Queen of Green Tea

I was a master in the art of seduction, a professional femme fatale. Now, I was a green tea side character in a novel, destined to be cyberbullied to death.

The Kingston University gossip forum was plastered with a photo of me and the male lead, Alexander.

[Heard Alex has a crush on someone. Dont tell me its her?]

[Get ready to watch Cinderella marry into the Sterling family fortune, folks.]

The girl fueling the speculation in the comments was my own roommate, Isabelle. She smiled sweetly at me. "You should totally just confess to him. Its not like he has a girlfriend."

A line of text, visible only to me, scrolled past my vision: [The male lead doesn't have a girlfriend, but he has a fiance!]

[The female lead is so kind! She knows the side character has a crush on the male lead, so shes hiding her identity as his fiance.]

[Side character, stop dreaming. The male lead only has eyes for his roommate.]

[As soon as this clown confesses tonight, the male lead will officially announce the female lead as his girl.]

A slow smile spread across my lips. I logged into a new account and posted a selfie, careful to keep my face hidden.

The caption read: [My best friend keeps pushing me to confess to her childhood sweetheart. What should I do?]

1.

Since the photo was tagged with a Kingston University IP address, it quickly circulated among the student body. The comments started rolling in:

[You into him?]

[Damn, that figure. I'm in love. Is your friend playing matchmaker? Trying to keep the good stuff in the family?]

[Is he hot?]

I replied to each one.

To the first: [A little.]

To the second: [Maybe. Shes always pushing us together, dragging me to every event.]

To the third: [Hes gorgeous. But our families were not exactly in the same league.]

The replies turned into a chorus of good-natured teasing. [We all got into Kingston, who cares about family background? Unless hes someone like Alexander Sterling, then yeah, maybe you should worry a little.]

[Worry about what? Go for it, girl! Even if you break up, you might walk away with a multi-million dollar breakup check.]

I liked every single one of their comments.

The invisible text feed in my mind went wild.

[Does she really think a thirst trap will seduce the male lead? Dream on. He only follows Isabelle.]

[This post is so green tea. Thank God the male lead wont see it, or he might misunderstand the female lead.]

This text feedthis constant stream of commentary on my lifewas actually quite useful. It gave me a ton of inside information.

A sly grin touched my lips. I might not know the male leads account handle, but I knew my roommate Isabelles. I tapped into her profile and went straight to her following list. She only followed 36 people.

[LOL, is she seriously trying to find his account? Pathetic.]

[Give it up. You'll never find it.]

I scanned the list, eliminating one by one, until my eyes landed on a profile with a single follower: momo. It was the only account that followed Isabelle exclusively and had a local IP address that never changed.

I hit follow.

The text feed exploded.

[WHAT THE HELL! You devious witch!]

[How did she find it?!]

Alexander's account was a ghost town. Besides a few close friends from his inner circle, no one knew momo belonged to him. When a notification for a new follower popped up, he frowned slightly.

A Cup of Green Tea?

Who was that? Shrugging it off, he closed his phone, figuring it was just a misclick.

The text feed was gloating.

[The male lead didnt even bother clicking on her profile.]

[That little green tea bitch. Her username fits her perfectly.]

[This story is a slow-burn romance between childhood friends. The male lead is a man of honor; once they're married, hell be completely devoted to the female lead. The side characters looks wont matter.]

[The female lead thinks the male lead is cold to her and doubts his love. But later, when she sees him brutally reject the beautiful side characters confession, all her insecurities will vanish.]

[The clownish side character is nothing but a litmus test for their love.]

I glanced at my bank account. Before Id been transported into this world, Isabelle had convinced me to buy a dress for $20,000. Shed insisted I needed a "battle robe" for my big confession, claiming no one in their circle would be caught dead in cheap, off-the-rack clothes. Driven by a desperate need to fit in, the original owner of this body had gritted her teeth and bought an absurdly tacky, out-of-season designer gown.

Now my balance was zero, and my credit card was maxed out.

I stared at the empty account, my expression cold, and without a moments hesitation, listed the dress for sale online.

Rule number one of my playbook: Never spend a dime of your own money on a man.

2.

Isabelles social media was a masterclass in cultivating the perfect heiress persona. Her posts painted a picture of a flawless fianc: handsome, wildly rich, and utterly devoted. Whatever she wanted, he provided in a heartbeat. Because their engagement was a recent, private family arrangement, she never revealed their identities. Instead, shed frequently reward her most enthusiastic "shipper" fans with gifts in the comments. Her sappy, romanticized stories about their relationship regularly racked up tens of thousands of likes.

Her account hadn't always been so popular. It blew up after she posted about the "engagement gift" from her fianca penthouse in the city's most exclusive high-rise.

