212 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

Chapter 212: A Fake Birthday Su Qi toyed with the hairdryer that Wang Yun had bought. It had a peculiar design with a hole in the middle, which confused her somewhat. However, its wind power was surprisingly strong. Lu Ran surveyed her daughter's rented room, thinking it looked rather too simple. Opening Su Qi's closet, she found only one school uniform, a peculiar tracksuit, and a faded school outfit. Digging further, Lu Ran stumbled upon a black item. She pulled it out of the closet. Su Qi's heart sank as she watched her mother pull out a risque, lace black bra that she'd hidden away. She desperately wished there was a way to alleviate the awkwardness. She needed advice, and she needed it fast. Without giving Su Qi a chance to explain, Lu Ran grabbed her by the ear and dragged her into the bathroom. Standing with crossed arms and an earnest expression, she fixed her gaze on Su Qi, holding the "evidence." This scene reminded Su Qi painfully of a boy's embarrassment when his mother finds a stash under his bed. "Do you have anything to say?" Lu Ran asked sternly, clutching the garment. She was worried her daughter might not be respecting herself. "Mom, I was just curious and wanted to try it out," Su Qi replied, unable to say it was compensation from the system's AI. With Su Qi’s sincere admission and her lack of interest in men, as observed on the way here, Lu Ran seemed convinced. "You don’t have a boyfriend, right?" Lu Ran inquired. With a helpless expression, Su Qi quickly shook her head, exasperated at where her mother's mind had gone. "No, really. Just ask Wang Zijin, An Ning, or Officer Zhang Ru." Her face clearly showed disbelief at her mother's assumptions. "Well, I will have to check," Lu Ran said, thinking it was a significant issue. Not only did her daughter seem easily trickable, which added to her concern. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, in the small house, she came across An Ning. She asked, "Xiao Qi doesn’t have a boyfriend, does she?" An Ning glanced at Su Qi behind Lu Ran, exchanged knowing smiles with her, and almost said, "No boyfriend, just a girlfriend." Resisting the urge to joke, she replied, "Auntie, don’t worry. With us around, Xiao Qi won’t find a boyfriend anytime soon." Hearing this assurance from An Ning, Lu Ran relaxed a bit. For some inexplicable reason, Lu Ran felt strangely reassured leaving her daughter in the care of An Ning and Wang Zijin. Little did she know, she was actually pushing Su Qi toward a den of wolves. Wang Zijin and An Ning had prepared thoroughly this time. Knowing Su Qi's mother was coming, they even bought a variety of groceries, including a pound of her favorite shrimp. When Wang Zijin opened the refrigerator door, she was momentarily stunned. The fridge was packed, with little notes everywhere. For instance, one on the milk read, “Drink a big glass morning and night — Yun Jie.” Another on a fruit box said, “Eat fruit after meals.” Wang Zijin could practically sense her sister’s presence all over the house. An Ning, witnessing this, couldn't help but feel like there was a whole meadow growing on her head from the surprise. Seeing both of them stop in their tracks, Su Qi was puzzled. She approached and discovered the fridge was full again, thanks to Wang Yun. No wonder they couldn't fit anything in. Those little notes filled Su Qi with warmth. And yet, she didn't notice the strange new looks from her two charming “wives.” If only Su Qi had read more web novels or had a higher emotional intelligence, she would know to never mention another woman in front of one. But sometimes ignorance is bliss, like now. Su Qi took a plate of gleaming cherries from the fridge. They were likely already washed. She picked two cherries, one for each "wife," feeding them directly. "They're sweet, aren’t they? Yun Jie bought them," she said innocently. Perhaps ignorance truly is bliss. The two exchanged glances, seeing the same sentiment in each other’s eyes. Lu Ran cooked six dishes for the four girls. During dinner, she was continuously flattered by Wang Zijin’s compliments, her face beaming with joy. Su Qi mused that to an outsider, they would definitely assume the two were mother and daughter. Officer Zhang Ru breathed a sigh of relief. She knew of Lu Ran's formidable reputation. But seeing this girl named Zijin's communication skills seemed even better, she decided to focus on eating. After dinner, they needed to discuss the court session scheduled for tomorrow. After the meal, An Ning quietly took out a stack of documents from her bag and handed it to Lu Ran. "Auntie, these are details about Wang Dahua, about Yang Ming's mother's mine’s internal issues, like neglecting social security or workplace injury compensations for employees." Lu Ran found An Ning’s explanation puzzling, until Wang Zijin clarified, "The hype around Su Qi being pushed to the top of trending searches was this person’s doing, using money. In case those people wrongfully accuse us in court tomorrow, we need to have solid evidence." Truth be told, Lu Ran had never set foot in a courtroom, being well sheltered by Su Lujun. She didn’t understand those intricacies but planned to discuss them with her husband later. Yet, watching An Ning hand over the materials, Lu Ran felt reassured. Her daughter had mentioned that initially, An Ning had helped her find a lawyer. Looking at the two charming girls by Su Qi’s side, Lu Ran couldn’t help but wish they were her daughters-in-law someday. She genuinely liked these two girls. Then she turned her attention to Officer Zhang Ru. If those two couldn’t be her future daughters-in-law, this one certainly couldn’t escape. Half an hour later, Officer Zhang Ru briefed Su Qi about court proceedings the next day and made a hasty exit. She honestly felt that if she continued chatting with Lu Ran, she'd end up setting up a betrothal with Su Siyang. It was time to make her escape. With Officer Zhang Ru gone, only four of them remained in the room. An Ning gave Wang Zijin a meaningful look, and the latter immediately understood and took Lu Ran aside to chat. Meanwhile, Su Qi was pulled to a corner by her ‘An Ning wife,’ who whispered, "Darling, the day after tomorrow is Zijin’s birthday. We should celebrate." The thought of celebrating made Su Qi recall the disastrous experience of An Ning's last birthday. Her legs went weak just thinking about it. She asked cautiously, “This time, are we seriously, truly celebrating a birthday?” An Ning found her wife's concern amusing. With a seductive flair, she lifted Su Qi’s chin and slowly leaned in. Feeling An Ning’s warm breath on her face, Su Qi could see the fine, translucent hairs on An Ning’s face. She heard her sultry, mature voice whisper close to her ear: “Well, that depends on how you perform on Friday, darling.” Hearing An Ning’s words made Su Qi’s legs feel weak all over again. This birthday had to be a fake!