After Getting Bound to Both the Protagonist and the Villain at the Same Time - Chapter 13

As lunch hour approached, Lin Chuyi finished her shift handover with her library colleagues and headed to the cafeteria to meet Gu Mian.

The H University campus was sprawling; the distance from the library to the cafeteria was significant. Usually, students hurried between classes on bicycles or electric scooters.

Having worked at the school for over a month, Lin Chuyi hadn’t truly taken the time to wander. Walking through the campus now, the mild autumn sun bathed her in a gentle warmth, evoking a pleasant sense of seasonal comfort and a lazy, cozy feeling.

Shen Qing walked half a step behind, following Lin Chuyi like a loyal little shadow without ever overtaking her.

“University life is actually something worth looking forward to, isn’t it?” Lin Chuyi asked with a smile.

Shen Qing felt as if she had been touched by something searing. Her throat tightened, and she managed a soft, “Mm.”

“So while there’s still time, work hard. Changing your environment to study will be good for you,” Lin Chuyi prattled on, glancing back at her. “Leave the things outside of studying to me. Children in school should focus on their books.”

Shen Qing kept her eyes fixed on Lin Chuyi, unable to look away. She often struggled with a recurring illusion—that when Lin Chuyi spoke to her, she sounded as if she loved her deeply.

But it wasn’t the kind of love Shen Qing yearned for. Lin Chuyi constantly treated her like a child. At that thought, Shen Qing’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a heavy hand, and her lips turned pale instantly.

“Shen Qing? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Lin Chuyi noticed the change immediately.

“N-no,” Shen Qing bit her lip. “I just feel, Sister, you are just too good.” Too high up, she thought. Like a cloud in the sky that only occasionally stops for me.

“Silly child.” Lin Chuyi’s heart softened completely. She couldn’t bear to see Shen Qing shrinking back or avoiding the world. “Be a little bolder.”

Lin Chuyi reached out and gently took Shen Qing’s uninjured hand.

So, so soft.

Lin Chuyi’s tenderness and care traveled through their joined palms. The moment her hand was taken, Shen Qing felt her heart skip a beat.

In her daze, she heard a light chuckle: “Breathe.”

Only then did Shen Qing snap out of her suffocating trance; she had been so nervous she’d forgotten to breathe. Her face flushed hot instantly, and she quietly squeezed Lin Chuyi’s hand back.

“University really is the perfect place for romance. There are couples ‘feeding the dogs’ [showing public affection] everywhere,” Cheng Mingli remarked, peering out the classroom window.

Their classroom for this period was right next to the cafeteria, where a constant stream of affectionate young couples could be seen passing by.

“Mm.” Gu Mian remained focused on organizing her books. Cheng Mingli was an old acquaintance and her primary link to the people in the Gu family.

Gu Mian had no interest in other people’s romances. Her mind was entirely occupied with getting to the cafeteria as quickly as possible so she wouldn’t keep her “Sister” waiting.

“I’m heading to the cafeteria, see you later.” Gu Mian shouldered her bag, ready to leave, when Cheng Mingli suddenly let out an “Eh?”

“Gu Mian, look. Isn’t that the sister you recently met? There’s a little girl with her, she looks quite frail.”

A little girl? Since when does Sister have a girl with her? Gu Mian thought, but she stopped and looked.

With just one glance, Gu Mian froze.

It really was her.

For a moment, Gu Mian felt as if she were drowning. She should have turned away, but she stared fixedly at the scene, letting herself sink deeper.

Lin Chuyi turned and gently took the other person’s hand. In the light breeze, the interaction seemed to exude a saccharine sweetness.

Gu Mian took several heavy breaths, watching as Lin Chuyi said something with a bright smile. Beneath that radiance, a bitter taste rose in Gu Mian’s mouth.

Sister. Sister.

Gu Mian reined in her emotions and raced downstairs. From a short distance, she could see the interplay between Lin Chuyi and that girl.

Tch.

“Hello, I’ll take two Mango Sago Creams.” Gu Mian waited at the tea shop by the cafeteria entrance for Lin Chuyi to reach her. She could tell that this “stray wolf” Lin Chuyi had picked up wasn’t as ignorant as she appeared. The girl’s desire for Lin Chuyi was brimming over; it was only hidden behind a mask of pitiful obedience.

As for how Gu Mian knew this, it was because she harbored the exact same thoughts. For a while now, she had been using the very same tactic.

It seemed she needed to change her approach.

“The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moon first”—Gu Mian’s thoughts swirled repeatedly until Lin Chuyi stood before her. Only then did she manage to suppress her inexplicable emotions.

Those joined hands were an eyesore, no matter how she looked at them.

“Chuyi, over here.” Gu Mian suddenly changed the way she addressed her. Lin Chuyi blinked in surprise, but Shen Qing froze when she heard the bold use of the name “Chuyi.”

Gu Mian was elegant and striking, a presence that stood out in any crowd. She didn’t carry herself like a high schooler; she already looked like someone qualified to stand by Lin Chuyi’s side. She could call her by name, and Lin Chuyi wouldn’t treat her like a child.

How envious.

“Hmm?” Lin Chuyi wasn’t used to the change in address. But perhaps because Gu Mian’s voice was so pleasant—like pearls dropping onto a silk plate—Lin Chuyi felt a tingling sensation in her ears, which quickly flushed pink.

