CHAPTER 15

Xu Yi didn’t say another word. He went upstairs to his room and fetched a blanket from the suitcase his aunt had packed. It was a thin blanket he’d never used before.

When he came back downstairs, he saw Wen Yang sitting on a small stool, occasionally lowering her head to look around, her actions showing a hint of nervousness.

“Here, use this. It’s clean and unused,” he said, handing her the neatly folded blanket.

“Thanks,” Wen Yang said as she shook it out and draped it over herself.

System: Host, this is a natural situation and unavoidable.

Wen Yang: It’s a matter of my safety. Does that mean dangers can’t be avoided either?

System: We can’t harm innocent animals either.

Wen Yang: Did I ask you to kill it? I just want it to stay away from here. Reroute it, keep it away from this house, or at least ensure I don’t see it. Just make sure it doesn’t appear in front of me.

System: Understood. We’ll find a way to resolve this issue. But host, you should head upstairs and sleep. Otherwise, you won’t have the energy for class tomorrow.

Wen Yang: Don’t try to brush me off with a few words.

The system went offline, leaving no further responses.

Wen Yang wrapped the blanket tightly around herself as sleepiness began to creep in. At first, she sat upright, but gradually her body began to slump. Each time her head nodded off, she would snap back awake, battling the overwhelming fatigue.

Xu Yi, who had been sitting beside her, finally couldn’t stand it anymore. “What’s the point of staying here? Just go upstairs to sleep.”

Wen Yang’s eyes, blurred with sleep, turned to him. “You wouldn’t understand, someone who’s not afraid of snakes.”

The two of them sat downstairs until late into the night. Eventually, Wen Yang couldn’t hold on any longer. Her head tilted back, and her body slumped as she began to doze off. Xu Yi quickly moved to support her head, using both hands to carefully prop her up. One arm steadied her head while the other slid under her knees, lifting her up in one fluid motion.

Navigating the creaky wooden stairs with deliberate steps, Xu Yi finally made it to her room. He gently bumped the door open with his shoulder. The light was still on. Wen Yang, who had gotten up earlier in the night, had left her blanket messily tangled at the edge of the bed.

Xu Yi approached the small bed and carefully lowered her onto it. The blanket wrapped loosely around her body, so he grabbed the corner of her quilt and pulled it over her.

After switching off the light, he quietly left the room. By the time he returned to his own, he was drenched in sweat.

---

The next morning, Wen Yang woke up and found herself mysteriously lying in bed. She scanned the room, unraveling the blanket wrapped around her before hopping out of bed.

When she went downstairs, Xu Yi was already at the table eating breakfast.

Zhang Yuan noticed her and waved her over. “Come eat.”

Wen Yang first went to wash her face. Halfway through, she realized her back was to the bathroom, so she immediately turned around, hastily splashing water on her face before calling it done.

As she passed by Xu Yi, she muttered a quick, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

Zhang Yuan’s curious gaze darted between the two of them, only to be met with a sharp glare from Xu Yi, silencing him.

---

When Wen Yang and Xu Yi entered the classroom, they were surprised to see Xiao Yan already sitting there.

As soon as Xiao Yan noticed them, she quickly lowered her head, hiding her reddened eyes.

Wen Yang, wearing glasses that sharpened her vision, immediately picked up on her unusual state.

Recalling the storyline, Wen Yang tried to connect the dots: classroom, crying…

She couldn’t remember anything specific.

So much had happened in the past four months that it wasn’t possible for the author to write out every detail. It seemed this moment of sadness for Xiao Yan wasn’t part of the written plot.

By the third period, Qi Chen and Lin Minjing arrived, with Qi Chen supporting Lin Minjing as she limped into the room.

“Sorry, teacher,” Lin Minjing apologized, bowing slightly. “I twisted my ankle and Qi Chen took me to get medicine. Sorry for being late.”

The teacher, hearing her soft and polite tone, didn’t have the heart to reprimand her. “It’s fine. Be careful next time. Qi Chen, help her to her seat.”

Wen Yang: 006, what’s going on with Lin Minjing?

System: She twisted her ankle on the steps of the male lead’s house, and he carried her to the doctor. The female lead got upset.

The system added cautiously, considering Wen Yang’s recent relaxed attitude towards completing the antagonist’s tasks: Also, the male lead’s feelings for the female lead are wavering slightly.

Wen Yang: Are you sure?

System: Yes. In some stories, the transmigrator ends up with the original main character.

Wen Yang clenched her teeth. Breaking up the canon pairing was a clear attempt to trap her in this world longer, and she wasn’t having it.

After thinking for a while, she came up with what seemed like a feasible plan. There was a stream in a nearby valley where kids often went fishing. Lin Minjing, with her injured foot, couldn’t move freely—this was the perfect opportunity for the male and female leads to bond.

Perhaps a little slip-and-slide situation could add some drama. But no, the water was too cold, and a chill could make things worse.

Instead, Xiao Yan, who didn’t know how to catch fish, could have Qi Chen teach her. Perfect.

When the bell rang, Wen Yang turned around eagerly, staying in character. “Qi Chen, can you come fishing with me after school? We haven’t spent time alone together in ages.”

System: Flawless performance.

Xu Yi smirked sarcastically. “Time alone? Shall I gift you a family portrait package instead?”

He draped his arm over the back of the desk, adding, “How could you only invite the two of you? Didn’t the principal say you should help me and Xiao Yan integrate into life here?”

Xiao Yan, already annoyed, snapped, “Why do I have to accommodate a disobedient jerk like you? If you want to go, go alone!”

Xu Yi hadn’t expected her to react this way. He could see she liked Qi Chen, so why wasn’t she guarding her man more closely today?

