Chapter 37: She’s the Best at Playing the Victim

Chapter 37: She's the Best at Playing the Victim

"Alright, alright, Youyou, don't be scared. Shi Yu really shouldn’t have kissed you like that..."

Shi Nian watched Lin Yao in a daze, thinking she was shocked, and quickly pulled her over, patting her back to comfort her.

In fact, when Shi Yu snatched the card from Qi Yanye, Shi Nian felt relieved.

Not for Qi Yanye, but for Lin Yao.

Youyou’s personality is soft and she has thin skin; she clearly didn’t like Qi Yanye but didn’t want to disappoint him by refusing. Shi Nian had planned to accept double punishment, drinking two cups of the mixed drink on Lin Yao’s behalf, just to let it pass.

Unexpectedly, Shi Yu stepped in and took the card.

Shi Nian never suspected that Shi Yu had any ulterior motives in taking the card.

She thought Shi Yu was like her, worried about embarrassing Lin Yao, so he pretended to take the card from Qi Yanye to make it look good.

As long as they used positioning to cover up, they could get away with it.

But Shi Yu actually kissed Lin Yao... although only on the forehead.

He really...

Seeing Lin Yao burying her head and refusing to look up, Shi Nian felt heartbroken and kept comforting her: "Don’t be angry, Youyou. I’ll scold Shi Yu later. He’s really too much, using this kind of thing to tease you."

Shi Nian had seen Shi Yu and Lin Yao bicker privately many times, not getting along well.

She thought Shi Yu was deliberately trying to get back at Lin Yao this time.

Taking the opportunity to tease the girl.

Naturally, she felt indignant for Lin Yao and planned to give Shi Yu a piece of her mind later.

But when Lin Yao heard Shi Nian’s words, she hugged her tighter, biting her lip and lowering her head, even more unwilling to meet Shi Nian’s sincere eyes.

How could she tell Shi Nian...

Her panic and confusion were not because of what Shi Nian worried about.

Her unease and nervousness came from the emotion she saw in Shi Yu’s eyes just now.

Does Shi Yu like her?

Does he really... like her?

But that can’t be right. Shi Yu should like Zhou Yanan, the official pairing in the original story.

He couldn’t possibly like her...

Fortunately, the afternoon class mainly involved solving problems. After explaining the concepts, they were left to work on their own, with targeted questions afterward.

Shi Yu had already outlined the scope of the next exam and projected it on the screen. Everyone worked on problems within that scope and asked him if they encountered difficulties.

The entire afternoon, Shi Yu was surrounded by people, including Lin Jingtao, who squeezed next to him, constantly asking questions from his crumpled physics workbook.

Only Lin Yao sat quietly in her seat.

She dared not look up at the front again.

The girl sat upright, her head lowered, focused solely on the problems.

But if someone approached, they would see that the draft paper was covered with her messy scribbles, leaving no space.

The afternoon tutoring session passed quickly.

Shi Yu turned off his computer, finished the last question, and announced the end of class after collecting the new test papers.

At that moment, he saw the girl, having submitted her paper, rush out the door as if chased by a villain.

Shi Yu: "..."

Thinking about Shi Nian’s warning before class not to bully Lin Yao anymore, Shi Yu slightly frowned, lowered his eyelids, and flicked the corner of Lin Yao’s test paper on the podium.

"It’s too late."

He murmured softly.

Dinner was a buffet in the restaurant.

Lin Yao, having run to the restaurant the fastest after class, picked up a plate of food and another of her favorite fruits, choosing a corner seat to bury herself in eating to calm her inner turmoil.

Mmm... delicious.

*

She apologized to herself for thinking earlier that if there was no food at Qi Yanye’s house, she would order takeout.

Qi Yanye’s chef was simply too skilled.

The girl’s anxious mood all day was soothed by the delicious food.

When she was almost done, Zhou Yuwei finally sat down with her tray. "Lin Yao, why didn’t you go choose a bed? Why are you hiding here eating?"

"What bed?" Lin Yao said, stuffing two blueberries into her mouth, her face glowing with happiness.

Blueberries are truly the most delicious fruit in the world.

She loves blueberries the most.

Zhou Yuwei: "The bed we're sleeping in tonight. Didn't you know we were staying overnight? This training camp is for two days."

Lin Yao shook her head, "I... I didn't know..."

Lin Yao was stunned.

If she were to stay overnight, would she have to face Shi Yu again?

Although she would still face Shi Yu at home, at least she could be in her own room and not have to see him all the time.

She was startled and instinctively reached for her phone, wanting to ask what was going on.

