To summarize the previous events, standing before Gu Ximian—the ironclad proof that confirmed her suspicion that “this world is her novel”—Zhuang Chi fell into a state of nihility.
…The god of this world (if one exists) must be a sadist. She had only just realized this possibility, was it really necessary to make her meet her female protagonist so soon…!
Completely unprepared, her earlier words had been a mere subconscious reflex. Actually hearing a response left her mind blank. Zhuang Chi stood stunned for three seconds, only snapping back to her senses when she saw Gu Ximian tilt her head in slight confusion, and she subconsciously took a step back.
Under the shock, she had nearly forgotten to breathe. Now, having barely regained some rationality, Zhuang Chi tried her best to keep the shock from her face. She looked again at the oblivious Gu Ximian, only to be momentarily dazzled by those clear, moist eyes staring unblinkingly at her. Unable to withstand it, she averted her gaze.
…Setting everything else aside, this person was just too beautiful. Simply standing there, it was as if she had her own soft-focus filter… A person like this was her female protagonist, who could talk and move—it was incredible…
…But now was not the time to be marveling at such things. Zhuang Chi forced her thoughts back on track. Although she had just experienced a complete reshaping of her worldview in a few short minutes, and it was already difficult enough to control her emotions, to the unknowing Gu Ximian, the Zhuang Chi who had suddenly called out her name must seem like an out-and-out weirdo.
Put everything else aside for now. First, I have to find a way to bluff my way through this, Zhuang Chi thought. No matter what, leaving a bad impression on the female protagonist would definitely not be a good thing for anyone trying to survive in this world.
“Um… not really, we haven’t met…” Zhuang Chi began cautiously, racking her brain for a lie while lamenting how terrible it was to have to lie to someone on their first meeting. “…I’ve just heard of you before…”
It wasn’t a complete lie. Fearing she would say too much and reveal a flaw, Zhuang Chi stopped there, being deliberately vague. Anyway, in her settings, Gu Ximian was nearly perfect in every aspect, so it was normal for her to be a well-known figure that people had heard of, right?
“Is that so.”
Great. Gu Ximian nodded with an understanding expression. Just as Zhuang Chi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she was caught off guard when Gu Ximian added, “Did you hear about me from a friend?”
Okay, sounds like I haven’t gained her trust.
Although this could be considered mere small talk, the moment their eyes met, Zhuang Chi suddenly had the feeling that Gu Ximian had seen right through her lie.
…Isn’t this just getting more and more suspicious? Zhuang Chi’s heart pounded. She deeply regretted blurting out Gu Ximian’s name in her shock. Now, the water was spilled and couldn’t be gathered. She could only bite the bullet and nod stiffly. “…Yes.”
In any case, even if Gu Ximian really saw that she was talking nonsense, Zhuang Chi thought, no matter how smart Gu Ximian was, she could never guess the truth hidden beneath this lie. Thinking about it this way was… truly a bit absurd.
She was still agonizing over how to fabricate a story if Gu Ximian relentlessly pressed on and asked “which friend,” and she flinched pathetically when she heard Gu Ximian’s voice again. Fortunately, this time, the other party didn’t seem to intend to probe further, just smiling lightly. “…Then it’s quite a coincidence.”
“Since you already know me,” Gu Ximian continued, her voice gentle, “I still don’t know your name. Can you tell me?”
…Saying “no” here would be too weird. Zhuang Chi hesitated for a moment, then obediently replied, “My name is Zhuang Chi.”
“Mm, Zhuang Chi.” It was a name she was long familiar with, but hearing it from Gu Ximian’s lips inexplicably made her breath catch. Gu Ximian, however, didn’t notice and returned to her original reason for starting the conversation. “Why have you been standing here all this time? Are you not feeling well somewhere?”
She studied Zhuang Chi intently for a few seconds and said in a warm voice, “You don’t look very well right now. I should probably take you to the infirmary, shouldn’t I?”
…She’s such a good person. But if Gu Ximian really took her to the infirmary, her complexion would surely get even worse.
Zhuang Chi, whose mind was now filled with the desire to escape, was determined to avoid this situation at all costs. She hadn’t even figured out how to interact with her female protagonist in this novel world. Heaven knows what other blunder-filled performances she would give if this continued. So, Zhuang Chi hurriedly waved her hands, trying to explain clearly to put Gu Ximian at ease. “No, no, I’m not unwell at all. I was just standing here because—”
She hesitated for a moment, then finally continued honestly, “…because I didn’t know Jin City University also had the alias ‘St. Blaisedon,’ and I couldn’t process it for a moment.”
Clearly not expecting such an answer, Gu Ximian’s eyes widened slightly, looking as if she didn’t know how to respond. Zhuang Chi felt this was the perfect opportunity to escape. She quickly struck while the iron was hot, adding a few more sentences. “That’s all it was, really, nothing’s wrong. Thank you for your concern. I’ll go in now, I won’t block the way anymore—Whoa!”
As she spoke, she hastily turned around. Before she fully turned, she saw Gu Ximian’s expression change slightly, as if she wanted to stop her, but it was too late for Zhuang Chi, whose body moved far faster than her brain. The moment she turned, she solidly bumped into someone. For some reason, the other person was coming on strong. Zhuang Chi was knocked back two staggering steps by the force of the impact. Gu Ximian reached out to steady her, but Zhuang Chi, startled, twisted away and managed to regain her footing on her own.
“Tsk, watch where you’re going.”
