I Don’t Want to Be the Heroine Anymore - Chapter 12

“Did you hear? Xun Fangyun brought her wife to the last tea party!”

“Huh? What happened when I missed just one event???”

“Xun Fangyun? Which Xun Fangyun?”

“How many Xun Fangyuns do we have here? The one who made it onto the rich list in her early twenties!”

“Didn’t she publicly announce her engagement recently? No one ever saw who she was engaged to. We all thought she just married someone randomly because of her age and would carry on as usual. Who would’ve thought their relationship seems so good? She left hand in hand with her new wife right in front of us!”

“Yes, yes! I saw them whispering to each other too. And that doting expression on Xun Fangyun’s face definitely wasn’t faked!”

“I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it! You’re just making claims without proof!”

“Video”

“Look, I still have the video here. Her eyes were practically overflowing with affection. I think they genuinely like each other.”

“Stop talking nonsense! Yue Yin is still in the group chat. What if she sees this? Hurry and recall the message…”

Yue Yin was currently holding her phone, watching the idle chatter in the wealthy wives’ group chat, feeling slightly displeased.

Feeling jealous was inevitable, but Yue Yin wasn’t entirely sure whose fault it was.

After all, she was the one who befriended Mang Ke first.

That moment when Mang Ke helped her at the hotel was still vivid in Yue Yin’s memory. She had thought then that Mang Ke was a very… unique girl.

Unlike the cold, stone-like Xun Fangyun, Mang Ke was sweet, sensible, and clever—someone you’d naturally want to get close to upon meeting. And indeed, she was exactly that kind of girl.

Yue Yin relaxed in the bathtub, idly scrolling through her phone.

After a long while, she finally tapped on Xun Fangyun’s profile and sent her a message: “Do you have time? I’d like to meet you.”

It took who knows how long before Xun Fangyun picked up her phone to reply.

Xun Fangyun: “Where?”

Yue Yin: “Let’s meet at the café we often go to. I’ll be waiting there at noon today. I hope you won’t stand me up.”

————

Xun Fangyun stared at Yue Yin’s cold words, her dark eyes deep like an abyss.

She knew they would eventually have to lay everything out in the open. If this were following the original plot, Xun Fangyun would be indifferent to Mang Ke right now, busy rekindling things with her ex-girlfriend.

But the current Xun Fangyun had no intention of sticking to the script.

She found that kind of melodramatic plot too exhausting. Why should she chase after an unattainable first love—both on and off-screen—when she already had feelings for Mang Ke?

Xun Fangyun didn’t reply. Instead, she tossed her phone aside and went to freshen up.

As she left her room, she heard clattering noises coming from the next room and had no idea what was going on.

Aunt Liu watched nervously from the doorway, wringing her hands.

“Miss Mang Ke, this is too dangerous. Please come down and let the repairman handle it!”

“It’s fine! I can change a light bulb too!”

Mang Ke stacked a few chairs and climbed up with the replacement bulb. But when she glanced down, her legs went weak. “Whoa, it’s so high up… wuwuwu…”

Upon hearing this, Xun Fangyun looked into the room and saw Mang Ke standing on top of two stacked chairs, wearing a nightgown, crouching there shivering and wobbling as she tried to stand up.

Aunt Liu, spotting Xun Fangyun, said, “Miss Xun, look at her…”

It turned out the light bulb in Mang Ke’s room had burned out, and she had volunteered to replace it herself.

Xun Fangyun crossed her arms and stood at the doorway with Aunt Liu, saying to Mang Ke, “Be careful, or you’ll fall.”

Mang Ke looked up and, as if spotting a lifeline, shouted at Xun Fangyun, “Yunyun, you’re tall! Come help me change the bulb!”

Xun Fangyun: “???”

Why should she have to change the bulb just because she’s tall??

Despite her thoughts, Xun Fangyun still felt it was unsafe for Mang Ke to do it herself—she might end up risking her life. So she just rolled her eyes and walked over.

“Come down,” Xun Fangyun said, looking up at her. “I’ll do it for you.”

Mang Ke nodded and timidly stretched out her foot.

“Mmm…”

No matter how hard she tried, her toes couldn’t reach the stool below. With a troubled expression, Mang Ke said, “I think… I can’t get down.”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

Mang Ke whimpered, “Yunyun, I’m scared of heights…”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

If you’re scared of heights, why did you climb up there in the first place?!

Wouldn’t it have been easier to just call an electrician?!

Sighing helplessly at the sight of Mang Ke frozen on the chair, Xun Fangyun stood on tiptoe and grabbed her arm. “I’ll help you down.”

Mang Ke clung to her arm, trembling. Xun Fangyun wanted to laugh but held it in, pressing her lips together to maintain a serious expression.

After much effort, she finally helped Mang Ke down, both of them sweating from the ordeal.

“Such a mess first thing in the morning,” Aunt Liu said, bringing over a towel to wipe Mang Ke’s face and hands. “You’re all dirty, and breakfast is about to be served.”

Mang Ke took the towel and wiped her face, then glanced back at Xun Fangyun.

Say what you will about Xun Fangyun, but at least she was better at changing light bulbs than Mang Ke—she wasn’t afraid of heights, and she knew to turn off the power first.

During breakfast, Aunt Liu asked Xun Fangyun, “Will you be back for lunch? Should I prepare a meal for you?”

For some reason, Xun Fangyun instinctively glanced at Mang Ke, who looked back curiously, unsure why the question about lunch suddenly involved her.

“Why are you looking at me?” Mang Ke mumbled around her spoon. “I’m not the one making lunch for you.”

Xun Fangyun thought to herself, Who would dare eat anything you cook? but turned to Aunt Liu and said, “No, I won’t be back. I’m meeting a friend at a café.”

“Alright, what about dinner? Will you be working late?”

“Not sure, but probably not.”

Mang Ke couldn’t join their conversation, so she quietly sipped the eight-treasure porridge Aunt Liu had made and munched on fried dough sticks, her little feet swinging happily under the table.

For some reason, Xun Fangyun suddenly found this family-like scene heartwarming—it was something she had once dreamed of.

“I’m having lunch with a friend today…”

After a moment’s thought, Xun Fangyun turned to Mang Ke and said, “Stay home and don’t wander off. Listen to Aunt Liu.”

Mang Ke nodded. “Oh, okay.”

Xun Fangyun added, “Do you want me to bring back any snacks or fruit for you?”

Mang Ke blinked in confusion: “We have everything at home, why are you still buying things?”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

For some reason, she felt inexplicably irritated about keeping her upcoming meeting with Yue Yin a secret from Mang Ke.

It was as if she were sneaking off to meet a mistress behind her wife’s back—she just couldn’t shake this uncomfortable feeling.

“It’s nothing,” Xun Fangyun said after taking a sip of water. “I’ll… be going out now.”

Mang Ke smiled, her eyes curving into crescents: “Be careful on your way~ Come back soon!”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

Why does this guilt keep growing worse?!