Afternoon.
Yan Yu wheeled herself slowly back along the tree-lined path.
Ruo Xiaozhen had gone to the campus store to buy water, saying she would wait at the intersection ahead.
This road was quiet, with only the occasional student riding a bicycle past, stirring up a gust of wind.
As she passed the plaza in front of the teaching building, Yan Yu’s gaze was drawn to a display board set up by the roadside.
It was a recruitment board for the University Youth Volunteer Association.
Yan Yu’s wheelchair came to a stop.
She stared at the words “Library Organization” on the board, fragments of memory flashing through her mind.
In the original plot, the Original Host signed up for the Volunteer Association, and not long after, there would be a library volunteer activity.
And Su Qinghan, as a student council officer, would go to the library to borrow materials and happened to pass by.
It was during that activity that the Original Host, Yan Yu, deliberately engineered a “chance encounter.”
By that time, Yan Yu had already been completely discarded by Su Qinghan.
But deep down, a sliver of desperate hope remained.
She signed up for library organization not because she genuinely wanted to volunteer, but to create an opportunity to see Su Qinghan one more time.
Even if it was just a glimpse from afar.
Even if the other person wouldn’t even notice her existence.
‘How utterly… pathetic.’
Yan Yu muttered to herself, her voice so soft only she could hear it.
[Detected triggerable plot node: Volunteer Association Recruitment. In the original plot, the host signed up and “encountered” Su Qinghan during the volunteer activity, further strengthening the “Loving Substitute” persona.]
[Participating in this plot can increase Acting Value. Do you wish to sign up?]
“Hah…” Yan Yu let out a long sigh.
She wheeled her chair closer to the display board.
A sign-up sheet and a pen were placed on the table below the board. A girl wearing glasses was bent over organizing materials, probably the student in charge of registration.
“Excuse me,” Yan Yu spoke up, “is it still possible to sign up?”
The girl looked up, saw Yan Yu in the wheelchair, and clearly paused for a moment.
But quickly, her expression softened into a gentle smile. “Yes, of course! Do you want to sign up, classmate?”
“Mhm.” Yan Yu nodded and reached for the pen.
The sign-up form was simple, requiring only name, student ID, and contact number. Yan Yu wrote carefully, her handwriting neat and graceful.
When she reached the “Physical Condition” section, she hesitated for a moment before writing: “Limited mobility in legs. Can perform seated tasks such as organizing books, classifying, and labeling.”
After finishing, she handed the form back.
The girl took it and glanced over it.
“Classmate, are you sure you want to participate? While we can assign you library work, sometimes you might need to stand to reach books on higher shelves…”
“I can manage,” Yan Yu said softly, a pale smile appearing on her face. “I can stand for a short while. And I want to… do something meaningful.”
As she said this, her voice was quiet, but her eyes were unusually determined.
That look would make anyone who saw it think—this was a girl with a strong will despite her physical limitations, trying hard to fit in and contribute.
The girl was indeed moved, nodding repeatedly. “Alright, alright! I’ll register you then! If the review passes, meet at the Social Sciences Book Repository on the library’s third floor at two in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. Seniors will be there to guide you then.”
“Thank you.”
Just then—
“Move aside.”
A cold voice came from behind.
Yan Yu’s body instantly stiffened.
That voice was too familiar.
So familiar that even hearing just three words made her heartbeat accelerate uncontrollably—a lingering instinctual reaction of this body.
Slowly, bit by bit, she turned her head.
Su Qinghan stood just a few steps behind her.
Her short hair was immaculate, her face expressionless. She held a stack of documents, probably just finished with a meeting or on her way to one.
Sunlight shone from behind her, casting a faint golden halo around her figure.
But that light couldn’t warm the chill in her eyes.
Su Qinghan’s gaze swept over Yan Yu, over the wheelchair beneath her, over her pale face.
Then, as if seeing a blade of grass by the roadside, she indifferently shifted her gaze away.
Her eyes landed on the display board, lingering for two seconds, seemingly reading the activity description. Then, she stepped forward, preparing to walk around Yan Yu.
From beginning to end, she didn’t speak a second word.
She didn’t even pause for an extra second.
As if Yan Yu simply didn’t exist.
Yan Yu’s fingers clenched the armrests of her wheelchair tightly.
Her knuckles turned white from the force, the faint blue veins on the back of her hands clearly visible.
Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Her throat felt blocked by something, dry and rough.
“Qing… Senior Su.”
Just as Su Qinghan was about to brush past her, Yan Yu finally found her voice.
The voice was very soft, as if she had mustered all her strength to squeeze it out.
Su Qinghan’s footsteps halted.
She turned her face slightly, her gaze falling back on Yan Yu.
That look was still cold, but with a trace of… impatience?
“What is it?” she asked, her tone flat.
Yan Yu opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But all words got stuck in her throat when she met Su Qinghan’s icy eyes.
She saw Su Qinghan’s brows furrow slightly.
The frown was very light, but it was definitely there. It was her signature gesture when she was displeased or felt disturbed.
Yan Yu’s heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.
Then, in a weak voice, she said, “N-nothing… I just, wanted to say hello.”
After speaking, as if she had exhausted all her courage, she lowered her head again, staring at her own slightly trembling hands resting on her knees.
Seeing her like this, a flicker of emotion passed through Su Qinghan’s eyes.
Was it disgust? Annoyance? Or…
Her gaze swept over Yan Yu’s wheelchair again, over her thin shoulders that looked like they could be blown over by a gust of wind.
This girl had followed her for three years.
Existing quietly, humbly, like a shadow.
She had given her money, given her all material things, but never any genuine affection.
And now, this shadow was cautiously trying to speak to her.
A thought suddenly flashed through Su Qinghan’s mind—Yan Yu must be having a very hard time now, right?
No stable source of income, and in this physical condition. Her rented place was almost up; where would she live next? What about medical expenses? What about her future life?
These thoughts only flashed by.
So quickly she didn’t even have time to grasp them before they dissipated.
Su Qinghan withdrew her gaze and resumed walking.
“In the future, if it’s nothing important, don’t call out to me casually,” she tossed out these words, her voice still cold. “I’m busy.”
With that, she walked away without looking back.
The sound of her high heels tapping against the ground was rhythmic and clear, fading into the distance.
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