After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 23

Even after boarding the last train heading home, Ruan Yu Bai still felt a bit dazed, staring blankly at the female lead beside her who had her eyes closed, resting. “Qing Ling, are you really coming home with me?”

The train floated through the cool night, with only the front searchlight piercing through the darkness. Clouds, like delicate mermaid silk, wove into a soft net, flowing over the girl’s smooth face. When they lingered on her lips, everything else faded into shadow, leaving only a rose hue as the world’s last remaining color.

Qing Ling slightly lifted her eyelids, her eyes dark and deep. “Is that not allowed?”

The female lead’s features were exquisitely delicate, as if meticulously painted from the finest mold even the seated maidens in last century’s oil paintings could hardly rival her lush beauty.

Though she should have been a gentle and elegant beauty, Ruan Yu Bai always had a strange illusion.

As if beneath the young lady’s beautiful facade lay sharp, aggressive tail feathers.

“Or perhaps,” before Ruan Yu Bai could speak, Qing Ling had already tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and averted her gaze, “does Miss Ruan dislike others knowing about our relationship so much?”

In reality, the time it took for a wisp of cloud to dissipate was but a fleeting moment. That cluster of light soon vanished into the empty seats at the corner, and the carriage sank back into gloom.

These words made Ruan Yu Bai feel embarrassed. She scratched her head and muttered softly, “Actually, just giving me the key would have been enough. I was afraid it would be too much trouble for you to make the trip back and forth.”

Then she heard a faint, derisive chuckle in the air.

The surroundings were dim and hazy. No matter how much Ruan Yu Bai craned her neck like a goose, given her current abilities, it was hard to make out the other’s expression. Defeated, she slumped her neck back down, feeling as if she were wearing a mask of agony.

Judging by the conversation just now, it really seemed as though she had done many things to wrong the female lead.

Your Honor, I’m innocent!

What kind of relationship did she even have with the female lead?

The words were far too ambiguous. Ruan Yu Bai covered her face in despair, feeling that her fish-like life could no longer be joyful. Out of nowhere, she had become a heartless scoundrel hiding a secret romance.

But in reality, wasn’t it just a fake engagement decided by a drunken elder during a round of finger-guessing?

In this day and age, who still arranges childhood betrothals? These are all remnants of feudalism, rotten concepts that should be tossed into a blender and ground to bits!

The story traces back to the chaotic scene of a criminal arrest earlier.

Strangely enough, in the noisy area that had been as chaotic as herding ducks, the student council president merely clapped her hands lightly, and the thousands of “ducks” buzzing around Ruan Yu Bai willingly plunged into the river of silence, leaving only stillness behind.

Under the eager gazes of hundreds, Qing Ling calmly delivered a few words to settle the matter. In an instant, the Alphas who had come to sneak a peek turned as dark as potatoes, and the student council officers promptly escorted them to the Laoreisi Police Station, leaving them no chance to call for backup.

This was truly a rare convergence of favorable timing, geographical convenience, and human harmony. If it weren’t for the fact that the family elders were all at the clubhouse singing and playing cards, drunk and distracted; if it weren’t for these Alphas provoking widespread anger; if it weren’t for the many classmates at the scene live-streaming the incident to the forum, attracting massive attention, this matter would have inevitably been downplayed and swept under the rug.

Moreover, if it weren’t for the fact that the student council president was Qing Ling, who stood alone without family backing, any child born into a prominent family would likely not have dared to make such a decisive move so swiftly.

The onlookers were so moved they nearly shed tears, marveling at how even Laurence had its day of reckoning. Just as Ruan Yu Bai joined in the half-hearted applause, hoping to slip away unnoticed, she suddenly realized the center of attention the stunning beauty had shifted her gaze directly to her.

It was like a call transfer command; instantly, everyone present swiveled their heads in unison, successfully pinpointing the slacker Ruan.

“If I may, I have a small favor to ask of everyone,” she began, her voice clear and composed. “If anyone happens to have footage from the hidden cameras, please be sure to delete it and refrain from sharing it further. After all, for those who were filmed, it would only inflict further harm.”

Then, with understated grace, she bowed slightly, her movements elegant and unhurried, exuding the refined beauty of courtly etiquette.

Was this really something worth bowing for?

The students were stunned. But before they could vow to respect the innocent victims, the president, now standing upright, added softly, “From today onward, if any similar videos resurface on social media platforms, I will have no choice but to assume you are one of the perpetrators who escaped consequences in this disgraceful incident. My apologies.”

She spoke of apologies, yet there wasn’t a trace of remorse on her exquisite face only an intimidating arrogance that left everyone with mixed feelings, forced to acknowledge that this was indeed the high-and-mighty young lady of the Qing family.

Even though the Qing family had fallen, that innate pride still coursed through her veins.

Even Ruan Yu Bai couldn’t help but click her tongue in admiration: This is truly the female lead for you. A heartthrob remains a heartthrob poor male lead, who knows how many rivals await him in the future.

