Tang Ke was an ordinary boy. His looks were merely pleasant, and his personality wasn’t particularly interesting. He was shy and quiet, so neither boys nor girls liked to hang out with him. His family’s status at Qinglin was as middling as he was, though his father’s title as a prominent professor did earn him some favor with the school administration.
Aside from his astonishing talent for mathematics, Tang Ke had nothing worth mentioning. But social interaction wasn’t a problem that could be solved with math. After countless humiliating social failures, Tang Ke chose to invest his emotions in 2D characters, becoming a proud member of the anime and manga world.
And in order to watch the latest anime series and collect the most comprehensive fan works and figurines, his computer skills grew more and more exquisite, to the point where his room resembled an anime convention.
By high school, Tang Ke’s dedication to the 2D world was so pure that he had completely lost all worldly desire for social interaction. But his reputation as a pure 2D fan and his superb computer skills caught the eye of Song Zhiqing, who was scouting for talent. Song Zhiqing tempted him with a personalized autograph from an author. No 2D fan could refuse that, and Tang Ke was no exception. From then on, he was under Song Zhiqing’s command.
Tang Ke’s job was simple: use his computer skills to gather all sorts of information about Shangguan Xianxian on the school forum and help his friends use tech wizardry to defend their idols from online slander.
Over time, however, Shangguan Xianxian began to seem like a kind of 2D character in Tang Ke’s eyes. He knew her, understood her (or so he thought), and cared about her, but he could never reach her. He could only solidify her image through the “merchandise” his boss produced.
Sharing the stage with Shangguan Xianxian today was something Tang Ke had been secretly preparing for for a long time. As a pure 2D fan, he thought this meeting would be like seeing a cosplayer at a convention—exciting, but it wouldn’t affect his devotion to the original 2D character.
He was wrong.
Shangguan Xianxian was truly beautiful.
The biggest difference between Shangguan Xianxian and a cosplayer was that a cosplayer used a 2D character as a template, whereas Shangguan Xianxian was the template for a 2D character. Her personality and temperament were exactly as he had imagined, yet even more captivating. For instance, when she and Guo Siwan were trading passive-aggressive barbs, it was a kind of vividness he could never experience from reading a hundred essays analyzing the Shangguan family’s complex relationships. He could only stand far away to avoid exposing his overly ardent gaze.
At the same time, as a pure 2D fan, Tang Ke despised rigid rules, just like any manga protagonist.
As it applied to this opening ceremony, that meant the requirement for all speeches to be cookie-cutter.
When it was his turn to speak, Tang Ke looked at the dull script in his hand. This was the fifth version. He had written the first four himself, all of which were rejected for being “too concise” and “lacking depth.” Later, Ye Yuhuan told him he could just copy one from the internet, and sure enough, it was approved. But he didn’t like it. He didn’t feel that much emotion or sense of arduous struggle. Math was a simple thing for him. The only reason he’d won the gold medal was purely because his opponents were too stupid. Yet this script had him putting himself on the same level as his opponents and saying he’d gotten this good result only because he had worked harder.
Tang Ke was a pure 2D fan.
When he was unhappy, he felt the urge to get all chuunibyou.
Shangguan Xianxian happened to be sitting not far from him. He thought, I can’t openly say my opponents are stupid, but I can openly confess my feelings and make this speech a little less hypocritical.
So, just as everyone’s attention was wandering and they were hoping the opening ceremony would end soon, Tang Ke shouted in a trembling voice, “Classmate Shangguan Xianxian, I like you!”
The real world, of course, was not an anime. There was no scene where the female lead would blush and throw herself into the male lead’s arms the moment he confessed. Amid the uproar from the entire audience, Shangguan Xianxian’s brow furrowed, showing only the irritation of being disturbed.
Just a moment ago, she had been discussing with Shen Wei the matter of inviting Song Zhiqing and Ye Yuhuan to dinner over the weekend. Halfway through their conversation, everyone’s gaze suddenly focused on her.
Shen Wei’s expression also darkened abruptly. Shangguan Xianxian looked at the red-faced boy on stage. She knew his name but was not at all familiar with him. She was no stranger to sudden confessions like this, but one on such a grand scale was a first. As time passed, the jeering in the auditorium grew louder, and teachers stood up one after another to maintain order.
Shangguan Xianxian took a slow breath and stood up. Her voice was cool. “I’m sorry, but I have no plans to be in a relationship right now. Besides, I don’t know you. To be honest, I just feel offended.”