Before Zhuang Chi could speak, the other person beat her to the punch. It was a female voice, but the tone was quite arrogant, and her voice was raised as if trying to sound fierce.
…I have a very bad feeling about this. Zhuang Chi’s heart pounded. She looked up, and sure enough, one glance told her this was bad news.
The girl who had bumped into her and was now complaining first was looking up at Zhuang Chi—which was completely unnecessary, as she was already very tall. Zhuang Chi, at about 1.7 meters, was by no means short for a girl, but this person was a head taller than her. Tilting her head up like that resulted in her looking down her nose at people, which made it a bit difficult for Zhuang Chi to see her face clearly.
But even with such a twisted and haughty posture, it was clear that she was a very good-looking person, just in a different way from Gu Ximian. This person possessed a sharp kind of beauty, with clear, deep-set features. The clothes she wore had a rather British style, apparently the uniform of St. Blaisedon—yes, a university that actually had a uniform. Zhuang Chi had already seen the same style on the students coming and going. One could only say that the middle-schooler Zhuang Chi who had written this clearly had no idea what a university was like.
And now, this uniform, which should have been prim and elegant, was worn carelessly by the person before her. The school jacket was draped casually over her shoulders, the necktie was nowhere to be seen, and the top two buttons of her shirt were wide open. Only the single, expensive-looking leather glove on her left hand seemed neat, but it didn’t look like something one would normally wear to school.
In short, she didn’t seem like an ordinary person at all. In that case, she was, in all likelihood, a named character in the novel.
It’s also quite reasonable, Zhuang Chi thought. After all, it seemed to be Gu Ximian’s first day at university, so it was normal for many main characters to appear at the beginning of the novel. But couldn’t they have shown up two minutes later…!
Her escape having failed, Zhuang Chi’s face scrunched up. The alarm bells in her mind, instinctively warning “things are about to get troublesome,” had barely buzzed twice when she heard a steady male voice say, “You’re the one who suddenly ran over and bumped into her, Ling Jing.”
Alright, another new character has appeared. Practice makes perfect. When Zhuang Chi turned towards the voice this time, her mood was much calmer than before. But she still squinted upon seeing the newcomer. Well now, what a dazzlingly handsome guy. Broad-shouldered and long-legged, unlike the girl called Ling Jing, his suit jacket and school tie were worn very properly, his posture so upright he looked like a model who had just stepped out of a magazine photo.
“Ha, if she hadn’t suddenly turned around, I wouldn’t have bumped into her, okay?” Ling Jing clearly hadn’t listened to him. She turned and glared, her wide eyes like those of a fierce cat. “What a coincidence for the Student Council President to show up. You’re not stalking me, are you?”
“You’re overthinking it.” The boy shook his head and calmly turned. “I’m just here to pick someone up.”
He was, of course, looking in Zhuang Chi and Gu Ximian’s direction. The realization dawning on her, Zhuang Chi subconsciously turned to look at Gu Ximian beside her, only to see the other girl blink at her with a very innocent expression. “An acquaintance of yours?”
Zhuang Chi blinked back at her blankly, having no idea what was going on.
“Ximian.” Sure enough, the boy, having heard Gu Ximian’s words, called out her name and continued, “About the new student registration, I can take you.”
Gu Ximian’s gaze flickered. Only then did she look over at him, frowning slightly in confusion. “So you were talking about me just now, An Chen? But I didn’t know about this.”
“Uncle Gu told me a few days ago. I happened to run into them having dinner when I went to see my father,” An Chen explained, a trace of gentleness flashing across his handsome face. “After all, I’ve been here two years longer than you. I can help you out a bit.”
Gu Ximian was quiet for a long moment, seemingly deliberating on how to respond. Meanwhile, Ling Jing suddenly grew impatient and cut into the conversation, “What’s this? Is this your Omega?”
Her tone was very rude, and everyone’s gazes instantly focused on her. An Chen frowned, his voice deepening. “…Ximian and I don’t have that kind of relationship. Also, that’s a very poor way to put it. Omegas are not mere appendages belonging to Alphas.”
“Is that so? Well, at least I wasn’t wrong about her being an Omega, right?”
Clearly ignoring the second half of An Chen’s sentence, Ling Jing paid him no more mind after she spoke. She seemed quite pleased, raising an eyebrow as she took two steps closer to Gu Ximian. After sizing her up for a moment, she suddenly reached out and pointed to her own neck. “Why are you wearing something like that? Did you just present recently?”
“You’re called… Ximian, right?” Gu Ximian didn’t speak, but Ling Jing continued on her own, leaning in towards her. Her nose twitched slightly, then she frowned in dissatisfaction and said bluntly, “Can you take it off and let me smell what you smell like?”
She didn’t lower her voice when she said this, and everyone was stunned. At some point, a small crowd of onlookers had gathered. An Chen’s face already showed anger, and it looked like he was about to push her away in the next second. But Ling Jing, who had said something akin to harassment, seemed completely oblivious, her eyes fixed solely on Gu Ximian. A female Alpha could be just as intimidating, her light-colored pupils reflecting Gu Ximian’s figure as if she had locked onto her prey. Surprisingly, Gu Ximian showed no offense or anger. She just stood there quietly, her gaze even shifting away slightly, as if her attention wasn’t on the approaching Ling Jing at all.
So, what was Zhuang Chi, who hadn’t been able to get a word in, doing?
Although it might not have been obvious before, Zhuang Chi was now standing ramrod straight between Gu Ximian and Ling Jing like a wall, silently wondering just what the hell she had written back then.
Huge thanks to Haoyue for the support!
