I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 14

Streets of neon lights and green signs, a nightclub as noisy as daytime. The streets of the sleepless city are always filled with people coming and going.

Mang Ke finally managed to park the car in a space in front of the nightclub. She wasn’t a good driver and usually took a car or a taxi unless absolutely necessary, but the situation today was special, so she had to drive Xun Fangyun’s car out. Luckily, the garage had many cars, so Mang Ke picked one she could manage.

The nightclub was extremely lively. Dazzling disco balls spun overhead. Spots of orange, yellow, red, and green light shone onto the center of the dance floor, blurring the faces of the men and women.

“Hello.” Mang Ke found a waiter, stopped him, and asked: “I received a call to pick someone up. Is there a drunk lady here?”

“Oh, you must be that guest’s family member.” The waiter pointed in one direction and said: “She’s over there.”

Mang Ke thanked him and walked over, pushing through the crowded, river-like stream of people. She finally reached the innermost part of the nightclub. Without the sharp, noisy shouts from the dance floor or the dazzling neon lights, this area had people sitting on long benches, drinking and chatting.

Mang Ke looked over and saw Xun Fangyun sitting in the corner. She was awake now, curled up and holding her head.

“Why are you here?” Mang Ke quickly hurried over, wanting to ask Xun Fangyun what was wrong. Perhaps because the sound in the nightclub was too loud, Xun Fangyun maintained her head-clutching posture, seeming unaware of Mang Ke’s call.

“Hey!” Mang Ke tried shouting a little louder, telling Xun Fangyun: “Let’s go home!”

“Home?” Xun Fangyun raised her head and looked at the girl in front of her. She only saw Mang Ke’s anxious face, seemingly very worried about her.

How ridiculous. She actually needed a paper character’s concern.

Xun Fangyun curved her lips into a disappointed expression, picked up the glass on the table in front of her, and tilted her head back to drink, but there was no alcohol left, only melted ice cubes. The cold, icy water stimulated her throat and stomach. Unlike the scorching feeling of alcohol, it still felt uncomfortable.

“What’s the use of going back?” Xun Fangyun whispered: “There’s nowhere to escape this fake world.”

Mang Ke strained her ears but couldn’t clearly hear what Xun Fangyun was saying. She looked around and noticed that because this area was secluded, a few couples were even starting to engage in some daring actions, causing Mang Ke’s ears to burn red.

“Let’s go.” Ignoring Xun Fangyun’s current state, Mang Ke just wanted to get her out of there quickly.

After paying the bar tab Xun Fangyun owed, Mang Ke held Xun Fangyun’s hand and left the nightclub.

A blast of cold air outside slightly sobered Xun Fangyun. She watched Mang Ke pull her forward and didn’t say anything, allowing the other person to pull her wherever she wanted.

Finally, Mang Ke pulled Xun Fangyun to a bench in the nearby park. Mang Ke was afraid she would feel sick from the alcohol. Last time at the banquet, she had thrown up all over her. If she threw up in the car this time, both of them would be stuck on the street.

Mang Ke pressed the person onto the bench, cupped her face, and examined her. She saw that although Xun Fangyun’s cheeks were flushed and she smelled of alcohol, her eyes were alarmingly bright and black, proving that she was at least conscious now.

“Why did you come here to drink for no good reason?” Mang Ke was a little annoyed. If it weren’t for Xun Fangyun, she would be eating the omelet rice Aunt Liu (劉姨) made right now!

Xun Fangyun’s hot cheeks felt the warmth of Mang Ke’s palms. She couldn’t help but rub against them a couple of times like a cat.

“Because…” Xun Fangyun pondered for a moment before saying: “Because I feel helpless.”

Yue Yin’s words today had brought her a sudden realization. No matter how much she awakened or complained internally, she was ultimately a paper character, unable to escape this fake world. She couldn’t go to places not set in the book, and her social circle would always be limited to this city. What is the meaning of being alive?

Xun Fangyun closed her eyes. If I die now, can I leave this world that has plagued me for over 20 years? Anywhere is fine, as long as it proves that I am truly alive, not just sitting around waiting for the plot to unfold.

For some reason, Mang Ke felt moved looking at Xun Fangyun’s lost and helpless face. Where was the spirited girl who usually bickered with her? Now she looked as forlorn as a little kitten unable to find its way home.

“Did something happen to you?” Mang Ke touched her forehead and comforted her: “If there’s anything upsetting you, you can tell me. Although I can’t change anything, I can at least make you feel a little better.”

Xun Fangyun stared at her, realizing that Mang Ke seemed genuinely serious about trying to help her solve the problem. But how could this problem be solved? Tell her the world is fake? Tell her they are both paper characters? Absurd. Hilarious.

Xun Fangyun laughed out loud. She reached out, grabbed Mang Ke’s wrist, and pulled her closer. Mang Ke was startled. She stumbled and fell directly into the other person’s arms!

“Ngh…” Mang Ke felt her nose make intimate contact with the other person’s collarbone, followed by a sharp sting in her nose bridge. Before she could react, she felt Xun Fangyun wrap her arms around her.

“You…!” Mang Ke covered her nose. What is wrong with this woman? Why did her mood suddenly change like that???

“Mang Ke.” Xun Fangyun smelled the citrusy scent of the person in her arms and sighed softly: “Will you always stay with me?”

Mang Ke was bewildered, with countless small question marks popping up in her mind.

Xun Fangyun hugged Mang Ke’s waist and murmured: “This world is so lonely. I don’t belong here…” I want to get out. Anywhere is fine. Anywhere is better than here.

Mang Ke felt that Xun Fangyun was genuinely drunk. She felt her shoulder becoming damp, so she could only open her arms and hug Xun Fangyun’s shoulders, stroking her head like comforting a child, patting her back gently.

“Does holding me make you feel better?” Mang Ke rubbed her soft cheek against the other person and whispered: “I heard that physical contact makes people feel safe.”

Xun Fangyun remained silent.

Mang Ke added: “You need to get better quickly. We still have a long time to be together.”

Xun Fangyun: “…” Damn this woman, why are her words so provocative?

Xun Fangyun hugged Mang Ke and closed her eyes. Where did she learn such alluring things?

Mang Ke held Xun Fangyun like that for over half an hour, until she couldn’t help but let out a huge sneeze. Only then did the two get into the car and head home.

The night they returned home, Mang Ke developed a high fever. The next day, when discovered, she was flushed from the fever. Aunt Liu called a doctor, who put Mang Ke on an IV drip and prescribed a few boxes of medicine before leaving with his tools.

“Why did you get sick after going out last night?” Aunt Liu asked Xun Fangyun downstairs, while making porridge: “What did you two do outside last night?”

Xun Fangyun pretended to read a magazine, her eyes wandering as she said: “Nothing. We just had a few drinks and came back together.”

“Really?”

“…Of course, it’s true.”

Aunt Liu was half-believing, half-doubting. She poured the cooked porridge into a bowl, placed it on a tray, and prepared to take it upstairs.

“Wait a moment.” Xun Fangyun stood up from the sofa, saying somewhat awkwardly to Aunt Liu: “I’ll take the porridge up.”

After all, she was the one who caused the fever. She had to take responsibility.