I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Ji Wan’s room was easy to find. In front of her door, Uncle Ji had planted many vibrant flowers, their fragrance filling the air. Remembering Ji Wan’s casual mention of her dream, a faint smile appeared on Lu Fanghan’s face.

Lu Fanghan wasn’t in a hurry to go in. She stood in front of Ji Wan’s door, a little excited about how Ji Wan would react. Thinking of the girl’s shy expression, the smile on Lu Fanghan’s face was like that of someone in a new relationship—it just wouldn’t go away.

Lu Fanghan gently knocked on the door, but there was no response. She waited, then knocked again, a little harder this time. Still, nothing. Lu Fanghan was confused and started to worry about Ji Wan. After a moment of thought, her concern won out.

Lu Fanghan raised her hand and used elemental magic to force the door open. A long, slender vine appeared from her hand and slipped through the door crack. With a click, the door opened. Lu Fanghan hesitated, then pushed the door open and went in.

Ji Wan’s room was small but had a cozy, girlish feel. The decorations were simple and cute. Lu Fanghan’s eyes scanned the room, but she didn’t see Ji Wan. Just as she was about to leave, she heard the sound of water and faint, comfortable sighs from the bathroom.

Lu Fanghan’s feet stopped. Is Ji Wan taking a bath? A thought popped into her head, and she suddenly felt a little parched. A flush appeared on her face, but she decided to stay. She sat down on a soft chair and saw a cup with water on the table, which she picked up and drank from to ease the strange heat she was feeling.

When Ji Wan came out with a loose bathrobe and casually wiped her wet hair with a towel, she was shocked to see Lu Fanghan in her room. The towel slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. Lu Fanghan’s gaze was drawn to the sound. Their eyes met, and the air froze.

Ji Wan’s face instantly turned red. “Ah!!! You… you…” She quickly pulled her bathrobe tight, covering herself. For convenience, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath! At the same time, her mind was racing with questions. Why is Lu Fanghan here? I thought I locked the door! And didn’t she tell my uncle she was leaving?

The moment Ji Wan appeared, Lu Fanghan noticed her, and her eyes darkened. A beauty fresh from a bath, with fair skin and an alluring redness from the steam. The girl’s confused expression, combined with the loose bathrobe, was a sight that made one’s mouth go dry.

Seeing Ji Wan suddenly cover herself in a panic, Lu Fanghan controlled herself and looked down, taking another sip of water to maintain her calm demeanor. It looked as if her presence there was perfectly normal. But only Lu Fanghan knew she was drinking the water to cool down.

Lu Fanghan’s composed look, however, made Ji Wan’s face even redder. Why does that cup look so familiar? It looks just like the one I was drinking from! Realizing what was happening, Ji Wan quickly went forward and took the cup from Lu Fanghan, hiding it behind her back. Ji Wan was incredibly shy. Her voice, softened by the steam, was weak and pleading. “Don’t drink that. Th… that’s my cup.”

Lu Fanghan didn’t say anything, just stared straight ahead. But her gaze didn’t seem to be meeting Ji Wan’s. And why did her eyes look so fierce? Ji Wan followed Lu Fanghan’s gaze downwards. Because she was busy grabbing the cup, the collar of her robe was no longer held tight and had become loose again, revealing more of her body.

“Hmm?!” The cup fell to the floor with a clatter, and Ji Wan turned around in a rush of shame. The water from the cup splashed all over. Ji Wan quickly fixed her collar and tied the robe’s belt. Her embarrassed hands didn’t know what to do. I’ll just tie a random knot.

Ji Wan gave herself a long pep talk. It’s fine, it’s fine. Lu Fanghan didn’t see anything. That’s right, she didn’t see anything. What she has, I have too. Don’t blush, don’t blush!

But what Ji Wan didn’t know was that Lu Fanghan behind her was staring at her exposed pale calves and her cute, bare feet. She stared for a long time, her eyes dark and unreadable.

“I really want to play with them,” Lu Fanghan’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously, a dangerous thought forming.

After a long time of mental preparation, Ji Wan took a deep breath and turned around, her tone now accusatory. “Lu Fanghan, why are you… Ah!!” As she turned, Ji Wan slipped on the water and fell forward uncontrollably.

Help! Ji Wan instinctively closed her eyes, preparing for the pain. But a moment later, Lu Fanghan’s vine caught her right before she hit the floor and brought her into her arms. Everything happened in an instant.

“Phew, that scared me to death.” Ji Wan, now aware, patted her chest in fear, completely oblivious to her current position. She was sprawled across Lu Fanghan’s chest, her round, bright eyes wide with shock. Her expression was so pitiful it made one’s breath catch.

Because of the series of movements and Ji Wan’s careless knot, her robe belt had come undone without her knowing. So, as Ji Wan tried to get up to thank Lu Fanghan, she felt a cool breeze on her chest.

Why is it so breezy? Ji Wan wondered.

Lu Fanghan’s expression froze. She quickly turned her head away, her face a rare shade of red. Ji Wan, unaware of what was happening, looked down. The next second, her face was even redder than Lu Fanghan’s.

“You, you’re not allowed to look!!!” Ji Wan panicked, trying to cover Lu Fanghan’s eyes. But with her head turned, Lu Fanghan could still see everything from the corner of her eye. And with Ji Wan’s movement, even more of her was exposed.

