The Romance Extras Turned Out to Be a Yuri Story - Chapter 25

“How can this be!”

Lin Luoluo froze stiff.

She finally recalled what she had done while unconscious that led to her current state.

She had messaged the book’s male lead, Gu Beichen, wanting to quit the job, but unexpectedly the System returned, and she was the one who got quit on.

Was it the System’s doing?

No, now wasn’t the time to think about that.

Engagement? Marriage?

Lin Luoluo looked awkwardly at Zhang Qiu, completely losing her appetite for the food in her bowl.

Either way, it wouldn’t be good for her.

Zhang Qiu had just broken up with Gu Beichen, and for her to get engaged to him right afterward—that wasn’t right.

She liked Zhang Qiu, and for Zhang Qiu to watch her marry—that was even worse.

Wait, why did she have to marry Gu Beichen?

She didn’t even like him.

Lin Luoluo’s mind was a complete mess, utterly malfunctioning.

She opened her mouth, and some words escaped her brain before she could stop them: “I won’t…”

【Host, do you want to die again?】The System’s sinister voice sounded: 【Look at the stupid thing you’ve done, the World Consciousness is already watching you. If you don’t want to lose anything else, you’d better not do that.】

“What does Luoluo want to say?” Her mother, Tan Yi, looked at her gently.

Lin Luoluo’s back was slick with cold sweat. She stiffened and said, “I’m so happy.”

“Oh, you child, are you that happy to marry Gu Beichen? Mama’s going to get jealous.”

Lin Luoluo sat on the bed, distraught. The surrounding voices faded, and gradually, a clear, cool voice reached her ears.

“Congratulations.”

She looked up at Zhang Qiu. Zhang Qiu was silhouetted against the light from the window, her face a black shadow, pressing heavily on Lin Luoluo’s heart.

Zhang Qiu put down what she was holding and walked over to Lin Xiangdong, saying, “I have things to do, so I’ll leave first.”

Lin Xiangdong still had worry in his eyes. In the room’s atmosphere of forced cheer, he couldn’t genuinely smile. He hadn’t yet reached his father’s level of not being saddened by personal misfortune.

He said, “I’ll see you out.”

Zhang Qiu nodded, feeling inexplicably tired.

She should have been happy to see Lin Luoluo awake, but seeing that smiling face now felt somewhat uncomfortable. Was Luoluo still not over Gu Beichen? Was that why she couldn’t accept their marriage?

A hint of confusion appeared in Zhang Qiu’s eyes. She desperately wanted to confide in someone, to talk about her current contradiction, yet she didn’t know what to say.

The two disheartened people walked together along the hospital path. Lin Xiangdong couldn’t hold it in any longer and choked up as he spoke, “The doctor said they don’t know if Luoluo will fall into a deep sleep again. They said this illness is extremely rare globally, and there’s no cure. Scientists still can’t unravel the mystery of the sleeping sickness. Many patients with the disorder die from multi-organ failure after sleeping for too long. They often need more meticulous care and require high medical expenses.”

“My dad is worried that Luoluo won’t be taken care of, which is why he wants to finalize the marriage with the Gu family as soon as possible.”

“Zhang Qiu, I hope you won’t hate Luoluo.”

“As Luoluo’s brother, I also don’t want her to ruin your relationship with Beichen, but Gu Beichen is her best choice now, and he’s also the person she likes the most.”

“We hope to fulfill her wish before she sleeps indefinitely.”

After hearing Lin Xiangdong’s explanation, Zhang Qiu’s heavy heart didn’t feel relieved; instead, it felt even more suppressed.

She pursed her lips and nodded, “I understand.”

Lin Xiangdong wore a guilty expression. Then he heard Zhang Qiu give a slight laugh: “Gu Beichen and I have already broken up. We are both free, neither married, and you are a good match. Your choice is the right one. There’s no need to consider me.”

