Early spring. The sunlight outside the window was just right.
When the wind blew, cotton-white catkins would occasionally drift in.
Chu Li was still catching up on sleep, her eyelashes stirring slightly as she brushed away a catkin that had landed on her. Just then, the phone on the desk buzzed.
【I’m busy today. Help me deliver a few documents to my big brother. And if it’s on your way, go check on my cousin.】
Chu Li didn’t reply at first.
She lay there lazily and yawned.
Not until Shen Zhe texted again, the phone buzzing over and over, did she finally pick an “okay” sticker.
“Li Li, is that bastard Shen Zhe messing with you again?”
Hearing the question, Chu Li set down her phone. “No.”
“He just wants me to help him with a few things.”
She blinked lightly, her brows curving in a way that looked docile.
Her almond eyes were bright, and sometimes, when she lowered her head at just the right angle, there was a hint of something deeper in the curve of her eyes.
On the phone screen, Shen Zhe still had that young-master tone.
His flippant, self-satisfied way of talking didn’t sound like he was treating her as a girlfriend at all.
More like a lackey.
【My big brother’s got a bad temper, just drop the documents off at the company and give them to his secretary. No need to see him, you don’t want to get scared off.】
【My cousin’s going through a rebellious phase, says he hurt his leg. Go buy him some medicine and say something comforting.】
Chu Li read it all with a faint expression, then sent another “okay.”
Her friend Qin Mian, beside her, caught a glimpse of the messages.
She and Chu Li balanced each other out, where Chu Li was easygoing to the point of near indifference, Qin Mian instantly blew up. “Something’s wrong with Shen Zhe!”
“You’re his girlfriend, not his errand girl.”
“He orders you around day after day, does he even pay you? Triple hourly rate for that arrogant tone of his?”
Qin Mian launched into a list of Shen Zhe’s past faults.
The group of them had known each other since childhood, and Chu Li had grown up alongside him, the gentlest-tempered of the whole bunch.
Back in school, she’d brought him water, done his homework for him. Growing up, she’d stayed devoted to him and confessed before graduation.
Shen Zhe’s attitude toward relationships had always been careless and indifferent.
Not only did he forget every holiday and anniversary, he was constantly the subject of baseless rumors with other girls.
Whenever he talked about Chu Li, his eyelids drooped lazily.
Amid his buddies’ teasing, he’d flick the cigarette between his fingers. “Can’t help it, she’s liked me since we were kids.”
“Since Chu Li’s so devoted to me, I guess I’ll just have to reluctantly accept her confession.”
Qin Mian mimicked his arrogant tone, getting it about seventy, eighty percent right.
Finally she summed it up: “Chu Li, you’re brain-dead in love!” [1]brain-dead in love (liàn’ài nǎo, 戀愛腦) – Slang, a term for someone whose thinking gets so consumed by romance that they lose all rationality and judgment where their partner is … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2980910_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2980910_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
“Bad taste, falling for Shen Zhe, fine. But now he’s got you running errands, going to look his brother and cousin in the eye, and you actually agreed?”
“Sooner or later I’m cutting you off, you love-brained idiot!”
Qin Mian said it with real heartbreak, exasperated at wasted potential.
But her hands were honest, helping Chu Li sort the documents all the same.
Seeing her pouting, Chu Li smiled and handed her a small cookie.
Qin Mian bit into it, still fuming.
“So what now?”
“Shen Zhe’s brother, cousin, friends, from what I can tell, they’ve never liked you either. You’re really going to see them?”
“Can’t you just grow a spine and dump him?”
Hearing this, Chu Li said earnestly, “Mian Mian, I have my own pace. Don’t worry about me.”
Qin Mian: “…”
Any best friend hearing those words, no matter who, would feel their heart sink, then sink further.
Wanting to shout: no good, it’s over.
Chu Li read her expression and could almost guess what she was thinking.
But bound by the constraints of the plot, she couldn’t explain herself, she could only keep telling Qin Mian, each time, that she was fine.
She really wasn’t that pitiful.
Qin Mian, like most people in this world, couldn’t see the bullet comments.
While she’d just been listing off Shen Zhe’s various offenses—
Those comments floating in the air had already been scrolling past, line after line. So far, only Chu Li herself could see them.
【Can’t help but laugh, this is exactly what I sound like trying to talk my best friend into breaking up with her boyfriend, so familiar.】
【Qin Mian: talked for ages, the sky’s about to fall.】
【Don’t let it fall yet.】
【Li Li doesn’t even love Shen Zhe (munch munch on the cookie)】
【Actually, when they were kids, the water Chu Li gave him had expired. And she charged him money for doing his homework, Shen Zhe was just too proud to admit it.】
【Even though Shen Zhe spent anniversaries with other upperclassmen and underclassmen, he did give gifts, super expensive ones. Li Li turned around and resold them for a fat profit, grinning the whole time.】
Chu Li pretended not to see any of this, her gaze sliding past the text.
