Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Unknown background

Zhao Youyue could not deny it; she was almost going to hate this "Shi Jingnian." This was not a good sign. Under specific circumstances, hate could turn into love. She had this calm demeanor to uphold, treating everyone equally beneath her unyielding, serene gaze.

The opposite of love is not hate, but coldness. If you truly hate a person, it only shows that this person had really given you an indelible impression.

This guy was clearly capable of arousing girls' curiosity. Girls could not help but want to know more about him. Who knows, they might find out something extraordinary about him.

Unfortunately, this was useless against Zhao Youyue.

Zhao Youyue merely smiled, regaining her composure. She turned on her heel and left.

Shi Jingnian seemed unruffled about his failure to accost her. He only became more curious about Zhao Youyue.

When night fell, Zhao Hao suggested that the group head for a Karaoke session. Naturally, this was warmly received by the group, as by then, everyone more or less knew of Zhao Youyue's identity as the extremely popular female streamer, Ah Yu. On the internet, both her original compositions and her covers brimmed with popularity. She always trended on NetEase Music, to the extent that many fans hoped for an Ah Yu concert in the future.

If Zhao Youyue sang during the session, it would be another wave of blessing to hear her wonderful voice. Ding Yuncong was the most eager of the lot. He had even exchanged private contacts with Zhao Youyue, while being cheeky and asking Zhao Youyue to call him 'brother.' Zhao Youyue had courteously agreed to it, and this made Zhao Hao extremely jealous. How dare this Ding Yuncong steal his sister!

Ding Yuncong was most delighted. Obviously, he considered having a sister like Zhao Youyue to be the highest form of honor.

However, Zhao Youyue had expressed that she was a bit tired today. She intended to return to the hotel and rest earlier. Next time, perhaps.

Zhao Hao respected his sister's opinion. However, he was already lightly intoxicated. Therefore, he asked Zhang Wanjun to send Zhao Youyue back instead, as Zhang Wanjun was not the type who would join the likes of Zhao Hao, Ding Yuncong, and the others for some gallivanting. She had already saved Zhao Hao from humiliation by joining them for a feast.

Zhang Wanjun had no reason to refuse. After all, it would not take long to send Zhao Youyue back to The Peninsula Hotels[1]. It also happened to be, Ding Yuncong's permanent residence. Its monthly rental was 240,000 RMB.

Evidently, Zhao Hao considered The Peninsula Hotels to be worthy of his sister's identity. Besides, it was not an extended holiday. He would never be stingy when it comes to his sister.

As Zhang Wanjun had brought along Shi Jingnian and Lin Shiya to the feast, both of them would have to tag along.

Inside the car, Shi Jingnian was no longer fixated on his girlfriend. He treated all three girls in the car equally. Despite his repeated claims of being inarticulate, he had only proven himself to be otherwise. His methods of pleasing the opposite sex did not seem to end. It was effortless for him to narrow the distance between him and females.

He was clearly a playboy, from head to toe. But he seemed to be more than that. He never asked for any return from females. He did not yearn for money nor sex. He just wanted to treat girls nicely. Was this the so-called sentiment of 'having a tender heart towards women?'

Apparently, he considered putting in the effort for girls or beauties to be his greatest happiness and raison d'etre.

If Zhao Youyue still had any reservations for him, those reservations would give way to outright enmity. His actions were truly hypocritical and frivolous. No one understood how his girlfriend even put up with him.

However, after Zhao Youyue's sage mentality went online, she only submerged deeper into her private zen corner. She was no longer cold and miffled as she was during the dinner party. She responded to Shi Jingnian very normally, as if he did not bother her the least, with a smile on her face.

At that moment, Zhao Youyue was invulnerable.

Shi Jingnian and Lin Shiya alighted first. He blew his gentlemanly goodbyes to Zhang Wanjun and Zhao Youyue. He did not seem to hold any malicious intent. He appeared to be as forthcoming as one could be.

