An Insignificant Stratagem

Just when Li Siyi thought it was her imagination, she suddenly heard a familiar voice on the other side of the wall.

Wang Mo said to one of his subordinates, "Were you followed?"

"I was very careful, definitely not."

"How did things go?"

"We've bought up all the Carefree Grass in the city."

"Good. When the Li family is in trouble, Brother Su Luo will step in and offer the Carefree Grass, winning Li Siyi's favor."

"Master, what does Su Luo have to do with this?"

"You don't understand. I'm just helping him out."

"But Master, what right does Su Luo have for you to help him? He's practically useless."

"Watch your words! Brother Su Luo is handsome, resourceful, and brilliant... Don't underestimate him. After all, this entire plan was his idea. I'm just carrying out his instructions."

"What! This whole scheme was his doing? That's terrifying."

"Indeed. My admiration for Brother Su Luo is like a never-ending river, flowing endlessly."

......

Every word of Wang Mo and his subordinate's conversation reached Li Siyi's ears.

Li Siyi couldn't help but feel exasperated. What kind of secret plan is this when you're practically shouting it out loud?

Did you just happen to say all this while I was passing by?

So, being followed earlier wasn't a hallucination.

Hmph, what a clumsy plan. Do you think I'd fall for something like this?

Li Siyi felt underestimated. Who would believe such a simple frame-up?

Thinking about it, if it weren't for the diary spoiling things... maybe... probably... possibly... she wouldn't have believed it.

Wait, would I really not believe it?

The more she thought about it, the less confident Li Siyi became. But based on her understanding of herself, she couldn't lie to herself. She realized that without the diary's spoilers, she might have actually fallen for it.

At this thought, Li Siyi's face flushed slightly.

I'm not stupid! It's just that Su Luo used to be so annoying!

Although Li Siyi already trusted the diary, it still felt strange every time things happened exactly as the diary predicted.

But it also felt good, like having a glimpse of the future.

If Su Luo were here, he'd probably say, "Cheating is always fun."

Now that Li Siyi knew Wang Mo's plan, she didn't pay much attention to it.

Shaking off her pursuers, she headed straight for the cliff.

But when she reached the bottom of the cliff, she saw someone unexpected.

"Let me take your heart and pluck it out."

"Try to melt it slowly."

Su Luo was singing while picking Carefree Grass, completely at ease.

Then he looked up and saw Li Siyi.

For a moment, he felt like digging a hole to hide in.

Whether in real life or in the novel world, he had never sung in front of others before.

Li Siyi asked, "Whose heart are you planning to pluck out?"

"It's not important. Why are you here?"

"Same as you. My family needs Carefree Grass."

Li Siyi didn't need to make up any excuses. It was perfect because she had fallen off the cliff before and knew there was Carefree Grass at the bottom.

"Why are you here?" Li Siyi countered.

"My family needs it too."

"Really? Want to work together?"

"Sure, why not?"

Su Luo felt a bit uneasy. He hadn't expected Li Siyi to show up.

The plan had changed, but as long as he collected more, her family would still be short.

Pulling weeds? That's my specialty.

Ora ora ora...

Su Luo sped up, transforming into a weed-pulling demon. Wherever he passed, not a single blade of grass remained.

He had already collected most of it.

Even if she got a little, it wouldn't be enough to save her family's reputation.

Seeing Su Luo working so hard, Li Siyi couldn't help but say, "Aren't you going to give me some?"

What? How can you say that? I'm working so hard to collect this, and you think you can just take it without lifting a finger?

Su Luo was speechless, but then he remembered some even more outrageous quotes from the internet and let it go.

"Sorry, my family needs it."

"But you like me, don't you? If you give it to me, I might feel more favorably toward you."

"Really, I can't. My family needs it. I have no choice."

"You weren't like this before. You used to give me whatever I needed."

"Yeah, I really like you, but my family needs this. I have no choice."

Hmph, Su Luo wasn't going to be swayed by a few words.

In situations like this, being a broken record was the best strategy. The other person wouldn't know how to respond.

Suddenly, Su Luo thought of something. "I can't give you the Carefree Grass, but how about I give myself to you instead? That should earn me some points, right?"

He then flashed a cheesy smile.

Li Siyi rolled her eyes and handed her Carefree Grass to Su Luo.

