The Green-Haired Dilemma and a Delicious Turn

The bathroom and bedroom were connected.

Jian Ye remembered he still had to go downstairs to deal with Butler Zhang. He pulled open the wardrobe, intending to choose some comfortable loungewear.

To his dismay, the flamboyant sight inside the wardrobe assaulted his eyes.

‘This deep V-neck practically plunged to his stomach, didn’t it?’

‘Wouldn’t these incredibly small leopard print leggings constrict his precious parts?’

‘And these briefs… why did they have lace trim?’

With a sharp thud, Jian Ye forcefully slammed the wardrobe shut.

[Jian Ye: System, are you sure the original host was a green tea type? Not a— (censored) beep—beep!]

[System 748: Detected prohibited words, censored.]

[Jian Ye: ???]

[System 748: This system is equipped with a green and healthy purifier. Host, please choose your words carefully.]

[Jian Ye: …]

Jian Ye was left speechless by the system’s retort. After a few seconds, he huffily reopened the wardrobe.

He couldn’t possibly go downstairs wrapped only in a bath towel, could he?

‘Wait, maybe the original host actually did that.’

Staring at the original host’s outrageously provocative clothes, Jian Ye could imagine how stimulating the sight would be if they were worn out.

No wonder both protagonists and side characters alike looked down on, even loathed, the original host.

If these clothes were worn out, who wouldn’t think the wearer was trying to seduce someone? Just from their appearance, they would be perceived as indecent.

Jian Ye sifted through the collection, finally finding the only normal silk pajama set.

Though it was a rather garish pink.

He would make do for now. Tomorrow, he vowed to completely overhaul the wardrobe!

After changing, Jian Ye stood before the full-length mirror in the bedroom.

The bathroom had been hazy with steam, and its mirror naturally fogged over. He hadn’t had a chance to properly look at the original host’s face yet.

Upon seeing it, he was so astonished he felt as if he could stuff an egg into his gaping mouth.

The slender young man in the mirror had well-proportioned features, almost identical to Jian Ye’s original appearance.

A pair of obsidian-like starry eyes, glistening with a hint of innocence, coupled with skin so fair it looked as if it had been airbrushed to level ten, truly made him a handsome youth.

But!

It was all ruined by that shocking head of green hair!

Jian Ye’s hair had a slight natural curl, and dyed green, it was indistinguishable from river weeds.

Staring at his reflection, Jian Ye almost began to recite:

[The green weeds on the soft mud,

Swaying luxuriantly beneath the water;

In the gentle ripples of the River Cam,

I willingly become a water weed!]

[…]

[Even summer insects fall silent for me,

Silence is Jian Ye tonight.]

‘Oh my god!’

Jian Ye clutched his head in despair, even tugging at his ‘green water weeds’ a few times.

[Jian Ye: System, does the author have some misunderstanding about green tea types? Does dyeing one’s hair green prove they’re a green tea? This is just forcing a character setting! It’s toxic!]

[System 748: That’s because you haven’t seen the contact lenses on his desk.]

[Jian Ye: What about contact lenses?]

[System 748: They are all green tea-colored contact lenses. The original host wears them every time they go out.]

[Jian Ye: …]

Appreciating that the system would join him in complaining about this novel’s world-building, Jian Ye added a few more remarks.

[Jian Ye: Green tea-colored contact lenses are absolutely pathetic compared to this glowing green hair, aren’t they?]

[System 748: What about leopard print leggings compared to green hair? Which would you choose?]

[Jian Ye: I choose… neither! Is there any comparison between the two? One is flashier than the other!]

Only after answering did he realize the system was actually asking questions, as if deliberately setting a trap for him.

[System 748: There’s nothing to be done. He thinks it’s fashion.]

Jian Ye understood that ‘he’ referred to the original host, but then he wondered: wasn’t this book written by an author?

Were the original host’s thoughts controlled by the author, or…

[System 748: When authors create, they establish character frameworks. The character itself then possesses independent consciousness within the world. If it weren’t so, why would the original Jian Ye have fled?]

