Even though his confession had failed, it felt like a dream. When the next day arrived, everything seemed just as it had been before.
The little vinegar jar still hovered around him, guarding vigilantly against any woman who tried to get close. She ordered an extra meat dish at meals, reminded him early in the morning to apply medicine to his wound...
Wen Yang sat on the edge of the flower bed by the track, gazing at the lively sports meet in the distance, but his eyes kept drifting to Ning Chu.
Ning Chu stood not far away, hands on her hips, scanning the area for pretty girls with a wary look. Her alert demeanor made her resemble a meerkat standing on its hind legs, ready to face danger.
"This is boring. I want to head back to the dorm~"
She turned to look at Wen Yang and, as usual, jogged over to him. "Wanna duo queue back at the dorm?"
"..."
"Ugh, you're so cold lately~"
Wen Yang finally responded, "I'm thinking of going to the library to read."
"Again with the library… I hate reading. Just seeing books gives me a headache."
"Why don't you head back first?" He seemed particularly considerate. "I won't talk to any women, don't worry."
Ning Chu hesitated. "I… Is your foot better? Can you manage on your own?"
"No problem."
"Well, okay then..."
After all, they'd been to the library several times and never encountered any suspicious women there.
Plus, Zhang Shaoqing and Wang Jie were in the dormitory, so even without her protagonist halo, it was unlikely she'd run into danger.
Given Wen Yang's current state, it was probably best to leave him alone for a while.
Though Ning Chu convinced herself of this, on her way back to the dorm, she kept glancing over her shoulder, uneasy as she watched Wen Yang's retreating figure.
It wasn't until he disappeared completely from sight that she hurriedly ran towards the dormitory building.
Back in the dorm, she pushed open the door and peeked inside.
"Shaoqing!"
"Aren't you two supposed to be watching the sports meet? Back already?"
Zhang Shaoqing turned around, but only saw Ning Chu. "This is rare~ You two actually managed to separate?"
"He went to the library."
"Well, that explains it."
Ning Chu pulled over a chair and sat beside Zhang Shaoqing. "Tell me, what did Wen Yang say to you last night?"
"You acted so indifferent last night, and now you're asking me?"
"Just tell me!"
Zhang Shaoqing glanced at her, shrugged, and said, "He just said he wasn't good enough for the girl he liked. Being rejected was only natural."
"What?"
Ning Chu had never considered that possibility.
A male protagonist in a Hentai doujin has such a strange thought? Toward her, no less?
She couldn't fathom what about him didn't match up to her... She simply couldn't accept the idea of being in a romantic relationship with a man. Her feelings for Wen Yang were more like an author's care and protection for their character, not romantic affection.
"Wen Yang comes from a poor family. Feeling a bit inferior is pretty normal," Zhang Shaoqing said as he clicked his mouse. "You know his parents are gone, and his monthly living expenses are only four to five hundred yuan. How could someone like that not feel inferior?"
"But..."
Ning Chu had never thought of him that way. She'd always seen him as just a little introverted.
"Being so handsome, yet feeling inferior?"
"What does being handsome even do for him?" Zhang Shaoqing finally had a chance to criticize Wen Yang's looks. "Sure, he's good-looking, and there's a line of fangirls who like him stretching from the dorm to the school gate. But the girl he likes doesn't like him back, so what's the use? It's like how, even though I'm from a rich family, I—"
He suddenly realized what he was saying and cursed, "Why am I bringing myself into this? Damn it!"
Ning Chu propped her chin in her hands, resting on her knees.
It wasn't that she was slow to notice. Wen Yang just rarely showed any signs of inferiority when he was around her.
Instead, Wen Yang was sunny, gentle, and enthusiastic. Though he was a bit shy and awkward around girls, he was undeniably a male protagonist—untainted and far from becoming a scumbag.
So, could it be that Wen Yang's state yesterday was actually his truest self?
Ning Chu pressed her lips together thoughtfully and stood up.
Wasn't this how things were supposed to be? This was the Hentai world—a world she had created. But real people couldn't be as one-dimensional as characters in a book.
She had long since come to see this place as a real world and regarded all her friends as living, breathing individuals.
Even so, she couldn't help but view everyone through the stereotypical lenses she had described in her writing.
Ning Chu turned her gaze to the wardrobe. The harder the problem before her seemed, the more she wanted to escape.
Pack up her suitcase, leave this place, end it all.
But Wen Yang...
She couldn't bear to abandon her male protagonist, especially after learning about the deep-seated inferiority he harbored.
As his friend, roommate, and author, every role made it even harder to let go.
"Stop pacing back and forth!" Zhang Shaoqing glared at her as she paced the dorm room, rolling his eyes. "You're being annoying!"
"Oh."
Ning Chu obediently sat down, resting her chin in her hands as she stared blankly at the computer screen.
"Ning Chu! Which girl did Wen Yang confess to and get rejected by? Shouldn't we as roommates organize something? Be his wingmen, all of us!"
"Yeah, what does she look like? Is she pretty? Which class is she in? Don't tell me it's really the vice class monitor?" Wang Jie chimed in curiously.
Ning Chu turned to the two with their eager faces. "Don't, just don't get involved."
"Come on! Helping out a roommate isn't reasonable to you?"
"You're just bored and looking for trouble!"
Irritated, she waved her hand dismissively. "Leave me alone."
Slumping onto the desk, her thoughts drifted back to worrying about Wen Yang.
Would some girl take advantage of his vulnerable state? Was he feeling devastated after the rejection? But she really couldn't accept him right now…
"Don't stress about it too much. Guys, you know, losing a few times in love is normal," Zhang Shaoqing leaned against the wardrobe, looking at the troubled Ning Chu. "Yesterday you acted like you didn't care at all, and now you're overthinking it."
Wen Yang had said something similar to her before.
Ning Chu pursed her lips and nodded. "True, but he's not like you."
As a man, if one setback crushed his spirit, this male protagonist would really be done for!
"What the hell? What do you mean he's not like me?"
After all, unlike Zhang Shaoqing, Wen Yang wasn't secretly so fragile that one setback would turn him dark— Wait, this was reality, not a novel.
Ning Chu suddenly realized her mistake, shook her head vigorously, and pushed those stereotypical thoughts of Zhang Shaoqing out of her mind. "I'm sorry."
But Zhang Shaoqing only got angrier, feeling inexplicably insulted. "What do you mean 'sorry'!?"
"..."
He stormed off, cursing under his breath. "I swear, I think Ning Chu doesn't even see me as a friend!"
Ugh, why is he so hard to deal with!
Ning Chu looked at Zhang Shaoqing with a conflicted expression. With a snort, she quickly got up and left.
"Where are you going?"
"To the library to read!"
And to give Wen Yang a bit of encouragement and confidence!
That self-doubting look of his was too heartbreaking to bear...
That was Wen Yang! Her male protagonist! Even if he occasionally faltered, he would get back up and keep going!
Ning Chu suddenly realized that her thoughts seemed to be encouraging Wen Yang to confess to her again...