As usual, she didn’t think of herself as a paper character. She calmly finished her cookie, cupped her milk tea, and took a few sips as if simply enjoying her day.
The first time she’d seen the bullet comments as a child, she’d nearly thought her brain was broken.
Later she realized these comments held no malice toward her, they called her Li Li affectionately, one after another.
Even though she was just a character in a book, through the comments she could learn some spoilers about the plot ahead. She could use them to dodge danger, a blessing in disguise, in a way.
But what kind of book was the world she lived in?
In more than twenty years, Chu Li had never quite figured it out.
She’d assumed it was some clichéd “chase-the-wife” story, occasionally hitting a plot beat, confessing to Shen Zhe now and then.
Whenever Shen Zhe sent her on an errand, he’d generously give her money, sometimes expensive gifts, she just treated it as a side job.
【50,000 yuan received.】
【Make sure these documents go to my big brother, don’t mess it up.】
Chu Li quickly hit the button to accept the money.
At the same time, she cupped her sweet milk tea, sipping up the pudding and coconut jelly at the bottom. She thought to herself she’d finish her drink first, then go do Shen Zhe’s errand.
“Five pieces, three pieces—”
Just as she reached the last piece of coconut jelly.
She glanced up absentmindedly, and happened to catch the sunlight shifting on the white curtains.
The black text of the bullet comments, floating against the white curtain, stood out sharply, easy to read at a glance.
【Tsk, finally the real plot’s kicking in.】
【It’s been so long I almost forgot, this is actually a full-flavored restricted-rated novel.】
Restricted-rated novel.
A full-flavored, restricted-rated novel.
The words hung there before her eyes. She blinked once. Blinked again. And in the end, found she hadn’t misread it.
For the first time, Chu Li failed to hold her gentle, innocent persona.
She nearly choked. “Cough, cough…”
Qin Mian waved a hand in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
“What did you see?”
— She felt like she’d seen a ghost.
Chu Li coughed for a while, finally catching her breath.
Then the wind blew in, the white curtains rippling and fluttering like a painting of peaceful, unhurried days.
Except the bullet comments above it kept scrolling, row after row.
【Ahhh I’ve finally been waiting for this plot point! The original male lead sent Li Li to deliver documents, and she ran into his big brother. He’d always been prejudiced against Li Li, thinking she deliberately got close to Shen Zhe.】
【Prejudiced on one hand, honestly attracted on the other. Then after the aphrodisiac, they do it, and he starts scheming to steal his brother’s girl, kicking off his forceful-seizure route.】
Chu Li: “…”
She closed her eyes briefly.
Thinking maybe she should’ve just let that last piece of coconut jelly choke her to death.
Discovering that she was, in fact, the female lead of a restricted-rated novel.
After getting this spoiler, Chu Li instantly felt terrible. Not because she was conservative, or still hung up on Shen Zhe.
But because.
Wasn’t she being given way too many roles to juggle?
【Li Li, first go see Shen Zhe’s big brother, hook him until he’s out of his mind. Then go see his cousin, the green-tea little brother [2]green-tea (lǜchá, 綠茶) – Slang, internet slang for someone who acts sweet and innocent on the surface while scheming or seducing behind the scenes, usually applied to women, used here … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2980910_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2980910_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); who resents Shen Zhe and will deliberately seduce you.】
【Not just that, there’s also your ex, Shen Zhe’s good friend! You can see him today too, some deep-hatred-turned-passion play, you know.】
Chu Li: “…”
That would wear her out completely.
She thought quietly to herself that she’d sip more of her milk tea. Then realized her cup was already empty.
Qin Mian helped her gather the documents, and the two were about to call a cab when she made a small sound of surprise. “Why’s Shen Zhe here?”
“Wasn’t he the one who sent you on this errand?”
The bullet comments echoed the same surprise.
【So unnecessary.】
A flashy red sports car pulled up in front of her.
The window rolled down, revealing Shen Zhe’s face. His brow bones sharp and fine, one hand on the wheel, he lifted his thin eyelids and met her gaze.
“So slow.”
“Get in.”
The two of them had just walked out of the library.
Chu Li didn’t answer right away. Instead she turned her head to look at Shen Zhe, and then at the girl in the passenger seat.
There was a hint of confusion in her eyes as she looked at him.
Shen Zhe: “Oh, Zhizhi doesn’t mind.”