I left a comment under the post: [Im living for this! Your fianc is so good to you, sis. I wish I could land a guy like that. Whats his type?]

Isabelle loved when her fans gushed over her relationship, but my comment made her frown.

She replied: [He has very high standards. He prefers girls who are accomplished in the arts, and they have to be brilliant, of course. You have no idea how hard I had to work just to get him to notice me.]

Then, she liked another comment just below mine.

[The most important thing is being from the same world.]

Her followers went crazy in the replies.

[An heiress who gave up studying abroad to get into Kingston for love!]

[The vibrant, beautiful socialite vs. the cool, aloof childhood sweetheart!]

[He just had to turn around to see she was always there waiting for him.]

[It all paid off! After the engagement, his attitude completely changed. He used to be so distant, but now he gives her anything she desires.]

[Her mans family is loaded, and hes already starting his own company in college. What a go-getter. Meanwhile, I'm just trying to get through the semester.]

As the only one who knew the real story, I knew their actual romance didnt start until after my character was written out of the picture. Theirs was a "marriage of convenience turned true love" plot. Right now, Alexander was only being attentive because of their families' arrangement.

Tsk. These two were using the original girl as a pawn.

3.

A smirk played on my lips as I uploaded a new video to my profile: me, playing the piano. A top-tier seductress had to be well-versed in the arts of the upper class. Piano, equestrianismId mastered them all.

I replied to Isabelles comment: [I have lots of talents! And I'm learning new things every day~ All for the guy I'm crushing on.]

My comment reeked of "green tea" one-upmanship, and plenty of people clicked on my profile out of curiosity.

They filled my replies with sarcastic comments: [What a coincidence, A Cup of Green Tea is a Kingston beauty too.]

[I bet she just tagged the university IP. Show us your student ID if its real.]

I ignored them. It didnt take long for actual Kingston students to recognize the background of my first selfie as a campus dorm.

The most-liked post on my page was still the faceless selfie with the caption: [So conflicted. My friend keeps pushing me to confess to her childhood sweetheart. What should I do?]

Isabelle would never connect me to her timid, gullible little roommate. The original girl was utterly talentless. Not long ago, Isabelle had dragged her to a birthday party and pushed her to play the piano to get Alexanders attention. The poor girl had stumbled through a cringey rendition of "Happy Birthday," earning snickers from Isabelles friends until Alexander had stepped in to save her from further embarrassment.

That was the moment the original girl had fallen for him. She had no idea her own roommate was his fiance and, goaded by Isabelle, was about to walk into the most humiliating confession of all time. Alexander would announce his engagement on the spot, leaving her a laughingstock in front of the entire school.

Afterward, the female lead, Isabelle, would write a viral post about her "insecure" but "beautiful" roommate, framing it as a tragic tale of unrequited love. This would paint the original girl as a scheming, social-climbing witch, and the resulting wave of cyberbullying would drive her to her death.

The text feed flickered: [This side character is so manipulative. Is she just trying to get attention?]

[It doesn't matter. After Alex rejects her tonight, she won't be a problem anymore.]

Isabelle was about to message Alex when she noticed his follower count had ticked up by one. Suppressing a surge of irritation, she clicked on my profile. As she scrolled through my posts, a flicker of annoyance crossed her face. The silhouette in the photos felt disturbingly familiar.

And my strategy for building a following was almost identical to hers: a mix of showcasing talents and vague posts about a secret crush.

She knew Alexs private account was a closely guarded secret, shared only with a few of their friendsa fact shed flaunted in their group chat. She figured I must be some other heiress whod caught wind of it.

So, she went directly to my photo and tagged Alexander. [@momo, nice body. Your type?]

Alexs gaze lingered on the screen for a second, the photo flashing past his eyes.

"Boring" he typed back.

Isabelle saw his reply and laughed out loud, quickly sharing the exchange with their circle as a joke.

The text feed lit up: [LMAO, he saw her carefully curated photo and just replied boring.]

[All that effort for nothing. So pathetic.]

[She's just a clown. Without her confession, Alex probably wouldn't have even agreed to make his engagement to Isabelle public.]

[Hes still secretly developing his game, Mythic Realms, behind his family's back. Its in beta right now, and he doesnt want any drama.]

[Theyll fall in love after theyre married~ The male lead isnt frigid at all. Once theyre together, hell drive the female lead crazy in bed.]

[His family is super old-fashioned. They hate that hes into gaming. His childhood sweetheart will be the only one who understands him.]

[His game will become a massive hit, a national sensation. The first streamers who played it will make tens of millions.]