Zhang Qiu lowered her eyelashes, suppressing the panic that was spreading within her.

It was as if something that had just begun to sprout in her heart was gradually being lost.

Why was she feeling so disheartened?

Lin Xiangdong scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. “I’ll drive you home.”

“No need, I have something else to do. I’ll be going now. I wish…” Zhang Qiu’s voice paused, sounding slightly airy, “Luoluo happiness.”

She meant it sincerely.

Lin Luoluo was a good girl, and good girls should be cherished.

The Gu family would surely treat her well out of respect for the Lin family. Gu Xiaoxiao wouldn’t dare be presumptuous, and Zuo Jinwei would certainly not dare either. Zuo Jinwei only dared to scheme in secret, not confront the Lin family directly.

Besides, Lin Xiangdong was there. He was a good brother and would look after Lin Luoluo.

Zhang Qiu didn’t know why she was feeling lost. She opened her phone and sighed at the work information on the screen. Suddenly, she lost interest in the case she was about to take on, even though it was something she had been extremely eager to do.

Like a deflated balloon, Zhang Qiu stood by the roadside waiting for a car. Her phone chimed twice. She lowered her eyes and saw a message from the contact saved as “Sophomore Psychology Lin Luoluo.”

【I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to reject you just now.】

【Can we still be friends?】

In the ward, Lin Luoluo’s parents had gone to arrange a multi-disciplinary expert consultation, and Lin Xiangdong had gone to buy her water. She finally had time to discuss the cause of her illness with the System.

The System told her that her text message had alerted the World Consciousness, and she was almost obliterated. The System had saved her, but she had lost something: her ability to recognize faces, commonly known as face blindness.

The System told Lin Luoluo she should be grateful to be alive. Because the author was currently writing, the World Consciousness wasn’t strictly monitoring the world. Plus, many readers liked the villainess character Lin Luoluo, so she was able to survive with such a light consequence.

Lin Luoluo sighed softly and lowered her head in frustration, suddenly remembering her earlier action of rejecting Zhang Qiu as a sister.

She hadn’t rejected Zhang Qiu because she disliked her, but the words had come out too fast. Right after she said them, her father came in to talk about finalizing the marriage with Gu Beichen. She was still in shock when Zhang Qiu left, and they didn’t get to talk much.

How did things turn out this way… It seemed like she was constantly making mistakes…

Lin Luoluo was very disheartened. After thinking about it, she decided to apologize to Zhang Qiu.

Her mother had just given her phone back to her to keep her entertained, but when she picked it up, Lin Luoluo didn’t know what to say.

Her relationship with Zhang Qiu was more than just friends; they were the male lead’s ex-girlfriend and current fiancée. They should have been love rivals. Now there was an added layer: Lin Luoluo, the villainess, liked the female lead.

Can a Yuri (Girls’ Love) subplot appear in a romance novel?

Lin Luoluo thought she would be ridiculed by millions of readers. If her task failed, she, who was supposed to bring the male and female leads together, would have ended up tearing them apart.

If the World Consciousness got angry next time, would the System still protect her?

Lin Luoluo’s mind was a chaotic mess. She nervously typed those two messages, struggling with her inner conflict.

She didn’t expect Zhang Qiu to reply quickly. Maybe she would see it and pretend not to, or perhaps, out of courtesy, she would reply politely. But what she least expected was Zhang Qiu’s reply:

【Don’t apologize to me for something like this. It makes me feel like I’m the one bullying you.】

Lin Luoluo read it several times but couldn’t quite understand it.

However, the one thing she knew was that Zhang Qiu probably wasn’t mad.

She smiled foolishly at her phone for a while. The text box showed that the other person was typing, and she became hopeful, but after waiting for a long time, the “typing” indicator disappeared, and the person sent nothing.

Lin Luoluo couldn’t sit still and quickly typed a message.

【What did you want to say to me just now?】

When she pressed the send button, she hesitated and eventually hit the delete key, slowly erasing the message character by character.

