The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

"what--!"

Suddenly, a piercing, terrified scream echoed through the heavens and earth, as if it were about to shatter the clouds.

The screams were filled with fear and despair, and they were chilling!

"Help! There's a ghost! There's a ghost! A ghost!"

Everyone turned around in astonishment and saw a girl with a panicked expression running frantically towards them.

Shen Zhizhi's face turned pale as she floated to Zhang Jiali's side, her almond-shaped eyes wide as copper bells, tightly gripping his white sleeves.

She didn't forget to look up, as if she had lost her soul, and muttered to the man in black who was still in shock:

"How scary! There's a ghost! There's a ghost! I really saw a ghost. Going out at midnight is never a good thing."

Zhang Jiali lowered his eyes, glanced at her expression, and a smile flickered in his gentle eyes.

Shen Zhizhi's eyes darted around, clutching Zhang Jiali's sleeve tightly, her eyes welling up with tears. "Young master, could you please escort me home? I'm so scared, sob sob—"

Zhang Jiali smiled slightly and chuckled, "Miss, you'll have to wait a while, as I still have other matters to attend to tonight."

Shen Zhizhi glanced at the men in black with feigned suspicion, then shrank her neck.

"Well, gentlemen, you are all of extraordinary bearing and surely unafraid of ghosts and monsters. May I borrow this young master for the time being?"

"Whether there are ghosts or not is none of our business! You'd better be sensible and get out of here right now!"

The leader in black was clearly impatient. He drew his sword, the tip pointing directly at Shen Zhizhi, and coldly glared at her before issuing an order to expel her.

Shen Zhizhi shuddered at the cold glint in his eyes, swallowing hard. "Haha, fine, don't lend it then. The master is quite fierce, huh? Be careful you don't miss out on marrying a beautiful bride in the future!"

"puff."

As soon as he finished speaking, soft laughter rose and fell.

"What are you laughing at!" The leader of the black-clad men turned his head sharply and reprimanded them.

Then he turned around and glared at Shen Zhizhi: "If you don't leave, don't blame me for making you go to the Yellow Springs with him."

"Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go."

Shen Zhizhi pretended to panic and took a few steps back, but she did not let go of Zhang Jiali's hand.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he tilted his head, looking in surprise at a certain spot. He shouted excitedly, "Quick, ambush them! We're here!"

The men in black were all sweating profusely. Without any hesitation, they followed her gaze and glared at her, their swords piercing the air.

However, when I turned around, there was no one there.

A single leaf drifted gently down, finally settling to the ground amidst the bewildered gaze of the man in black.

Before they could react, they turned around and found that the two figures had already disappeared from the spot.

The leader in black glared, his face flushed with anger, and the veins on his forehead bulged as if he were about to breathe fire.

"Damn it! Bring them back to me, especially that woman, how dare she lie to me like that."

"Yes!"

As soon as they finished speaking, two figures swiftly swept past, blocking their path as they were about to give chase.

The two moved swiftly, clearly indicating they had received proper training.

The leader in black frowned, raised his eyes, and his eyes flashed with vigilance and doubt.

The two men were dressed in the same white robes, with star patterns embroidered in silver thread on their collars. These were patterns that only the "Nine Stars Society" in the martial arts world possessed.

After recognizing the two men's attire, the leader in black spoke coldly, "Are you from the Nine Stars Society?"

"Oh, Blood Liao, our Nine Stars Society's reputation has spread far and wide." The man on the right chuckled softly and spoke leisurely.

Although he was dressed in a white robe, it could not conceal his arrogant and carefree demeanor.

The man known as Xue Liao was clearly more composed than him, and said in a measured tone, "Xue Zhi, hurry up, finish this, then go back and have dinner."

Blood casually lifted his eyelids, his deep eyes suddenly flashing with murderous intent.

"Alright, let's begin. You take half, and I'll take half."

......

Meanwhile, Shen Zhizhi grabbed Zhang Jiali's hand and hurriedly ran forward until they reached a pear tree, at which point Zhang Jiali stopped.

His sudden pause caused Shen Zhizhi, who was running ahead, to lose her footing and fall backward due to inertia.

The sound of white robes fluttering passed by, but the expected pain of falling to the ground did not come. Instead, she was supported by a soft force and fell straight into that gentle embrace.

The fragrance of pear blossoms mingled with the delicate scent of the flowers in her arms, making her feel lightheaded and almost detached from her senses.

Shen Zhizhi slightly raised her eyes and met those dark eyes filled with a smile, and her heart trembled instantly.

Tens of thousands of comments flashed through my mind countless times!

It's always those seven words—

Zhang Jiali is as gentle and refined as jade!

Zhang Jiali smiled calmly, helped her up and stood steadily, then took half a step back and said, "I am very grateful for Miss Shen's rescue today, but please do not do such dangerous things in the future."

"Not dangerous, not dangerous at all." Shen Zhizhi raised an eyebrow, a smug smile playing on her lips. "If they weren't wielding sharp swords, I would have utterly annihilated them!"

In trendy parlance, Zhang Jiali is her idol! How could she stand to see her idol being bullied? Of course not!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiali paused for a moment, then looked up again.

"If something were to happen to Miss Shen, how would I explain it to His Excellency the Prime Minister?"

Shen Zhizhi smiled bitterly to herself. If her father, the prime minister, knew that something had happened to her, he would probably be celebrating with drums and gongs, and wouldn't care whether she lived or died.

She raised her face and waved casually, "Don't worry, Lord Zhang, even without me, nothing will change in this world."

Zhang Jiali's eyelashes trembled slightly, his gaze lowered, and he stared at her intently without looking away. "What is the meaning of your words, Miss Shen?"

Shen Zhizhi blinked and fell silent.

Naturally, it's because she's just cannon fodder, born to serve the male and female leads. Even without the original owner as cannon fodder, there would be countless more Shen Zhizhi in the future.

She stole a glance at Zhang Jiali, pondered for a moment, and smiled, "After all, I am not as good as Lord Zhang."

"Hmm?" Zhang Jiali smiled slightly, tilting his head in confusion.

Shen Zhizhi pondered for a moment, and countless words of praise instantly appeared in her mind.

"Lord Zhang is such a good man, loved by the people and respected by all the officials. He is upright and honest, like a jade pot in a clear ice valley..."

Zhang Jiali lowered his eyes and looked at her eyes, which shone like stars when she mentioned this, but her eyes remained dark and unchanged, as if covered with a layer of black ash.

Shen Zhizhi continued babbling on, and only when the person above fell silent did she raise her eyes in confusion.

"Lord Zhang?"

Hearing someone call his name, Zhang Jiali slowly raised his head, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his handsome face. "Is this how Miss Shen perceives me?"

Shen Zhizhi blinked, staring blankly at him.

Seeing his calm expression and unable to discern his thoughts, she could only awkwardly scratch her head and ask softly:

"Does Lord Zhang not like it? If not, I won't say anything more..."

Zhang Jiali's gaze swept across her face, and the smile that appeared on his lips made Shen Zhizhi feel a slight chill for a moment, but it vanished without a trace in an instant.

He leaned down slightly, his gaze fixed on her, but remained silent for a long time.