I absorbed the information from the feed. A few days ago, I had already applied for the closed beta of Mythic Realms. Isabelle didnt even know the game existed yet. This was the perfect way in.

4.

I chose my in-game ID: A Cup of Green Tea. A smirk touched my lips as I multitasked, sending a message to Alex while grinding levels in the game.

According to the novel, the male side character, Noah, was also in this beta. He was Alexs roommate and ran in the same circles. He was the one who, after reading Isabelles sob story, had been the most vicious online, convinced the original girl was a homewrecker.

Stupid, reckless, and self-righteous. The perfect tool.

I spotted Noah, sent him a party invite, and then, at the very last second, kill-stole his mob. I switched on my mic and cooed, "Thanks, sweetie."

Noahs hands fumbled on his keyboard, his triumphant grin freezing on his face.

Meanwhile, Alexs phone buzzed with a message from his best friend: [Dude, some chick in a voice changer just stole my kill! My server-first achievement is gone!]

[Im so pissed! This A Cup of Green Tea is at the top of the leaderboard now! So shameless!]

The text feed chimed in: [The side characters tactics are so cheap! Who kill-steals like that?]

[She's obviously trying to get the male sidekicks attention. Forget it, he only likes sweet, innocent girls.]

After following Alex, I had sent him only one message: [Thanks for sticking up for me the other day, Alex~ Can I treat you to dinner tonight to say thank you?]

Then, I posted a screen recording of my gameplay to my new social media account, making sure to tag #MythicRealms. The caption was simple: [This game feels incredible!]

With its smooth gameplay, high-energy editing, and killer soundtrack, the video quickly gained traction.

Alex saw the familiar ID and a flash of surprise crossed his face. He tapped on my profile picture. The first thing that autoplayed was my edited gameplay video, the thumbnail a triumphant shot of the kill-steal settlement screen over Noahs character.

The text feed buzzed: [LOL, hes such a typical guy, only interested in the game.]

[Suddenly Im not worried anymore. Hes definitely not going to pay any extra attention to her.]

[So what if shes good at games? It wont change anything.]

As the video neared its end, he was caught off guard by a sultry, honey-sweet voice.

"Thanks, sweetie."

The comments on the video exploded at that exact moment.

Alexs finger paused. He dragged the progress bar back a few seconds.

And listened again.

In the original story, he was a secret audiophile, a fact he only discovered in bed with the female lead. I had intentionally placed that voice clip at the end of the video. I was betting hed watch the whole thing.

The text feed was a stream of outrage

[What is this side character even doing, trying to sound so seductive!]

Alex only allowed himself one more replay before closing the video, a model of restraint.

On my profile, the only full-body picture was one of my back. The composition was perfect, showcasing an incredible figure without any obvious editing. He should have just exited the page. But his eyes lingered for a moment longer. Something about it felt familiar.

He clicked on my newest video, a clip of me playing the piano, the fluid melody pouring from the speakers. The caption read: [If my confession fails tonight, I'm changing my username to Lilith Wrecks Scumbags.]

He suddenly realized who I was. Isabelle had just messaged him.

[Come to the dorm tonight. My little roommate has something to say to you.]

Alex: [Lilith again? You haven't told her about us?]

Isabelles reply was vague: [A girlish crush is understandable. You can just turn her down privately.]

He wracked his brain, trying to remember if hed ever done anything to offend Lilith. The only memory that surfaced was the clumsy birthday song shed played. In his mind, Lilith was just a pretty face who stammered whenever he was near. Online, however, she was a completely different person.

By all accounts, he should have refused to meet me for dinner.

And yet, he hesitated.

First, he left a comment under my piano video: [You just started learning? Youre improving fast.]

The text feed went into a frenzy.

[??? Why is the male lead even talking to her?]

[Shes such a fake! The female lead has been playing piano since she was a child. The side character is nothing in comparison!]

I replied with a cute emoji, lying without a hint of shame: [Yep, Im a quick study. My teacher says Im a natural!]

[I pick up everything super fast!]

Alexs gaze fell on the word scumbags in my caption. His fingers hovered for a moment before he switched to our private chat and sent a reply.

[Ill pick you up at five.]

Isabelle had told him to come at eight. He figured a quiet, early rejection would be more considerate. He refused to believe that the fleeting ripple of interest he felt would ever make him betray his fiance. The male lead of the novel was a man of principle. Tonights confession was doomed to fail.

All I needed to do was shift my position from other woman to innocent victim.

I smirked and replied with another cute emoji: [Okay! (?? ? ??`)]

Then I sent another message.

[Can we not go somewhere too expensive?]

[kitten_begging.gif]

Alex raised an eyebrow. I sent him a screenshot, my tone pitiful.