Opening her phone, she found that Xia Tingnan had sent her a message earlier, telling her that pajamas and toiletries were packed at the bottom of her backpack.

Lin Yao opened her backpack and pulled out a separate storage bag from the bottom.

Unzipping it, Lin Yao reached inside and pulled out a set of light blue pajamas and a gray-blue bath towel.

It turned out her mother had prepared everything for her. She blamed herself for oversleeping and not knowing about it.

Lin Yao put the pajamas, bath towel, and scattered toiletries back into the bag.

Beside her, Zhou Yuwei suddenly looked at Lin Yao's bag, then at her, and after a moment said, "You... Why do you use all blue things? Your favorite color is also blue!?"

Lin Yao was taken aback, her heart trembling when Zhou Yuwei mentioned this.

Not long ago, someone had publicly stated that their favorite color was blue.

She hadn't forgotten.

Lin Yao hurriedly shook her head, "No, I... I don't like blue."

"If you don't like it, why did you buy blue pajamas and a bath towel?" Zhou Yuwei pointed at her backpack and then at the fruit plate on her desk, "And you love blueberries. Look, all the fruit you picked is blue!"

"..."

Lin Yao was momentarily speechless.

She hadn't expected Zhou Yuwei's imagination to be so strong.

But really, it didn't mean anything.

Even if she liked blue and Shi Yu also liked blue, what did it matter?

Everyone knew Zhou Yanan always wore blue dresses. Shi Yu liked blue because of Zhou Yanan; it had nothing to do with her.

But today, Lin Yao found it hard to say 'it doesn't matter' as calmly as before.

Her suspicions and uneasy heart couldn't withstand this little push.

"I get it now..." Zhou Yuwei suddenly looked at her excitedly, smiling.

Lin Yao's eyelids twitched as she looked up, "G... Get what?"

Lin Yao's mind was in turmoil.

As if someone was about to confirm the suspicion she had been hiding deep in her heart, one she dared not face.

Zhou Yuwei: "So it turns out that the person Shi Yu likes is actually you..."

"No, no... Shi Yu doesn't like me." The girl shook her head vigorously, almost shedding tears.

Ever since the thought entered her mind, she had been constantly convincing herself that it was wrong.

She shouldn't think like this; it was dangerous. Shi Yu had his own CP, and she, as a green tea side character, should never entertain such thoughts.

"How could he not like you?" Zhou Yuwei emphasized, "Do you know that Shi Yu approached me earlier to ask me to agree to switch seats? He regretted acting cool in class that day by saying he didn't want to sit with you. Seeing you with the school bully, he got jealous."

"Sigh, I understand these arrogant kings very well. Don't forget, I used to like Shi Yu too. While I don't know him deeply, I can read people pretty well."

"... " Lin Yao slowly lowered her head, biting her lip.

She wanted to be an ostrich, to stop listening.

She didn't want to know that Shi Yu liked her.

Didn't want to know.

But Zhou Yuwei was too excited, unable to contain her emotions, and grabbed Lin Yao to chat, "You're just too innocent, so you don't understand these men's hearts. I've been saying, why would Shi Yu care so much about you? Hmph... People outside say his white moonlight is my cousin, Zhou Yanan."

"Sigh, speaking of Zhou Yanan, she annoys me so much every time she comes over... Everyone says Shi Yu likes blue because of my cousin, but I don't think so. It's because you like blue..."

Blue, blue...

Suddenly, Lin Yao wondered why she bought so many blue clothes.

She could have avoided buying them.

"Wa... Wait a minute." The girl suddenly reacted and looked up, "Zhou Yanan... You said Zhou Yanan is your cousin?"

Zhou Yuwei: "Yes. She used to come back with my uncle during the summer holidays, and that's how she met Shi Yu. Sigh... Anyway, my cousin is so annoying. I don't like her. Even if I gave up on Shi Yu, I wouldn't want him to be with my cousin."

So Zhou Yanan and Zhou Yuwei were cousins.

This is quite a lot of information.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Those novels love to write about sisters competing with each other. Zhou Yanan is the CP of Shi Yu, the protagonist in the original book, so Zhou Yuwei, as her cousin, fits perfectly as the malicious female supporting character.

Lin Yao watched Zhou Yuwei smile at her, seemingly delighted as if she could see flowers blooming on her face, and couldn't help feeling more sympathy for Zhou Yuwei.

Both of them were malicious female supporting characters, fallen sisters. If they dared to provoke the main characters again, they would be doomed.