The heated atmosphere in the auditorium instantly dropped to freezing. The students looked at each other. What was that? A sneak attack!
Shangguan Xianxian knew her words were harsh, but seeing the increasingly dark expression on the little cat beside her, she found she couldn’t treat the situation with her usual composure.
Besides, it truly was an offensive act.
Tang Ke walked off the stage, his face pale. He belatedly realized what he had done. Punishment from the school and criticism from his parents were inevitable, but another problem he couldn’t ignore was that, as a blade of green grass in the Cosmic Beauty Garden, he had just put a patch of green on the head of the Cosmic Beauty Song Zhiqing herself.
Tang Ke felt his life starting to turn gray.
The Cosmic Beauty Garden was one of his few social successes. He didn’t want to lose it.
But he had gone and done something so impulsive.
No one cared about Tang Ke’s feelings. The opening ceremony struggled to continue, but everyone’s mind was completely elsewhere. They were all secretly on their phones, feasting on the gossip. For the first time, Tang Ke, the math genius, had his own name on the school forum. “Brother Tang is so brave” became a hot topic at Qinglin for a while.
Unlike the others who were casually enjoying the drama, Song Zhiqing, the invisible victim of this confession incident, was in a daze for a long time after the ceremony ended. She didn’t even pay attention to the discussions in the Cosmic Beauty Garden group chat.
After the anger on Song Zhiqing’s face subsided, her expression became very strange—one moment, it was a look of sudden realization; the next, her brow was furrowed in conflict.
It wasn’t until just before the assembly that Song Zhiqing looked at the seat that was supposed to be Tang Ke’s—it was empty—and finally shared the results of her day-long contemplation with Ye Yuhuan. “Do you think I’ve been too cautious? Tang Ke dared to confess the very first time he met Shangguan Xianxian. I’ve been working quietly for a year, and all I’ve managed is to get Shangguan Xianxian to remember my name. At this rate, even after graduation, we’ll just be friends, won’t we?”
Song Zhiqing thought for a moment and added, “And because of Shen Wei, we might not even end up as friends.”
Ye Yuhuan didn’t know what to say. This outcome was partly because she, the love strategist, was inexperienced, and partly because Song Zhiqing was too fixated on pursuing a perfect romance. She wanted every second spent with Shangguan Xianxian to be a beautiful memory for both of them, so she resisted any method of pursuit that carried any risk.
Perhaps love was something that happened naturally. A deliberate pursuit was, in fact, a lesser approach.
Ye Yuhuan shared this thought with Song Zhiqing. Song Zhiqing’s eyes lit up, and she patted Ye Yuhuan’s shoulder. “You’re right! Instead of deliberately chasing a romantic feeling, it’s better to increase our opportunities to spend time together first!”
Ye Yuhuan was bewildered. Could what she just said be interpreted that way?
She meant for Song Zhiqing to stop pursuing someone when she knew it was a lost cause!
Why did Song Zhiqing have an expression that said, “You really do understand me best!”
She remembered that in the original novel, it was around this time that Song Zhiqing’s offensive suddenly intensified. Ye Yuhuan’s heart skipped a beat. Had she just helped Song Zhiqing advance the plot?
The song of tears behind iron bars was still ringing in her ears. Ye Yuhuan thought of an upcoming plot point between the two female leads and hardened her heart. It’s a bit shameless, but it’s the only way!
Ye Yuhuan grabbed Song Zhiqing’s hand tightly. “Wait a minute. I’m taking you to see something.”
“See what? The assembly is about to start.”
“Then we’ll postpone it by half an hour!”
Ye Yuhuan pulled Song Zhiqing to the area near the library, and the two of them entered a small grove. Ye Yuhuan chose a spot where they could see the path clearly without being discovered.
Just as Song Zhiqing was about to ask what she was doing, Ye Yuhuan covered her mouth with her left hand and used her right hand to turn her head toward the direction from which Shen Wei and Shangguan Xianxian were approaching.
Shangguan Xianxian was holding Shen Wei’s hand. Shen Wei had been in a bad mood all day. The scene of Tang Ke’s confession had made her suddenly remember that Shangguan Xianxian had a fiancé in her past life. Although this world didn’t forbid same-sex marriage, heirs of prominent families were generally inclined to marry the opposite sex. After Shangguan Xianxian lost her struggle against Guo Siwan, Guo Siwan had schemed to have her packaged off as a sacrifice in a political marriage.
