I Don’t Want to Be the Heroine Anymore - Chapter 19

“Miss Yue Yin, aren’t we supposed to be love rivals?”

Mang Ke looked at the woman standing against the light before her and asked with some confusion, “Were those words you just said meant to imply you want to be with me?”

Even with the thickest skin, Yue Yin couldn’t withstand such a direct question from Mang Ke, her ears turning red involuntarily.

But she found Mang Ke interesting and naturally wouldn’t back down.

“Yes,” Yue Yin said. “I like you. I think you’re much more interesting than Xun Fangyun, so compared to her, I’d rather be with you.”

Mang Ke thought for a moment and asked, “You just find me interesting?”

“Yes.”

“What exactly is interesting about me?”

“Hmm?”

Mang Ke pointed at herself and said, “I’m very ordinary—not as beautiful as Miss Yue Yin, nor as charismatic as Fangyun. My favorite thing is staying home as a happy shut-in. So when you say I’m interesting, what exactly is interesting about me?”

Yue Yin: “…”

Mang Ke’s light-colored eyes fixed on Yue Yin as she said, “To be honest, I don’t have deep feelings for Xun Fangyun, but I don’t like being treated as some kind of trophy.”

“You…” Yue Yin was surprised. She hadn’t expected this usually docile heroine to say such things—as if she had her own independent thoughts.

Staring into Mang Ke’s clear eyes, Yue Yin found herself at a loss for words.

Mang Ke wasn’t wrong. Yue Yin had simply found this book’s world too dull and wanted to stir up some trouble to make her mundane life more exciting.

Like an ordinary, well-behaved person who, in an environment where no one knows them, suddenly unleashes long-suppressed instincts, becoming almost like a different person.

Yue Yin wasn’t cruel by nature, so she treated this world as a vacation spot—enjoying life while pursuing a romance with the characters in the story. It seemed like the perfect encounter.

But now, Mang Ke’s words were shaking Yue Yin’s convictions.

Why would a two-dimensional character ask her what she liked about her?

Could paper-thin characters… have personalities too?

This thought startled Yue Yin, and her gaze at Mang Ke turned strange, as if she were looking at something bizarre.

Just as Yue Yin opened her mouth to say something, the billiard room’s door was kicked open with a bang.

Both women turned to see the woman standing in the doorway.

Somehow, Xun Fangyun had found her way here. Her face was dark with anger as she stood at the entrance, phone in hand, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cold weather.

Her eyes swept across the billiard room before finally settling on Mang Ke.

After confirming that Mang Ke wasn’t missing any limbs, her gaze shifted to Yue Yin standing nearby.

Yue Yin seemed deep in thought. After glancing at Xun Fangyun, she turned her attention back to Mang Ke, pouring her a cup of lemon black tea from the nearby teapot.

“Here,” Yue Yin said with a light laugh. “Have some tea and enjoy the show.”

Mang Ke looked bewildered but accepted the tea anyway, taking a small sip.

It was surprisingly delicious.

“You’re a bit late, Fangyun,” Yue Yin said as she walked to the billiard table. “I thought you’d find your way here much sooner.”

Xun Fangyun put away her phone and stepped down from the stairs. “I don’t think the current pace is slow at all.”

From the moment Aunt Liu called to the time they found the billiards room, it had only taken half an hour in total. Xun Fangyun felt she had been quick enough.

When a woman needs to be fast, she should be fast.

Xun Fangyun’s gaze fell on Mang Ke, who was sitting on the sofa in the billiards room sipping tea, and she couldn’t help but frown.

What’s going on here??

Just sitting there drinking tea??

How carefree can one be?!

For some reason, Xun Fangyun really disliked Mang Ke drinking tea poured by someone else. She slapped a bill onto the counter, pulled open the fridge, grabbed a bottle of milk tea, and walked over to Mang Ke, saying, “Drink this.”

Mang Ke looked up at her with a puzzled expression.

Xun Fangyun frowned. “Drink this.”

Mang Ke obediently took it. “Okay.”

Why so fierce…

Xun Fangyun turned to Yue Yin but didn’t speak first.

Yue Yin tilted her head slightly, looking playful under the fluorescent lights of the billiards room. She curled her lips into a smile and said to Xun Fangyun, “Care for a game?”