After some thought, for both their safety,

Lin Yao lifted her small face, looking pitifully at Zhou Yuwei, and gently tugged at her sleeve: "Teach me, how can I make Shi Yu dislike me... Zhou Yuwei, I... don't want Shi Yu to like me."

She didn't want a tragic fate.

Zhou Yuwei, who was just about to comfort Lin Yao and praise her cuteness, paused: "..."

Gosh, Lin Yao isn't just cute; that soft, pitiful look is too adorable!!!

Even if the request was unreasonable, Zhou Yuwei decided to agree.

Unbeknownst to them, a few steps away from the dining table, Shi Yu had stopped walking and stood there.

He heard what Lin Yao said to Zhou Yuwei.

The young man's face turned cold, and his long legs froze in place.

A few seconds later, he turned and walked away.

*

That night, Lin Yao received a notebook filled with dense writing from Zhou Yuwei and tilted her head slightly.

Lin Yao: "You're saying this... is the way to make Shi Yu dislike me?"

Zhou Yuwei nodded emphatically: "Yes."

Although she didn't understand why Lin Yao was so afraid of being liked by Shi Yu.

Wasn't Shi Yu good enough?

Or was Lin Yao so deeply in love with Qi Yanye that she couldn't spare any affection for Shi Yu?

In her opinion, Lin Yao was so cute that men should fight over her until they bled, engaging in fierce competition.

She also wanted to see bloodshed.

Unfortunately, Lin Yao was too kind-hearted, unwilling even to let men fight over her. Sigh... what a pity.

Zhou Yuwei didn't know that Lin Yao feared Shi Yu liking her because she dared not deviate from the plotline.

In the girl's mind, Shi Yu and Zhou Yanan were meant to be together.

Zhou Yanan, in the original story, was almost like a protagonist herself.

Anyone... she meant anyone... who dared to oppose the main characters would become cannon fodder.

Lin Yao obediently ignored her true thoughts, choosing to avoid emotional entanglements for her own sake and for Zhou Yuwei's.

Zhou Yuwei: "These are my own deductions, drawn from my long-term observation of my affection for Shi Yu. Generally, boys detest girls who are pretentious and are more inclined towards those who are gentle. In the future, you should not be overly gentle. Instead, consider adopting a spoiled and whimsical demeanor. Can you feign being a 'green tea girl'? Do you understand how to behave as one?"

Lin Yao: "Green tea? Yes, I can."

Green tea was her specialty; her role in the original narrative was that of a green tea supporting character.

But fearing a repeat of the book's events, she gradually changed after entering Class 13 and started to genuinely interact with her classmates.

Zhou Yuwei: "Act more like a 'green tea girl' often. I recall Shi Yu detests 'green tea girls' the most. There was once a notorious 'green tea girl' at No. 5 Middle School who had a crush on him, but he never gave her the time of day. Shi Yu has a keen eye for identifying 'green tea girls'."

Lin Yao nodded, somewhat understanding.

Indeed...

In the original book, she was a conniving supporting character, which was why her relationship with Shi Yu was so poor.

She suddenly understood.

It was her fault.

Upon regaining consciousness, she ceased to behave like a "green tea" girl, a change that inexplicably endeared her to Shi Yu.

Indeed, embodying the persona of a green tea wasn't a challenging task.

She simply had to revert to being a "green tea" to make Shi Yu lose his affection for her.

*

After two days, Lin Yao returned to the neighborhood with Shi Nian and Shi Yu.

As soon as they got out of the car, Lin Yao picked up her backpack and suddenly exclaimed, "Ouch!"

Shi Nian quickly turned around: "What's wrong, Yao Yao?"

Shi Yu had just gotten out of the front passenger seat and stood by the roadside with one hand in his pocket, silently watching the girl with a cool gaze.

Lin Yao pretended not to notice Shi Yu's gaze, adjusted her backpack, and said in a delicate voice: "Nothing, it's my fault. My strength seems too weak; I think I twisted my wrist."

"But don't worry, Shi Nian, I can manage on my own."

The little girl's face turned red, biting her lip as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

Yet it was just a backpack.

Even if it contained books, she usually carried it in and out without any trouble.

Shi Nian felt a pang of sympathy. "Then don’t strain yourself... Shi Yu, what are you standing there for? Come help Youyou with her backpack."

The teenager, already leaning against the guardrail by the roadside in a white T-shirt, watched the scene unfold. His dark eyes fell on Lin Yao’s flushed face.

He suddenly remembered what Lin Yao had said last night in the restaurant.

‘Teach me how to make Shi Yu dislike me, okay...’

The corner of the teenager’s lip curled up slightly.

Two silent words.

"Green tea."