Chapter 409: Day 14 into the Mary Sue Story

Chapter 409: Day 14 of Getting Trapped in a Mary Sue Novel

"Then that's great—of course I don't mind." Shen Muyu's smile deepened, his warm gaze lingering for a brief moment on An Yi's composed brows, straight nose, and pale lips before he casually looked away, toward the greenhouse entrance behind An Yi:

"Were you on your way out? Then I won't keep you. I was actually in the middle of something—I look forward to the chance to talk more with you later." As he spoke, he angled his body aside, making a polite gesture to let him pass.

An Yi nodded. "I'm sure we will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, An Yi." Shen Muyu watched with a smile as he turned and walked along the corridor toward the lounge area at the end of the hall.

Only after An Yi's tall, straight-backed figure disappeared around the corner did Shen Muyu withdraw his gaze. The smile on his face remained gentle, but his eyes grew slightly darker.

He didn't immediately enter the greenhouse. Instead, he stood in place, his fingertips idly tracing the arm of his glasses, and murmured a remark so quietly that only he could hear: "An Yi... it seems the rumors around campus about his transformation aren't baseless after all."

He paused, a glint of light flashing behind his lenses: "He really has become... even more striking."

That wasn't merely about appearance—it was an indescribable stillness and allure radiating from within, like the deep sea: calm on the surface, yet concealing a storm within that left people breathless.

The gathering continued for about another hour before concluding successfully with Shen Muyu's closing remarks.

Everyone began to leave one by one, exchanging contact information with one another.

An Yi also drifted out with the crowd, slowly walking out of the greenhouse and down the spiral staircase toward the library's first floor. He'd added quite a few new contacts to his phone.

Just as he reached the first-floor lobby, before he could even head toward the entrance, a slightly flippant male voice—drawling in a lazy, teasing tone—abruptly cut through the library's customary quiet and reached his ears.

"Well, well, look who we have here—you look pretty unfamiliar. What department are you in? Don't think I've seen you before."

An Yi stopped mid-stride, calmly turning his head toward the source of the voice.

The first thing that caught his eye was a meticulously styled head of short hair that gleamed with a dark purple sheen under the library's bright lights.

And then, that face.

Slender eyebrows, slightly upturned at the outer corners, and eyes of an extremely rare deep purple—currently half-lidded, their gaze sweeping with undisguised, predatory appraisal and intense interest, as if he'd discovered some new, amusing toy.

A faint, enigmatic smile curved at the corner of his mouth. That smile wasn't warm—it radiated a kind of "I'm a bad boy, I'm special, I'm irresistible, come notice me" vibe of wicked charm and arrogance.

He lounged against the wall at an angle, wearing a dark red silk shirt with a smooth sheen, the top three buttons undone, revealing a wide swath of chest.

His whole vibe clashed with the scholarly atmosphere around him... greasy.

Ye Ming.

The mafia prince, the type of "wicked and wild" male lead, one of the original F4.

And the one he'd just cornered was none other than Leng Bingning, who was holding a few books in her arms.

She had just finished her "maid" duties for the day and had come to the library during her break to return books, never expecting to get cornered at the entrance.

"Get out of my way!" Leng Bingning's voice was kept low, but the resistance and anger in it were unmistakable.

Her eyes, under the library's bright lights, seemed to turn a wary deep green.

"And what if I don't?" Ye Ming let out a low chuckle, the laughter resonating from his chest, his deliberately lowered voice trying to sound seductive and mysterious.

He straightened up and leisurely took two steps closer. His deep purple eyes locked onto Leng Bingning's face like a venomous snake stalking its prey, searching for the expected signs of fluster, shyness, being awed by his looks, or even being drawn in by his "wicked charm"—the way he'd always succeeded with other women before.

He leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them, a strong wave of cologne mixed with tobacco scent washing over her: "I'm Ye Ming. And you are...?"

He deliberately slowed his speech, letting each word roll off his tongue.

Leng Bingning frowned in disgust, leaning back to avoid the unpleasant scent and his closeness, and let out a cold snort before giving her full name: "Leng Bingning·Christina·Die Meng Zi Lei·Xue Ye Shang·Meng."

Ye Ming flashed a wicked smile, deliberately drawing out his words, his tongue seeming to savor the name, the final "Meng" spoken softly and slowly, laced with deliberate ambiguity and innuendo: "...Meng. A beautiful name—fitting for the person. Beautiful, mysterious, and... enough to make one's imagination run wild, lost in a drunken reverie."

An Yi: "..." He stood there and looked away, feeling that both his aesthetic sense and his sanity had taken a slight hit.

That flirting line... so forced, so greasy, so... cringe.

So disgusting.

So this was the so-called "wicked and wild" style?

He just didn't understand the appeal.

Comment section:

"Whoa! Another F4 member—is this Ye Ming also a male lead? The retro vibes are strong with this one!"

"'Make one's imagination run wild'... help! I'm getting goosebumps! So greasy I don't even need oil to cook!"

"Ye Ming: Woman, you've caught my attention."

"Whoa! This isn't love—it's a gutter-oil attack! (covering eyes) (vomiting) (vomiting)"

"Disgusting!"

"I bet this Ye Ming will also be a male lead—he's got way too much of that vibe!"

"..."

An Yi gave it a like—she'd guessed right.

Over there, Leng Bingning's cheeks flushed quickly from anger and humiliation, and the color of her eyes turned a faint pink: "Have some respect! This is a library!"

"So what if it is?" The wicked smile on Ye Ming's face suddenly became arrogant, as if the library's rules meant nothing to him: "I think this quiet atmosphere is perfect for us to... get to know each other... deeply."

He moved a little closer, and seeing Leng Bingning's resistance only intensified the interest in his eyes.

He lowered his voice, deliberately making it deeper and more seductive, all breathy: "I feel like... we're destined to meet. How about... we find a quieter place to properly 'get to know' each other?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "get to know," the implication and intent unmistakable, his deep purple eyes fixed intently on Leng Bingning, waiting for her to look flustered and captivated.