After Being Entangled By the Obsessive Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 20

The car moved slowly along the road, the city glowing with lights, brimming with the warmth of everyday life.

From the moment they got in the car, Xue Yingxian had been unusually quiet. Xian Ning assumed she must be exhausted from taking care of her and didn’t bother her, just rested her cheek against the window, letting the night breeze brush past her face in peaceful silence.

When the car stopped at the intersection near her home, Xian Ning had no intention of inviting Xue Yingxian upstairs.

For one, it was already late.
For another, she needed time alone to sort out her thoughts and re-evaluate the tasks ahead.

She’d wrecked the storyline so badly that 033 hadn’t said a word. Either the system was already too disappointed in her to bother speaking, or it was off accepting punishment.

It had never happened before, but she did remember 033 once explaining that if a host kept failing, the system itself would also be implicated—sometimes even wiped and rebuilt.

The thought unsettled her. For all her rebelliousness toward 033, she couldn’t imagine starting over with a new one. Even if it came back after restructuring, would it still be the same 033?

Lost in thought, she opened the door to get out, only for Xue Yingxian to suddenly catch her wrist.

“Xian Ning, you…”

Her lips pressed together, words stuck halfway. Outwardly, her face was calm as ever, but Xian Ning could feel it, she was upset.

So that’s it. She’s sulking, Xian Ning realized. No wonder she’d been so quiet the whole drive.

Xian Ning turned back, cupping her face gently. “Let me see—what’s wrong with my little puppy?”

In an instant, Xue Yingxian’s anger melted away.

She really knows how to handle me, Xue thought.

Leaning against her shoulder, she muttered in a small, aggrieved voice, “Am I… not presentable enough?”

“Huh?”

Xue Yingxian knew she sounded petty, childish even, but she couldn’t help it—if she didn’t say it aloud, it would gnaw at her.

Without meeting Xian Ning’s eyes, she continued, “We’re together now, aren’t we? Then why can’t your mom know? Are we really just sisters? I don’t want to just be your sister.”

So that’s what’s eating at her. Xian Ning sighed inwardly. How strange this girl was—sometimes she came across as mature and steady, and other times she was hopelessly childish. Did she really think love was something you could just announce on a whim?

Her parents saw them as sisters. If they found out their two “daughters” were in a relationship, wouldn’t they faint on the spot?

Besides, Xian Ning still had unresolved matters of her own. Making their relationship public now would only invite chaos and trouble—and strain their bond.

“Xiao Xian, we don’t need to rush to tell family and friends. Let’s wait for the right time, when things are more settled.”

“Why not now?!” Xue Yingxian shot up from her shoulder, her eyes trembling with unshed tears. “Is it because I’m not good enough? That’s why you don’t want people to know about us?”

Her head dropped, tears splattering onto her lap. “Of course… I’m not that great. I’m not gentle, not mature enough, not even very likable. It makes sense if you don’t want me as much as I want you.”

Xian Ning’s heart softened immediately. She could never stand to see such a beautiful girl cry.

“What nonsense. If I didn’t like you, why would I…” She stopped herself mid-sentence, face heating up. “It’s not that I want to keep us hidden forever. Just that… right now isn’t the right time. Do you understand?”

Xue Yingxian looked up, eyes shimmering like dark pools polished by tears. “Then do you like me? The way I like you—really, really like me?”

Her gaze was too bright, like someone had plucked a star and set it in her eyes. Looking at her like that, full of hope, how could Xian Ning possibly deny her?

“…Mm. I like you. A lot.”

Xue Yingxian flung herself into her arms, nuzzling her face against Xian Ning’s, tickling her cheeks and neck until her heart itched as much as her skin.

So this was what being in love felt like. Not bad at all.

After a long embrace, Xue Yingxian whispered, “I’ll walk you downstairs.”

Xian Ning hadn’t expected her to be so easy to console. Tears gone as quickly as they came—such a childish little puppy.

At the entrance to Xian Ning’s building, she still refused to let go.

“It’ll be morning if you keep stalling.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

Her drooping expression really did resemble a forlorn pup, and before she knew it, Xian Ning was smiling—softly, almost unknowingly.

She leaned in and brushed a kiss across Xue Yingxian’s lips. “There. Satisfied? Be good, go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

Stars seemed to sparkle in Xue Yingxian’s eyes. She kissed Xian Ning hard in return before finally letting go. “I’ll wait until you’re inside before I leave.”

Xian Ning didn’t argue—any more back and forth and they’d be standing here till dawn.

She disappeared into the building, and only then did Xue Yingxian turn away. She glanced up at the night sky—no stars, but the moon shone bright.

Tomorrow was bound to be a good day.

Inside, Xian Ning opened the door to find her entire family still sitting in the living room, as if they’d been waiting for her return.

Lu Han, her sister, took one look at her outfit—the turtleneck pulled high, the plasters stuck here and there—and immediately understood what had happened.

Without a word, she turned and shut herself in her room.

Xian Ning hurried after her. “What’s wrong with sis?”

Her mother sighed. “She’s been acting strange since last night. We asked what was wrong, but she won’t say. Maybe you can try talking to her.”

Xian Ning knocked on the door, but Lu Han’s muffled voice came back, “I’m going to sleep. Whatever it is, let’s talk tomorrow.”

Helpless, Xian Ning spread her hands to her parents, then went back to her own room.

She had enough problems of her own to deal with—she’d comfort her sister tomorrow.

It took her a while to get 033 to respond, and when it finally did, its voice sounded… off.

“What happened to you?”

【What do you think? You wouldn’t listen, so I had to take the punishment for you.】

A pang of guilt struck her, but before she could speak, it continued:

【The story’s already broken this badly. From now on, just follow your own instincts. I’ll be going into sleep mode for a while—no set return date.】

Static crackled, and then silence. No matter how much she called, there was no answer.

…Following her own instincts, was that really okay?

*******

The next morning dawned sunny and bright, just as Xue Yingxian had predicted. She was waiting at the gate of Xian Ning’s community, and after breakfast together, they went off to school.

On the way, Xian Ning suddenly remembered something. “Last week I didn’t see you at all. Were you hiding from me that thoroughly?”

“I wasn’t hiding. I took the week off was at the company the whole time.”

Right. She had almost forgotten. Xue Yingxian wasn’t just her clingy puppy, she was also a bona fide CEO.

Day by day, their bond grew stronger. The people who’d once been gossiping about them gradually lost interest. Life settled into a calm rhythm, and soon midterms arrived.

The weather grew colder, and Xian Ning, who feared the chill, bundled up early in a wool coat and a thick scarf that covered half her face.

By then, Lu Han had gone abroad for a six-month exchange program. Xian Ning called her every week, but her responses were flat, emotionless, like she’d lost the full range of human feelings.

Xian Ning didn’t think much of it. She just assumed her sister was overworked and reminded her to rest well.

The midterms weren’t difficult except for the professional courses. After a week of review together, the two of them felt confident.

The final exam was scheduled in the evening, so by the time they finished, it was past eight. Stepping outside, Xian Ning unlocked her phone, smiling as she read Xue Yingxian’s message, her breath puffing white in the cold night air.

The campus was almost deserted when, out of nowhere, someone appeared in her path.

Under the dim streetlight, half his face was swallowed by shadow, twisted into something almost grotesque. He was dressed in an oversized hospital gown, the fabric ballooning with each gust of wind, rustling with a dull, unsettling sound.

Step by step, he moved closer. From inside his sleeve, something glinted coldly as he drew it out.

Tang Di, with a fruit knife in hand, advanced on her with a dark, vicious expression.

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