I Helped My Best Friend with Her Romance—and Fell for the Enemy’s Strategist - Chapter 23

“Got any ideas? How do you want to handle this?”

“Though the theme is set, we still need to discuss the specifics. I think since the school anniversary is in December, we should finalize the theme and content by the end of October. That leaves two months for preparations, which should be plenty of time. Based on past anniversary videos I’ve seen, they usually…”

Lin Ruocheng shared her thoughts.

She was never careless when it came to work, a stark contrast to her usual laid-back demeanor.

Lin Ruocheng sent over the PowerPoint she had prepared the previous night, detailing past school anniversaries.

She had been meticulous, covering nearly every detail of the anniversaries.

After all, the school anniversary was no trivial matter, the 80th anniversary had to be done right.

Lin Ruocheng had tied her hair into a low ponytail.

A faint scent of oranges wafted over with the breeze, and Fu Yanxi found it hard to focus on what the other was saying.

Her mind was filled with images of little oranges.

Obediently hopping into a juicer, squeezing themselves into juice.

There was no room for anything else.

“Fu Yanxi… I’ve been talking for ages. Did you get any of that?”

How could she be so disrespectful of others’ efforts? Clearly, she hadn’t paid any attention.

Was what I said really that bad?

It couldn’t be, right?

Lin Ruocheng waved a hand in front of her. Had this girl lost her mind?

Or was she just spacing out?

She knew she was pretty, but did she really have to stare so intensely?

It felt like she’d committed some crime.

“Fu Yanxi? What are you looking at?”

“I heard you. You can keep going.”

Fu Yanxi lowered her head slightly and cleared her throat.

She pushed away the somewhat indecent thoughts in her mind, after all, their relationship was just a simulated romance.

What on earth was she thinking?

As dusk settled, Lin Ruocheng didn’t notice the other’s ears, hidden in the dim light, turning bright red.

“Since you heard me, what do you think of my suggestion? How about we schedule a meeting in the office? Let others join in to discuss the plan’s progress. I’ve only given a general direction, the final version is still a long way off. It’s best to get everyone in the student council involved.”

“Mm, whatever you say.”

Lin Ruocheng saved the draft of the specific plan.

She’d bring it up again during the meeting.

“You’re type B blood, right? Mosquitoes love you. Here, take this. Carry it with you at all times.”

Lin Ruocheng took out a mosquito-repellent clip and fastened it to Fu Yanxi’s collar.

Fu Yanxi stumbled backward and sat down on the steps, bracing herself with her hands behind her. Her movements were stiff.

Her expression grew even colder than before.

Lin Ruocheng found the other’s “bullied” demeanor utterly amusing.

Really? All I did was give her a mosquito-repellent clip.

Yet she acted as if I were some villain forcing myself on a helpless maiden in the dead of night, while she played the role of the “violated” delicate wife.

“Seriously, Fu Yanxi, is this really necessary?”

“You’re acting like I’m forcing myself on you.”

“But don’t worry, I’m not that into icy beauties like you.”

Lin Ruocheng’s words were like a shot of reassurance, she wouldn’t make any unwarranted moves.

She just enjoyed teasing a little.

Of course, she wasn’t a player, and there were no fish in her pond.

After all, she was too busy. If she had the time, she’d rather earn more money.

Fu Yanxi adjusted the mosquito repellent clip herself.

To be honest, she was quite meticulous about it.

“By the way, we were both in the same middle school, so how come I never saw you? You probably didn’t look like this back then, and you definitely didn’t dress like this, right? If you had been this good-looking, I would’ve definitely teased you a bit, how could I have missed you? I don’t know you, but do you know me?”

“Yeah.”

Lin Ruocheng nodded, thinking it made sense.

Whether it was elementary school, middle school, high school, or even college, how could the students at school not have heard of her?

Of course, it wasn’t because of any notorious incidents, but simply because there was a group of troublemakers outside the school who liked her, and another group inside the school who called themselves the “Lin Ruocheng Protectors.” The two groups fought fiercely just to be able to follow her around as her lackeys. As a result, Lin Ruocheng became famous, though she had nothing to do with the fights, it was all between the leaders of the two groups.

People said things like “beauty brings trouble,” but Lin Ruocheng didn’t care.

After all, she was the top student academically. If they wanted to talk, so be it, their mouths were their own.

But her two mothers couldn’t stand it. If anyone spoke ill of her, they’d sue them for defamation on the spot.

A legal team was always on standby, ready to protect her.

Most importantly, she had Lin Shuyi, her fiercely protective younger sister.

Growing up, she had never been bullied.

Fu Yanxi knew all about Lin Ruocheng’s middle school experiences. In fact, she knew all her preferences, habits, and every little detail about her.

In Lin Ruocheng’s memory, she should be… no, actually, she probably didn’t exist in her memory at all.

From beginning to end, it had only been her own one-sided crush.

A one-sided crush with no response.

“You know, earlier at the table, I was so focused on pretending we were in a simulated relationship for those two robots that I completely forgot to ask you, are you even into girls? When it comes to relationships, whether it’s real or simulated, you have to respect the other person’s sexual orientation first.”

“That’s the most basic form of mutual respect in a relationship. What if I end up ‘turning’ a straight girl? Your mom would probably come after me with a machete, how awkward would that be? Don’t you think? Let me tell you, I’m definitely into girls. After all, you know my family is made up of two mothers.”

“I don’t know if I’m into girls.”

Fu Yanxi had only ever had one close friend in her life, Yu Qiuli.

As for love, it seemed there had only been that one time.

Other than that, her heart had always remained calm.

“Being into girls means you like girls. Do you like girls? Like, when you were younger, did you ever have a crush on a girl? Let me tell you when I realized I might be into girls, I think I’ve liked them since I was little. You know how sometimes when you’re browsing online, those kinds of risqué ads pop up?”

“I’d occasionally click on them and take a look. Not because I’m a pervert or anything, but just out of curiosity. After that, I started getting more interested in girls’ bodies, you know? Teenagers are like that, right? Who hasn’t had those kinds of impulses when they were young? It’s just that my fantasies were about girls.”

“Yeah, I’ve liked a girl before.”

Fu Yanxi turned her head to look at her.

Even just a simulated romance made her incredibly nervous.

For the first time, she experienced the strange sensation of her heart racing and her body temperature gradually rising.

It was a tingling, electrifying feeling.

“Having a crush on someone?”

“Yeah.”

“Never thought our little Xixi would be such a sentimental soul, a true romantic at heart.”