She thought for a moment and was about to type again when a line of text suddenly appeared on her screen.

【If you’re bored in the hospital, you can find me to play games.】

【I’ll carry you in “Chicken Dinner” (PUBG).】

Lin Luoluo smiled foolishly again at those two lines of text.

The door was suddenly pushed open. “Lin Luoluo, what are you doing? Gu Beichen and Mu Yunchun are here to see you.” Lin Xiangdong opened the door and saw Lin Luoluo sprawled out. He subconsciously took a step back to block the people behind him, then slammed the door shut with a loud bang. He tried his best not to look distressed as he asked, “Yunchun, what did you just say? The stock of Cloud Cluster Tech still has potential to rise? Is this news reliable?”

Mu Yunchun and Gu Beichen were completely blocked by Lin Xiangdong. Although they didn’t get a clear look inside the room, it wasn’t appropriate for two grown men to just walk into a girl’s hospital room. They followed Lin Xiangdong’s lead and said, “You’re interested again? I’m optimistic about the Cloud Cluster Tech stock. The last time the market crashed, only it surged. It’s a tech stock after all—a lone standout.”

Inside the room, Lin Luoluo quickly sat up, smoothed her hair, adjusted her clothes, and checked her appearance on her phone camera to make sure she didn’t look sloppy. Then, she drew out her voice and said, “Brother, you guys can come in.”

Lin Xiangdong’s mouth twitched. He slightly loosened his grip on the doorknob.

If Gu Beichen wasn’t there, he’d really want his brother to see how messy his sister was at home. She at least looked somewhat like a lady outside, but in front of him, she was completely sloppy. Fortunately, he was quick-witted. If Gu Beichen had seen it, he would probably want to break off the engagement even more.

His brother wasn’t here to break off the engagement this time, was he? Thinking of this, Lin Xiangdong looked suspiciously at Gu Beichen. Gu Beichen’s expression was unchanged, still wearing that cold, indifferent face.

Lin Xiangdong leaned closer to Gu Beichen and lowered his voice, “You and Zhang Qiu have broken up. Don’t make Luoluo unhappy, or we won’t be brothers anymore.” He was reminding his brother not to say anything inappropriate once they went inside.

Gu Beichen furrowed his brow and nodded slowly, looking troubled.

Mu Yunchun hadn’t heard the exchange. He only saw the confrontation between the two, then Lin Xiangdong put his arm around Gu Beichen’s shoulders in a friendly manner and led him in. Mu Yunchun also walked into the ward gracefully.

Lin Luoluo was in a private deluxe ward, which resembled a small apartment with a bedroom and a living room. The oxygen tank was placed nearby, and Lin Luoluo was still on oxygen. Wearing the hospital’s green patient gown, lying on the large treatment bed surrounded by complex equipment, she looked even smaller.

“Brother Beichen, Brother Yunchun, you’ve both come,” Lin Luoluo smiled sweetly and greeted them, her eyes curved. “I’m fine. I made you worry.”

She looked at the two of them, feeling a little nervous. She carefully tried to distinguish their appearances, silently praying that they would speak first so she could tell who was who.

She had already fixated on Lin Xiangdong’s clothes. She could only rely on their voices to distinguish between Mu Yunchun and Gu Beichen.

Although he didn’t like Lin Luoluo, Mu Yunchun’s ingrained manners prevented him from being impolite to a lady. He raised his hand toward Lin Luoluo and said, “I wasn’t sure what to get for someone in the hospital. I happened to be at the mall yesterday and saw Fuyue Jewelry’s grand opening, so I brought you a bracelet. I hope it brings you good luck.”

Lin Luoluo took it and opened it, finding a good-luck bead bracelet with a small goldfish charm dangling from the chain. It was particularly adorable. Her eyes immediately sparkled as she looked at Mu Yunchun, “Wow, Brother Yunchun, you’re so good at giving gifts! I saw this in a magazine before and loved it, but they weren’t open yet. I can’t believe you bought it for me! I love it.”

