Chapter 113: Would You Like to Cut the Cake with Me?
Princess Ruoxin offered a half-hearted birthday wish, which Shen Lan accepted without any resentment, warmly inviting her and Li Zexing inside.
Their arrival clearly livened up the atmosphere inside.
No one had expected the Shen Family to be able to invite someone from the Royal Family.
Mr. and Mrs. Shen hurried over to greet them, exchanging carefully worded pleasantries. As for Shen Lan’s thank-you speech, it was naturally canceled.
However, Shen Lan’s talent showcase was still on.
"Shen Lan is more capable than I thought," Bai Wanwan said, looking at Shen Lan in a new light. "She actually managed to invite Li Zexing and Princess Ruoxin."
Shen Lu observed the pair who had become the center of attention from a distance. Li Zexing was the actor who played Dog Hero in the recent blockbuster movie. Perhaps to stay in character, he wore a silver Biting Inhibitor on his face.
Though it was called a Biting Inhibitor, it was more of a fashion accessory. It looked a bit unconventional, but he was handsome enough to pull it off. Not only did it not detract from his good looks, but it also added a unique, restrained appeal.
The young woman beside him was the Royal Family’s Fourth Princess, Princess Ruoxin, the Eldest Prince’s full sister.
The original owner of this body wasn’t familiar with either of them, but Shen Lu was different. She knew them.
However, her knowledge was based on the novel’s plot.
Li Zexing, like Xue Can, was male supporting character number three, while Princess Ruoxin was a female supporting character.
Recalling their respective plotlines, Shen Lu let out a soft sigh.
’These two don’t have good endings. Li Zexing loses his life to save the female lead. Because of that, Princess Ruoxin comes to hate her and wants her to pay with her life. There’s constant conflict between them, and it all ends with the Eldest Prince righteously bringing his own sister to justice.’
’Speaking of which, I’ve already met two male supporting characters and one female supporting character. So where is the female lead right now?’
Shen Lu calculated the timeline. ’Right, the main plot hasn’t officially started yet. This is all still the prologue. As a fellow transmigrator, the female lead should still be in her original world at this point.’
’It’s so much better to be the female lead.’
’The female lead’s spatial ability came with a ton of freebies as soon as it awakened. As long as she keeps increasing her reputation value, the space continuously upgrades. It doesn’t just store items; later on, it develops other functions too.’
[Host, our Super Delicious Popular Cooking System is great too! With later upgrades, we can also provide better services.]
Shen Lu replied, "Like what? Sending me back to my original world?"
[..., That is not within our range of capabilities.]
Shen Lu: "Then there’s nothing to talk about."
When the piece ended, Shen Lan took a bow, looking very pleased with herself. The guests below politely gave a round of applause.
Princess Ruoxin was even more relieved. ’That was elementary school-level piano playing. She’s no match for me at all.’
During the singing of the birthday song and the cutting of the cake, Shen Lan finally started to stir up trouble.
"As everyone knows, I was switched at birth with another girl. Thankfully, the truth later came to light, and I was able to return to the Shen Family."
"Although we’ve had some unpleasantness between us, I still want to receive everyone’s blessings together with her."
She located Shen Lu standing at the very edge of the crowd with pinpoint accuracy and extended a hand toward her.
"Shen Lu, today isn’t just my birthday; it’s your birthday too. Would you be willing to cut the cake with me?"
Everyone’s attention instantly focused on Shen Lu. Dressed in a little black dress, Shen Lu’s expression was placid, her glass-like eyes watching Shen Lan quietly, as if completely unmoved by her words.
This was exactly the effect Shen Lan wanted. Although Shen Lu’s outfit today had exceeded her expectations—she had thought she would dress in some unpresentable way, but she actually looked quite decent.
At this thought, Shen Lan couldn’t help but shoot a quick glare at Bai Wanwan.
’I have no idea what’s gotten into Bai Wanwan. I’d heard that she and Shen Lu couldn’t stand the sight of each other and were rivals.’
’Now that Shen Lu has been kicked out of the Shen Family, she’s completely changed her tune and has gotten friendly with her.’
’I heard Shen Lu came with Bai Wanwan today, so her dress must have been provided by her too.’
Just when everyone thought Shen Lu would refuse, the young woman chuckled lightly. "May I? I’d be more than willing."
Shen Lu walked to Shen Lan’s side and grasped the long cake knife with her.
Together, they raised their arms and cut into the large, five-tiered cake.
The cake sponge was baked well, soft and fluffy, and cut through with just a little pressure. Just as Shen Lu was about to pull her arm back, someone tripped her.
She stumbled slightly in Shen Lan’s direction but quickly regained her balance.
But Shen Lan acted as if she had been shoved hard by Shen Lu, crying out as she fell and taking the five-tiered cake down with her.
"Oh my god!"
The crowd cried out in alarm. Those with superpowers all acted at once. Someone stopped the large cake from hitting the floor, while someone else stabilized Shen Lan’s body, preventing her from falling.
But the cake was now a cratered mess, having lost its previously delicious appearance.
Shen Lan’s eyes reddened as Mrs. Shen pulled her into an embrace.
Shen Yi, unable to contain his rage, swung a slap at her.
"We never should have invited you, Shen Lu! You’ll never change!"
Shen Lu hadn’t intended to dodge, but then she remembered she had other things to do later. She couldn’t waste her thrice-daily "100% damage reflection" privilege on this. So, she stepped back, avoiding Shen Yi’s slap.
Shen Yi hadn’t expected Shen Lu to dodge. Using too much force, he nearly sent himself stumbling. Someone had to steady him before he could regain his footing.
"Shen Lu!"
Shen Lu covered her ears, a little exasperated. "You don’t have to be so loud. I’m not deaf. I can hear you."
"Shen Lu, you’ve gone too far!" Mrs. Shen pointed at her, her voice full of righteous indignation. "Xiao Lan has a kind heart. She held no grudges, invited you to the birthday party, and even asked you to cut the cake with her. How could you do something like this?!"
Mr. Shen barked, "Apologize to Xiao Lan at once!"
A few of the female classmates Shen Lan had carefully won over also began to denounce her. "I told Shen Lan not to invite Shen Lu. She’s so narrow-minded and has a bad temper. I knew she’d cause trouble. See? I was right."
"Shen Lu, even if you want to blame someone, you can’t blame Shen Lan! After all, you got to be the family’s young miss in her place for so many years. Otherwise, you’d just be in the slums of the Lower City District, surviving by picking through trash!"
"The thought that I was in the same class as her for so many years just makes my skin crawl."
"Lowlifes from the Lower City District are just vile by nature."
"Apologize now and get out of here!"
The murmurs and accusations closed in on Shen Lu like a giant net.
It suddenly dawned on Shen Lu.
’So this was Shen Lan’s purpose for inviting me to the birthday party?’
If it were the original owner of this body, she would have angrily retorted, trying to prove her innocence to the Shen Family and explain to her former classmates that she hadn’t done anything.
The original owner wasn’t a bad person at heart, just a bit too competitive and prone to putting on airs. But ultimately, she was just a naive seventeen-year-old girl who craved attention and wanted to prove her own excellence.
Unfortunately for them, the soul inside this body now was Shen Lu.
Seeing Shen Lu being ganged up on, Bai Wanwan couldn’t bear to watch.
Her gut told her that Shen Lu wouldn’t do something like this.
Bai Wanwan said, "Shouldn’t we at least hear Shen Lu’s explanation? Perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding?"