The only question was, why was the female lead saying all this while looking directly at her? She wasn’t even in a central position.

Could it be that her silly, blank face looked particularly approachable, making people feel at ease?

Who would have thought that at such a young age, she already had the makings of a grandmotherly figure.

Before Ruan Yu Bai could finish her wild train of thought, she noticed Qing Ling curling her lips into a faint, subtle smile aimed right at her.

“There’s one more thing I think I should clarify for everyone,” the president’s voice was melodious, like the gentle trickle of a stream. “Ruan Yu Bai is actually my be.”

Ruan Yu Bai’s strange thoughts vanished into thin air.

Ruan Yu Bai’s gleeful, gossipy smile froze on her face.

Ruan Yu Bai stared wide-eyed in shock.

No joke, Ruan Yu Bai felt she could now compete in the Interstellar Guinness World Records for the largest eyeballs.

Damn it, heaven is out to get me!

In the novel The Interstellar Alpha and Her Tsundere Girlfriend, Ruan Yu Bai’s engagement to the female lead was revealed just a few chapters before the cannon fodder side character met her end, becoming a major point of conflict between the male and female leads.

Whether the male and female leads argued or not wasn’t Ruan Yu Bai’s main concern. The important thing was, if this got exposed now, how far off could her fate as a cannon-fodder side character be?

She had wanted to stir things up discreetly, but now she was being fast-tracked to the ending this was hardly a conversation worth celebrating!

In a panic, Ruan Yu Bai loudly interjected, “That’s right! The student council president stayed with me in the Omega restroom to keep me from being scared. Even without me, the president would have caught those Alphas soon enough!”

A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd, and soon understanding discussions broke out.

“No wonder. I was wondering how an F-class Beta could have the guts to lure the enemy in turns out the president had her back.”

“Actually, those Alphas probably just wanted to see the president. I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than her in my life.”

“Not exactly. This Beta is actually quite cute. I was even a little stunned when I first saw her. But for those arrogant Alphas, only a real Omega could catch their attention.”

“You’ve got a point. So what role did this Beta play, then?”

“She’s just clingy. Haven’t you heard? This F-class girl, Ruan, has had a crush on the young lady for a long time. If she got a chance to get close to Qing Ling, of course she’d stick to her like glue.”

The person who spoke last was about to say more when they noticed Qing Ling’s cold gaze fall upon them. Though the glance lasted only a moment, the speaker broke out in a cold sweat.

For an instant, Qing Ling’s anger seemed almost impossible to conceal. But when she saw the faint plea in the girl’s eyes, she pressed her lips together and indifferently looked away.

Qing Ling wasn’t the type to force warmth where it wasn’t welcomed. Since Ruan Yu Bai was so resistant, why should she bother inviting further rejection?

Even so, after the crowd dispersed, Ruan Yu Bai quietly hooked a tiny bit of Qing Ling’s clothing.

Qing Ling pretended not to notice and coldly walked away, but the little follower stuck close again, her grip light so light that Qing Ling could easily break free. Yet, when she glimpsed the girl’s fingers, pale and chilled, she stopped in her tracks.

“Miss Ruan, who has nothing to do with me, is there something else you need?”

Seeing the female lead’s expressionless, beautiful face, Ruan Yu Bai awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Weren’t female leads supposed to be the embodiment of kindness and beauty? Why was this one so sharp-tongued?

But her mouth moved faster than her thoughts. Even as she inwardly complained, the words tumbled out: “Do you have the key to my house?”

Her wrist terminal still glowed with Lin Yi’s un-dialed number, but Ruan Yu Bai closed her eyes, turned it off, and under the female lead’s incredulous stare, mumbled, “I forgot mine. Can you lend me yours?”

Realizing how shameless that sounded, she quickly added, “Or you could come home with me. You’ve worked hard today.”

With such a big incident happening, there was no telling how many matters required the student council president’s attention. So Ruan Yu Bai was just being polite, fully expecting the female lead to refuse,

“Alright.”

Meeting Ruan Yu Bai’s suddenly widened, lifeless fish-like eyes, Qing Ling tossed the glassine candy wrapper from her pocket into a nearby trash bin and directly grasped the girl’s cold wrist. The rich, sweet scent of cocoa was unclear whether it came from the small patch of skin they touched or the misty air around them.

In any case, even after settling into the train seat, Ruan Yu Bai’s mind remained somewhat dazed, unable to believe that the faint scent of freesia beside her truly came from the student council president.

It was utterly frustrating.

She kept bumping her lifeless fish-brain against her palm, and the mask of agony she had just put on was already showing signs of cracking.

Something wasn’t right. No matter how you looked at it, the female lead currently had the tragic script of Xi’er, while she, Ruan Yu Bai, should have been the shameless and malicious Huang Shiren at this point.

So, why did she feel even more stifled than Xi’er?

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