An awkward silence fell, with only the two of them left in the car. The atmosphere quickly died down. Zhang Wanjun took the initiative and turned to Zhao Youyue. "Xiao Yue, what do you think of Shi Jingnian?"

With a smile, Zhao Youyue replied, "He's an interesting person. He's good at making a girl happy."

It was a very objective statement. If Zhao Youyue had not been in her zen mode; she would have voiced out her hatred of that man, and her answer would have been entirely different.

Zhang Wanjun did not look too deeply into that statement. She was only afraid to hear Zhao Youyue having a positive view towards Shi Jingnian. Therefore, she started to uncover Shi Jingnian's unknown background.

"Shi Jingnian is an unpredictable person. He comes from a little-known rich family that had their success in real estate. He traveled throughout the world during his three years in high school, eating, drinking, playing. Later, he returned to Shanghai to study for one year in the twelfth grade. He paid to study at a certain private university, which could be compared to the aristocratic universities of old. But you know, private universities in our country are all academies. They can't be placed on the same table. His university is quite close to ours. As for his couple relationship with Lin Shiya, he did not put much effort into pursuing her, and before you knew it, they became an item. Maybe it's because they were junior high school classmates. He bought Lin Shiya a million dollar car, and Lin Shiya's classmates admired her so much for it. My other two female roommates admired her as well for having such a nice boyfriend, not only is he handsome and rich, but he's also very gentle and considerate."

"How about you, sister?" Zhao Youyue asked with a smile.

Zhang Wanjun almost let it slip that she did not like males. But she replied, "If I've not known of his gravest defect, I might have admired Lin Shiya as well."

"What defect?"

"He's not only nice to Lin Shiya. He enjoys being a busybody. He likes to help people. If the person is a beautiful girl with a good character, he would be so motivated, like a man possessed. He simply can't wait to do anything for the girl. He would treat all girls like that equally nicely. Yet, he would not ask for anything in return. It seems to be his meaning of life. Therefore, in addition to his girlfriend, he also has many female friends. Some have left him painfully after they've seen through his nature, and would search for other guys. Only two remain with him. They've even called each other sisters, along with Lin Shiya. He would always bring along these three beautiful girls outside for meals and fun when he's free."

Zhao Youyue was thoroughly shocked when she realized the extent of his obsession. Was this Shi Jingnian a Harem Arts male protagonist?

Did such a thing even exist?

Still, compared to those male protagonists who guarded their girls with a fierce jealousy, he seemed particularly open-minded. He did not mind being 'cuckolded' at all. Girls could follow him if they wanted. Once they clearly see his nature, which he had no intention of hiding at all, they could just leave if they wanted. He would never force them into anything.

Was he some sort of aristocratic, non-sexual tomcat? He was simply too much!

However, an overly nice guy like him, seemed to put girls at ease, as he never lied to them.

"Lin Shiya is a talented girl in our school. She's very famous. She has published many best sellers. Her pen name is 'Ya Jing.' She became rather famous after getting together with Shi Jingnian. I won't jump to conclusion, but this Shi Jingnian is truly not as simple as he seems. Despite all that, he isn't willing to become famous. He just wants to stay around beauties."

By the time Zhang Wanjun was finished, her car had almost reached the hotel. Zhao Youyue asked Zhang Wanjun like a spoiled child, to stay with her. Zhang Wanjun could not decline. Besides, she seldom stayed in the top class luxurious suites of The Peninsula Hotels. It was quite a waste for only one person to stay in the suite.

When the two of them got down the car and were taking their luggage, they found that Lin Shiya's bag had been left in the trunk. It seemed to contain books and notepads.

Translation Note:

[1] The Peninsula Hotels - The Peninsula Hotels is the oldest existing hotel in Hong Kong. It is one of the most luxurious and famous hotels in Hong Kong, even in the world. There are Peninsula hotels in nine countries, including Hong Kong, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Manila, and Shanghai.