Chapter 1 My Girlfriend is a "Green Tea"?

“Hurry up, hurry up! Are you ready yet?”

A flurry of urging voices echoed in Su Chen’s ear. He opened his eyes, propping himself up from the sofa with his arm. A short, baby-faced young man was running toward him from the doorway, his expression anxious.

“Hey, do you realize what time it is? And you’re still lounging around here as if nothing’s happening!”

“It’s almost your turn to go on! Why aren’t you getting ready backstage?”

“I really don’t know what Senior Xi was thinking, letting you take her place on stage!”

“I’m warning you, you’d better perform well. Don’t mess this up, or none of us will have it easy!”

Su Chen listened to the baby-faced young man’s incessant chatter, his mind still sluggish and slow to react.

What’s going on?

He was just burning the midnight oil writing a script for a show, and had only dozed off on his desk for a little while. How did he open his eyes to find himself in this unfamiliar place?

He glanced around. This seemed to be the backstage area of a performance. And judging by the young man’s words, he was being sent on as a last-minute replacement.

Was this a dream? But it felt far too real.

Had he traveled to another world?

A wild thought flashed through Su Chen’s mind. As if to confirm it, fragments of memory surged into him like a tide.

The flood of information made his head throb so painfully he couldn’t help but raise a hand to his forehead.

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?” The baby-faced young man waved his hand in front of Su Chen’s face, growing angry.

“This performance at the graduation gala is really important. Senior Xi was supposed to be the grand finale, and we let the word out ahead of time, so a ton of her fans are here.”

“Now that she’s appointed you to take her place, you’d better live up to expectations.”

“Otherwise—”

“Can you just shut up for a moment?” Su Chen cut him off, impatience in his tone. This person was Liu Liang, a minor leader in the student council and one of the organizers of this year’s graduation gala. Handling these matters was his responsibility, but ever since Su Chen had woken up, Liu Liang had been buzzing round like a fly—truly irritating.

Liu Liang hadn’t expected Su Chen to interrupt him. He paused, clearly realizing now wasn’t the time to argue, and simply muttered, “Hmph! Just keep this in mind. If you screw up, I can’t do anything to you, but who knows if the school will let you off—or her fans!”

Su Chen nodded and said no more. In the time just passed, he’d already digested most of the memories.

This was Blue Star, a parallel world remarkably similar to Earth, with nearly identical history. The difference was that the entire entertainment industry here lagged far behind, and creative works were all over the map in quality.

His appearance here was due to the original Su Chen’s heart giving out from excitement after not performing for a long time—an opening for Su Chen to slip in.

As for Senior Sister Xi that Liu Liang mentioned—once the campus belle, now a popular second-tier idol singer—she was actually Su Chen’s secret girlfriend?

“But this girlfriend seems to be a classic manipulator,” Su Chen thought, frowning.

Their school was Jiangcheng Academy of Arts—not the most famous arts college in the country, but certainly top of the line locally.

As soon as Su Chen enrolled, his looks and talent landed him a contract with an entertainment company. He was the center of attention.

At the time, Xi Siyuan was just a regular sophomore.

Later, Xi Siyuan stood out among Su Chen’s many admirers and successfully won him over. Their romance was sweet at first; she spared no effort to please him, and he cherished her deeply.

But then disaster struck. Su Chen fell from grace, and his girlfriend’s attitude changed overnight.

Once the roles reversed, warmth turned to cold indifference.

She never said the word “breakup,” but her every action made it clear—You’re not good enough for me.

Emotional neglect.

They hadn’t seen each other for months, and even this time, she’d only asked him to substitute for her at the last minute via a messaging app.

“Tonight’s graduation gala will be attended by quite a few talent scouts. The last slot—take my place and sing ‘Sunflower Blooming.’”

“But—”

“Don’t worry, you can handle it. Make the most of this opportunity!”

That was the entire chat record about this impromptu stand-in.

Scrolling further up, it was just the typical fawning messages of a besotted fool.

“Babe, have you been busy lately? Be sure to get some rest!”

“Mhm.”

“Babe, I listened to your new single. It’s amazing~”

“Thanks.”

“Babe, the forecast says it’ll get cold soon. Take care and stay warm~”

“Okay.”

“…”

Three months ago:

“[Picture] Breaking news! Idol singer Xi Siyuan spotted vacationing in Paris with a mystery man—six days, five nights!”

“Babe, what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing. Just work. Don’t overthink it.”

“Then why stay at the same hotel?”

“[Frown] We were in different rooms!”

“Oh.”

Six months ago:

“[Picture] Big scandal! Rumor has it a famous singer is the other woman in a director’s marriage?”

“Babe, is this true?”

“Do you think I’m that kind of person?”

“No!”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then there you go.”

A year ago:

“[Picture] Famous singer and songwriter spotted at a bar late at night, fingers entwined!”

“Babe, who is he?”

“He’s a songwriter. He wrote a great track for me.”

“But isn’t that a bit too intimate?”

“It can’t be helped. In this industry, we singers have to play along with the composers.”

“How about the song I wrote for you last time?”

“Um… our director threw it out.”

“[Embarrassed]”

Three years ago:

“Babe, why did you sign with Dynasty Entertainment?”

“Yeah! [Happy] They said my voice is unique and want to make me an idol singer!”

“But… [Frown] They’re our rivals!”

“Don’t say it like that! It’s just a normal contract dispute.”

“[Sigh]”

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be on your side!”

What a naive fool.

What a master manipulator.

A match made in heaven.

Always stringing him along, never breaking up herself—just waiting for him to do it.

Tonight’s song, “Sunflower Blooming,” demanded exquisite vocal control. But after that incident three years ago, Su Chen’s voice was nearly ruined. For him to sing this song was a recipe for disaster—she couldn’t not know that.

Yet she insisted he sing it, calling it “a chance to shine.”

Always looking for a way to put him down.

Only the former Su Chen, ever hopeful, would accept such treatment without complaint.

Should he give this manipulator a taste of her own medicine and win back a little dignity for his predecessor? After a moment’s thought, Su Chen made up his mind.

From the school auditorium came waves of thunderous applause. The previous performer had finished, and the next act was already on stage. Su Chen’s turn was up.

He rose and strode toward the door.