Chapter 416: Day 21 into the Mary Sue Story

Chapter 416: Day 21 in the Mary Sue Novel

Lu Lu almost blurted out the word "mind" without thinking, his voice a few degrees harder than usual.

After saying it, he realized his tone was too blunt and stiff. Meeting Shen Muyu's still-smiling but unfathomable eyes, the irritation sparked by the interruption grew even stronger.

But letting a guy with all those twisted thoughts and hidden agendas disrupt his precious alone time with An Yi—he was a hundred percent unwilling.

So what if it seemed rude?

Lu Lu was never the smooth, people-pleasing type anyway. All he knew was that right now, he didn't want to share An Yi's time with anyone.

Most importantly, he knew that An Yi didn't like this Shen Muyu.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come right out and said he wasn't welcome—he'd have waited for An Yi to make the call.

Shen Muyu choked on his unvarnished rejection, but his smile didn't fade one bit—if anything, it deepened. Nodding with a hint of understanding and resignation, he turned his gaze to An Yi, his tone still as warm and gentle as a spring breeze: "Fair enough, I was too forward. You two... enjoy."

He paused, his gaze, framed by his glasses, lingering on An Yi's face for a beat. The look was still gentle, yet it seemed to trace over An Yi's features with a deliberate, lingering intensity: "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen An Yi around campus for days. I've kind of missed... the easy rapport we had during our salon talks."

He lingered on the words "missed" and "rapport," letting them roll off his tongue with deliberate softness, with a faint, barely noticeable intimacy that went beyond ordinary classmates: "Then we'll leave you two alone for today."

He turned to An Yi, his tone growing even softer: "An Yi, next time we get a chance, let's set up another time to talk one-on-one? I've been thinking about some things in the art world lately, and I'd love to hear your take."

An Yi met his gaze, face calm, voice utterly flat: "Sure, next time."

"Goodbye, An Yi. And goodbye to you as well, Lu Lu." Shen Muyu smiled and nodded slightly, then turned and walked toward the other side of the restaurant, with the two companions who'd been standing silently behind him, expressions unreadable.

The instant he turned, his fingers automatically pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. The lenses caught the restaurant's soft light, throwing off a sliver of cold white, hiding the brief flicker of deep, unreadable emotion in his eyes.

Lu Lu curled his lip at Shen Muyu's retreating back and muttered under his breath: "What a phony..."

He turned back, ready to vent to An Yi, but the moment he saw An Yi calmly continuing to pick up food with his chopsticks, his side profile as if nothing had happened, the annoyance and irritation on his face instantly melted away without him even realizing it. He instantly snapped back into that goofy, delighted look, his eyes bright as he gazed at An Yi: "How'd he end up here of all places... He really knows how to pick his moments."

An Yi chuckled, setting down his chopsticks, grabbed the napkin beside him and dabbed the corner of his mouth, saying in a relaxed tone: "It's not like we own the restaurant."

Lu Lu froze for a second, then his eyes lit up even more, and a grin uncontrollably spread across his face.

An Yi said "we"!

Not "I"—"we"!

The realization melted in his chest like candy, leaving him giddy with sweetness.

He let out a couple of goofy chuckles and nodded hard: "Right! We don't own the place! Anyone who wants to can come!"

The dinner had a pleasant vibe.

Lu Lu was buzzing over a single word An Yi had let slip, and he talked more—from his friend's golden retriever's silly antics to a game he'd watched recently. The topics were random, but not in an annoying way.

Just then, the hand An Yi held his teacup with paused almost imperceptibly.

He heard it.

Comments section:

"F*ck! Ye Ming, that persistent piece of sh*t! Why is he coming after the female lead again?!"

"Blocking her at the convenience store entrance where she works! And bringing a bunch of lackeys! What's this, trying to kidnap a girl in broad daylight?!"

"The female lead's eyes are burning red with anger! She tells him to 'get lost,' and Ye Ming is still laughing?! Saying 'Woman, you're even more captivating when you're angry'? I'm gonna puke!"

"Help! This dialogue is so greasy I need dish soap to wash my eyes! Author, wake up! This trash can't seriously be the male lead!"

"Ye Ming also says 'Forget about the library last time, let's formally get to know each other this time. Come with me, I promise you an unprecedented experience of pleasure'... God d*mn it, call the police! This isn't just greasy, it's sexual harassment! (Hello, is this 110?.jpg)"

"He was already sexually harassing her last time!"

"The female lead is so fierce! She just hurled the bag of bottled water she was carrying at him! Didn't hit... but Greasy's face changed!"

"Ah! Thank god! Huang Fuxiao's here! Mr. Poser, I forgive you! You're not great either, but you're a thousand times better than that idiot Ye Ming! (Clear water to wash eyes.jpg)"

"Why is the author still describing Ye Ming's evil, charming, handsome appearance at a time like this! Does he even have that?! Is she really going to make him the male lead? Author, you idiot! This time I'm genuinely angry, not joking! Idiot! Idiot!"

"@Author! Idiot! You hear me? Idiot! (Slap.jpg)"

"I originally came for the entertainment—such an old-school novel—but I'm genuinely pissed off! I declare Ye Ming the most disgusting male lead I've seen this year!"

"..."

The comments section was flooded with outrage at Ye Ming's behavior, worry for Leng Bingning's situation, and frantic mockery of this absurd plotline.

Though she couldn't see the visuals, the textual descriptions were enough for An Yi to sketch out the general scenario: Ye Ming clearly hadn't learned his lesson from the library incident. Instead, he'd escalated, using more direct and despicable methods to harass and pester Leng Bingning, even bringing people to corner her—behavior already bordering on illegal.

The smile on An Yi's face faded. He silently lowered his gaze, looking at the remaining tea in his cup. The clear liquid reflected his eyes, which were calm on the surface yet faintly tinged with coldness.

Lu Lu was in the middle of an animated story when he suddenly noticed An Yi had gone quiet, his smile fading, his expression taking on a distant, cold stillness.

He immediately stopped, leaning in with some unease, and asked cautiously: "An Yi? What's wrong? Is... is the food not to your taste? Or..."

His brow furrowed.

An Yi looked up, his gaze returning to calm, but that gentle smile hadn't fully returned.

He shook his head: "No, the food is fine."

He paused, looking into Lu Lu's eyes, which were full of concern and tension: "It's nothing."

He was displeased by Ye Ming's harassment of Leng Bingning and wanted to do something about it.

But first, he needed to confirm one thing.