She immediately put it on her slender, fair wrist to show them.

Her white, thin wrist, easily encompassed in a grasp, made the small goldfish and the golden good-luck beads look even more beautiful.

Mu Yunchun was starting to change his opinion of Lin Luoluo. At least she was quite likable when it came to receiving gifts.

Lin Luoluo’s eyes drifted to the side. The person standing next to her brother must be Gu Beichen.

But if he didn’t speak, she wouldn’t dare confirm it.

Lin Xiangdong noticed Lin Luoluo’s uncertainty and spoke up.

“Beichen, you didn’t come to visit empty-handed, did you?”

Lin Luoluo’s heart settled, and she smiled brightly at Gu Beichen.

Gu Beichen simply said “No,” and handed over the gift bag he was holding. “I wish you a speedy recovery.”

He didn’t say what he had brought, and his demeanor was somewhat cold. Lin Luoluo received it and treated it differently, not showing the same enthusiasm as she had with Mu Yunchun. She just placed the gift bag beside her.

—

“Thank you, Brother Beichen.”

A sudden awkward silence fell.

Mu Yunchun looked left and right, wondering why the atmosphere between this engaged couple was so cold. Had they argued?

Lin Xiangdong put Gu Beichen in a headlock and gritted his teeth, saying, “Gu Beichen, let’s talk outside.”

With that cold face, was he here to visit a patient or to spoil the mood?

Mu Yunchun smiled and stayed behind. He watched Lin Luoluo for a moment, making her skin crawl before he spoke, “I heard Zhang Qiu and Gu Beichen broke up. You did it. Well done. You achieved something I couldn’t do in three years.”

Lin Luoluo frowned and remained silent, knowing that nothing good would come out of this man’s mouth.

Mu Yunchun continued, “You like Gu Beichen, and I like Zhang Qiu. We both have the same goal. They just broke up and clearly still have feelings for each other. We can work together. You handle Gu Beichen, and I’ll handle Zhang Qiu, ensuring they can never be together again.”

The person in front of her was a hypocrite with a venomous heart. Collaborating with him was like playing with fire.

If Lin Luoluo truly liked Gu Beichen, she might have agreed to the partnership, but she not only disliked but outright hated Gu Beichen.

Now she had one more person to hate: Mu Yunchun.

Even though he had always been the character who quietly protected Zhang Qiu.

As the second male lead in the original novel, he had always resented losing out to the male lead and constantly sought a chance to take his place.

Lin Luoluo just hadn’t expected that Mu Yunchun, who had gone through a string of girlfriends over the years, still hadn’t given up on Zhang Qiu.

What was this called? Physically present but spiritually elsewhere?

Lin Luoluo thought she couldn’t do what Mu Yunchun was doing—thinking of one person while dating a string of others.

She gave a fake smile: “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“So you don’t want to cooperate?” Mu Yunchun said regretfully, “I thought we would be teammates.”

Who wants to be your teammate?

Lin Luoluo played dumb: “Brother, why have you been gone so long? I’m getting a little tired.”

Mu Yunchun knew she was trying to get rid of him. Sensibly, he stood up and said, “I’ll go check.”

“Lin Luoluo,” he called her full name, “I actually find you quite cute now. If you change your mind, you can always come find me.”

Lin Luoluo forced a smile, feeling thoroughly disgusted.

Mu Yunchun left. Lin Luoluo had just picked up her phone to chat with Zhang Qiu when the door was suddenly pushed open. She complained aloud, “Brother, why did you take so long?”

The person at the door didn’t speak. Lin Luoluo looked at him and hesitated, “Brother? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Lin Luoluo, I am not Lin Xiangdong.” The person at the door moved, slowly walking up to Lin Luoluo and asking, “Do you really not recognize who I am?”

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