible, I’d rather spend the entire day with you the day after.”

Xu Nian’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

Just as she suspected.

The so-called “banquet invitation” mentioned in the daily task was most likely connected to Su Qingya’s return to the Xu family.

Such an important event wasn’t something that could be casually canceled.

Even so, Xu Nian knew that if she insisted strongly enough, Su Qingya would probably abandon everything for her.

Which meant…

This was the perfect opportunity.

A yandere needed a reason.

Even if that reason was absurd.

Even if it was based on nothing more than suspicion.

After all, obsession rarely needed evidence.

Sometimes all it needed was a single possibility.

A single imagined threat.

A single rival.

Xu Nian’s lips curled upward ever so slightly.

Even if no rival existed…

She could simply pretend there was one.

As long as Su Qingya admitted she was meeting someone else tomorrow, Xu Nian could begin her performance.

And put a little pressure on her beloved girlfriend.

“Then what are you doing tomorrow?”

Xu Nian asked casually.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to the library again.”

She pouted.

“You’re already first in your grade. It’s summer vacation. Stop working so hard.”

Su Qingya shook her head.

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Someone asked me to treat him to lunch.”

Xu Nian froze.

“…What?”

“A meal.”

Su Qingya nodded.

“I owe him a favor.”

“He helped me once, so I promised I’d repay him.”

“That’s all he asked for.”

Xu Nian slowly raised her head.

The smile on her face remained.

But only on the surface.

“A meal?”

Her voice was sweet.

Dangerously sweet.

“Who exactly are you treating to lunch?”

“A boy or a girl?”

“A boy.”

Su Qingya answered honestly.

“He looks pretty serious.”

“I’ve only met him once.”

“He’ll choose the restaurant.”

“But don’t worry. It’ll just be lunch. I’ll pay, thank him, and leave.”

Xu Nian fell silent.

The room suddenly felt much colder.

“A stranger?”

She repeated slowly.

“You met him once.”

“You’re not related.”

“And you’re letting him choose the location?”

The smile on her face finally twitched.

Then disappeared completely.

“I don’t allow it.”

The atmosphere instantly changed.

Xu Nian buried her face against Su Qingya’s back.

Her tail stopped moving.

The arms wrapped around Su Qingya tightened slightly.

“This isn’t a big deal, is it?”

Su Qingya sounded puzzled.

“It would be rude not to go.”

“He saved my life.”

“I promised I’d repay him.”

“Compared to what he did for me, a meal is nothing.”

The moment those words left her mouth—

Xu Nian’s eyes sharpened.

“Saved your life?”

Her voice dropped.

“What do you mean?”

Su Qingya immediately realized she had said too much.

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

She laughed awkwardly.

“Let’s eat first.”

“The food will get cold.”

She tried to change the topic.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

“Explain.”

Xu Nian’s tone left no room for argument.

For the first time, Su Qingya found herself unable to escape.

The chopsticks slipped from her hand and clattered onto the table.

Silence followed.

Then Xu Nian spoke quietly.

“Qingya.”

Her voice was soft.

Far too soft.

“You actually have secrets from me.”

The fox tail behind her slowly rose.

Every strand of fur stood upright.

A low growl escaped her throat.

“N-Niannian?”

Su Qingya blinked.

Clearly caught off guard.

Xu Nian leaned closer.

Much closer.

“So this is how it starts?”

Her voice brushed against Su Qingya’s ear.

Warm.

Gentle.

And somehow frightening.

“People always say they won’t change.”

“They always say there’s nothing to worry about.”

“But betrayal starts with little things.”

“A secret here.”

“A lie there.”

“One exception.”

“Then another.”

“Then another.”

Her arms tightened slightly.

“Once there’s a first time…”

“There will be a second.”

“And a third.”

“And eventually, countless more.”

The room fell completely silent.

Xu Nian slowly stood on her toes.

Her lips almost touched Su Qingya’s ear.

“Qingya.”

The smile on her face was beautiful.

Dangerously beautiful.

“You seem to be getting a little disobedient.”