[Jian Ye: I get it! The original host must have also been fed up with the green tea setting the author gave them, which is why they ran away!]

[System 748: But their decision to dye their hair green and wear leopard print leggings was not controlled by the author.]

[Jian Ye: …]

In other words, the original host genuinely liked this style of dress.

Jian Ye was speechless.

Then another question occurred to him.

[Jian Ye: So, if I change out of this ‘equipment,’ would it count as breaking character?]

[System 748: As long as you do not break the green tea setting created by the author, the original host’s other hobbies and personality can be adjusted within a certain range.]

Excellent! There was still hope!

This meant that as long as his outward words and actions maintained the green tea persona, he could decide what he did internally.

It was much like acting; as long as he didn’t expose himself in front of others, it would be fine.

When Jian Ye came down from the second-floor bedroom, he found no servants in sight.

As he reached the dining room, he caught a whiff of something burnt.

The several plates of dark, slime-like dishes on the dining table made Jian Ye’s heart seize up.

Looking up, Butler Zhang’s figure in the kitchen appeared somewhat disheveled and worn.

Jian Ye: …

‘There isn’t even a cook in the villa? Didn’t he say dinner was ready? What’s going on with Butler Zhang cooking himself?’

In the brief moment he was stunned, Butler Zhang had already brought out the last dish.

He smoothly began to weave a story: “Young Master, I reheated the earlier cold dishes, and it seems I might have overdone it a little.”

Jian Ye stared at the ‘overdone’ food, painstakingly picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite.

He put them down a second later and walked into the kitchen.

“Eh! Young Master! What do you need? I’ll help you!”

Butler Zhang saw Jian Ye’s displeased expression, thinking his little trick had been exposed. He was about to offer a sincere apology.

Instead, he watched as his young master deftly tied on an apron and turned on the stove.

He washed the wok, poured oil, added vegetables, tossed them, stir-fried, and then plated them.

Each movement was incredibly fluid, leaving Butler Zhang wide-eyed.

‘When did our useless young master learn to cook? I’m only just finding out today.’

Half an hour later, three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table. Butler Zhang swallowed, momentarily unsure what to say.

He had initially thought Jian Ye was merely acting on a whim, putting on a show, but the irresistible aroma moved even his own taste buds.

It seemed this wasn’t just a casual attempt; the food’s taste was bound to be exceptional.

Given the situation, Jian Ye understood everything with a moment’s thought.

Considering the original host’s disfavored status in the Jian family, this Butler Zhang was likely a master of feigned obedience.

Claiming dinner was prepared, when in reality, it wasn’t.

‘He probably dared to say that because he thought I wouldn’t come down to eat at all, didn’t he?’

But as a qualified green tea, he absolutely couldn’t get angry with Butler Zhang at this moment.

“Uncle Zhang, I’ve recently developed an interest in cooking. This is my first time in the kitchen. Would you like to taste it and see how it is?”

Butler Zhang: “This…”

‘This is the result of a first-time cook?! Young Master, I believe—I believe your ghost!’

Yet, his hands moved honestly, picking up chopsticks and taking a bite. The fresh, savory taste immediately spread throughout his mouth.

Butler Zhang’s eyes brightened dramatically: “Young Master! The taste is absolutely superb!”

Jian Ye smiled inwardly. In his former world, he had been self-reliant since childhood, and cooking was second nature to him.

Having cooked for so many years, he naturally had some experience.

While not on par with a five-star chef, his dishes could rival those from small restaurants.

The villa Jian Ye now inhabited had been left by the original host’s deceased parents. Butler Zhang, however, had been sent by the Jian family’s main residence to monitor and mislead the original host.

Speaking of the Jian family, none of the uncles, aunts, or cousins there were easy to deal with.

Each of them wished for Jian Ye to remain useless, incapable of contending for the Jian family’s assets in the future.

Since his parents’ car accident a year ago, the original host had suffered emotional trauma.

This trauma persisted until half a year ago when he started university and was ‘rescued’ by a scumbag named Yu Wei.

Perhaps due to a deep lack of love after losing his parents, the original host, receiving even a sliver of care and comfort from the scumbag, fell irrevocably in love.