Gu Mian walked over with the two drinks. “And this is?”

“This is Shen Qing, the young girl I mentioned to you before,” Lin Chuyi said with a smile, introducing Gu Mian. “And this is Gu Mian, my friend.”

“Young girl?” Gu Mian raised an eyebrow, glancing at Shen Qing. “This is Mango Sago Cream. I happened to buy one for you.”

Shen Qing hesitated, unsure if she should take it. Gu Mian hadn’t known she was coming, so she had only bought two. There shouldn’t have been a portion for her.

Shen Qing lowered her head.

Lin Chuyi let go of Shen Qing’s hand to take the drink for her. “You take this one. I’ll go buy another.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t go to all that trouble,” Gu Mian said with a smile, puncturing the seal of the drink with a straw and handing it to Lin Chuyi. “Try it. Is it sweet?”

Lin Chuyi instinctively took a sip from Gu Mian’s hand. She didn’t drink these often, but the rich mango pulp burst in her mouth, her taste buds feeling every bit of the smooth, vibrant flavor. She nodded. “It’s sweet.”

“Sweet?” Gu Mian leaned in naturally and took a sip from the same straw.

Lin Chuyi was stunned. She heard Gu Mian’s melodious voice: “It really is very sweet.”

Gu Mian didn’t give Shen Qing so much as a glance, yet Shen Qing felt a heavy, restrictive pressure.

Shen Qing looked away from Gu Mian and watched Lin Chuyi instead, noting her surprise. She bit her lip.

“We can share one, Chuyi. You won’t mind, right?” Gu Mian asked with a smile, feigning a troubled look. “Unless you’re repulsed by me?”

“N-no, of course not.” Lin Chuyi felt that the Gu Mian before her had changed, yet also hadn’t.

Previously, Gu Mian knew she kept a defensive line and had respected her boundaries. But at some point, Gu Mian had begun to encroach, bit by bit. She wanted to be “best friends,” and Lin Chuyi found it to be a sweet sort of trouble.

Sometimes, being as intimate as other girls required a bit of mental preparation for her. While such closeness was common between female friends, for someone like Lin Chuyi, who habitually kept a wall between herself and others, it took courage.

Then again, Gu Mian and Shen Qing were already different from “others.” Naturally, Lin Chuyi could tolerate Gu Mian’s occasional whims.

“Want another sip?” Gu Mian’s voice was soft and enticing.

Shen Qing had managed to stay calm when Gu Mian touched the straw Lin Chuyi had used, but when Lin Chuyi prepared to take another sip, she couldn’t stay indifferent.

“Sister.” The “pitiful” girl let out a helpless whimper. Shen Qing raised her bandaged hand, her eyes glistening with tears. “My hand hurts.”

“What’s wrong? Did you pull the wound?” Lin Chuyi immediately handed the drink back to Gu Mian and carefully cradled Shen Qing’s hand, checking for any signs of bleeding or a torn bandage.

“It, it just suddenly throbbed,” Shen Qing whispered, her eyes misty. “Sister, I don’t want the Mango Sago Cream. Why don’t you drink this one instead?” She added softly, “I’m allergic to mangoes.”

Shen Qing glanced up cautiously, her eyes briefly drifting toward the back. Gu Mian met her gaze with a cold, piercing look; sparks practically flew between them.

If gazes could manifest into physical combat, the two of them would have already traded a thousand lethal blows in that single instant!

“Oh, I see.” Lin Chuyi took the cup from Shen Qing. “I’ll go buy you a milk tea then.”

While Lin Chuyi stood in line, Shen Qing and Gu Mian were left standing together. However, the distance between them felt like an impassable border, as if the phrase “absolute incompatibility” was etched into the very ground between them.

“They look quite harmonious together,” Lin Chuyi noted, watching her “younger ones” stand side by side. Gu Mian and Shen Qing actually shared a slight resemblance in their features, looking almost like a pair of sisters.

Mengmeng: “…” Mengmeng pulled up the protagonist’s physical monitoring panel. It wasn’t sure if it should tell Lin Chuyi that the protagonist had entered a full-blown combat-ready state. As for the villain.

Mengmeng stole a glance at the cold-faced 0927; it was likely the same situation there.

“Hey, 0927, is the villain really allergic to mangoes?” Mengmeng asked, trying to break the silence.

0927 remained quiet for a moment before replying, “No.”

“Then why?” Mengmeng was puzzled.

“Because she is childish.” 0927 looked toward the trio. Lin Chuyi now held a milk tea in one hand, leaving her with only one free hand to hold anyone else’s.

Gu Mian and Shen Qing naturally noticed this as well.

Shen Qing held her milk tea in one hand while her other was still wrapped in gauze. Just as Gu Mian, sensing victory, prepared to reach out and take Lin Chuyi’s hand, Shen Qing suddenly spoke up.

“Sister,” she said, “could you hold my wrist, just like you did last time?”

Shen Qing’s eyelashes were still damp with unshed tears, making her look incredibly fragile.

Lin Chuyi’s heart softened. But before she could move, the hand she had started to extend was seized by Gu Mian in a powerful, dominant grip. Lin Chuyi’s heart skipped a beat, her attention momentarily captured by Gu Mian’s sudden intensity.

She heard Gu Mian say, syllable by deliberate syllable:

“I. Will. Hold. You. Little sister.“