His tone was lazy and offhand.
The girl in the passenger seat, called Zhizhi, stiffened. Clearly she did mind, quite a bit, she turned her face away, a little angry, and rolled up the window.
Chu Li glanced at her curiously.
The scrolling bullet comments filled in the context for her.
【Shen Zhe’s a race car driver, and Xia Zhi is one of his little fangirls, she met him today through a friend of a friend.】
【She actually doesn’t even know Shen Zhe has a girlfriend. She was brought along on purpose to annoy Chu Li.】
【Shen Zhe’s not too bright. What era is this, this arrogant, misunderstanding-prone original male lead type has gone out of style already.】
Chu Li wasn’t offended, and felt no particular emotional stir.
She was long used to Shen Zhe’s inexplicable behavior, his moods swinging back and forth, his various childish little tricks.
She could put up with him.
Purely because he paid so well.
She opened the car door and got into the back seat.
Qin Mian, meanwhile, was once again worked up over Shen Zhe’s behavior.
She typed furiously: “No, he’s doing this on purpose, right? What kind of decent guy brings another girl along when he’s picking up his girlfriend?”
Chu Li: “Mm.”
Qin Mian: “You know he’s doing it on purpose, and you can still just swallow it?”
Chu Li said slowly, “But he pays me.”
And in the future she might also collect from his big brother, cousin, and their whole circle of friends.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she glanced up and, in the rearview mirror, happened to lock eyes with Shen Zhe.
Something subtle rose between them.
She also felt a bit dazed, thinking this world was getting more and more absurd.
Shen Zhe assumed she was sulking.
He tilted his chin slightly, speaking in an offhand tone. “Don’t overthink it, I was just passing by.”
“What if you couldn’t get a cab and were late delivering the documents? That wouldn’t be good.”
Chu Li made a light “oh” sound.
She didn’t bother responding to Shen Zhe, nor did she pay Xia Zhi in the passenger seat any mind. She leaned back against the seat, eyes lightly closed, sometimes resting, sometimes chatting with Qin Mian.
At red lights, whenever the car stopped, Shen Zhe would occasionally glance back at her through the rearview mirror, his eyes lingering more than once.
When Chu Li stayed quiet, she looked like a soft, fluffy cat.
Most people around him said she had a mild temper, no edge to her at all, utterly devoted to him.
Naturally, Shen Zhe believed it.
Because, ever since they were kids, it really had been that way.
At first he’d thought of himself as someone destined to drift among many flowers. He’d needed exactly this kind of gentle girlfriend, so he’d accepted Chu Li’s confession.
Over their two years together, she really had stayed just as she’d always been, never showing a trace of anger.
Bringing Xia Zhi today to pick her up, a flicker of guilt had crossed his mind, but it smoothed over quickly.
Chu Li wouldn’t get angry anyway.
Once he’d reasoned it through, he lifted his chin again. “Wait a bit, I’ll park downstairs, and you go up and deliver the documents.”
“My big brother’s got a bad temper, try not to run into him. After all, he’s said before that we’re not suited for each other, that we’ll break up sooner or later.”
Shen Zhe never really considered how his words landed on other people.
He’d always talked this way.
For a moment, Chu Li felt genuinely grateful that she’d been able to see those strange bullet comments since childhood.
Fortunately, with the spoilers, she wouldn’t actually fall for Shen Zhe and get her heart broken by him over and over.
“But…”
“You’re saying Shen Jichu once suggested we break up?”
Thinking of today’s bullet comments.
Chu Li’s expression turned subtly strange again for a moment.
She’d only been to the Shen family’s place a few times, had a passing acquaintance with him at best, nothing deep enough to leave much of an impression. After seeing the bullet comments, she’d felt dazed all the way until now.
She could hardly believe what the comments said was true.
In the little impression she did have, Shen Zhe’s big brother was cold and stern, and every time she’d run into him, his attitude toward her had been distant.
She couldn’t help asking about her doubt.
Shen Zhe: “Yeah, he really did bring it up, said we should break up.”
He kept one hand on the wheel, narrowing his thin phoenix eyes slightly. He thought back but couldn’t quite recall the details from back then.
He only vaguely remembered that after his brother found out he was seeing Chu Li—
Shen Jichu’s expression hadn’t been good, his eyes deep and dark, looking down at him with a critical gaze.
As if he had real objections: “You two will break up eventually.”
Shen Zhe figured there was no way his brother could have any objection to him, his own little brother.
So in this relationship, the one he was dissatisfied with had to be Chu Li.
Actually, Chu Li was pretty good, though.
His brother probably just cared about him too much.
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