Chapter 428: Day 33 into the Mary Sue Story

Chapter 428: Day 33 of Being Thrown Into a Mary Sue Novel

"An Yi, I need your help."

After saying this, Leng Bingning's eyes instantly reddened, mist gathering in her seven-colored eyes. But she bit down on her lip hard, refusing to let the tears fall, simply looking at An Yi with a stubborn, defiant gaze.

An Yi looked at her, his face unreadable. He simply nodded. "Alright."

"I'll help you."

He said.

Comments section:

"Holy shit! Guys! An Yi made the first move! 'Do you need my help?' That line was freaking awesome! (heart)(heart)"

"Damn, An Yi's delivery was so calm and powerful. It wasn't charity from on high—just a simple, matter-of-fact 'you need it, I'll help' energy."

"The FL didn't dig her heels in this time! She said 'I need it'! God, she finally let her guard down for once!"

"So, An Yi isn't a love rival—he's the female lead's gay best friend?"

"I'm broken, fam. Leng Bingning's trembling 'I need it' actually got to me. I literally just came here to watch the chaos, but she went through all that for nothing. (tears faucet.jpg)"

"An Yi's character is so interesting. He looks warm and aloof on the surface, but inside he's rock-solid and level-headed. He steps up when it counts—no overthinking, no fuss. Obsessed!"

"Yeah, at first I thought he was the male lead, then he came out of the closet, then I thought he had the 'white moonlight' rival script, and now he's helping the female lead! Totally unexpected!"

"The female lead is interesting too. When she first appeared, I thought she was one of those old-school pure-as-snow heroines, her so-called stubbornness just the author's way of making her stand out to the male leads. But who would've thought! I actually kinda like her!"

"Nice! It's starting to get good!"

"I hope the FL doesn't end up with any of the male leads. None of the F4 are worth a damn!"

"Same here!"

"..."

An Yi: Same here.

When Leng Bingning heard those words—"I'll help you"—her heart slowly sank back into place, and it gave her a strange, steadying sense of peace.

She looked at An Yi's eyes, so calm yet seemingly brimming with hidden strength, and after a moment's hesitation, asked, "What... do I need to do?"

She was used to quid pro quo, used to never owing anyone anything. Even though this help came so suddenly and seemingly without expectation of return, she instinctively wanted to shoulder some of the burden.

An Yi, however, gave her a gentle smile. "You don't need to do anything. Just live your life, do well in school—that's it."

So simple, really.

As if what he was about to do was just a piece of cake, barely worth a second thought.

Leng Bingning froze, her seven-colored eyes reflecting An Yi's warm smile. There wasn't a hint of charity, scheming, or pity in it—just a calm that felt almost like it was simply meant to be.

This guy... he seemed really strong.

A wave of warmth tangled with a deeper ache welled up in her nose. She blinked hard to push back the tears, then—she smiled too.

She nodded hard, her voice quiet but steady: "Mm!"

----------

An Yi decided to help Leng Bingning—and he didn't waste any time.

Among the F4, the ones currently most tangled up with Leng Bingning—and the biggest headaches—were undoubtedly Huang Fuxiao and Ye Ming.

Ye Ming's harassment that night and any revenge he might try later had been temporarily suppressed thanks to the An family stepping in hard and laying down the law, plus that brutal punch An Yi landed himself.

But An Yi knew well: against someone who lives by violence and might, with no moral limits, suppression only forces them to lie low for a while. Only by cutting off their claws completely—taking away their power and their backup—could he end the problem for good.

Huang Fuxiao, though, was a whole different beast.

He was royalty—a sensitive position.

An Yi didn't go straight to his door to confront or threaten him. That would be inefficient and could spark needless direct conflict and royal pushback. There was no need.

He sat in his study, documents spread before him, sorting through the original story, the body's previous owner's memories, and intel he'd gathered from various sources.

For the Huang royal family... what mattered most of all?

Not some young prince's love life or hobbies. Not even simple right or wrong.

In this country where the constitutional monarchy still held serious sway, what the royal family relied on to survive and maintain its privileged status was the meticulously maintained, untouchable "dignity" and "public image."

"Approachable, benevolent, just, noble"—these were the gold leaf plastered onto the royal family, the ornate garments displayed to the public.

Any behavior that might tear this facade or shake their foundation of public opinion was absolutely forbidden within the royal household.

Huang Fuxiao's actions at Shengjing Academy—forcing a top student to sign a humiliating maid contract, causing public conflicts with inappropriate behavior, the rumors swirling around him about bullying commoners and abusing privilege...

In An Yi's view, this was merely the tip of the iceberg. In this twisted academy, it was even treated as some kind of "norm" or "charming privilege." But if carefully packaged and placed under the magnifying glass of public scrutiny, then amplified by those with ulterior motives, it could brew into a considerable public relations crisis for the royal family.

An Yi didn't actually need to take things to the media—that would implicate too many people and could hurt Leng Bingning. He simply needed the royal family to see the possibility, to feel the threat.

First, he casually spread some rumors—half true, half false, vaguely directed but suggestive enough to spark imagination.

Things like "a royal scion's misconduct at a top institution may damage the royal reputation" and "the shadow of privilege over a commoner honor student."

These rumors were quickly confirmed to have reached the royal family's internal public opinion monitoring department.

Then, a report appeared on the desks of several core royal members and His Majesty the Emperor himself—in physical paper form.

The report's content highlighted how Huang Fuxiao's behavior, if made public, would sharply contradict the royal family's proclaimed image of "benevolence, approachability, and respect for talent," and could be exploited into sustained attacks on royal credibility.

But honestly, that wasn't the most important part. The most important part was how the report appeared.

No one had noticed anything. The report simply materialized—no trace of intrusion, no loose ends left behind.

Moreover, it demonstrated an intimate knowledge of the royal family's internal information flow and personnel structure.

Whoever did this clearly held no goodwill toward Huang Fuxiao, but their purpose didn't seem to be a direct attack on the royal family itself. It felt more like... a warning. Or rather, an offering of a choice.

The royal family could tolerate a member's privileges and minor indiscretions, but they would absolutely not allow such a mysterious, formidable outsider—one who clearly held leverage—to place a powder keg of public opinion at the most vulnerable point of the royal image.