Wen Yang shot Xu Yi a sharp look. Stay out of this.

She turned back to Xiao Yan with sincerity in her eyes. “Xiao Yan, you should come too. It’ll be more fun with more people.”

Xiao Yan hesitated, but when someone bumped her heel, she flared up again. “Fine, I’ll go if it’s fun.”

“Great. Let’s head home first after school and meet at the village entrance,” Wen Yang said, interpreting Xiao Yan’s response as classic tsundere behavior.

Xu Yi scoffed. “Why invite Xiao Yan but not me? Discrimination much?”

Wen Yang shot him a cold, emotionless glare. “You’re so annoying.”

Xu Yi’s chair screeched as he shifted abruptly. “When the hell did I ever annoy you?”

“Right now.”

“How exactly am I annoying you? Be specific.” Damn, his tone sounded like a bitter ex. Realizing this, Xu Yi quickly reined in his exasperated expression and reverted to his usual carefree, unruly demeanor.

Wen Yang didn’t want to argue with him further and clammed up.

---

Qi Chen wasn’t about to let Lin Minjing hop along on one foot for five kilometers of mountain road, so he ended up carrying her on his back.

Xiao Yan trailed behind them like a martyr, seething silently.

Wen Yang walked alongside Xiao Yan, thinking to herself that Qi Chen helping a classmate was perfectly reasonable. But this particular classmate had her sights set on him—couldn’t he see that? One day, when Xiao Yan finally snaps and leaves, he’ll be the one going crazy in the name of love.

Unrequited love paired with despair—it already had the makings of a tragic romance.

Wen Yang was so preoccupied with her musings about Xiao Yan and Qi Chen that she didn’t notice the loose stone underfoot. Her foot slipped, and her body tilted to the side. A hand on her shoulder steadied her and pulled her upright.

Wen Yang didn’t even turn her head, let alone offer a thank-you. She resolved to keep her distance from Xu Yi in the future. He was constantly crossing boundaries, acting as though they were siblings or best friends, which only messed up her plans with his thoughtless comments.

Xu Yi clenched his teeth in frustration. But he couldn’t just hoist her up and yell at her, nor could he scold her outright. All he could do was simmer in his own irritation.

Qi Chen carried Lin Minjing to Wen Yang’s house and then went back to fetch some tools.

Lin Minjing, though visibly unwilling, didn’t insist on tagging along to catch fish.

Xiao Yan stayed in Wen Yang’s courtyard, waiting.

Wen Yang grabbed a small bamboo basket. She thought about taking a fishing net but remembered that Zhang Yuan had used it to catch a chicken recently—it probably had chicken droppings on it. Since this was just for show, she didn’t need to go all out.

“I’ll carry it,” Xu Yi said, gripping the other side of the dusty fish basket.

They stood there in a silent standoff for a moment before Wen Yang let go first. She owed Xu Yi plenty of favors already, and going too far would be ungrateful. After hesitating for a few seconds, she relented. “Fine, you can tag along.”

Xu Yi tilted his head back in a silent laugh, making sure she didn’t see. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave your side.”

Wen Yang sighed. “Let’s go.”

---

Wen Yang had heard the kids in class talk about a creek nearby, but she didn’t know its exact location. She walked at a leisurely pace, letting Qi Chen lead the way.

After about ten minutes, they heard the sound of flowing water.
The creek flowed down from the mountain, shadowed on one side and glinting in the dappled light. The shallow water revealed a bed of stones, irregular in size but polished smooth, likely not too rough on bare feet.

Qi Chen rolled up his pants, stepped into the water barefoot, and sent ripples spreading outward. He extended a hand to Xiao Yan, who stood hesitantly on the gravel shore. “Coming in?”

“Oh,” Xiao Yan replied, her face lighting up with a barely-concealed smile. She placed her hand in his, using her toe to push off the back of her shoe. Her delicate, pale foot brushed the water’s surface before stepping fully into the stream. “Hold onto me.”

Qi Chen stared ahead at the water, his voice dropping a pitch. “Got it.”

Wen Yang crossed her arms, watching the budding couple interact with a sense of dissatisfaction.

Xu Yi cast her a sidelong glance and muttered, “Heartless.” Then he lifted the fish basket, waving it in front of her. “Get in.”

Wen Yang shuffled to the creek’s edge, slowly untying her shoelaces. Since she was the one who had suggested catching fish, it wouldn’t make sense for her to stay out of the water.

Xu Yi stood by, curious about how long she would drag this out.

Taking a big step forward, Wen Yang dipped her foot into the water. It was chilly, though not as cold as well water.

“Why aren’t you moving?” Xu Yi asked when he noticed her standing still.

“The rocks hurt,” Wen Yang admitted. She had underestimated how uncomfortable the rounded stones could be.

Xu Yi glanced at Qi Chen, who was leading Xiao Yan further downstream. Feeling a surge of something he couldn’t quite place, he offered, “How about I carry you?”

“You’re here to catch fish, not to carry me,” Wen Yang retorted, eyeing a decent-sized stone to step onto next.

“Carrying you is more entertaining than fishing,” Xu Yi muttered, trailing behind her in frustration.

Wen Yang took a step, and Xu Yi followed close behind.

“Go catch some fish. Stop following me,” she said. His presence made it impossible for her to slack off even a little.

“You’re the one who told me to follow you. Changed your mind already?”

“When did I ever tell you that?” Wen Yang was exasperated.

Xu Yi chuckled in disbelief. “How is your memory this bad at your age?”

“Don’t be so sarcastic,” Wen Yang countered, switching tactics. “Why don’t you catch some fish for Uncle Zhang to make fish soup tonight?”