Then, just a week prior, the scumbag grew tired of the game and dumped the original host.

Not only that, the Jian family also informed the original host to prepare for a political marriage with the Yi family.

This double blow utterly shattered the original host’s resolve, plunging him into despair.

This led to foolish plans like going on a hunger strike and attempting suicide in the bathroom.

With no one trustworthy by his side, and under the protagonist’s halo in this novel world, Jian Ye, as cannon fodder, would find his path fraught with difficulties.

Jian Ye needed to change his ‘everyone despises him’ situation.

Since they were all just paper characters anyway, he’d treat it like a game, conquering them one by one.

Right now, Jian Ye watched Butler Zhang, whose heart swelled with emotion after eating his cooking. His lips curled almost imperceptibly, then quickly returned to normal.

“Uncle Zhang, come and eat with me. I see there’s plenty of rice in the cooker.”

The young man looked at him with sincere, wide eyes.

Butler Zhang hadn’t expected to be invited to eat with the young master. He was now quite unsure of this useless young master’s intentions.

In the past, Jian Ye wore all his emotions on his sleeve: his heartbreak was genuine, his affected behavior was genuine, and his indolence was also genuine.

But today’s nimble cooking made Butler Zhang question certain things.

It seemed… the young master of the Jian family before him wasn’t as useless as he’d imagined.

After all, who would have thought a young master who never lifted a finger could prepare such a delicious meal?

Jian Ye insisted, and Butler Zhang couldn’t refuse. He hadn’t eaten much at noon and was currently hungry, but in front of his master, he dared not be too presumptuous, so he sat upright and ate in small bites.

“Uncle Zhang, don’t just eat rice. Here, have some spare ribs!” Jian Ye greeted him with a smile. His fair face appeared even more innocent and beautiful under the soft dining room lights.

“Thank you, Young Master. You eat more too. Today’s incident is my fault. I sent the kitchen staff home, and my cooking isn’t good, so I made you cook yourself…”

When one eats another’s food, one’s words soften. It had been many years since Butler Zhang had shared a simple yet delicious home-cooked meal with someone.

Now, looking at the refined features and clear eyes of Jian Ye, he couldn’t help but feel a touch of affection for the younger man.

After all, the young master was also a pitiable child, just eighteen this year, yet his parents had departed so early.

Despite this, the Jian family still sent him to monitor the young master, worried he might covet the family’s assets.

“Uncle Zhang, don’t say that. Actually… I know everything.”

Jian Ye’s expression suddenly turned forlorn, his eyelashes lowered, making him look like a fragile doll.

“Grandpa and them don’t like me, so they sent you to watch over me.”

Butler Zhang felt a pang of guilt: “Young Master, I…”

“Uncle Zhang, I don’t blame you. You’re just doing your job for money. Those are their thoughts, not yours. They think I’m useless, but you certainly don’t think so, right?”

Butler Zhang: “…”

He dared not answer that.

“I’m actually quite grateful they sent you to look after me. If even Uncle Zhang didn’t come, this huge villa would be left with just me alone.”

The young man’s voice grew softer and softer, and by the end, it carried a faint hoarseness.

“Ever since Mom and Dad left, you’ve been the closest person to me in this house. Even though you’ve only been here for less than a year, Uncle Zhang, I’ve long considered you family.”

“…”

“Uncle Zhang, I’ll cook delicious food for you every day from now on. Can you stay here forever?”

These words warmed Butler Zhang’s eyes. It must be said that some shared human emotions could truly pierce the heart.

Jian Ye’s eyes held both a plea and a hint of timidity, fearing the other person might refuse.

In that moment, Butler Zhang suddenly felt how shameful his past actions of secretly belittling a child had been.

Clearly, the young master was such a sincere, kind person, yearning for family affection.

Butler Zhang gripped his chopsticks, as if making a certain decision. He looked up and said, “Young Master, regarding past matters, I apologize to you. From now on, I will only follow your arrangements.”

YES!

The emotional card combined with the lure of good food truly did not disappoint!