Volume One, Chapter 19: Changing Two Words Drives the Hero Mad

After Xiao Lian Fu fainted, she temporarily escaped the fervent accusations and was taken back by the Fu family in a carriage.

Rongrong Jiang, having cleared her name, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Lingxiao Yin about to leave, she hurriedly intercepted him, her eyes red as she said, "Brother Lingxiao, I never expected things to turn out this way. It's all Xiao Lian Fu’s fault..."

Relying on her father's acquaintance with the old marquis, Jiang Rongrong fancied herself different from the others and believed she was closer to Lingxiao Yin. She immediately thought to show weakness and seek sympathy from him.

Lingxiao Yin’s expression remained unreadable as he glanced at her casually. Jiang Rongrong, captivated by his extraordinary handsomeness, blushed and lowered her head, expecting comfort.

However, Lingxiao Yin’s gaze quickly shifted to someone not far off. Seeing that person showed no reaction, not even noticing them, his face darkened. The irritation inside him seemed ready to break free, and seeing Jiang Rongrong’s foolish face only deepened his disgust.

“Move aside,” Lingxiao Yin said impatiently.

“W-what?” Jiang Rongrong was startled by the coldness in his eyes, standing frozen.

“Tsk, are you an idiot?” Lingxiao Yin said, ignoring her further, turning away with a murderous aura.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

After Lingxiao Yin walked away, the crowd burst into merciless laughter.

“Hahaha, didn’t she say she knew Young Master Yin? She doesn’t look like it at all.”

“She’s got some nerve, daring to block Young Master Yin’s way. That guy doesn’t blink when he kills.”

“To be officially stamped as an idiot by Young Master Yin—she’s probably the only one in the whole capital.”

“But didn’t she always want Lingxiao Yin’s attention? Well, now she’s got it, hahaha.”

First mocked by the one she liked, then ridiculed by everyone else, Jiang Rongrong’s face changed several times before she couldn’t bear it anymore. When she boarded the Jiang family carriage, she was already heartbroken and weeping bitterly.

At that moment, someone brought up another key point.

“I didn’t dare ask before, but why did Young Master Yin suddenly appear? Was he here to stand up for Chun’er Fu?”

“No way! It must have been a coincidence.”

“Yeah, and he didn’t even acknowledge Chun’er Fu or say a word to her.”

“Forget about that! Don’t you think Young Master Yin looks so cool when he’s scolding people? I wish he’d scold me once!”

“Oh my mother, pervert!”

...

Heng Fu looked at his elder sister’s calm and composed expression, feeling a surge of guilt.

The same thing had happened in a dream as well, but he had always thought it was Jiang Rongrong causing trouble. He never expected Xiao Lian Fu to start targeting her so early.

---

Fu Heng said, “I’ll talk to Father and Mother about this. She must apologize to you!”

Seeing her brother’s serious demeanor, Chun’er Fu felt both amused and touched. She patted his head and said, “Thank you, Brother Heng.”

In truth, she didn’t care much about Xiao Lian Fu’s apology. Dealing with Xiao Lian Fu was just a matter of ticking a box in the script; how she handled it depended entirely on her mood.

Feeling a bit shy, Fu Heng turned his head and signaled Shangguan Hao to be more tactful in his speech.

But Shangguan Hao didn’t notice; his gaze was fixed on Fu Chun’er.

He had just seen her standing alone in the crowd, small and fragile, as if she might be swallowed up at any moment. A sudden pang of sympathy rose in his heart. The little girl was gentle and pretty, quiet in nature, unable to fight back when bullied.

The sun was blazing, and no one knew how long she had been standing outside. Sweat had begun to bead on her forehead. Instinctively, he took out a handkerchief from his clothes and, before he realized it, he was gently wiping her sweat.

Shangguan Hao was startled, and Fu Heng’s reaction was even stronger. He slapped his hand firmly and said, “Not yet!”

Then he snatched the handkerchief and forcefully handed it to Fu Chun’er.

Shangguan Hao: “?”

Fu Chun’er: “?”

Fu Heng coughed to cover his embarrassment. “Elder sister, wash this handkerchief before returning it to him.”

Shangguan Hao was about to say he didn’t mind when Fu Heng kicked him.

Fu Chun’er smiled wryly, seeing through Fu Heng’s little scheme. Shangguan Hao was refined and elegant, upright and noble—a good match in many people’s eyes. But having lived another life, she still carried the heavy burden of resisting fate and had no mind for such matters.

Fu Chun’er put away the handkerchief calmly. “Alright, after I finish washing it, you can help me return it to Mr. Shangguan.”

Shangguan Hao nodded politely, but Fu Heng sighed quietly: it seemed the path to becoming a brother-in-law was still long and arduous.

---

By nightfall, Fu Chun’er finally completed today’s task.

The content related to the imperial examination—such as intercepting passages, pairing with or without emotion, essay topic entry, the eight comparisons, and the grand conclusion—demanded immense memory, comprehension, and logical skills.

If ten was a perfect score for each ability, Fu Chun’er reckoned she could at most score seven or eight. She wasn’t able to handle the questions with ease. To pass next year’s academy exam in one go, she would have to work harder than most.

But despite that, Fu Chun’er found it sweet and fulfilling.

[Ding~ Task complete. Reward: Two permissions to modify single words or phrases. Would you like to start the next storyline?]

This task was difficult, so the reward was generous—not wasted after her sleepless night of study.

Fu Chun’er smiled softly. “Start!”

There was no question about who she would use the word modification permissions on.

She hadn’t forgotten who was the real culprit behind this whole ordeal.

If Lingxiao Yin hadn’t insisted on teasing her by asking why she smelled nice, none of these later events would have happened. Reflecting on it, the portrait of hers that was posted and ridiculed last life was probably connected to him as well.

So, if she couldn’t kill him, couldn’t she at least drive him mad?

The system, seeing the excitement in Fu Chun’er’s eyes, knew someone was about to have a bad night.

[Location: Marquis Yongyi’s Mansion, Character: Lingxiao Yin.]

[The night deepened, yet Lingxiao Yin was still awake.

Dark circles under his eyes, he recalled the day’s scenes with a hint of melancholy.

The room was filled with the frosty scent of Spring Snow, which differed greatly from the fragrance he remembered, but it was better than nothing.]

Fu Chun’er raised an eyebrow at this; the scoundrel was quite obsessed with scent.

[Candlelight flickered, and Lingxiao Yin finally fell asleep amid the fragrance.

In his dream, the graceful figure appeared again. He finally saw the woman’s true face…]

Fu Chun’er: “…”

It seemed the previous dream hadn’t taught him a lesson; he still dared to dream of her?

With the rule of the male lead in place, Fu Chun’er couldn’t help but suspect that this “true face” would reveal her real appearance.

—Wants to see the true face? As if he deserves it!

Fu Chun’er immediately took control of the brush, erased the word “fragrance” and replaced it with “stink.”

Then her gaze moved to the last sentence.

Having spent some time with the system, it confidently guessed her next move:

[Host, I guess you’ll use your word modification permission to change “true” to “false”?]

Fu Chun’er slowly shook her head, revealing a mysterious smile.

How could a false face stop the dog man’s relentless curiosity?

The glowing brush instantly moved above the word “true” and erased the character next to it.

She replaced it with the character for “ghost.”