Chapter 412: Day 17 into the Mary Sue Story

Chapter 412: Day 17 of Falling into a Mary Sue Story

Ye Ming was caught off guard by Lu Lu's sudden and aggressive interruption, his ready-to-strike stance involuntarily relaxing.

He narrowed his eerie violet eyes, giving Lu Lu a once-over. Lu Lu stood protectively in front of An Yi, his expression screaming, "Touch him and I'll fight you to the death." The smirk on Ye Ming's lips took on a cold, mocking edge.

"And who do we have here? The young master of the Lu family."

"So I need your permission now, Young Master Lu, just to have a little chat with An Yi?" His gaze turned hostile.

Lu Lu couldn't care less about the sarcasm dripping from his words. His entire focus was on shielding An Yi behind him and driving off this annoying presence in front of him.

He jutted his chin out, his tone aggressive and defiant, dripping with arrogance: "Chat about what? Get lost! Stop hanging around here!"

An Yi, firmly shielded behind Lu Lu, watched Lu Lu's hair practically standing on end in his agitated state. The coldness he felt toward Ye Ming began to ease, and he even found it... kind of funny.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he chuckled softly.

Lu Lu caught An Yi's smile right away.

In any case, the Lu Lu who, a second ago, had been glaring at Ye Ming with such ferocity, looking ready to lunge and bite, suddenly had his aggressive, bristling aura deflate with an almost audible "poof."

He turned his head back, his fierce expression not yet fully faded, and instinctively flashed An Yi a somewhat goofy, eager grin, his eyes sparkling as if to say, "Don't worry, I've got your back."

Ye Ming: "..." He watched the bizarre yet harmonious scene before him—Lu Lu, who had been snarling at him moments ago, now grinning at An Yi like a lovesick puppy.

An Yi, who looked at him like he was trash, looked at Lu Lu so gently.

Suddenly, Ye Ming felt like a clown being ignored and messed with. The anger in his chest flared up, and his face darkened even further.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense and awkward once more, another voice cut in, breaking the deadlock just in time.

"An Yi, Lu Lu, and Ye Ming, and Leng Bingning—it seems there's been some misunderstanding here?"

Shen Muyu had appeared at the library entrance, likely alerted by a witness.

He descended the steps, a smile on his face, his gaze behind gold-rimmed glasses scanning the scene—Ye Ming, disheveled but trying to look composed; Lu Lu, still on guard; An Yi, calm and collected behind Lu Lu; and Leng Bingning, standing slightly behind An Yi, her face still pale but looking satisfied.

Wait, why was Lu Lu involved?

And... his gaze paused almost imperceptibly on how close An Yi and Lu Lu were standing—one shielding, one being shielded—before naturally shifting away.

He looked at Ye Ming: "I heard there was some trouble at the library entrance and came to check. We're all classmates here. If there's a misunderstanding, we can talk it out. No need to make things unpleasant, let alone resort to violence."

"I'm sure no one here means any harm."

Ye Ming gave Shen Muyu a cold glance. He had never had much liking for this student council president, who always maintained a proper facade, appearing gentle but with hidden motives. Moreover, the man handled matters with such tact that he rarely gave anyone a handle on him.

He had suffered a major loss at the hands of An Yi and Lu Lu today, being humiliated completely. Shen Muyu's arrival was clearly an attempt to smooth things over.

Continuing to cause a scene wouldn't do him any favors, after all—in full view of everyone, he had been the one to start the harassment and then try to get physical.

The key point was... the An and Lu families weren't to be messed with either.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury and the urge to kill within him. His gaze shifted back to An Yi.

This time, he looked him over more carefully.

In his deep violet eyes, the anger was gradually replaced by a deeper, darker interest.

This An Yi... was more interesting than before.

And lately, An Yi had been looking more and more to Ye Ming's taste, which was unexpected.

And the way Lu Lu was so protective of him...

When he managed to take him away, would that Lu kid cry?

And that Leng Bingning·Christina·Die... Die something? Whatever. Not important. Just wait and see.

Ye Ming suddenly curled his lips into a smile so sinister, arrogant, and oily that it bordered on bizarre. He licked his slightly dry lips, his gaze fixed intently on An Yi's face, his tone returning to that slow, deliberate drawl, but with a barely concealed hint of ruthlessness and determination:

"An Yi... I'll remember what happened today."

His eyes and tone were deeply unsettling: "We'll... meet again."

An Yi couldn't be bothered to respond. He had no interest in a "next time" with someone like that.

To Ye Ming's declaration—a mix of cringe, greasiness, and underlying menace—he didn't even bat an eye, as if the other were just muttering to himself.

He turned his head slightly and said in a low voice to Lu Lu, who was still standing protectively in front of him, watching Ye Ming warily: "Let's go."

Lu Lu nodded immediately, his face breaking into a delighted grin. Then, his expression shifted instantly, and he shot Ye Ming a warning glare before stepping aside to let An Yi pass first, falling into step closely beside him.

An Yi walked away, giving Leng Bingning a brief nod, not even sparing Shen Muyu or Ye Ming another glance, as if none of what had just happened mattered at all.

Shen Muyu's smile stiffened for a moment, his eyes flickering with something unreadable.

"An Yi!" Leng Bingning hurried forward two steps, calling out to An Yi's retreating figure, her voice filled with gratitude and a hint of complicated feelings: "Thank... thank you for helping me again, and... I'm sorry, for troubling you once more."

An Yi paused, turning his head slightly: "Why are you apologizing? This wasn't your fault."

Leng Bingning froze for a moment, then looked up at An Yi's profile, a strange mix of bitterness and warmth surging in her heart.

She bit her lower lip and said softly: "I... I should have kept my glasses on. If I had them on, maybe I wouldn't have..."

An Yi thought of her whole "plain with glasses, stunning without them" thing, and a wave of exasperation hit him.

What a ridiculous trope... He was silent for a moment before speaking: "Whether you wear glasses or not, it's not your fault. The fault lies with those who don't respect others and act inappropriately."

"I'm heading out," he said.

With that, he didn't linger, walking straight ahead. Lu Lu immediately followed, nodding briefly at Leng Bingning as a goodbye.

Then he shot a wary glance back at Ye Ming, who stood rooted in place with a shifting expression, and at Shen Muyu, who wore a gentle smile but whose gaze lingered on An Yi's retreating back.

Leng Bingning stood still, staring blankly at the figures of An Yi and Lu Lu as they walked away.

An Yi's silhouette was tall and straight, while Lu Lu followed closely at his side, the two of them radiating an unspoken harmony.