The Villain I Loved Has Broken Free and Transmigrated Out of the Story - Chapter 51

Though Yin Ya had mentally prepared herself, she froze the moment Cang Lanyan clearly articulated those words.

Her heart seemed to clench painfully, sending a shuddering numbness through her body. Her pulse grew louder, her restless heart pounding against her ribs as if about to burst through her chest.

Yin Ya opened her mouth, but no words came out, as if she had lost the power of speech.

Does this Old Spirit really not understand anything? Is she just speaking from instinct?

What does she want? Is she taking advantage of the situation, or just messing with me again?

“…You know what you’re saying, right?” Yin Ya finally asked in a low voice after a long pause.

“Perfectly,” Cang Lanyan nodded.

“Then why ask me now of all times?” Yin Ya’s voice sharpened. “Didn’t you just tell me ‘there’s no need to rush’ not long ago?”

“When and how you untie your emotional block is your concern,” Cang Lanyan said, staring into her eyes. “I simply feel I should make my stance clear at this time.”

Her amber eyes remained calm, as if she were speaking of something completely unrelated to her.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Yin Ya averted her gaze.

Cang Lanyan was serious, and this declaration came swiftly after she had seen through Yin Ya’s thoughts.

Though it appeared as if she were simply discussing what they called “intimate relationships,” in truth… She must have been using this declaration to give herself courage, right?

Despite these thoughts swirling in her mind, Yin Ya said firmly, “I’m very sorry, but I need time to think. I can’t agree to this right now.”

“No matter,” Cang Lanyan replied, tapping her nails lightly on the table. “I haven’t forgotten what I just said.”

Yin Ya froze, then shivered, feeling her heart race.

“What I just said” must have referred to “There’s no need to rush.”

In other words, if she hadn’t misunderstood, the Old Spirit’s meaning was now crystal clear!

“But… why me?” Yin Ya stammered, reeling from this barrage of blunt statements. “There are so many people in the world. Why…?”

“If Your Excellency the Author wishes to have fewer worries,” Cang Lanyan cut her off, “perhaps you should stop dwelling on such pointless questions.”

“How could that be meaningless?” Yin Ya instinctively pushed up her glasses, only then realizing she hadn’t taken them off to eat. The weight of her worries had clearly affected her.

“Then, please enlighten me, Your Excellency,” Cang Lanyan said, narrowing her eyes. “How does the Merfolk Tribe’s love for others come about? And why do they so easily become deeply entangled in it?”

“That…” Yin Ya was stumped by the question. After a long, bewildered moment of thought, she simply replied, “I don’t know.”

Her conception of the Merfolk Tribe was based on various myths, legends, and summaries from previous authors. As for their reputation for passionate love, it was ultimately just a casually written “racial trope” she’d included.

“If even the creator of these beings can’t answer, how would I possibly know how to answer your question?” Cang Lanyan said, picking up her chopsticks and tapping them lightly against the edge of Yin Ya’s plastic box. “Hurry up and eat. It’s getting cold.”

Yin Ya lowered her head in shame, removed her glasses, and silently finished the remaining dumplings.

After dinner, Yin Ya brewed some ginger soup and drank it while it was hot. After brushing her teeth, she applied a new Uterus Warming Patch and retreated to her bed to continue writing.

She? Just opened her laptop when she saw Cang Lanyan walk into the bedroom with a book, turn on the bedside lamp, and sit on the lower bunk, flipping through the pages with magic as she always did.

Yin Ya vaguely sensed that this Old Spirit had begun learning how to form close relationships. Though her current attitude was rejection, both of them knew it was just the stubborn resistance of a coward.

Only a thin layer of window paper separated them. If she wanted, she could pierce it at any moment.

Yin Ya didn’t stop Cang Lanyan from staying, instead focusing on typing her new chapter with headphones on.

Yet, as she wrote the romantic scene between the male and female leads, she couldn’t help but think about matters of the heart.

Even if she couldn’t understand why Cang Lanyan had “fallen for” her, shouldn’t she at least respond to Cang Lanyan’s declaration?

Though she carried emotional baggage and painful memories, Cang Lanyan didn’t care. Shouldn’t she seize this rare opportunity to try another way to untie her emotional block?

Puzzled, Yin Ya couldn’t resist glancing down at the lower bunk. Seeing Cang Lanyan still engrossed in her book and no Jellyfish nearby, she finally opened her browser, logged into the anonymous forum, and clicked on her own help post.

Perhaps because relationship issues tend to attract more attention, even though Yin Ya had already thanked all the commenters at the time, many were still eagerly awaiting an update.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yin Ya scrolled to the bottom of the page, clicked into the input box, and quickly typed what she wanted to say:

“Just wanted to update you all: my roommate really does want to start a relationship with me.”

Though it was only a short, simple sentence, after sending it, she grew anxious, unable to focus on anything else. She kept hitting F5 every few seconds, refreshing the page to check for new replies.