It was on the very day of Shangguan Xianxian’s wedding that Shen Wei had jumped off a building. Her only thought before she died was, If I didn’t exist, would Sister have been forced to marry?
Sister is very popular. Song Zhiqing, Tang Ke, and later Xie Yucheng all liked her, but Sister didn’t like any of them. So, is it possible that Sister could like me?
After all, we aren’t real sisters.
In her past life, there were many times she thought her sister liked her, but it turned out to be one instance after another of being pushed away for her own protection. They had spent the most difficult days together and experienced the most humiliating failures together. The memories were full of bitterness, but as long as she was with this person, it seemed she could endure it all.
Shen Wei looked up at Shangguan Xianxian. She always had such a proper and reserved demeanor; no one looked more like the young lady of a wealthy family. Her aristocratic style and upbringing were deeply ingrained in her bones. Shen Wei was fascinated by it, but what she wanted more was to engrave herself into her as well.
Shen Wei suddenly stopped walking. Shangguan Xianxian looked at her, puzzled. Thinking of Shen Wei’s off mood all day, she assumed Shen Wei was still sulking. For some reason, Shen Wei was exceptionally possessive of her. Shangguan Xianxian had once thought that perhaps this was what people online called a “sister complex,” but the sudden touch on her lips told her things were far more incredible than that. Shangguan Xianxian was too shocked to resist. Her eyes widened as she watched her nominal sister audaciously violate her.
Although Shen Wei looked as frail as the beautiful Xishi, she was not at all shorter than Shangguan Xianxian. She slowly moved her palm to the nape of Shangguan Xianxian’s neck, and the two drew closer, their hot breaths scorching the small space between them.
Song Zhiqing, held in place by Ye Yuhuan, was completely frozen. Fearing she would overreact, Ye Yuhuan didn’t remove the hand covering her mouth. But with a vivid, sensual kiss unfolding before her eyes, Ye Yuhuan felt her palm become incredibly hot. The subtle sensation was magnified, as if ants were crawling into her very flesh.
Shen Wei and Shangguan Xianxian’s kiss was deep, but it didn’t last long. Shangguan Xianxian, having come to her senses, pushed Shen Wei away. She pressed her lips together tightly, then immediately relaxed them. A moment later, she asked with a complicated expression, “What is the meaning of this?”
Shen Wei licked her lips, as if savoring the moment. She had wanted to do this from the first moment she saw Shangguan Xianxian after her rebirth, and it was just as wonderful as she had imagined. She smiled, her pure, flower-like face filled with obsession. “Can’t you tell, Sister? I like you too, Sister.”
Shangguan Xianxian let out a breath, unsure where things had gone wrong. She tried to reason with her. “If this is because of what happened with Tang Ke, there’s no need for this. I don’t like him. And even if we take a thousand steps back, no matter who I like, it doesn’t change the fact that you are the most important person to me.”
Shen Wei didn’t speak. She stepped forward again. Shangguan Xianxian warily took a step back. Shen Wei paused, then pointed a long, slender finger at the distance between them and chuckled lightly. “Actually, Sister, why pretend to be naive? You know exactly what I mean. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have retreated so quickly.”
“But if Sister truly doesn’t understand yet, then I might as well be clearer. I like you, Sister. The kind of like where I want to be your lover. The kind of like where I wish we could be bound together forever.”
Shen Wei took Shangguan Xianxian’s hand and, to her astonishment, gently kissed the back of it. “Does Sister understand now?”
Shangguan Xianxian quickly snatched her hand back, her expression cold. She turned and walked away.
Shen Wei remained in place for a moment, then picked up the bag Shangguan Xianxian had dropped on the ground and walked out of the grove with a satisfied gait.
Only when Shen Wei was out of sight did Ye Yuhuan finally release her hand. She braced herself and explained, “I didn’t know we’d run into this. I was originally going to take you to find Tang Ke.”
Song Zhiqing didn’t care whether this was the way to find Tang Ke or not. The blows she’d received today had left her heart like dead ashes. With a sorrowful expression, Song Zhiqing pointed at the canopy of the trees and asked, “Do you see how green it is?”
The grove was planted with evergreens, which were a deep green even in autumn. Ye Yuhuan had a sinking feeling she knew what Song Zhiqing was about to say, but since she was the one at fault, she had no choice but to play along.
“Green.”
“Not as green as my head,” Song Zhiqing said with a cold laugh.
