T/N: A reader pointed out an issue with the translation! Please go back to read chapter 3 as I’ve made an update. I usually add parts in sections and didn’t notice the issue because of the Author’s Note. Thank you @Juli for letting me know!

Chapter 4: Earrings

The group chat fell silent for a while, then exploded with messages:

All at once: Sister-in-law???

Friend C: Impossible, right? Haven’t heard anything about the Shen family recently…

Friend Y: Su Su, are you serious?

Su Mi: Shh, don’t tell anyone. I’m only telling you guys.

The three friends were stunned, seemingly unable to believe it.

System: “Host, if they actually believe you, it might have negative consequences.”

Su Mi: “I’m just misleading them to prevent them from causing trouble like in the original plot.”

Su Mi spoke seriously.

System: “…”

Really?

Why did it feel like this host’s emotional intelligence was a bit off?

If Su Mi as the “sister” counted as Shen Han’s follower, then the three friends in the group chat were Su Mi’s followers.

They played a role in assisting the original protagonist in causing trouble, coming from second or third-tier noble families looking to climb higher through their connection to Shen Han.

Su Mi continued to mislead the three friends with vague and mysterious statements before saying goodnight and going offline.

She had already canceled her leave through the school’s system on her communicator.

Probably influenced by her body’s condition, she was already tired by nine or ten o’clock. She had intended to stay up to catch up on common knowledge about this world, but sleepiness overcame her, and she went to bed early.

The next day, Su Mi was awakened by the smart alarm clock. After washing up, she looked at the mirror, troubled by the messy bedhead.

The original protagonist probably spent time every morning fixing this head of blonde hair, but Su Mi hadn’t acquired the skill of styling curly hair.

Su Mi: “System, what do you think about my hair…?”

System: “Character deviation: 10%.”

Su Mi: Fine.

She searched for some related hairstyles and struggled in front of the mirror for ten minutes, finally tying her hair into two low buns.

The light blonde girl in the mirror had all her messy hair neatly tied up. Su Mi shook her head, and the little buns behind her ears wobbled along with it, looking quite cute.

After confirming with the system that her character setting hadn’t deviated, Su Mi went downstairs, satisfied.

When she arrived at the dining room, her little brother was sitting in his baby chair, and Wen Zisu was feeding him vegetable porridge spoonful by spoonful.

As soon as Su Mi sat down next to her brother, he held up his little spoon and called, “Sister, sister, sister feed Xiao Yi.”

He was wearing a sky-blue bib, with vegetable bits still hanging on his mouth. His eyes were as clear and bright as grapes, looking at Su Mi with expectation.

Su Mi originally thought she might be a bit of a clean freak, but facing her brother’s chubby little face, her heart softened. She took a tissue to wipe away the vegetable bits from Su Xiao Yi’s face and then gave his soft little cheek a kiss.

“Sister has to eat. Xiao Yi, be good and eat your porridge, okay?”

“Okay!” Su Yi nodded, holding up his spoon, “Xiao Yi will eat by himself!”

Wen Zisu laughed from the side and pinched Xiao Yi’s cheek. “Xiao Yi, you like your sister even more after her differentiation. Do you want to be an Omega or an Alpha in the future?”

Not even two years old, Xiao Yi blinked his eyes and stuttered, “Om…ega, what’s that?”

Mother Su Ciyu, sitting at the head of the table drinking coffee, was dressed in comfortable beige leisurewear but exuded a stern aura. She smiled at Wen Zisu’s words, saying, “Wen Zisu, it’s strange if Xiao Yi can answer that.”

Wen Zisu responded with a smile.

Su Mi ate her shrimp and vegetable porridge while listening to the banter between her “parents.”

She felt pretty good.

But not for long, as Su Ciyu turned to her and asked, “Su Xiao Ya, how are you feeling today?”

Su Mi: “Pretty good.”

She had adapted well to this nickname.

Wen Zisu worriedly reminded her, “Although there are only two Alphas in your class, you still need to be cautious at school. According to the Omega differentiation period, your glands are still unstable. We told your teacher that your glands were somewhat stimulated during differentiation, so your body might be a bit fragile. You should be careful and avoid intense activities.”

Su Mi obediently agreed.

Su Ciyu then walked over and handed Su Mi a small, delicate velvet box.

Su Mi opened it to find a star-shaped earring inside.

She looked at her mother in confusion.

Su Ciyu said, “Remember Aunt Fu’s daughter? She works at the research institute and specially rushed out this custom-made pheromone blocker for you. It was delivered early this morning. I’ll take you to thank them later.”

Su Mi touched the earring, seemingly made of special metal, which felt cool to the touch.

She tilted her head, letting Su Ciyu put the earring on one of her ears.

The warm fingers brushed her earlobe, then gently patted her on the head.

“Take care of yourself.” Su Ciyu said blandly.

Su Mi rubbed her newly adorned earlobe and agreed.

After breakfast, Su Mi drove her new car to school.

The limited-edition luxury sports car for VIP clients slowly made its way to Lorlan Academy’s underground parking lot.

When Su Mi arrived at the classroom, it was already bustling with students.

Based on the memories she had just regained, Su Mi greeted her classmates with a smile and found her seat.

Right behind the protagonist, Xu Nanqiao.

Xu Nanqiao had arrived early and was doing exercises. Su Mi stopped beside her and glanced down.

Well, incomprehensible problems.

Su Mi reached out and waved her hand between the book and Xu Nanqiao. The several bead bracelets on her slender wrist dangled as per the original owner’s habit.

Xu Nanqiao looked up and smiled, “Good morning, Su Mi.”

