Chapter 399: The Fourth Day in the Mary Sue World

Chapter 399: Day Four of Falling Into a Mary Sue Novel

When An Yi walked out of the club entrance, night had already fallen.

The neon lights along the street turned the road into a flowing river of light, and the evening breeze dispelled the thick, cloying air of the private room.

He stood on the steps and took a deep breath. The cool night air rushed into his lungs, making him feel like his mind had been cleared too.

"An Yi!"

The voice came from the right, pitched slightly high, with a hint of surprise.

Looking up from the driver's text on his phone, An Yi looked toward the source.

The speaker was a tall young man who had just straightened up from beside a dark gray sports car, waving at him.

An Yi turned his head and, under the warm yellow light at the club entrance, got a clear look at the newcomer's face.

Around twenty, at least six-foot-three, with broad shoulders and long legs, dressed in a simple white hoodie and black athletic pants—it should've looked casual and carefree, but what An Yi noticed were his eyes—a classic pair of puppy-dog eyes, with slightly drooping outer corners, very dark and very bright pupils, now reflecting the streetlight, all wet and shiny, like they were covered in a soft, watery glow.

Kind of cute, actually.

It was... Lu Lu.

The name popped into An Yi's head, along with the memories that came with it.

The youngest son of the Lu family, a year older than him. The two families went way back, and they'd known each other since they were kids. They'd always gotten along fine—not exactly close, but enough to shoot the breeze.

In the original novel, this character barely showed up at all—just one line saying "An Yi had a friend," and that was it.

But now, this "barely showed up" friend was bounding up the steps two at a time, stopping right in front of him.

He moved so fast he kicked up a breeze, the hem of his clothes flapping up.

"I knew it was you!" Lu Lu's voice carried unreserved delight as he said cheerfully, his gaze landing on An Yi's face. "I was driving by just now, saw someone walk out, and thought it looked a lot like you. Didn't think it'd actually be you."

Seeing a friend, of course he had to come say hi.

But as he talked, his voice slowly trailed off. His eyes blinked, fixed on An Yi, a flicker of uncertain confusion showing in them: "...An Yi?"

An Yi tilted his head a little, a smile spreading across his face like moonlight landing on a quiet lake: "What's wrong? Why you suddenly looking so unsure?"

Lu Lu was caught off guard by that smile for a second.

The warm yellow light outlined An Yi's profile, his brows and eyes curving at just the right angle, yet deep in those smiling eyes, there seemed to be an invisible pane of glass—clear and warm, but also distant.

Lu Lu's heart skipped a beat for no reason. Some strange, burning feeling shot through his chest out of nowhere.

He hesitated for a second, then finally managed to force out a smile: "Haha, nothing... I just zoned out for a sec, felt like... felt like it wasn't really you."

He paused, his gaze glued to An Yi, unable to look away, his voice dropping without him realizing: "Am I seeing things? You today... seem a bit different."

What exactly was different? Lu Lu couldn't put his finger on it.

It was still the same familiar face, but somehow better looking.

Had his skin gotten better?

He'd never noticed before.

And his vibe had subtly changed too.

The old An Yi had been gentle too, but that gentleness was more like a habit from good upbringing. But this guy in front of him—his gentleness came from deep inside, calm and composed, yet carrying a... hard-to-reach sense of distance.

And yet, the way he smiled, the way his eyes sparkled when they moved, there was something so lively and cute it made your heart go soft.

Totally contradictory, and totally... captivating.

Wow, had his friend always been this attractive?

How had he never noticed before?

An Yi just smiled with his eyes, saying nothing, quietly watching him.

Lu Lu felt his ears get hot under that gaze, and that flicker of uncertainty crept back up. He even couldn't help leaning in a bit closer, like a puppy checking out a scent, carefully studying An Yi's face again, his tone carrying a hint of doubt: "An Yi? You... you are An Yi, right?"

An Yi let out a soft laugh, his smile deepening, a glimmer of light dancing in his eyes: "It's me. Don't you recognize me anymore?"

He hadn't expected this friend, who wasn't all that close to the original owner, to be so sharp.

"Oh... oh, good, it's you." Lu Lu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but his heart was pounding even harder.

Up close, An Yi's long lashes cast a little shadow under his eyes, his skin so clear you couldn't see any pores.

That faint, nice scent drifted over, making his head feel a little light.

He instinctively licked his slightly dry lips, wanting to say more, but found himself at a loss for words.

Luckily, at that moment, a black sedan glided to a stop in front of the club.

The driver got out and respectfully opened the back door: "Young master."

Seeing it was his driver, An Yi nodded to Lu Lu and said in a normal tone: "I'll head back now. See you."

"Ah? ...Oh, okay." Lu Lu responded, watching An Yi turn and walk toward the car.

That figure was tall and lean, his stride unhurried, like a moving, serene, timeless painting against the shimmering neon night.

A sudden emptiness struck his heart, and a nameless regret welled up.

He hadn't gotten to drive An Yi home.

Strange—had he even been planning to drive An Yi home? He was just passing by, after all.

Why the regret? Just because he hadn't gotten to take An Yi home?

Did he really want to be with An Yi that badly?

Lu Lu stood there, watching the door close and the black sedan slowly merge into the dazzling stream of traffic, his mind in a mess.

The evening breeze blew past, and he raised a hand to run through his hair, feeling both irritated and lost.

He and An Yi had always been... just decent friends—greeting each other when they met, occasionally hanging out, but never to the point of making him this... this unsettled.

An Yi was acting weird tonight, like a completely different person.

And that was making him... weird too.

The moment he saw An Yi's figure, his head went all muddled, and his heartbeat refused to obey.

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The black sedan ferried An Yi away from the neon-lit club district, the lights outside streaking across his calm profile, flickering on and off.

The car was quiet, with only the low hum of the engine.

An Yi leaned back in the rear seat, his eyes fixed on the city lights speeding past outside, yet his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

He focused his mind, and a faint, unseen power spread out from him, reaching for the imprint he had left behind.

Half in a daze, he felt a subtle ripple and fold in space, the flow of time becoming blurred and strange within his perception.

He sharpened his focus—and there was An Qin.