I Don’t Want to Be the Heroine Anymore - Chapter 13

The agreed time with Yue Yin was noon at 12 o’clock. This time, Xun Fangyun didn’t stand her up and arrived punctually at a café located in the city center.

Being a familiar face, the café owner warmly approached as soon as Xun Fangyun entered.

“Miss Xun, you’re here.”

Xun Fangyun glanced around and asked, “Has Yue Yin arrived yet?”

“She’s here, at the usual spot,” the owner chuckled, taking Xun Fangyun’s coat. “We’ve prepared some snacks for you. Miss Yue Yin mentioned you’d be discussing something for quite a while.”

Xun Fangyun pondered for a moment before nodding. “Thank you.”

Led by the owner, Xun Fangyun walked down a corridor adorned with greenery. At the end was a uniquely styled semi-private booth. Though still an open seating area, the dense foliage surrounding it created a more secluded space.

The owner greeted the person inside, hung the coat on a nearby rack, and then nodded to Xun Fangyun before stepping away.

Walking past the plants, Xun Fangyun saw Yue Yin sitting by the window, leisurely petting the café’s resident cat.

The cat purred contentedly on her lap, clearly enjoying the attention.

“You’re here,” Yue Yin said, looking up with a faint smile playing on her pink lips. “Quite punctual today. Looks like we’ll get to enjoy our coffee while it’s still hot.”

Xun Fangyun sat down opposite her, lowering her gaze. “What did you want to talk about?”

Yue Yin gently teased the cat’s whiskers with her fingers and said nonchalantly, “Can’t I just want to see you without a reason?”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

That sounded oddly suggestive. She couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Ignoring Xun Fangyun’s reaction, Yue Yin continued lightly, “It’s strange, really. I’ve suddenly grown tired of this world after staying here for a few months.”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

“You must be wondering why I asked to meet today, right?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Yue Yin gazed at Xun Fangyun’s jet-black hair and dark eyes. “You’re beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve met in this world.”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

“Let me tell you a secret,” Yue Yin pretended to whisper. “You’re actually a character from a book.”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

Yue Yin sighed at her completely unfazed expression and shooed the cat away. “Maybe it’s this world’s protection mechanism. Whenever I mention this to NPCs, they all pretend not to hear it.”

“Just like you.” Yue Yin dropped a sugar cube into Xun Fangyun’s cup. “You won’t respond to what I say. Later, you’ll forget this conversation ever happened, as if it never took place.”

Xun Fangyun took a sip of coffee, the bitterness spreading aggressively, as if trying to invade her very core.

Yue Yin was right. This world’s unique protection mechanism was indeed forgetfulness.

Characters in the book would forget these ‘truths,’ like poorly programmed robots—capable of movement and expression, yet unable to react meaningfully to them.

Xun Fangyun had known about this since she was very young. She struggled for a long time, only to realize that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape this fabricated world. The people around her were like game models, mechanically repeating the same actions without change for decades.

“The coffee is a bit bitter,” Xun Fangyun said expressionlessly. “It doesn’t taste the same as before.”

“Is that so?” Yue Yin took a sip and smiled. “Things in books—only you paper-thin characters can sense such nuances. To me, it tastes exactly the same as always.”

Xun Fangyun didn’t respond, merely taking another sip of her coffee.

“Why did you come to see me? What did you want to talk about?”

She changed the subject, unsure how to continue the conversation about being a “paper-thin character.” She’d rather discuss something else.

“Oh,” Yue Yin set down her cup. “I came to ask if you’d be willing to be with me.”

Xun Fangyun remained silent.

Yue Yin added, “But it doesn’t really matter. I’m just playing around anyway. You and Mang Ke are both fake. I’ll leave this place sooner or later.”

Xun Fangyun gave a bitter smile and took another deep drink from her cup.

Yue Yin watched her from across the table. For some reason, that bitter smile made her feel as though Xun Fangyun had understood her words. A sudden, inexplicable unease settled in Yue Yin’s chest.

No way…

No way, no way!

She’d never heard of a character becoming self-aware. Besides, Xun Fangyun seemed like an ordinary character. Other than that bitter smile, she hadn’t reacted to Yue Yin’s earlier remarks at all.

Too unnerved to speak, Yue Yin pressed her lips together before asking, “Fangyun, you—”

“I already like someone else.”

With a soft clink, Xun Fangyun set her coffee cup down on the table.

She lifted her dark, star-like eyes and said to Yue Yin, “So I won’t be with you. I hope we can still be friends, and that you’ll find someone you truly like.”

Without another word, Xun Fangyun grabbed her coat and turned to leave.

Yue Yin stood, watching as Xun Fangyun slipped on her trench coat while walking away. In the end, she didn’t chase after her.

“Must’ve been my imagination…”

Refusing to believe it, Yue Yin called out to a passing waitress, “Excuse me, miss.”

The ponytailed waitress turned to her with a smile. “Miss Yue Yin, how may I help you?”

Yue Yin studied her carefully before testing, “Do you know you’re a character in a book?”

The waitress stared at her without responding.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…”

After a pause, the waitress smiled again. “Miss Yue Yin, how may I help you?”

Yue Yin: “…”

Seemed like it really had just been her imagination.

——————

As evening fell, Mang Ke stood on tiptoe, watching Aunt Liu prepare omelet rice.

She poured beaten eggs into the frying pan, the golden liquid quickly puffing up and releasing an enticing aroma.

Slurp—

Aunt Liu glanced back at the drooling Mang Ke and chuckled. “You little glutton. Why don’t you go check if Miss Xun is back? We can eat as soon as she arrives.”

Mang Ke smiled and said, “Didn’t she say she’d be back for dinner when she left today? She probably won’t break her promise.”

Aunt Liu sighed, “Miss Xun works so hard. I hope she comes home early to rest. These days, she hasn’t even been able to get a good night’s sleep.”

Mang Ke asked puzzledly, “Why? Is she busy at night?”

“Not exactly.” Aunt Liu scooped the omelet rice onto a plate and said to Mang Ke, “Miss Xun has had trouble sleeping deeply since she was very young. There was even a period when she would cry and fuss.”

“Why?” Mang Ke asked curiously, “Did something happen to her?”

“I don’t know.” Aunt Liu replied, “We couldn’t understand what she said back then, so we just dismissed it as childish nonsense. Now that she’s grown up, she never mentions it, but her insomnia still comes and goes. These past few days, I’ve often seen Miss Xun getting up in the middle of the night. I guess her insomnia has started up again.”

Mang Ke nodded. It seemed Xun Fangyun really had a tough childhood.

Glancing up at the large pendulum clock in the living room, its brown face showed it was already 7 p.m. She had promised to come straight home after work, so why wasn’t she back yet?

Mang Ke took out her phone and decided to give Xun Fangyun a call.

After two unanswered calls, the third one finally connected, but a stranger’s voice came through.

“Hello, are you this guest’s family member?” the voice on the phone said. “This guest has had quite a lot to drink at our establishment. Could you please come pick her up and settle the bill?”