After Getting Bound to Both the Protagonist and the Villain at the Same Time - Chapter 12

Gu Mian had a morning exercise routine to check in for, so she was up even earlier than Lin Chuyi, who had a job to get to.

In the faint light of dawn, Gu Mian slipped quietly out of bed. She pulled the covers up for Lin Chuyi, tucking her in securely before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Gu Mian was no longer the pampered young lady she used to be. Occasionally, she would make simple breakfasts—like placing dumplings or buns into a steamer. Of course, by the time Lin Chuyi woke up, these would surely be cold.

Checking the fridge, Gu Mian found the whole wheat toast and tomatoes Lin Chuyi had bought the day before, along with a few remaining eggs. She put together a simple sandwich and left it on the table alongside a glass of milk.

[Breakfast is on the table.]

Mirroring the way Lin Chuyi used to leave notes for her, Gu Mian wrote a small, affectionate message.

When Lin Chuyi woke up, she found a hearty sandwich waiting for her. Along with her sense of relief, however, she noticed the unwashed pots and chopsticks nearby.

Lin Chuyi rubbed her forehead, quickly cleaned the kitchenware, and tucked the sandwich into her bag. She laughed softly to herself. “Quite thoughtful, actually.” Thinking of this, she playfully raised an eyebrow toward Mengmeng.

“Stop showing off! I get it, you have a great kid!” Mengmeng bounced up and down in the air. Still, considering that the protagonist’s excellence was partly due to its role as a guardian, Mengmeng turned to poke at 0927: “Jealous? Don’t you think the protagonist is amazing? Such a kind and considerate little sweetheart.”

0927 spared Mengmeng a glance. “Childish.” However, seeing the “villain” wasn’t doing too badly either, 0927 felt a strange spark of competitiveness.

As soon as Lin Chuyi opened her door, the door across the hall seemed to react to the sound. A crack appeared, and when Shen Qing saw Lin Chuyi leaving, she stepped out. She followed behind Lin Chuyi like a little shadow.

“We aren’t going to your school today,” Lin Chuyi said. “Come with me to my workplace. I work in the library; you can just do some self-study there.”

“Okay.” Shen Qing nodded. she shouldered the backpack Lin Chuyi had bought her yesterday—it was brand new, without a speck of dust.

As soon as Lin Chuyi returned to the library, she was greeted with warm concern from her colleagues. When one teacher saw Shen Qing, her heart went out to the girl. “This is the child, right? Poor thing, her hand injuries look so severe.”

“What are you saying right in front of her, you weird auntie?” Another colleague gave the first a gentle nudge, reminding her of Shen Qing’s presence and trying to protect the girl’s self-esteem.

“Anyway, have you eaten breakfast? We happened to bring extra from the cafeteria. One for you, one for Little Lin.” Someone changed the subject.

“I have some candy here, too. Someone brought it from a wedding last time, it’s quite good,” the staff began rummaging through their drawers. “Come, share in the good luck.”

It was the first time Shen Qing had received so much kindness from so many people. Feeling a bit lost among Lin Chuyi’s coworkers, she looked up at Lin Chuyi. Lin Chuyi offered an encouraging smile: “If the sisters give you something, just take it.”

Shen Qing accepted the breakfast. Seeing her accept the gifts, the library “sisters” proceeded to fill her arms with all sorts of treats.

One of the older staff members pulled Lin Chuyi to a corner.

“How is the situation with this child being handled? Have you called the police?” This woman, Sister Lan, was a veteran at the library. She had been with H University since before it moved to the new campus and was one of the few with a permanent staff position.

Sister Lan was warm-hearted, and everyone sought her advice. Lin Chuyi had planned to ask her for help anyway, but she hadn’t expected Sister Lan to be so concerned that she would reach out first.

“Not yet. I initially thought that since she has to return to school, it would be better for the school to handle it and then report it to the police,” Lin Chuyi explained her concerns.

Sister Lan listened patiently.

“But I feel like the school isn’t being very proactive about it. So, I’m thinking of taking her to the police station this afternoon. After all, we have the evidence.”

“You’re doing the right thing. The school can’t fully resolve something like this on its own. You have to take the initiative and trust the police,” Sister Lan said. “But the environment at that school is truly terrible. I’ve been thinking about this all day—what’s the girl’s family situation like? Are her parents that incompetent? Their child was bullied to that extent and they didn’t even know.” Sister Lan grew indignant.

“She doesn’t have parents. She lives in a small room by herself.”

“What? Did the neighborhood committee’s women’s federation not move the poor child to a better environment?” Sister Lan was shocked.

“I’m not entirely sure of the details. She’s staying with me for now. I felt I should look after her.”

“Little Lin, you need to think this through. The child isn’t necessarily your responsibility. If you turn her over to the women’s federation, she might be well taken care of there.” As soon as Sister Lan finished speaking, Shen Qing seemed to sense something and glanced toward Lin Chuyi.

