Seeing the store manager was absent, Xia Nuannuan quietly slipped over to An Zhiyi’s side. “Zhiyi, look—Xu Yueyao is here?”
“Mm,” An Zhiyi glanced up at Xu Yueyao, then lowered her head again to focus on her own tasks.
Xia Nuannuan observed Xu Yueyao. Today, she was wearing a three-piece set: a Korean-style khaki vest, a fashionable striped shirt, and a matching high-waisted skirt. The vest featured an asymmetrical front with knotted buttons, paired with the striped shirt—retro yet trendy! It must be the latest season’s new release, clearly not cheap. As the saying goes, success nourishes a person. Looking at Xu Yueyao now, she seemed like a completely different person—energetic, confident, elegant, and radiating joy.
Xia Nuannuan felt a mix of emotions. They had all lived together in a basement once, yet suddenly, Xu Yueyao seemed out of reach. Life truly was unpredictable.
“Looks like we won’t be in the same world as her for much longer,” Xia Nuannuan sighed, then went back to making coffee.
Hearing this, An Zhiyi’s expression faltered slightly. She looked up at the brightly dressed girl, then quickly lowered her head to continue her work.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the café entrance. Zhang Beilu looked outside and saw Fu Zheng holding a bouquet of roses. Zhang Beilu covered her mouth in surprise. Curious, Xu Yueyao turned to look and saw a man dressed like an elite, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He had on a black trench coat, with strikingly handsome features—sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a tall nose bridge, and a robust yet well-proportioned figure. The moment he entered the café, his gaze fixed affectionately on An Zhiyi.
Xu Yueyao thought to herself, This must be the male lead. With his glasses on, he has that restrained, charismatic charm the author described. His demeanor is noble and reserved, yet with a wild edge. When it comes to intimacy with the female lead, he’s the refined but degenerate type.
Xu Yueyao also covered her mouth. She was looking at a walking hormone—the kind who could go at it with the female lead for three days and three nights. The male lead who was ready for a little “battle” anytime, anywhere. While reading the novel, Xu Yueyao had once suspected that a big reason the female lead chose the male lead was because he “convinced” her in bed.
Watching the male lead holding flowers, Xu Yueyao recalled that this confession was likely influenced by his unreliable best friend, Gao Jiuxi, who told him that An Zhiyi rejected him because she lacked a sense of security. If he could publicly declare his love and give her that security, she would surely accept him.
Xu Yueyao silently shook her head. Poor man, today’s confession is doomed to fail. In the book, the female lead kept rejecting him, and the more she rejected him, the more he loved her. It wasn’t until the male lead kissed her forcefully out of jealousy that they finally got together. Glancing at the equally surprised An Zhiyi, Xu Yueyao thought, Hmph! What “aloof and proud” type? If you ask me, she’s just the secretly passionate kind.
Xu Yueyao leaned forward slightly, finding the perfect angle to enjoy the drama. This was fiction coming to life—more thrilling than watching a TV drama. Just as she was engrossed in the scene, she failed to notice Zhang Beilu beside her, whose expression had already turned odd, her eyes reddening.
Fu Zheng slowly walked up to An Zhiyi and spoke with deep affection, “Zhiyi, I like you. Meeting you is the most beautiful miracle of my life. I once thought true love didn’t exist in this world. But you appeared and made me believe in the power of love again. Your presence has brought me endless joy and happiness. I think I’ve truly fallen in love with you. Will you be my girlfriend? For the rest of our lives, let me cherish and take care of you.”Xia Nuannuan was moved to tears, repeatedly nudging An Zhiyi’s arm, “Zhiyi, say yes to him, say yes.”
Someone in the crowd recognized this as President Fu of the Fu Group. An unknown voice remarked, “This is true love.”
It quickly resonated with others. The famously distinguished President Fu was pouring his heart out to a coffee shop waitress. Some romantics were already moved to tears, believing that true love existed in this world. Some customers working in media were already drafting headlines: “The Domineering CEO Falls for Cinderella,” “Public Confession of Love in a Coffee Shop.”
“Say yes! Say yes!” The crowd grew larger and more boisterous. Xu Yueyao saw the panic in An Zhiyi’s eyes and shook her head. She didn’t particularly like this kind of confession. When two people were mutually in love and confessed in public, wanting more people to witness their love, Xu Yueyao found that romantic.
But this was different—one party wasn’t even sure if they liked the other, yet they confessed publicly. To Xu Yueyao, it felt like emotional blackmail, making her uncomfortable.
An Zhiyi clenched her fists beneath the table, looking at the exceptional man before her and the cheering crowd around them. When she saw Xu Yueyao, a sudden surge of courage welled up inside her. She had always believed that people from different worlds shouldn’t come together, but seeing Xu Yueyao made her think maybe it wasn’t impossible. Suddenly, she wanted to give it a try.
“I’m willing.” An Zhiyi mustered her courage, her face flushed as she spoke.
Fu Zheng had been waiting anxiously. Seeing the growing crowd and An Zhiyi’s flustered expression, he began to regret his decision. He shouldn’t have pressured her like this. Just as he prepared himself for rejection, he never expected Zhiyi to say yes. Overwhelmed with joy, he hugged her tightly like a child, whispering softly in her ear, “Zhiyi, no matter why you agreed, I will never let go of you in this lifetime.”
An Zhiyi held him, deeply moved. Had her broken life truly come to an end? Could she really have happiness?
Watching them embrace, Zhang Beilu covered her mouth in disbelief, sobbing uncontrollably. Xu Yueyao was also stunned. If not for the fact that all the character names matched, she would have started to wonder if she had transmigrated into the wrong book. Why was the plot different from what she had read?
Xia Nuannuan watched Xu Yueyao’s shocked expression and Zhang Beilu’s tear-streaked face, feeling a sense of triumph. Zhan Shao might be impressive, but their President Fu was no less remarkable. She had to make sure to stay close to her dear friend Zhiyi.
Zhang Beilu ran out crying, and Xu Yueyao hurriedly chased after her.
“Lulu!”
Xu Yueyao called after her, confused about what had suddenly happened.
Zhang Beilu ran all the way to a small square, sitting on the steps and burying her face in her hands as she cried.
Xu Yueyao finally caught up to her, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath. Seeing Zhang Beilu in such pain, she had a sinking feeling.
Sitting down beside Zhang Beilu, she asked, “Lulu, what’s wrong?”
Zhang Beilu cried as she spoke to Xu Yueyao, “Yaoyao, I love him. I really love him.”
“He… who is he? Who do you love?” Xu Yueyao asked in disbelief.
“I love Fu Zheng. Why? He treated me differently from others. He had feelings for me, Yaoyao, really. I could feel it in the way he looked at me… Wuwu…”Xu Yueyao felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss. She stared blankly at Zhang Beilu, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Impossible. How could you know him?”
“I know him. On the day I resigned from the nightclub, he saved me. He appeared like a hero and rescued me. I fell in love with him at that moment. Why? I finally managed to find out everything about him, finally gathered the courage to get close to him. Why? I can’t accept this, Yaoyao. I really can’t accept it…”
Looking at Zhang Beilu’s face filled with resentment and her incoherent words, Xu Yueyao felt utterly hopeless in that moment. She realized that no matter how much effort she made, no matter how much the current situation differed from the original story, the fundamental framework remained unchanged. It seemed she was once again witnessing Zhang Beilu’s fate. But what about her own? Had her own ending also remained unchanged…