The Villain I Loved Has Broken Free and Transmigrated Out of the Story - Chapter 17

Despite her curiosity, Yin Ya kept her questions to herself. Seeing that Cang Lanyan had no intention of detaining her, she hurried to the door, her untied canvas shoes slapping against the floor, and quickly left the bedroom.

As soon as she entered the bathroom, a cold wind from the window sent a shiver through her, and she sneezed. Only then did she realize she felt unwell, her head foggy and achy, as if she’d caught a cold.

Remembering how Cang Lanyan had left her hanging last night without using any warming spells, Yin Ya sighed. After quickly washing up, she dashed to the storage room to rummage through the first aid kit.

She’d meticulously planned to avoid catching a cold before school started, but she’d completely overlooked the Big Villain’s mood swings.

Locating the forehead thermometer, Yin Ya pressed the button and pressed it against her forehead while continuing to search for cold tablets.

Worried about an inaccurate reading, she took two more measurements after the first result, averaged them, and frowned as she grabbed an extra packet of medicine.

Thankfully, her thin clothes hadn’t left her feverish, but her temperature was still above 37°C. Better to take precautions early.

While boiling water in the kitchen, Yin Ya grated some fresh ginger, planning to make a warming ginger and brown sugar soup to induce a sweat.

Yesterday, Yin Ya had hesitated about telling her childhood friend about Cang Lanyan’s situation. After the absurd events of the night before, she decided she couldn’t keep it secret anymore. She opened WeChat and messaged Cen Xiang.

[ Has Fusheng Written Today? ]: Er Xiang, I’m really sorry I lied to you yesterday. I have to come clean now.

Er Xiang: ? What’s up with the sudden seriousness? Are you going to abandon the story? (dog face emoji)

[ Has Fusheng Written Today? ]: No, no! What I’m about to tell you is a hundred times worse than abandoning the story!

Er Xiang: (I’m completely shocked.jpg)

Yin Ya meticulously typed out everything that had happened from the early hours of yesterday morning until this morning, then sent the message.

The other side was silent for a long time, so long that the kettle boiled before replying: “I could swear on my honor that I’m a full-blown chuunibyou, but this is just too unbelievable!”

“Yet it’s all true,” Yin Ya replied. “Cang Lanyan is at my house right now. She locked me in my bedroom all night, and now I’m coming down with a cold. I didn’t dare tell you yesterday, but I had a huge argument with her today, and that gave me the courage to tell you.”

Er Xiang: Give me a moment to process all this. (deep in thought.jpg)

Yin Ya replied with a simple “Okay,” turned off her phone, and was about to start brewing her ginger and brown sugar tea when she saw a familiar figure pass by the door.

“Cang Lanyan!” she called out, unable to resist. “Would you like something to drink?”

Cang Lanyan was a character she had personally created, the Big Villain. Even if they had fallen out, she couldn’t just ignore such a vivid, living creation.

Cang Lanyan paused, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes as she glanced back.

“I don’t need to drink often,” she said, then turned and walked toward the bookshelf without another word.

Though her overture had been rebuffed, Yin Ya wasn’t particularly annoyed. As long as she remembered last night’s absurd dream, she could just about tolerate Cang Lanyan’s awful personality.

She turned on the induction stove, poured in hot water, and dissolved the brown sugar cubes. After adding the ginger, she took out her phone again to review the document detailing Cang Lanyan’s backstory, abilities, and other settings.

The first part of the document was meticulously formatted, clearly outlining Cang Lanyan’s appearance, personality, background, and powers. In contrast, the hastily added “Prohibition” at the end looked downright comical.

Yet it was this very comical “Prohibition” that had saved her computer from disaster last night.

Even now, Yin Ya still hadn’t figured out why Cang Lanyan had crossed over from the book, why she could control Cang Lanyan’s actions, or why she couldn’t dictate her state of existence.

She already had a suspicion. Previously, she had been constantly watched by Cang Lanyan, leaving her no chance to carefully review the setting documents. Now that she had the opportunity, she went through the entire document again, analyzing it carefully with her suspicion in mind.

Two minutes later, a new message popped up on her phone from Cen Xiang.

****

[Er Xiang: Babe, even though we haven’t seen a trace of the Big Villain, I still believe everything you’ve said. Hug!]

[Er Xiang: So, what’s your plan now? School’s starting soon, and given her twisted personality, there’s no way she’ll just stay put obediently!]

[Has Fusheng Written Today: I’ll try to persuade her to stay. She’s my own daughter, after all. I have to take responsibility for her.]

[Er Xiang: Tsk, you treat her like your own daughter, but when she plays with you, she doesn’t treat you like her own mother.]

[Has Fusheng Written Today: …Shut up already!] [Pained Face.jpg]

[Er Xiang: Sorry, sorry! I was just talking trash. Scratch my back! So, you didn’t let me visit yesterday because you were afraid she’d take her anger out on me, right?]

[Has Fusheng Written Today: Exactly! I’m really terrified of her. If I hadn’t discovered that writing the setting could restrain her, I would have lost my computer last night!] [Pained Face.jpg]

*****

After replying to the last message, Yin Ya put her phone on the stove and stirred the ginger soup while waiting for new messages.

She was actually considering what to do about the matter Cen Xiang had brought up.

Even though her third-year courses weren’t too demanding, she wouldn’t be able to stay with Cang Lanyan 24/7 after school started.

Yin Ya rubbed the soup bowl, wondering if she should write a new rule forbidding the Big Villain from going out on her own. But she immediately felt guilty, wasn’t that just avoiding trouble by taking the extreme route?

…Or maybe she should have a proper talk with the Big Villain?

Even if Cang Lanyan’s personality was terrible, after scheming for years, she couldn’t possibly have nothing to say about such a trivial matter, right?

After making up her mind, Yin Ya turned off the heat and let the soup simmer in the pot. She glanced at her phone—Cen Xiang still hadn’t sent a new message—locked the screen, and walked into the living room.

Cang Lanyan was sitting upright at her desk, using magic to rapidly flip through books just like yesterday.

Yin Ya quickly noticed that the book she was reading was no longer Journey to the West but Dream of the Red Chamber. Even as a literature student, she found this classic challenging to read, yet the Big Villain continued to read at the same rapid pace.

But… can the Big Villain really understand the deeper meaning of this book just by skimming the text?

Cang Lanyan must have sensed Yin Ya approaching out of the corner of her eye, for she stopped turning pages and looked up at her.

“Cang Lanyan, there’s something I need to discuss with you,” Yin Ya said, pulling up a chair beside her to be at eye level.

After the ordeal of last night, Yin Ya had abandoned the formal “you” and “Your Excellency.” Since the Big Villain had already declared her a god, there was no need for such deference.

Cang Lanyan remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

“In a few days, I’ll be going to school… or rather, the local academy,” Yin Ya explained. “It’s right across the street, and I’ll be home every day at the same time. I wanted to ask you: Do you plan to stay here, or would you rather remain invisible and follow me to the academy to learn more about this world?”

Support The Villain I Loved Has Broken Free and Transmigrated Out of the Story