Chapter 63 [VIP] The Best Friend as a Shield (1)

Chapter 63 [VIP] The Best Friend as a Shield (1)

Nan Yan had not anticipated that her transfer would be so abrupt. She was accused of slacking off in her last world, wasting too much time and severely hindering the mission's progress. Consequently, her usual break between transfers was abruptly canceled, and she was unceremoniously thrown into the next world by the system.

She didn’t even get a chance to catch her breath.

Accompanied by a familiar wave of dizziness.

After a moment of blankness in her mind, Nan Yan regained consciousness to find her entire body slightly cold, her hands and feet so chilled she thought she had fallen into an icy hole, her limbs stiff and unresponsive.

Instinctively, she rubbed her sore and dry eyes.

Only to discover her face was wet with tears, her skin tight from the dried tear tracks.

This was far from a good state to be in.

Before she could comprehend what had happened, her body suddenly stumbled forward uncontrollably. Nan Yan was startled, then realized someone was holding her chin, forcing her to look up into the eyes of the man in front of her.

“You want to know why?”

“Fine, I’ll tell you. From the beginning to the end, the only person I've ever liked is Fang Wan Rou. She hasn’t wronged you, nor has she seduced me.”

“It was me. From the start, she was the one I liked!”

“The reason I chose to be with you was only because she was closest to you, and you were my only chance to get close to her. Now you understand, don’t you?”

“You thought she betrayed you, but in reality, she knew nothing, absolutely nothing. Otherwise, why do you think I would choose to be with someone like you?”

Hearing these words, Nan Yan could hardly believe her own ears.

"Is there really such a shameless person in this world, and he even has the audacity to speak so righteously?!"

Her pupils dilated slightly, suppressing the emotions surging within her. She tried to say something, but her throat was so tight and sore that she couldn't utter a single word.

The tears that had been brimming in her eyes now fell uncontrollably, landing heavily on the back of the man's hand, warm yet forlorn.

Nan Yan had intended to stop her tears.

But her body reacted beyond her control, tears falling like pearls off a string, as if releasing all the grievances buried in her heart over the years.

She could only stare with eyes full of sorrow at the person before her, inwardly hoping this reaction would pass soon.

The man, too, seemed taken aback by her response, which was different from their usual arguments. Her silent weeping made him instinctively loosen his grip, as if burned by her tears.

His gaze fell on her face involuntarily, only to find her complexion so pale it was nearly translucent, her lips devoid of any color, exuding a sense of desperate breakdown.

The man frowned in an instant.

Especially seeing her pitiful and wronged expression, he felt an unusual surge of irritation and guilt in his heart, for reasons unknown.

Their relationship had started with a mistakenly given necklace, and he had tried to accept her feelings, but soon realized that love can't be forced. You can't like someone you don't, no matter how hard you try.

Just one look from Fang Wan Rou was enough to make him give his all, a feeling of love he had never experienced for any other woman.

So he let himself err repeatedly, after all, she was Fang Wan Rou's best friend and his best chance to get close to her.

Having said all this, he didn't bother to pretend anymore, not even wanting to glance at the woman in the room again. He turned, picked up his coat, and walked towards the door.

Perhaps it was better this way, to have everything out in the open.

He was tired of maintaining the facade of a devoted boyfriend around her 24/7!

He detested having to carefully hide his true feelings, even when liking someone, always mindful of her jealousy, sensitivity, and insecurity - a slew of tiresome thoughts.

Utterly fed up.

The only person he had ever liked was Fang Wan Rou.

His affection for her, lasting six years, was etched deep into his bones, becoming a habit he couldn’t shake off.

The man left swiftly, and after a short while, when Nan Yan was sure there was no sound outside, she shakily sat down on the sofa.

She twisted her stiff limbs and wrapped herself in the blanket on the sofa, her head heavy and foggy as a storyline transmitted into her mind.

It seemed to be a melodramatic tale of a villainous male lead attempting to rise by any means, only to be ultimately defeated by a gentle and affectionate second male lead.

Her role this time was not that of a malicious supporting female, but a purely unfortunate and tragic victim.

The original Nan Yan was the dormmate and bunkmate of the female lead, Fang Wan Rou, during college. They had vastly different personalities, tastes, and interests but bonded over compatible temperaments, making them the closest friends in both the dorm and class.

—Typically known as best friends.

Fang Wan Rou was kind-hearted, beautiful, and dynamic, always like a little sun, constantly warming those around her.

Such an extraordinary girl naturally attracted the admiration of many men, including her boyfriend Jiang Shao Yan.

If all love in the world were as simple as 'you like me, and I just happen to like you too,' there wouldn't be so many unrequited loves and lovelorn individuals.

Jiang Shao Yan liked Fang Wan Rou.

The problem was, Fang Wan Rou already had a boyfriend.

And both were each other’s first love, having grown together from the naive high school days to college, a journey of six or seven years, leading to a very stable relationship, much to the dismay of those who aspired to take their place.

Unable to win her over directly, Jiang Shao Yan settled for second best, concealing his feelings and remaining by the female lead's side as a friend.