Xun Fangyun didn’t refuse either. Instead, she turned and walked to the cue rack, picking up one that felt comfortable in her hand.

Seems like she agreed.

Yue Yin also picked up a cue. Seeing the two preparing to play, the attendant brought out the colorful billiard balls and arranged them into a triangle on the green felt table.

“Best of three,” Yue Yin said, leaning against the table with her cue. “How about it?”

Xun Fangyun’s expression remained unchanged. She glanced at Yue Yin but said nothing.

Mang Ke took a few sips of the hot black tea but ultimately decided she preferred sweeter drinks. She unscrewed the milk tea Xun Fangyun had given her and took a big gulp.

Just as she took a sip, a loud “bang” echoed from the opposite side, followed by a crisp scattering sound.

Looking over, she saw the neatly arranged billiard balls now scattered haphazardly across the table.

Yue Yin couldn’t help but clap her hands and laughed. “You go first.”

Xun Fangyun gave Yue Yin a look, then smirked as she rolled up her sleeves and leaned over the table.

The cue was long and slender, its straight lines elegant.

Xun Fangyun gripped the slender cue, her body pressed against the table. With a flick of her wrist, the white ball shot out, striking the red 3 and sending it rolling into the opposite pocket.

For the rest of the game, Yue Yin and Mang Ke stood by, watching as Xun Fangyun practically played the entire round by herself.

Mang Ke: “…”

Yue Yin: “…”

This is just cheating, isn’t it???

If one person sinks all the balls, what’s left for the other to do?

Play with air??

Yue Yin’s face turned slightly green. She pointed at the table and said, “Fangyun, aren’t you going to leave me even one?”

Xun Fangyun’s long black hair cascaded over her shoulders onto the table as she made her final shot, completing a ‘home run’ for the entire game.

“Why should I leave you one?”

Xun Fangyun turned to Yue Yin and said, “You let me break.”

Letting you break doesn’t mean you get to sink all the balls yourself, sis!

Yue Yin rolled her eyes in exasperation and walked over to Xun Fangyun, complaining, “No one’s going to want to be friends with you like this.”

Xun Fangyun smiled. “No need.”

In this fake world, who needs friends?

Just win, that’s all that matters.

The second game started with Yue Yin breaking, but her skills weren’t great. After sinking two balls, she ended up giving all the remaining ones to Xun Fangyun.

Xun Fangyun’s flowing black hair swayed as she moved around the table, her hand lifting and lowering until she finally pocketed the last ball, bringing both matches to an end.

Even though Mang Ke didn’t understand pool, she could tell Xun Fangyun had won.

Click—

Xun Fangyun placed the cue back on the rack and glanced at Mang Ke, who was sipping her milk tea. “Time to go home.”

“Wait.”

Yue Yin stepped forward, her expression dark. “You’re just taking Mang Ke away like that?”

“Or what?” Xun Fangyun replied. “Should we hold a meeting first?”

Yue Yin gritted her teeth. “You don’t even like her. Why waste her time?”

At that, Xun Fangyun turned to face Yue Yin.

“And you?” she countered. “If you take Mang Ke away, is it because you like her?”

“I—”

“You just think she’s fun and amusing. You don’t like her either.”

Xun Fangyun took Mang Ke’s hand, shielding her behind her. “If you don’t like her, why take her from me?”

Yue Yin was left speechless, unable to answer.

It was true—she had never taken the people or events in this world seriously. Everything was just a game to her. As Xun Fangyun said, she only found Mang Ke interesting.

“I’m taking Mang Ke with me,” Xun Fangyun said, glancing back at the girl with messy long hair, her gaze uncharacteristically gentle. “I’ll let it slide today, but don’t let me catch you next time.”

Yue Yin watched as the two walked away, then impulsively threw her cue onto the table with a loud clatter.

Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair before noticing the cup of black tea she had poured for Mang Ke still sitting untouched on the coffee table by the sofa.

Under the harsh fluorescent light, the tea looked lonely, mirroring Yue Yin’s agitated and gloomy mood.

Even with drinks, she couldn’t compare to Xun Fangyun?

Yue Yin sighed deeply. Staying here any longer seemed pointless.

“Guess it’s about time,” she murmured. “The finale of this book.”