The sensible girl, who had just begun to open her heart, subconsciously wanted to retreat back into her shell.

“She’s in her senior year of high school. I want her to have a better future. I can support her for a while—it’s only a year, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Sister Lan looked closely at Lin Chuyi, finding her expression sincere without a hint of falsehood. She couldn’t help but feel moved. “I actually looked into it for you. Given her situation, the H University Affiliated High School has an opening for an auditing student.”

“Don’t overthink it; it’s only natural. No one would have the heart to send such a poor child back to that environment. You go ahead and file that police report without worry. The child can study peacefully at the Affiliated High School. It’s a win-win.”

Lin Chuyi was stunned. She hadn’t expected Sister Lan to do so much research, let alone secure such a slot. Even as an auditor, it was incredibly precious!

H University Affiliated High School.

Every year, thousands of people fought tooth and nail to get in. Even the regular classes were out of reach for most; even if you were willing to pay, your grades had to meet a certain standard just to compete for the few “paid” spots.

Lin Chuyi’s eyes widened, momentarily speechless.

“Go on,” Sister Lan patted Lin Chuyi on the back. “You’re still young. If you have time, you should focus on improving yourself, too.”

Sister Lan was exceptionally kind to Lin Chuyi. Lin Chuyi had started working at the library at a young age; Sister Lan didn’t judge her for it, but she felt Lin Chuyi had much greater potential.

The girl was clever and knew how to be grateful. Sister Lan considered it “planting a seed of kindness.”

“Thank you, Sister Lan,” Lin Chuyi said sincerely.

Lin Chuyi returned to Shen Qing’s side and led her away from the group of colleagues to a study room outside the main library. These were small meeting rooms provided by the library for student competition teams. Lin Chuyi sat down opposite Shen Qing.

Shen Qing lowered her eyes. She was waiting for the verdict of fate.

“Why so serious?” Lin Chuyi laughed. “I’m not going to bully you.”

Shen Qing remained silent.

“Alright. I have a bunch of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want first?”

The scythe of the Grim Reaper seemed poised to strike.

Shen Qing closed her eyes, waiting for the end. “The bad news.”

“The bad news is, you’re going to have to work very, very, very hard from now on.” Before Lin Chuyi could finish, Shen Qing opened her eyes. It seemed, it seemed she wasn’t being sent away.

“Congratulations. You’ve been given the chance to study at the H University Affiliated High School.”

Fireworks exploded in Shen Qing’s mind. She was certain she was hallucinating. But Lin Chuyi didn’t look like she was joking, nor did she take back the words. Shen Qing was washed over by the magnitude of the news until she felt dizzy.

“The price?” Shen Qing heard herself ask.

“There is no price. This is your luck.”

This is your luck. Congratulations.

Actually, there wasn’t “no price” at all.

But compared to what Shen Qing was receiving, what she had to give was miniscule—only the courage to integrate into a new environment and the effort to study.

Shen Qing felt a surge of strength. She looked at Lin Chuyi, unable to find the words, but her emotions reached Lin Chuyi clearly.

The turning points in her life were all because of Lin Chuyi.

Meeting Lin Chuyi was truly the most beautiful thing to ever happen in her life.

Lin Chuyi also began to reflect on herself because of Sister Lan’s words. She had come to this world merely wanting to complete her mission as a “tool,” earning points to keep her grandmother healthy. She had assumed it was a temporary task, so she hadn’t invested much in her identity within this world.

But now, Lin Chuyi realized she couldn’t continue being a “salted fish.”

Gu Mian was facing hungry wolves fighting over a family inheritance, and on Shen Qing’s side, the expenses at a top-tier school like the Affiliated High School were not small. To truly ensure Shen Qing had no worries, a large amount of capital was required.

Lin Chuyi fell into deep thought. Before accepting this mission, she had only been a college student with little earning power. If she had any skills at all, it was simply being “ordinarily good at studying.”

0927 asked Mengmeng, who was bound to Lin Chuyi: “Why did you choose her? Is there something special about her?”

Mengmeng thought for a moment and said, “This host, her academic performance was excellent since childhood. At 17, she led her team to participate in the X.CTF (Information Security Capture the Flag) competition, won the international gold medal, and received admission offers from the world’s top universities. And the time between her first contact with algorithms and code to winning that gold medal was only a year and a half.”

“Her life was very simple: studying, winning scholarships, and taking care of her grandmother.”

Lin Chuyi had participated in that competition primarily so she could finish high school early and enter university with a generous scholarship.

“Bonds,” 0927 analyzed coldly. If it had to choose, it would also choose a host like Lin Chuyi—capable, but with a tether.

Making a genius who just entered university think about how to make money was indeed outside her current experience, but once she started thinking, success wasn’t far off.

“Yes, bonds,” Mengmeng smiled.

If Lin Chuyi hadn’t chosen these bonds, how could anyone has kept her here?

Lin Chuyi’s true self was, after all, a high and mighty deity.