Su Mi took out a piece of chocolate from her bag and placed it in front of her. “My family just bought this chocolate, it’s really good. Try it… consider it an apology for saying the wrong thing yesterday.”

She clasped her hands together and blinked sincerely at Xu Nanqiao.

Xu Nanqiao, remembering yesterday’s incident, hummed lightly and said, “You’d understand better if you paid more attention in class.”

Su Mi acknowledged, and after sitting down at her desk, the girls who had been chatting in the group yesterday immediately gathered around, making curious faces at Xu Nanqiao’s back.

“You want candy too?” Su Mi asked.

The original owner was friendly to the protagonist but had never gone out of her way to give gifts like this.

Su Mi tilted her head in confusion, “What? Oh…”

She pretended to suddenly realize something and lowered her voice, “She’s shy. Seriously, don’t spread this around. I’m only telling you.”

Then she took out a few more pieces of chocolate from her bag and, in a normal tone, smiled, “I brought some for you too. So, how about we go out to celebrate this weekend since I just finished my differentiation? By the way, how do you like my new earring?”

Su Mi chatted happily with her friends until the start of the morning self-study session.

Then she finally had time to open her textbooks.

As soon as she did, Su Mi was shocked.

Su Mi: “If I’m not mistaken, the sixth grade at Lorlan Academy should be equivalent to the twelfth grade where I’m from, right?”

System: “Yes, host, the unified exam here is equivalent to your college entrance exam ^^.”

Su Mi: “…”

She shook the brand new textbooks in her hands.

Su Mi: “Was the original owner planning to rely on sheer willpower to pass the exam?”

But she knew without asking that the original owner was likely counting on Shen Han’s influence. Shen Han’s affiliated Saint Cross Academy, a private university with Shen family shares, would probably admit the original owner without much difficulty.

After all, Shen Han was so generous.

Su Mi sighed.

But she couldn’t stand being ignorant.

The system quietly observed Su Mi study her lessons all morning.

During the break, the system asked, “Host, do you have a plan?”

Su Mi: “I have a rough one.”

The system sent a smiley face, “Good luck, host ^^.”

The little AI didn’t seem overly curious.

Su Mi said “rough plan” because she felt that, as a person, tackling such a crucial mission involving her and the world’s survival couldn’t be broken down into stages or quantitative goals like a project.

Currently, she knew that Shen Han’s blackening value fluctuated only concerning the protagonist and that the only known influencing factors were the protagonist reading to Shen Han at Nan Garden and Shen Han witnessing the protagonists’ love, leading to immediate blackening.

Given the characteristics of a romance novel, if Shen Han and the protagonist achieved a happy ending in romance, the world’s destruction would likely be averted.

But… Su Mi thought long and hard last night and realized she couldn’t bet too much on an area she didn’t understand—romance.

Based on the known information, the best approach was to make the protagonist “fall in love” with Shen Han, or at least prevent her from becoming increasingly resistant, ensuring Shen Han’s blackening value decreased steadily.

So, she had three main tasks: First, build a good relationship with the protagonist to closely monitor her attitudes towards the male and female leads; second, ease the relationship between the protagonist and Shen Han, allowing them to see each other’s merits and creating situations to increase their chances of falling in love; third, disrupt the original plot’s romantic developments between the male and female leads, preventing their story from unfolding as intended and intervening to disrupt key moments if necessary.

Su Mi still remembered the system casually mentioning that the world’s consciousness would ensure significant plot points remained on track, though the definition of “major plot deviations” was unclear.

This plan felt a bit passive, but it was like playing a game—more information would unlock more levels.

After the morning classes, Su Mi declined her three friends’ lunch invitation, staying behind at her desk. She reached out and tapped Xu Nanqiao, who was still working on problems.

When Xu Nanqiao turned around, Su Mi scratched her face awkwardly and said, “Nanqiao, I have a favor to ask. Can I treat you to lunch and talk about it?”

Xu Nanqiao looked at her doubtfully. “Su Mi, why do you seem different after your differentiation?”

Su Mi straightened up. “You know I’ve differentiated… Alright, let’s go to the cafeteria.”

She dragged Xu Nanqiao to the best cafeteria at Lorlan Academy.

The third cafeteria had the best food but was also the most expensive. Xu Nanqiao refused to let Su Mi pay and carried her tray to a booth. After settling down, she asked, “So, what’s the matter?”

Su Mi cleared her throat.

“I’ve differentiated into a Beta. Before, I thought I’d definitely be an Omega, so my goal was Saint Cross Academy, thinking I’d just get a degree in some irrelevant major.”

“But! After hearing about your aspirations yesterday, I thought a lot,” Su Mi raised her head abruptly, eyes determined, “I feel that being differentiated as a Beta is meant to challenge me, to wake me up before the crucial exams, and redefine my future.”

“So I want to apply to Capital City University like you! But you know my grades, and the best student I know is you. I want to ask for your advice.”

Su Mi finished speaking, her eyes shining as she looked at Xu Nanqiao.

Xu Nanqiao was silent for a while.

She raised her wrist and tapped on her optical computer a few times.

The optical computer’s floating screen had an anti-peeping function, so Su Mi could only watch eagerly.

Soon, Xu Nanqiao shared the screen with Su Mi.

On it was a summary of Su Mi’s academic performance since enrollment.

Next to it was the admission score for Capital City University.

Just a few hundred points short.

Xu Nanqiao frowned and said earnestly, “Su Mi, actually… actually, you’re quite suited for the learning environment at Lorlan and Saint Cross, right?”