Chapter 405: Day 10 into the Mary Sue Story

Chapter 405: The Tenth Day of Being Thrown into a Mary Sue Novel

The car finally pulled up smoothly in front of An Yi's home.

The last rays of the setting sun bathed the building in a warm orange-red glow.

The car came to a stop, and the engine went quiet.

Lu Lu's fingers remained resting on the steering wheel, without moving right away.

"Thanks, I had a great time today." An Yi unbuckled his seatbelt, the metal buckle clicking with a crisp sound.

He turned to Lu Lu and gave him a smile.

"Glad you enjoyed it!" Lu Lu responded almost immediately.

The second it was out, he felt he'd overreacted and made himself look foolish. His ears turned red as he looked down.

He nervously picked at the stitching on the steering wheel with his thumbnail, his voice dropping: "Um... if there's ever another fun spot, or if you ever want to go riding again, maybe... we could hang out sometime?"

An Yi looked at him—so nervous yet so eager, like a puppy waiting for a treat but scared of being turned away—and that amused feeling welled up in him again.

He nodded, his voice as calm as ever: "Okay."

"I'll text you then!" he said quickly, as if scared An Yi would take it back.

"Mm." An Yi hummed in acknowledgment, pushing the car door open: "Drive safe. Be careful on the road."

"Got it!" Lu Lu said quickly, his eyes following An Yi as he got out.

Only after An Yi's figure vanished behind the door did Lu Lu let out a long breath and slump back into the driver's seat.

He lifted a hand to cover his still-flushed cheeks, feeling his pulse hammering beneath his skin through his palm.

He let out a muffled groan, his voice heavy with confusion and bewilderment, and... a hint of secret excitement he couldn't deny, even to himself.

"Lu Lu..." he murmured to the quiet car, to the faint trace of An Yi's clean scent still lingering in the air: "You're screwed..."

He was completely screwed, no doubt about it.

He thought he might... no, he definitely had fallen for An Yi.

Not the closeness of a friend who'd known him since childhood and knew him inside and out. Not the admiration for an outstanding friend. Not just the purely visual appreciation of a good-looking face.

It was the urge to get closer, even closer, to watch him every second, to be good to him, to bring him everything he thought was amazing and lay it at his feet, to... touch him, hold him, even... possess him, do something.

To make those calm, gentle eyes reflect only him.

That kind of crush—the kind that made his heart skip beats, his mind go blank, his hands and feet fumble, yet he loved every second of it.

He actually liked a guy? Lu Lu—twenty years old, who'd always thought of himself as straight as an arrow, never liked anyone before but assumed he was straight.

And now he was... in love with An Yi? He was into guys?!

At least toward An Yi, he'd developed an attraction that went beyond gender—a fierce, intense longing?

He was gay!

This realization left him seeing stars, completely disoriented, his heart pounding with panic.

How did this happen? When did it even start?

Was it that night at the club entrance, when An Yi's glance under the streetlight had felt different? That was when something had gone off the rails!

Or was it even earlier? But he'd known An Yi for years—he'd never felt anything like this before!

Even now, looking back at the An Yi from before, there was still no spark of attraction.

It felt like from that night on, An Yi had become a different person from who he used to be.

And from that night on, he had changed too!

He'd always thought the old An Yi had a good temper and a good family, and was a friend—but he'd never had this intense reaction of his heart nearly leaping out of his chest, blood rushing backward, mind going completely blank.

Was it because An Yi had changed? Become more mysterious, harder to read...

Or was it him who had changed?

Had he suddenly had a revelation that night, finally seeing the light in An Yi that he'd either overlooked before or that had been hidden behind the "good friend" label—a light bright enough to drive him crazy?

He couldn't shake the feeling... it couldn't be that simple.

But he couldn't figure it out either.

Lu Lu's mind was a tangled mess, thoughts crashing into each other with no clear thread to pull.

But one thing was crystal clear at this moment, clear as a brand, burning hot: he couldn't resist it.

The moment he saw An Yi, the moment he got close to him, all his senses, all his emotions, all his reason—none of it was under his control anymore.

His heart raced for him, his blood boiled for him, his eyes lingered on him, his thoughts circled around him.

That feeling of utter chaos, of fumbling helplessness, yet laced with an indescribable secret sweetness and eager anticipation—it wrapped around him like a net, tightening with every passing moment, and he... had no desire to break free.

He sat in the car in a daze for a long time, until the sky outside shifted from orange-red to deep blue, and streetlights in the distance flickered on one by one, outlining the city's silhouette.

Only then did he sit up straight, as if rebooting, and start the car.

On the drive home, he kept replaying every meeting with An Yi, every conversation, every glance...

Everything since that night.

Every single image was vivid, carrying warmth, carrying color, carrying a magic that made his heart clench and then expand.

That feeling of turmoil, mixed with surprise and secret sweetness, wrapped tightly around him, filling every cell in his body.

It was a racing heart. It was affection. It was an unmistakable, burning-hot attraction.

He had fallen for An Yi.

It had come out of nowhere, inexplicably, leaving him dizzy and hopelessly lost—yet he loved every bit of it, even eager to explore more.

Lu Lu drove with the window down, the night wind rushing in and messing up the unruly strands of hair on his forehead.

His face was still hot, the warmth not fully faded, but his eyes at this moment were startlingly bright, as if two blazing flames had fallen into them, burning away the last traces of confusion, leaving only firm resolve and eager excitement.

He really was... thrilled and overjoyed!

A kind of excitement and joy he'd never felt before—tinged with shivers and sweetness—swelled in his chest.

He's gonna gay An Yi!

Just... can't wait!

----------

That morning, An Yi had just finished his class, carrying a few books, walking along the open-air corridor beside the garden with several classmates.

The corridor had a classic, old-world charm, one side lined with arched stone pillars covered in lush green ivy, the leaves gleaming with a glossy shine in the sunlight, while the other side featured a carved stone balustrade at waist height, overlooking the vast rose garden at the center of the academy below.

It was the peak of the blooming season, with roses of every color competing to bloom, weaving a dazzling tapestry. The rich, sweet fragrance of the flowers drifted in waves with the gentle breeze, almost intoxicating.

Whenever An Yi saw this rose garden, he couldn't help but think of the ending of the original novel—the female lead reclaiming her family background and identity, standing at the center of the rose garden, accepting the F4's confessions all at once, forgiving all the excessive things they had done before, and shedding sparkling tears of emotion in front of the entire school.

Just... so touching, right?

That tone of voice!