Chapter 429: Day 34 into the Mary Sue Story

Chapter 429: The Thirty-Fourth Day of Transmigrating into a Mary Sue Story

Especially when they couldn't even trace who this person was—whether an individual or an organization, or how deep their intentions ran—the wariness and the pressure to tread carefully multiplied a hundredfold in an instant.

Soon, a sharply worded internal summons was delivered to Huang Fuxiao.

At that moment, he was still at Saint Jing Academy, his feelings a tangled mess over Leng Bingning's "ungrateful" stubbornness and occasional flashes of vulnerability—annoyance mixed with a strange, fluttering feeling.

Before he could even figure out what was happening, he was politely "escorted" off campus by the royal guards.

He never showed up at Saint Jing again.

Rumors quickly spread across the school—some said he'd been urgently dispatched abroad for a royal diplomatic exchange, others claimed he'd been sent to a closed military-style academy for further training, while the more believable rumors said he'd been recalled by the royal family to cultivate his character and learn etiquette, and wouldn't be back for a long while.

A few days later, a hefty anonymous transfer showed up in Leng Bingning's bank account, with no message attached.

When she saw the notification on her banking app, she froze. Her first instinct was to be wary and refuse.

She went to An Yi and told him about it.

"An Yi, this money... I don't know who sent it. I can't accept it." She frowned, her gaze resolute, even though the money would've been a lifeline given how tight things were.

An Yi was reading. He looked up when she spoke, sunlight streaming through the window, making him look all warm and cozy.

He glanced at the number on her phone, then at her tense, stubborn face, and gave a gentle smile.

"Keep it." His voice was calm but had a convincing certainty to it: "You've earned it."

"Earned it?" Leng Bingning thought it over, a guess starting to form.

"Call it emotional damages, compensation for your time... whatever you want." An Yi closed his book. "You lost time, dealt with stress, and maybe even took a hit academically and mentally because of his unreasonable harassment and coercion."

"This money won't make up for everything, but at least it's something real. You can use it to make life easier, pay tuition, or save it for future studies."

He paused, looking at her still-hesitant eyes, and added: "Don't think of it as charity or an insult. Accepting compensation is your right—it's also a way to make the person who hurt you pay. It's only fair, after all."

Leng Bingning was quiet for a moment, staring at the numbers in her account, then at An Yi's calm, encouraging look. Finally, she nodded slowly. "Okay. Thank you."

In the end, she didn't refuse.

Some of the money went to paying off old debts, part went to tuition and essential supplies, and the rest, following An Yi's advice, she carefully saved for future studies or emergencies.

Life suddenly got a lot easier. The pressure lifted, and even her breathing felt lighter.

Looking at her account balance, she felt a steadier, clearer hope for the future for the first time.

"An Yi, I... thank you so much." Leng Bingning thanked him sincerely, her rainbow-colored eyes full of genuine gratitude. The gloom and stubborn tiredness that had hung over her had faded, replaced by the bright glow of a girl her age.

An Yi's eyes crinkled as he smiled warmly at her. "You're welcome."

Then, in a gentle voice, he added: "But it's not over yet."

Leng Bingning blinked. Not over yet?

Comment section:

"Ah! So satisfying! I didn't think it'd be resolved that easily! I thought after An Yi said he'd help the female lead, we'd get a long back-and-forth of wits, family drama, and showdowns! But he just handled it so effortlessly! Awesome!"

"Huang Fuxiao never stood a chance!"

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! This IQ and approach leave Huang Fuxiao—that 'woman, you've caught my attention' male lead—in the dust by a mile! (Kneeling in admiration.jpg)"

"How high is that?"

"Three or four stories high!"

"Hahaha, awesome! Huang Fuxiao is finally out of the picture!"

"Huang Fuxiao is actually gone? Whoa, where is this novel going?"

"This novel is so weird—I can't predict anything, but I love where it's going! It's way more satisfying than the female lead getting tormented and bullied by the male lead, then just forgiving him for a happy ending!"

"@Author! I take back calling you an idiot—you're not that bad after all!"

"But how did An Yi get his stuff in there? Is he really that good?"

"I think it's a bit of a plot hole too! But whatever—this whole novel is full of plot holes anyway!"

"Good thing the female lead accepted the money, or I'd be so annoyed. In these kinds of novels, the female lead always refuses any compensation or gifts—it drives me insane!"

"Ahhh, I can't wait to see how An Yi handles the greasy guy and that toxic-masculinity Ou Yanglie! So hyped! An Yi, I love you!"

"..."

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An Yi didn't exactly try to hide what he was doing from Lu Lu.

In fact, Lu Lu basically watched the whole thing go down.

He stuck close to An Yi, often feeling that powerful vibe of his boyfriend calmly working things out.

"An An, you're so awesome!" Lu Lu would exclaim in awe, eyes sparkling with admiration, hovering around An Yi like a big dog wagging its tail like crazy.

His boyfriend was so cool!

Hehe! His boyfriend~

But aside from admiration, the jealousy was real.

Seeing An Yi put so much effort into Leng Bingning's problems, the jealousy in Lu Lu's heart couldn't help but stir, even though he got why An Yi was doing it.

But he couldn't help being jealous.

"An An..." Lu Lu wrapped his arms around An Yi's waist, chin on his shoulder, voice muffled and a little pouty: "You're so nice to her, even going out of your way to fix her problems. I'm jealous."

An Yi patted the hand around his waist, then turned and kissed Lu Lu's reddening ear, his tone calm: "It's just a side thing. Besides, getting rid of the trouble clears the air too, right?"

Lu Lu was dazed from the kiss, but the jealousy hadn't fully gone away—just buried under the sweetness for now.

He said "I get it, I get it" out loud, but silently added this to the jealousy ledger in his heart—when he got the chance, he'd definitely make An An pay up with extra kisses and cuddles!