It didn’t take long for new comments to appear.

“OP, you need to elaborate!”

“First, let’s celebrate 99!!!”

“So, did OP agree?”

“Even though OP’s message is short, we can still analyze it. Don’t be deceived by OP’s calm and cold tone. OP’s emotions are likely far from calm right now, and they’re probably worried about many things. They’re not exactly happy; otherwise, the sentence wouldn’t end with a period but a string of exclamation points, like at least as many as the ‘celebrate 99’ comment above.”

Yin Ya hadn’t really expected much from the reply, but when she saw this, it was like she’d grasped a lifeline. She hurriedly replied to the Poster, “Detail Master is right. I’m really struggling right now. Could you, Expert, offer some advice?”

Just as she was about to hit send, she realized she shouldn’t pretend to be calm anymore. This was an anonymous forum, after all—no one would judge her even if she posted a hundred emotional replies. Better to convey her feelings honestly. She deleted the question mark and replaced it with the crying emoticon “QAQ.”

Before long, she received a reply from Detail Master, the Poster: “I’m not an Expert, just a lifelong Single since birth QAQ. First, are you sure the other person is serious about you? If so, and you’re interested too, take your time. Don’t rush to respond. Wait until you’re closer before having a heart-to-heart. In short, it’s better than stewing over it alone.”

Below were other netizens replying:

“Can you tell us what’s troubling you, OP?”

“First, figure out your sexual orientation. It’s best for you and her.”

“I’m certain I’m a lesbian!” Yin Ya couldn’t resist replying after reading the last line. “But because I witnessed something like this when I was young, I’ve never been able to move past it. I don’t even know how to respond to her in the right way.”

She never imagined her first time coming out would be on an anonymous forum!

For a moment, she wanted to immediately close the page and never open it again, afraid of being insulted, though she didn’t even know what angle they might attack her from.

But after a few minutes of hesitation, she pressed refresh and saw the screen fill with supportive messages and advice.

“Hugs to the OP! Remember, your sexual orientation isn’t wrong!”

“Just respond normally. It’s the same principle as dating someone of the opposite sex. Choose a time that feels right and be with her. If she respects you, she’ll respect your choice too.”

“On the forum, they say the OP is single since birth, right? You’ve got some nerve! Just remember, dating is just an experiment. If it doesn’t work out after spending time together, just move on. Treat every relationship with sincerity, from start to finish, and don’t lead anyone on.”

“From what I gather, the OP’s main struggle is coming out to their family, right? To have been exposed to gay marriage scams as a child, the person involved must be a relative of the OP, right?”

“Are you still in school, OP, or already working? If your family doesn’t approve, try to achieve financial independence as soon as possible and move out. Being pressured into marriage as a lesbian is truly exhausting…”

“…”

Yin Ya patiently read through all the comments, her anxiety gradually easing.

Even though she knew some of the advice from these strangers was idealistic and difficult to achieve, she still sincerely thanked each commenter. Then she closed the webpage and took a deep breath.

She and Cang Lanyan were no longer strangers. Since Cang Lanyan had already made her feelings clear, Yin Ya knew she really should do something.

Though she had only just refused Cang Lanyan’s advances during dinner, she had also left herself some room to maneuver.

After steeling herself and making this decision, Yin Ya tucked stray strands of hair into her ponytail, moved aside her computer desk, slowly crawled to the foot of the bed, and carefully climbed down the bed ladder.

Cang Lanyan was still reading, the soft rustle of turning pages sounding like a breeze through tree branches.

Yin Ya landed steadily on the floor. Only after both feet were securely tucked into her cotton slippers did she call out softly, “Cang Lanyan.”

She noticed her voice trembled but couldn’t tell if it was from anxiety or excitement.

The turning of pages stopped. Cang Lanyan closed her book and looked up at her.

“What is it?” Cang Lanyan asked gently, “Yin Ya.”

Yin Ya’s newly gathered courage nearly crumbled under the warmth of that voice, making her feel like the one manipulating others’ feelings. But she quickly regrouped and walked over to sit beside Cang Lanyan.

“I think I’ve figured it out,” she said, suppressing the urge to look away and maintaining eye contact with Cang Lanyan. “But ‘sharing a bed and pillow’ usually refers to marital life—meaning… life after marriage. Humans consider marriage a major event, so… so I can’t agree to that right now.”

As she spoke, she carefully picked up the book on Cang Lanyan’s lap and placed it on the bedside table, afraid it might fall later and distract her.

Cang Lanyan remained silent, quietly observing her every move.

“But if you want to explore a similar intimate connection with me, I… I could still try it out a little!” Yin Ya said, feeling her cheeks flush rapidly until even her ears turned hot.

“A little?” Cang Lanyan finally spoke.

“Like, like for example…” Yin Ya stammered, her gaze inadvertently drifting to those slightly parted, soft lips. Mustering her courage, she leaned forward and pressed her face closer.

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