[My roommate said I had to buy a nice dress, and now Im broke.]

The screenshot showed Isabelles enthusiastic recommendation for a ridiculously overpriced dress, along with my payment confirmation for $20,000.

Alex stared at the photo of the gaudy red gown and fell silent. Less than three seconds later, he replied.

[Send me your account number.]

I didnt play coy. I sent it immediately. A moment later, a deposit of $30,000 hit my account.

A triumphant smile graced my lips.

The text feed erupted.

[Not just a manipulative green tea, but a gold digger too!]

[Its his fiances fault, so its only right for him to clean up the mess! Its definitely not because hes interested in the side character!]

[She already sold the dress! And shes still lying to him about it! What a bitch!]

Meanwhile, Isabelle was busy replying to her followers, who were all dying to know what her mysterious fianc was really like.

She replied to a fan in her comments, [Hes not a fan of the spotlight, but I can try to find some pictures of us when we were kids.]

That comment instantly shot to the top. Mine was right below it.

The text feed was ecstatic: [Childhood sweethearts for the win!]

I scoffed. If they were truly in love after knowing each other for ten years, they wouldve been together long ago. Isabelle wouldnt need to resort to these games. Normally, a man who was already taken wouldnt be on my radar. But since they had dragged me into their mess, all bets were off.

5.

It was the first day of the closed beta, and not many players had spent real money yet. When Alex logged in, he saw a familiar name shoot up the top-spenders list.

ID: A Cup of Green Tea. Sitting pretty at number two.

Number one was Noah.

Which pushed him down to number three.

He remembered Liliths pathetic plea about being broke and felt a muscle in his jaw twitch. He knew her family background; there was no way she could afford to spend like this. It was one thing for her to play the game because she liked him, but it was another to watch her get sucked into reckless spending.

The text feed was filled with comments calling me a spendthrift.

Just then, Alexs phone buzzed with a message from me.

[Im here.]

6.

Alex had been waiting for a few minutes. His striking looks were already drawing scattered glances from passersby. When he saw me, he froze for a second.

I had chosen a simple, form-fitting dress, my makeup understated with a nude lipstick. A soft breeze swept a strand of hair across my face. I closed the distance between us.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

A faint, alluring scent drifted from me. The male lead had a weakness for peaches, so Id chosen a delicate peach-scented perfume. A simple anchor. From now on, every time he ate a peach, he would think of me.

Alexs gaze settled on my face again, lingering for a beat too long. His Adams apple bobbed. "Get in," he said, his voice a shade deeper than usual.

He took me to an exclusive private restaurant, the kind of place I couldn't afford on my own. But I knew a man like him would never let a woman pay. I accepted the menu and ordered without hesitation.

When the food arrived, his eyes widened slightlyI had ordered all of his favorite dishes.

"Looks like my wallet is only good for one dinner with you," I said shyly.

He shot me a look. "Spend your money wisely. A few less in-game purchases and you could afford to eat."

So blunt.

I met his gaze, cutting straight to the point. "How did you know I was spending money in the game? Do you play Mythic Realms too?"

Alex gave a clipped, "Mm."

The conversation flowed easily after that. Most of the dinner was spent talking about the game. I guided the conversation, and he chimed in readily. The man across from me was relaxed, his features softened, clearly in a good mood.

I didnt rush a confession. I just chatted, subtly closing the distance between us. From the games soundtrack to our favorite music. From the games lore to our favorite books. It was uncanny; no matter what he brought up, I could keep the conversation going. He was noticeably more talkative.

[How does the side character know so much about everything?]

[Hes talking way more than usual today. Its like hes trying to test her, to figure out her limits.]

A mans curiosity and admiration for a woman are a dangerous combination. I shot him a fleeting glance. In my previous life, I was eight years older than him. If he thought he could figure me out so easily, he was sorely mistaken.

It was only when the conversation turned to various musical instruments that I simply smiled and nodded.

He looked puzzled when I didn't respond.

I looked at him, my expression a mixture of helplessness and peace. "These are a bit beyond me," I said, lying smoothly. "My family couldn't afford lessons for things like that. I only just started learning the piano."

Just as a look of apology crossed his face, I chimed in with a sweet, admiring tone, "But you know so much. Youre incredible."

The tips of his ears turned red.

I watched him quietly. At his age, Alexander was no stranger to eager, young admirers. Hed seen them all. But I had no interest in playing the part of the lovelorn girl in the inferior position. I preferred to be in control.

He was so engrossed in our conversation that hed let his guard down. So when I stood up and moved closer, he didn't even realize anything was wrong. His cool, clear eyes just watched me with a hint of confusion.