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

An hour later.

Under the bright moon and in complete silence, a petite figure cautiously peeked into an alley, her posture rather unseemly.

The "it's actually delicious" principle will never go out of style!

Compared to being killed by a sword, Shen Zhizhi said that working overtime was no big deal.

She stared intently into the pitch-black alley, but after waiting for a long time, no sound of swords or spears came.

"Tell me, are you sure Chu Chouchi will be chased all the way here?" she asked lazily, finding a comfortable position.

"Don't worry, host. The plot is pointing you right here," Ya Dan said firmly.

Shen Zhizhi leaned against the wall, feeling bored and lost in thought.

In the original text, the person Shen Qinshou secretly went out of the mansion to meet was none other than the Third Prince—Chu Tu.

Although she didn't have the patience to read the whole story, her curiosity led her to browse some reader comments from those who had finished reading, and she saw some of the villains' tragic endings.

Chu Tu was considered one of the most outstanding princes, possessing considerable wealth and running numerous pawnshop businesses.

Yet this business genius ultimately became a victim in the struggle for the throne because of Shen Qinshou.

He used his wealth to win over many ministers to serve him, but a villain is a villain after all. Even with immense power and wealth, he is nothing compared to the protagonist.

As for Shen Qinshou, she only happened to witness this scene while passing through the alley, and in order to maintain her hypocritical facade, she had no choice but to step in to help.

But it was this act of helping that deeply moved Chu Chouchi, who believed that she was willing to give up her life for him, and thus fell even more uncontrollably in love with her.

Shen Zhizhi rubbed her temples, wishing she could drag Shen Qinshou out and beat her up.

He couldn't help but mutter, "Why is the female lead walking through alleys when she's out and about? Can't she just walk on the main road? Is she crazy?!"

"Perhaps this is just what the plot requires?" Ya Dan analyzed seriously.

Before Shen Zhizhi could even complain about Ya Dan, a commotion suddenly came from the alley.

"Someone's coming?" She changed her nonchalant demeanor and quickly hid behind the wall, leaving only her head to observe the movements in the alley.

The sounds of footsteps and fighting drew closer, and the clashing of swords was particularly jarring.

The figure in black brocade robes came into view first, and even in the darkness of the night, she could recognize him at a glance as Chu Chou Chi.

He was in a sorry state, his brocade robe was torn by swords and knives, and the blood at the corner of his lips had not yet dried, indicating that he was seriously injured.

Closely following them was a group of masked assassins dressed in black, whose movements were swift and fierce.

It goes without saying that they must be a formidable assassin organization.

"Ha, they're really pushing hard."

Perhaps he was tired, Chu Chouchi leaned lazily against the wall. As he looked up, the night wind lifted his dark hair, and the cold moonlight retreated, casting a soft glow on him.

He was already extremely handsome, with narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes that were slightly upturned. The black mole on the right side of his nose, when curled up at the corner of his lips with a sarcastic smile, added to his arrogance.

His nonchalant demeanor made it seem as if he wasn't the one being chased.

[Shen Zhizhi: These assassins are obviously skilled. If I, with my cannon fodder attributes, charge in, wouldn't I be doomed? Damn it, is there any other way?]

Shen Zhizhi glanced at the situation in the alley and asked anxiously.

Chu Chouchi is considered a master of long-range combat in the story, but he is somewhat inferior in close combat. He has countless secret guards under his command, each wielding a fine bow, who will often cause those who fight him to die from arrows inexplicably.

The reason why the secret guards were not allowed to follow today was probably to search for Shen Qinshou.

After all, as the Queen of the Sea, Shen Qinshou naturally did not want their sweet interaction to be watched by so many people.

Ya Dan conjured two cheerleading balls out of thin air, twisting their stiff mechanical limbs as they spun around, saying: 【Host, fly bravely! Ya Dan will always be with you! Host, bravely venture forth! We'll send you to the fire!】

Shen Zhizhi:? ? ?

Okay, I knew this was a rather unreliable system.

"What are you doing here?" The question that suddenly rang out behind her startled Shen Zhizhi, who turned around to look.

The newcomer was an extremely beautiful woman, dressed in a light goose-colored long gown, with her long, black hair tied high on her head in a flying fairy bun, making her appear graceful and elegant.

[Shen Zhizhi: Wow! A beautiful woman who can appear here in the middle of the night must be the female lead, right?]

[According to the information I found, it's correct.] Ya Dan's voice was equally excited.

Shen Qinshou frowned slightly, her round eyes fixed on Shen Zhizhi, who was also scrutinizing her: "Heh, you fell into the Second Prince's hands and didn't die?"

Shen Qinshou already disliked her stupid younger sister, and seeing her standing there unharmed only fueled her anger.

He was born to a concubine, but as a child he would always cling to her and call her "sister" affectionately, which she found truly disgusting.

What displeased her even more was that when Shen Zhizhi learned that she was entangled with the Second Prince while also having an ambiguous relationship with the Third Prince, she lectured her on propriety and morality.

She's just a concubine's daughter, born to a lowly woman. What right does she have to boss her around?

So whenever she saw Shen Zhizhi arguing fiercely with her over the Second Prince, she would smugly think to herself: You know so much about propriety and morality, but in the end you can't even get the Second Prince's attention. What's the use?

This time, she deliberately provoked Shen Zhizhi to push her into the water, all in order to use the Second Prince to get rid of her as soon as possible.

But she never expected that she was still alive? The Second Prince actually let her go?

"Are you mute?" Shen Qinshou's tone was clearly displeased when Shen Zhizhi did not respond for a long time.

Shen Zhizhi secretly despised the author. The female lead was written to be so beautiful, but in the end she turned out to be a scumbag. How could she feel at peace with that?

"Sister, are you going to walk down this alley?" Shen Zhizhi asked in a low voice.

Shen Qinshou sneered, raising her head like a proud peacock: "Of course. If I were to walk in the marketplace and someone discovered that I had something on me, wouldn't that be incredibly foolish?"

Shen Zhizhi's lips twitched violently.

So what? The reason the female lead encountered the male lead in this run-down alley wasn't for the sake of the plot? Rather, it was because Shen Qinshou wanted to avoid being discovered by others that she, as the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, was secretly meeting her lover at night?

I have to say, the author must be a real-life version of Mermaid, right? The details are all so perfect.

"Hmph, why should I tell you all this?" Shen Qinshou glanced at her sideways, pushed her away, and headed towards the alley.

"Wait—"

Shen Zhizhi tried to stop them, but two masked men quickly darted out from the alley. Although their faces were not visible, the murderous intent in their eyes was precisely fixed on them.

Shen Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat.

[Shen Zhizhi: Oh my god! When did they find me?]

In her mind's eye, Ya Dan was frantically pacing back and forth: [Ahhh! Murder! Murder!]

Shen Zhizhi:?

Shen Qinshou, who was behind her, was even more terrified. Her gaze slowly drifted to the blade in the assassin's hand, and her face instantly turned pale. She took several steps back.

As Shen Zhizhi was still thinking about how to escape, a hand suddenly shoved her from behind. The force of the push caused her to stumble and fall towards the assassin.

Fortunately, she managed to regain her footing in time, preventing the raised sword tip from piercing her abdomen.