"Here, take it."

"Huh?"

"Just take it."

"Why?" Su Luo asked, confused. Didn't her family need it?

"It's not enough anyway, so I might as well give it to you."

The moment Li Siyi saw Su Luo, she had a rough idea of what he was up to. He was probably just trying to keep the plot on track.

Since he wasn't willing to help her directly, she decided to let it go. The amount she had collected wasn't enough anyway.

And before she arrived, Su Luo had already gathered a lot, so there wasn't much left.

It was better to just give up gracefully.

Li Siyi's sudden surrender left Su Luo baffled.

Why would she do that? It doesn't make sense.

Her family clearly needs this.

Even if it's not enough, every little bit helps.

Seeing Li Siyi really leave, without any hint of playing hard to get, Su Luo was even more confused.

But he quickly put it out of his mind and continued with the plan.

Su Luo found himself becoming more and more accustomed to situations like this.

If he couldn't figure it out, he'd just follow the plot. He was nothing more than a tool for advancing the story.

With that thought, his movements became even faster.

......

The next day, the Li family announced in the city that they were buying Carefree Grass at a high price.

But how could there be any left? Wang Mo had already bought it all.

Su Luo disguised himself as a newly arrived merchant and found an excuse to sell the Carefree Grass to Lin Xuan.

What happened next had nothing to do with him.

After obtaining the grass, Lin Xuan delivered it to the Li family, saving them from their predicament and earning himself a place as an honored guest of the Li family.

Everyone was happy.

But someone was about to shed a few tears.

Wang Mo slammed his hand on the table, shattering it.

"Why? How is there still Carefree Grass? Who is this Lin Xuan?"

"After all the preparations I made, it was all for nothing!"

Wang Mo was furious.

"Go, teach Lin Xuan a lesson."

"We can't, Master. Lin Xuan is now an honored guest of the Li family. He's surrounded by their people. We can't touch him."

"Then I'll beat you instead. Someone, do it!"

Wang Mo threw a cup to the ground. If he couldn't touch Lin Xuan, he could at least take it out on a subordinate.

Listening to the screams of his subordinates outside, Wang Mo gradually calmed down.

Upon reflection, it wasn't a total loss. At least he had managed to pin a big blame on Su Luo.

This would further worsen the relationship between Su Luo and Li Siyi. With a few more pushes, their conflict would deepen, and the two families behind them wouldn't be able to get along either.

When the two families were at each other's throats, he could swoop in and reap the benefits.

Brilliant.

Wang Mo quickly regained his confidence and began plotting his next move.

......

After becoming an honored guest of the Li family, Lin Xuan embarked on a face-slapping spree across Autumn Wind City.

Have you ever seen someone go from the west side of the city to the east side in a single day, slapping faces along the way?

It all started when Lin Xuan was having breakfast in the west of the city and saw a young noble harassing a girl.

Out of a sense of justice, he stepped forward and slapped the noble.

The noble wasn't happy and immediately called for backup.

Lin Xuan didn't back down and waited.

The noble was considerate enough to only call for people around his own age.

When the young man arrived and introduced himself as the son of some merchant guild, he too was slapped down.

He also wasn't happy and called for more people.

The third one introduced his family background and was also slapped. He too wasn't happy...

And so, in a single day, Lin Xuan slapped over thirty of Autumn Wind City's young elites, from the west side to the east side.

The parents of these young men couldn't take it anymore and prepared to use their influence to teach Lin Xuan a lesson.

But when the Li family showed up, they didn't dare to make a sound, and the matter was dropped.

This was the benefit of the Carefree Grass. Lin Xuan could now walk sideways through Autumn Wind City.

Lin Xuan's reputation soared once again.

Su Luo wasn't on the list of those who got slapped.

When Su Luo read this part, he thought it was utterly ridiculous. Were there really that many idiots in Autumn Wind City lining up to get slapped?

While it felt completely unrealistic, there was also a strange sense of satisfaction.

There was a time when Su Luo also wanted to slap those who acted arrogantly in his face.

He even wished for a famous magical item, the Blue Capsule: something that could let him slap someone through the screen.

Especially in the game, this is what is most needed.

However, these are just small scenes, meant to build momentum for Lin Xuan and boost his fame, because something much bigger is on the horizon.