Chapter 400: The Fifth Day in the Mary Sue World

Chapter 400: Day Five of Being Thrown into a Mary Sue Novel

Back in that familiar imperial study, but now the one reviewing memorials was a woman, with hair now fully white, expression focused and dignified, the corners of her eyes and brows etched with the marks of time. Only her straight back still hinted at the girl she once was.

The vermilion brush came down, steady and forceful.

Time really flies.

A faint flicker of emotion passed through An Yi's mind.

Here, less than an hour had passed, but in that world where he had poured his heart and left his mark, decades had already slipped by.

The people he knew had grown old.

His gaze drifted away, sweeping across mountains and rivers before landing on the imperial mausoleum.

The tomb was immaculate and solemn, surrounded by evergreen pines and cypresses.

Ruzhi was nestled against him, holding on tightly.

The corner of An Yi's mouth curved ever so slightly, like a soft breeze rippling across a lake.

Ruzhi...

Then, he withdrew his perception that spanned time and space, the energy fading without a trace, as if it had never existed.

The driver in the front seat kept his hands steady on the wheel, oblivious to what had just happened in the back, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The car rolled into a quiet, upscale neighborhood with lush trees and wide roads, eventually passing through an ornate iron gate that swung open automatically and pulling into a sprawling estate.

The driveway was flanked by meticulously trimmed lawns and gardens lit by ground lights. The car finally came to a stop in front of a main residence that blended classical and modern architecture.

This was An Yi's home in this world. His parents were perpetually busy with family affairs and social obligations, his brother had also started taking over parts of the family business and was rarely home. Most of the time, it was just him and the staff.

"Young Master, we're here." Uncle Huo, the driver, parked the car steadily and reminded him softly.

"Mm, thanks for the ride, Uncle Huo." An Yi pushed open the door and got out, his voice as gentle as ever.

As he walked into the brightly lit but eerily quiet living room, a butler in a perfectly tailored suit stepped forward to greet him.

An Yi smiled, exchanged a few pleasantries, and headed straight up the polished staircase to his room.

The room was spacious, with the curtains open, revealing the beautifully lit garden outside and, further off, the faint scattered lights of the city's edge.

An Yi walked to the window, thinking about his current student status and how Shengjing Royal Noble Academy was on the other side of the city.

This place... is way too far from campus.

Unless he teleported every day, the commute alone would be long enough for him to squeeze in a nap.

He decided to move to a place near the school tomorrow.

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The next few days passed without incident.

The next day, An Yi wasted no time moving to a place near the school. The butler quickly handled everything, sparing him the daily long commute.

The butler was a bit puzzled—the young master used to love staying home and was quite attached to it, so he never expected him to move out.

He's growing up!

Following the original owner's routine, he showed up for classes at Shengjing Royal Noble Academy on time.

The art department's schedule wasn't too heavy. The original owner had excellent grades, and since An Yi had been a painter with some success himself, these courses were a piece of cake.

That said, this school really did have a weird vibe to it.

Even though it was a university, the way it was run felt more like middle or high school—every student had a fixed class, a fixed seat, and even a fixed deskmate.

The student council had an insane amount of power, almost to the point of interfering with academics and disciplinary actions.

But remembering he was in a novel-style world, An Yi didn't find any of this strange anymore. In fact, he felt a subtle amusement—"of course it's like this."

These past few days, the comment section in his head hadn't shut up.

Clearly, the "fate" between Leng Bingning·Christina·Die Meng Zilei·Xue Yeshang·Miss Meng and His Highness Huang Fuxiao hadn't vanished because of the harassment incident he'd casually resolved that night. Instead, it had ignited in a whole new way.

Without the classic "hero saves the damsel" scene, their first clash was more direct and full of sparks.

According to the real-time comments scrolling by, Leng Bingning had accidentally bumped into Huang Fuxiao in the hallway and seemed to take issue with his "ice-cold" attitude, which successfully caught the Fourth Prince's attention.

Comment section:

[Here it comes! The classic line finally shows up! "Woman, you've successfully caught my attention!"]

"Tsk tsk, is Huang Fuxiao crazy? She's clearly cussing him out, and he thinks she's so pure and not like other girls?"

"The essence of Mary Sue literature: when every woman is throwing herself at you, the one who slaps you in the face is the special one!"

"Go Leng! Use your rainbow sparkle eyes to glare him to death!"

"What the heck are rainbow sparkle eyes?! (LOL) (LOL)"

"So he's the male lead? Then what about An Yi?"

[He's probably not, right? He doesn't have the 'Woman, you're playing with fire!' vibe, and his name is way too plain. He's probably just a good-looking extra.]

"Ugh! I've got an idea! How about we squeeze oil out of Huang Fuxiao? That'd definitely cover our country's yearly oil needs! (Einstein.jpg)"

"Whoa! Genius!"

"Who said that? Try two years! (Mathematician.jpg)"

"..."

An Yi: "..."

Listening to the comment section, he couldn't help but chuckle—it was genuinely hilarious.

Yep, Leng Bingning and Huang Fuxiao were already going at it.

Huang Fuxiao found this woman refreshingly unpretentious, daring to raise her voice at him and showing zero respect for his looks, wealth, or status. He got intrigued, even cutting back on his trips to the club to "blow off steam."

An Yi watched the show with a grin, thoroughly entertained.

He'd decided to stay out of the drama between those main characters, but that didn't mean his campus life would be totally peaceful.

Take right now, for example.

During the break between classes, the sunlight was perfect.

An Yi didn't stay in the classroom. Instead, he leaned alone against the window at the end of the corridor, half-turning to gaze down at the roses in the central courtyard garden below—flowers carefully tended by the gardeners, blooming so showily this season they were almost flashy.

Sunlight streamed through the clean glass panes, falling softly on him, casting a pale golden glow over his white shirt and light-colored hair.

He tilted his head slightly, the curve from his neck to his jaw smooth and graceful. His lowered eyelashes were long and thick, casting two small fan-shaped shadows on his cheeks—cheeks so fair they looked almost translucent.

He simply stood there quietly, like a still-life painting carefully framed by time, catching the obvious and not-so-obvious stares of students passing by.

Glances kept flicking his way; some even deliberately slowed their steps as they walked past. Others lingered at a distance, pretending to admire the scenery while their peripheral vision lingered on him.

They thought, Young Master An seemed even better-looking than the F4.

Why hadn't he been voted into the F4 back then?

Even an F5 would've been fine!