The romantic relationship between him and Zhou Nan Yan was entirely the result of a misunderstanding.

Until the day before they started dating, he only saw Zhou Nan Yan as Fang Wan Rou’s decent-looking and agreeable friend, someone who was merely cared for because of Fang Wan Rou. Because of her, Jiang Shao Yan had always been nice to Zhou Nan Yan.

So nice that everyone around them assumed he liked Zhou Nan Yan, almost taking it for granted that they were a couple.

And Jiang Shao Yan, faced with everyone’s teasing, just smiled and never denied it.

It wasn’t until a certain Christmas in their junior year that the original character finally gathered the courage to confess, and Jiang Shao Yan, without much hesitation, agreed, making them an official couple. This caused envy, jealousy, and resentment among their peers, with friends even saying she was like a blind cat who stumbled upon a dead mouse, having such a respectful and loving boyfriend, a true winner in life.

After all, Jiang Shao Yan was truly outstanding, with strong abilities, extremely good looks, and a far superior family background, along with the image of a deeply devoted and faithful man. For a time, everyone believed she must have saved the world in her past life.

Even Zhou Nan Yan herself thought so, especially in the early days of their relationship. She truly felt she was the luckiest person in the world, with her beloved reciprocating her feelings. What could be more blissful than that?

But who could have imagined?

This happiness was false. A year into the relationship, she began to sense something was amiss.

She couldn’t understand why her supposedly loving boyfriend could never remember her birthday, or why he always chose to give her roses when she preferred lilies?

Why couldn’t he remember the day of her menstrual cycle, yet could precisely pick out her best friend’s favorite lipstick shade and milk tea flavor...

Zhou Nan Yan lacked relationship experience, but she wasn’t foolish. Initially, she thought she was being overly sensitive, but when all these coincidences added up, she quickly realized that her boyfriend’s true affection was for her best friend, not her.

The reason he agreed to be with her was solely because she was Fang Wan Rou's best friend.

This reason allowed him to stay by her best friend’s side without reservation, to be nice to her openly under the guise of friendship, without worrying about Fang Wan Rou’s retreat and suspicion, or the risk of not even remaining friends.

Look at that, such deep consideration and care.

He even thought of the excuse for her.

Being nice to her as the girlfriend’s best friend was normal, after all, pleasing the best friend is what a competent boyfriend should do.

So, when picking out lipsticks, he would 'accidentally' choose a shade his girlfriend didn’t like, which just happened to be the one her friend had been raving about recently. And the roses she didn’t care for, well, if that's the case, then they might as well all be for you...

And it was precisely for this reason that the inevitable argument between them took place.

Because Zhou Nan Yan couldn't bear it anymore. She truly loved Jiang Shao Yan, so much so that even if she wasn't in his heart, she was willing to wait, wait until the day he would be truly moved by her.

But she wasn't the heroine.

Nor did she have the good fortune of Fang Wan Rou.

And what happened next was even more unexpected.

Fang Wan Rou's boyfriend, Fu Qing Zhou, faced bankruptcy, causing significant trouble for the Fang family. Under pressure from her family, Fang Wan Rou was forced to break up with Fu Qing Zhou and, to solve her family's financial crisis, had to enter into a marriage of convenience.

It was then that Jiang Shao Yan stepped in.

To gain Fang Wan Rou’s trust, he proposed a fake marriage, promising to annul it as soon as the Fang family's financial crisis was resolved.

After all, they were good friends, and his girlfriend was her best friend. The engagement was merely a temporary arrangement, just to help her through tough times. With these convincing, half-truth persuasions, Fang Wan Rou naturally agreed, and Jiang Shao Yan got his wish to be engaged to his beloved.

As for Zhou Nan Yan, the wronged ex-girlfriend, Jiang Shao Yan had eagerly dismissed her the day Fang Wan Rou broke up with Fu Qing Zhou.

On the day of the engagement, Fu Qingzhou sought out Zhou Nanyan, intending to clarify things with Jiang Shaoyan, accompanied by the original protagonist. To the public, she was Jiang Shaoyan's legitimate girlfriend, the one he "truly liked." However, Zhou Nanyan revealed the shocking truth about the engagement.

Fu Qingzhou immediately accused Zhou Nanyan of being unworthy as Fang Wanrou's friend for keeping such a crucial matter from her. Their argument in the car led to a tragic accident...

The engagement was naturally called off, especially since Fang Wanrou rushed out of the ceremony the moment she learned about the accident, leaving her fiancé to face the guests' questioning and mockery alone.

Post-accident, Fu Qingzhou sustained minor injuries, but Zhou Nanyan was less fortunate. Her right leg was broken, and the shattered windshield caused glass to severely damage her cornea, ultimately leading to blindness in one eye.

Overwhelmed by extreme pain, Zhou Nanyan contemplated ending her life more than once. Ironically, it was during her darkest, most desperate times that the male and female leads rebuilt their trust and found joy in each other.

Indeed, the two reconciled, meaning that from beginning to end, she was the only one sacrificed.