TFRLTOP Chapter 101 Part 2

“Stop. If you keep talking like that, your brother is going to get arrested.”

She stayed at home like that until middle school started. Because of compulsory education, Xiao Yumu grudgingly sent her off to school again.

But the supervision was far stricter.

And for good reason—Mingming had started to develop.

The once-soft, mochi-like little girl was showing early signs of becoming a young lady. To Xiao Yumu, it was like the troublesome husky he raised had suddenly turned into a fox spirit. Even if she didn’t flirt with anyone, there were plenty of clueless boys lining up to flirt with her, which annoyed him even more.

Fortunately, after the previous chaos, Mingming behaved herself for a while—mostly because she suddenly realized boys her age were all going through that awkward, immature phase and were nowhere near as attractive as a grown man like Xiao Yumu.

In short, there wasn’t a single boy Mingming found appealing.

Compared to them, her brother was much easier on the eyes.

But she didn’t dare tell Xiao Yunmu that—she was afraid he’d think she was trying to flirt with him.

That’d be way too explosive. She might really get smacked!

She didn’t stay peaceful for long. With practically no academic pressure—the material other kids struggled through posed zero challenge to her—Mingming got bored. And when she was bored, she had to find something to do.

Xiao Yunmu actually provided her with plenty of activities to kill time—upper-class enrichment programs meant to train elite heirs. If she truly committed to those, Mingming probably wouldn’t even have time to breathe.

Unfortunately, Mingming was lazy.

She didn’t want to study. She didn’t want to think.

And Xiao Yunmu didn’t force her.

All she wanted… was to fall in love.

She propped her chin up and lifted her eyes to the sky at a dramatic forty-five degrees.

Where’s my male lead…?

“Your male lead is off being someone else’s childhood sweetheart.”

The system added fuel to the fire, delighted to watch chaos unfold.

Mingming immediately got angry. “What do you mean, ‘childhood sweethearts’? They just happened to grow up together! Let me tell you—childhood-friend types always lose to the sudden-appearance type. We ‘heaven-sent’ heroines are unbeatable!”

The system humored her. “Mm-hmm. Sure.”

After bragging for a moment, Mingming deflated again and muttered weakly, “But… what if the male lead actually likes the female lead this time?”

The system thought that would be a great outcome. “And why is that a problem?”

“What about me?”

“Make yourself an egg salad.”

Mingming: “…”

The system truly had no heart.

Unable to resist, Mingming asked the system where the male lead was now—she wanted to secretly go take a look. The system refused at first, but eventually caved under her relentless pleading.

He was in the neighboring city.

The neighboring city… wasn’t easy to get to.

She couldn’t tell Xiao Yunmu—sure, if she told him, he’d definitely take her, but she wouldn’t be able to slip away to find the male lead. Going with him would be pointless.

Sneaking there alone was even more impossible.

Ever since she hit puberty, Xiao Yunmu practically wanted to remove his own eyes and hang them around her neck so he could watch her 24/7. He was terrified someone would trick her away the moment she turned fourteen.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

But Mingming refused to give up. So she planned and planned. To lower Xiao Yunmu’s suspicions, she went three entire years of middle school without getting close to any boy, without dating anyone, making him believe she was pure-hearted now, fully reformed.

Finally, on the eve of the school’s collective field trip right before graduation exams, Mingming found her perfect chance to escape.

She told the school she wasn’t going. She told her brother she was going. Because it was a supervised school activity, Xiao Yunmu reluctantly agreed—she had to beg twice before he caved.

And with lies told to both sides, Mingming happily bought a ticket and slipped off to the neighboring city on her own.

“That’s the male lead???”

Mingming was dumbfounded.

The system had pointed her toward a boy who was dark-skinned, skinny, hunched, wearing glasses, with a gloomy expression.

This image had absolutely nothing to do with a male lead.

“Don’t judge by appearances… maybe he just hasn’t grown into his looks yet.”

“He’s in the third year of middle school. At this point, he’s probably not growing into anything.”

Mingming sadly realized the world might really be heading toward the original plot—a tragic one for her.

…She’d better enjoy handsome guys while she still could.

She might not get the chance later.

“Going back?”

“Yeah, let’s go. I’m disappointed. Should’ve just gone on the stupid field trip.”

As Mingming turned to leave, she bumped into a girl.

“Sorry, sorry—I didn’t see you.”

The girl apologized.

It was a tiny moment, gone in a blink, and both continued on their separate paths.

“Beichen, thanks for waiting.”

Lu Beichen looked at the girl in front of him and gently shook his head.

He glanced into the distance. “That girl who bumped into you earlier—something’s off about her.”

The girl froze. “What do you mean?”

“Before that… she kept staring at me.” His voice was calm and even.

The girl relaxed. “Oh, that’s all? Probably just another girl with a crush on you.”

Lu Beichen shook his head. “Never seen her before.”

At that moment, a furious shout came from the roadside:

“Shao Xinxī!”

The girl turned sharply. A well-dressed man in a suit was glaring at the girl who had bumped into her earlier. His eyes looked like he could devour someone—like he’d rushed over from somewhere in a panic.

Even through the anger, the worry and fear in his eyes were unmistakable.

The girl—Mingming—jumped in surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected him to show up. She froze for a second, then ignored his murderous stare, slipped her arm through his, and grinned as she whined, “I was wrong, I was wrong—Brother, just listen to me explain…”

The two walked farther away, still talking. Whatever she said, the man’s anger didn’t fully lift. He tapped her forehead in frustration—yet the gesture was gentle, without any real force.

Yin Muya stared blankly for a long moment before she snapped back.

“…Beichen… what’s that girl’s name?”

Lu Beichen spoke slowly and calmly, enunciating each syllable:

“Shao. Xin. Xi.”

“And the man beside her…”

Lu Beichen pulled out his phone, opened a search page, and showed her a photo and profile.

“The head of the Xiao Group—Xiao Yunmu.”

“If she’s Shao Xinxī… then who am I?” Yin Muya’s hands curled into tight fists as she stared at the pair disappearing into the distance. She felt like she was witnessing a joke at her expense.

“I thought I was the unacknowledged illegitimate daughter. Turns out I’m just someone who got replaced.”