“Ah!!” Ji Wan screamed, burying her face in Lu Fanghan’s chest, not daring to get up. Before, Ji Wan could comfort herself that Lu Fanghan hadn’t seen anything, or only a little. Now, everything was seen. Her innocence was gone. Ji Wan felt incredibly wronged and ashamed, wishing she could dig a hole and bury herself. Her voice was filled with small sobs. “You… you don’t look, wuwu.”

Lu Fanghan hadn’t expected so many things to happen. She, too, was incredibly flustered. The last time at the Lu family’s, she only saw a flash of white. She hadn’t looked carefully. But this time… Lu Fanghan felt her heart beating fast, and her mind kept replaying the scene. A rush of blood went to her head. Especially with Ji Wan crying delicately in her arms, the girl’s softness pressing against her through the thin fabric.

Lu Fanghan tried hard to control her impulses. She felt that her years of patience were being worn down by the girl in her arms. Ji Wan’s attraction to her was greater than she had imagined. It made her want to tease her and make her cry. But in the end, Lu Fanghan had to suppress the urge that would have left Ji Wan completely still. She used a vine to get the blanket from the bed and gently draped it over Ji Wan, wrapping her up. Her voice, hoarse with coaxing, was soothing.

“Okay, don’t cry. I’ll take responsibility.”

But once Ji Wan started crying, it wasn’t easy to stop. Lu Fanghan could only gently pat Ji Wan’s still-damp hair to comfort her until the crying slowly subsided.

After a while, Lu Fanghan looked fondly at the girl who had fallen asleep obediently in her arms. She gently kissed Ji Wan’s forehead, kissing away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Looking at the girl’s unguarded and charming sleeping face, the tenderness in Lu Fanghan’s eyes seemed to overflow. The heat also slowly subsided.

Finally, Lu Fanghan gently carried Ji Wan to bed. She quietly looked at her, leaning in closer, feeling Ji Wan’s breath on her face. A faint smile appeared on Lu Fanghan’s face as she lightly kissed Ji Wan’s lips, as light as a dragonfly on water. Lu Fanghan watched Ji Wan for a while longer, then got up and prepared to leave. She tucked Ji Wan in and slowly closed the door as she walked out. She really wanted to stay, but remembering Ji Wan’s shy and wronged expression, she couldn’t help but chuckle. She needed to give Ji Wan a little more time to accept her.

In the dark room, the girl on the bed slowly opened her bright eyes, which were clear and not at all like someone who was asleep. The smile was gone from Ji Wan’s face, replaced by a complex expression. She had planned to pretend to be asleep to avoid the awkwardness with Lu Fanghan. But the feeling on her lips just now reminded Ji Wan that everything had changed.

Lu Fanghan had kissed her. The vague suspicion in her heart was confirmed. No one knew how much she had to control herself to keep her heart from racing when Lu Fanghan kissed her. Especially when Lu Fanghan’s breath was so close. Under the blanket, her hands were clenched into fists, forcing herself to stay still.

Ji Wan restlessly hugged another pillow, her eyes filled with confusion and an indescribable flutter. She desperately wanted an answer.

“Xiao 1, why does Lu Fanghan like me?” Ji Wan asked system 111 in her mind.

“Uh, host. You found out?” System 111 had just finished watching a cheesy romance movie and was a little slow to respond.

“What do you know?” Ji Wan asked, confused by the system’s tone.

“Host, you’re so smart. You must be right,” system 111 said guiltily. It couldn’t tell its host that the female lead seemed to like her in every world.

“So, if Lu Fanghan likes me, then her affection for Luo Jinqian…”

“Yes, host. Their affection is absolutely real. The system’s detection is 100% accurate,” system 111 quickly explained. Its reputation as a bad system had been called out by Ji Wan for several worlds now.

“So, Lu Fanghan… really likes me?” Ji Wan’s face suddenly turned a little red, thinking of Lu Fanghan’s gentle eyes and the smile that seemed to be only for her.

“Host, the affection scan can only be used again in two years. You’ll have to rely on your feelings,” system 111 reminded her.

“What does it matter if she likes me? My mission means we can’t be together,” Ji Wan said, burying her face in the soft pillow, feeling inexplicably dejected.

“Uh, host. The three-year engagement period will be over soon,” system 111 encouraged.

“But I still have to break off the engagement,” Ji Wan replied sullenly.

“Why don’t you find a valid reason to break up with the female lead? If it’s a good reason, maybe she’ll agree,” system 111 suggested carefully.

System 111 imagined its host softly pleading with Lu Fanghan. But in Ji Wan’s mind, she was picturing Lu Fanghan’s icy expression when she brought up the topic. She couldn’t help but remember Lu Fanghan’s jealous looks from before. She might pin me against the wall again…

“Never mind. I’m not thinking about it anymore. The plan to break off the engagement is already half-implemented. Grandpa Lu just told me to think about it and temporarily agreed not to tell Lu Fanghan. And as for Uncle Ji, he’s gained some capital from the money over the past two years. Although he’s greedy, he knows he can’t handle this much, so he agreed to return everything to the Lu family.”

As for the harem, Ji Wan had done her best. At the very least, they all knew she existed. Now, everything was ready; all that was left was to wait for the time to break off the engagement. But for some reason, Ji Wan felt very sad. A wave of guilt washed over her as she thought of Lu Fanghan’s gentle gaze.