The library was quiet, save for a few scattered sounds. Chu Yunhan watched Su Qingqing, who continued to ignore him. Surprisingly, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he turned his head and stared intently at her.
Su Qingqing pretended he wasn’t there, her focus entirely on the book in her hands.
Knowledge is power, she thought. Reading is far more productive than wasting time on his nonsense.
The library’s bright yet gentle lighting made Su Qingqing’s skin look like polished jade, her features glowing with an ethereal beauty that could take anyone’s breath away.
“Hey,” Chu Yunhan said abruptly. “The more I look at you, the more you look like a porcelain doll.”
He remembered people once telling him that Su Qingqing was more beautiful than any girl. At the time, he had scoffed at the idea. Now, seeing her like this, he had to admit they were right.
Su Qingqing didn’t care whether he thought she was a porcelain doll or a plastic one. She remained immersed in her book.
Just as she was engrossed in reading, a hand slammed the book shut, startling her.
Chu Yunhan leaned in, his eyes fixed on her. “I’m talking to you. Why are you reading?” His tone was utterly imperious.
Su Qingqing almost lost her patience and threw him out. “What’s with the act?” she snapped. “You’re acting like you’ve time-traveled from some ancient dynasty.”
“You’re coming to the party tomorrow,” Chu Yunhan declared, his posture unchanged as he decided for her. “Whether you want to or not.”
Su Qingqing calmly refused. “I’m not going.”
Chu Yunhan was speechless.
As if, she thought. Even without recalling the plot, she knew the party would be a full house of main characters and supporting roles. If something went wrong, she, the cannon fodder villainess, would be the one to take the fall.
No matter how hard Chu Yunhan tried, he couldn’t crack Su Qingqing’s resolve.
It was the first time he had been so bluntly rejected. “You don’t have a choice,” he said, throwing down another imperious line before standing up. He strode out of the library, leaving her no chance to argue further.
Su Qingqing stared after him, her mind a blank slate of confusion. Typical second male lead from an old-school novel, she thought. The chuunibyou lines are late, but they always arrive.
She glanced at her watch. It was late; she should go back and get some sleep. Tomorrow was a holiday, and she still hadn’t decided what to do with her free day.
Will I dream about the original plot again tonight? she wondered. The more details she could grasp, the better off she would be.
She returned her book to the shelf. The library was sparsely populated now, and as she turned to leave, her gaze met that of someone sitting nearby.
It was the female lead, Du Ruo. She sat at a nearby table, her gaze fixed on Su Qingqing. Without pausing, Su Qingqing walked past her as if she were a complete stranger, her expression impassive as she left the library.
Du Ruo’s eyes dimmed as she gripped her pen. A pink love letter lay on the table. She couldn’t understand why Su Qingqing refused to deliver it to Mu Bai’s bed.
After leaving the library, Su Qingqing didn’t give the encounter a second thought. It was only natural for a cannon fodder villainess to run into the female lead.
The night sky in this otherworld was filled with stars. Su Qingqing looked up to admire them as she walked.
When she reached her dormitory, she unlocked the door. The lights inside were on, casting a comfortable glow. The male lead should be here, right?
She was surprised he wasn’t working. In the original novel, his time spent in the dormitory was rare. Puzzled, Su Qingqing stepped inside.
The sound of pages turning in the living room paused. Su Qingqing peeked around the corner. The male lead’s elegant, aloof figure looked softer under the lamplight, lacking the bone-chilling coldness of their earlier encounter.
Su Qingqing had no desire to meet his gaze. She silently grabbed her pajamas and went to take a shower.